What finally got Marvelena and me to go there was a special tasting menu at a significantly reduced price offered through OpenTable with five courses.  I'll walk you through the courses and you'll know all you need to know about the menu to decide to go there soon. 

But even before the first course, we were presented with a Chinese soup spoon with a piece of organic cucumber, topped with a scrumptious piece of white sushi dotted with Ponzu sauce.  It was one delicious bite!

Also before the first course a champagne cart was presented by our waiter with three different types of the bubbly, ranging in price from $23-55 per glass.  I’m afraid we had to give that a big pass.  In general, alcohol is expensive here with premium bourbons going for $15/shot and standard ones going for about $11. Better drink at your local pub beforehand.

Now for the food:

•  Course 1:  Summer Salad with Flame-Broiled Shrimp and Mint Yogurt Sauce.  Salad ingredients were succulent and supremely fresh.  Besides the shrimp were white peaches and cucumber and mustard leaves, along with crunchy broiled shallots that brought the dish together completely and added just the right amount of extra flavor and saltiness to the dressing. 

• Course 2:  Butter Poached Maine Lobster with Curry Coconut Cream Sauce.  This is some of the best lobster I've eaten in a long time.  Two of the pieces presented were slightly less cooked than the other two, and each preparation complimented the other nicely.  They were not overpowered at all by the light curry which brought out the seafood flavor. Accompanying the lobster in the large bowl were shaved hearts of palm, snap peas, potato balls, cilantro and a basmati rice crisp.

• Course 3:  Olive Oil Poached Alaskan Halibut with cuttlefish gnocchi and Beans. This was some of the best halibut I've eaten in years, better even than fresh halibut in Alaska. A lot of the reason was the poaching.  The fish was tender and flaky, not overcooked in the slightest. By contrast, the cuttlefish gnocchi had a heavy taste and for me they were definitely the low point of the meal. However, they did not go uneaten and did provide an interesting contrast to the mild halibut.

• Course 4:  Angus Steak with Summer Beans.  By choice, the chef serves this beef medium rare although it was a bit closer to medium than to rare.  That's actually how I like it so no problem there. But, if you want a really red center, go for rare.  The beef is first baked in the oven then sautéed over a hot flame to finish it off. Accompanying the steak were two preparations of summer beans.  One was the whole bean with some spices and slivered hazelnuts.  The other was a pure with different seasonings.  Each was so different from the other that it didn't seem at all like eating the same legume. 

• Course 5: Caramelized sautéed chocolate Cake with sherbet. As good as this sounded, we opted for the cheese course which the chef was kind enough to exchange.  Cheeses were excellent and served with fresh walnut bread. The selection ranged from Oregon to Wisconsin, to France, California and Spain.  I chose the Brillat-Savarin, a triple cream cheese from France, and Petit-Agour, a semi firm cheese from the Pyrenees.  That triple cream cheese is still in my dreams.  Marvelena had a Montenegro goat cheese from Spain and the same Brillat-Savarin, and Petit-Agour.

Based on this meal, Campton Place absolutely deserves its excellent reputation.  We will definitely return, and we may rethink some of our other favorites in the “fine dining” category of San Francisco restaurants. 

Campton Place

415.781.5555 ·

340 Stockton St (between Post St & Campton Pl)

San Francisco, CA

http://www.camptonplacesf.com

In the next few health posts, I will spend more time talking
about Jon Barry.  He's an interesting guy, and certainly has a
lot of interesting things to say in the field of alternative
health. 

But first, I want to write today about the sweetener, Stevia. 
This is actually a natural sweetener, not like aspartame,
Sweet and Low, or Sucralose varieties of sweeteners.  It is
typically available as an extract and comes from a tropical plant
grown in South America.  Stevia is widely used in South America
and in Asia as a natural sweetenr. 

I've been reading about it for years, and have tried to get a
braille or recorded book of recipes, but to no avail yet. 
However, there are plenty of recipes on the web, and the other
day I convinced Marvelena to try one.  In this case, it was a
peanut butter pie. 

Essentially, this is a fairly typical sort of graham cracker
crust with creamy filling pie.  The main difference is that
instead of any sugar in the whipped cream or filling, stevia
extract is used. 

So, how was it?  Did it taste exactly like sugar?  In all
fairness, I'd say not exactly.  ALso, I might use a little less
stevia because in extract form, it's REALLY sweet, 300 times the
sweetness of sugar.  To me, it had a slightly cloying taste but
nothing like the bitter, to me totally objectionable, aftertaste
of artificial sweeteners.  The taste was good enough that it is
absolutely worth trying other recipes and experimenting with the
amount of stevia.  In fact, as I copied down this recipe for the
blog posting, I have noticed that Marvelena misremembered the
stevia amounts and we added over twice as much as the recipe
calls for.  No wonder I was thinking of reducing it! 

