| table of contents | This week's tablehopper: metro-sensual. | ||
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OCTOBER 16, 2007 | SAN FRANCISCO Buon giorno. I know some of you have attended gal pal Courtney Cochran’s Hip Tastes parties around town, and now her new book, Hip Tastes: The Fresh Guide to Wine, just came out—congrats girl! (Some of you San Francisco magazine readers might have noted my Night Watch piece on her parties in this month’s issue!) In honor of the book release, I will be giving away copies of her book to five lucky tablehopper readers—good odds, no? All you need to do is forward the tablehopper newsletter to four friends, and just cc luckyme@tablehopper.com. (I won’t use anyone’s emails for anything—this is just to track how many folks you forwarded it to!). Deadline to enter is midnight on Sunday, October 21. I’ll notify the winner early next week! If you don’t win, remember you can pick up a copy with a 20% discount at Green Apple Books for two weeks following this mention—simply use the code “tablehopper” at checkout (either at the store or online) for your discount. Since we’re talkin’ about how to pack on a buzz, there is always one when the Michelin Red Guide comes out, and when San Francisco’s second edition is released next week should be no exception. I’ll be on a panel with Michelin Director Jean-Luc Naret next Wednesday evening at the Ferry Building to talk all about it—check out the details in the socialite. No word if Bibendum, the Michelin Man, will be joining me for dinner afterwards. I was thinking we could go for a spin around town, ha ha. Lastly, the most mysterious and charming gift ended up in my mailbox yesterday, but there was no return address or note! Obviously it’s someone who knows me (and the happenings of my life the past month) quite well: pink bubbly and all kinds of pink champers products from Jacqua. Can the sweetie please come forward? So thoughtful, you. Meow.
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 OCTOBER 16, 2007 | SAN FRANCISCO There’s a new restaurant opening in the Mission, and shocker,
it’s not yet another on 18th Street. Slated to open in late
November will be ~CONDUIT~, part of a mixed-use project next to
Pauline’s Pizza and the old Levi Strauss factory. The executive
chef is Justin Deering, who has spent time in the kitchen at Boulevard
(2 ½ years), Jeanty at Jack’s, Fifth Floor, Redwood
Park, and Tra Vigne. The menu will be contemporary, local, and
seasonal, shaped by classic French and Italian technique. Look
for an appetizer-heavy selection (say, nine) and six entrées or so—Deering
mentioned one idea of a butter-poached squab with a cacciatore-like
sauce and risotto (he is really into game and poultry), or offering
a classic tête de veau. He plans to make a lot of items in-house,
as many as possible, including items like charcuterie. Joining
him in the venture is sous Clinton Bertrand, formerly at A16 and
most recently in Sonoma, and managing partner Brian Gavin of Citizen
Thai and the Monkey, Roy’s (he was a managing partner), and
Jeanty at Jack’s (GM). Gavin will also be assembling a wine
list featuring some food-friendly choices like American pinot,
some Burgundies, syrah, Rhone varietals, and Italian reds.
