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NOVEMBER 6, 2007 | SAN FRANCISCO Yo, did you vote? You still have time, so go do it! I also thought this week would be an apropos time to write up a place offering its spin on an all-American favorite: the burger. Check it out in fresh meat.

I had a blast on the Martha Stewart Living Today radio show last Friday talking about what’s new in the San Francisco dining scene—if you didn’t get a chance to listen, here’s an mp3 of the show. Did I mention your favorite restaurant? Listen in and find out!

A quick note to you hotmail folks—hotmail blocked last week’s column—this wouldn’t be the first time, so please consider subscribing to tablehopper with another email if you have one. Sorry for the inconvenience! Pffft. Besides, aren’t you tired of all those Christian dating service and weight loss emails?

Oh, and in the funky humor department: a few weeks back I referred to “Hi, Helens,” those not-so-fabulous soft arm flaps women can get. Couldn’t resist passing this one on from a reader because I hurt myself laughing: “I meant to write to you last week to tell you what my sorority sisters and I used to call the flabs of fat on the upper arm, your “Hi, Helens”—Soup Coolers! As in, you are making soup, stirring the pot, and the flab from your arms is waving and cooling the soup as it simmers!”

Uh, yeah, can’t really beat that.

Let’s rock.

~Marcia

NOVEMBER 6, 2007 | SAN FRANCISCO

Talk about bait and switch. A few weeks back I heard the ~SUSHI GROOVE~ location that was slated to open in Mint Plaza was hitting some delays, but in a swift and very unexpected change of plans, Jocelyn Bulow is now opening a restaurant in what was to be Sushi Groove’s space. Suffice to say, there is some sh*t going down, including some legal ruckus—I’ll let you know what the official statement says.

Over in Noe Valley, moving into the former Cybelle’s Pizza space will be ~BASSO’S~, just next door to Noe’s Bar. In an interesting twist, one of the owners ran a restaurant there for nine years, sold the space to Cybelle’s (which later closed), and since his brother owns the building, they decided to reopen a restaurant again. It’s a family project, with two brothers, Wayne and Gaetano Basso, and Wayne’s two sons. They have been renovating the restaurant space over the past six months, and it’s slated to have a soft opening next Wednesday the 14th, and opening that Thursday or Friday. In another funny twist, three of the original members of the kitchen staff are returning, including Antonio the chef, who was recently at Caffè Museo.

There are 37 seats, with six at the counter overlooking the open kitchen. They decided to keep the massive pizza oven, so look for some Neapolitan-style thin-crust pizzas made with quality ingredients, plus an approachable menu of steaks, pastas (including homemade ravioli), salads, daily house-made soups (including a vegan soup), market-driven sides, and fresh-made desserts. All the ingredients will be organic and the meats will come from Niman Ranch, including porterhouses, New York steaks, filet, and skirt steak, plus lamb chops and pork chops. The seafood will be eco-friendly, so no swordfish here. Daily specials will include liver and onions on Mondays, osso buco and risotto on Thursdays, and cioppino on Fridays. There is a wine list with reasonable pricing, plus quality beers, or you can grab a cocktail next door—Noe’s has reportedly hired a really skilled bartender who has added some quality cocktails made with fresh ingredients to the list. The bar will become an easy spot to watch the game on Sundays and have a bite to eat, and will probably handle some restaurant overflow. Basso’s will be open for lunch and dinner, and look for breakfast and lunch starting a few weeks after opening. Check out the late hours too: open until 11pm on Sunday, midnight Mon–Thu, and 1am on Fri–Sat. 3782 24th St. at Church, 415-285-3212.

~SEBO~ fans, now you can enjoy dinner there on Sundays too! Michael and Danny will be serving traditional izakaya "ippinryori" dishes (no sushi!), with dishes rotating in and out each Sunday, depending on what is fresh and in season. During these fall and winter months, look for authentic dishes like simmered daikon rounds; grilled, simmered, or stewed fish; simmered pork belly (Japanese and eventually Okinawan style); sautéed or grilled vegetables; sake-simmered chicken wings and daikon; Okinawan-style spareribs; yaki-onigiri; small rice dishes; and salads. You’ll be able to share these small plates with friends while drinking some fab sakes—that will keep you toasty! Sunday hours to start: 6pm–11pm.

