Bits + Bites

The New Cool Kids: Ice Cream, Popsicles and More

Sara — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:28:53 -0700

Just in time for the most beautiful day, here's a lick of good news to go with it. Looks like the city is soon to be even richer in ice cream (and popsicle) shops. Here's the scoop.

Christopher Elbow in Hayes Valley makes some of the most exquisite truffles in the city. I'm always surprised that I don't hear about his shop more often (I wonder if this is a ilttle foodie xenophobia, since Elbow started in Kansas City first; we're very faithful to our own here). The caramel fleur de sel is like drinking caramel; the bananas foster is fun, but perfectly sophisticated. Mr. Elbow is a pro. So I have to assume that his ice cream will be too and word on the street (well, on his Facebook page) has it that he's opening an ice cream shop in May. Looking forward to it.

Opening next Wednesday, hopefully, is Chile Pies and Ice Cream, which SFoodie reported is coming to the city courtesy of the Green Chile Kitchen folks. The shop will include sweet pies (chile-apple pie with cheddar crust), savory pies (New Mexico-style Frito pie), as well as Straus soft-serve frozen yogurt. There's no mention of actual ice cream, but we have to assume that's on the menu too, due to a mention of a "pie milkshake" made with an entire slice of pie blended in. We feel a Big Eat selection for 2011 in the make.

Sfoodie also just reported (they're clearly on a frozen food bender over there at the SF Weekly) on a place we've never heard of called Mandarina's Ice Pops in Hayes Valley on Octavia Street. Mandarina's also sells smoothies and juice. I've always thought a cool little paleta cart would be all nouvelle–street food rage, but I have yet to hear of it. Mandarina, want to make money? Here's the plan: Get some girls dressed up like Peachy Puffs to wander the hills of the park hawking fruity popsicles to hungover hipsters on a hot day—you've got yourself a goldmine.

And last, but not least, Bi-Rite Creamery is back in action after a temporary remodeling and expansion. With 10 stools now, and, as of three days ago, a window where you can order soft-serve ice cream (yesterday's flavors included malted vanilla), the beloved ice cream shop is back and badder than ever. And P.S. Bi-Rite makes popsicles too, so if Mandarina doesn't take my idea, well, then, Bi-Rite, it's all yours.

Any ice cream or popsicle shop openings that I missed here? Let me know!

Market Watch: The Asparagus Has Sprung!

Sara — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 12:40:54 -0700

The Ferry Plaza Farmers Market's Lulu Meyer gives us the fresh scoop every week.

We’re feeling the first twinges of Spring Fever at the market as the days have gotten longer and the weather is finally warm. The Thursday market is the perfect place to escape from your weekday routine, enjoy some of this gorgeous sunshine all perhaps while indulging in a duck fat braised pork shoulder taco topped with spicy fish sauce from this week’s Tacolicious guest chef, Alex Ong of Betelnut Restaurant. Still hungry after tacos? Then you may want to find out why Namu's Okonomyaki has been getting so much praise lately or opt for a juicy 4505 burger with all the fixings. On your way out be sure to pick up a few lovely bunches of freesia—on special this week, 3 bunches for $10—at Thomas Family Farms, a scoop of the not to be missed Bergamot Almond sorbet from Scream Sorbet. You can also support your local asparagus grower by picking up some nice stalks to take home for dinner from Zuckerman Farm.

Speaking of Asparagus, this Saturday we’re celebrating everyone’s favorite spring vegetable at the annual Asparagus Festival. Join us in the CUESA Kitchen starting at 11 am to find out more about how asparagus is grown and some of the issues currently facing growers in California. You can also grab some recipes to take home, and watch two asparagus-centric cooking demonstrations from chef Peter Rudolph of Madera Restaurant and chef David Bazirgan of Chez Papa Resto. After checking out the festivities if you’re in need of an immediate asparagus fix, CUESA’s own Chef Sarah and her team of culinary volunteers will be whipping up roasted asparagus and goat cheese sandwiches on Acme bread for $1 each. (All proceeds benefiting CUESA’s educational programs.)

It’s looking possible that next week will bring the return of strawberries and the first fresh goat cheese of the year from Bodega and Yerba Santa Goat Cheese Co. For now, the markets are the perfect place to embrace the first signs that spring is here.