The modern restaurant will have 65–75 seats, plus a 12-seat private dining room with floor-to-ceiling refrigerated wine storage as part of the design, and a counter in front of the kitchen (10 seats), and a full bar (12 seats). Yes, you heard right: full bar. The bar will feature copper and aluminum pipes topped with 1/2-inch-thick glass and lit underneath (there will be other pipe and conduit motifs as well). The restaurant will have sleek design touches, along with dark wood custom tables, a combination of textured and granite flooring, some banquette seating, and a two-sided fireplace. You can peek at some of the plans on architect Stanley Saitowitz’s site—just click on “Conduit.” Hours will be 5:30pm–10:30pm (until 11pm on the weekends), with potentially later hours down the road. Two investors back the project; one is Brian Spiers, a noted builder who also owns Lucky 13 and the Bitter End. 280 Valencia St. between 14th and Duboce, 415-552-5200 (to be active later). Co-executive chef Louis Maldonado of ~CORTEZ~ has departed after four years of working in the kitchen there—his last day was this past Saturday. He is taking this opportunity to stage at a couple places of note out here on the West Coast, and depending how that goes, he may or may not end up leaving for New York in November. Seth Bowden will now be the sole executive chef at Cortez. 550 Geary St. at Jones, 415-292-6360. I was so sorry to hear the news about last week’s fire at ~ORIGINAL JOE’S~ in the TL. Some of my favorite steakhouse décor ever, and they just had their 70th anniversary. OJs was even the home of the longest-running mesquite broiler in San Francisco. Man. My friend and I have held numerous biz powwows here over a steak or burger and martini, and let’s not forget the Joe’s Special (I have my own twist and add a fried egg on top with hot sauce, I know, my poor heart). Fortunately no one was hurt in the fire, but the damage sounds pretty extensive. Will let you know once I hear about remodeling/reopening dates… sadly, it could be at least a couple months. Come back soon, OJs! 144 Taylor St. at Eddy, 415-775-0970. Update on ~MINT PLAZA~: the latest dates I am hearing (subject to change, natch) are early November for Chez Papa Resto (November 5, maybe?), Sushi Groove Midtown in mid-December, and Blue Bottle by the end of December. Stand by. Update on Fillmore Street Jazz District happenings: opening on October 25 in the Fillmore Heritage Center is ~1300 ON FILLMORE~, originally the Blue Mirror. I wrote this up a looooong time ago, so let’s recap completely. 1300 on Fillmore is a modern jazz-style restaurant and lounge, owned by chef David Lawrence, a Jamaican-British chef who cooked in several three-star English restaurants (Le Gavroche and The Waterside Inn) before moving to the U.S. While stateside, he was at 231 Ellsworth, Hilton’s Cityscape, and was the executive chef of the Carnelian Room. His business partner is also his wife, Monetta White. Cool factoid: her mother and grandmother lived in the Fillmore during the late 50s and 60s when it was a hopping jazz district. The menu will be “Soulful American Cuisine,” offering dishes lighter than many Southern originals. Dishes include some freshwater shrimp hush puppies with a tempura-like light batter, tender bourbon-spiked pork belly (wait, I thought this menu was going to be lighter?); sautéed foie gras atop cinnamon French toast and served with a homemade huckleberry sauce (nope, guess not); a daily house-made sausage with herbed grits and homemade chutneys (sign me up); pan-roasted striped bass drizzled with a ham hock-red wine sauce (I’d like that, too); and roasted quail with cornbread, figs, apples, and pecans (delicious, but I’m full)—vegetarians will also find choices, including sides like chive-buttermilk whipped potatoes and sautéed corn and okra succotash. There will be a bar menu available nightly until 1am, plus classic cocktails and a wine list assembled by Master Sommelier Emmanuel Kemiji, which will feature California wines almost exclusively. Pastry chef Phil Ogiela, assisted by Noriko Abe, has created a dessert menu that includes a sweet potato soufflé and a gingerbread napoleon. The general manager is David Ostrom, formerly a partner and operations manager of Left Coast Restaurants, and most recently, operations manager for Vintners Inn/John Ash & Co. Décor is from MCCARTAN (they did the Hotel Vitale), who designed a casual jazz-era setting with modern and vintage accents, like club-style seating with wing chairs, leather Chesterfield couches, walnut brown floors, and chocolate walls. Look for the Heritage Wall, a photo gallery of 37 neighborhood portraits curated by Elizabeth Pepin and Lewis Watts, authors of Harlem of the West. There will also a private dining room that seats up to 25, and a VIP entrance in the back of the house. 