letter from the tablehopper: June 24, 2008

Hello amigos. This city’s weather is so schizo: on Friday I was enjoying a nighttime picnic on my roof with a friend, throwing back a bottle of Rias Baixas albariño (perfect with a taco salad, how hi-lo fabulous), and on Monday, I was ready for some steaming pho. While the heat was still in full effect, one place that served to be the perfect (and somewhat secret) spot for and outdoor lunch was a revisit to Ironwood BBQ—can’t beat the fresh air, the view of the green, and yes, the pulled pork. See ya there during the next heat wave.

Also had a wonderful meal at Masa’s on Saturday, since Richard Reddington was in the house for one night only with chef Gregory Short in honor of Masa’s 25th anniversary year. Can you say Manila clams with chorizo and a saffron-curry nage, with petrale sole over jasmine rice? Crazy combo that magically worked. I learned there’s a big event coming up, bringing back a number of former Masa’s chefs—stand by!

Congrats to Camille H. who won the tickets to this Thursday’s Best of the Bay Area party. See y’all there?

And this is kind of a fun one: Citysearch asked some folks around town what food is better than sex? Yup, yours truly has her answer in there; for the reveal, click here.

And lastly, you know those products you sometimes buy, convincing yourself it’s okay, just a little splurge, although you know it’s totally and utterly ridiculous to buy it? Well, I found my new bad habit: 479° Popcorn. I picked up a box of the Pimentón de La Vera version at Blue Fog Market, and am now hooked. A $5.69 box of popcorn, what is happening to me? SO bougie. Anyway, it’s beyond delicious. Tangy. Sweet. Spicy. Damn.

Oh, and happy Pride everyone. Rock out, celebrate, say it loud, say it proud.

Yours,

~Marcia

the chatterbox: June 24, 2008

Been hearing some rumblings about ex-Myth chef ~SEAN O’BRIEN’S~ next gig—the ink isn’t dry so he asked me to wait a week. Stand by. Let’s just say if it all goes through, he’ll be back in SF. And that’s all I am allowed to say!

Meanwhile, my teaser proved itself to be true: it is close to confirmed that ~QUINCE~ is moving into the former Myth space on Pacific. So, no yelling from Gordon Ramsey, ha ha. Stand by for the what (Will they close their current space? Sell it?), the when, and more.

Moving into the now-closed ~PJ’S OYSTER BED~ space in the Sunset will be a new restaurant from Jose Calvo-Perez of local favorite Fresca. He said he’s not sure if the new restaurant will carry the Fresca name—he’s considering naming it after his daughter, Juliana. Either way, the food will be his family’s trademark modern Peruvian cuisine with Latin flair—look for an opening in January or February. I’ll follow up with more details as they become finalized. 737 Irving St. at 8th Ave.



More on the Peruvian tip: last week I had a chance to meet the exceedingly kind and pretense-free celeb chef Gastón Acurio, who has restaurants in seven countries, including Peru, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador, Mexico, Spain and Venezuela, with plans to open in Costa Rica and Brazil. He is opening his first restaurant in the U.S., ~LA MAR CEBICHERÍA PERUANA~ (it’s the project going into a 100-year-old building at Pier 1½, just a smidge north of the Ferry Building). I toured the space last week, and it’s going to be quite the spread, with a pisco bar/lounge area (up to 65 seats) where you can get a pisco sour, plus all kinds of other pisco drinks, and graze on small apps to share, then there’s the ceviche bar further inside, serving about ten kinds made with local fish that will highlight a variety of Peruvian chiles, plus some tiraditos, all served on a large bar (around 30 seats) of up-lit blue glass. There is also a spacious dining room in the back (88 seats) flanking the exhibition kitchen, turning out contemporary-Peruvian fare, plus a big outdoor patio overlooking the water that will have a fire pit. It’s rather spiffy.

The chef de cuisine (Jose Luis, who opened the first La Mar with Acurio), the pastry chef, and floor manager are all coming from Acurio’s restaurants in Peru. Local wine guru Emmanuel Kemiji is consulting on the wine list, finding perfect wine pairings for the dishes, and in fact is consulting with Acurio on all his restaurants. La Mar is slated to open at the end of August or early September. Oh, and if you understand Spanish, Acurio has a series called Aventura Culinaria that you can watch on YouTube.

So, I can finally release the news about another Isaac Mogannam project in the Mission (he’s the one behind the other projects I have mentioned here: Grub and Zaytoon, and the upcoming Booth on Polk Street); moving into the Zain's Mediterranean Cuisine space, next door to Big Mouth Burgers, will be ~PHAT PHILLY~. Think truly authentic Philly cheesesteaks: an Amoroso Philly Roll (baked in Philly), with a choice of provolone, American cheese, or Whiz (if you must), sweet banana peppers and hot cherry peppers, and the twist is that these will be made with quality beef and chicken. Mogannam stated he will be doing his best to use local produce, if not 100% organic ingredients. There will be several options for vegetarians, including a portobello cheesesteak, a veggie cheesesteak, and a tofu cheesesteak. Also expect fries, both regular and crisscut (waffle fries), served as is, with cheese, or get them topped with Whiz and chili (antacid not included). Also on the menu: Buffalo wings in Frank's RedHot Sauce or BBQ-flavored, milkshakes, Tastykake snacks, Goldenberg's Peanut Chews, Herr's Pretzels, and lastly, Frank's Black Cheery Wishniak Soda, all Philly favorites. Phat Philly is due to open sometime between early July and early August. 3388 24th St. at Valencia.

And now, an export from the Inner Richmond: Eater broke the story that ~SUSHI BISTRO~ on Balboa is opening a second location on 24th Street, just next door to the St. Francis Fountain. It’s going to be a complete build out, so the opening isn’t slated to happen until the beginning of 2009. Look for a similar format to the original location, with an extended sake list. Like I said, 24th Street is shaping up to be the new Valencia. 2809 24th St. at York.

A tablehopper Missionite/hipster informs me that ~UDUPI PALACE~ opened this weekend in the former Firecracker space. Yes folks, San Francisco’s only South Indian places (two) are a block away from each other. Madness, I tell you. Open Tue–Sun for lunch and dinner, closed Mondays. 1007 Valencia St. at 21st St., 415-970-8008.

I got word that the colorful ~LOLO~ in the Mission has discontinued weekend brunch. 3234 22nd St. at Bartlett, 415-643-5656.

But, one door closes and other opens, because ~LINGBA~ in Potrero Hill is kicking off brunch on Saturday, July 12th. The menu seems mostly lunchy, but the few brunch dishes include Kurobuta pork hash and eggs, coconut buckwheat pancakes, a Thai-style omelet with green onion, ground chicken, and spicy green chili sauce, and a mushroom tart with a poached egg on top. They win for one of the most “gotta try it” morning cocktails I’ve seen in a while: the Bacon & Eggs Bloody Mary. Here’s the recipe in case you feel like experimenting at home: it’s kind of an all-in-one drink if I ever saw it. Breakfast of champions for sure. Brunch hours will be 11am–3pm. 1469 18th St. at Connecticut, 414-355-0001.

Bacon & Eggs Bloody Mary:

2 oz Tito’s handmade vodka
4 oz fresh pressed tomato juice
1 slice of extra crispy Marin Sun Farms bacon
.5 oz Worcestershire sauce
.5 oz Golden Mountain sauce
juice of ½ lemon
2 quail egg yolks
4 dashes Tabasco sauce
pinch of coarse sea salt
pinch of crushed black peppercorn
fresh grated horseradish

In glass shaker combine lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, Golden Mountain sauce, salt, pepper, Tabasco, and horseradish. Add tomato juice and vodka, then fill shaker with ice. Stir all ingredients, then pour into a tall Collins glass. Carefully float quail eggs on top and add the bacon.

~UVA ENOTECA~ in the Lower Haight is starting their weekend brunch on Saturday July 5th. Hours will be 10am–3pm every Sat–Sun. 568 Haight St. at Steiner.

Fellow fans of the teas at Namu, or folks who live in the Inner Richmond nabe, may be already familiar with the Aroma Tea Shop, where you can sit for the free tea tasting and education session, and then once you’re hooked on a new kind, you can buy up some tea for home. After a scouting walk in Russian Hill, I have learned Aroma is expanding to Polk Street, opening a second location called ~AROMA TEA 2~ in the former Cafe Lambretta space. If all goes according to plan, it will open in mid to late July, and will not only have a tea tasting bar, and tea available for sale, but they will also have brewed tea to go (including iced tea with fresh fruit), plus some tables where customers can sit and enjoy tea on their own time. The tables will mimic ones common in China, with a built-in sink and heater for the kettle, so customers can sit and do their own tea service. 1806 Polk St. at Washington.

A big thanks to Thy Tran who has an update on Bay Area Bites about what is happening to the ~HEART OF THE CITY FARMERS’ MARKET~ at the UN Plaza. I love my Wednesday market, and hope it continues to exist—it’s important to a lot of people. I’ll continue to post updates here on the situation.

A few more details about the ~URBAN TAVERN~ project that Laurent Manrique and Chris Condy of C&L Partners have taken over: first, Donna Scala is still involved in the project, and second, the executive chef is Patrick Kehler, who served as chef de cuisine at Aqua, and was also at Circolo Restaurant. Look for Mediterranean-inspired cuisine, and an opening in early August. The restaurant will be open daily from 11:30am until late. 333 O'Farrell St. at Mason, 415-923-4400.