Another exciting change at Sebo: Fukashi Adachi from Deep Sushi is going to be their third chef—he will be a big part of the Sunday dinners, as well as doing sushi during the week. Michael and Danny are excited to have another talented and detail-oriented obsessive-compulsive chef on board. Kanpai to that. 517 Hayes St. at Octavia, 415-864-2122.

Things are getting close on Joie de Vivre’s ~O IZAKAYA LOUNGE~ at the Hotel Kabuki. The official opening is November 16, but look for a soft opening with abbreviated hours by the end of this week—it all depends on how the final inspections go. I attended a media lunch a few weeks ago, and liked chef Nick Balla’s unique dishes featuring house-made touches, like kimchee, and pickled fennel (served with hamachi and enoki mushrooms). Most of the shared plates are $9–$14, combining ingredients like saba (mackerel) with wasabi, beet, and cucumber, and duck breast with eggplant and red miso. The bar menu will include some yakimono, like hamachi belly (the new pork belly?), lamb sweetbreads, beef loin, and chicken thigh ($4 each). Lunch 11am–3pm Sat–Sun, dinner nightly 5pm–10pm, and bar until 1am. Hotel Kabuki, 1625 Post St. at Laguna, 415-614-5431.

In other JDV news, ~JENNIFER COX~ is heading up the new Director of Culinary role for the company. Her background includes some Chicago-area fine dining restaurants, she was a sous chef for the late Barbara Tropp at China Moon Café and at the Warwick Regis Hotel’s La Scene restaurant, she was the opening chef at Montage Restaurant in the Sony Metreon, chef de cuisine of Citizen Cake, and then Corporate Executive Chef–Culinary Development with the Compass Group, a UK-based foodservice management company. She will assist JDV in creating their new restaurant concepts, develop back-of-house training programs, and mentor their culinary talent.

~MONK’S KETTLE~, the new beer and wine tavern opening in the old Kelly’s Burger space in the Mission has hired a chef, Kevin Kroger. He worked as a sous chef at Left Bank Brasserie in Larkspur and B Restaurant in Oakland. He's also been involved with Restaurants Unlimited for the last ten years, and has served as a consultant, most recently with First Crush. The pub-style menu will have burgers, sandwiches, salads, and shareable items, like cheese and salumi. To recap, look for 100 bottled beers from around the world, and 24 draughts (mostly California brews), with a heavy focus on education about beer styles and brewing techniques. There will also be wine available, eight by the glass. For now, the opening date looks like November 19th. 3141 16th St., at the corner of Albion, between Valencia and Guerrero.

More Mission news: a friend in the ‘hood told me there was some activity going on at ~SENSES~. Huh whaaa? Yes, Senses, the restaurant that just can’t stay closed. Both faceless shills and haters are alive and well on some recent Yelp postings. Try the calamari! LOL. 1152 Valencia St. at 22nd.

The Shadow Lounge, which could have been called the cracker lounge (sca-ry), has new owners and is being transformed into ~MEDICI LOUNGE~, a much more auspicious name, methinks. Greg Noto is the owner (he also owns Place Pigalle and used to own Abbondanza Catering), Matty DeTrumble is the executive chef (he is a teacher at the CCA and was also the chef at Geranium, and most recently at the short-lived Crave on Market), and Kevin Meagher is the bar manager/mixologist who is putting together a premium cocktail program based on fresh ingredients. They are hoping for an opening in January—for now they are renovating the structure and interior, so we’ll just have to wait and see. Look for a Cal-Ital market-driven menu of shared plates (I know, it’s not the first time you’ve seen this, but give ‘em a chance!) made with handpicked ingredients, organic wherever possible. Other features might include a late-night kitchen and special wine and spirits events. Just consider this a teaser for now! 299 Ninth St. at Folsom.

Happy Birthday to ~MAGNOLIA PUB & BREWERY~, celebrating ten years of business with a week of special anniversary menus that will feature beer pairings, naturally, including the remainder of Batch 1000, AKA Ain’t Life Grand. Tonight is English gastropub night, with a three-course dinner that includes Niman Ranch beef and kidney pie or monkfish tail; Wednesday is Belgian bistro night, Thursday is fried chicken, and Friday–Sunday is a special five-course tasting menu of seasonal and sustainably sourced, beer-friendly, gastropub cuisine (hello rabbit fricassee). Cheers! 1398 Haight St. at Masonic, 415-864-PINT.