1300 Fillmore St. at Eddy. ~YOSHI’S JAPANESE RESTAURANT AND JAZZ CLUB~ will then open its doors on November 28. Take a peek at the site for pics of the massive 28,000-square-foot restaurant and jazz club that will have a dining room that seats 200, a bar and lounge with room for 180, a mezzanine that seats 80, and the jazz club seats 420. I know, a lot of seats. But there will be some butts in those seats, partly due to the delish eats from executive chef Shotaro “Sho” Kamio. Chef Kamio had been cooking in the Bay Area for over eight years and cooks with the changing seasons as his foundation, but incorporates European techniques to develop his “own creation” style of cooking, or "sousaku" cuisine. His philosophy is all about "Seasonal, Simple, and Surprise." I like surprises. And I loved his food at Ozumo—it rocked, hard. Some highlights to come: abalone sashimi, omakase meals, fish flown in daily from Tokyo, a special wood burning oven, and they will also use Sumi charcoal (the same stuff they use at the robata bar at Ozumo). The restaurant will be open Mon–Thu 5:30pm–10pm, Fri–Sat 5:30pm–10:30pm, Sun 5pm–9pm. 1330 Fillmore St. at Eddy. While we’re on fishy treats, the menu at ~UMAMI~ has been shifted to include more of a sushi focus, partly due to the new hire of executive sushi chef, Akira Yoshizumi, from Japan. The much larger sushi menu includes more nigiri and/or sashimi, like suzuki/sea bass and masu/ocean trout, plus more rolls too, both traditional or special house rolls. 2909 Webster St. at Union, 415-346-3431. Whoops, sometimes things slip by under the radar, but I still want to mention a project that sounded interesting to me, even though it opened months ago, doh: ~WUNDER BREWING COMPANY, INC.~ It opened in the former Eldo’s Brewery space in the Sunset, and has beers crafted onsite, like pale ales, dark star, porter and brown beer, including a chili beer which I have to try: it’s a pale beer with habanero in it. Hotsie! According to the website, “Wunder Brewing Company was a San Francisco Brewery back from 1896 to 1909,” and now four SF locals decided to resuscitate it. The menu of pub fare looks downright beer-ready (Welsh rarebit anyone?) and should keep you from getting too hammered after drinking a growler (that’s 64 oz. of beer, folks, for $15)—a regular pint will put you back $4, and a pitcher for $11. My kind of pricing. Who has been? You like it? Would love to know! 1326 9th Ave. at Irving, 415-681-2337. We got a cool import from the East Coast: at Michael Mina you’ll find pastry badass ~BILL CORBETT~, the former pastry chef of Anthos, Dona, and who was also a sous pastry chef under Sam Mason at wd-50. I think I need to hit the bar at Mina and order some dessert, stat. 335 Powell St., 415-397-9222. Let’s do a line-up of “S” restaurant news. First, more changes over at ~SCOTT HOWARD~: he is having a special chef table installed by mid-November or so—guests will be able to reserve the table for the night (seating a maximum of eight) and will have a special chef’s choice multi-course meal prepared for them. Howard is also launching a catering company at the beginning of November, ideal for corporate and private events, from cocktail receptions to private dinners; he used to be a partner in a catering company in Florida. 500 Jackson St. at Montgomery, 415-956-7040. Next, Slow Club’s second restaurant in Dogpatch will be called ~SERPENTINE~, named after the rock that most of the neighborhood was built on. The opening is slated for November 12, and will be open Monday–Friday for lunch, and Tuesday–Saturday for dinner. Monday dinner and Saturday and Sunday brunch will be added soon thereafter. Chris Kronner will be the executive chef of both the Slow Club and Serpentine, and the new chef de cuisine position at Slow Club will be filled by Matt Paul, a sous from Town Hall for the past three years. 