Grub Street San Francisco

An Early Take on Seaglass; City Beer Store Turns Seven

Jay Barmann — Sat, 18 May 2013 00:05:23 GMT

Embarcadero: Here's an early review of Loretta Keller's new Exploratorium restaurant, Seaglass. [KQED]
SoMa: City Beer Store is having a party to celebrate their 7th birthday this weekend. [SFoodie]
West Portal: Trattoria da Vittorio is now open. [Eater, Scoop]
Also, La Boulange just signed a lease near there, too. [Scoop]

]]> Read more posts by Jay Barmann

Filed Under: neighborhood watch, openings, seaglass, trattoria da vittorio

Lion Meat Comes to the Bay Area

Jay Barmann — Fri, 17 May 2013 23:15:00 GMT

The lion skewer in question.]]> Just last week a Tampa restaurant garnered national press for serving tacos stuffed with lion meat, and now a San Francisco Peninsula restaurant has decided to get in on the game. Burlingame's Mokutanya is serving a lion meat skewer as part of an exotic game menu on Wednesday and Thursday nights, and even though the wee portion (pictured) is $70, they sold twenty orders just last night alone. Clearly Bay Area foodists live for this kind of thing. Despite a general outcry on Facebook due to the endangered status of lions, and despite the fact that Taco Fusion in Tampa already quit their stunt after the public outcry there, Mokutanya says the lion will be back next Wednesday. [Eater, Scoop, CBS, Earlier]

]]> Read more posts by Jay Barmann

Filed Under: stunt eats, kerfuffles, mokutanya

Amy Bouzaglo Becomes a Meme

Jay Barmann — Fri, 17 May 2013 22:30:33 GMT

]]> "Crazy Amy" Bouzaglo, arguably Kitchen Nightmares' biggest nightmare to date, has gone from vilified viral reality TV celebrity to meme, all in about five days. Behold some of the various meme captions that have popped up in the few days since we first fell under her spell. [SFoodie, Earlier, Earlier still]

]]> Read more posts by Jay Barmann

Filed Under: funnies, amy bouzaglo, amy's baking company

New Lunch Delivery Option, Eat Club, on the Way to S.F. Next Week

Jay Barmann — Fri, 17 May 2013 22:10:54 GMT

Coming to a block near you... starting May 22.]]> Entering the fray for downtown lunch options comes a new delivery service, launched first on the Peninsula, called Eat Club. It's a subscription-based, app-powered service that's being dubbed the "Uber of food trucks," and it aims to make lunch buying and fetching a bit less of a time-suck. They're launching in beta mode next week, and the deal is fairly simple: Each day, Eat Club's buses will offer a selection of food from several San Francisco restaurants and food trucks — including big names like Bar Tartine, Shanghai Dumpling King, and Nopalito — and subscribers will get to order lunch by 10:30 a.m., and then walk out of their office around noon and grab it from the bus at a set location. As co-founder Rodrigo Santibanez says, "We're breaking down the geographic boundaries of what you can get at lunchtime."

]]> Membership is free, but in order to control the volume and insure a good user experience, they're starting with a wait-list system. (You can sign up here.) The average wait time before you're registered and able to start ordering, Santibanez says, is about three days, though that may change. The smartphone app, used for ordering, will launch on Wednesday, May 22.

Finding a good and reasonably priced lunch in and around the FiDi is always a bit of a battle. Eat Club did a private pilot test last week, parking outside the Accenture building on Second Street, and they say they got at least 1,000 inquiries from interested passersby.

The company's actually been around since 2010, following more of a catering model for offices in Silicon Valley. But now they've assembled a new team and for the San Francisco concept, which is more focused on individual lunch orders and offers a service that's somewhat unique to the delivery scene, which includes the recently launched TCB Courier.

Also, as food program manager Amie Bailey explains, "We're going to take really, really great care of the food." The orders wil be kept stable and upright, well chilled if appropriate or held in a hot environment until delivery. "We're looking to provide more of a restaurant-quality experience," she says. "It's not like handing it off to a courier where maybe it gets to you right side up."

The list of partner restaurants, pop-ups, and trucks is still coming together, with 30 and counting as of today. Other partners besides those above include Kasa Indian, Curry Up Now, trucks like Eire Trea and Little Green Cyclo, and pop up Rice Paper Scissors.
Amie Bailey, food program manager.

Ultimately, Eat Club is looking to expand to other cities, but for now, says Santibanez, "We're focused on winning in San Francisco."

Look for the initial parking/pick-up spot to be on Second Street between Mission and Howard, with more locations to be decided.

