the tablehopper | 11:01 am | August 28, 2008 | Foodie 411 | Add a comment
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 | 2:38 pm | August 27, 2008 | Foodie 411 | Add a comment
Over in the North Mission neighborhood, the long-awaited Four Barrel Coffee has opened. While it’s not a café meant for hanging out (no Wi-Fi!), there is a cupping table, where anyone can stand, taste, and learn at the daily cuppings. The offerings are purposefully limited (no non-fat milk or flavorings), and everything is one size only. Some donuts will be provided by Dynamo Donuts, also in the Mission. Hours are Mon–Thu 7am–8pm, Fri 7am–9pm, Sat 8am–9pm, Sun 8am–8pm.
More good eats and treats in the Mission: there’s the new Limon Rotisserie that moved into the former Pollo Rico space. Think juicy chicken off the Peruvian-style rotisserie, side dishes of yucca or beans plus other small plates, a ceviche bar, and beer, wine, and sangria.
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 | 11:47 am | August 26, 2008 | Foodie 411 | Add a comment
Slow Food Nation is on its way, and while many of the seminars are filled up, there are some really cool Slow Food Dinners happening all over the Bay Area, benefitting a variety of very worthy organizations. Dinners are Thursday August 28th–Monday September 1st, 2008.
One that caught my eye is the Orson event on Friday August 29th—the staff has teamed up with the organization Nextcourse. Chef de cuisine Ryan Farr will go to the farmers’ market with kids from the Nextcourse program, picking out vegetables for the dinner, with a video camera following them while they shop. During the dinner, guests can watch the market video as they eat the produce they picked out. For more, here’s a link to the menu.
Cavallo Point (it’s a breathtaking location) across the bay has a special dinner on Saturday August 30th for only $75, with wine pairings, tax, and tip included! I tried Joseph Humphrey’s tasting menu a few weeks back and was quite enthralled—they even have their very own “house cheese” from Andante! Stay the night if you can.
Vegetarians will also be pleased with all the choices. Chef Leif Hedendal’s event on Thursday the 28th at Small Shed Flatbreads in Mill Valley looks like such a winner.
Also, don’t miss the Taste Pavilions over the weekend (there are still tickets available in the evenings). The Taste Pavilions present an unprecedented opportunity to sample the regional foods of America, with products from every state hand-picked by ‘curators’ who are nationally recognized experts in a particular type of food.
This bounty will be organized into 15 distinct pavilions within the 50,000 square foot pier at Fort Mason. Each pavilion will offer two types of food plates, flights and snacks, and connect visitors with the artisans’ process via unique displays and demonstrations. Strawberries and cream will be hand-cranked into ice cream at the Ice Cream Pavilion; stuffed breads and pizzas will be baked outside in the tandoori and wood-burning ovens of the Bread Pavilion; quick pickles will be brined at the Pickles & Chutney Pavilion. The Taste Pavilions represent Beer, Bread, Charcuterie, Cheese, Chocolate, Coffee, Fish, Honey & Preserves, Ice Cream, Native Foods, Olive Oil, Pickles & Chutney, Spirits, Tea and Wine.
Flights are designed for curious visitors to taste a cross-section of what the country has to offer–for example, a selection of single-origin bean to bar chocolates crafted by top notch small American artisans from Missouri, California, Massachusetts and Utah. Snacks are designed to fulfill visitors’ hunger for a heftier plate of regional food, such as a slice of warm skillet corn bread with Kentucky ham and Appalachian sour corn relish.
To provide a backdrop to the unique and delicious foods, over a dozen of the Bay Area’s most celebrated architects have worked pro-bono to design each Taste Pavilions.
Another thing to consider: the Slow on the Go street food offerings for sale at Civic Center Plaza are sure to be delicious, with offerings from Fatted Calf, Primavera, and others. Hours are Friday, August 29th–Sunday, August 31st, 11am–4pm.
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 | 2:34 pm | August 25, 2008 | Foodie 411 | Add a comment
Down in SoMa, Jack Falstaff is launching “Happy Jack Hour,” featuring $5 cocktails and $5 bites, including Dungeness-jalapeno crab cakes, spiced lamb meatballs, house-cut fries with shaved cheddar, and more. Enjoy bites while
al fresco on the enclosed patio or in the lounge. Happy hour is
every Wed–Fri 5pm–7pm.
LEVEL III in Union Square has a happy hour Monday through Friday, from 4pm–7pm. Guests can order from three red wines, three whites, three cocktails developed by H. Ehrmann of Elixir, and three bar nibbles, all at 50% off. Some menu items include mac and cheese, crispy calamari, and American Kobe beef sliders.
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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