After what has seemed like ages, ~LONG BAR & BISTRO~ has finally opened in the Fillmore Grill space. The menu reportedly includes some straightforward classics, like calamari, mussels, fish and chips, sliders, ahi tuna tartare, plus tater tots. tablehopper reader Carla says, “I was at Long Bar last night (finally!) for drinks... they did such a nice job! I love how they remodeled—completely changed the location of the bar (big improvement).” But another reader was kvetching to me about a few things, so all I can say is a SOFT OPENING=caveat emptor. There’s no voicemail, so I have idea what their hours are, sorry. Yet. 2298 Fillmore St. at Clay, 415-440-1700.

And now, menu watch! ~PRES A VI GLOBAL CUISINE AND WINE BAR~ has added entrée-sized dishes in addition to their array of small plates. One Letterman Drive, near the corner of Chestnut and Lyon Streets, Presidio, 415-409-3000.

~SPRUCE~ is now offering a Harvest Menu at lunch, a prix-fixe three-course meal and optional wine pairing. The menu is seasonal, and currently features braised spring onions, pancetta-wrapped day boat scallops, and for dessert, pannacotta with market blueberries. The menu is $30 without wine, and $45 with. (Diners may also opt for a half wine pairing if they just want “a splash.”) 3640 Sacramento St. at Spruce, 415-931-5100.

~LUCE~ has kicked off Sunday Suppers, a “farm to table” tasting menu inspired by Crenn’s Saturday visits to the farmers’ market. $45 per person, and $65 with wine pairings. InterContinental Hotel San Francisco, 888 Howard St. at Fifth St., 415-616-6566.

Some cool events coming up: Meatpaper and Gastronomica, two independent-minded magazines exploring the intersections of food and culture, are celebrating the publication of their summer issues with a lively evening of artistic food and food-centric art called ~SUMMER FEAST~. The event will feature tastings from local chefs and purveyors (chef Staffan Terje/Perbacco, chef Leif Hedendal, chef Chris Kronner/Serpentine, chef Scott Youkilis/Maverick, The Fatted Calf, Prather Ranch Meat Co.), as well as wine and cocktails (Verge Syrah, La Fee Absinthe, Rhum Clement, Bluecoat Gin, Trumer Pils, and more), an art exhibition, and live music from Gaucho. Sunday July 20th, from 6pm–9pm. Tickets are $25 per person, and may be purchased online via credit card or PayPal. A limited number of tickets will be sold at the door. Event is at Perbacco Restaurant, 230 California St. at Battery.

The Commonwealth Club has a slew of great events, including this ~BAY GOURMET PANEL: WOMEN CHEFS CONFIDENTIAL~ on Monday June 30th, featuring a very special panel of women who have had a huge impact on the San Francisco dining scene as it is today: Loretta Keller, Marsha McBride, Nancy Oakes, Gayle Pirie, Judy Rodgers, and Joyce Goldstein. 5:30pm reception, 6pm program; members free, $18 non-members. Read more and order tickets here.

And then in July is the summer Platforum series, ~HOW WE EAT~, including Alice Waters on July 31st, plus a bunch more events after that. Read all about the series here.

Opening in downtown Oakland on September 1st in the former Savannah's Place (a Chinese and Vietnamese restaurant) will be ~KAFFIR~ from Amy Torgerson and Lejla Borovac. It will be a casual, quick-service restaurant offering Southeast Asian street food with a California twist, including some apps, salads, soups, and rice or noodle bowls made with free-range meat and poultry, and sustainable seafood. Eco-friendly building materials as well as biodegradable packaging will be used during the development and operation of KAFFIR. Torgerson is a graduate of the CCA and has worked at Limon, Lark Creek Inn, Costanoa Resort, and RNM, while Borovac will be running the front of house (her background includes Long Tan in Brooklyn, New York, as well as Cha Cha Cha, Chow, and RNM). The restaurant will be open for lunch Mon–Fri, with extended hours in the months following the opening. 578 14th St. at Clay, Oakland.

And coming this winter to the Glenview District will be ~MARZANO~, a neighborhood pizzeria joint from John Hurley, Justin Hafen, and Scott Sasaki of Garibaldi’s. The petite space is undergoing a complete build-out, and should be open in November, with a food-fired oven and about 40 seats. In addition to Neapolitan pizzas, there will also be a fish, meat, and pasta entrée each night, plus salads, and full liquor. The name of the executive chef can’t be released yet since he is currently employed elsewhere in the Bay Area and hasn’t given notice. Dinner nightly, and open continuously on the weekends from 10am–10pm. 4214 Park Blvd. at Glenfield, Oakland.

Got a hot tip? You know I'd love it (and you). Just reply to this email!

fresh meat: Conduit

It’s funny how restaurants can educate you, or literally make you eat your words. Back in the beginning of the New Year, in my annual missive “The Bore,” I declared how tired I was becoming of open kitchens. I ended up getting a lot of flack from some chef pals for that comment, who brought up the very valid point that it’s nice to see your customer and be able to interact with the room, instead of being locked away in the literal back of house. Point taken.

When I wrote the piece, I was actually thinking of the newly opened ~CONDUIT~ and how I didn’t like looking at the garbage and recycling in the corner while eating my winter chicory salad. Just too much kitchen reality. But fast forward: they have since covered the dishwashing and garbage area up with a curtain, and well well well, two of the three times I have eaten at CONDUIT, look who has parked herself at the counter overlooking the kitchen line.

They are great ringside seats, and rather hot ones too (just watch how the crew here chugs water), but I did reconsider my take on open kitchens. Watching the line hustle is one hell of a thing to witness, and really makes you appreciate the dance that goes into making your dinner. So fascinating, it’s hard to focus on conversation with your dining partner. It’s now probably my favorite seat in the restaurant.

Munch munch munch. (That’s me, eating my words.)

This restaurant has brought up its fair share of controversy, from the edgy urban design from Stanley Saitowitz, to its escalated price point in a location that is better known for rock than rabbit. The place is full of glistening copper pipe, the conduit, if you will. One friend has called it a gay prison, while another liked how the pipes assist in segmenting the rather spacious room into various seating areas and alcoves. It’s definitely a statement.

God bless the carpeted floor that helps dampen the sound, and it’s a pleasure to have some space in between the tables, allowing for actual conversation (the scintillating part is up to you, darlings). I do wish the bar was easier to perch at (hello, the liquors and cocktails here are enough to make me hang out for hours, but the tiny bar and ledge don’t really allow for it), and while we’re on ergonomics, the bench seating along the back wall can get a mite uncomfortable after a couple hours. (Pillows please, perhaps? Because my booty isn’t providing quite enough cushion, although it should.)

Oh yeah, and let’s talk about the infamous bathrooms. Again, it’s another case of men designing bathrooms women don’t like to use (architects/designers behind frisson and Slanted Door, I am talking to you). The opaque glass partitions between the stalls are a bit nerve-wracking to say the least: can that person see me? I can kind of see them. And the communal sink thing, well, it drives me up a wall. I don’t like to reapply my lipstick in front of random men. What happens in the ladies room stays in the ladies room. At least the stalls are now designated which are male and female.

Okay, let’s move on to why I really go to restaurants: to eat. (And yes, to drink.) I’ve enjoyed watching executive chef Justin Deering’s menu evolve through the seasons, and stylistically the somewhat haute plating and duos and trios that were originally featured have been dialed back a bit. Deering’s background at Boulevard and Jeanty at Jack’s is apparent with some Frenchie execution and ingredients making appearances here and there, but he has a playful spin on things that is definitely his own.

The starters aren’t cheap, most hover at an $11 average, so don’t let the Valencia Street address fool you. But the quality ingredients and work that goes into each dish aren’t exactly Valencia Street either. One place to begin is with the little gem salad with a creamy green goddess dressing; I’ve tried a couple variations, once with radish and hazelnuts ($9), and now the little chilled wedges are accompanied by a timbale of Dungeness crab salad ($12).

The wintertime pork belly and squab dishes have made way for a scrumptious execution of quail ($14) served two ways: it’s initially cooked sous vide, and then the pan-seared execution is served on a fried green tomato, while the buttermilk-fried piece rests over a magically ripe (wow, in June!) and flavorful purple Cherokee tomato. I liked the little side of bacon and chive ranch dressing, and peppery watercress, too.

The kitchen has come up with some pastas that regulars are not letting them take off the menu, including the homemade tortellini filled with braised oxtail ($12), resting in a broth that tastes like French onion soup (the magic of braising liquid), all topped with a crispy round of Gruyere, a fun twist on the usual au gratin melted cheese topping. The house-made fettuccine dish ($12) also changes—a delicious variation was in the winter, with a decadently deep yellow-yolked egg in the middle, and shaved black truffle on top; now it comes with a beef and pork sugo (on my “to try” list).

About that egg: it comes from owner Sydney Weinstein of Pauline’s Pizza next door (they raise eggs for the restaurant), and the Pauline’s Pizza garden is also providing most of the greens, like the arugula-like sylvetta. What a cool partnership.

Mains are nicely composed, and the flavor pairings are unique and well thought out. I especially loved the grilled walu ($19) with cannellini beans, fried Castelvetrano olives, and crispy house-cured guanciale, and a recent dish of roasted halibut ($26) with a hearty base of braised artichoke, maitake mushrooms, and fresh greens totally satisfied—nice acidic kick from some Meyer lemon relish, too.

I am missing the trio of lamb ($28) I had back in February (meow on the loin topped with piquillo pepper), but it’s the fact that the menu keeps changing with the seasons that will make me want to return. And the menu is also evolving: the apps remain a bit more “dressy,” while the mains are becoming more “business casual” and focused on satisfaction, a smidge less on complicated execution.

No, not all the dishes are perfect (I’ve been served fish a touch overcooked, salad overdressed, pasta underdone, a sauce under-seasoned) but all in all I have found a lot of care goes into these dishes, with ingredients that taste fresh, and respected. And worked out into delicious combinations.

