Tasty Travels with Jackie

I apologize to all my new blog visitors--thanks for stopping by and checking up but I can-not believe it's been weeks since I last wrote something--almost a month. Luckily, I am able to stop in before the month's end to recap on the happenings...

Exactly 12 days ago, I was at a dinner for my dad--celebrating his 25 (+1) years working at the same company (it's a good thing... really!). We went to Leftbank Restaurant (San Jose on Santana Row). And if you've never heard of it... it's an *awesome*French restaurant that holds a special place in my heart--for two reasons now. [Aside from the first reason being that the one in Larkspur was where I had dinner with my family when I turned 21... awwwww---shuddit! :oP] Now the second is... (drum roll please) ...because it was the first time I ate Escargots!! yeah... i ate snails!!! and they were quite delicioso--not that I'd eat them every day or even every time I go to LB. But I figured it's time I tried new things... Ooh! Aah! (taking it straight off the menu) They were prepared with "artichoke, garlic, parsley butter, (and a) splash of Pernod." Before I tried it, everyone was telling me the usual--"tastes like chicken" and "sometimes kind of chewy like squid"?!? But the one that I had was pretty good--I think it must have been prepared well because it was not chewy or squid-like at all. It almost melted in my mouth as I chewed and swallowed it. Really, I was mostly revelling in the buttery goodness of it. So... next time you're at a French restaurant--try something new: it's usually on the app's section of the menu;o)

P.S. For those of you still wondering if this is a restaurant worth going, I would give it 4.25 Piggies (out of 5) on the Piggy scale. Don't worry, they have other things on the menu. This joint has good atmosphere and it's a good location... it's Santana Row, baby! (It was my first time !). The weekend that we went they were doing a tribute/imitating Cannes Film Festival... as an ode to France in the movies, they projected on the walls were movies like Paris J'Taime and Casablanca. I loved it!!