]]> Read more posts by Jay Barmann

Filed Under: delivery brigade, eat club, lunch, truckin'

Roth Is Only Half Fond of Wine Kitchen; Bauer Calls Madrona Manor ‘a Poor Man’s Meadowood’; Boer Likes Juhu Beach Club

Jay Barmann — Fri, 17 May 2013 20:10:00 GMT

Wine Kitchen]]> Anna Roth at the Weekly gives a first review to Divisadero wine bar Wine Kitchen, which opened back in January. She finds a few things to like, especially the wine selection, the gnocchi dish, and the orange-chocolate pudding. But she finds the crowd a bit tiresome and bougie, and the space itself "strangely soulless." [SF Weekly]

]]> Michael Bauer hits up longtime Sonoma stalwart Madrona Manor for an update review this week, and he says that chef Jesse Mallgren, there since 1999, remains "one of the Bay Area's most underrated chefs." Bauer's dining companion calls the place, with its lush garden-side setting in Healdsburg, "like a poor man's Meadowood," but the prices aren't for too poor a man (five courses for $159 including pairings; ten courses for $234 with pairings). He's impressed with the lavish amuse bouches, and the finely tuned food that comes in category-labeled courses like "Clean/Crisp" (a mackerel filet with gin-infused panna cotta and juniper berries), and "Smooth" (sauteed John Dory with baby artichokes, green garlic and kombu). All told he gives the place three stars, but says that the one way that it can't compare to other high-end restaurants is the service, which he notes is fairly unpolished, and "It's almost as if they are pretending because no one has taught them the whys and wherefores of good service." [Chron]

And Nicholas Boer at the Chron is on two-star duty this week, and he covers Preeti Mistry's Juhu Beach Club in Oakland. He says the place is, inarguably, "fun," and he loves Mistry's Indian-spiced take on Cracker Jacks, dubbed desi jacks; the fried paneer puffs; and the grilled beet-potato-cheese sandwich dubbed the Bombay Sandwich, which he names as his favorite menu item. He's a bit overwhelmed with some of the spice, and doesn't much care for the sulphur-y black salt that's popular in India and that Mistry is convinced Americans are ready for. And he says you can skip the vindaloo chicken wings. Service is buoyant and the servers' enthusiasm is "infectious," and overall he sounds fond of the place. [Chron]

]]> Read more posts by Jay Barmann

Filed Under: the other critics, anna roth, juhu beach club, madrona manor, michael bauer, nicholas boer, wine kitchen

Pesce Relocating to the Jake’s/2223 Space in the Castro

Jay Barmann — Fri, 17 May 2013 19:00:26 GMT

]]> We caught sight of a new ownership notice at 2223 Market Street back in March, but it turns out there was more to the story. Pesce (2227 Polk Street), the popular Russian Hill Venetian restaurant that opened in 2002, is actually going to relocate to the space in the coming months, as the Scoop reports. Pesce marked the first partnership between restaurateur Adriano Paganini and chef Ruggero Gadaldi, who have gone on to open the very successful family of restaurants that includes Beretta, Delarosa, and Starbelly. And this is terrific news for the Castro, given the widespread vacancies that have plagued the neighborhood for the last year, despite an uptick in the economy.

]]> Pesce is moving due to the constraints of the small space on Polk Street, and the reborn restaurant is expected to open with the exact same, Venetian-inspired and seafood-heavy menu, possibly as soon as August.

Pesce joins the recently opened Dante's Table and Fable on Castro Street, the upcoming Beaux in the former Trigger space, and the proposed Randy Rooster burlesque club in the march to fill the 'hood's vacancies.

Still empty are Blue (2337 Market Street), Home (Church and Market, which may become a Chipotle), and the neverending vacancy story that is The Patio (531 Castro Street).

Pesce plans a big move from Polk Street to Market Street [Scoop]
Earlier: Castro Vacancy Watch: 2223 Market Snapped Up; Trigger in Play; Blue Still Dark
Jake’s On Market Closes With Final Shout-Out to Haters on Yelp

]]> Read more posts by Jay Barmann

Filed Under: previews, jake's on market, movin' on up, pesce, real estate

Two Grocery Outlets on the Way, in the Richmond and Visitacion Valley

Jay Barmann — Fri, 17 May 2013 17:15:41 GMT

]]> Grocery Outlet, the source for cheap, overstock dry goods, deeply discounted wine, and frozen pizzas nearing their expiration dates, is finally coming to San Francisco. The bargain grocery chain's closest current location is in South San Francisco, with others in Oakland and Berkeley, where the company's headquartered. But now they've staked a claim on two spaces here — one a former Cala Foods and Delano's at 6333 Geary Boulevard (at 27th), and the other in Visitacion Valley at 2630 Bayshore Boulevard. The company announced the two locations last fall, to the delight of both neighborhoods, which are currently under-served, grocery-wise.