Some folks have complained about portion size, but I have found them to be just right. Perhaps it’s all a ploy to help save room for dessert, because we have a new pastry chef star in our midst: Majkin Klare. She is wildly talented, and knocks me out with her bright flavors and artful presentations. Wait until you try her homemade ice creams and sundaes. My friend went nuts over the vacherin, an “adult ice cream sandwich” with strawberry in the middle, while the sundae of sweet corn ice cream, burnt salted caramel, and candied popcorn totally brought back childhood flavors (and enjoyment) to me. All are $8, make sure everyone at the table gets their own so you can taste and compare.

Oh, yeah, and about the bar. The inventiveness continues, under the guidance of bar manager Reza Esmaili, who has charmed me with a number of clever cocktails here, but totally wowed me with the Yerba Buena gimlet ($11), made with Square One cucumber vodka, Hendrick’s Gin (yes, homeboy mixed vodka and gin, and man, does this drink rock), plus mint and lime. Well-executed classics are also in the midst, from a Sazerac to a slowly stirred Manhattan ($10). Drink up.

I guess my palate lines up with GM/wine director Brian Gavin’s, because I’ve savored a number of wines off his list, and they all seem to pair quite well with the food. There are a bunch of Euro vinos (and ones from our backyard) to choose from, and anyone can find something to fit their wallet; one night, all the whites by the glass were under $10, nice. And every time my wine has been served at the proper temp. I gotta say, I love all the Schott Zweisel stemware—sexy stuff.

Service is friendly and efficient, and while the kitchen can occasionally get backed up, folks on the floor handle it well and check in. I like the entire team working here—you can tell everyone is working really hard to make it all happen.

One thing to note: there’s a valet lot across the street (man, the parking is the WORST in this neighborhood), but the lot says they close at 10pm, so that can be kind of annoying. Just tell them you want to leave your car in the unattended lot if you plan to stay later.

CONDUIT
280 Valencia St.
Cross: 14th St.
San Francisco, CA 94103

415-552-5200
website

Sun–Thu 5:30pm–10:30pm
Fri–Sat 5:30pm–11pm

Closed Mondays

Apps $9–$14
Entrées $22–$26
Desserts $8

the lush: June 24, 2008

Whatcha doing tonight, Tuesday June 24th? ~CHEF TONY MANTUANO OF THE CHICAGO RESTAURANT SPIAGGIA AND HIS WIFE CATHY~ are hosting an event on the outdoor patio of Americano Restaurant and Bar at the Hotel Vitale to celebrate their new cookbook, Wine Bar Food. The cocktail party kicks off at 6pm, and will feature tasty wine bar food from recipes in the cookbook paired with award-winning Italian wines. Autographed copies of the newly released book will be available to attendees at a special discount. 6pm–7:30pm, $18 per person. Reservations for this event must be made in advance by calling 415-278-3777. 8 Mission St. at Embarcadero.

This Thursday June 26th, ~PLUMPJACK CAFE~ is hosting a four-course winemaker dinner from executive chef Rick Edge and with CADE winery's Anthony Biagi, and will include the first vintage of the CADE Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. The evening will begin with a reception at 6pm in the PlumpJack Cafe Courtyard, followed by dinner at 7pm in the private dining room. $95 per person. Call 415-440-1133 for reservations. 3127 Fillmore St. at Filbert, 415-563-4755.

This Saturday, June 28th, is the ~ST. GEORGE SPIRITS /HANGAR ONE DISTILLERY~ open house from 1pm–6pm; tickets are still available but moving fast. They will be celebrating this year's release of the Fraser River Raspberry Vodka and the brand-new still (which will hopefully be installed and doing its maiden distillation run). The stills will be running most of the day, allowing a rare opportunity to see the process up close with a live distillation. Entrance will include will include three lil’ cocktails, their spirits (including the new whiskey release), and the iced vodka luges. Music and hors d'oeuvres will be supplied throughout the day to keep everyone upright. They will also have a special "Absinthe Den" area where they will be pouring the Absinthe, Heirloom Apple Brandy, and the DeProfundis 20-year old Pear Brandy in a lounge setting. Access to this area is an additional $10.

There is free shuttle service to and from the distillery on the legendary Mexican Bus starting at 12:30pm at the West Oakland BART station, and continuing at 1:30pm, 2:30pm, 3:30pm, with the last pick-up at 4:30pm. For those of you looking to take advantage of the East Bay Ferry from San Francisco, the Mexican Bus will also be stopping by the Alameda Main Street ferry building at approximately 12:15pm, 1:50pm and 3:50pm. Tickets are $35 at the door. This is a 21 and over event. Please bring your picture I.D.! 2601 Monarch St., Alameda, tasting room: 510-864-0635, main: 510-769-1601.

Good timing on this piece of news considering it’s Pride Week: the bar most Castro visitors and locals have long-known as The Pendulum, which recently had an awning with a (thankfully) short-lived scary color scheme pronouncing it the 18th Street Bar, is now going to be ~TOAD HALL~. Here’s a pic of the new awning and be sure to read all the way to the end of the detailed history of the Castro’s first dance club, which seems to be staging a return. Not sure when the opening is, stand by. 4146 18th St. at Collingwood.

the socialite: The Secrets of Salsa

Want another culinary trick up your sleeve? Take ~THE SECRETS OF SALSA: A GUIDED TOUR THROUGH MEXICO'S CULINARY FOUNDATIONS~ at La Cocina and learn how to make real authentic salsa. Chefs from La Cocina will talk participants through four stations that begin with an introduction to the basics of salsa making—all of these salsas are designed to complement summer cooking.

Culinary director Jason Rose will walk participants through an outdoor cooking/grilling refresher course that will begin with tips on getting the perfect grill marks and end with a perfectly cooked protein (be it beef, chicken, or seafood) to go with the salsas. There will also be summer cocktails, and the event will wrap with a delicious sit-down dinner paired with wines.

The chefs include Dilsa Lugo of Los Cilantros and Veronica Salazar of El Huarache Loco. tablehopper readers get $20 off the $110 ticket price, and a large portion of the ticket is tax-deductible.

The Secrets of Salsa
Wed., June 25, 2008

La Cocina
2948 Folsom St.
Cross: 25th St.
San Francisco, CAA

website  


tickets are $110
$20 off for tablehopper readers
email caleb@lacocinasf.org or sign up at Brown Paper Tickets

the socialite: Bay Area Local Food Guide

The ~BAY AREA LOCAL FOOD GUIDE~ is about to be released, giving the public access to information on over a thousand farms, farmers’ markets, CSAs, restaurants, retailers, institutions, and specialty grocery stores that feature local food within the nine counties of the Bay Area. A celebration in honor of the guide’s release will be held at the Officer’s Club at Fort Mason, and will feature samples of some of the finest local food and wines (you can check out the entire list of participants here).

Doors open at 4:30pm, and a local food panel begins at 6:30pm; speakers include Paula Jones (SF Dept. of Environment), Sibella Kraus (Sage), Alison Negrin (John Muir Health), Simon Richard (Bi-Rite Market) and Jered Lawson (Pie Ranch). Moderated by Bill Fujimoto of Monterey Market. At 7:30pm is dessert, plus farmer and chef/retailer networking. (Event runs until 8:30pm.) 21 and over.

The Bay Area Buy Fresh Buy Local Food Guide is free and will be distributed via retailers listed in the guide, farmers’ markets and at special events. Additionally, the guide is available online for downloading and in a searchable format at buylocalca.org.

Bay Area Second Edition Local Food Guide Release
Thu., June 26, 2008

1 Fort Mason
Officer’s Club
(entry streets are on
Franklin and Bay)
San Francisco, CA

510-832-4625
website  

4:30pm–8:30pm

tickets $30
buy tickets

the starlet: June 24, 2008

Okay, now this is what I’m talking about! Becks and Posh, yup, David and Victoria Beckham, were spotted lunching with their kids at One Market Restaurant. Posh actually ate something: the Dungeness crab on greens. (Not sure if she purged later, though.) When the family finished with lunch, they exited quietly out the rear entrance of the restaurant, flanked by two bodyguards. David was in town following the Los Angeles Galaxy soccer match against the San Jose Earthquakes on June 15th (LA won 3:0) and was participating in a Macy’s signing event. Becks was reportedly looking just as hot in person as in his ads.

Katie Couric recently dined at luella with her two daughters, tucking into the ahi tuna tartare tacos, lamb, pasta, and baked peppers and eggplant dish. According to the staff, she was incredibly sweet and friendly (as expected).

Dave Chappelle, who has become a regular at Straits Restaurant in San Francisco when he’s in town doing comedy shows, dined with actor/rapper Mos Def on Tuesday night at the restaurant. Word.

And he may be a local dude, but plenty of ladies (and gents) never seem to tire of hunky Benjamin Bratt sightings: he was spotted having breakfast at Toast on Church Street on Sunday, with his pretty wife, Talisa Soto, and cute kids in tow.

the matchmaker: June 24, 2008

Angelina’s Catering is looking for a nice, fun person who loves to cook and plays well with others. We are a small café and put out delicious, fresh food everyday and we have a good catering following as well.

If you would like to work mostly days, with one weekend day off, and are experienced at managing people and cooking well with an appreciation for good food, this could be the right fit for you. Please send your resume to celia@angelinascatering.com, we would love to meet you.

Compensation: $15/hour, $20 for catered events.

letter from the tablehopper: June 17, 2008

Whew, what a week. Last Thursday I had a blast on View From the Bay, live in the studio chatting with the super-friendly hosts, Spencer Christian and Janelle Wang, about three of my favorites for semi-affordable and sexy dining: Namu, Laiola, and Lolo. You can check out the segment here.

