*Update: I visited Annisa a second time in 2015 and the food quality had gone down hill. I was very disappointed with the performance. The meat was not cooked to its best ability and the flavor pairings were half-assed. It felt like they stopped caring and did the bare minimum to maintain its pedigree.
Anita Lo is the owner at Annisa where they serve new American contemporary cuisine based on the Chef's experience in Chinese cooking and French techniques. I came here for my 24th birthday about a week ago and ordered the tasting menu. I guess we had just made the cut because they were recently stripped of their one Michelin star, but nonetheless, it was a great dining experience. I would definitely return to this spot despite that. I was also a little shocked by their proud B rating...hmm. But the quality was excellent and the restaurant was definitely very clean.
Food
We ordered the 5-course tasting menu. We started with fluke sashimi that was fresh, tender and light. It was probably my least favorite of the 5 dishes, still good, but nothing exciting. The second course was Annisa's famous foie gras soup dumplings. It was so good! I love dumplings in general, so the foie gras with duck was extra unique and special. I could eat 10 of these easily. As the entree, we had the famous marinated miso sable dish with tofu. It was fantastic. The sable was very well cooked, extremely tender and moist. The agedashi tofu with the slightly sweet sake dashi miso broth was also nicely done. I highly recommend. The texture of the sable and tofu was almost like silk. As the second entree, we were served the grilled koji-marinated berkshire pork loin with radishes, smoked avocado, and a poached egg. The edges of the pork were well grilled and slightly smokey. The insides were well cooked and tender. It was a well-balanced dish with meat, greens and a side of dairy (egg). It was tasty but nothing spectacular. Lastly for the dessert, everyone was served a variety of desserts from their menu. I ended with the best one, the pecan sea salt butterscotch beignets. It was so good. Exactly how beignets should be. At the very end when we got the bill, they served mini coconut popsicles. It was refreshing and delicious. Also extremely cute.
Fluke
Miso Marinated Sable
Foie Gras Soup Dumpling
Grilled Koji-Marinated Berkshire Pork Loin
Pecan and Salted Butterscotch Beignets with Bourbon Milk Ice
Ambiance
The space was a lot smaller than I anticipated. It was quaint, charming and intimate. Initially, I thought one of the waiters was slightly rude and impatient because I had made a reservation for eight people and one guest was running late. I did not like that they were not willing to wait for one more person. But after my last guest arrived the service was great from then after.
Price
I believe this place is reasonably priced. Especially the 5-course tasting menu at $85 per person. It was just the right amount of food, if not a little excessive. If you choose not to get the tasting menu, for about three courses I'd expect to pay roughly $70 per person excluding tip/tax. So you may as well just get the tasting menu.
One other thing to note. They are very great about splitting bills. I know most restaurants do not allow more than two or three cards. But they accepted eight credit cards!! I was shocked. An added bonus.
Reservation
I made reservations a month in advance and still didn't get the exact time I wanted. I would definitely recommend making reservations at least 1.5 months in advance for prime dining times.