Driving through the Castro this week, I noticed the former Metro Café found a name: ~THE LOOKOUT~. Its new owner is Chris Hastings, formerly of Catch, just up the street. A pal told me he didn’t see many changes to the interior, but according to an article I read in the BAR, the adjoining restaurant space is slated to house a pizzeria—more on this soon. 3600 16th St. at Market, 415-703-9750.

Since we’re tawkin’ bars with food, this weekend I went to the neighborhood-y/divey Jack’s Club, which is now the home of the new ~TASTY AT JACKS~. Look for Southern-inspired food coming out of the tiny kitchen in the back, like pulled pork sandwiches, burgers, and same damned good fries with Old Bay seasoning. The chef is Grant Edwards, who hails from Richmond, Virginia, and got his culinary training in South Carolina. 2545 24th St. at San Bruno Ave., 415-641-5371.

I’ve had some folks ask me about places to go for ~THANKSGIVING~ around the city, so I thought I’d do a little roundup of places I’d consider going to if A) I didn’t have an oven and/or B) didn’t have a lovely grandma and mom who always make the best Thanksgiving dinner—bring on the giblet gravy!

~Americano at the Hotel Vitale is doing a dinner
~Balboa Café would be cozy
~Garibaldi’s on Presidio (here’s a PDF of the menu) is hosting dinner
~Harris’ would be a fun, classic spot—love those booths
~Home if I was light in the wallet ($37 for a three-course dinner)
~One Market will be using top-notch ingredients
~Roots is serving an organic dinner with heritage turkey
~Terrace at the Ritz-Carlton—you know this will be fab

Since we’re talking about the holiday season, I wanted to forward this call for donations from ~FOOD RUNNERS~, who are asking San Francisco restaurants and businesses to donate excess perishable and prepared food to agencies feeding the needy; they are also seeking volunteers to assist with the distribution of the food. Here’s more: “Food Runners delivers approximately 10 tons of food a week that would otherwise be thrown away–providing enough food for 2,000 meals a day in San Francisco. The recipients range from senior centers and homeless shelters to halfway houses and others in need.

Food Runners regularly picks up food from the Marriott Hotel, the Westin San Francisco Market Street Hotel, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods and Harvest Urban Markets. A number of San Francisco restaurants, including Piperade, Fog City Diner, Frisson, Kokkari, Aqua, Rubicon, Jardinière, Rose Pistola, PlumpJack and many more generously contribute “Planned Overage,” preparing a main course once a week which is taken directly to a neighborhood home by a Food Runners volunteer. Volunteers generally give one hour a week, or at their convenience, to pick up and deliver food in their own vehicle.” For more information, please give them a call at 415-929-1866 or visit www.foodrunners.org.

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

Custom Burger/Lounge
121 7th St.
Cross: Mission St.
San Francisco, CA 94102

415-252-2634

Burger:
Sun–Thu 7am–10pm
Fri–Sat 7am–11pm

Lounge:
Sun–Thu 12pm–12am
Fri–Sat 12pm–1am

Burgers $5.99–$10.99
Sides $3.50–$4.99

NOVEMBER 6, 2007 | SAN FRANCISCO Burgers. Second only to frozen yogurt as our nation’s current source of food-related obsession. There are some new burger businesses coming to town, like Best-O-Burger, and Hubert Keller’s Burger Bar, but in the meantime, Joie de Vivre Hospitality is first to launch their concept, ~CUSTOM BURGER/LOUNGE~, in SOMA. The neighborhood is gritty (I tend to ride my bike very quickly through this stretch), but the space stands out with its cheerful, clean look. It’s almost a modern spin on a Mickey D’s, with white vinyl banquettes, striped flooring, cherry red chairs, and silver stools. And instead of Ronald or Grimace, there’s a picture of Mustard Man—he’s a little creepy, in a John Wayne Gacy-as-clown kind of way, but not scary enough to keep me away.

Talk about “Have It Your Way.” Man, I think even a chef would be overwhelmed with the options. There’s are pads of paper with a checklist that you go through, ticking off each little addition in the various sections with a golf-style mini pencil. It’s almost like making a Mister Potato Head. You start with your meat, like 1/3 lb. of Angus ($6.99), American Kobe ($10.99), lamb ($8.99), turkey ($6.99), chicken ($7.99), salmon ($7.99), or veggie ($5.99). The beef is naturally-raised from Golden Gate Meat Company (here’s more on what that means), so that’s a good start.