Why Brunch is for Suckers

Jessica — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 10:34:37 -0700

I'm not really a breakfast person. Rather, I am not a going out to breakfast person. Nothing irritates me more then waiting on line, early on a weekend morning, to eat overpriced eggs and cold toast. Like Peter Meehan wrote today, "I think there’s value in putting money aside to go out to a place that's doing something cool rather than overpaying for a meal that's better at home." He was talking about homeburgers—hamburgers made at home—but he could just as easily been talking about pancakes, fried egg sandwiches and home fries. But it's spring, the time of year when brunching experiences an upswing brought about by sunny mornings, Easter, Mother's Day and the like, so it's worth exploring ways you can make breakfast at home every bit as exciting as its crowded cafe counterpart.

You could do worse then to lay in a supply of griddle cakes from John Campbell's Irish Bakery, which Tasting Table lovingly described some weeks back—as of three days ago, the Richmond location has been joined by a second in the Marina (3101 Fillmore St., 415-563-1519, johncampbells.com).

But what about breakfast meats? Yes, of course. There are plenty of worthy local brands, but I'm a huge fan of Nueske's bacon, which you can buy at Golden Gate Meats in the Ferry Building. Want a tutorial on cooking the perfect strips? Here you go.

Jam? That would be nice. Pick up a jar of the superlative apricot variety from We Love Jam, which can be found at Rainbow, Bi-Rite, Harvest Market and some of the Whole Foods around town.

For those who prefer their morning meal more savory then sweet, I'd recommend pre-ordering some curry kashi pan from Sandbox Bakery—I'm fairly hooked on the sweet brioche knot with its savory filling. Let me reiterate: pre-order. Very important, unless you like to harsh your Sunday morning mellow wading through the crush of dogs and strollers at the entrance.

Should you prefer to go British-style, you can order bite-size ginger scones from Bar Kleine. The baker, Trease Ewing, also supplies her nubby little treats to Blue Bottle Coffee.

Should you be in the market for a breakfast cookbook, stop by Omnivore Books, where you can also score some fresh-from-the-farm eggs up at the register, country-store style.

And last but hardly least, hash browns are important. Since Sam Sifton has already done a deep dive, I'll just send you over there to read for yourself.

Eat It: St. Patty's Day, Sake Tasting and Suckling Pig

Jessica — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 09:22:27 -0700

St. Patrick’s Day at Orson
You could go to a rowdy pub and get splashed with green beer, or you could opt for a kinder, gentler celebration at Orson, where the menu will include beer-and-cheddar soup with soda bread crackers, corned beef and cabbage and coffee parfaits with whisky-chocolate centers. The meal is $55 (plus optional beer pairings); call 415-777-1508 to make last-minute reservations.

Sake Tasting at Nombe
On March 18, celebrate the spring release of unpasteurized namazake sake at a special four-course meal at Nombe. The menu will include grilled bamboo shoots, asparagus tempura, lamb belly and other harbingers of spring, and the price (including paired sakes) is $45. To make a reservation, call 415-681-7150.

Meatpaper and SFMOMA kick off the museum’s spring event series
This Thursday, head to the rooftop garden at the SFMOMA and join Meatpaper in kicking off the museum’s spring event series. On hand to welcome you—coffee-inspired charcuterie, meat-inspired desserts and, of course, coffee from Blue Bottle. Admission to the party, which runs from 6-8 p.m. is free with half-price museum admission, and tasting plates are $5.

The Tablehopper Signs Books at Omnivore Books
Ever wondered where to take you out-of-town guests, where to meet your blind date or where to host a birthday party for ten? The Tablehopper, Marcia Gagliardi, has considered all these situations—and hundreds more, and compiled her suggestion into the hot-off-the-presses The Tablehopper’s Guide to Dining and Drinking in San Francisco. She’ll be signing books on March 24 at Omnivore from 6-7 p.m. on March 24.

Suckling Pig Roast at La Ciccia
Advance notice: Neighborhood favorite La Ciccia is planning at suckling pig dinner on March 29—the four-course meal will be paired with Sardinian wines ($80) and promises to be a tremendous feast that’s sure to sell out. Snag your reservation now by calling 415-550-8114.

