what’s cookin’
Well, it looks like we are back in full Fogust mode until Friday, when it’s supposed to be a gorgeous and sunny 75—don’t tell Karl the Fog that Friday the 15th is Ferragosto, which is like a national picnic holiday in Italy, with families heading to the mountains or the sea, enjoying fabulous packed feasts, or grilling in the forest. (Delfina is hosting their version of a Ferragosto happy hour this Wednesday from 5pm–7pm, FYI.)
In today’s column, I have a few updates on Italian restaurant projects for you, and should have my piece on the upcoming Lucania from Shelley Lindgren for you next week—my recipe book on Calabria and Lucania just arrived from Italy.
Last Wednesday, I hit up the grand opening party at Beretta, and on Thursday evening, I attended another inspiring First Thursday Art Walk in the Tenderloin. This time, my friend and I ended the night with a late dinner (9:15pm) at Meski, the TenderNob restaurant that opened a few months ago in the former The Saratoga, serving Ethiopian and Afro-Latin flavors from aLaMar chef Nelson German (who was in the house, yay) and Guma Fassil (of Meskie’s in Berkeley). Stand by for a recap soon (we loved the kitfo and the Ethiopian-spiced coffee rub strip steak), and take advantage of their late hours so they don’t go away (such a rarity these days)! I look forward to returning for brunch.
The City is winding down from a wild Outside Lands weekend, which had so many restaurant folks grinding hard making and serving upscale festival food to thousands of attendees (which clocks in at something like 75,000 people per day). I only was able to make it out for day one and done on Friday: I started things off in a groovy way with Thundercat, caught a few magical moments of Jessica Pratt, got to boogie down to the rowdy Fcukers, and then was blown away with Doechii, who put on one of the best OSL performances and stage shows I have ever seen in my 17 years of attending the festival (a friend sent me these set recordings, check it out!).
We ended the day watching Beck perform some snazzy arrangements with the Berkeley Symphony on the Sutro stage (setlist here), which always has magical vibes with the backlit trees framing the stage with the fog rolling in. It was a full-circle moment, because I remember seeing Beck perform at the first OSL in 2008. I managed to catch Doja Cat perform “Paint the Town Red” before deciding to high-tail it out of the park and catch an express bus to Civic Center to beat the throngs of people who were about to exit the park. Smart move, hopper!
Here’s my Reel recap of OSL, featuring the special glizzy from Merkado that fueled my 15,000 steps, and check out The Halfway Club’s Ethan Terry (who curated Cocktail Magic this year) busting out some Parmesan foam for my espresso martini. Cheers!
This week’s newsletter is dedicated to the memory of John Ash, a kind and legendary local chef, educator, and cookbook author who was often called the “Father of Wine Country Cuisine.” The Press Democrat reports Ash “died Thursday of a heart condition and after a brief illness.” He was 83. Condolences to his family and friends and colleagues—he will live on in the recipes and techniques he taught to many students.
This Saturday is the third annual San Francisco Pizza, Bagel, & Beer Festival, I hope to see you there. A couple weeks ago, I shared a scoop on the upcoming SŌHN in Dogpatch, and will be attending a media preview this week before it opens on Saturday August 16th (10am–4pm), so I’ll have more for you next week.
Yours,
~Marcia (rhymes with pizzeria)
the chatterbox
The Absinthe Group Is Debuting the Cal-Ital Bosco This Summer
This little tidbit of intel rolled in just before my deadline.
Cin-Cin to the Updated Beretta on Valencia, Which Is Now Sporting a Fresh and Mod Moda, 17 Years Later
Last week, I attended the grand reopening party for Beretta on Valencia in the Mission, after six weeks of renovations. I remember when Ruggero Gadaldi (Antica Trattoria, Pesce) reinvented his former boho Last Supper Club at this location into Beretta 17 years ago with Deborah Blum and Adriano Paganini (previously Pasta Pomodoro), who went on to create and open currently 40-plus restaurants in his Back of the House hospitality group.
