the tablehopper | 11:10 am | December 31, 2008 | Foodie 411 | Add a comment
A.G. Ferrari is hosting a series of free cheese-pairing parties on Sundays in their 13 stores. On January 11th you can taste six regional pecorino cheeses paired with Italian mostarde; and January 25th is a tasting of fresh Italian cheeses, like burrata. The events run from 2pm–4pm. All cheese tastings are complimentary! Click here for locations.
Super-Sized Suds
Over at Magnolia, growlers are back! What’s a growler? It’s a two-liter German vessel with a ceramic flip top and rubber seal so you can bring your beer home! That is 67.63 ounces for $25 with beer, and $17 for refills. Most beers are available for growler sales, though some seasonal and strong beers are just for pub consumption. Ask your server for more details. Also at Magnolia: there are some seasonal and English cask ales on offer.
Marcia Gagliardi writes a popular weekly e-column about the SF dining scene, “the tablehopper.” Subscribe for free at www.tablehopper.com and get it in your inbox every Tuesday. Got news? Email Marcia at taste@sanfrancisco.travel.
the tablehopper | 12:12 pm | December 30, 2008 | Foodie 411, Mission | Add a comment
There’s an ad hoc dining trend that is popping up in San Francisco, with chefs and cooks and pastry chefs cooking outside their restaurants, creating and hosting unique food-centric events and concepts. One is Mission Street Food, which started with cook Anthony Myint from Bar Tartine. He was originally offering late-night food from a taco truck once a week in the Mission, but has now moved the Thursday night event into Lung Shan, a dingy Chinese restaurant in the Mission. More and more guest chefs are taking part and preparing food, most of it ridiculously and pleasantly affordable—a recent night had Carlo Espinas from Piccino, sous chef Ian Muntzert of Bar Tartine, and Amy Kurtz, a recent transplant from Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago. Winners on that evening’s menu included a poutine from Espinas made with Marin Sun Farms beef and marrow gravy, with Cowgirl Creamery cheese curds, and Kennebec fries—some of the best $7 you can hope to spend. Another winner was the house special from Myint, the gooey cheesesteak with pasilla peppers in a homemade flatbread, with onion and cheese ($6.50).
The night draws all kinds of locals, with all kinds of ages, from little kids to Mission hipsters to couples to industry folks to groups of friends out for a bite, so expect a wait. The servers (many of them are not professional servers) are very kind, the vibe is fun, and the style is irreverent. Follow the website for updates on who is cooking, and details about the schedule since it’s not every Thursday.
Another group doing alt food events is OPENrestaurant. Coming up on January 6th is OPENrestaurant with Slow Food Nation. Here’s more from the event announcement: “Engage members of Slow Food Nation and the urban farming community as they join OPENrestaurant, a socially engineered informal dinner created by a collective of restaurant professionals. Participants will share a simple meal while chewing on the question: How can the urban landscape be productive? Meal ticket buyers will be able to enjoy dinner and a glass of wine while learning more about urban farming, foraging, and gleaning from people directly involved in these practices.” The organizers and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts have increased ticket capacity so they can serve more people, and $20 will buy you a meal and glass of wine. Attendees are invited to come and participate in the discussion for free. Entry to discussion is open to everyone. Meal ticket is $20 general/$15 YBCA Members; discussion is FREE. For tickets, please call the box office at 415-978-2787 or www.ybca.org. The event begins at 7pm.
Marcia Gagliardi writes a popular weekly e-column about the SF dining scene, “the tablehopper.” Subscribe for free at www.tablehopper.com and get it in your inbox every Tuesday. Got news? Email Marcia at taste@sanfrancisco.travel.
the tablehopper | 12:00 pm | | Foodie 411, Mission | Add a comment
All kinds of new businesses are popping up in the Mission, so here’s an overview of the latest additions to the culinary scene there.
This is sure to make some East Coast folks happy: Phat Philly is officially open (well, officially in their soft opening phase). You can start with the classic Philly cheesesteak, made with Niman Ranch beef, caramelized onions, Whiz, and topped with hot cherry peppers (there are all kinds of peppers at the pepper bar, from banana to sweet peppers), and perhaps consider a side of their criss-cut waffle fries with their house-made cheddar sauce made with Newcastle Ale, topped with sweet caramelized onions ($4). Then again, it would be enough food for two, and enough fat for ten. Warning: this is not a place for the calorie-phobic.
The 7″ Amoroso rolls are flown in from Philly (the “phat” 12″ size will be start arriving in early January) and are super soft. Until the 12″ rolls arrive, the owner was talking about offering a “buy one get one half-off” deal or something similar—ask if you’re hungry. There are some vegetarian options, eleven kinds with meat, plus chicken wings (BBQ or Buffalo), Italian beef sandwiches (even the giardiniera comes from Chicago), salads, and milkshakes. East Coast treats like Tastykakes, Herr’s Pretzel’s and Chips, and Just Born Peanut Chews are coming soon. There are lots of homemade sauces, like the marinara, cheddar beer sauce, and BBQ. Beer (Pilsner Urquell, Blue Moon, and Newcastle) will be on tap any day now—they are just waiting on permits. Oh, and there are free refills on sodas! Enjoy. Open daily 11am–10pm, and late-night weekend hours are coming soon—hopefully.
Humphry Slocombe is also open, a cutting-edge ice cream shop off 24th Street from owner Jake Godby (formerly of Coi, Fifth Floor, Boulevard). You’ll be able to try 10–12 flavors, and please note during the soft opening period they will only be serving one size—a single serving—and no sundaes just yet.
Some of the opening flavors will be secret breakfast (bourbon and cornflakes), coconut sherbet, and balsamic caramel. Check out the entire line-up of creamy culinary concoctions on the website—there are even flavors like foie gras and black walnut. The space has red Woolworth’s swivel chairs that date back to 1947, a bright blue awning, and looks cheerful and modern.
Marcia Gagliardi writes a popular weekly e-column about the SF dining scene, “the tablehopper.” Subscribe for free at www.tablehopper.com and get it in your inbox every Tuesday. Got news? Email Marcia at taste@sanfrancisco.travel.
the tablehopper | 12:24 pm | December 24, 2008 | Foodie 411, Sushi | Add a comment
Local popular choice for sushi, Ebisu in the Sunset has gone full-tilt on the remodel, and gutted the entire restaurant. They are now gunning for a reopening at the end of January. It is also nearly 90% final that Ebisu will be opening a third location in the Financial District. The new location will be more of a lunch place and will be the home for all of Ebisu’s catering.
More sushi news: the second Tsunami location that’s opening in Mission Bay will be called, appropriately enough, Tsunami Mission Bay. The opening is currently slated for January, and will be similar to the Fulton Street Tsunami in its sushi and extensive sake offering. A new addition is a huge bar with a communal table, and will feature a number of gin cocktails (over 40 gin offerings in all), in addition to other spirits, plus a nice selection of hard-to-find spirits. Cocktails will range from $6–$9.
Marcia Gagliardi writes a popular weekly e-column about the SF dining scene, “the tablehopper.” Subscribe for free at www.tablehopper.com and get it in your inbox every Tuesday. Got news? Email Marcia at taste@sanfrancisco.travel.
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