If you’re doing beef, be sure to order the meat how you want it done since they don’t ask—I got a perfect juicy medium-rare on my Angus once, but the other time my friend didn’t specify his, and it was served beyond well-done. I tried the lamb and turkey as well, but both were pretty dry—I hope they sort that out.

Next, you take your pick of extra toppings, like applewood-smoked bacon ($1.29), feta, American, Tillamook sharp cheddar, pepper jack, or Swiss (all .99, but the Point Reyes Blue Cheese is $1.99), avocado ($1.29) or even a fried egg (.99). Be careful, because a BLTA burger can really rack up quick. Ka-ching.

Here’s where it gets hectic (so don’t come here too stoned): you can choose up to three toppings, at no additional charge. Hmmm, maybe arugula and sweet piquillo peppers and red onion with the lamb? Can’t go wrong with sautéed mushrooms and sweet yellow onions—throw some blue cheese and bacon in the mix (ooops, ka-ching ka-ching!) and you’re one step closer to burger love, and an angioplasty. Then there are items like pea sprouts, icebox slaw, and grilled pineapple that leave you wondering “what if?” You’ll feel like a culinary Socrates. What happens to a turkey burger paired with roasted green chiles? And what should I try the black olive tapenade with? Anything? Anything? Bueller?

You aren’t out of the woods yet, friend. It’s time to get saucy. There are eleven sauces to choose from, like the tasty chipotle cilantro mayo or cucumber raita (good with the lamb), or the neologistic sauces: ketchipotle, or ketchapeno. At this point my brain was on tilt. Fortunately the sauce comes on the side, so you can’t really irreversibly mess up your burger until it’s show time, when you decide that dumping blue cheese all over your salmon burger is really where it’s at.

For the finale, there are five buns to choose from: my favorite was the potato pepper, but there’s also onion poppy, sesame seed, multigrain, and brioche—all are fresh and from Panorama. By the time you hand your personalized checklist over, you should feel a great sense of accomplishment. Like, whew. Let’s hope you created a winner. Pretend it’s a Top Chef challenge—did you win immunity!?

There are some spins on the usual: 50/50 fries are a mix of sweet potato and regular potato served in a cute mini fryer basket (although rats, both times they weren’t hot enough), and the crispy onion rings are cleverly stacked vertically on a free-standing paper towel holder. There is also dress-your-own chili (with onion) available in two sizes, some salads, milkshakes, and beer and wine, too. I liked the house-made touches like the tangy pickles, and I was told the wife of someone involved with the company makes the seasonal pies. Everything did taste and look quite fresh.

But would I make a special trip cross-town for the burger experience here? Hmmm, not really—unless there was some new combo I came up with in my head and was dying to try it out. It’s tough because there are good burgers all over town. But if I was catching a show at the Warfield or Golden Gate, or working and/or drinking in SOMA and was hankering for a burger, then yes, I’d scoot right over.

There is a blue-hued lounge adjoining the restaurant where you can order your own custom drinks, like mojitos and martinis. There is also a bar menu so you can drink while dining, or dine while drinking, whatever you’re up for. Custom continues to serve food in the bar an hour after the restaurant closes, FYI. I was thinking it would be a good spot for folks looking to buy out a bar for a small-ish birthday party. Just don’t forget to invite me.

Cellar360 is a new wine tasting bar that occupies over 6,000 square-feet of retail space on the Plaza level of the Woolen Mill Building in Ghirardelli Square.

We hope to bring the wine country experience to the beloved and historic San Francisco icon, offering wine lovers who don't have sufficient time to travel to Napa or Sonoma the opportunity to taste premium wines and dine on delicious dishes that were created especially to pair with them; participate in wine education and discovery tastings hosted by certified wine educators, and purchase wines and wine accessories.

Whether a romantic "tête-a-tête" over a bottle of Pinot Noir and an array of savory tapas, or a large group of business associates relaxing and learning together after a long day of meetings, wine country casual will blend with San Francisco sophistication as Cellar360 provides the perfect setting with al fresco seating in Ghirardelli’s urban vineyard setting.