Beretta was quite a phenomenon when it opened: it was one of the City’s first cocktail-centric restaurants, and was such an industry hangout (with a packed bar that stayed open late). That bar was home to many bartenders who were core players in our craft cocktail movement, like Ryan Fitzgerald, Thad Vogler, Todd Smith, Jon Santer, Lane Ford, and so many more, who created cocktails in our local canon, like the Rattlesnake, and made such a tasty Improved Whiskey Cocktail, Diablo, and a killer Lonsdale.
When I first saw the new bar menu online, I was dismayed to not see these Beretta classic cocktails listed, but I was shown a printed menu at the party that included them, whew, along with eight new cocktails...
The updated menu still has a fork in Beretta’s past. Sadly, chef Gadaldi left us after a cruel bout with cancer, but I was so touched to learn that chef Fredy Lopez—who was with Gadaldi since the beginning—is still there, making classic dishes like Ruggero’s eggplant caponatina agrodolce (with its trademark Sultanas/golden raisins), plus the polpette (meatballs in a spicy tomato sauce), and a couple versions of his risotto.
The new menu has a selection of antipastini (small antipasti for $7 each), which are all vegetarian plates, while the antipasti selection includes larger plates like crab arancini and fritto misto, all under $19. Pasta dishes range from classic spaghetti cacio e pepe ($19) to rich lasagna ferrarese ($24) with bolognese, ricotta, Fontina, and Parmesan. The tender, thin-crust pizzas now list seven options (like mortadella with stracchino, pistachio, escarole, and garlic). Add in some salads, salumi (served with gnocco fritto, giardiniera, and Gorgonzola dolce), and a few main dishes (grilled half-chicken, branzino, flat-iron steak), and you can craft any kind of menu you’re in the mood or have an appetite for.
The formerly dark and woody/moody space was redesigned by Nathan Reed, giving it a chic (but still approachable) style that looks like it took a trip to Italy and picked up some sprezzatura: the red marble bar top is a showstopper. I also dug the retro-futuristic curving dining chairs (reminiscent of Verner Panton’s iconic S-shaped chair) in the color of barbera (there are outdoor chairs at the heated sidewalk tables in the same color), along with the mod red lighting fixtures, and the curvy mural gave me some ’60s phases of the moon album cover vibes. There’s a variety of seating for all kinds of diners, including a communal table in the middle of the dining room, some low- and high-top tables around the perimeter, and tables in the back.
Alas, SF just doesn’t stay up like it used to, so the late scene at the bar is a thing of the past. But, the new look and approachable menu may give people a reason to linger. Hours are Mon–Thu 5pm–10pm, Fri 5pm–11:30pm, Sat 3pm–11:30pm, and Sun 3pm–10pm. 1199 Valencia St. at 23rd St.
Around Round of Refreshment! Donato Enoteca in Redwood City Also Just Got a Glow-Up
A second longtime Italian restaurant just had a refresh and renovation (after 16 years): Donato Enoteca in Redwood City. Chef-owner Donato Scotti and his business partner, Gianluca Guglielmi of Donato & Co. in Berkeley, updated the overall style, adding a white marble circular bar to the center of the restaurant, where guests can enjoy bite-sized cicchetti from their new chef, Marco Bertoldo, a native of the Veneto region. Bertoldo was most recently executive chef of Poesia, and his background includes three-Michelin star Ristorante Le Calandre in Italy, and Osteria Degli Amici Figino in Switzerland.
The new and modern menu offers smaller and shareable portions of housemade pasta (like house-smoked ricotta ravioli in rock cod bisque), wood-fired pizzas, a few meat dishes (like beef carpaccio with tonnato sauce), and seafood (golden-fried Monterey Bay anchovies with mustard-lemon broth); most items don’t exceed $18.