Congrats to last week’s winners of the Grilled Pizzas and Piadinas book giveaway, Monique and Harmony! (Thank you all who entered.) Now you get another chance at fabulous prizes: I just scored two general admission tickets to give away to the Best of the Bay Area party, happening next Thursday June 26th. Dominic Phillips Event Marketing is producing the event—always a fun soiree for sure, and the best part: 100 percent of proceeds benefit Family House.

So, to enter to win this pair of tickets, just forward this newsletter to three pals (or more, thanks!) and cc (or BCC) luckyme [at] tablehopper [dot] com when you send it to your peeps—it's best if you explain why you're emailing it to them, or at least include something about tablehopper.com. I promise I won't be collecting your friends' emails, those will stay private—I just need to keep track that you forwarded it to three or more folks.The deadline to enter is by midnight, this Friday June 20th (I need to be able to mail the tickets to you in time). I will be randomly drawing the winner and will email you to let you know you've won over the weekend. Good luck!

And this week in the jetsetter, we have the second half of the Healdsburg installment: where to stay and play!

I also want to say how amazed I continue to be at the checks rolling in for the CHEFS/tablehopper benefit. You people are incredible. We’ve raised over $1,500 so far! Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Cheers my dears,
~Marcia

the chatterbox: June 17, 2008

Whoa, ~TOP CHEF~ is really over? Wednesdays just won’t be the same… but I certainly won’t miss Lisa’s “dead eye” and surly body posture at the judges’ table—bugged me every time. I was almost convinced Blaise was going to win it, but I’m so fired up that my second guess (and hope), Stephanie, ended up taking it home. There are a couple fun recaps out there of the final episode, including this one from the Cooking With the Single Guy Chef blog–his reference to Eric Ripert as Zeus had me howling. And then we have Frank Bruni in the Diner’s Journal who KILLED me with this observation, “…only “Top Chef” has Tom and Padma, who couldn’t be more perfectly matched. He: beefy and brooding, a rib-eye of a guy. She: languid and silky-voiced: a panna cotta of a gal. Together they almost make a meal.

“I wish Tom and the producers would get a little more creative with his threads, because hers are killer. He’s choking on her Gucci dust. It’s been said that restaurants are the new theater, but she proves that the dinner table is the new catwalk. Forget food-wine pairings. Frock-appetizer pairings are the trickier challenge, and she masters them.” Choking on her Gucci dust. Flawless, Frank.

I shall continue savoring, literally, the half-hour episodes of ~AFTER HOURS WITH DANIEL~ on MOJO (You know this show? It’s brilliant.) and just have to sit tight until Project Runway kicks in.

Enough with TV: let’s talk local eats. First, an update on the Bacchus Management Group’s Cow Hollow brasserie that’s developing slowly but surely in the Prego space. The name has finally been decided on, ~DES AMIS~. (Sorry not one of you who suggested names for the restaurant is going to Paris, but the Bacchus team thanks you all for the great name suggestions!) Also, Skye LaTorre, formerly a sommelier at A16, is joining the Bacchus team as a lead sommelier at des Amis. The opening is slated for fall. 2000 Union St. at Buchanan.

Over in Union Square, where Caffe Kuleto's used to be, will now be ~BAR NORCINI~, a new salumi, cheese, and wine bar (Caffe Kuleto’s and the Villa Florence’s lobby wine bar have been combined into one space). The name Norcini is Umbrian for “pork butcher”—chef Bob Helstrom of neighboring Kuleto’s is well known for his love of salumi-making, using pigs from Devil’s Gulch that are actually fed kitchen scraps from Kuleto’s. In the morning, Bar Norcini will serve Illy coffee and pastries, and then after closing for half an hour, lunch will bring panini, pizzettas topped with salumi, salads, and cheese. The evening means the menu goes back down to just pizzettas, salumi, and cheese. There will be some well-chosen Italian wines, and eight special cocktails, each featuring Italian liqueurs and ingredients. The soft opening is this week. 225 Powell St. at Geary.

The rumors are proving to be true that ~IL BUCO~ of New York will be opening a location in the 54 Mint Street space (formerly El Balazo). I’ve heard sightings of the owners recently visiting the space, although nothing has been confirmed. Their publicist says, “il Buco has no information to offer at this point.” Yes, but my sources do! This is getting exciting, because I know numerous folks who totally adore il Buco. Stand by…

Is it just me, or is the resurgence in all things Italian beginning to feel like the 1980s again? With all the salumi, wine, and artisanal cheese popping up everywhere, maybe it’s just Italia Fever 2.0.

24th Street is shaping up to become the new gourmet ghetto. This weekend I got word that handmade donuts and coffee from baker Sara Spearin and her husband Jonny Raglin of Absinthe are coming to the neighborhood. The 7x7 Bits + Bites blog broke the story yesterday about ~DYNAMO DONUT AND COFFEE~: the donuts are the creation of Sara, a pastry chef and avid baker for the past 20 years. Look for flavors like banana dulce de leche, and bacon-apple with maple glaze and caramel fleur de sel. Mmmm, bacon donuts. There will be five to six donuts available, and to go with them, it will not just be any coffee, but Four Barrel Coffee, yo. There will be a killer La Marzocco machine for espresso, a few single origin varietals available on drip, and French press for to-go. Look for this small walk-up kiosk to hopefully open in mid-July (permits and construction pending), and then as things roll out, the shop will be bigger, with additional American-style bakery items added to the line-up, like some breads, plus lunch items. There will also be a back patio! The space is the former home of La Torta Gorda, which has already moved one block down—Dynamo will be just next door to Casa Sanchez. Hours are tentatively 7am–5pm Mon–Sat, and opening possibly earlier (like 6am, depending on how things go). 2760 24th St. at Hampshire.

A few months ago I alluded to a new ice cream project happening on 24th Street—let’s break the lid off of that one too! Coming soon is an ice cream shop called ~HUMPHRY SLOCOMBE~, named after a character from the lowbrow British show Are You Being Served? (as the owner noted, not quite as lofty as the origin of Chez Panisse’s name, heh). Jake Godby, a local pastry chef whose background includes Candybar, Coi, Tartare, Fifth Floor for two years, and Boulevard for four, is calling this “ice cream for grownups,” with small batch, artisanal, and unusual flavors, like Secret Breakfast, a bourbon ice cream with caramelized corn flakes, a salted licorice flavor, and caramel ice cream with balsamic vinegar. Godby described the interior as a 1930s French café that has been remodeled in 1973, featuring eight stools from an old Woolworth’s counter, plus glass bricks, tile, and Formica. The opening is targeted for mid-August, and will be open Tue–Thu and Sun 11am–9pm, and Fri–Sat 11am–10pm, closed Mon. 2790A Harrison at 24th St.

In the Richmond, after three months of construction, Mamasan has been converted to ~HALU~, a tiny 25-seat non-sushi Japanese restaurant. I had a chance to talk with new owner Shigemi Komiyama over the weekend, who is partnering with his wife Mimi on the project—they just had their grand opening on Sunday. (Some may remember Shig from Yoshida-Ya—he was there 20 years ago). Mimi and Shig both went to cooking school in Yokohama for three years. HALU will feature ramen handmade by Mimi (five different types will be served), and will highlight an array of yakitori. The menu sounds delicious: upwards of 20 kinds of yakitori ($3.50–$5.50 for two skewers) will be available, including chicken wings, hearts, liver, thigh, and gizzard, plus bacon combos like enoki bacon or scallop bacon or asparagus bacon, beef tongue, kalbi, plus an array of vegetables and kushi katsu: deep fried skewers, like chicken with basil or stuffed mushroom, served with tonkatsu and karashi mayo sauces. There are also dishes like agedashi tofu, hiyayakko (cold tofu with ginger, green onion, bonito flakes, and dashi), chicken kara age, a variety of salads, lots of vegetarian dishes, some don/brown rice bowl dishes, and plenty of sake, beer, and shochu drinks. Don’t be surprised with the fun rock memorabilia, like the collection of vintage Fillmore posters—Shig was in Hot Tuna, and plays drums for the Shitones. Dinner to start. Rock. 312 8th Ave. at Clement, 415-221-9165.

Over in the Sunset, after 30 years of business, ~PJ’S OYSTERBED~ suddenly closed. No idea what happened—at least the rotting seafood that was left in the case was finally cleared out, as Eater noted (some not very nice “lagniappe” for the neighborhood in last week’s heat). 737 Irving St. at 8th Ave., 415-566-7775.

Another old-timer that has closed is ~LONDON WINE BAR~ in FiDi, which lost its lease after 35 years in business. Eater mentioned there might be a new location in the works in the Russian Hill/Polk Street area. Nope, not many wine bars there at all. 415 Sansome St. at Commercial.

If everything maps out correctly, opening tomorrow (Wednesday June 18th) is ~KASA INDIAN EATERY~ in the Stro. Here’s your chance to give a burrito a rest, and try a kati roll instead, one for $5.50, two for $8.95. You can check out the menu here. Open daily 11am–10pm. 4001 18th St. at Noe, 415-621-6940.

Another place to indulge in Indian treats: barring any snafus, ~AMBER INDIA~ in Yerba Buena Lane is due to open its doors this Saturday June 21st. The owner is Vijay Bist, who went to culinary school in India, and then trained in Baur au Lac, Switzerland; Excelsior, Germany; and France—he is working with chef Anish Potdar. The multi-level and 5,000-square-foot space will be open for lunch (Mon–Fri 11:30am–2:30pm) and dinner daily (Sun–Thu 5pm–10pm, Fri–Sat 5pm–10:30pm), brunch on the weekend (Sat–Sun 12pm–3pm), and the lounge will be open and serving appetizers and bar bites daily, continuously from 11am–11pm, and until 11:30pm Fri–Sat. 13 Yerba Buena Lane, 415-777-0500.

