MAY 12,
2009 | SAN FRANCISCO The
former London Wine Bar ("America's First
Wine Bar") space in the Fugazi Building has a new tenant: ~GEORGES~.
I had a chance to catch up with co-owner
Elias Bikahi (Nook, Caffe Sapore, Sapore
Catering, and he started Valentina), who is partnering with Leo Lippi
on the project. Come August or so, the 55-seat restaurant will be
open and focused on serving sustainable seafood, including a raw
bar up front, plus local produce, and other sustainably raised ingredients
(the partners have a close relationship with a family fish market
and numerous farms). The menu will feature clean and simply prepared
dishes with Mediterranean flair, like house-cured sardines, fish
and chips, calamari, plus free-range chicken, and a variety of seasonal
vegetables. The owners want the business to be as green and sustainable
as possible, whether they are crushing the oyster shells from the
bar for use as fertilizer for the farms they work with, to only offering
house-filtered water instead of bottled. Of course all the interior
materials will be reclaimed and recycled, too. Lunch and dinner will
be served Mon–Fri, and perhaps Saturday service will start later.
They are discussing launching a sherry club during the afternoon
(between lunch and dinner service). There will be a full bar, and
around 70 wines. As for the name, it looks like there were a lot
of Georges in the family, so the name is an homage to them (although
it's meant to be pronounced like the singular
French name of "Georges"). Will let you know more, like the chef
and specific menu items as it gets closer to the opening. 415 Sansome
St. at Sacramento.
Some changes
in the Tenderloin: ~FISH
& FARM~ not only has a new
chef (Jake des Voignes is out, Chad
Newton, recently of Urban Tavern and
Baraka is in), and therefore a new menu, but
there is also a refreshed interior. Oh, and
a new menu format. Basically, what you see
pricewise for all appetizers, entrées, desserts,
and beverages is what you get: no healthy SF
charge, no tax, no need to tip. (It'll be kind
of like Europe.) Restaurant employees will
still receive tips because the restaurant's
computer automatically backs out an 18.5 percent
gratuity, as well as taxes. Newton's menu will
continue using local, seasonal ingredients,
and he will also be able to maintain the relationship
that he started at Baraka with Blue House Farm
of Pescadero to exclusively supply the restaurant
with its produce. On the menu: the pole bean
salad I loved at Baraka ($11), with crispy
shallots, marinated sweet 100 tomatoes, and
dill crème fraîche; country pork chop with
house-made cavatelli and cheese, farm chard,
and Worcestershire pan sauce ($22); baked rigatoni
($20) with tomato-braised lamb and house-made
ricotta; and Southern-fried Petaluma chicken
($20) with vinegar slaw, mashed potatoes, Gracie's
cornbread, and Tabasco butter. For dessert,
there is cheesecake in a jar or a Bi-Rite Creamery
ice cream sundae (both $10). 339 Taylor St.
at Ellis, 415-474-3474.
Over
in the Western Addition, after two years
as a Nepali restaurant, ~METRO
KATHMANDU~ is going through a re-concepting.
The restaurant will close starting Saturday
July 4th, and will reopen in mid-July with
a new chef and menu, serving California cuisine.
I'll have more details in the coming weeks…
But for now, go get your last order of their
delicious momos while you can (I requested
they keep it as a secret off-the-menu item).
The wine list will continue to be affordable,
and look for a revamped weekend brunch as well.
311 Divisadero St. at Page, 415-552-0903.
Many regulars at the Latin-American Club,
Revolution Café, and the Make-Out Room are
familiar with the Girl from Empanada, AKA Paula
Tejeda, who shows up with a basket of homemade
empanadas during the weekend (she bakes them
at her shop, Chile Lindo Empanadas at 2944
16th Street and Capp). In a couple weeks, she
is going to be set up inside the now-closed Minimum
Wine and Champagne Bar next to Esperpento.
She is repainting and making changes to the
tiny slip of a space, and will reopen it as ~CHILE
LINDO EMPANADAS AND ESPERPENTO WINE BAR~ in
a couple weeks or so. You'll be able to enjoy
a glass of wine over one of her classic pino empanadas
(onion, cumin, paprika, beef, hard boiled egg,
raisins, and one black olive), and the "chilanga"
vegetarian version made with cheddar and mozzarella
cheeses and jalapeno. They're big and filling
empanadas, at only $5 a pop. Hours will be
Thu–Sun 6pm–midnight. (The 16th Street location
will continue to be open on the weekends.)
