| table of contents | This week's tablehopper: gypsy dining. | ||
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SEPTEMBER 25, 2007 | SAN FRANCISCO This week is a dangerous dining pileup, and why I am grateful for my new fitness regimen starting this Saturday: tonight is the tablehopper supper, tomorrow is the Toast of the Town event, Thursday I’m attending a test dinner at Sens, Friday I’m hitting A Taste of Greece, Saturday is a test dinner at South, and Sunday is the CUESA Sunday Supper. I’m full. (So no wafer-thin mints for me, ha ha!) Speaking of events, the nice folks at the upcoming “Tastes of the City” event (see the socialite for more) are offering a couple free tickets for a tablehopper giveaway! Cool! You know the drill: please forward the tablehopper newsletter to five friends (it’s best if you explain to them why you’re sending it to them) and just cc luckyme@tablehopper.com. (To be clear, I won’t use anyone’s emails for anything—I just need to insure you sent it to five folks.) Enter to win until 11:59pm on Sunday, September 30; I’ll notify the winner soon thereafter. Good luck, all! See you out and about (odds are good)!
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 SEPTEMBER 25, 2007 | SAN FRANCISCO Cute
new restaurant alert! In the former Vogalonga space in the Mission
is ~LOLO~, a friendly little spot with
one heck of an intriguing concept: Latin American meets Mediterranean.
A friend dined there on the opening night and said the flavors
were fab and fresh—the restaurant has a focus on local and
organic ingredients, with produce from Happy Boy Farms. Lolo is
the nickname of owner Lorena Zerpuche, who owns the restaurant
with her husband, Jorge Martinez, and their biz partner, Merdol
Erkal, who is Turkish. Lorena and Jorge usually live in Guadalajara,
where they have two other restaurants, I
Latina and Anita
li—check out the sites, they’re playful
and fun. I want to fly to Mexico and visit both restaurants, right
now. (Why are people so afraid of color here? Seriously.) Lorena,
who designs restaurants
and furnishings,
designed Lolo’s space, and is inspired by the styles and
colors found in smaller cities in Mexico. My friend said the food
was beautifully presented; dishes include panko-encrusted fried
shrimp wrapped in jicama with chipotle aioli ($7.50); huitlacoche
and ricotta-stuffed gyoza skin steamed with roasted pepper, tomato,
and squash blossom sauce ($8); and roasted eggplant puree with
braised grass-fed Superior Valley lamb wrapped in an eggplant flower
($15). Some of Lolo’s kitchen staff previously worked at
the couple’s restaurants in Mexico, so the staff will be
holding it down since Lorena and Jorge will be traveling back and
forth between Mexico and SF. Open at 6pm for dinner nightly. 3234
22nd St. at Bartlett (between Mission and Valencia), 415-643-5656.
Okay, fellow guanciale lovers: A16’s latest venture, ~SPQR~, passed its inspections and opened last week! And it swung the door aperto with a bang, see, the town is obviously fired up to eat straciatella (Roman egg drop soup), mozzarella in carrozza (with anchovies, yum), local sand dabs, and you can indulge in afore-mentioned guanciale in the pasta all’amatriciana (my favorite) or carbonara (decisions, decisions). And try finding house-made fusilli anywhere else around town. So check this out: you can be seated until 11pm! The A16 folks are trying to keep late hours at this newest restaurant, and debunk the myth that there is nowhere to eat in this town after 9pm (well, besides the ones we all know and love, like NOPA, etc.). So act like a New Yorker and support the late hours, or at least swing by for a bite and glass of vino after a movie, otherwise the late nights will say “ciao.” (In the goodbye sense, not the hello sense.) Dinner nightly 5:30pm–11pm. Lunch kicks in next week on October 1 and hours will be 11:30pm–2:30pm Mon–Fri. (Wait until you see the list of panini, including bresaola with Robiola and artichokes, I am so sold.) Brunch starts on Saturday, October 6, and the hours will be 9am–2:30pm. 1911 Fillmore St. at Bush, 415-771-7779. So thanks to a dedicated reader, I got more word on ~MEDITERRANEAN SPIRIT~, and why it closed. Fortunately it wasn’t due to something tragic (some of us were a little worried there)—the owners decided the restaurant was taking too much time away from their kids, so they decided to sell it. A kebab place is opening in its stead (I’ve heard it called the Afghan Kebab House or something like that), and Khalil, the former Mediterranean Spirit owner, hopes people will support it. Sure, but I’ll still miss Mediterranean Spirit something crazy. I know I’m not alone. 