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As neighbors' questions began to stack up around the so-far mysterious Pi Bar, set to go into the the old Suriya Thai space at 1432 Valencia St., the new owners put up a friendly note in the window addressing some concerns. To summarize: They'll do thin-crust pizza seven days a week using locally sourced ingredients, accompanied by high-end beer and wine. Yes, there will be slices. No, they didn't paint over the mural (it was the landlord). Yes, they'll have vegetarian options. Burrito Justice transcribed the note in its entirety, which you can read after the jump.

Continue reading "Pi Bar Addresses Neighbors" »

Get ready for the best Mission Street Food since bacon snow. This week features the Moss Room's Ben Coe, Blake Kutner, and Angela Gong riffing on the classics from the golden arches. Get ready for the "McRib Sandwich" (pork belly and smoky St. Louis rib roulade, cipollinis and ancho cress, $12), "Cactus Fries (with habanero-lime ketchup, $6), and a "Dulce de Leche Sundae" (with hot Mexican fudge and chile-cocoa pepitas, $6). The best part: It's a benefit for the Campaign for Better Nutrition's San Francisco Project, which helps kids learn about nutrition. Let's just hope this guy doesn't hear about it.

Continue reading "MSF Does Fast Food at 'McMission Night'" »

We told you last week about street food vendors getting smart with Twitter to avoid detection by the cops. Now it seems one of the Linda Street originals has come up with a simple workaround: The Amuse Bouche guy has gone vaguely legit, selling his confections at Schmidt's Deli, the new-ish project by the Walzwerk team. SFoodie got by there earlier this week and posted a little review of the Bavarian style Apfelstrudel, Rhubarb tarts and Cinnamon star cookies yesterday: "All three nice. And as far as we could tell, nobody was at risk of being busted." Works for us. [Via SFoodie]

[Image: Via Amuse Bouche SF]

The seemingly endless conflict between the Tonayense taco truck and those concerned about its proximity to John O'Connell High School has finally come to an end, with the dramatic result that the truck will move up to the end of the block of Folsom Street near 19th Street. Steve Williams, the lawyer for truck owners Benjamin and Esquivel Santana, said all sides seemed fine with the compromise, which they worked out in the final days before the city-imposed deadline today. Ironically, while the truck owners went round and round with the school district, parents, and police over a city law banning food trucks from within 1,500 feet of schools, officials at the Gateway charter school over in the Western Addition were negotiating with the truck to serve on their campus. Gateway spokeswoman Tina McGovern said the school had at one point reached out to to the truck, but they never got as far as a written proposal, let alone actually serving. The brothers seem to be doing a fine business with the PG&E guys at 19th and Folsom these days, but Gateway never did find another truck to supplement its cafeteria. Taco Tuesdays will remain a disappointment.

[Photo: Via Burritoeater]

The street-food crackdowns have begun. On Saturday, Sexy Soup Lady was shut down by the cops on Linda Street for not having a permit. While the bust seems to have been relatively civil and not aggressive, it likely indicates more such enforcement to come, as well as a loss in patience of Linda Street residents. @SexySoupCart tweeted, "Cops were kinda cool (warning, no fine)...seemed like they were called by Linda St. residents. Have to find a new spot... StealthSoupCart.;)." Last week, SFoodie's John Birdsall warned that authorities weren't exactly ignoring the Mission's unlicensed vendor explosion, so be wary of similar busts to come. [@SexySoupCart via Mission Mission]

[Photo: Via @SexySoupCart]

Noticing this morning that the recently shuttered Jack Falstaff is up for sale on Craigslist for about a half a million bucks ($495,000 to be exact), we thought the price a bit steep for the place. Then again, it includes a type 47 liquor license, which the ad says is valued at $80,000 to $100,000. There's also a heated outdoor patio, the fully equipped restaurant, and, "Corner location with hi identity." The ad claims the "owner" (presumably the Plumpjack Group) sunk $1.5 million into the property. All these numbers flying around got us thinking about another, similarly sized restaurant space on the market after the previous business closed. The old Whisper space, on which we reported back in April, still hasn't sold. Fully $200,000 cheaper than Jack Falstaff, that Florida Street space also boasts a full-service restaurant, an outdoor area (in the form of a rooftop patio), and a type 47 liquor license. It's actually bigger, at 7,500 square feet to Jack Falstaff's 6,151.