Zuckerman's Asparagus: The Way of the Dinosaur?

Sara — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:12:40 -0700

While pondering what to blog about today, I looked out at the pale wash of clouds over the day's blue sky and while there might be some pressing chef gossip, what's on my mind right now is spring: the apricot jam I'm going to make, the sour cherry pie I'm going to perfect, the green garlic, the peas, the morels, the asparagus!

So, what do writers do when they don't know what to write about? They google. And I googled asparagus and up popped an article, "Hard Times for California Asparagus" that I'd missed in last week's LA Times from produce savant and writer David Karp.

According to Karp, Mexican and Peruvian-grown asparagus has taken over because of access to cheap labor (which translates to cheap prices)—but to such an extent that one of our favorite San Joaquin Delta growers here, Zuckerman's Farm, is on their "last stand":

"Farmers often cry that the sky is falling when they are really just experiencing a cyclical downturn in markets, but hard facts back up Zuckerman's concern. California still grows about 11,500 acres of asparagus, estimates Cherie Watte Angulo, executive director of the California Asparagus Commission. But this is down from 20,200 in 2007 and 40,900 is 2000. Twenty years ago, California produced 62% of the asparagus consumed in the United States; so its share is close to 10%, Angulo says."

Read the rest of the article and then go out and buy some fat local asparagus and cook it up for dinner tonight. Zuckerman's is available at both the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market and the Alemany Farmers Market. It's a worthy cause and a good way to celebrate the (almost) beginning of spring. We've got four days before the official kickoff.

I always like asparagus topped with a soft-cooked egg but this is one of my oldie but goodie ode-to-spring recipes.

On Restaurant Magic

Jessica — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 10:17:10 -0700

Last weekend I had a great meal at Church & State in Los Angeles. My dining companions and I sat there, in the center of the dining room amidst a swirl of activity, and I felt the happiest I'd been in a restaurant in quite some time. Everything was great—great energy, smart servers, terrific food—but there was also some indescribable brilliance that made that spot feel special. Restaurants—even good restaurants—don't always have this magic ingredient, and while we worked out way through bacalao fritters, escargot, perfect John Dory, we tried to figure out what it was.

I actually think about this a lot—why some restaurants are great and others are lame, what it is—beyond the obvious (food, service) that makes a restaurant feel special. Across the pond, the London Sunday Times restaurant reviewer A.A. Gill was thinking the same thing, and yesterday published a story called "The Golden Rules of a Perfect Restaurant." More then rules for a perfect restaurant, his article reads more like a cautionary tale for wanna-be restauranteurs and chefs, a dose of reality.

Says Gill, "The worst reason to open a restaurant is because you really love feeding people, and want to make a warm, hospitable, elegant space with great food, where friends can come and have a wonderful cosy time. A restaurant is a business. You have to want to work for money, not give dinner parties and be palmed tips." He goes on for nine more bulleted points, each with his gems of wisdom—"a restaurant is not a theatre" (sorry, OPEN restuarant); "Every facet of a restaurant needs fixing all the time" (true); "Restauranteurs have no idea what it's like to be a customer in their own dining room" (also true); "To become a restauranteur is to lose any sense of relative worth"; "No restaurant PR has ever made a positive difference to any restaurant in the history of catering" (hmm); "location, location, location means little or nothing" (true at Church & State, certainly, which is in an alley on the outskirts of downtown Los Angeles, and true at Aziza, way out in the middle of nowhere); "hard work seems to make little difference" (I'd argue here that hard work won't make a bad restaurant good, necessarily, but it goes a long way towards making a good restaurant great).

But like me, Gill can't put his finger on the magic. I suppose if he or I could, we'd probably become wealthy restaurant consultants and none of us would ever again have to suffer the indignity of a terrible dinner at a subpar but well-intentioned neighborhood joint. As he ends his piece, "I still can't tell you what will make them good or successful (not necessarily the same thing). It is an elusive and capricious alchemy." Those who have it should feel, above all else, incredibly lucky.

