what’s cookin’
Hello hello, I have completed my two-week whirlwind of World Cup match–hopping and I’m back in SF! I just got home from Seattle last week, where on Wednesday it was a scorching 85 degrees at high noon while watching Bosnia and Herzegovina beat Qatar at Lumen Field. Hawt!
It was such a indelible experience to travel with my 85-year-old father and beloved sister to three matches over the past couple weeks, and we even got to visit with friends and family during our jaunts. It was our father’s eighth World Cup, my sister’s fifth, and my second, but our first all together. I’m grateful and so fortunate for the shared memories we have of this time together—and I always learn so much about the game when I’m with our dad, he doesn’t miss a beat.
While I’m not particularly the most sporty lady, there’s nothing like the feeling of being in a stadium of 65,000-plus soccer fans from around the world. It’s heady. Shoutout to the Bosnia and Herzegovina fans—we attended two of their matches (in the fabulous SoFi Stadium in LA and in Seattle), and their fan sections and songs and passion and friendliness were really something. Tonight’s match against USMNT is gonna be so lit! I really wish we could bring our father, but the ticket prices are so completely, utterly nuts.
One of my favorite things is walking around a stadium watching people take a closer look at our father’s Italian tricolore hat, which is covered with World Cup pins and flags from countries around the world—curious folks will make comments or ask questions, and the next thing you know, we’ve got a conversation going. Carm also trades pins with other fans, which offers an interesting life lesson about attachment—for such a sentimental man, I’m impressed that he’s able to let some of his favorite pins go back out into the world, but then again, some really cool ones come into his life that way, too.
Last Wednesday night, while we were watching Mexico win 3-0 on TV, the Michelin Guide California awards were being handed out in San Diego, and one of my most adored restaurants (finally) received their third star: Californios! Tremendous congrats to chef-owner Val M. Cantú, his wife, Carolyn, and their dedicated team: not only was this hard-earned designation finally happening, but it also makes Californios the first Mexican restaurant to be awarded three Michelin stars in the world (again, finally). I remember attending one of Cantú’s very first pop-ups in the Mission in 2013, and have taken great pleasure in witnessing his culinary evolution and continual leveling up over the past 13 years. Bravo! I consider his al pastor squab taco nestled in a flour tortilla of your absolute dreams during my last visit to Californios as one of the most delicious tacos of my life. Whenever people ask me where they should go for a memorable fine dining experience in SF, my answer is Californios, without hesitation.
Here are all of the 83 starred restaurants in California (as well as Bib Gourmands). Congrats to Enclos in Sonoma, who also rose to three stars (in just a year and a half!), and to SF’s new one-stars: Naides and Wolfsbane (as well as Troubadour Bread & Bistro in Healdsburg!). I love seeing the recently opened Maria Isabel already come in with the Exceptional Cocktail Award, and GM Frida Blomdahl Hay at the relocated Sons & Daughters won the Michelin Service Award. It takes so much work and dedication to maintain stars, so, big kudos to all the places who kept their macarons in place. It’s time to break out the Champagne!
Or, in the case of the upcoming UNFILTERED wine event at Donkey & Goat in Berkeley (July 25th–26th), make it California sparkling wine. During the two-day event, there will be a variety of panels to attend, and I will definitely be present for “Breaking the Champagne Spell: California’s Great Sparkling Wine Experiment,” an in-depth conversation with Chris Cottrell (Under the Wire), Brad Kurtz (viticulturist at Gloria Ferrer), Jared Brandt (Donkey & Goat), and Michael Cruse (Cruse Wine Co and Ultramarine) on Saturday July 25th at 1:30pm. [UNFILTERED is a paid sponsor, and tablehopper readers get a discount on tickets, access the code here.]
Your gurl had so many plans for this past SF Pride Weekend, from marches to parties, kikis, rallies, and dance floors I needed to twirl on, but, sadly, I was under the weather and had to stay home. I can’t believe I had to miss out on my favorite SF weekend with my beloved community. At least I was able to play a couple choice Pride party soundtracks at home: here’s a brand-new Pride mix from CarrieOnDisco, and a Pride mix from Josh Cheon of Dark Entries Records on the NTS Radio Show.
I have also been loving the 7x7 installation by Illuminate at City Hall—it has been so beautiful to watch from my desk window every night, beaming up into the fog, and we have one more week to enjoy it.
But this year’s Pride was also a challenging one, especially for our trans community, including the scarily escalated and excessive police force at the end of the SF Trans March on Friday (and it’s the 60th anniversary of the Compton’s Cafeteria Riot, ugh), along with other heated and traumatizing incidents. I’m so glad District 9 Supervisor Jackie Fielder is back—KALW reports she submitted a Letter of Inquiry to ask SFPD and the Mayor questions about the outsized police response this past weekend at two trans gatherings. The queer community (and allies and SF citizens) need answers and accountability.