1303 Polk St. at Bush. A new restaurant has joined the city’s izakaya ranks (okay, it’s officially a trend now): ~SOZAI RESTAURANT & SAKE LOUNGE~ has opened in the Sunset. The owner and executive chef is Mari Takahashi (of Mari’s Catering, Inc.), who has put together a menu that blends authentic Japanese dishes, like filet katsu, ochazuke, and assorted fresh sashimi, with some California-cuisine inspired small plates, like edamame hummus, all served izakaya/tapas style. Beau Timken of True Sake has chosen handcrafted sakes from some of best master brewers of Japan to pair with various menu items, which you can enjoy at the six-seat bar in the lounge, or while dining in the 32-seat minimalist Japanese-influenced dining room, with woodwork by Tim Frick. There is also an open kitchen, where you are sure to hear welcoming shouts of “Irassaimase!” And now it’s time for your Japanese lesson: sozai means “ingredient” in Japanese. Open Wed–Sun, 5pm-10pm. 1500 Irving St. at 16th, 415-681-7150. Thirsty for more wine? You better be. By mid to late October, ~BIN 38~ is opening in the Marina at the former Mi Lindo Peru space, and will be pouring an array of New World numbers (think South Africa, Argentina, New Zealand, Oregon, Washington, and California; 40 by the glass), plus some fab international brews as well: 15–20 bottled brews, to be exact, and they will be served in proper glassware, yay. My favorite little detail: partner Don Davis of Uncorked Events loves bubbles about as much as I do, if not more, so there will be at least five sparklers available by the glass, along with plans to sell Krug at retail, making it the least expensive pour in town. (Davis even mentioned having some available by the glass during the holidays.) Oh, and there will also be some food beyond olives and cheese plates: James Schenk of Destino consulted on the culinary concept, and Glenn Christiansen, previously at NOPA and Delfina, will be the chef, so you know the local/seasonal approach will be in effect. I peeked at a preliminary menu, and dishes may include a ricotta tart, some salads, hand-cut steak tartare, quinoa-crusted fried calamari, and quail and garlic sausage with polenta and a sauce from roasted grapes. Just wait until you try some fries with a flute of bubbles, which is sure to become a house favorite (it’s one of my favorite combos to get at Zuni.) The sunny space will include sidewalk seating, a front area with large windows facing the street, and a spacious patio to boot. (Yes, there will also be plenty of heat lamps, this isn’t Miami, and don’t we know it.) Jim Maxwell and Cindy Beckman of Architects II are the architects and designers, creating a warm and woody space, adding touches like an onyx bar, a communal table, and private alcoves. Speaking of private, there will be a variety of opps for renting part or all of the space out for private parties. Joining Davis in the project are Peter Scully of Dolce and 38 NORTH, and Shaw Amirghassemkhany and David Sheridan, from Shaw Management Group. About the name: 38 represents the latitude of San Francisco, and a bin is a term that signifies a grape-growing parcel of land. Got it? Good! Mon–Wed 3pm–12am; Thu–Fri 3pm–1am; Sat noon–1am; Sun noon–12am. 3232 Scott St. at Chestnut. Many of you know what a big fan I am of ~BORIS PORTNOY’S~ desserts, the talented pastry chef at Campton Place. Well, guess who is consulting on the Magnolia Pub and Alembic dessert menus? Meow! Look for some yum magnets like chocolate pudding with tea caramel mousse, and how about this, “Baked” Alaska with hempseed meringue and passion fruit mousse! Brilliant. How perfect for the Haight. Dude. Starting October 1, ~DOSA~ will be open on Monday nights, so grab that wait-free table while you can. 995 Valencia St. at 21st, 415-642-3672. The opening of ~FISH & FARM~ is nearing. It's a new restaurant adjacent to the Mark Twain Hotel that should be open by early October. The website proclaims “New American Seafood and Artisan Meats,” and there is a strong eco-friendly and sustainable focus as well. The majority of the food is sourced from small farms within 100 miles of the restaurant, there is a rooftop garden, materials used in construction included reclaimed bamboo floors and recycled marble countertops, plus there is an emphasis on recycling, composting, and there are plans to be carbon neutral. Partners are Frank Klein (First Crush Wine Bar, Biscuits & Blues), and brother and sister John Duggan and Elena Duggan of Original Joe’s. Commandeering
the kitchen is chef Michael Morrison, previously an executive
sous chef at Ame—he also worked at Michael Mina, Bizou,
and Fringale. If you want to look at the menu, it’s online,
take a look
here—it’s
full of house-made touches, from the pappardelle to malt vinegar
and tartar sauce to cured fish. (I do think the “hand-smashed
red potatoes” designation is taking it a little far, however.)