Continue reading "Jack Falstaff Space For Sale" »

We were wrong yesterday about the likelihood of the Mr Prickles sign's safe return. On the very day when we said we "didn't have much hope," the thief actually brought Mr Pickles back home safe, complete with a new red bandanna. Mission Mission played a critical role in the return, drawing out the thief, whose identity was tracked down by a Yahoo employee, who passed it on to the blog. As pressure mounted, "The Pickler" dropped off the sign around the corner from the shop last night, safe and sound.

But we take issue with all the comments subsequently bashing The Pickler.

Continue reading "Mr Pickles Sign Returned, so Lay Off "The Pickler"" »

Mission newcomer Flour + Water has had a ripping first couple of weeks, which is good because it means they'll probably stick around, but bad because they're going to put off serving lunch and brunch for a while yet. The original plan was to open for lunch and brunch on May 25, but that's been pushed back because the staff is currently at its capacity with work. A spokesman said they've been serving more covers at dinner than they had initially hoped to at lunch, dinner, and brunch combined. They're going to need to hire and train more staff in order to do lunch and brunch, to which end there's currently an ad for a wood oven cook up on Craigslist. Look for lunch service to start in mid-summer, or possibly late June if we're lucky. Meanwhile, it's a good thing they're open late, because we hear waits are clocking at about an hour and a half.
[Photo: Via Flour + Water]

Back and rested after the holidays, the Mission Street Food crew is ready to sling high-end, low-cost chow once more. Tonight, they're going to feature goodies from two neighborhood spots: The brand spanking new Humphry Slocombe ice cream parlor is going to provide the sweets, while the all-star cast of smoke-jockeys at Broken Record will take care of the meats.

We won't re-print the whole menu here &mdash you'll have to go over to MSF for that — but we will tell you that it includes Broken Record's brisket sandwich, with caramelized onion, pickled fennel, and avocado salsa, and a Humphrey Slocumbe's original balsamic caramel ice cream. How do you not want that? Oh, that's right, of course you do.

Local Business Night [Mission Street Food]
Humphry Slocombe [MenuPages]
Humphry Slocombe [Official Site]
Broken Record [SF Weekly]

[Photo: Via mswine/flickr]

We didn't want to mess up the flow of the other Palace Family Steakhouse post today with this bummer news, but it seems the place's days are numbered. A commenter on Mission Mission wrote in that the building is for sale, and it's been rumored before that the proprietor is thinking about retiring. We found the sale listing, so it appears the rumor holds water. Better get your steak quick.

3047 Mission St. [SanFrancisco.com]
Palace Family Steakhouse Theme Song [Mission Mission]

We went to Ti Couz on Sunday for crepes because that’s where you go for (real) crepes in the city. While we’ve perfected our favorite crepe combination (cheese, mushrooms, mushroom sauce and a sunny side up egg) we also make it a point to check out the daily specials.

It is our opinion that the salad of the day is always better than any of the salads on the menu and should pretty much always be ordered if it sounds even remotely appealing. The salads are large so a small salad for two is more than appropriate if each person has their own crepe. In fact, we think Ti Couz works well for shared plates in general. For two people, a small salad, a savory crepe and a sweet crepe should feel and taste just right.

Yesterday we had the special savory crepe of the day—grilled prawns, spinach and fresh mango salsa—and we split a Nutella and vanilla bean ice cream crepe with Sweetie. We also have to go on the record and say that we think Ti Couz makes one mean Bloody Mary (except for the fact they put Marcona almonds in the pits of the large green olives—consider the food allergists!) and we happily sucked our down while we waited for our order.

The nice thing about Ti Couz is it can be as affordable or as expensive as you’d like depending on your need for a cocktail or your hunger level. Go with a friend and split your order and you’ll have a nice meal for under $15. Enjoy a cocktail and your own crepes and it could set you back $30. Either way we think it’s worth it. Ti Couz is one of our favorite spots in the city.

Ti Couz Creperie [Menupages]

[Photo via biskuit/Flickr]

One of the best things about living and working in a place like San Francisco is the year-round temperate weather. When we have a nice day it means it's in the upper 60s or low 70s and there's a nice breeze. No stifling dry heat, no uncomfortable wet mugginess to contend with. This makes al fresco dining not only highly sought-after, but also a pretty safe bet most of the time, which is why we're always looking for an opportunity to eat outdoors and enjoy some sun while we enjoy our meals. Even better when it means a liberally extended lunch hour or one of those clever "work meetings."