If you'd like to read more about Paula, Thy
Tran wrote a nice piece about her on Bay Area
Bites here.
3283 22nd St. at Bartlett, 415-850-4778.
So
a few weeks back after the Meals on Wheels
event, there was a big goodbye party at ~YUET
LEE~ for the affable Timmy Yu, who
has been there since 1977 (interesting fact:
it was the first Chinese resto to open on "that
side" of Broadway, which back then was "the
Italian side"). No idea what Timmy is up to
next—he's on a much-deserved three-week vacation
at the moment. Industry people, take note:
one unfortunate change is Yuet Lee's awesome
late-night hours have changed. It's now closing
at midnight on Sunday and Wednesday–Thursday;
the 3am closing time only applies to Fridays
and Saturdays now. That's the problem with
late-night places—if you don't support them,
the hours go away. 1300 Stockton St. at Broadway,
415-982-6020.
Partners in Beretta,
Deborah Blum and Adriano Paganini, have taken
over the ~ASQEW GRILL~ space in the
Castro, and have brought on Adam Timney (bacar,
E&O, Boccalone) as the chef. Look for a
casual place (the project doesn't have a name
yet) serving California comfort food, with
a few dinner entrées and pizzas, plus salads,
sandwiches, vegetable dishes, and cured meats,
plus weekend brunch that will be served all
day (a bonus with its sunny patio—although
don't pick any herbs from the herb garden that
will be back there, you troublemaker). Lane
Ford (Beretta, Heaven's Dog, Flora) is heading
up the bar program, but since there's no hard
liquor, you'll find some creative juices and
herb-based options instead, plus 30 beers,
beer cocktails (like micheladas), and wine
with a domestic focus. The 100-seat restaurant
will open in fall 2009, and Jim Zack of Zack
/ deVito Architects is the architect. 3583
16th St. at Market.
And now let's clear up some rumors about
some of the big places around town.
First,
there has been some buzz about what is going
on at ~FIFTH
FLOOR~—I heard rumors of closure
(this town looooooves to talk), but fortunately
those are just rumors. What has happened is
GM Todd Stillman was laid off last week—Scott
Stewart, the AGM, will now be moving into more
of a restaurant management role. Since the
bar business seems to be a popular one during
these leaner times, Fifth Floor has brought
on Jacques
Bezuidenhout to focus his attention
on the bar program—I'll have some news about
his new cocktails (featuring herbs from the
garden) plus some cool things Emily Wines will
be doing with the wine program in coming weeks.
12 4th St. at Stevenson, 415-348-1555.
I've
also heard plenty of doozy rumors about the
fate of ~MICHAEL
MINA'S~ restaurant on Union Square,
ranging from BCBG taking over the space, to
a relocation, to the restaurant shuttering
because its lease was up (here's one blog speculating
on some of the possible changes). Now, true,
the lease was up for review and negotiation
with the hotel (Westin St. Francis/Starwood
Hotel Group) and union. Since there is now
a new agreement acceptable for all, it's business
as usual, well, not exactly as usual since
they have seen a 22 percent decrease in volume,
but there is no relocation happening. Here
is the official statement from Michael Mina:
"The partnership with the Westin St Francis
Hotel has been incredibly important for the
restaurant. We've worked very hard with
the hotel and union partners these past months
to reach and sign a new agreement which makes
it possible for the restaurant to remain in
the existing space. We couldn't be happier
with the outcome. It's been a wonderful
space for us.
"The
restaurant industry has been hard hit by
the recession and economic realities we are
in and adjustment and creativity are necessary
to keep afloat and stay successful. Although
the restaurant has been affected by the times,
as we've all felt, it is doing well. We've
seen continued success through maintaining
a strong, core staff and offering guests new
ways to dine at MICHAEL MINA. I am optimistic
that as an industry we'll turn the corner
in this economy, but success will be determined
in part by our ability to respond to the needs
and realities of our patrons. We welcome our
guests to continue to join us not only for
special occasions, but for everyday great values."