The Winner of the Big Eat Scavenger Hunt: The Exit Interview

Sara — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 11:48:30 -0800

Michael Meadows completed the Big Eat scavenger hunt on Food Spotting on February 24, barely three weeks after the February issue of 7x7 containing the 2010 Big Eat came out! We were stunned. We were curious. After congratulating him (and getting ready to send off his winning prize of dinner for two at Quince and a stay at a hotel), we got down to the nitty gritty.

What do you do when you're not eating?
I do project management for Satmetrix.

How on earth did you complete this so quickly? You cheated, didn't you.
No! This year there was a map, so I was able to divide the city into different regions. My kids go to school in the Haight and we live in the outer Misison, and we work downtown, so there's always this arch that I'm traveling through. Every Tuesday I go through the Haight and get the Blue Bell Bitter, anyway. My wife got into it as well. What we'd eat was completely random: We'd get a loaf of bread from Tartine and the chicken from Limon and the chips from Papalote and that would be dinner.

What was your biggest day?
For Valentine's Day, we kicked into high gear. We left work at 5 o'clock to get to Swan Oyster Depot before they closed, headed to Bix, got the tuna tartare and martini, then walked over to Quince, got the agnolotti, went from Alfred's [Steak House] to Wexler's to Perbacco and there was a wait for an hour-and-half to get into Tadich [Grill], so my wife said 'forget it!' and we went to Anchor & Hope (and if she drank red wine we would have gone to RN74), then we went to Michael Mina and got the lobster pot pie in the lounge. Then we went to Tosca and had a coffee and stopped Katana–ya and got the ramen. These are all places that I've known about, but a lot I hadn't been to

My god. [stunned moment of silence] So how did you get into the restaurants without reservations?
Well, we'd just go into the bar and just sit whatever. I had the printout of the Big Eat and I'd show it to the restaurant and explain that we were on the scavenger hunt.

What compelled you to finish so quickly?
Part, truly, was the Food Spotting app, because you could see the other competitors. People would leap frog. One person would have 10 and one person would come back with 20… then I'd have to go slightly above them. I followed their twitter feed to know what they were eating.

Tensest moment?
At one point, Darwin [another competitor on the Food Spotting Big Eat scavenger hunt] got to 87. We were going 1 to 1. The pork sugo at Delfina wasn't on the menu and I knew we'd both be at 98 and he had things like the burrito at El Farolito and it was going to be like the Mad Mad Mad World. So I called up Delfina and asked if they'd had it on the menu. I called every day, so I think they wanted me to stop calling, and they finally put it on the menu and that's how I won! And then my family went to Anthony's Cookies for dessert.

Are you going through a post Big Eat depression?
Since I wrapped this thing up so we haven't been out at all. I cook quite a bit.

What were your favorite dishes on the Big Eat?
I really liked the huaraches with the nopales from the Alemany farmers market. I know this is a cop-out, but the roasted chicken from Zuni and the basil gimlet from Rye. Every though I don't love Heaven's Dog, I could live off the Shanghai Buck.

What would you like to see on there next year?
I would put possibly the Monterey scramble from Primo Patio. That's really good. Or classics like the pancakes from Sears or the cotton candy from the Stow Lake boat house.

Market Watch: Top Chefs Guest at Tacolicious

Sara — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 10:28:31 -0800

Lulu Meyer brings us the best of the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market every week. Eat well.

Joe Hargrave of Tacolicious (husband to Sara Deseran at 7x7) approached me in early February with an idea to raise a little money for CUESA and attract more attention to the Thursday market, which slows down in the rainy winter months. He proposed inviting a few of his friends—who just happen to be some of the city’s most talented chefs—down to the market to create a signature addition to their already stellar line-up of weekly tacos. I loved the idea (how often do you get to taste something made by a top-notch chef for under 5 bucks?) and the chefs seemed excited, so Joe got busy putting together a schedule. The series kicked off last Thursday and will last well into April.

The first guest taco chef was Fish & Farm’s Chad Newton; he prepared a slow-poached, seared octopus, confit potato, cabbage and smoked crema taco that was positively delicious. The excitement will continue today when Craig Stoll of Delfina will offer up both a lamb riblet and a cabeza taco. Over the next month we’ll also see tacos from Alex Ong of Betelnut, Liza Shaw of A16, Robbie Lewis, formerly of Bacar, Mark Denham of the eagerly anticipated Bishop, and Staffan Terje of Perbacco.