2495 Third St. at 22nd. Lastly, ~SOUTH~ has starting serving lunch Monday–Friday 11:30am–3pm and also brunch on Saturday from 10am-3pm. On the lunch menu is a Cervana Venison burger, a unique brand of venison from New Zealand—the deer are under three years old and must be grass-fed and farm-raised without steroids or hormones. And in true antipodean style, the burger is served with spiced beetroot chutney. 330 Townsend #101 at Fourth, 415-974-5599. The new owners of ~PIZZELLE~ in North Beach are up and running after a remodel and some delays with the alarm company (uh, yeah, a good thing to have dialed in). The Italian-focused menu will continue but now will be served in larger portions, and look for some Brazilian specialties to be added in the coming months (the two business partners are from Central Brazil). Hours are 11am–11pm, with late-night pizza served until 2:30am Thu–Sun, sometimes later, for you drunken pizza-eating types. 314 Columbus Ave. at Broadway, 415-398-3555. ~BRICK~ has a new bar manager: Ryan Fitzgerald, of Bourbon and Branch. He started a couple months ago bartending, and now has a new role as manager and is adding some fab dranks, like Queen of Sheba, with Ketel One vodka, Tia Maria, and cardamom bitters, and this one sounds right up my alley: Elder Sour, with Bulleit Bourbon, fresh lemon, and St. Germain elderflower liqueur. 1085 Sutter St. at Larkin , 415-441-4232. Also heard the opening GM of ~SOLSTICE~, Kieran Walsh, is leaving after working three years at the restaurant. He’s reportedly leaving the restaurant scene and going more into the wine and beverage side of things. 2801 California St. at Divisadero, 415-359-1222. Shout-out to a performer and swell dame I adore: ~VERONICA KLAUS~ will be crooning some jazz, blues, and cabaret at Enrico’s on Tuesday evenings from 7pm–10pm. She’ll have Tammy L. Hall on piano, and bonus, no cover! While we’re at it, rest in peace Enrico Banducci, what a life. 504 Broadway at Kearny, 415-982-6223.
Big congrats to LarkCreekSteak and Café Majestic for making it onto John Mariani’s list of Best New Restaurants for Esquire. Boozehounds, tonight from 6pm–9pm swing by ~CANTINA~ for drinks with Nick Mautone, author of Raising the Bar and the Grey Goose Vodka Brand Ambassador, who will be behind-the-stick, as Duggan/Shotzi likes to say. The gents will be picking up some special ingredients from the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market and then mixin’ it up! 580 Sutter St. at Mason, 415-398-0195. Italophiles, don’t miss these events, starting with ~UNA LEZIONE DI SAPORE~, a food and wine fundraiser/raffle/silent auction (with auction items such as two weeks at language schools in Rome and Todi, and apartments in Milan and Venice) for the Istituto Italiano Scuola, part of the Italian Cultural Institute. The event is this Sunday, October 21, at the SF Italian Athletic Club, 1630 Stockton Street on Washington Square Park, from 5pm–8pm. Cost is $40 in advance, rsvp@sfiis.org, or $45 at the door for first, $35 for additional. Also, ~LORENZA DE’MEDICI~ of Badia a Coltibuono is in town—she is a renowned Italian cookbook author and food professional, and will be the guest of honor during a week of events throughout the Bay Area. Lorenza is known as one of the pioneers in bringing Italian cuisine to the American table with her beautiful cookbooks and PBS cooking show, “The de'Medici Kitchen,” which aired in the 1980s. All proceeds will benefit Friends of FAI , dedicated to the preservation and restoration of some of Italy’s most significant works of art and architecture. Here’s the schedule below. To purchase tickets to any of these events, contact Friends of FAI at 415-863-5213, or email friendsoffaisf@yahoo.com. Tuesday,
October 16, 6pm–8pm Wednesday, October 17, 6.30pm Thursday, October 18, 11:15am Thursday, October 18, 6:30pm Monday, October 22, 6:30pm There are other events in San Jose, Hillsborough, and Napa—call FAI at 415-863-5213 for more. Oh, and everyone be bright (har) and join in the ~LIGHTS OUT~ campaign this Sunday the 20th from 8pm–9pm. The entire city of San Francisco is asked to turn off all non-essential lighting for one hour. The Bay Bridge, the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and the Transamerica Pyramid will all turn off lights, and some restaurants around town will be hosting candlelight dinners, including Delfina, CAV Wine Bar, Medjool, The Blue Plate, MoMo's, Nova, and Pete's Tavern (for the list, click here). Got
a hot tip? You know I'd love it (and you). Just reply
to this email!