The staff will be making dessert, offering American classics like
crumbles, pie, and the like. There will also be cocktails and a
worldwide and affordable wine list. Sheri
Sheridan of Swallowtail Design designed the American “vintage
chic” space (she also did Salt
House, The
Ambassador,
and Otis)—the
dining room has 42 seats, while the neighboring bar seats 16.
Design elements include booths, a tufted banquette, an antique
clock that stretches five feet across, and bell-shaped lanterns
with Edison bulb fixtures. Open for dinner Tue–Sun, 5pm–10pm
(until 11pm Thu–Sat). 339 Taylor St. at Ellis, 415-474-FISH
(3474). Since we’re in the random zone, why not a random thought? Okay, is it a good thing or bad thing if the ~TAMALE LADY~ recognizes you? Does this mean you have a drinking problem? No need to answer, just musing over this out loud. Since
we’re
now on topic for booze, tonight is CHOW's inaugural ~SQUARE
OFF~ organic
cocktail competition from 5:30pm–7:30pm at the Ferry Building.
The chosen finalists, the manager of a theater company from New
York and Ronaldo Colli from Bar Americano, are facing off using
organic ingredients from the farmer's market, with Cantina's
Duggan McDonnell (AKA Shotzi) emceeing. Judges include Jeff Hollinger
(Absinthe), Jane Goldman (CHOW), and Natalie Bovis-Nelsen (The
Liquid Muse). Robbie
Lewis of Bacar is preparing hors d’oeuvres. Proceeds benefit
CUESA and Om Organics. $10 per person, includes cocktails and
food. Buy your tickets online. And now, boozing you can feel good about: next Tuesday, October 2, from 6pm to 7:30pm, ~ONE MARKET RESTAURANT~ will host a special happy hour open to the public with Vernon Davis of the San Francisco 49ers and several other linemen to promote the Streetsmart4Kids campaign, a non-profit organization that benefits local city youth and family programs. There is no entrance fee or minimum donation required, and One Market will offer a 49er Red & Gold Martini, with 100% of the proceeds from the sale of the drink to benefit StreetSmart. One Market will also host a silent auction of 49er memorabilia with all proceeds to benefit Streetsmart. Vernon will be available for photo opportunities and autographs, and voluntary donations will be accepted at the event. The event kicks off the Streetsmart4 Kids campaign, running October 1–November 18, with participating Bay Area restaurants asking diners to make a voluntary $3 donation when paying their bill, with all proceeds directly donated to San Francisco's Huckleberry Youth Programs, La Casa de Las Madres, and Larkin Street Youth Services. 1 Market Plaza at Steuart, 415-777-5577. Just a reminder that ~EAT LOCAL WEEK~ is going on until Saturday—there are a couple dozen restaurants offering nightly specials made with local ingredients (like Scott Howard, Café Maritime, and the new Mexico DF), plus markets and a slew of producers taking part. You can also look for Eat Local SF at San Francisco magazine’s upcoming FallFest on October 6, highlighting locally sourced ingredients at all the food tables. There is some word that the coalition is considering a “DRINK & Eat Local Week” for the spring depending on the website traffic and response, so let them know that you care, and clickity click click!Got
a hot tip? You know I'd love it (and you). Just reply
to this email!
