the tablehopper | 10:52 am | May 30, 2008 | Foodie 411 | Add a comment
The Bay Area culinary set is excitedly heralding the opening of Russell Moore and Allison Hopelain’s first solo restaurant, Camino. (Moore was at Chez Panisse for 21 years, and the chef of the Café for 12 of those years.) The brick building has room for 80 or so, with a bar area with space for around 25 guests. The name is an Italian word for fireplace, and the restaurant’s jaw-dropping one will be full of roasting meats, cazuelas, bean pots, gratins, flatbreads, whole fish, and sausages. The seasonal menu is well edited, with four–five starters, three–four mains, and just as many desserts; all made with product from stellar purveyors. Simple, honest, straightforward are the words Moore used to describe the food, and he said vegetarians will eat well there too. San Franciscan barman Thad Vogler will be customizing some kitchen-driven cocktails—a few will be offered each day, plus some house-made spirits. Hours are Sun–Thu 5pm–10pm (closed Tuesdays), and Fri–Sat 5pm–11pm.
When It’s Nice To Go in CIrcles
The 100-seat restaurant has lovely views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay, a brick fireplace, plus a terrace with room for 20. There is also an adjoining bar, Farley, named in honor of cartoonist Phil Frank that will also be serving additional dishes, from some crudos to olive oil-fried items, plus hearty wood-fired options, like a grass-fed burger, sand dabs, beef brisket, and a pork shoulder. Breakfast daily 7am–10am; lunch Mon–Fri 11:30am–2pm; dinner Sun–Thu 5:30pm–10pm, Fri–Sat 5:30pm–11pm; brunch Sat–Sun 11am–2:30pm. Farley Bar is open Sun–Thu 11am–11pm, and Fri–Sat 11am–12am.
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 | 10:34 am | May 28, 2008 | Foodie 411 | Add a comment
San Francisco’s original gastropub and a local favorite for artisan ales, owner Dave McLean’s Magnolia in the Upper Haight has undergone some recent changes in honor of its ten years of being in business. First, there’s a change in the name: Magnolia Gastropub & Brewery, signaling a new focus on food. Then there’s the new executive chef, Brandon Jew, whose background includes working under Judy Rodgers at Zuni Café, two years at Quince, eight months in Shanghai at the Shanghai Museum of Modern Art, and Pizzetta 211 in the Richmond. Look for four–six house-made sausages (available solo or with a choice of two sides) and charcuterie, including Scotch eggs made with quail eggs and house-made sausage. Other pub-meets-California dishes include Wolfe Ranch quail with dandelion greens; beer-brined pork chops; fish and chips from local, sustainable fish; and a chocolate stout cake with dulce de leche ice cream.
Freshening up touches include replacing the mural with a gold leaf wall treatment, new bar and table tops, and a just-added communal bar table built with Douglas Fir salvaged from the original Levi Strauss building in the Mission District. Booths have been upholstered, custom light fixtures installed, restrooms tiled, and the entire place has been repainted. Here’s looking at you. Open for lunch Mon–Fri, noon–5pm; dinner Mon–Sat 5pm–midnight (until 11pm on Sunday); brunch Sat–Sun 10am–2:30pm, with late lunch 2:30pm–5pm.
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 | 11:28 am | May 26, 2008 | Foodie 411 | Add a comment
Another Top Chef contestant, Jennifer Biesty of COCO500, will be leaving Loretta Keller’s SoMa restaurant at the end of May, just shy of three years of being there. (COCO500 is celebrating its third anniversary in June, and Biesty was part of the opening team.) She is taking some time off, heading back to New York for the Top Chef reunion show, and then will be lining up some consulting gigs (like some menu consulting for 15 Romolo in North Beach) until she decides on her next spot. She said, “Through the show I learned you have to take chances… I want to do more than just be a chef.”
So to that end, Biesty has a potential project of her own in the Mission, but nothing is final—it’s all quite TBD. Taking her place at COCO500 as chef de cuisine will be Michael Morrison, who was most recently at Fish & Farm before departing in its beginning months. In a funny twist, Morrison actually worked at Bizou a while ago (when it was the former incarnation of COCO500).
No Easy Feat to Be Lafitte
There are Top Chefs, and then there are “Dissident Chefs.” Self-proclaimed Dissident Chef Russell Jackson is opening a restaurant on Pier 5 this winter called Lafitte. The 2,100-square-foot bay-front space is being designed by architect Michael Guthrie (Myth, Bix, Tra Vigne, and Spoon)—there is also an outdoor patio, and pleasure boats will be able to dock so guests can easily disembark, and dine, at the restaurant.
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 | 2:09 pm | May 23, 2008 | Foodie 411 | Add a comment
The quirky and artistic supperclub is known for their prix-fixe multisensory feast offered each night (except Mondays). The restaurant not only has a new chef, Guus Wickenhagen from Amsterdam, but they are also pioneering a sustainable program aimed at decreasing overall environmental impact and reducing the restaurant’s waste to less than 10%. supperclub’s CO2 emissions are being offset by the ClimateSmart™ program, and the restaurant has implemented the use of biodegradable products, waste composting, and energy efficient appliances across its operations.
Another Way to Go Green
San Francisco has been buzzing over some big news. How big is big? Well, Tavern on the Green is coming to the City: it’s the second-highest grossing independent restaurant in the U.S. The West Coast version will be opening on the top floor of the Metreon, overlooking Yerba Buena Gardens, and will be the largest restaurant in San Francisco, a hefty 40,000 square feet. A number of private dining options will be geared for convention-goers, and the outdoor terrace should be pretty spectacular. The project is due to open next summer 2009. The executive chef will be Brian Young, formerly of New York’s Le Bernardin and Citarella the Restaurant.
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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