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Another
pal shout-out: my friend James and his wife Pia invited me to
one of their fun ~COOKWITHJAMES~ supper club
evenings they host in their cute apartment. I’m talking
tasty multiple courses (he’s even learned some tricks and
techniques from Michael Tusk at Quince, boo ya), dining and drinking
with a lovely and interesting crowd, and we even had a prosecco 
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A
unique mix of new shops and restaurants now call Ghirardelli
Square home. Wattle
Creek Winery and the recently opened Cellar360 provide a taste of wine country with over 200 wines for you to
taste. They are joined by Kara's
Cupcakes, Lola of
North Beach,
and Yap Wraps. And opening later this year are O'Neill's Irish
Pub and Peekaboo Kidsclub, San Francisco’s hottest new children’s
activity center. Stay tuned for more announcements coming soon!
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415-552-0903 Tue–Sun 5:30pm–11pm Apps
$3–$8
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OCTOBER 16, 2007 | SAN FRANCISCO I was a little skeptical when ~METRO KATHMANDU~ was opening in the 94117, a second Nepali restaurant not five blocks away from another one in the neighborhood, Kathmandu Cafe. As a friend and I recently lamented, would it be so hard to have some Italian here? Or some French bistro action? Oh wait, the space used to be Le Metro, scratch that, we did have that. Anyway, I am now eating my words, because I have found a new replacement for those nights when I don’t and even do want Thai, or Indian, or Chinese. The food here is tangy, spicy, savory, all the things I love—and just the thing that is going to get me through the upcoming chilly and rainy months (or July, for that matter). The room here is quite toasty, so that will also help with the impending soggy-season fest. A pal and I perched at the back bar area (yay, purse hooks!), the prime spot to gaze into the large mirrors and admire ourselves. Uh, kidding. Actually, we were able to look upon the cozy room behind us, painted deep shades of crimson, with cheerful-meets-groovy multicolored pendant lamps by Ferruccio Laviani that I have long admired at Kartell. Things start with a complimentary taste of Mom’s special pickled daikon—I could see how some folks with less adventurous palates could recoil from the tang of these little buggers, but I found these crispy spears highly addictive with their dusting of mustard seed, turmeric, and chili. Dragon breath is imminent—bring it! The same tang continued with the chana chatpat ($6), a salad of garbanzos laced with lime, (slightly ungainly) chunks of ginger, red onion, cilantro, and masala. I liked the bright acidity of the dish, but sometimes the ginger verged on too much. Maybe I needed more Mary Ann? What is it about dumplings that makes them so irresistible? Seriously, whether its pot stickers or ravioli or dim sum, I am all over them. MMmmmmmomos! You can take your choice of crab ($8), vegetable ($6), or chicken momos ($7)—the tender chicken ones we ate had a zingy meatball-like stuffing that was juicy and gingery, and they come with a smooth dipping sauce of sesame and tomato chutney. I liked how they were more delicate than doughy. I could sit down to a plate of these just for myself, easy. Get back from my momos. I will cut you. Because I am hardcore like that. Other starters include shrimp pakoda ($7), a plate of spicy bite-size deep-fried little numbers that you dip in mint chutney, and the lamb chhoila ($7), kebab-sized bites of lamb that are cooked perfectly (still pink in the middle), and pack a garlic and chili zap—just don’t plan on kissing anyone immediately following dinner. Not the prettiest presentation, but ultimately flavor prevails as the winning quality with this dish. Mains are about your standard Indian restaurant-sized portions, but without the usual oil slick. There are about 16 to choose from. I found the shrimp masala ($15) a touch on the spendy side (I’d like to know the provenance of the shrimp), although dipping the buttery paratha ($3) into the creamy tomato sauce was quite delicious. And decadent—the butter level of the paratha made me think the French restaurant had returned for a second there, mon dieu. I preferred the kwati with lamb ($14), another dish that comes courtesy of mom’s recipe files—a hearty stew-like combo of sprouted beans with chunks of lamb and hits of thyme. Ideal chilly night food. I want to return for the goat curry, and yes, more momos, please. There are a variety of vegetarian dishes (they can do vegan on request as well)—I had to go for my typical Indian fave of alu govi ($9)—this version had slices of potato and florets of cauliflower that weren’t cooked to death (yay) in a tomato-y and curry base. There were a few surprises of big cardamom pods, so watch for them if you can—they totally obliterate your palate for a few moments. The wine list was surprisingly good—take your pick of some gewurz or gruner veltliner by the glass, or the Novelist, a white meritage from Cosentino Winery that made for a good start. Desserts included a couple choices of refreshing kulfi (mango or pistachio, $5), or a funky little shredded carrot and cardamom number ($5) with nuts that I wanted to be a touch crunchier. This place is teeny-tiny, and watched over very carefully by Roshan and his wife Shradha, a gracious couple from Kathmandu. They really like to take care of their guests, and ensure people have an enjoyable time at their restaurant. You feel it. There
is a brunch here that I haven’t been to for a while
so I can’t vouch for it, but it always seems to be popular.