There’s a lot to unpack and understand, starting with the SF Giants Pride Night debacle (be sure to read this coverage about the uplifting counterpoint of the Valkyries’ Pride Night), and Senator Scott Wiener’s appearance at the Trans March, and these stories keep developing with more information. I’ve been talking with friends and reading many perspectives on all these events, and I hope you can do the same—we need to have informed conversations. This year’s Pride leaves us with much to process, question, and learn from—and the importance of renewed commitment to show up for and protect our LGBTQIA+ community. And brava, Juanita MORE!, for raising over $140,000 through her Pride events that will be “donated to the GLBT Historical Society Museum & Archives. Allowing them to continue to affirm that LGBTQIA+ history is American history. And that our stories are worth protecting.”
Today’s issue is a shortie (I was busy leading one of my private food tours yesterday), but a goodie (wait until you check out Bruno’s Italian Taste below). Since the Fourth of July holiday is obserrrrrved this Friday, I’m going to take the rest of this week to catch up with my damn self and hundreds of emails and will see you on the flip side of the fireworks. Also: Todd Terje returns to SF after 10+ years to play a DJ set at Public Works on Saturday night!
A bunch of restaurants are taking well-deserved holiday breaks this week, so call or check online before heading over to your favorite joint. (Although, I just noticed Foreign Cinema is open for brunch and dinner on Saturday, cute!)
Take good care, and let’s all try to get some rest.
XO,
~Marcia
the chatterbox
Bruno’s Italian Taste Now Open in Yerba Buena, Bringing Authentic Southern Italian Flavors in an All-Day Concept
Back in December, I was so thrilled to break the story about the opening of Bruno’s Italian Taste in Yerba Buena from Calabrese couple Fabio Brunocilla and Marcella Foti, who hail from my Dad’s hometown of Cosenza. They’re dedicated to showcasing Southern Italian ingredients, products, authentic dishes, and hospitality; this is their first brick-and-mortar business, one that the couple has been planning for a long time. (I wrote in depth about their backgrounds and how this project came to be in my former piece.)
Last Monday, I swung by their new pizza, pasta, street food, pastry, and panino shop (and much more!) for the first day of their soft opening. The smell of freshly baking pizza will tickle your nose before you walk in, and then you see the case of pizza in teglia alla romana, ranging from a pan of Margherita, to Calabrese (with spianata piccante salame), ortolana (vegetarian with tomato sauce, cheese, three kinds of roasted bell peppers and onions, or with mushrooms), and there’s even a vegan option; upcoming specials and flavors will include housemade Calabrese sausage and friarielli (rapini), potato, mortadella and burrata, and more. The slices cost around $8.50.
The dough process takes 48 hours; Fabio par-bakes the pizza, and then as the supply dwindles in the case, he finishes baking a fresh pan in his Tauro electric deck oven—they also warm up your slice when you order it. I tried the delicious ortolana pizza: the dough had a perfect balance of golden crispiness and light crunch, while being pillowy soft inside, and the bright tomato sauce with the roasted bell peppers made me think of my grandmother’s peperonata—all I needed was a wedge of caciocavallo with it.
They will be offering panini in their housemade ciabatta for lunch, from a mortadella panino with stracciatella cheese and pistachio pesto, to the Calabrese (with hot spianata salami, Calabrese provola, roasted bell peppers, dried tomatoes in oil, and ’nduja, how about that?)! Panini will cost $15–$18.50.
You’ll find a few caprese salads (one is with burrata, another with bufala), and their Italian green salad has carrots, radishes, Castelvetrano olives, and add-ons like mozzarella ciliegine, burrata, or asiago. There was also a good-looking Umbrian farro salad with cherry tomatoes, Castelvetrano olives, Italian mushrooms, capers, mozzarella, and basil.
There’s a hot case with items you can eat for lunch, or do like I did and bring home some eggplant Parmigiana to warm up later for dinner—it’s like having your imaginary Italian cousin send you home with a little something from their kitchen. The homemade touch shines in everything they make. There’s lasagna bolognese, and a mushroom lasagna, plus beef meatballs in marinara ($16–$18), and their housemade spicy Calabrese sausage stir-fried with potatoes should be in the case soon. I also can’t wait to try their lasagna Calabrese, which is going to be like how we make it at home, with mini meatballs and sliced boiled egg!
They’re putting together a happy hour from 3:30pm–7:30pm, with taglieri (boards of sliced cheeses and salumi—most of the items will be Calabrese or Southern Italian), as well as bruschetta, and their house-cured vegetables (like Calabrese eggplant, the best!).
Since Fabio is quite the baker, this week, he started baking traditional Italian cornetti and filled brioche for morning service to go with their Neapolitan espresso (Caffè Borbone)—they were trying to get Aiello from Cosenza, so maybe that will happen in the future.
You can’t go home without a container of Fabio’s tiramisù: he makes a classic one with mascarpone and a top layer of cocoa ($7.50), but the one that really knocked my socks off was his pistachio version ($8.50)—he whips pistachio crema into the mascarpone, brilliant. It was light, not too sweet, and the espresso-soaked ladyfingers will give you a little bass note (and boost).