Last week I mentioned the turnover of North Beach’s Palermo Deli into ~LA SPIAGGIA~. Now I can release more details about it since the deal is done: Nick Fasanella is running the joint. Many of you will remember him from Nick’s Crispy Tacos and Nicky’s Pizzeria Rustica on Polk Street. He has a variety of (lucky) 13 sandwiches, all named after beaches around the world. So the Amagansett will be a Niman Ranch roast beef sandwich, while the Marina Grande will be made with prosciutto di Parma and mozzarella. There are also sandwiches made with Niman Ranch porchetta (Nick is roasting his own meats), Willie Bird turkey, plus some East Coast combos, like meatball, chicken parm, and sausage and peppers. There’s even a vegetarian sando on the list, and PB&J for the kiddies. Here’s my favorite part: for $5, you can rent a beach chair and take it out to Washington Square Park while you enjoy your sandwich. If you want to kick at the (North) Beach all day, it’s $15. Open 10am–6pm daily. 1556 Stockton St. at Union, 415-362-DELI (3354).

More on the ~WASHBAG~: Once it reopens under the Tiernans, rumor has it Michael McCourt will be back behind the bar. 1707 Powell St. at Union.

The new executive chef of ~PLUMPJACK CAFÉ~, Rick Edge, has just rolled-out his new seasonal menu, which includes a return to the restaurant’s classic technique yet modern style of American dishes, like a puree of sweet corn soup with warm mushroom salad, smoked bacon, and crème fraîche ($9); Maine peekytoe crab cakes ($15); and yes, the big eye tuna tartare cones ($15) have returned. Mains include buttermilk-braised chicken breast ($22) with creamy polenta, Castroville artichokes, morel and maitake mushrooms; and red wine-braised beef short ribs with toasted farro, stone fruit salad, garden herbs, and flowers ($27), but some creative twists remain, like a carrot risotto with Idiazabal cheese, argan oil, and chive blossoms ($11/$20). In addition, he has added a “Power Lunch” section to the lunch menu, a selection of two-course paired menu items for those short on time. 3127 Fillmore St. at Filbert, 415-563-4755.


Talk about upping the ante: chef Thomas Keller will now be building a training facility next door to the French Laundry in Yountville for the ~BOCUSE D'OR~ team that ends up being selected to represent the U.S. From October–January, the team of chef and commis candidates will be housed in a private residence in Yountville, and will be compensated by Bocuse d’Or USA at a rate equivalent to compensation from their current employers. During this period, the team will work intensely with a chef coach in a kitchen custom-designed for Bocuse d’Or training to perfect their dishes for presentation in Lyon, France, when the USA team will compete at the Bocuse d’Or World Cuisine Contest in late January 2009. Does it get much better than that? Don’t think so. Candidates, you have until June 30th to apply at www.bocusedorusa.org.

Remember the ~OPEN SOIL RESTAURANT~ project I mentioned a few months ago? They have a new project called Open City: they are creating a menu for a temporary bistro using ingredients that have been grown, foraged, and crafted within the city limits of Oakland, Berkeley, and San Francisco. Their call for help is as follows: “If you are a gleaner, gardener, forager, or farmer and have produce that will be ready for harvest in late August, contact us at seed [at] openrestaurant [dot] org. Please tell your neighbors and friends.”

This Sunday June 21st, chef ~MARK SULLIVAN OF SPRUCE~ will be doing a demonstration on grilling at Williams-Sonoma as part of their guest series. Expect some seasonal and summer ingredients to be highlighted. The demo is from 12pm–2pm and is open to the public. It will be on the third level of Williams-Sonoma in Union Square, with seats set up for everyone and recipes provided for all of the dishes that he prepares. Mark will also be holding a Q&A at the end of the demo. 340 Post St. at Stockton, 415-362-9450.

According to a Chowhound, ~WILL'S VIETNAMESE~ in the Duboce/Church Street/Transfer bar triangle (or as I like to call it, “Upper Safeway”) is morphing into Jasmine Garden, also a Vietnamese restaurant. 708 14th St. at Church, 415-861-2682.

Over in the East Bay, former Chez Panisse pastry chef Charlene Reis (and wife to executive chef Paul Arenstam of Americano) is opening ~SUMMER KITCHEN BAKE SHOP~ on College Avenue in Berkeley in late 2008, just two doors down Ici, the ice cream shop from another Chez Panisse alum, Mary Canales. It will offer organic, specialty, to-go comfort-based foods for lunch and dinner, like simple long-cooked braises, stews, and sautéed fish that are meant to be shared family style; plus made-to-order Roman-style pizzas from the hearth oven, sandwiches and tartines, artisan cheeses and salumi, salads, house-made gourmet pantry staples, tarts, cakes, and cupcakes. The menu will change daily according to the seasons and will rely on small local farmers and artisans for organic produce, cheeses, breads and specialty items. The design will have a nostalgic beach house feel, and takes its name from the East Coast grand residences that had second buildings where cooking was done during the hot summer months, in order to keep the main residences cool. 2944 College Ave. at Ashby, 415-533-4012.

In downtown Oakland, ~CAFFE 817~, a small Italian caffe/enoteca, just started opening in the evenings as an Italian wine bar. The all-Italian wine list features 50 bottles from small boutique winemakers and is arranged to represent the 20 Italian wine regions. There are also 15 whites and 15 reds included in the list that are served by the glass or the quartino. There is also a selection of antipasti, cheese, salumi, and pasta dishes. Open Thu–Sat 5pm–10pm. 817 Washington St. at 8th St., Oakland, 510- 271-7965.

the jetsetter: Healdsburg, CA Part 2

And now we continue with part two of my ~HEALDSBURG~ recap. Last week was about where to eat and this week covers where to stay, and drink good wine. Cheers to that.

~WHERE TO STAY~



I was in hotel heaven at the ~HOTEL HEALDSBURG~—it’s modern and chic but still cozy, and there are all kinds of outdoor spaces for lingering, like the back patio, pool, and atrium areas, so it’s ideal for the warmer weather you get up there. There’s also a downstairs lounge area with comfy couches around a fireplace, and bingo: the hotel is located right on the Plaza. The rooms have clean contemporary styling, in soothing tones of green and sand, with heavy Venetian blinds, and fab feather beds. Enjoyed the super spacious bathrooms, which include deep soaking tubs and walk-in showers. Breakfast downstairs was quite the spread, with all kinds of egg dishes, lox and bagel fixins, and strong coffee.

Would be an ideal getaway space—it was tranquil, soothing, and there’s even a spa (I didn’t have a treatment, so can’t vouch for that part). They do some internet specials and packages (like a girls getaway), so hop online and see.

Hotel Healdsburg
Rates $260–$820





You want to really do it up? Got a big special occasion you want to celebrate right? I can’t think of a dreamier place to stay than the ~LES MARS HOTEL~. It’s like being in Europe, with such exquisite and personal hospitality, but it never feels stuffy or uncomfortable. You can almost pretend you’re staying at your very wealthy friend’s manse (a girl can dream, can’t she?) It’s no mistake this is a Relais & Chateaux property, and how convenient, Cyrus is just downstairs. If you have the ducats, this is the place to go for an overnighter, or weekend. I’m talking four-poster beds, a cloud of down pillows and comforters, and the Italian Versai linens that will make you hate anything you sleep on at home. Bathrooms are outfitted in marble, and Bulgari products. Luxe, baby.

I was obsessed with the authentic antiques throughout, especially the floral chandeliers and sconces, and wait until you see the woodwork in the room where breakfast is hosted—stunning craftsmanship. Our three-course breakfast consisted of Greek yogurt with fresh fruit, pumpkin pecan pancakes with chicken apple sausage, and a petite herb and cheese omelette. You’re set to go wine tasting all day after a breakfast like that. The wine and cheese reception in the lobby is no slouch either, mamma mia. The entire experience here is thoughtful, memorable, and pure quality.

Les Mars Hotel
Rates $475–$1050





There is also the B&B option, which can be personal, charming, and quite a bit more budget friendly. One place I tried was the ~IRISH ROSE INN~, on Dry Creek Road, a wee bit out of town and nestled closer to the peace and calm of the vineyards. It has two rooms and a cottage, which also looks darling. I stayed in “Michael’s Room” in the main house, with a super-comfy king size bed (great mattress) and my room was delightfully devoid of any dolls or bric-a-brac. I dug my sunny and private bathroom, and the view of the vineyard out back. Chris the innkeeper was super friendly, and made an awesome breakfast soufflé with bacon, plus fresh fruit and bagels.

Irish Rose Inn
Rates $160–$200





Now, the ~CAMELLIA INN~ is what veers more into the classic B&B girlie styling, but wow, what a building! It’s an 1869 Italianate Victorian inn that is walking distance from the Plaza. Most of the rooms would freak guys out with all the floral wallpaper, lacy canopies, and pink. And some of the furnishings felt a little tired. But it’s also the home of a super-budget secret: a simple double room for $119–$129 (there’s just a little lace on the curtains, that’s all!). The bathroom is a quick step across the hall, but it’s private and has an awesome tub. Personally, I’d rather stay in a cool historic building like this than some modern chain hotel any day, especially for that price. You can see pics of all the rooms in the virtual tour on the site.

Breakfast was a simple spread of scrambled eggs, plus ham, and a homemade pear tart. Nice folks running the place. And there’s a pool out back. I also had a good run along Matheson, a wide winding road with no winos driving on it.

Camellia Inn
Rates $119–$249



At this point you can head back to your hotel, relax, walk around the Plaza, and get ready for dinner.