The menu suddenly snaps to eggs Benedict, omelettes, and chorizo
hash, but there is a Kathmandu burger made with curry-spiced lamb;
I heard the famous Le Metro mussels will be returning on the weekend
brunch menu too. On sunny days folks dine on the patio in the back,
a cute little garden that is lovely on those rare warm nights (file
this one away as a secret weapon for the next time we have a heat
wave). Hey, may I have a momo with my croque madame and mimosa?
Merci! |
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OCTOBER 16, 2007 | SAN FRANCISCO This Wednesday is the fourth annual ~WINE & SPIRITS
MAGAZINE TOP 100 TASTING EVENT~ taking place at the
Golden Gate Club in the Presidio. Each year, W&S evaluates
over 8,500 wines—this event honors the Top 100 wineries
from all over the world that consistently receive the magazine
critics’ highest ratings. World-class producers such as
Champagnes Krug and Veuve Clicquot, Le Moine, Domaine Huet, The
Royal Tokaji Wine Company, Flowers and Diamond Creek will be
attendance. |
Book Passage 415-835-1020 6pm–8pm Free and open to the public
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OCTOBER
16, 2007 | SAN FRANCISCO Next
Wednesday, October 24, the second edition of the Michelin
Guide San Francisco, Bay Area & the Wine Country, will
be in bookstores. And to kick off the big day, there will be
a ~SAN FRANCISCO DINING DISCUSSION WITH JEAN-LUC NARET
AND MARCIA GAGLIARDI, THE TABLEHOPPER~ (yes, me!). We’ll
be talking all about this new edition, and what I am sure to
be some surprises (there always are), and the dining landscape
of San Francisco. We’ll be at Book Passage at the Ferry
Plaza Marketplace, where guests can pick up a copy of the guide,
enjoy a book signing, and there will also be wine tasting with
De La Montanya Winery & Vineyards of Healdsburg. See you
there! |
OCTOBER 16, 2007 | SAN FRANCISCO Spotted at Vessel was Kwame Harris of the 49ers with a few friends at a table, and Damon Wayans who had cocktails late night at the bar. Found out through a pal that Wes Anderson and Roman
Coppola dined at House of Nanking last Monday, and LOVED
their meal—their faves were the squid, pea shoot ravioli,
and sautéed mushrooms and onions. |
Parties That Cook, which stages hands-on cooking parties and corporate teambuilding events in homes and rented kitchens, is looking for an event-planning and operations assistant. The position requires a high-energy, dynamic, detail-oriented individual with strong organizational and communications skills. Send a well-written cover letter resume to HR@PartiesThatCook.com. No phone calls please. For more details, see our ad. ............................................................ One of San Francisco's best-loved restaurants seeks a General Manager to oversee and lead all daily operations of both Delfina and Pizzeria Delfina. Still thriving after nine years, we are looking for a passionate and innovative individual to help lead us into our next exciting chapter. Candidate must have prior fine-dining restaurant management experience. He or she must have excellent communication and organization skills, be a natural leader and motivator, and have a passion for and deep understanding of food and wine—especially Italian food and wine. Competitive salary and benefits. Please send us an email with your resume to delfina@delfinasf.com. Please include your resume in the body of the email—not as an attachment. Thank you!
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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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