Buying stevia isn't too difficult.  Locally, it can be found
readily at Rainbow Grocery and Trader Jo's. 

For the adventuresome, here is the recipe Marvelena used.

Peanutbutter Pie with Stevia
Serving Size: 1 slice • Total Servings: 8

Ingredients
1 cup (8 oz.) heavy cream
¼ tsp. vanilla extract
¼ tsp. stevia extract
4 oz. Neufchâtel cream cheese, softened
½ cup smooth natural peanut butter
3/4 tsp. stevia extract
1 prepared chocolate cookie pie crust (preferably Arrowhead
     Mills brand because it has no hydrogenated oils or refined sugar)

Method

1.  Beat heavy cream, vanilla and stevia extract until stiff
peaks form. Set aside.

2.  Fold cream cheese and peanut butter in
large mixing bowl.  Using an electric  mixer,  beat at medium
until well blended.

3.  Add the 3/4 tsp. stevia extract and whipped cream > mixture
to the peanut butter/cheese mixture. Beat until smooth.

4.  Place filling into pie crust and cover. Refrigerate or
freeze for at least 2 hours. Prior to serving,  if frozen,
defrost on counter for about 30 minutes.

Now, back to Jon Barry.  He is a formulator of a variety of
natural health products.  I have been studying one in particular
because it is claimed to reduce blood sugar greatly and decrease
the body's resistance to insulin.  Looking around his website,
http://www.jonbarry.com I ran across a fascinating article on
stevia.  It also discusses the major commercial sweeteners used
as sugar replacements.  Truly fascinating reading.  His summary
statement will give a flavor of where he's coming from: 

"One has to wonder why aspartame, sucralose, and high fructose
corn syrup -- all with proven major negative health effects --
are approved by regulatory agencies in the US, Canada, and Europe
and are currently in widespread use; whereas stevia is not. Not
to be cynical, but perhaps the companies behind aspartame,
sucralose, and high fructose corn syrup (G.D. Searle, Royal DSM,
Tate and Lyle, and ADM) have a political clout that small
independent stevia producers cannot muster for a non-patentable
natural sweetener. "

He also discusses an attempt by Cellestial Seasonings to use
Stevia in a brand of tea.  The FDA came down on them very hard
for that.  Thus, his final comment:

"Guys, as long as you approve aspartame, sucralose, and high
fructose corn syrup as healthy and refuse to allow stevia to be
used, calling it unsafe, despite all reasonable evidence to the
contrary, you will have no credibility among thinking people. It
is tantamount to an open admission that approval has nothing to
do with safety -- only what's bought and paid for."

Read the full discussion at:

The Stevia Shibbotleth: Baseline's Alternative Health Newsletter
http://www.jonbarron.org/diabetes-program/10-08-2007.php

Banaba leaf extract is believed to assist people lessen
the effects of diabetes and lower blood glucose levels. 
Taking its name from an island in the Pacific ocean, quite a
bit of research has been done on the extract, and so far it seems
very positive.  According to Banaba Herb Inc., It is high in
corosolic acid
which is used in many treatments for diabetes. "It is a natural
plant insulin,
can be taken orally, and has no side effects, according to
Japanese research."  Further, it is believed that the leaf
extract may contain additional therapeutic content in addition to
corosolic acid.  For details, go to http://banabaherb.com/.

Interestingly, it is the first item in this blog series that
pulled up a Google article from Webmd, a source I often use for
general medical research.  According to Webmd, Banaba is a
species of crepe myrtle tree that is native to the Philippines
and Southeast Asia.  Primary uses of banaba in this region are
for diabetes and weight loss.  While Webmd acknowledges that
preliminary research exists in these areas sufficient to mention
them, it also says that not enough evidence exists to draw any
concrete conclusions.  For full details, see: 
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-1089-BANABA.aspx?activeIngredientId=1089&activeIngredientName=BANABA

Unfortunately, research seems to be primarily from Japan, Korea
and the Philipines.  Very little seems to be available in the
United States except perhaps in homeopathic and naturopathic
settings at this time.  This is not meant to minimize such
research, but data from these sources seems very hard to find
online so far.  Let's hope that changes over time. 

Banaba looks like one of those "wait and see" propositions. 
Clearly, there seems to be some evidence for its efficacy. 
However, as much concern for the lack of studies and knowledge
about dosage exists as evidence of effectiveness.  I certainly
wouldn't go out and buy it as a stand-alone supplement at this
time.

