My one true love (sorry Ric...)

Ahhh Quince. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways... or, in this case, the courses.

I'm going back in time a little bit, but don't want to forget about the great dinner Ric and I had when my dad was in town last weekend. After a weekend of enjoying California's bounty we topped it off with a Sunday evening meal at our favorite restaurant, Quince. Since there are honestly so many things I love about this place, I'm just going to list them out (I love lists!):

1. Location - it's in our neighborhood, about four blocks away, and is tucked in a completely residential area. Amidst all the apartment buildings and cute Victorian houses, you see the burnt orange banner of Quince calling you home.

2. Service - Good service goes a long way, especially when you're paying top dollar for a meal. And Quince gets an A++ with a gold star and a cherry on top in this category. This may say a little too much about how often we eat there, but everyone from the reservationist to the concierge, to Lindsay (the owner) knows our names, what kind of water we drink (San Francisco's finest) and can remember what we talked about the last time we came in. This is not easy to do. They have hundreds of people coming through that restaurant and to remember this level of detail really speaks highly of the team they have. We are no one special, but we certainly feel like it every time we eat at Quince.

3. Mike - We love going in on Sunday's because it's relatively quiet (and there are worse ways to end the weekend). The other benefit is that it's usually slow enough for us to go back into the kitchen to chat with Mike (aka Michael Tusk, the chef and Lindsay's husband). All of the horror stories that people are now associating with chefs thanks to reality TV, fly out the window when you meet Mike. He is so kind and soft-spoken and genuinely loves what he's doing. He takes the time to stop, talk with us, and doesn't ever once look rushed or like he'd rather the conversation end. We talk about the farmer's markets he's visiting, their adorable (but huge) dog Ruby, and his most recent media appearances (this time it was the Today Show). He is an amazing chef and I am so thrilled that we get to hang out with him so often.

4. The food - of course this is a hugely important part of any meal, but at Quince everything else is so fantastic (see 1-3 of this list) that the food could be mediocre and I'll still spend hundreds of dollars to eat there. Fortunately, the food isn't mediocre. It's fantastic. Especially the tasting menu which gives you a little bite of many, many wonderful things. I love it because you get two different pastas, and they are always my favorite thing on the menu.

Bottom line, if you're ever coming to San Francisco save up a little money and treat yourself to the tasting menu (with wine pairings) at Quince. You won't regret it. I'm am tearing up as I write this because we're heading back in May for the last time before our move to London. I can't imagine a month without Quince, Lindsay and Mike. It's going to be one of the hardest goodbyes we'll have... We love you Quince.

Rachel