A summer day.
Prologue
We drove to San Francisco because of an invitation. The friend said, we would dine at a Vietnamese restaurant.
I asked Totof "how many people"
Totof answered "a bunch"
I wondered "more than 10"
Totof confirmed "Ouais"
I continued "are they all French"
Totof blinked at me "you bet"
I said "do I know them"
Totof replied "you know Herve, Raffel, and Robin and Sarah will arrive late"
So at least there would be another non-French person, Sarah, I would not be the only one. Yeah. We arrived that area pretty on time, 6:30. As usual, you need to give French 15 min polite time when you have an appointment with French. If you arrive on time, most likely you will not see any French. You had better hold yourself and try not to be there punctually. So, based on this understanding, we walked around the neighborhood instead of walking in Tao directly.
Tao Café is on Guerrero Street. The neighborhood looked fine and safe. We spent 20 min outside. Then, we thought some people would be there so we walked in Tao. But, no one. We were the first people. Well. "Maybe too many French so the polite time gets amplified", I teased Totof. We dranked tea and water and waited. After another 20 min, people started to show up. Not know, not know, not know, know, not know, know...
French conversations were all over the place. I listened. Not understood much. I needed a translator. I looked at Totof. He seemed very into a conversation. Once the conversation was in a break, he translated what had been spoken. I need either a non-French speaker or a French willing to speak English. And I got 2. Herve is a French but his English is good. If I do not know his origin, I will assume he is an American. Then, Raffel's family arrived. Raffel married to an American. So, another non-French was there. Raffel's sister sit next to me. She looked shy. I tried to have some conversations with her. A friendly girl.
We ordered. The food was tasty
I had Vietnamese duck confit. I had had many French duck confits. I could tell a confit was good thanks to my experience. I looked at the menu and this dish struck me. I wanted to see the difference between the French version and the Vietnamese one. I wanted to see the Vietnamese touch on this dish. So I ordered it.
My confit was placed in the middle. Underneath, there were wonton noodles. The confit was dashed with rice vinegar. Baby bok choy came as a side dish on the plate. With the side dish, you knew this confit was a fusion. The smell was attractive. You had a gentle after taste once you ate the confit. The rice vinegar enhanced the flavor. The baby bok choy balanced the meal well. A delicious dish.
Tao Café style
Tao Café designated its atmosphere and style. It's a stylish dinning place. The main theme is Asain. Most furniture is made of dark wood. An open bar was located close to the kitchen. All staff wore black outfit. Most staff spoke French, I observed. So, my French friends could order and ask questions in French. They loved that.
You can try Tao Café and tell me what you think. Tao Café has its own website, http://www.taocafe.com/. Location,
1000 Gurrero St, San Francisco