Disclaimer:  The information contained in this and all other blog
postings is provided for informational purposes only, and is not
intended to convey medical advice or to substitute for advice
from your own physician.

This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug
Administration and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or
prevent any disease. Consult a physician before taking any
nutritional supplement.

Fenugreek is a delicious spice and herb which I have always
associated with food from India and curries.  The leaves are
considered the herb, and the seeds are considered the spice. 
Not surprisingly, fenugreek is produced most abundantly in India
though it is now grown in the Middle East, China and Ethiopia. 
Typically, Leaves can be eaten directly from the plant or in
dried form.  The seeds are used plain or broiled.  In some
countries, fenugreek leaves and seeds are boiled to extract the
flavor.  The dried leaves are quite bitter and strong.  When
eaten in large quantities, fenugreek can impart a very unpleasant
odor to the sweat and urine of the eater, particularly when the
dried leaves are eaten.  Interestingly, fenugreek is one of the
primary ingredients used in the flavoring of artificial maple
syrup products in the United States because it is so much cheaper
than real maple extract.  Who would have thought!

As many of my readers know, I love to consult Wikipedia as a
source for these posts.  Unfortunately, their treatment of
fenugreek is pretty thin and extremely disorganized.  It's
nothing like their very professional treatment of turmeric, for
example.  Also, many citations that might have been helpful are
missing.  Still, a lot of good information can be found here if
you're willing to hunt a bit.  The link I used to cull some facts
for this post is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fenugreek#History.

Fenugreek has long been considered helpful in a variety of
medical situations.  A particularly common use has been to
administer it to increase the lactation of nursing mothers. 
According to Wikipedia: "Studies have shown that fenugreek is a
potent stimulator of breast milk production and its use was
associated with increases in milk production of as much as 900%." 
Unfortunately, this is one of those noncited facts that would
have been far better to have had a citation next to it. 
Fenugreek has also been believed to lower cholesterol,
triglycerides and low-density lipo-protein.

For people with diabetes, Wikipedia tells us that several
clinical trials involving humans demonstrate that fenugreek seeds
ameliorate most of the metabolic symptoms associated with
diabetes by reducing glucose levels and reducing insulin
resistance for Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics.  In this case, an NIH
human clinical trial citation for Type 1 diabetics is supplied.

In the U.S. Clinical Trials database, only two listings exist for
fenugreek.  One regards lactation, and the second is about
diabetes, entitled "Effect of Fenugreek on Blood Sugar and
Insulin in Diabetic Humans".  The study was completed in
February, 2008.  Eight diabetic subjects who control diabetes
solely by diet were fed a bread containing fenugreek on two
separate occasions.  Blood glucose tests were administered over a
four hour period after the bread was eaten.  You can read about
the trial at http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00597350.

Unfortunately, the trial is all you can read about there.  Yup,
that's right!  No results.  I guess we need to lobby for a
clinicalresults.gov database one of these days.

I have uncovered an interesting article though written by the
creator of the special fenugreek bread used in the study, Jack N.
Lasso, published in October, 2009.  Even in this very limited
approach, fenugreek was demonstrated to have a positive effect in
lowering blood sugar levels.  Go to
http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.1089/jmf.2008.0199 to get
the article or read the abstract.  It's not clear to me the
extent of the effectiveness, and it's doubtful this could even be
established given the number of study participants.  In my mind,
it's a positive, but definitely needs further study.  Without
really trying, I ate some fenugreek at lunch today in an Indian
restaurant.  Maybe I'll see a difference if I perform a blood
glucose test later today <smile>.

As to availability and price, I checked in as usual with Penzey's
and they do carry fenugreek though it's only ground.  I'm
guessing it is ground seeds. a 1-pound bag costs you a mere
$11.20.  Or, you could get 1/4 ounce in a 1/4 cup jar for $2.79
if you want to start out easy.

If you want to use the fenugreek herb, the leaves, one source is
the Savory Spice shop, http://www.savoryspiceshop.com.  Their
price on seeds, whole or ground, is similar to Penzey's.  The
leaves are more expensive though and the largest size is 2
ounces.  That will set you back $12.50.  You can even buy the
leaves at amazon.com, but I didn't check the price.  Maybe one of
you readers can do that and post it here?

Fenugreek appears to be an exciting possibility as a natural
agent to assist people control diabetes.  An agent that can both
lower blood glucose levels and resistance to insulin sounds very
positive.  I will definitely favor recipes and products that
contain it where possible.

Disclaimer. The information contained in this and all other blog
postings is provided for informational purposes only, and is not
intended to convey medical advice or to substitute for advice
from your own physician.

This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug
Administration and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or
prevent any disease. Consult a physician before taking any
nutritional supplement.