More
in the hard-hit fancy land: so now the Sunday
brunch at the ~RITZ-CARLTON
SAN FRANCISCO~ has been relegated
to Saturday and Sunday breakfast in
The Lobby Lounge, and Saturday and Sunday
lunch in The Dining Room, effective Sunday
June 13th. Specialty holiday brunches will
continue to be offered for Easter, Mother's
Day, Father's Day (see the
socialite for news
on this year's Father's Day event), Thanksgiving,
and Christmas. I really hope when things
get better (and dammit, they will), that
the brunch returns soon, because I have fond
memories of some Sundays on that patio. 600
Stockton St. at California, 415-296-7465.
Some
changes over at ~ORSON~:
while many places are cutting back or eliminating
lunch service, Orson is actually starting
lunch service this Wednesday June 10th,
and then running it Tue–Fri from 11:30am–2:30pm.
There are a lot of SoMa workers who are sure
to appreciate a menu of pizzas (five kinds,
$12–$14), plus a fried chicken sando on a Parmesan
bun ($8), fish tacos ($9), and the Orson burger
($12). There will also be some grab-and-go
sandwiches, like shaved house-made Wiltshire
Sides/Canadian Bacon (more like smoked ham
rather than a brunchy-eggs Benedict version)
with pickled onions and mustard on Josh's
sourdough rolls; and egg salad with celery
and dill. There is also a new FOH manager,
Kristen Capella, whose background includes
Horizons in Sausalito and La Folie. Also look
for a Bind boutique
(the clothing line Sabrina Riddle is behind) to take over
the kiosk area. 508 4th St. at Bryant, 415-777-1508.
A tablehoppin' Polk Street reader pointed
out a Moroccan restaurant named ~AICHA MOROCCAN
CUISINE~ is up and running in the former De
Afghanan Kebab House space. MenuPages has
a PDF of the menu (albeit
an upside-down one), and a few Yelp reports
can be found here.
1303 Polk St. at Bush, 415-345-9947.
Over
in Fisherman's Wharf, two tipsters let me
know a sign says ~MIYABI~ is moving
into the former Bob's Sushi place (which,
according to a link from a Yelper,
it looks like Bob's used
to buy black-market abalone, so good
riddance). 393 Bay St. at Mason.
tablehopper reader James S. wrote in with
this news: "~GRANDEHO'S KAMEKYO~ in
Cole Valley has a new owner. Long-time employee
and sushi chef Byron bought the business and
has taken over. He's a great guy originally
from China and he cooked for five years in
Japan before coming to the States." 943 Cole
St. at Parnassus, 415-759-8428.
Are you a carb lover? Uh huh. Starting tonight,
June 9th, ~QUINCE~ is
adding a special pasta tasting menu,
featuring traditional Italian pastas along
with chef/owner Michael Tusk's modern interpretations.
Five courses for $50, and wine pairings for
a $35 supplement. Sample menu items include:
Senatore Cappelli spaghetti (Manila clams,
melon, and espresso); tortelloni of watercress
(Bellwether Farm ricotta cheese, calendula,
and chive); egg tagliatelle (salsa di porcini,
squash, and their blossoms); bittersweet chocolate
gnocchi (duck polpettine, eggplant, Chelan
cherry, and smoked sea salt); and lasagnette
(Tomatero Farm golden raspberry sorbetto and
fino verde basil meringue). Now, those are
some flavors I gotta try—vewy intewesting.
1701 Octavia St. at Bush, 415-775-8500.
Another
week, another pig: Ryan Farr from 4505
Meats and Taylor Boetticher
from Fatted
Calf will be doing a pig
butchering demonstration and party called Porkapalooza on
Tuesday June 16th at ~BLOODHOUND~.
There is a 250-lb. Duroc pig from Good
Farm that will end up on the
BBQ, plus there will be pulled-pork sliders,
homemade corn dogs, and hot dogs with
all the fixins, chicharrones, and an
assortment of Taylor's fine meats
and pates. This is also your chance to
try bacon-infused bourbon in a custom
Old Fashioned. The cost is $30. Buy
tickets here. 6pm–10pm. 1145
Folsom St. at 7th St.