Dry Creek:

Here are some ideas of wineries to visit for a full day—add or subtract based on what kind of a day you want, leisurely or turbo:

After breakfast, head out on Dry Creek Road and visit ~DRY CREEK VINEYARD~ (I’m a big fan of their dry chenin blanc, and fully loaded heritage zinfandel—see what they have in the handy 375ml bottle size, perfect for the single boy or girl!) Open daily 10:30am–4:30pm. There is a $5 per person fee for tasting their signature wines, and $10 per person fee for tasting their single-vineyard wines—be sure visit their site for a two-for-one coupon.

Then keep on trucking and head over to ~UNTI VINEYARDS~ for your appointment. This small producer is one of my very faves in the area—Mick Unti and his dad George do a wonderful job with Italian varietals (I heart their barbera) and try their Segromigno blend. This is a can’t-miss experience, and make some room in your trunk. Thank me later.





You’ve been spitting, right? Right. Just a tiny bit further down the road on the right is ~PAPAPIETRO PERRY~, home of some oh-so-drinkable pinots, and zins, too. (Their first release was in 1998.) This place was the pinot oasis, there are nine total plus one zin; the tasting room is tucked in with some other wineries, so don’t worry, you’re in the right place. The tasting fee is $5, hours are 11am–4:30pm daily. Have fun chatting with Barney, who is in the tasting room Thu–Sat.



Okay you little wine warrior, at this point you could cruise up to Canyon Road, hang a right, and then cruise a bit south on 128 for a heavenly lunch at Santi in Geyserville. (See my other issue for details on this delicious restaurant.)





Or perhaps you packed a picnic? In that case I’d keep on cruising north and go to ~PRESTON~ to eat on the picnic tables on their charming grounds, complete with happy cats lounging in the sun. This family-owned winery has been around since 1973, is certified organic, and totally rocked me with their barbera, and the L. Preston Rhone-style blend. The cinsault is nice to have slightly chilled (ideal for picnics), and on Sundays they have Guadagni Red, a jug wine that is a new blend each year; it’s $32 for a three-liter jug (ruh roh) and only available at the winery on Sundays. They also have olive oil (buono!) and cured olives. The tasting room is open 11am–4:30pm daily.
 $5 tasting fee, refundable with wine purchase.





Just a bit more up the road from Preston is ~BELLA~—and it totally lives up to its name: the well-maintained grounds are breathtaking. Head into the cave to taste some luscious single vineyard zins (there are three vineyards total), two syrahs, a cab-zin blend, and a late-picked zinfandel. $5 tasting fee. The tasting room is open 11am–4:30 daily.


Back down West Dry Creek Road are two gems: first there is ~QUIVIRA~, where you can learn all about biodynamic winemaking, and taste their award-winning zinfandels and sauvignon blancs. Tasting fee $5 (waived with purchase). Open daily 11am–5pm.





If you cruise down Wine Creek Road, and if you were a good planner and made an appointment, there’s ~MICHEL-SCHLUMBERGER~. What a find—wait until you try their cabs. (Can you say “reserve”?) They offer a wine tasting and a 30-minute tour of the estate to guests at 11am or 2pm daily, or a vertical tasting of library wines, an artisan cheese and wine pairing Fri–Sun, and a "Green" tour and hillside tasting in the morning Thu–Sat—all by appointment only, prices vary. This is a great place to “go deeper” and check things out if you have the time. Read more here.





Heading east on Alexander Valley Road, a visit to ~JORDAN WINERY~ is pure pleasure. You have to call ahead and reserve one of their two tours, either the Jordan Winery Tour, for a tour of the winery and grounds along with tastings of their current release chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, and estate-grown extra virgin olive oil. You will also sample an older vintage cabernet selected from the library, and get "little tastes" to pair with the wines. Classy. Mon–Sat 11am–12pm
, 
$30 per guest. There’s also the Jordan Winery Library Tasting, with tastings 
paired with artisanal cheeses. Call for available times on Mon–Sat, and daily May–Oct, 
$20 per guest.





Head south on 128 and visit ~ALEXANDER VALLEY VINEYARDS~ for a good history lesson (the estate was once the original homestead of Cyrus Alexander—and if you don’t know who that is, then perhaps you should take a tour here). My family has enjoyed their Sin Zin for years, and the CYRUS Bordeaux blend is another one to take note of. Tasting room hours are 10am–5pm. Tours are available by appointment.





~HANNA WINERY~ is family-owned and operated, with a pleasingly pretense-free tasting room in their Mediterranean-style building. There are a bunch of wines to try, including their wonderful sav blanc, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and I love the Noir, a rich Bordeaux blend. Open daily 10am–4pm, click here for a coupon.



At the end of the day, head back up north the 128 for sunset at ~STRYKER SONOMA~ (in the winter it happens by 5pm or so). The architecture is quite cool, and there are lots of award-winning wines to taste here. The tasting room is open 10:30am–5pm daily.

~MORE TO SEE AND DO~

There are tons of little shops all around the square, from clothing to cookware, but one spot that really caught my eye is ~ARTISTS & FARMERS~, right next door to Barndiva. Cool objets, with a Euro and artistic sensibility. Well-selected music, too. 237 Center St. at Mill, 707-431-7404.

Every Tuesday from June 3rd–October 28th is the ~HEALDSBURG FARMERS’ MARKET~ from 4pm–6:30pm on Plaza and Center Streets, on the Plaza. Live music concerts are held from 6pm–8pm.

There’s also a ~SATURDAY MARKET
~ May 3rd–November 29th from 9am–noon, on North and Vine Streets, one block west of the Plaza.
 Every second Saturday, there are “Shopping with the Chef” and cooking demonstrations courtesy of Relish Culinary Adventures.

Speaking of ~RELISH CULINARY ADVENTURES~, they host cooking classes, plus events, tours, and even things like mushroom foraging excursions—simply sign up for their mailing list on their site to plan your culinary adventure ahead of time. They also just finished their new Culinary Center, complete with an outdoor kitchen.

For you cycling types, the folks at Weekend Sherpa have this itinerary about ~WHERE TO RIDE YOUR BIKE IN DRY CREEK VALLEY~, and mentions some of the wineries I listed above. Just be careful!

I was also told about ~VINE ROVER TOURS~, a car service that can cart you around so you don’t have to worry about driving.

Healdsburg hosts a bunch of annual events, from the Wild Steelhead Festival in February, to the Pigs and Pinot event at the Hotel Healdsburg in March, and the Healdsburg Jazz Festival at the end of May. You can see what’s happening on the Chamber of Commerce site.

If you want some more ideas or info, my pal John Vlahides over at ~71MILES.COM~ did a super round-up of where to go, eat, stay, and play in Healdsburg—check it out here.

the lush: June 17, 2008

H of Elixir and Cocktail Ambassadors is hosting one of his ~FARMER'S MARKET COCKTAILS~ classes at the Bay Club tomorrow, Wednesday June 18th. You’ll learn how to make better drinks for yourself and your friends, and how to be a more discerning consumer. Every student is given a complete set of tools and a workstation to actually make their own drinks (and taste them, duh). The class is 7:30pm–9pm and is limited to 20 people. It is $85 per person. There are other regularly scheduled classes available to the general public at various Western Athletic Clubs throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. These are private health clubs, but the classes are open to non-members as well. Check the schedule here and you can sign up for the classes that are now enrolling.

~THE JUG SHOP~ is hosting the acclaimed viticulturalist, Danny Schuster of New Zealand, who has been busy establishing the Waipara district of North Canterbury as one of New Zealand's premier regions for wine production. This Thursday June 19th, you'll be treated the full range of Danny's wines: his sauvignon blanc, riesling and Petrie Vineyard chardonnay, some pinot noirs, tasting the Twin Vineyard pinot, the Waipara Selection pinot, and a three-vintage vertical of the Omihi Vineyards Pinot (2002, 2004, and 2006). And if that's not enough, you’ll finish with the Hull Family Vineyard late harvest riesling. 6pm–8pm. $10 per person. 1590 Pacific Ave. at Polk, 415-885-2922.

~TRES AGAVES~ is starting Tequila Tasting Dinners (somewhat similar to a wine dinner, but surprise, it's Tequila!). The first dinner is this Thursday June 19th. The dinners are four courses and will include tequila pairings and tastings and a tequila seminar given by the hosting distillery from Jalisco. The dinner and tasting is $75. Tres Agaves will run these once a month and feature a different distillery each time. 130 Townsend St. at 2nd St., 415-227-0500.

~SOLSTICE RESTAURANT AND LOUNGE~ is hosting their Summer Solstice and Five Year Anniversary Party this Thursday June 19th. To commemorate five years of their raspberry mojito and American Kobe beef sliders, they will be featuring an extended happy hour from 5pm–7:30pm, and Anderson Valley Brewing Co's Summer Solstice draft beer will be $3 all night long! Spinning records for happy hour will be DJ Chris Vargas, and local band Katdelic Revival will have a show starting at 8pm (no cover). 2801 California St. at Divisadero, 415-359-1222.

~UVA ENOTECA~ in the Lower Haight is kicking off their wine education and tasting classes. This Saturday June 21st is “Introduction to Italian Wines,” covering the fundamentals of winemaking, history, and tasting. Class size: 15 people. $35 per person. 3:45pm. Busy this Saturday? On Sunday July 6th, there will be a regional tasting featuring the wines of Piemonte. $40 per person, 3pm. Call 415-829-2024 or email info [at] uvaenoteca [dot] com to sign up. 568 Haight St. at Steiner.

