A New Chef at B

Next, the half-lobster two-ways ($20): a steamed claw served cold over shaved celery, fennel fronds, and slivers of green apple in an unassuming citrus and truffle oil vinaigrette, paired with a warm butter-poached tail on a bed of sweet potato puree, beside a caviar-like shiny huckleberry gastrique. Presented on a long white rectangular plate, the dish looked like many we'd admired lo these last thirteen episodes of Top Chef Season 2, and tasted like what we'd imagined those two-ways things would taste like. Art-imitates-life-imitates-art.

We also tried the Ahi tuna appetizer ($16), sliced sashimi-style on a papaya, habañero, key lime emulsion with a jicama salad -- a dish the waiter swore would knock our sea-faring socks off. But it was the lobster that had really given us the Valentine's love. While also pretty as a picture, this dish surprisingly left us a little flat.

The Caesar salad ($9) came next: perfectly crisp cold romaine, classic, light, creamy dressing expertly balanced between Parmesan and anchovy, and satisfyingly crunchy garlicky croutons.

In lieu of pork, we were steered (get it, steered?) to the 8-hour braised veal Osso Bucco ($30). It was everything you could want from a Valentine's entrée: creamy meat, creamy roasted potatoes, both with textures like firm puddings, sublimely subtle flavoring in the rosemary-tinged veal jus.

Our only complaint was that the damp pile of mache alongside tasted rather past its use-by date. (Our waiter blamed this on the greens being "organic." We are certain we could have pushed for a more apologetic response from management but decided to stick to the love vibe instead.)

We closed with B's divine coffee, a boutique roast bean delivered fresh and warm from Hayward's Chatz Roasting Company, and a slice of triple cream Fromage d'Affinois. We guess that on this busy night, the kitchen had run out of proper bread, because the hastily sliced and grilled hamburger bun just could not have been the originally intended accompaniment.

Despite these minor issues, so minor that we are embarrassed we even bothered to articulate them, B was a treat. The lobster is no longer available, but Chef Saman says the Osso Bucco is going to stay for a while, which we think is good news.