B Restaurant and Bar, a hidden oasis in SOMA, opened a little over a year ago and you have to know it's there to enjoy it, but once you do it's a great urban retreat. Its smart rooftop location overlooking Yerba Buena gardens gives it a leg up on other patios in the city not to mention the hip yet serene infinity fountain and the abundance of varying outdoor seating arrangements (tables, benches, makeshift fountain-side lounge); it's hard not to have a crush on this place. We asked Paul, our friendly daytime bartender, what to expect of the clientele and he said 1/3 locals, 1/3 working professionals (think suits, not SOMA techies) and 1/3 visitors staying at the surrounding hotels. Interesting crowd, yes? And you can bet it makes for some yummy eye candy between courses or rounds.

Happy hour is definitely the scene, with the somewhat spendy specialty cocktails being reasonably priced. On our first visit during a happy hour one particularly warm Friday, the bar was three people deep. The bar/restaurant itself is situated in an airy, modern glass building which gives you the feeling of sitting outside even if the SF wind is a bit much to take advantage of real al fresco dining.

Other Observations: The sangria is subtle and mellow and most of the cocktails we've tried seem to have a similar low-key feel probably due to the vodka-happy cocktail menu. The food seems to take advantage of the setting with the focus being light, airy, fresh fare--think spa menus and California cuisine. We had the asparagus entree with a poached egg, which was good and fresh, but definitely on the expensive side--4 stalks of asparagus and the poached egg put us $11 in the hole. Our dining companion had the Caesar salad with grilled shrimp, which looked like a considerably larger portion size, but it still put a nice little dent in the wallet considering it was lunch.

Overall, we would recommend B for happy hour. $6 cocktails with all the pomp and circumstance of cocktail lounge darlings Bourbon and Branch and the Orbit Room at half the price and the perfect view. We, personally, couldn't B happier.

B Restaurant and Bar [Official Site]

[Photo via Franco Folini/Flickr]

It’s nice to be back in the City after going away for a while. We were on a much needed vacation on an island far away from tall buildings, traffic and food establishments on every corner. That said, it’s not surprising that upon our return we’ve been hitting up the almost stereotypical SF food staples like they’re going out style. Over-sized carnitas burrito from Guadalajara? Check. Steamed barbeque pork from that one place near the house? Check? Blue Bottle Coffee Cafe…well, we hate to be those people, but yeah we totally just went there this morning and enjoyed the hell out of the experience.

Blue Bottle definitely does not need any more press or publicity, we know they don’t, but this bright, warm, lovely San Francisco morning we walked to work and stopped in for a little pick-me-up and decided that our experience warranted some blogging. Everyone knows that Blue Bottle has fancy coffee makers and fancy coffee, but what’s not so talked about is their pretty amazing iced coffee.

You’ve got two options for iced coffee — Kyoto and New Orleans — which is already setting the bar high. We had the New Orleans this morning because the description was so inviting. Chicory is the secret ingredient, but they also slightly sweeten it and add a little milk. Good choice on a day like today, it was smooth and refreshing. The only hang up came when our sweetie innocently asked for a straw — apparently Blue Bottle does not subscribe to the straw with chilled beverage status quo. They also don’t believe in plastic cups for chilled beverages, but for the sake of the environment (which is so much more important) we quickly got over the concept of a soggy paper cup (which, by the way, never became an issue).

Bottom line: the New Orleans iced coffee is fantastic. It’s been several hours at this point since we finished it and we’re still enjoying the sweet aftertaste. And thanks to fellow blogger Adam Martin, we also now know that it can help prevent heart disease.

Blue Bottle Coffee Cafe [Official Site]

[Photo: Blue Bottle SoMa via [177]/flickr]

All right kids, we’ve got ourselves some sun! What a perfect setting for Bike To Work Day. If you didn’t bike to work today we suggest you do the next best thing, which would be to leave the office early (sick hours don’t roll over), grab your bike and head out to the China Basin and find a table at The Ramp.

The Ramp is the go-to spot for sunbathers and bikers in search of refreshment after touring the city. Situated like a small oasis on the decrepit southern waterfront, the outdoor patio sets the mood with umbrella-sheltered tables and an al fresco bar. They have a full menu that features the kind of things you’d like to eat when it’s hot out: chicken sandwiches, fish tacos, specialty salads and our favorite, stuffed avocado with bay shrimp. Lunch is served until 4 during the week and they serve dinner on Thursdays (today!) from 5 to 8.

