Foodievents

Bar Tartine Launches Monday ‘Curiosities’ Series Tonight; Saison Hosts Wine Dinner; Atelier Crenn Features Sean Thackrey

Bar Tartine's newly blue facade.
Bar Tartine’s newly blue facade. Photo: Grub Street

Tonight marks the first in what will now be a weekly series of Monday night dinners at Bar Tartine with special, one-time-only menus. Chef Nick Balla and the team have been welcoming in guest chefs on occasional Mondays, including last week’s much-buzzed-about night with Danish chef Christian Puglisi. From here on out, Balla will be collaborating either with guests or with the in-house team including sous chef (and girlfriend) Cortney Burns and Tartine co-owner Chad Robertson on themed menus that will “provide avenues into exploring different palates and culinary heritages.” Tonight’s ‘Curiosities’ menu will be hearkening back to some of Balla’s previous work at O Izakaya and Nombe with a Japanese okazu, featuring a series of small plates and rice dishes.

It’s all à la carte, and will be a collaboration with Burns. See the menu here, and reserve here. (You may recall that the very first of these Curiosities dinners was actually last summer, featuring a one-off Laotian menu from sous chef Harry Kongvangxay.)

Next week, August 2, Atelier Crenn will be hosting a special wine dinner featuring renowned eccentric Bolinas winemaker Sean Thackrey, of Pleiades fame. Thackrey is doing something called the Cassiopeia Project which is a “study of Anderson Valley Pinot Noir,” and next week chef Dominique Crenn will be creating a five-course menu to pair with four of Thackrey’s Pinot clones made in a medieval style. Seats are $175, exclusive of tax and gratuity, and you can reserve by emailing Adriana@ateliercrenn.com.

Then on August 8, Saison will be hosting a winemaker dinner, which is something they haven’t made a habit of. Co-owner and sommelier Mark Bright will welcome winemaker Wells Guthrie of cult-favorite Copain Wines for a twelve-course (or more) meal from chef Joshua Skenes, with seatings beginning at 6 p.m. The price is $256 for food and pairings, or $148 for just the food. Reserve at 415-828-7990.

Bar Tartine Launches Monday ‘Curiosities’ Series Tonight; Saison