Perhaps you're feeling adventurous this July 4th, or perhaps a friend happened to drop by with a 25-pound suckling pig and not a clue what to do with it. Quince and Cotogna chef Michael Tusk has offered up some instructions for this manliest of holiday tasks, appropriately enough in Men's Journal. You'll need a 30-inch grill for a piglet that size, and besides that just a little salt, pepper, rosemary, garlic, and lard. [Men's Journal]
The former Mecca, in its heyday. The space has been dark since last October when Gingerfruit closed.
Once upon time, it was called Mecca (2029 Market Street), and it was one of the more happening spots for Castro and Upper Market dining of the late nineties and early aughts. Mecca closed, gave way to Pudong in early 2011, which closed almost as soon as it opened, and then was reborn as the only slightly retooled Gingerfruit a couple months later. Gingerfruit closed in October, and after noting some recent construction activity at the space, today Grub Street learns that the new restaurant to take its place will be similarly Asian, and will be called Shanghai. The owner is still Francis Tsai, the 83-year-old restaurateur who opened Wu Kong at Rincon Center, and who's owned the ground-floor space since the Mecca days. He was also behind both its recent, short-lived Asian incarnations. Now, with the help of former Shanghai 1930 chef Leo Gan, he's giving it one more go, but this time with a significant remodel — something the space dearly needs since the ghost of Mecca lingered heavily and sterilely in the space.
Patty U. was back on the blog over the weekend with the first critical take on Salumeria, the new deli and sandwich shop attached to Central Kitchen in the Mission. While she's charmed by the antipasti and the old-world deli feel, as well as the setting of Central Kitchen's patio for seating, her first sandwich order (the porchetta) came overloaded with whole-grain mustard, and she complained. Her second try, though, was a prosciutto cotto sandwich she liked a lot better. [Unterman on Food]
We've made it a tradition here at Grub Street SF to supplement Michael Bauer's annual update of his Top 100 Bay Area Restaurants with five that we feel were either unjustly snubbed, or unjustly cut from the list. Now that the Chron is doing a Top 100 Bars list, we feel compelled to do the same — and we have to say there are a couple of pretty great bars which typically make critics' and bloggers best lists, not to mention venerable dives, that were snubbed on this lengthy list.
Sure, they've got smørrebrød and a few Scandinavian-style cured fish dishes at Bar Tartine, but San Francisco has otherwise lacked any actual Scandinavian restaurants ... until now. Pläj (pronounced like "play") opened Friday in the former Ovations space at the Inn at the Opera (333 Fulton Street). Eater broke the news a few weeks back, and now the Scoop gets the opening menu from chef Roberth Sundell, who most recently has been cooking in Tahoe and L.A. You find a good amount of seafood (seared, smoked, and cured), a Scandinavian-style charcuterie plate with salted lamb, cured pork belly, and wild boar salami, and some delicious sounding potato dumplings with lardons, brown butter, onion ragout, and lingonberries. Also, there are Norwegian and Icelandic beers, and a cocktail list featuring cold-climate spirits like vodka and genever. They're open nightly at 5 p.m. [Eater, Scoop]
Back in the fall we mentioned that farm:table (754 Post Street), the popular Tenderloin breakfast and lunch spot, was expanding with a coffee kiosk and second location at 988 Market Street, in the Warfield Building. Well, farm:table is coming to Mid-Market this week, but about a block up from there at 1100 Market.* (Owner Shannon Amitin says he's been on his hands and knees all weekend helping refinish the floor.) There will be good coffee, and a similiar pastry-and-garden-fresh-bites menu as the original location up the hill, but there won't be any seating. In related news, the parklet that's in the works up at the Tenderloin location is nearing completion too. [Earlier] Update: It turns out, for now, farm:table is only popping up in conjunction with the new Trailhead shop at 1100 Market (at McAllister), as part of A Temporary Offering. They'll be open Tuesday through Sunday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Warfield building spot is delayed.
A group of friends who happen to be chefs and proprietors at a few of the Bay Area's hipper and more popular food destinations recently took a surfing trip to a tiny village north of Zihuatanejo on the Pacific coast of Mexico. Among them were Pizzaiolo/Boot & Shoe chef-owner Charlie Hallowell, Outerlands baker-owner-bartender Dave Muller, and Tartine baker-owner Chad Robertson, who wrote the trip up for Bon Appétit. They brought along some surfer friends and a couple more chefs, as well as photographer Chris Gentile, and now the magazine has published it all, along with some recipes for your own idyllic, beachfront grilling — or just for your own online ogling. [Bon App]
Ribs, sauced awesomely.Photo: Ian Knauer
Americans know the Fourth of July, and summer in general, is the time for barbecue. But depending on where you live in this country, you probably have very strong feelings about barbecue sauce. If you're from eastern North Carolina, you will vehemently defend the region's sharp mixture of vinegar, chiles, and salt. Alabamians will stand behind their mayonnaise-based sauce. The list goes on and on, but the plain fact is that the best barbecue sauces all start with ketchup.
Photo: Camper English/Facebook
San Francisco, as the Irish bar-owner father of a friend once told us, has always been "the most drinkin-est town" he knows. We may not have the most bars per capita in the nation — that title goes to Hurley, Wisconsin, with a bar for every 47 residents — but we have a hell of a lot of them. The Bay Area boasts a bevy of world-class dives, the OGs of the Tiki craze, and the cocktail culture here has gotten to the point where an armchair critic is as likely to judge a restaurant on the ratios in their Aviation as they are the pinkness of their medium-rare ribeye. So, it's about time that the Chronicle decided to whip out a list of the Top 100 Bars around the Bay to go with their Top 100 Restaurants and Top 100 Wines lists.
What's that jacket, Margiela?Photo: Melissa Hom
We would have called it Banappétit: Today the Times brings word of a new marketing partnership between Bon App and Banana Republic. What to expect: a new line of clothes called Desk to Dinner that — you guessed it — "are intended to be versatile enough to be worn from a day at the office to a night out to eat."
For those hoping to bop down to Los Gatos for some of David Kinch's award-winning Northern California fare this week, you will be out of luck. Manresa is closed for a little vacation and will reopen next week, on July 11, to kick off five days of tenth-anniversary celebration dinners.
A Taco Bell "feast" normally leaves people bloated, bereft of joy, and riddled with guilt. But not the 6,000 or so residents of Bethel, Alaska. You'll recall that a couple of weeks ago they were tricked into believing a Taco Bell would open in their tiny town. It was not to be, but the marketing arm of the taco chain saw an opportunity. So over the weekend they flew enough fixins for 10,000 tacos — the Doritos kind — into town. No word on how much MTN DEW A.M. they carted in so people could wash everything down. [AP, Earlier]
“Billy's Philly”
Billy is only there after 5 pm but if you are around go there and ask for his billy philly, the best philly you'll find this side of the Mississippi.
“Elegant Sauces & Fabulous Bread”
It is the place me and my love go for every intimate moment.
“Are you kidding?”
You have to be totally drunk to think that this is even acceptable as a public watering hole.