Something worth noting for you regular Ramp-goers—word has it that they recently got a new chef and he’s been kicking things up a notch with “Dinner & Music” nights as well as introducing new menu items. What this will mean for this popular, yet somewhat secret watering hole remains to be seen. Nonetheless, we do know that when it’s over 80 degrees in San Francisco, nothing beats an icy margarita, an order of chips and salsa and a sunny patio when you want kick back, chillax and be glad that Thursday’s the new Friday.

The Ramp [Menupages]
The Ramp [Official Site]

Photo: The Ramp by JasonUnbound

Another big-time opening in SoMa today: Following on the heels of Orson and the newly re-worked Fifth Floor, the new tag team of Luce and Bar888 opens today in the Intercontinental Hotel at Fifth and Howard streets.

The menu features Italian/Californian fusion, with two house specialties--a Mediterranean sea bass and an aged cote du boeuf--that serve two and must be ordered 24 hours in advance. There's also a four-course vegetable tasting menu and a six-course version that includes seafood and beef.

Eater SF got a sneak peak inside the design-heavy space, which you can check out on their site.
Also have a look at the menu on Thrillist and, soon, here.

Intercontintental Hotels [Official Site]
Eater Inside Sneak Peek: Luce and Bar888 [Eater SF]
Get With The Menu [Thrillist]
Fifth Floor [MenuPages]
Fifth Floor [Official Site]
Orson [MenuPages]
Orson [Official Site]

Elizabeth Falkner's latest venture, Orson, flings open its doors tomorrow. The SoMa eatery will feature a menu that is, um, whimsical, to say the least. From the Daily Candy:

The focus of the menu: edgy Californian. Dishes like butterfish brûlée with caviar and radish play with technique. Small plates without borders run the globe from Japan to India (tempura egg with shoyu and spice, samosas with chutney and raita sorbet). Desserts, naturally, reach for the final frontier. Try the Pigwich (maple bacon ice cream sandwich) or a Wonka-esque “invisible dessert” (an intense concoction made with transparent ingredients).

Ooh, Butterfish. Well, there seems to be plenty else to choose from. And if the scene at Citizen Cake is any indication, you may want to get on the horn to that reservation line (available on the website) pretty early tomorrow. Check back here soon for the menu.

Orson [Official Site]
Citizen Cake [MenuPages]
Citizen Cake [Official Site]

If you work in the SoMA/Embarcadeo/Rincon Park area, odds are that you've attended one--if not a handful--of Happy Hour celebrations at Palomino. Last Friday a group of drinkers at Palomino had their weekend-kickoff ruined by a shower. The interesting part is that the "rain" wasn't coming from the heavens, but from the brand-new Google headquarters:

The boss says he complained to the waiter, who promptly blamed Google. The search giant, which rented the floors above Palomino for its new San Francisco digs, apparently installed cooling misters on the deck overlooking the restaurant for its own employees-- ostensibly to ward off the heat generated when the SOMA sun meets the patio's slate floor. But Google placed the misting machines in just the right spot to send the moisture cascading off its deck onto Palomino's patio.

Oh, and feel free to insert your "baptism" and/or "golden shower" jokes in the comments field.

Google rains on happy hour parade [Valleywag]
Palomino [MenuPages]
Palomino [Official Site]

Here at MenuPages, we are constantly updating our vast menu database. Every morning, we'll highlight five or so menu updates to bring you the latest in San Francisco culinary upheaval.

Today's updates: Restaurants in Potrero Hill

• Aperto, 1434 18th St (Btwn Missouri & Connecticut St), 415-252-1625

• Baraka, 288 Connecticut St (At 18th St), 415-255-0387

• Chez Papa, 1401 18th St (At Missouri St), 415-824-8210

• Hard Knox Cafe, 2526 3rd St (At 22nd St), 415-648-3770

A week or two ago, one of our favorite blogs, Bay Area BItes, did a little post on the various difficulties afflicting potential San Francisco restaurateurs. Among the hurdles to be hopped: the hefty price tags, the preponderance of food blogs and well, the sacrifice of life as its known.

Tinderbox Restaurant's trio of owners, GM Ryan Russell, Front-of-house Manager Miles Clark and Chef Blair Warsham, are first-handedly experiencing the growing pains--not to mention chaos--of opening an ambitious restaurant in the middle of a major urban city:

Launching a restaurant gets referred to as a high-wire act, but high-wire acts tend to be over within an hour. Russell, Warsham and their front-of-house manager, Miles Clark, haven't worked less than an 18-hour day in as long as they can remember. They have no recollection of their last full meal. There's the optimal refrigerator temperature to settle on, and a system for servers to get what they need without getting in the way of the kitchen, and learning how many dishes to prep for. There are purveyors to call, and menus to send to MenuPages.com, and repairs to make daily, and bloggers to communicate with, and recipes to improve (today, Warsham is adding blueberries to his molé). There's the front of the house to manage, and the large wine list to maintain. And because the staff is already something of a family, there's Kyle's flat tire to fix at 1 a.m.

