Coi Restaurant | Contemporary

Coi is the newest restaurant in San Francisco Bay Area to be awarded three-star Michelin status. Executive chef Matthew Kirkley earned the restaurant its third star just two years after taking over from chef-owner Daniel Patterson, who stepped down to focus on his expanding restaurant group. However, chef Kirkley was reported already left the restaurant when the stars were awarded. Chef Kirkely is now training to represent the U.S. in the 2019 Bocuse d’Or, a prestigious international culinary competition. Coi’s kitchen is now headed by executive chef Erik Anderson, who made his name at The Catbird Seat in Nashville, a twenty-two seats restaurant serving a changing tasting menu in a U-shaped open kitchen named the 5th Best New Restaurant in America 2012.

Located in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, this small fine dining restaurant has a main dining room and a former lounge-converted second dining room, both feature low ceilings, soft lighting, and its muted colors creating a Zen-like sensibility. The restaurant also has a private dining room, which is where we were seated.

The restaurant offers one seafood-centric tasting menu nightly, priced at $250. There are two wine pairing options, regular wine pairing for $180 or Grand Adventure wine pairing for $550.

The meal opened with the citrus marshmallow with oxalis and red radish. The presentation of this amuse-bouche was absolutely stunning.

**CITRUS MARSHMALLOW** | *oxalis, red radish*

We skipped the wine pairing, and ordered a full bottle of Rosé Champagne, a full bottle of red for the night.

The second course was geoduck – thinly shaved geoduck marinated in white Shōyu, caramelized duck cream, clam jelly, topped with olive oil and Negi onions.

**GEODUCK** | *caramelized duck cream, clam jelly, green onion*

Next came the Dungeness crab, this is one of Chef Anderson’s favorite new dishes on the menu. The Dungeness crab was pressed like a terrine, and served with citrus leaves glaze, black sesame puree, Shinko pear, and lily bulb. The pear and black sesame were well used to bring out the essence of the crab.

**DUNGENESS CRAB** | *citrus leaves, black sesame, shinko pear, lily bulb*

The caviar was my favorite dish of the night. Caviar topped candied yuzu peel, covered an egg yolk hidden in rich and airy hazelnut cream.

**CAVIAR** | *hen egg, hazelnut, candied yuzu*

Followed by sturgeon in roasted chicken sauce. The chicken heart on a tarragon-stick remained me of Yakitori, the Japanese style grilled chicken skewers.

**STURGEON** | *roasted chicken, cabbage, bay leaf, tarragon*

The first meat course was pigeon, served with classic French sauce Bigarade. The pigeon was cooked to crispy-skinned perfection, with pink, tender and juicy interior.

**PIGEON** | *green garlic, mandarin, sauce bigarade*

The last main course of the night was perfectly cooked medium-rare beef served with black trumpet mushroom and fermented pepper toffee.

**BEEF** | *black trumpet, fermented pepper toffee*

Etrog citron on ice, with a touch of Meletti Amaro, made a nice palate cleanser.

Followed by the refreshing, tartly sweet blood orange sorbet.

**BLOOD ORANGE SORBET** | *crème fraîche, almond*

Last, the three-layer chocolate mille-feuille and mignardises wrapped up the night!

**CHOCOLATE MILLE-FEUILLE** | *mint, coffee*

We had a great time at Coi. The service was great and the stuffs were excellent. I was amazed with the presentation of almost every dish, and appreciated the consistency.