]]> Jim Read founded Grocery Outlet in 1946 and originally bought military surplus goods which he sold at extreme discounts. Now the company has 185 locations, primarily in western states, where they sell produce, meat, deli meats, frozen foods, dry goods, wine, spirits, and anything else they can find at deep discounts from distributors, wineries, and other grocers. You can often find great deals on the wine and booze front especially, with brand names going for far less than you'd find at Trader Joe's or anywhere. But, like at any outlet, the selection is hit and miss, and the good stuff goes fast.

Look for both locations to open later this year.

Earlier: Grocery Outlet Signs Leases for Neighborhood Grocery Stores in Visitacion Valley, Richmond Districts [Market Watch]

]]> Read more posts by Jay Barmann

Filed Under: groceries, grocery outlet, previews

Frances Chef Melissa Perello Contemplates a Second Restaurant

Jay Barmann — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:15:47 GMT

Perello]]> In an interview with Haighteration today, Frances chef Melissa Perello reveals that she's "thinking about starting to think about Frances #2." Certainly no one can accuse her of rushing things, having taken three years to develop and open Frances after leaving the kitchen at Fifth Floor, and we're now three and a half years into the life of the highly successful Castro neighborhood restaurant. The concept for the spinoff would be like Frances, "but on a larger scale." She says she's contemplating the NoPa neighborhood (she also loves Nopa, the restaurant), as well as the Lower Haight, but whatever location she may find she's going to look for "a space that [has] a neighborhood feel." In any event, she's "just contemplating it" at this point, so don't get too excited. Yet. [Haighteration]

]]> Read more posts by Jay Barmann

Filed Under: empire building, frances, melissa perello, rumor mill

Tosca Closes This Weekend For Renovations; David Chang/David Simon Event Still Has Tickets

Jay Barmann — Thu, 16 May 2013 23:15:00 GMT

North Beach: Tosca Café (242 Columbus Avenue), the North Beach institution that's being taken over by Ken Friedman and chef April Bloomfield of NY's Spotted Pig fame, is closing its doors after Sunday night for a renovation that's likely to last several months. [Scoop, Earlier]
Ferry Building: The aforementioned Humphry Slocombe expansion to the Ferry Building needs your help, and they've started a "Lickstarter" campaign. [Eater]
Hayes Valley: They just put balcony tickets for sale for this City Arts & Lectures event on May 30 at the Nourse Theater featuring Momofuku chef David Chang and Treme/The Wire creator David Simon. [Grub Street]

]]> Read more posts by Jay Barmann

Filed Under: neighborhood watch, closings, foodievents, tosca cafe

New Restaurants in Healdsburg: Chalkboard, SHED, and Partake

Jay Barmann — Thu, 16 May 2013 22:45:00 GMT

The former Cyrus, transformed.]]> Last week marked the debuts of one new spot in Healdsburg, where the food scene has been blowing up in general over the last eighteen months or so, and new tasting rooms are opening up left and right too. Chalkboard, the new casual spot taking over the former Cyrus space, opened quietly last week. As you can see in the photo above, new owner Bill Foley, who owns the Hotel Les Mars, made use of the Venetian-style vaulted ceiling from the dining room and made it all feel a lot less formal. The chef is Shane McAnelly, formerly of Va de Vi in Walnut Creek, and he's working with a a three-acre garden at Foley's nearby Chalk Hill Winery (hence the restaurant name).

]]> The daily changing menu includes crudos, tartare, just-picked salads, handmade pastas, roasted and grilled meats, and seafood, and dishes include fava bean and baby artichoke salad; buttermilk fried quail; and housemade wild nettle and ricotta gnudi with mushrooms and Meyer lemon. See the full menu here. There is also a full cocktail bar, focused on the classics with a few original creations, and wine by the glass, bottle, or flight.

Right next door, there's SHED, which we just shared news of a couple weeks back. That's a huge home and garden complex that includes a restaurant and cafe.

Around the corner and down the street on Healdsburg Avenue, Kendall-Jackson has taken over what was formerly Shimo Modern Steak House (the short-lived venture from the Cyrus team, at 241 Healdsburg Avenue). The new concept is called Partake by K-J, and their goal is to "redefine the tasting experience" with a civilized lounge setting and small-bites menu.

