5A5: Wagyu steak experience in San Francisco
My first experience with 5A5 was when I got a referral bonus from referring Kevin to Amazon, and so we went out to celebrate. That was the first time I tried Wagyu steak, seeing Erik being so happy that he could cry, and had one of the best meals of my life.
We've been there a couple more times, but it's time to visit our favorite steakhouse again. Two days ago, my friend Kevin had been quite stressed out with work, so he asked me and another friend of ours (Erik) to go out and get 5A5.
After we arrived at 5A5, we were greeted by a familiar waiter who remembers Kevin (and even his dad) who have been to the restaurants and had had this waiter waiting at their table. After ordering, we were served freshly baked signature bacon bread, and sourdough bread.
Signature bacon bread, and sourdough bread with room temperature butter! Yum!
We also got a bottle of Pinot Noir to go with our steak. This time we got "Goldeneye," a 2011 Pinot Noir from Anderson Valley. The wine was totally delicious! Medium to full bodied and full with flavor. The only problem is that the wine was served sort of cold (since it just came out of the cellar), so in the first 5-10 minutes, we didn't get the full flavor of this amazing wine.
After the wine was served, we were served amuse bouche from the chef. Today, we had bean pureed on bacon crostini with vegetable tempura on top. I think the amuse bouche was quite delicious, but it'd be better with more meat :)
We also ordered lobster tempura and truffle fries. Lobster tempura at 5A5 was one of the best lobsters I've had. The lobster was cooked perfectly and the mushroom sauce compliments very well with the shellfish.
Lobster tempura with sweet and sour shiitake mushroom sauce
Truffle fries with Sriracha aioli
After the appetizer, we were served a spoon of palate cleanser: geleé of cactus flower and yuzu foam from the pastry chef.
The main highlight of the day was, of course, the wagyu steak. Wagyu beef was beef from cows that were bred specially to allow extensive marbling in the meat. Grade A (yield grade) Wagyu can still be graded for marbling from A1 to A5, and 5A is the best. Wagyu from Miyazaki prefecture was deemed the best of the best, and to prove that the meat we're about to eat really came from Japan, the restaurant provided us with the Certificate of Authenticity of the meat.
Now, let's look at the meat itself! Kevin and Erik each ordered a 4 oz filet of Wagyu.
Filet of Wagyu beef served with truffle risotto and demi glace
I, on the other had, ordered a 4 oz piece of New York cut (and to cut the fat, a 6 oz. American filet mignon).
New York Wagyu served with truffle cheese, truffle foam, and demi glace
American filet mignon with demi glace, tarragon beurre fondue and herb salad
We can't skip the side dishes to go with our steaks either. We ended up ordering: truffled mac and cheese, and mashed potatoes with smoked white cheddar and maple bacon. You can't really go wrong with mac and cheese AND cheese and bacon!
Truffled mac and cheese -- gruyere, mozzarella, and cheddar
Mashed potatoes with smoked white cheddar and maple bacon
We can't really miss the dessert either, so Kevin and Erik both ordered a glass of Cabernet Franc ice wine AND an interpretation of smore. I can't drink any more alcohol, so I ended up just ordering the dessert of goat cheese (chèvre) cheesecake with fig jam and rosemary ice cream.
5A5 is one of the best steakhouses in San Francisco, and probably one of the not-so-many restaurants that serve authentic wagyu steak. I highly recommend anyone who is interested in trying wage, or even just to have some really good steak to give it a try!