Back in the end of May, Grace visited the Bay Area and stayed with us for a few days. We spend a lot of time reminiscing about school and life in Plano. I can’t believe that Grace and I have known each other for more than half our lives. 13 years! I guess we are getting old.

I didn’t take too many pictures while she was here, but I did bring my camera along to dinner at Michelin 1 star restaurant All Spice.

The group that went to dinner: Mark, Eric, Me, Grace, Jeff and Dustin.

Eating at All Spice was a new experience for me. The restaurant is in an old house, lending to a very cozy and intimate atmosphere. They change their menu seasonally and offer special dishes every day. The food is described as “California Cuisine with Indian Influences”. I think it would be a perfect date spot. However, I did have some reservations about the food. I elaborate more about that towards the end of this post.

My drink for the night was Real Ginger Brew, an alcoholic ginger beer brewed in Japan. It had an authentic ginger flavor and wasn’t overly alcoholic (7%). I definitely would drink it again.

The first dish, an amuse-bouche for all of us, chickpeas with goat cheese. It was some of the best chana masala I have ever had. The slightly tangy goat cheese perfectly contrasted the spicy chickpeas.

A few of us bought the Salmon served three ways. From left to right: 1. seared with pea risotto and daikon 2. smoked with pretzel, cream cheese and avocado 3. raw with anchovy foam and asparagus.

I started with the chilled english pea soup garnished with fresh mint, yogurt gelee and aleppo pepper.

This appetizer is called the “ode to my wife, part ii”, a savory ricotta-almond cheesecake layered with red and golden beets in a sundried tomato crust, with goat cheese mousse, crushed walnuts and lightly dressed greens.

This is the tuna tataki: quick-charred ahi tuna, crispy capers, caviar, a flurry of radishes and persillade.

A fancy knife that came with a meat dish.

Dustin’s entree was the spring lamb loin: confit lamb kebab, asparagus, roasted garlic, charred shishito peppers and ratatouille roulade.

My entree: “popeye’s dream”, a spinach-parmesan custard with grilled paneer, heirloom carrots, fresh baby corn and roasted onion brodo. Basically a modern take on a traditional Indian spinach dish. I found the dish to be a bit too rich and fatty for my taste.

Jeff’s entree: pan-seared seabass with lemongrass shrimp mousse, pea shoots, summer corn polenta cake, sherry-sausage vinaigrette and smoked fish cream.

Grace’s looked the most Indian. It was the aab-e-gosht, wild boar cooked in the traditional fashion, in a sauce of ginger, fennel almonds served with saffron bread and noble elements.

Eric had the moroccan-spiced veal cheeks with a warm farro salad, bacon vanilla potato cream, lemon brussels sprouts and king oyster mushrooms.

Mark went for the meatiest dish, the lemongrass-braised wagyu beef shortrib with tiny root vegetables, charred carrot, roasted garlic cream and a cashew coconut yogurt reduction.

The first of the desserts, a selection of house-made ice creams. The flavors were oranges and berries, beer and pretzel and candied truffle.

The second: jasmine tea cheesecake biscotti sandwiches served with huckleberry compote and dried fruit.

And finally, the most impressive dish of the night, the “snowglobe” sundae. First, a large, deep glass cup filled with cakes, fruits and ice cream and topped with a circular piece of chocolate was brought out. Then hot olive oil was poured on top, melting the chocolate and combining with it, forming a rich, sweet and slightly savory sauce.

The atmosphere and service at All Spice was exceptional, but the food was a bit questionable. A few of us had some digestive problems after eating there. I don’t know if it was just the food that day or if it was related to something else. I was actually at the tail end of stomach poisoning (it was my first real meal after eating mostly bland food for days). That might have been the cause for my discomfort. I might give All Spice a second shot some day, but there are still so many other great restaurants to visit in the Bay Area.

On the way home, we spotted a Volvo P1800 on 101. What a beautiful car. I can’t believe that Volvo used to make cars styled like that.

Back at home, Grace, Jeff and I put the stand mixer to use and made some macarons. Grace and Jeff did most of the work.

Come back and visit us soon, Grace! We loved having you here. I’ll try my best to make it out to New England sometime.