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This year was my sixth at ~BURNING MAN~, and boy, have my dining habits changed after my first year back in 1996, when I was “cooking” Tasty Bites from Trader Joe’s on a single Coleman burner, with no kitchen to speak of and eating out of the same bowl from my old Girl Scouts mess kit all week. (Mess is right.) But you know what? That year was a total blast. (See that pic? That was not my camp. That was CENTER CAMP.) Over the years, and lots of trial and error, I was able to dial in a decent kitchen setup, bought a spiffy Coleman grill for quality breakfasts (the most important meal!), and even put on a +Rehab+ disco brunch one morning for over 60 people with the help of my friends and the hospitality of camp Comfort & Joy. One of my campmates noted that we didn’t open a single can this year. (Well, except for those cases and cases of beer.) Food can taste sublime out there, even a hard-boiled egg can be transcendent (and a fresh salad? pure alchemy) because you’re pedaling your bike everywhere and building things and running around and dancing and riding art cars all night and it’s almost too hot to eat during the day and it’s easy to get worn out and in need of some fuel—you can go from hungry to HANGRY really fast, like a trebuchet catapulting a piano. I had such ambitious dining plans before heading off to Burning Man this year: I thought I was going to check out all kinds of opulent spreads, and visit some cool SF restaurant industry folks who take part in the madness. People totally do it up, from the legendary Tuna Guys, fishermen who haul in hundreds of pounds of fish from Oregon, to campers preparing multi-course dinners with wine pairings and dishes like artichoke halves with lemon caper aioli, to famed barbecue joints, there’s Avalon camp that serves Vietnamese iced coffee, the pancakes each morning at Pancake Playhouse, the list is not unlike a dining guide in a city. Clocking in at 47,000 people this year, Black Rock City is not what I would call a podunk town.
I was kindly invited by the folks at Sushilovecake for vegan brown rice sushi and tea and cupcakes, and I ended up running into some long-lost friends while I was on my way there and rats, I didn’t make it for the sunset dinner. Foiled again! I also had intentions to hang out with Russell Rummer, the executive chef of Roots restaurant, over a frozen daiquiri powered by a bicycle blender at their "Dusty Palms" camp, but the couple times I rode by, no one was home—they must have been having fun riding around and exploring, like me. Cheers.
Here were a few discoveries the gypsy did make:
I was spoiled with random acts of bacon, and mushroom lasagne (the sober kind), and a hot Thai dinner (big love to Camp Hook-Up!), and shots, and cheeseburgers, and... I still managed to drop five pounds! Hallelujah.  Probably
one of my favorite things is witnessing how food brings people together
out there—mealtime is always a moment of camp
bonding, and it offers a much-needed break in what are such busy
days and nights. “Sit down, take a load off, here, eat some
lunch I just made, would you like a cold beer?” are magic words.
It’s also really hard work to prepare food on the playa, so
it makes it one of the greatest gifts, whether you are giving it,
or receiving it, but especially when you least expect it, like when
some marvelously kooky guys decide to make hotdogs on a hibachi in
the middle of traffic during the four-hour exodus, or when you wake
up at 4:30pm and some kind soul saved you some chicken.  |
SEPTEMBER
25, 2007 | SAN FRANCISCO Burning
Man, Black Rock City, NV
Lisa
Schultz of 
An
old friend was part of the staggeringly thoughtful Ashram Galactica
camp, where you can enter a lottery each night to take part in
their multi-course feast—check out the 
Some
stellar folks invited me for some “Fat Asses' original
chicken” in the 
See
a theme here? This was my year of being the cingene, or gypsy,
as a hot Turkish boy named me. By day three I realized, Marcia,
cingene girl, let it go. Five nights a week in the “default
world” here in San Francisco I’m eating so many fantastic
meals, over-scheduling myself here and there, sometimes going to
two or three events a night… and out on the playa, I discovered
it was time to shrug off the tablehopper identity, toss the calendar
into the dust storm (metaphorically speaking, of course), and just
eat when I was hungry, when it happened to cross my path, or my
personal favorite, cook for other people for a change! 
While trying to sniff out a famed and mythical barbecue setup
(I was hungry and far from camp), the sweeties at Velvet Soulmine
called me over and poured me a nice beer from their keg, and within
ten minutes of hanging out with my new friend Jody over some sassy
conversation, meowza, we got a surprise delivery from the Pizza
Sluts! With a custom designed box. Hot! The bar was suddenly flapping
with human vultures attacking the pizza, hilarious. The serendipity
of the moment could not have been better. Thank you Pizza Sluts! 
While
filling out my application at the 
Since
we’re
on the liquid diet plan, while at Abstininthe I had the distinct
pleasure of pushing a habanero absinthe on Miguelito, a 4am friend
who had the cojones to try it. He could have tried pear, or bacon,
or a multitude of flavors, but no, he took on the diabolical
habanero batch my food writer friend made, and to that I doff
my cowboy hat. I had a brilliant laugh while waves of that shot
kept kicking in, poor guy. Vaya con dios!