Can they take the heat? Inside the launch of a San Francisco restaurant [SFGate]
Tinderbox Restaurant [MenuPages]
Tinderbox Restaurant [Official Site]

But in San Francisco, a city known for both its casual culture and obsession with quality food and drink, a visit to a wine bar can be an unpretentious pleasure. The city has long had wine bars — the London Wine Bar, downtown, opened in 1974 and is said to have been the first in the United States. Now, a wave of new wine bars has been opening, often in unexpected neighborhoods.

How long must a trend sustain itself before losing its "trendy" status? Will the wine bar movement ever fizzle?

Snobless Sipping Where a Glassful Is Just a Glassful [NY Times]
Hotel Biron [MenuPages]
Hotel Biron [Official Site]
Yield Wine Bar [MenuPages]
Yield Wine Bar [Official Site]

• The corner of Embarcadero and Brannan is empty once again, as Jocelyn Bulow has closed down his second enterprise in the the 100 Brannan space. Earlier, Bulow's French brasserie La Suite succumbed to the shutter, and this week, the short-lived Pan-Asian project Sutra bit the dust. Despite Sutra's closing and Baraka's sale [note: it's still open], Bulow still has plenty on his plate, with a pair of high-profile restaurants opening in the upcoming revamped Mint Plaza at the end of the month. [Inside Scoop]

• Over in the Castro, Bullshead Restaurant has apparently lost its lease. The buffalo-meat destination's shuttering is surprising, considering its seemingly steady flow of business. According to the Castro Shopper, Bullshead is the fourth restaurant to recently fail in the (apparently cursed) 18th Street location. [Castro Shopper]

The long weekend marked the anticipated debut of Tinderbox Restaurant. It's a very modern New American project from co-owners and co-executive chefs Ryan Russell and Blair Warsham; to be precise, the daring duo describes their little project as "an experimental American bistro with a foundation on sustainable food and wine" that serves a "playful interpretation of American cuisine." And playful it is. In fact, to get an idea of the gamut being run here, look no further than the appetizer section. On one hand, you've got a (comparatively) simple white bean salad; on the other, a peach salad (fruit in a salad? what will they think of next?) with heirloom tomatoes, with aged white cheddar, with walnuts, with pesto, with balsamic. Of course, it sounds delicious, but it's no traditional preparation to be sure. If nothing else, Tinderbox will surely be a topic of conversation in Bernal Heights.

After the jump, the complete menu is revealed, complete with uncapitalized items, because you know, that means it's a modern eatery.

Continue reading "Openings: Tinderbox Restaurant" »

Corbo's food, the spacious interior and the cordial staff all combine to create the type of experience that should entice San Franciscans. Maybe that's why on one of my visits I spotted Willie Brown and lots of other movers and shakers. Ducca is a destination restaurant that, with the exception of the expensive $17 valet parking, overcomes the constraints of being associated with a hotel. It elevates hotel dining to a sophisticated local level.

[Bonus wine coverage: Bauer reports that the wine list at Ducca is a "pleasant surprise." Unlike most upscale hotel dining spots, Ducca offers a wealth of interesting Italian wines with a "reasonable" mark-up.]

Ducca brings back the allure of hotel dining [SFGate]
Ducca [MenuPages]
Ducca [Official Site]

[Photo courtesy: Ducca]

Laura Compton shines the Bargain Bite spotlight on the new location of Belgian-fry sanctuary Frjtz. It's hard to go wrong with fries to begin with, but Frjtz shines in plenty of other ways:

The Mission Frjtz - the original in Hayes Valley is about to close and move next door - is bigger and boasts more Euro style, from the French pop soundtrack, skateboards and glass mosaic art by owner Santiago Rodriguez on the wall to a black-and-white, curvilinear Art Nouveau decor by Natasha Shah Designs.

An order of frjtz, which stop just short of steak cut, costs $3.25 to $4.75 depending on the number of dips. The 19 offerings range from curry ketchup and creamy wasabi mayo to a surprisingly addictive spicy yogurt peanut. Splurgers can upgrade to white truffle oil frjtz for 75 cents more.