Forbes Island
H Dock
B/w Piers 39 and 41
San Francisco, CA

415-951-4900

website

Wed–Sun 5pm–10pm

NOVEMBER 6, 2007 | SAN FRANCISCO I am all for kitsch—I love me some tiki bars, bars that look like caves, bars with owls…  and taxidermy is all about bonus points in my book. Sadly, as time marches on, kitsch continues to disappear around the city. Fortunately, one person keeping it alive is Forbes Thor Kiddoo, the Gilligan of ~FORBES ISLAND~, a huge self-propelled houseboat island of sorts. There is a “beach,” a waterfall, palm trees, even a 40-foot lighthouse. Below water is a nautical dining room and bar, which was part of Forbes’s original floating home dating back to 1975—the island as it is now moved to Pier 39 in 1999.

Now, I’m not one for hanging out a lot at Pier 39 (I know, shocker). BUT, the next time you’re looking for an unexpected place to have a drink, and are up for a little kooky adventure, this place is it. You end up catching a boat just to the left of Pier 39—the 27-person boat is often manned by Forbes himself, who will shuttle you on over to the island. It’s only four minutes, don’t worry, it’s not like you are going to Alcatraz. (Wave to the seals, but watch out for the rogue one.) The shuttle comes by every half an hour, or you can call on the grey phone for a pick-up. I think there’s a small shuttle fee of $3. (Oh, and there’s validated parking for $8 at the main Pier 39 garage—super easy.)

Now, most people come here for dinner, to dine on some Frenchie classics like steamed mussels, duck breast, and rack of lamb. Instead, I parked myself at the tiny bar, where the suave Pierre can shake up a fabulous martini for you, or you can sip some champers or vino. Order apps like the wild mushroom ragout with goat cheese ($14) if you’re peckish… the mushroom and broccoli puff ($7) hit the spot too. The room itself is quite lovely, with lots of wood, elegant paneling, and vintage artwork and artifacts. And yes, there are portholes with a view into the water. The island does rock a little, so if you’re a queasy type, you might want to stay on terra firma (or take some Dramamine).

Don’t miss a climb to the top of the lighthouse (quite gorg at sunset). There are some above-water private rooms, like the sea lion room and the Tahiti room, if you’re seeking a groovy private party location. Heck, you can even rent the entire island! Ahoy!

Niloufer Ichaporia King Dinner
Thu., Nov. 15, 2007

Foreign Cinema
2534 Mission St.
Cross: 21st St.
San Francisco, CA 94110

415-648-7600

website

$55 three-course dinner

NOVEMBER 6, 2007 | SAN FRANCISCO This event sounds awesome: “chefs Gayle Pirie and John Clark of Foreign Cinema will be hosting a Parsi-inspired dinner with ~NILOUFER ICHAPORIA KING~, author of the newly released cookbook My Bombay Kitchen. Both an a la carte and a prix-fixe menu will be available for the evening. Dishes may include items such as pumpkin crescents with fresh curry leaf, and a lacquered squab with pomegranate molasses, persimmon, escarole, and pomegranate salad. The special menu will showcase the flavors of traditional and modern Parsi cuisine, and King will be on-hand to share insights on this constantly evolving cuisine and sign copies of her cookbook.

As the first book published in the U.S. on Parsi food written by a Parsi, My Bombay Kitchen takes a fresh and idiosyncratic look at one of India’s most remarkable regional cuisines, highlighting classic and contemporary recipes interspersed with the author’s narratives.”

Beaujolais Nouveau
Tue. Nov. 13–Thu., Nov. 15, 2007

Various locations

NOVEMBER 6, 2007 | SAN FRANCISCO There are events happening all over town to celebrate the upcoming release of ~BEAUJOLAIS NOUVEAU~. In fact, it’s the 25th anniversary of the introduction of Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau in America. Say what you like about the wine, people will always celebrate this wine on the third Thursday of November (65 million bottles around the world can attest to that).

Tuesday, Nov. 13
Purcell Murray Culinary Lifestyle Center
185 Park Lane
Brisbane, CA
415-330-5557
There will be a luncheon and book signing with Rudolph Chelminski, author of the newly published I'll Drink to That: Beaujolais and the French Peasant Who Made it the World's Most Popular Wine in conversation with Mary Orlin, executive producer of NBC-11’s In Wine Country. The Purcell Murray culinary team will prepare a special menu in the tradition of the Macon region featuring a variety of Beaujolais wines. Noon–2pm. $35.