I was chuckling over the Italian light-up signs they have on the walls (some are in Calabrese dialect), and fellow day one customers included the Sicilian couple (Ilary and Ceci) behind Hila gelato with their new baby! Auguri, Fabio and Marcella, on your new baby, Bruno! In case you’re wondering about who Bruno is, it’s a nickname Fabio earned from his last name (Brunocilla) when they were living in Padova—Northern Italians tend to abbreviate last names. Now that their soft opening week is over, hours are expanding to Mon–Fri 8am–7:30pm. 606 Mission St. at 2nd St.
News Bites from Around the Bay
Here are some quick news bites for you—I wish I had time to write more about these projects, but this week is fast and furious:
Congrats to George Chen and Cindy Wong-Chen of China Live on getting the 15,000-square-foot Asia Live (and BarLucy on the second floor) open in at Westfield Valley Mall in Santa Clara. If you’re heading down for any World Cup games, you can go check it out!
SFGATE had an early visit: “While China Live centers on Chinese cuisine, Asia Live draws on a wide variety of Asian fare, from Indonesian and Japanese to Indian, Korean, Thai and Vietnamese.” The piece shares a taste of some of the new and rotating dishes on the menu, like Singapore kaya shrimp toast and Tokyo sweet and sour pork tenderloin tonkatsu, which are prepared at open kitchen stations.
Asia Live’s retail marketplace is open daily 10am–9pm, lunch and dinner service is 11am–11pm, BarLucy is open Sun–Thu 5pm–10pm and Fri–Sat until 11pm. The Pergola Bar & Cafe with outdoor seating for 50, and Sushi & Yakiniku bar on level one will debut on July 1st, along with Asia Live On-the-Go takeout service on concourse level one. 2855 Stevens Creek Blvd. #1891, Santa Clara.
It looks like Cheezy’s Artisan Pizza is reopening in The Market after closing their stand in Saluhall—stand by for updates on timing. Way to go on the comeback. 1355 Market St.
KRON4 caught the news that Funky Elephant on Valencia has sadly closed their delicious Thai restaurant. Bummer. Their (tiny) Berkeley location remains open. 1270 Valencia St.
Damn, another fire on Divisadero? The Mill suffered a fire early Monday morning, but, thankfully, no one was injured: “Last night we had a fire and will be closed until further notice while we get everything sorted. Everyone is safe, just in shock. Thank you for your support as we figure out how to move forward.” Since it’s also the HQ for Josey Baker Bread, the team is trying to figure out how to continue their baking production elsewhere in the meantime. 736 Divisadero St.
I was sad to see this post from Zhuzh Bar that Pride Sunday was the inclusive neighborhood bar and cute, mini-disco’s last day of business. Wah! I wrote about the opening from Aaron Paul, Jacob Roberts, and Eric Passetti just a little over two years ago. Thanks for the impromptu dance party nights, perfect after shows at the Regency. Damn. 1548 California St.
Back to good news: Eric Tucker and Alison Bagby of Millennium have reopened the 32-year-old vegan restaurant (since 1994!) with a new format: a five-course prix-fixe patio menu for $95/person, optional wine pairing: $46/person; and an à la carte menu at the bar and inside for self-seating (fast-casual style). Read more about the new format here and in this SF Chronicle story. 5912 College Ave., Oakland.
I love some good queer business news during Pride month: after trying to sell Orphan Andy’s so they can (finally) retire, married co-owners Dennis Ziebell and Bill Pung have a buyer, and SF Business Times reports the kitschy Castro diner is under contract to sell to Michael Goodrich, currently an assistant general manager at Bun Mee. And, we can exhale: “Goodrich told the Business Times he plans to keep things the way they are, retaining all staff and 24-hour service — in line with the longtime owners’ wishes.” You can read more in the Bay Area Reporter, who first reported on the sale. 3991 17th St.
D’Arcy Drollinger has announced the date for the reopening of Oasis is July 17th, thanks to a last-minute save from a multimillion-dollar donation from the Stevens Family (you can read more in this SFGATE story). While tickets to The Grand Reveal are sold out, there are other events listed. Welcome back, Oasis! Whew and whoo! 298 11th St.
the matchmaker
Restaurant & Café Equipment Sale from Recchiuti Confections
2565 3rd Street, San Francisco
Stop by on Monday July 6th for a massive sale of food service equipment, including kitchen tools, baking pans, culinary machinery, drinkware, and much more. Front of the house and back of the house materials on sale, for a variety of operations. Open house–style from the hours of 11am–4pm, pricing individually listed but discounts provided for encouraged bulk purchases. Ranging from brand new to lightly used.
Larger equipment such as refrigerators, microwaves, and water heaters are also available. Enough equipment to open up a new café tomorrow. Reach out to (415) 602-4102 with any questions (please fill out this interest form).
I’d love to have you become a tablehopper supporting subscriber—it’s such a mutually beneficial relationship. 🥂💞 Enjoy the holiday weekend. 🎆
