Kokkari

Before the New Year’s resolutions took effect, the weeks leading up to January 1st were one long Fat Tuesday of gluttony and sloth (I would have indulged in more of the deadly sins, but am not totally dissolute…..yet). Some vacation time had to be burnt off because it wouldn’t carry over, and the excuse for gastronomic over-indulgence was that we had to entertain an out-of-town guest, and decorum demanded that we show her a good time.

After the Christmas pageant two weeks ago we wandered the streets of San Francisco, sightseeing and shopping. At five o’clock we decided to try our luck at Kokkari, a highly regarded Mediterranean restaurant near the Embarcadero. It’s hard to keep the tab under $40 a person (before wine, which starts at $100 per bottle), but the service and food have a deservedly high reputation, and with the restaurant’s location in the midst of investment banking and M&A law firms there’s no reason for it to keep its prices down.

The hostess said that we could be seated if we would be done in an hour. Feeling like a politician making a promise that probably wouldn’t be kept—but I was not lying because hey, you never know—I agreed.

We began with the appetizer sampler, which consisted of various spreads (cod, eggplant, yogurt) for the freshly baked pita, a selection of olives, and rice wrapped in grape leaves (dolmathes) While we chatted, the waiters refilled our glasses and substituted clean plates that we dirtied with the olive pits.

The main dishes arrived promptly, and we ate with gusto. The Mediterranean diet, with its spices, vegetables, and olives, is so loaded with antioxidants that it supposedly extends one’s life span. That is how I justified eating every morsel of the pork special, marbled with perfectly crisped fat that melted on the tongue. Thank goodness that we don’t live nearby. Neither my arteries nor my finances have the capacity to dine here regularly. We lingered over desserts of rice pudding and chocolate cake. By the time we left, an hour and a half after we had started, all tables were filled. © 2007 Stephen Yuen

Top to bottom: lamb shank, moussaka (right), sea bass, rotisserie pork special.