Rivoli / Bridges

We had babysitter support today and headed to the Bridges gym, next to the asian mega complex near the freeway. I'm not sure how they stay in business with so much gym competition, but chloe and I both like it there a lot. The route setting in particular is superb -- some of the best we have seen. It's also very cool that the boulders top out. At our gym in Grenoble, they have banned volatile chalk, which after some initial bristling, I fully embrace. When you get a lot of climbers chalking up in an enclosed space, you very rapidly find yourself in a giant lung destroying white cloud. We both climbed well considering the fact that we have not climbed in two weeks and have been eating vast quantities of food.

And speaking of food, next, it was on to an excellent dinner at Rivoli. Chloe and Kenji had the scallops, my mom had the duck, and I had leg of lamb. Everything was wonderful, and I particularly liked the appetizer -- fried portobello mushroom fritters. Dessert was also exceptional -- warm chocolate budino for me, and meyer lemon cheesecake for CZ. At the end of the meal, my mom was talking to us about Opentable.com, and I mentioned that a lot of restauranteurs hate it. It's true that it can be a hassle to make reservations by phone, though.


appetizer:
portabella mushroom fritters, aïoli, parmesan, arugula, caper vinaigrette

scallops:
grilled dayboat scallops, potato and anaheim chili gratin,
baby spinach, sherry gastrique, quince aïoli, marcona almond picada

duck:
Sonoma liberty duck cooked two ways, winter vegetable soufflé,
lydia’s brussels sprouts with pancetta and pine nuts, black mission fig marmalata

leg of lamb:
grilled rosemary leg of lamb, roast eggplant, tomato and goat cheese tian,
garlic and olive oil braised tuscan kale

desserts:
warm chocolate cake, vanilla ice cream,
chocolate and caramel sauces

Meyer lemon cheesecake, citrus compote