All proceeds from the guest chef tacos will go to the CUESA Seller Scholarship Fund. This fund allows us to pay the way to some of the best regional farming conferences for several of the (100 +) farmers and vendors in our market. This is a crucial means for them to learn new sustainable practices, network, and stay up to date with the food production community at large.

So now, in addition to the other stellar Thursday offerings from Roli Roti, Pizza Politana, Namu, 4505 Meats, and Captain Mike’s Holy Smoke, you can feel good about helping to give back to the vibrant market community that is the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. And on top of it all, you’ll have a new taco to try every week!

Eat It: Cheese, Bees and Slaughter City

Jessica — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:14:51 -0800

A Cheesy Book Release
Gordan Edgar, the cheesemonger of Rainbow Grocery, will celebrate the release of his new book, Cheesemonger: A Life on the Wedge, with a party at Amnesia Bar on March 13 at 6:30 p.m.

Tara Austen Weaver at Omnivore Books
Food writer Tara Austen Weaver has released her memoir, The Butcher and the Vegetarian: One Woman’s Romp Through a World of Men, Meat and Moral Crisis, and will be at Omnivore Books on March 13 to sign copies and discuss meaty matters. The event is free and runs from 3-4 p.m.

Behind the Scenes at a Slaughterhouse
Naomi Wallace’s play brings to life the voices of the forgotten workers of the slaughterhouse—catch a performance this Friday, Saturday or Sunday (March 12-14) at Berkeley’s Zellerbach theatre. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased by calling 510-642-8827 or online by clicking here.

Introduction to Beekeeping
Graze the Roof will be holding a day-long backyard beekeeping workshop, led by two members of the SF Beekeepers Association, at the Glide Foundation (333 Ellis St.) on Saturday, March 13, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Learn how to start and maintain your own hive, all for a suggested donation of $30. To RSVP, email grazetheroof@gmail.com.

Sustainable Seafood and Chablis at the Moss Room
Next Tuesday, March 16, the Moss Room will be serving a special winemakers dinner, featuring the Chablis of Domaine Christian Moreau, accompanied by a multi-course sustainable seafood feast (don’t worry, nothing’s sourced from the Cal Academy aquarium). The meal is $95 plus tax and gratuity. To reserve your seat, call 415-876-6121.

First Bite: The (re)Birth of Marlowe

Jessica — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:59:40 -0800

Ah, if only all transformations could as be as seemingly effortless as Madonna's. From Like a Virgin to Blonde Ambition, that lady made it all look so easy. The reality of reinvention, of course, is much trickier, particularly for restaurants, who are now getting into the game with increasing frequency. Marlowe reopened in mid-February after transitioning from their previous incarnation as the South Food and Wine Bar. Though Anna Weinberg is still owner, her partnership with celeb chef (and Virgin Airlines consultant) Luke Mangan is no longer, nor does the Australian-inflected menu remain (let's all take a moment to mourn the loss of South's licorice-lime dessert, shall we?).

Replacing South is something much more familiar to the Bay Area diner, a kind of Cal-Bistro hybrid with a tightly edited menu featuring some of this region's greatest hits: bone marrow, tartare, the venerable old little gem salad. Jen Puccio is now helming the kitchen (she was last seen at Cortez, where she earned three starts from the Chronicle), and for the time being she seems to be playing it a little bit safe, employing a sort of "just give them what they want" approach to the menu (yes, there's a burger). Not only has the menu been completely changed, but the space itself has been completely redecorated—thick, rough hewn tables, black leather, penny tiles and chalkboards with butcher-style drawings of animals have replaced the blond wood, red and white scheme of South—to my mind, it's an improvement. The restaurant feels more casual now, more like a place you might drop into for a snack or a glass of wine, which, given its proximity to the Cal Train station, seems like a desirable thing. And while it's too soon to predict what this reinvention will mean for the restaurant in the long-term, I applaud the guts it takes to change course mid-stream.

330 Townsend St., 415-974-5599, marlowesf.com