Sake lovers, come and meet the brewers of Kasumi Tsuru (a master of Kimoto and Yamahai brewing) and Wataribune (who revived the mystic Wataribune rice) next Thursday June 26th for a ~SAKE TASTING AT ANZU~. There will be eight sakes to taste, including a Namazake from each brewery, with appetizers by Anzu chef Barney Brown. For more information on the brewers and their sake to be poured, visit www.jotosake.com. It will be quite the hour of power: 6pm–7pm. $35 inclusive, with validated parking. Limited to 30 people. Call Anzu to make your reservation: 415-394-1108. Anzu (Nikko Hotel), 222 Mason St. at O’Farrell.

~BUCK TAVERN~, the new bar from Mark Landregan and Michael Gouddou of Gallery Lounge (510 Brannan St.) and DaDa (86 2nd St.), is now open (it’s just across the street from CAV and Zuni). Microbrews (plus some Euro beers too). Wine. Casual pub fare. Done. If I remember correctly, lunch should be in the works too. 1655 Market St. at Gough.

Congrats to local mixologist ~CARLOS YTURRIA~ (mixologist at bacar and Grand Pu Bah) who just participated in the Santé Magazine's 3rd Annual Iron Bar Chef Competition in Vermont, and won first place. Elected by the San Francisco Chapter of the U.S. Bartenders' Guild, Carlos was sent to the Symposium to represent the whole state of California in the competition. The two-day challenge included two rounds of competitions where contestants had to make an aperitif, long drink, and a dessert drink using a "secret" ingredient. The first-round challenge was to use tea, and the second was yellow kiwi. They had 45 minutes to create three cocktails in each round. He even got a standing ovation from the crowd, which included Thomas Keller, Charlie Trotter, and other famous chefs in attendance.

the starlet: June 17, 2008

Sunday afternoon, a couple tablehopper readers spotted Tony Bourdain at brunch at CIRCA, and then at dinner with chef Erik Hopfinger at Incanto later that night.

Saturday night at Le Colonial, there was a large table of socialites and celebs—seems that they were in town for an "Art of Elysium" event. Celebs in tow included Amy Smart, Will Estes, and Dave Annable, who is reportedly just as cute in real life as he is on Brothers & Sisters. After dinner they all headed upstairs to get their party on in the lounge.

A group of 11 New York Yankees, including Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada, were spotted having dinner at Ame restaurant while in town playing the Oakland A's.

the matchmaker: June 17, 2008

Are You Opinionated About What You Find at the Grocery Store?

We're looking for consumers who would be interested in participating in one-on-one interviews in Foster City this Thursday. The interviews will last about 45 minutes and the topic will be http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifgood food.

You'll also get a chance to taste early prototypes of a new product.

If you meet our criteria, you will be compensated for your opinions. Take our screening survey to find out if you qualify.

-------------------------------------------------------

Kitchen Manager
Looking to advance your career?

Brazen Head Restaurant is looking for a full time kitchen manager with experience to run our food operation. Full time position, competitive compensation, health, dental and vacation benefits available.

We would like to fill the position by July 1, 2008.

Please contact Eddie Savino at 415-298-6826 or email Brazened [at] aol [dot] com.

letter from the tablehopper: June 10, 2008

Wow. Wow. Wow. Um, readers? You BLOW MY FREAKING MIND. I can't begin to thank you all so much for your remarkable generosity in helping to provide funds for the tablehopper/CHEFS (Conquering Homelessness through Employment in Food Service) dinner out. So far we have raised over $600! I will definitely report back with a final figure—the checks just kept coming. I don't have enough superlatives to possibly express how touched I am with your donations, and thank you for the nice notes too. So kind.

And here's where it gets even more amazing: spontaneously came forward and offered to host the dinner for free. A huge thanks to GM Michael Shaulis and executive chef Jessica Gorin for their oh-so-kind hospitality. I will be sure to let you all know how it goes!

Since the donated funds are suddenly not needed for this upcoming dinner, I am either going to hang onto them for another outing for the next CHEFS class/session… or I also have an awesome food-centric field trip idea (involving a farm, and a meal)! I'll run it by you shortly, for now, please know everyone at the CHEFS organization, the students and the staff, are all so touched and grateful for this outpouring of support and generosity. Y'all are the BEST. (Oh, and if you want to come out and play with me this Friday evening, I'll be at the CHEFS fundraiser, SummerTini! Hope to see you there!)

Yours truly has a couple upcoming appearances this week! First, I'll be back on The View from the Bay! This Thursday will be an in-studio appearance (the show is from 3pm–4pm on ABC 7), and I'll be talking about three of my local faves for affordable and unique eats.

Then, this Sunday June 15th (Father's Day) I will be on for my monthly appearance on A Matter of Taste with Rachel and David Michael Cane on Green 960AM. They have changed their hours to each Sunday from 11am until noon—listen in!

And since you all rock so hard, I am doing a giveaway of a couple copies of a very summer-appropriate book: Grilled Pizzas and Piadinas from chef Craig Priebe (the former owner of C.K's Wood Grilled Pizza in Atlanta). The materials I've read deem this kind of pizza "the ultimate thin crust" and you get some smokiness too. Sounds pretty good, no? Priebe will be appearing at Macy's Cellar on Wed. June 25th at 6pm if you want to check it out.

Here's how to enter to win a copy of the book: just forward this newsletter to two pals (or more, thanks!) and cc (or BCC) luckyme [at] tablehopper [dot] com when you send it to your peeps—it's best if you explain why you're emailing it to them, or at least include something about tablehopper.com. I promise I won't be collecting your friends' emails, those will stay private—I just need to keep track that you forwarded it to two or more folks. The deadline to enter is by midnight, Sunday June 15th. I will be randomly drawing the winner and will email you to let you know you've won next week. Maybe you can even bring it to the Macy's Cellar demo and get it signed on the 25th! Good luck!

Thanks to everyone for everything you do and are!

~Marcia

the chatterbox: June 10, 2008

I love me some big news. Things have been kind of quiet about the upcoming 240-seat ~URBAN TAVERN~ project at the San Francisco Hilton on O'Farrell Street. Donna Scala was helping to conceptualize and develop the high-end gastropub for the hotel—I heard a rumor that she was not going to be involved with the project once it launched, and it ends up Laurent Manrique is now going to be the chef! No confirmed details to release yet about the actual launch date (although one source told me July), the concept (I've heard Northern Italian/Southern Mediterranean), etc., so stand by… 333 O'Farrell St. at Mason.

More big news: I hear the Tiernans who own Tiernan's down near the Wharf, not the PlumpJack Group, are buying the ~WASHBAG~. No one has been able to confirm this for sure (I got "No comment!" last week, and this week my message went unanswered), but my source made it sound pretty darned definite.

There's a new executive chef at ~SEASONS AT THE FOUR SEASONS HOTEL~: Jeremy Emmerson left for a private cheffing gig to allow more time to be with his family. The new executive chef is Mark Richardson, who has been with Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts in culinary positions for the past ten years (most recently as executive sous chef at Four Seasons Hotel Boston). Richardson likes to experiment with new molecular gastronomy techniques in his kitchen, so expect a little bit of flair to appear on the menu (sounds like Jing Tio just scored another regular at Le Sanctuaire). 757 Market St. at Grant, 415-633-3838.

Another chef switcheroo: ~PALENCIA RESTAURANT~, the Filipino spot in the Castro, has a new executive chef: 25-year-old Drey Roxas, who was born and raised in Manila, Philippines. He received his culinary degree from CCA in 2003, then worked at Shangri-La Hotel in Manila. He has redesigned the menu, incorporating bright flavors and dishes to balance the often-heavier fare, like kilawin, a ceviche-like dish using red snapper that is "cooked" in a sugar cane vinegar as opposed to traditional citrus. There's also a hearts of palm salad, with carrot, Filipino spinach, and a light tamarind sauce. In case you want to check it out, the restaurant will be celebrating the Philippines Independence Day with a four-course prix-fixe menu for $35 per person on June 12th (the official date) and June 13th. 3870 17th between Noe and Sanchez, 415-522-1888.

I'd like to give a big congrats to Craig Stoll, the chef and co-owner of Delfina, who won Best Chef: Pacific (in California and Hawaii) at the ~JAMES BEARD FOUNDATION AWARDS~ on Sunday. The Mission continued to dominate, with Elisabeth Prueitt and Chad Robertson, the owners of Tartine Bakery, winning Outstanding Pastry Chef award, a national award. Meow. Up in St. Helena, Hiro Sone and his wife, Lissa Doumani, took home the award for the nation's best restaurant service for Terra (they also own Ame here in the City). Congrats to all the nominees—you're all winners in many, many peoples' eyes. And a very special shout-out to Grant Achatz, who not only beat cancer, tongue cancer at that, but won the Outstanding Chef Award (I highly recommend reading the riveting article from back in May in the New Yorker about his battle with cancer.) You can check out the list of all the nominees and winners here.

It's going to be another big weekend, this time in Aspen since it's the 26th annual ~FOOD & WINE CLASSIC~. I can only imagine how swell the exclusive tasting dinner prepared by the 2008 F&W Best New Chefs is going to be, which includes Jeremy Fox of Ubuntu, Koren Grieveson of my favorite Avec in Chicago, and Michael Psilakis of Anthos in New York. I soooooo wish I was going—next year, perhaps…

~MERCURY LOUNGE~ on Lombard has closed, and is actually going to be moving to a bigger location, in the SoMa area. I will be able to release more on the location once I get the go-ahead, stand by.

Here's a small service announcement for you: ~SUSHI KOO~ in the Sunset is temporarily closed from yesterday, June 9th, until Tuesday June 17th—the restaurant will be back open on Wedndesday June 18th, so you can get your "Spoonful of Happiness" back on. 408 Irving St. at 5th St., 415-731-7077.