Been reading about ~FORAGED FOODS MEALS~?
(As in found and real, not forged, har.) There
are two coming up from The Wild Kitchen on
Sunday June 14th (East Bay), and Thursday
June 18th (Mission). Dinner is $40, and $10
reservation tickets can be purchased at brownpapertickets.com.
All dinners start at 8pm, and the exact location
will be sent out the day of your meal.
And now, this week's deals on meals:
Sushi
falls a bit into the luxury category right
now (unless you're eating lousy stuff from
the grocery store), so you should definitely
consider this promo: 15 pieces
of sushi for $15 during the Lucky 15 at ~KYO-YA~.
It happens on the 15th of June and July during
lunchtime (11:30am–2pm). You can get your 15
pieces to go, but if you dine in, you get a
complimentary Ichigo lemonade. Check out the
flyer here.
Reservations requested. Palace Hotel, New Montgomery
St. at Market, 415-546-5089.
I
also heard ~MOMO'S~ has
a New York steak three-course dinner deal:
for $29, you get your choice of soup or iceberg
wedge salad, a 14-ounce New York steak (center
cut, dry-aged for 21 days), some daily sides,
and a chef's selection for your dessert. 760
2nd St. at King, 415-227-8660.
For
all of this week (through Friday the 12th),
downtown's ~URBAN
TAVERN~ has announced a limited
time "pay
what you think it's worth" promotion to
launch executive chef Mary O'Neill's
new summer lunch menu. Diners can eat
up to a three-course meal and then pay
what they think it's worth. There's room
for 100 diners per day, and you have
to make a reservation. Lunch can include
food, soft drinks, coffee, and tea, but
no alcohol. The existing offer of five
hours of free parking while dining will
also be valid during this time. 11:30am–2:30pm.
333 O'Farrell St. at Mason, 415-923-4400.
Since
we're talkin' parking, did you know that ~SOUTH~ has
struck a deal with the Bank of America parking
lot? (It's the one behind South on the corner
of Fourth &
Brannan.) South customers are entitled to $5
parking Mon–Sat from 5pm onwards, even
on Giants game days! All you have to do
is call South for the code and then keep your
South receipt. Suh-weet. Now you can apply
all that money you saved to something you can
actually taste: Aussie eats and vino. 330 Townsend
St. at 4th St., 415-974-5599.
Would you be happy with some free ice cream?
Of course you would. On Sunday June 14th from
1:30pm–3:30pm, you can ~GET A FREE SCOOP~ of
a Dreyer's MAXX flavor (not available in retail
stores) and a mix-in. Flavors include: Chocolate
Peanut Butter Chunk, Java Mash Up, NESTLÉ®
DRUMSTICK® Cone, or Chocolate Cookies 'N Cream
Collision. It all goes down at the Dreyer's
PIER 39 Scoop Shop. Embarcadero St. at Beach.
Last
week I mentioned the upcoming ~SUMMERTINI~ event
on Friday June 19th, and for those of you in
an auction frame of mind, I wanted to give
you a sneak preview of some of the items on
the auction block: you can dine with Michael
Bauer in the "Critic Review Dinner" lot,
dine with a guest at the chef's table in
Chez Panisse's kitchen (plus stay overnight
at Joie de Vivre's nearby Hotel Durant in Berkeley),
and more. Check out all the lots and purchase
your tickets here.
This
Friday June 12th is a screening of the movie ~FRESH~,
another important film to come out about our
food system, and how to change how America
eats. There will be a panel following the screening
with Ari Derfel (moderator), co-founder of
Back to Earth and Terrain Restaurant; Michael
Pollan, author: In Defense of Food;
An Eater's Manifesto and The Omnivore's
Dilemma; Brahm Ahmadi, co-founder and executive
director of People's Grocery; Annie Shattuck,
FoodFirst researcher and co-author of an upcoming
book on the food crisis, Food Rebellions!;
and Ana Joanes, director of FRESH. $15.
7pm at the Victoria Theatre, 2961 16th St. Click
here to purchase tickets. (There is
a second screening in Berkeley on Monday June
15th with different speakers—read about it
and buy tickets here.)