Thursday, Nov. 15
Grand Cafe Brasserie & Bar
501 Geary St. at Taylor, 415-292-0101
Festivities will begin at noon in the Petite Cafe, with a tapping of the wine barrel, freshly arrived from Burgundy. For the remainder of the day, guests will be greeted with a complimentary toast of the 2007 Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau with accordion music throughout the evening. There will be a four-course prix-fixe menu offered in the Grand Cafe, from 5:30pm–10pm; cost per person is $55, or $90 with wine pairings.

Thursday, Nov. 15
Rue Saint Jacques
1098 Jackson St. at Taylor, 415-776-2002
The friendly folks at Rue Saint Jacques are serving a special menu, with soupe a l'onion gratinée, daube de bœuf aux champignons, and crème brûlée. Dinner starts at 5:30pm. $25.

OCTOBER 9, 2007 | SAN FRANCISCO Yup, I am still workin’ it ouuuuut, and slowly but surely diminishing my “soup coolers/Hi, Helens.” The push-ups are less exhausting, and I’m diggin’ firmer arms! Booty too. Yup, those evil “mountain climber” exercises are worth it. Curious to see how it will feel to be working out while we’re outside at 6pm in the darkness (%$&* time change, mreow), but fortunately Kezar is pretty well lit.

Having a hard time getting the recommended 120 minutes of moderate intensity exercise in each week, in addition to classes three days a week. Especially since walking would entail double that (240 minutes a week). But I’m going to try—especially with the holidays looming.

Not like this affects me, since I’d never make it to the Wednesday morning classes, but that class has been moved from 8am to 7am for folks who want to go to Fit Camp before going to work. I will be snoozing and thinking of you…

NOVEMBER 6, 2007 | SAN FRANCISCO By Pete Mulvihill of Green Apple Books

Don’t forget: these books below (and the ones mentioned in the socialite!) 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.

In our narrow little bookstore world, it’s “go” time—the holiday shopping season approaches. Publishers save their best books (or at least the ones they think will sell best) for the winter shopping madness. And while it’s hard to pick just two cookbooks from our bursting section to tell you about (tablehopper runs a tight ship!), I know I’ve chosen a pair of gems.

A new cookbook from Alice Waters seems too obvious a choice, but this new book is more than just a collection of recipes. The Art of Simple Food is a primer on her “delicious revolution”—cooking and eating fresh, simple, in-season food. This book is too simple for industry types, but a perfect book (or gift) for tablehopper subscribers like me: those that eat out a lot because they’re too harried or “unskilled” to eat well. This is the kind of cookbook you can read linearly, from page one onward, and it reminds you how simple it can be to eat well. Stock your larder, shop frequently, and buy quality (seasonal) ingredients. The Art of Simple Food is a cooking class in one (pretty) book, and I won’t buy bottled salad dressing again.

1080 Recipes could be a worthy companion to Waters’ book, as many of the recipes are simple and delicious. But this is Spain’s best-selling cookbook for the last 30 years, finally translated into English (with the more classic recipes updated for today’s cooks). If you’ve seen The Silver Spoon (Italy’s Joy of Cooking), this is from the same publisher, and it’s even more handsome than its Italian cousin. And at less than $.04/recipe, it’s a bargain.

Thanks for reading.

NOVEMBER 6, 2007 | SAN FRANCISCO Actor Diego Luna, featured guest at the International Latino Film Festival, had dinner at Tres Agaves this Saturday, courtesy of Tequila Don Julio.
 
Robin Williams was spotted dining at Spruce.

Jacques Pépin dined at Ana Mandara, with KQED's food production staff. Chef Khai Duong and Pépin have been professional associates for many years. Pépin lives in Connecticut, and Duong's family opened one of the first Vietnamese restaurants in New England in Connecticut in the late 70s.

In the random file, Tony Orlando and Jen Aniston’s dad reportedly dined at Kokkari.

Absinthe Brasserie and Bar in the heart of San Francisco's Hayes Valley is seeking an experienced sous chef. The position requires knowledge of proper cooking techniques, ordering, inventory, cost control and management skills.

Here's your chance to help take Absinthe to the next level as we enter our 10th year and come cook with one of San Francisco's rising young women chefs, Jamie Lauren. The position is available ASAP, as we would like to have someone trained by December 1st.

Please email to Jlauren@absinthe.com or fax resumes to 415-255-2385. A little note about yourself and why you think you would be a good fit is encouraged. Spanish speaking is a plus.