Boulette's

San Francisco, March 25, 2011—

A THIRD DAY OF PORK today, God forgive me, and it Friday and Lent. Oh well. We'd spent the morning in church — well, touring Mission Dolores — so perhaps I earned some kind of dispensation.

We were in the famous Ferry Building, once the nexus of most incoming traffic to this city, now devoted to the New California Religion, la table, and I wanted to show our Dutch friends one of the city's unique restaurants. Amaryll Schwertner is one of the finest cooks I know, and particularly at a kind of cooking I particularly like: the slow braise.


Of course I couldn't resist the pork stewed with hazelnut and leeks, served with braised greens and herbs. Amaryll specializes in deep flavors — Hungarian cuisine is a legitimate part of her inheritance — and while cumin seemed at the front here, other things were going on in the background to support it.

The meat, from Llano Seco Rancho, was full of flavor itself, easily standing up to the complexity of its treatment. And then came dessert: lemon meringue pie, profiteroles with lemon, espresso, and chocolate ice creams, a fine walnut tart, and an absolutely marvelous trifle. God, what a fabulous place this is.

Txakolina, Gorrondona Bizkaika, 2009

Boulette's Larder, 1 Ferry Building, San Francisco

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