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Matador
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SEPTEMBER
25, 2007 | SAN FRANCISCO Anthony
LaVia (who helped open Gestalt House) has taken over the Arrow
Bar, and will be reopening it as ~MATADOR~.
After some delays, it’s looking like a soft opening will
happen the first weekend of October, and then a grand opening on
the 19th. The look will include some funky '60s pendant lamps,
paintings of matadors and bulls, and a cool Mexican gothic feel.
Oh, and a total fresh paint job. The back cave is no more: it now
has some exposed steel beams, and the men’s bathroom was
totally freshened up—the ladies’ room will be updated
soon, with two or even three stalls! An abundance of stalls, how
novel. |
Rubicon Dinner 6:30 pm $335 per person, all-inclusive (dinner, wine, tax and gratuity)
|
SEPTEMBER 25, 2007 | SAN FRANCISCO Congrats to ~RUBICON~,
which is about to celebrate ten straight years of being awarded
the highest restaurant wine honor there is: Wine Spectator’s Grand Restaurant Award!
A tasting menu is being designed to complement a very special set
of wines chosen by Master Sommelier Larry Stone and Wine Director
Cezar Cusik. Some highlights include 1978 Rubicon Estate Cabernet
Sauvignon, 1996 Chateau Rayas Chateauneuf du Pape, and 1995 Comtes
Lafon Meursault “Clos de la Barre.” Dinner will be
preceded by a Champagne reception. |
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts website
|
SEPTEMBER 25, 2007 | SAN FRANCISCO Legacy,
a new organization, will be hosting ~TASTES OF THE CITY~,
a culinary event and auction benefiting George
Mark Children’s
House, the nation’s first and
only freestanding home for seriously ill children and their families.
With members ranging between the ages of 25 and 45, Legacy’s
goal is to educate and engage a younger demographic to the cause
of caring for seriously ill children and highlight the importance
of philanthropy. By hosting various social events that raise awareness
and funds for the cause, Legacy offers Bay Area young professionals
the opportunity to give back to the community and support a special
home for children and families. |
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SEPTEMBER 25, 2007 | SAN FRANCISCO By Pete Mulvihill of Green Apple Books Don’t forget: these books below are available at 20% off for tablehopper readers for two weeks following this review—simply use the code “tablehopper” at checkout (either at the store or online) for your discount. We’re still awaiting the big fall cookbooks, those big-name blockbusters that publishers count on for holiday sales (this fall includes Jamie Oliver, Nigella Lawson, Alice Waters, James Peterson, etc.). In the meanwhile, here are two very good books from sorta-locals that may otherwise slip under your radar. First is the clearly titled Knife Skills Illustrated: A User’s Manual by Peter Hertzmann (a Palo Alto resident and teacher at Sur La Table). This is exactly what it sounds and looks like—a primer on how to use knives in food preparation. It has a Cook’s Illustrated look to it: plentiful and clear black-and-white illustrations. With this book, a thorough primer for the non-professional, your cooking will be faster and prettier. I often worry that my kids won’t get to eat fish like we eat fish—there are just too many people to feed, we’re polluting oceans and rivers irreparably, etc. But Fish Forever, by Paul Johnson, the owner of the Monterey Fish market and purveyor to most of San Francisco’s finest chefs, gives at least a glimmer of hope. In some ways, this is a book-size expansion of the helpful Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Program, which Johnson advises. But beyond guiding you to sustainable seafood and providing (relatively standard) recipes, this book is brimming with interesting sidebars, like the one on whether or not lobsters and crabs feel pain. Enjoy seafood while you still can, and do so sustainably, so my kids (seen here enjoying their first cupcakes) get a chance to enjoy salmon or oysters someday. Please?
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SEPTEMBER 25, 2007 | SAN FRANCISCO Now
another reason why you should do the Mariquita Mystery Box: star
sightings! Tracy Chapman was spotted at Pizzetta
211 while some tablehopper readers were picking up their boxes. |
All content © 2007 Marcia GagliardiI am more than happy if you want to link to my reviews and content elsewhere (thanks, glad you dig it), but republishing any part of them in any way, shape or form is strictly prohibited until we talk first. Please take a look at my Creative Commons license for more detail.To subscribe to this list, please visit http://www.tablehopper.com/lets_talk/subscribe.html
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