Meanwhile, it seems the Inner Sunset's ~WUNDER BREWING CO.~ (formerly Eldo's) is closed; here's more from Eater. The "closed for renovations" notice and the disconnected phone don't totally jive. 1326 Ninth Ave. at Irving.

As for the Inner Richmond: I planned to mention this on Thursday during my segment on View from the Bay (this is a big blatant hint about one of the restaurants I'll be mentioning): Namu is going to be opening a deli, ~HAPPY BELLY FOODS~, a few blocks down from the restaurant—the space in which they are opening the deli is actually where they store their Happy Belly carts that serve food in Golden Gate Park. Look for signature sandwiches, plus pre-marinated meats (hello, kalbi skirt steak), house-made kimchee, and sauces. September is the hoped-for opening date. Balboa and 3rd St.

I seemed to miss the opening of this café, but a reader wanted to point out ~MUISCA COLOMBIAN FUSION AND CAFÉ~ is serving up good coffee and Colombian fare, like arepas, in the Mission. Yelpers seem to dig it. 564 South Van Ness Ave. at 17th St., 415-834-5804.

No, I don't particularly feel like thinking about the holidays either, but I wanted to let you know the Food Network is casting for the popular ~DEAR FOOD NETWORK~ specials set to air this holiday season. Four all-new, one-hour programs will feature Food Network fans as they get the chance to have their cooking questions answered face-to-face by their star of choice, answering viewers' questions about turkey troubles, dessert disasters, cooking for large family gatherings, and the like. To be considered for Dear Food Network, viewers must upload a unique and entertaining three-minute video to www.foodnetwork.com/dearfn by Monday July 14th, sharing their story and explaining why they want a chance to have their cooking problems solved by their favorite Food Network star. Entrants must include their age, location, and a humorous testimonial by a family member or friend. The best videos will be aired on the program, and some fans will even be flown to the set to be in the audience while their dilemma is answered on-air. For additional info, email foodnetworkseries@gmail.com.

I had a good time emceeing at the ~MACY'S UNION SQUARE CELLAR~ event last week: the good-enough-to-eat programming continues this Wednesday June 11th at 6pm, when they highlight Out of the Kitchen (perhaps you've seen this new quarterly magazine advertised on tablehopper?) and mushrooms! Each season, OITK's editor-in-chief (and executive chef and owner of Maverick, Scott Youkilis, will bring one of the stories straight to your taste buds with a live cooking demo in The Cellar. This month he is hosting a true expert and connoisseur: Connie Green, a well-known local forager of wild mushrooms, who supplies them to many of the Bay Area's finest restaurants. You'll be treated to a taste of hard-to-find morels (yes, MORELS, people!) prepared by Scott and paired with a glass of wine chosen by Maverick's wine director and co-owner Mike Pierce. Free! 170 O'Farrell St. at Stockton.

The fun-with-food continues next week with ~GRACEANN WALDEN~, who will take guests on a culinary tour of San Francisco during this four-part series, while never leaving The Cellar! She'll be visiting with various local chefs, while guests get a taste of featured recipes, plus a glass of wine, compliments of the Jug Shop. The line-up is on Wednesdays at 6pm.

6/18: Nob Hill with Chef Gloria Ciccarone-Nehls of The Big 4
7/16: The New North Beach with chef J.J. Castaneda of Joe DiMaggio's Chophouse
8/13: The Fillmore District Old and New with chef David Lawrence of 1300 Fillmore
9/17: Traditional North Beach with chef Valentino Luchin of Rose Pistola

More demos: The Ferry Plaza Farmers Market is continuing its popular cooking program, ~EASY MARKET MEALS~. These free cooking demonstrations, which take place on the first and third Tuesday of each month from June through September, focus on one or two seasonal ingredients in the farmers' market and offer simple ways for home cooks to prepare them. This year, three of the guest chefs will demonstrate family-friendly meals, emphasizing quick, nutritious dishes that will please the developing palates of the under-eight set. Easy Market Meals takes place in CUESA's Dacor teaching kitchen, located in the North Arcade in front of the Ferry Building. Attendees will learn from professional chefs and accomplished home cooks, sample the featured dishes, and leave with a recipe to recreate these seasonal meals at home. The rotating demos begin at 12pm, 12:30pm, and 1pm. Here's the schedule of guest chefs for 2008:

6/17: Amy Andrews, Amy's Food Room (family-friendly focus)
7/1: Stephanie Rosenbaum, Food Writer
7/15: Annie Somerville, Greens Restaurant
8/5: Georgeanne Brennan, Cookbook Author & Food Writer
8/19: Amy Fothergill, The Family Chef (family-friendly focus)
9/2: Shanti Wilson, former CUESA Market Chef & Culinary Consultant (family-friendly focus)
9/16: Leslie and Andrew Swallow, Mixt Greens

One of my most memorably delicious meals was when chef ~RICHARD REDDINGTON~ was an interim co-chef at Masa's back in 2004—perhaps it was all the more delicious because I knew it was a not-to-last situation. Anyway, chef Reddington of Redd in Napa Valley will be guest co-chef with Masa's executive chef Gregory Short for an evening celebrating Masa's 25th Anniversary, on Saturday June 21st. There will be a special tasting menu, with the first seating at 5:30pm and the second at 8:30pm. The cost of the dinner will be $195 per person, with wine pairings offered by Master Sommelier Alan Murray. 648 Bush St. at Powell, 415-989-7154.

This coming Saturday June 14th, Theatre of Yugen is hosting a Slow Food movement "secret supper" as a company fundraiser. A five-course vegetarian meal will be prepared by chef ~LEIF HEDENDAL~. The Yugen Orchestra will provide music, plus a souped-up noh dance and a performance of their latest Kyogen comedy, Religious Dispute, will also be part of the evening's entertainment. You can read Leif's summer-riffic menu here. 6pm, $60 per plate (very limited seating) and by reservation only. Order tickets online or call 415-621-0507. a.Muse art gallery, 614 Alabama St. at 18th St.

Up in Mill Valley, ~ORA~ has closed as of May 14th, and owner Shahram Bijan will be reopening the restaurant in a bigger space in San Francisco's Union Square, a few blocks away from First Crush, his wine bar. No word on where exactly that space is—the lease is still being negotiated, but there will be the inclusion of more California-style dishes, and a full bar. He will also be busy opening the second (and bigger) location of Toast up in Novato this summer, in a new space from architect Stanley Saitowitz (who did Conduit).

the jetsetter: Healdsburg, California

I fell in love with ~HEALDSBURG~ my first time there—give me a town square, some killer wineries, delish restaurants, a mellow small town atmosphere, stunning scenery, and, well, where's my ring? The area is a glorious triangulation of the Dry Creek Valley, Russian River Valley, and Alexander Valley—seriously dreamy. Springtime is the time to go before it gets really hot and busy with vacationing tourists (the fields were bursting with mustard and so many trees were blossoming in March), although I also really enjoyed the peace and calm of being there on one trip during grey November, too. Just make sure you have reservations for any of the restaurants you want to visit at least a few weeks in advance if possible—things get booked up. Please note the hours below can change, so call first! And lots of places are closed on Tuesday, FYI.

I know some folks are lamenting the "yuppification" or "Napa-fication" of Healdsburg, but I still think there's a balanced range of things to do there, from taquerias and local beer to a high-end posh experience (yes, Cyrus, I am talking about you). Either way, the wines in the area are fantastic, with low to nonexistent tasting room fees, nice winery folks everywhere, and thankfully I haven't seen any tour buses on the back roads of Dry Creek.

I actually visited Healdsburg for this jetsetter piece five times over the past couple years, so we're going to have to do this in two parts—it's a beast. The next installment will be about the wineries to visit, where to stay, and various activities.

For this installment, let's start with everyone's favorite:

~ Where to Eat ~



Mmmm, burgers. One of the most delicious, juicy, messy, and zin-worthy monsters I've ever had the pure pleasure of scarfing down was over lunch at ~RAVENOUS CAFÉ~. It also came with a monster pickle, and spicy seasoned potato spears—not my favorite kind of fries, but no matter. (My mom loved her Mediterranean plate). Big portions, heartfelt comfy food that isn't perfect but definitely enjoyable, with everything listed on a handwritten menu. It's located in a sweet house a few blocks off the plaza that has been converted into an intimate restaurant with a color scheme like a 50/50 bar (orange sherbet and vanilla). Thoughtful details like flowers in old perfume bottles, mismatched chairs, and even the carafe of water came with a slice of blood orange and lime. Fun and funky locals' scene at the tiny bar. There's a patio too—great in the summer with its little bar back there. Me: totally charmed.

Ravenous Café
420 Center St.
Cross: North St.
Healdsburg, CA 95448

707-431-1302

Lunch:
Wed–Sun 11:30–2:30pm
Dinner:
Wed–Sun at 5pm
Closed Mon–Tue





~ZIN RESTAURANT & WINE BAR~ has a cool industrial look (concrete floors, sealed cork tables, exposed beams) for wine country, and you can tell by the name what the food is geared for. ZIN is famous for its beer-battered green beans that come with mango salsa, fresh salads, and they do a nice pork chop. Definitely "big eater" portions. The food didn't totally bowl me over (some dishes we tried had little missteps here and there, from seasoning to preparation), but the ingredients were super-fresh (many from the restaurant's organic garden), and the people who work there are darned nice. Would be a fun place to come by for some vino and a casual bite, or a full meal after a day of wine tasting. Would make folks looking for a simple, low-key meal happy—others might be left wanting a little more precision.

ZIN Restaurant & Wine Bar
344 Center St.
Cross: North St.
Healdsburg, CA 95448

707-473-0946
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