Apr 7 , 2007 Gig with Jeanette Harris Tonight I played for a private birthday party with the Jeanette Harris Band. We played together last night at Shanghai 1930, and as usual, it was a pleasure to play with them all: Jeanette, Mike and Patrick. They’re so passionate about the music and are genuinely good people. We’ll be back at Shanghai again on May 4, 2007, so come see a show! Anyway, the private party was held at the St. Regis Hotel in San Francisco. Often, as a musician, hotels treat you almost as a nuisance. Band members will usually be offered water, and maybe, if you’re lucky, a cold sandwich. Even some of the nicer hotels in the city don’t make the band feel welcome. Well, I am here to tell you that the St. Regis Hotel is now officially my favorite hotel! We were treated with so much respect and consideration that we were all impressed. Everyone on staff was pleasant, helpful, friendly and kind. They made us feel like we were patrons! It was a wonderful experience. The bartender, Chris, was definitely the best bartender I've ever seen! The space where the party was held was gorgeous, decorated in a style that hinted asian, but was very modern. It filled with too many orchids to count. The food was superlative (and this coming from a self-confessed food snob who frequents top rated restaurants such as Michael Mina, Jardiniere and the like…see my blog about Le Bernardin in New York City). There were several food stations. The first featured beef quesadillas. I’m not a fan of red meat, so I asked if I could have a version without the meat. The chef piled on the most delicious guacamole and I enjoyed it thoroughly. The next station was fresh baked pizza. I had the veggie with mushrooms, basil and tomatoes. The chef then sprinkled on more fresh basil, black truffles, chile flakes and dried oregano. Delicious. The next station was my favorite: sushi. Now, I have to confess to not being a huge sushi fan. I’ll eat it, but I’ve never been fond of the texture, and most of it is too gamey for my delicate palette. Apparently, the sushi chef had been flown in from Japan specifically for this party (I can’t confirm that…it’s just what I heard). So, I figured, if I’m going to have authentic sushi, I might as well try this. The sushi was so fresh that I could not smell even a hint of fish standing only a foot away from the counter. I picked up a piece of salmon sashimi and ate it. Then a piece of unagi, john dory, and tuna. I have now tasted sushi, for everything else I’ve ever tried has been a mere imitation of what this was. How can I ever again eat at the average sushi restaurant? I’m now a sushi snob. I can’t begin to explain fully how amazing this sushi was. It was clean tasting, fresh, delicious, unlike anything I’d ever tried. All of us in the band were stunned by the quality. The next station was Chinese Dim Sum. Most had pork, so I only tried the spinach dumplings, which were also delicious. Next was the cheese board, which featured approximately 25 different types of cheese and a wide variety of fresh fruits. All were perfectly ripe. Next was a selection of artisanal chocolates. At this point, I was in such bliss that I stopped making mental notes. I just know everything was sublime. Now, that’s what I call a gig! Oh yes, we played 3 sets and had the party rockin’! The guests were all happy and celebrating the 50th birthday of their dear friend. The love in the room was palpable and a good time was had by all! |