Assuming you like Kendall-Jackson wines, it could make for a good transition between afternoon tasting and dinner, with wine flights, food pairings, and an à la carte menu by Kendall-Jackson Executive Chef Justin Wangler, including things like panna cotta with Dungeness crab and Meyer lemon salad; and the aforementioned Cabernet fries.

Chalkboard - 29 North Street, Healdsburg - 707-473-8030 - Open daily for dinner at 5 p.m., with the bar opening at 5 p.m. Lunch service to kick off in July.

SHED - 25 North Street, Healdsburg - 707-431-7433 - Open daily, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Partake by K-J - 241 Healdsburg Avenue - 707-433-6000 - Open Sunday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Friday and Saturday until 10 p.m. Reserve also via the web.

]]> Read more posts by Jay Barmann

Filed Under: openings, chalk board bistro, partake, shed

Rickybobby Launches Sunday Burger Brunch

Jay Barmann — Thu, 16 May 2013 22:05:39 GMT

The Beef and Bacon Burger]]> Fans of Rickybobby's ridiculously bacony, obviously good for you beef and bacon burger will be glad to learn that the restaurant is now doing Burger Sundays. They'll offer a limited menu for brunch, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., on Sundays only. Otherwise, they're sticking just to dinner. [Haighteration]

]]> Read more posts by Jay Barmann

Filed Under: brunch, burgers, rickybobby

S.F. Butcher Who Invented Bacon Hot Dogs Not Offended by Oscar Mayer Rip-off

Jay Barmann — Thu, 16 May 2013 20:45:00 GMT

The new dogs in question.]]> This week, Oscar Mayer introduced a new line of hot dogs, one of which has bacon mixed into the filling, which immediately called to mind what we thought was a San Francisco innovation by 4505 Meats: the bacon-studded hot dog. Grub Street reached out to 4505 butcher Ryan Farr to gauge his reaction, and while he's not absolutely certain that he was the first person in history to think of putting bacon into a hot dog, he thought of the idea on his own a few years ago, and he's not too upset that the hot-dog behemoth has copied him. "I guess I'm flattered," he says.

]]> And, as it happens, Oscar Mayer may have even served as Farr's initial inspiration: "The reason we started doing it was because we wanted to add more juicy fat to the sausage," Farr says. "But I do remember the reason the idea popped into my head originally. It was because I had those cheese-studded hot dogs that Oscar Mayer used to make. I used the childhood memory of that juicy, cheesy hot dog, so it's kind of like it's come full circle."

Also, he adds, "Bacon makes a damn good hot dog. I guess they've verified that fact."

Bacon Dogs Are Here! Thanks, Oscar Mayer [Yahoo]

]]> Read more posts by Jay Barmann

Filed Under: fyi, 4505 meats, kerfuffles, national interest

Boulettes Larder Closes for Renovations; Bouli Bar Coming in June

Jay Barmann — Thu, 16 May 2013 20:00:00 GMT

Boulettes Larder set up for a private dinner.]]> Popular Ferry Building breakfast and lunch spot, Boulettes Larder, closed this week for a two-month renovation. As they announce on their website, they're closing until early July, at which point they will reopen and continue serving breakfast, lunch, and private dinners. But next door they're also opening the aforementioned Bouli Bar, a 50-seat restaurant open for lunch and early dinner, featuring a wood-burning oven, wine, and cocktails. That will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., six days a week, starting in June. But they're also going to add a "larder" window, selling pre-made foods and retail items, across from Prather Ranch's American Eatery, and that should open in June as well. Stay tuned for menus, etc., at a later date. [Boulettes Larder via Scoop]

]]> Read more posts by Jay Barmann

Filed Under: temporary closings, boulette's larder, bouli bar, previews

Scottsdale’s Amy’s Baking Co. Hires PR Firm, Plans ‘Grand Re-Opening’ Next Week

Jay Barmann — Thu, 16 May 2013 19:00:00 GMT

Samy and Amy Bouzaglo]]> Husband and wife restaurant owners Amy and Samy Bouzaglo provided an extensive lesson earlier this week in how not to use the Internet, especially after being filmed behaving poorly on Kitchen Nightmares and consequently coming under fire from hecklers on Facebook and Reddit. The story went viral, ensuring maximum exposure. But now the couple has enlisted the help of a PR firm to clean up the commenter inferno that they themselves fanned the flames of. And, wisely or not, they've decided the answer is a "Grand Re-Opening" event at their Scottsdale restaurant on Tuesday, May 21, which is going to double as a press conference and a chance for the Bouzaglos to set the record straight, or something.