They’re adding new and rotating styles of pizza in addition to their Neapolitan style, like pizza al padellino, a pan pizza from Torino. Bertoldo is also overseeing the creative desserts. If you just want the kitchen to cook for you, there’s a new chef’s tasting menu for two or more people (four courses, $54 per person; or seven courses, $85 per person).
As for the cicchetti, a Venetian tradition, you’ll see baccalà (but with red beets), zucchine in saor (agrodolce marinated zucchini), and lamb sausage meatballs to order with an ombra, Venetian slang for a small glass of wine poured at the floating city’s many bacari (but don’t worry, you can go for a big glass as well). The aperitivo/cicchetti menu is offered 4pm–6:30pm, and lists $11 cocktails and $9 glasses of wine (available in the bar area, patio, and front outside). The cocktail menu was developed by consultant Massimo Stronati (from Milano), and features craft and classic drinks and spritzes—the program will be overseen by GM Martina Cirina.
Happy hour begins at 4pm, with the kitchen opening at 5pm; lunch will be added in the fall. Open Tue–Thu 4pm–9:30pm, Fri–Sat 4pm–10pm, Sun 4pm–9pm. 1041 Middlefield Rd., Redwood City.
Brazilian Steakhouse Sabor Gaúcho Now Open in Russian Hill
By Olivia Casellini
Back in May, tablehopper wrote about the Brazilian-style steakhouse coming to Polk Street, Sabor Gaúcho...
1500 Broadway St. at Polk.
Wine Bar with a Variety of Bites, Bar Bibi, Now Open in Nob Hill
By Olivia Casellini
Back in January, tablehopper broke the news about Bar Bibi from Bahman Safari of the Habibi pop-up, who was going to open a new wine bar/Parisian-style cave à manger in the former Ristorante Milano. The project has been close to opening, and a couple weeks ago, we wrote up the new daytime collaboration of Better Half Coffee and Bellaria in the new space.
1448 Pacific Ave. at Larkin.
Don’t Worry, Be Happy With These Special Deals and Happy Hours
By Olivia Casellini
Besharam in Dogpatch is offering playful bar snacks, a rotating cocktail (currently a chai-spiced Boulevardier milk punch for $14), house wines ($9), and draft beers ($5) during their happy hour Wednesdays through Fridays from 5pm to 6pm. Highlights from chef Heena Patel include pani puri with peas, shallots, and lemon tamarind water ($1 per puri, 3 min/7 max), and a mini mango salad with Manila mango, endive, and white miso sesame dressing ($10). Open Wed–Sun 5pm–9pm and Sat 11am–2pm. 1275 Minnesota St. at 24th St.
the socialite
Get Your Tickets to Mr. Gumbo’s Annual Seafood Boil on August 24th
By Olivia Casellini
Gumbo Social is returning with its fifth annual All-You-Can-Eat Seafood Boil on Sunday August 24th in Bayview. Dontaye Ball (aka Mr. Gumbo) is hosting the event to celebrate his birthday in partnership with Sunday Streets Bayview and Gratta Wines’ Butchertown Jazz Festival.
Guests will receive a paper boat for endless servings of seafood boil (shrimp, smoked sausage, baby potatoes, and corn, all tossed in Cajun spices, Old Bay, and butter). Individual all-you-can-eat tickets are $55, single servings are $30, and a reserved table for 8 people is $450. There are also discounted group tickets that do not include table seating ($200 for four people, $400 for 10 people, and $600 for 20 people). 12pm–2pm. 5176 3rd St. at Thornton.
the matchmaker
Sunny Castro Street Location Available
With an oversized back patio (2,378 sq. ft.), this bright and sunny space (4,280 sq. ft. interior) has enormous flexibility and potential for an airy indoor/outdoor business. Located in the heart of the Castro, this location is in one of San Francisco’s most vibrant neighborhoods, with foot traffic from neighboring businesses such as Fable and the soon-to-be-reopened, music-and-entertainment venue, Castro Theater. The space is currently permitted as retail, but the zoning can allow a restaurant or bar.
Email HsuRental@gmail.com to view the space.