~FARMERS' MARKET~ news: this last Sunday,
the one that started in the Inner Sunset was
a hit, and if its success continues, it should
be running until November 22nd from 9am–1pm
on Sundays. It's in the parking lot between
8th and 9th Avenues and Judah and Irving Streets.
And
then in the lousy market news department, Eater
broke the story that "some of the
most popular vendors from the ~ALEMANY
FARMERS MARKET~—including All Star
Tamales, El Huarache Loco, Estrellita's
Snacks, and Sabores del Sur—have been given
notice that they will be booted at the
end of the month." Uh, a lot of people
go to the market just for their food, hello!
Read more about the RFP brouhaha, and here's
a petition you can sign in an attempt to
keep these vendors in their spot at the
market here.
San
Francisco isn't the only one with a bunch
of street food news: Sam's
Chowder House in Half Moon Bay is starting
the engine of ~SAM'S
CHOWDER MOBILE~, which will be hitting
office parks in the Peninsula (like Oracle,
etc.), and a variety of upcoming events. A
year in the making, this lobster-red mobile
seafood shack will be serving Sam's delicious
Maine lobster roll (my mouth waters just thinking
about it), plus fish and chips, crab Louie
salad, clam chowder, and fish tacos (all made
with sustainably-fished seafood), as well as
key lime pie for dessert. Prices range from
$4.95 for a fish taco or 16 oz. bowl of Sam's
famous clam chowder, to $9.95 for fish and
chips to $14.95 for Sam's lobster roll. Lunch
and dinner customers can find the Van's current
location by following it on Twitter @samschowdermobile,
or by visiting samschowdermobile.com,
where there will be a live Twitter stream describing
the Van's current location, plus there will
be a live events calendar where you can find
the Van (like the Santa Clara County Fair).
You will be able to hire the van for private
events, and even hold lobster clambakes. The
cooking oil is recycled, and all packaging
and utensils used on the Van are 100% biodegradable
and compostable. Beep beep!
Now
for some East Bay news: according to a press
release, "Christopher Losa of Bar
Bambino is opening a new project
in Oakland's Jack London Square Marketplace.
Currently the project only has the working
name of ~DELICATESSEN~, which is more
a reference to the overall concept. It will
be a retail shop and cafe focusing on artisanal
food and drink. Celebrating the best of the
best, cheese, wine, craft beer, distilled spirits,
cured meats, and prepared foods will be sourced
from around the world and in our own backyard.
For this project Losa is stepping beyond Italy
and looking globally to bring together a collection
of culinary treats. Additionally some special
relationships are being cultivated to showcase
exceptional hard-to-find products. All involved
will be working hard to open late winter, early
spring 2010."
Also
heard chef Alex Marsh of ~LEVENDE
EAST~ is no longer with the
restaurant. Taking his place is his sous
chef, Ron Miranda.
This
little party seems downright irresistible: Frog
Hollow Farms will be in the house at ~SOLANO
CELLARS~ on Thursday June 18th.
They'll be offering up the season's
sweetest Bing cherries, Golden Sweet apricots,
and Gold Dust peaches for sampling along
with some of their conserves, dried fruit,
granola, and olive oil. Kirstin (Solano Cellars' resident
wine bar manager and cheese aficionado) will
pair some tasty cheeses and pour wines by
the glass at the bar. No charge to attend.
All food samples are gratis. If this event
generates enough interest, Solano Cellars
will become a Frog
Hollow CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)
drop-off point, and neighbors will be able
to pick up boxes of fresh produce at their
shop each week. 5:30pm–7:30pm. 1580 Solano
Avenue B at Ordway, Albany, 510-525-9463.
Tomorrow
night, Wednesday June 10th, ~BRAVO'S
TOP CHEF MASTERS~ starts
at 10pm. 24 renowned chefs will be competing
for charity. The first show kicks off
with Hubert Keller (Fleur de Lys), Christopher
Lee (Aureole), Michael Schlow (Radius
Restaurant), and Tim Love (The Lonesome
Dove Western Bistro). Other local chefs
competing on the show will include Elizabeth
Falkner, Michael Chiarello, and Cindy
Pawlcyn. Check 'em all out here. 
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