]]> The couple has retained PR firm Rose + Moser + Allyn, and yesterday's press release states that "[On Tuesday,] customers will be able to decide who is correct: a famous celebrity chef or the marketplace that has supported the small, locally-owned business for six years." They will only allow a limited number of diners into the restaurant on Tuesday, who will be screened via e-mailing the publicist first. Also, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to "a charity organized to bring awareness to cyber bullying."

By the end of this past Tuesday, the heated, often all-caps reactions coming from Amy and Samy gave way to a measured statement insisting that the company's website, Yelp page, and Facebook account had all been "hacked" and "We did not post those horrible things." It's unclear whether it was on the PR firm's advice that the Bouzaglos tried to distance themselves from the absurd threats and self-aggrandizing statements that were ultimately deleted from their Facebook page. But they all sounded markedly similar to some of the things both of them said while cameras were rolling on Kitchen Nightmares (e.g. "I AM NOT STUPID ALL OF YOU ARE. YOU JUST DO NOT KNOW GOOD FOOD." and "This is Samy. I am keeping note of all names here. We will be pursuing action against you legaly [sic], and against reddit and yelp, for this plot you have come together on." They're all preserved for posterity here.). Even Forbes used the hacking statement as another example of poor form, saying it was an obvious lie and only proved to be fodder for thousands more comments and Likes.

Is the publicized reopening any wiser than the other moves we've seen from the couple thus far? It seems like the wisest choice would probably have been to go silent and lie low for a while and hope for loyalty from one's original customer base. Also, unfortunately for Amy Bouzaglo, all of this attention has brought to light the fact that she's an ex-con who served fourteen months in jail after trying to open a line of credit using another person's social security number. The crime was committed prior to marrying Israeli immigrant Samy Bouzaglo, but she served out her sentence after opening Amy's Baking Company with him in 2006.

When it comes to her online presence and defensiveness, she's nothing if not consistent. As she proved in 2010, when she likely first caught the attention of Gordon Ramsay's production team — and not long after her release from jail — she'll always be at war with anyone who would dare give her so much as a single bad review on Yelp. As she said to a local TV news reporter then (see below), following a lengthy, heated online dustup with a Yelper, "I am not going to lay down and let people write whatever they want to write about me ... I am going to fight 100 percent for what I believe in and my company." And fight she has.

As recently as Friday, before the infamous episode aired, Amy and Samy took to Facebook to say, "We do not feel the need to make any excuses for our behavior on tonight’s show." They did however, as they repeated in yesterday's statement, deny taking any tips from waitstaff, as was shown on the show.

Maybe the best hope for the Bouzaglos would be to capitalize on their newfound fame and become a destination restaurant along the lines of Ed Debevic's in Chicago, where you come for the food but stay for the abuse. Except that a sense of humor would be necessary for that.

Update: The Phoenix New Times profiles the PR guy, Jason Rose, and they predict "this trip has just begun."

Earlier: Meet Amy Bouzaglo, the Woman Who Blew Up on ‘Kitchen Nightmares,’ Then Erupted on Facebook
Amy’s Baking Company Owner Amy Bouzaglo’s Criminal Past Surfaces After 'Kitchen Nightmares' Meltdown [IBT]
America's Thirteen Most Abusive Restaurants

]]> Read more posts by Jay Barmann

Filed Under: no such thing as bad press?, amy bouzaglo, amy's baking company, gordon ramsay, kitchen nightmares, other cities, tv land

La Urbana Is Actually Due to Open in July on Divis

Jay Barmann — Thu, 16 May 2013 16:40:51 GMT

The mural by artist ZIO.]]> Initial reports suggested a far longer construction schedule, but it looks like it's full steam ahead for La Urbana, the new Mexican restaurant and "mezcaleria" from the Colibri folks that's taking over the former Plant It Earth space at the corner of Divisadero and Grove. Their reps reached out today with some new details, and saying that they're now aiming for a (fingers crossed!) mid-July opening — you may recall that this elaborate mural just went up last week to disguise the construction site. The restaurant is the project of local entrepreneur Eduardo Rallo and Mexican architect/restauranteur Juan Garduño who both want to keep mezcal as a focus, but also will offer Mexican street food with homemade tortillas, and other small bites. There will be over 30 different varieties of artisanal mezcal, and cocktails from bar manager Lucas Ranzuglia, like the La Urbana Margarita (made with lime essential oils), and the Mezcal & Cacao (a blend of mezcal with Oxacan cacao made in the French style of hot chocolate). Initial hours will be 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. daily, and come fall, there will be a daytime component as well, with mezcal retail sales, tastings, and Mercado Urbano, a lunch spot that will transform into a lounge at night. [Earlier]

]]> Read more posts by Jay Barmann

Filed Under: previews, la urbana