Bargain Bite: Frjtz [SFGate]
Frjtz [MenuPages]
Frjtz [Official Site]

Try as we might, we can't track down every single menu in the city. That's where you, dear user, come in. Menu Mission is a feature where we make a plea to our users to send us an commonly-requested menu.

In the underground world of San Francisco dining, Chowhounds and Yelpers reign supreme. It's only the tough, intelligent diners that uncover--rather, are willing to uncover-- the hidden gems beneath the gentrified veneer of the fair city.

One of these so-called diamonds in the rough is the Mariposa Cafeteria. Tucked away somewhere between the cutesy stretch now known as the "Dogpatch" and the not-so-cutesy stretch known as the "projects," the Mariposa Cafeteria is a place you don't just "pass by." It's destination dining.

The Monday special is roast pork. The Tuesday special is also roast pork. The Wednesday special is .... you get the idea, but they actually have a sign that spells it out for you. In other words, opt for the roast pork. They'll pile it in a (now-illegal) styrofoam clamshell over rice and if you can finish it in one sitting, the next one's on us.

But we need a menu for the little dive. Send it our way via email or fax (415.358.5770).

Mariposa Cafeteria, 1599 Tennessee St, (Btwn 25th& 26th St), 415-285-5105

This Sunday marks San Francisco's tentative step into the world of celebrity chefdom as Jack Falstaff hosts the Cook-Off For Afterschool, a food and wine show with a feature event called (say it with us in your best action movie voiceover voice) ... Ultimate Chef Challenges!

The "chef challenges" are two 30-minute competitions that pit some of the industry's biggest names against each other in fun and whimsy ways.

The first contest will pit mankind versus their ancient rival, womankind: Elizabeth Faulkner (Citizen Cake) and Christine Mullen (CAV Wine Bar) will "throw down" (Thanks Bobby) against Joseph Manzare (Zuppa et al.) and Hiro Sone (Ame). Who has the edge? We'd have to go with the laaadies ...

The main event begs you to "see what happens when the cameras aren't rolling!" We don't quite get what that means, but it has something to do with television chefs going up against restaurant chefs: Tyler Florence (Food Network) and Joey Altman (KRON} take on Craig Stoll (Delfina ) and Beard Award nominee Nate Appleman (A16). If Stoll and Appleman blow this one, then our faith in two of the best Italian restaurants in the city country will be shaken. (...though we will undoubtedly continue to frequent them)

Submit your picks now.

Cook-Off For Afterschool [Afterschool Alliance]
Jack Falstaff [MenuPages]
Jack Falstaff [Official Site]

The little business getting jacked is the Java House, a mom-and-pop breakfast and burger joint on Pier 40, just up the street from AT&T Park. It just got served notice that its rent is jumping more than fivefold, from $800 to $4,429 a month, effective this coming Saturday.

"There's no way we can make a go at this rent," said owner Phil Papadopoulos, who along with his wife and daughter has been working the counter for the past 23 years.

From that point, it's a he-said, she-said argument. Papadopoulus says the Port of San Francisco decided to reneg on the deal, and the Port Commission contends that Papadopoulus "dragged his feet" in order to keep the $800 rent as long as possible. Of course, when asked for evidence that Java House stalled the paperwork, the city had nothing to offer. The Port Commission now says that the two sides can begin new negotiations on a new lease, but only after the astronomical $4,429 rent (plus a $8,800 security deposit) is paid this month.

On a totally unrelated note, San Francisco touts itself as a city ready to "support and enhance an environment where small businesses can succeed and flourish." And for the record, here are some of the restaurants on the Embarcadero waterfront around Java House: Palomino, Chaya Brasserie and Gordon Biersch. Yep, all upscale chains.

S.F. waterfront institution Java House faces rent hike on steroids [SFGate]
Java House [MenuPages]
Java House [Official Site]

Every Friday, we provide you with the best--and the worst--user reviews from the week. The following reviews are real, valid, submitted, unedited (except where marked) reviews from our various sites.

This week saw a deluge of reviews for the Mission's new swanky Italian joint and focacceria, Farina. Earlier in the summer, Farina received some harsh reviews upon its relatively well-publicized opening on 18th Street. "Anonymous" merely recommended the Italian-craving diner opt for the nearby Delfina, a sentiment echoed in a longer review left by "render ferguson":

I went here for dinner the other night. I was initially impressed with its quaint location and lack of parking. They seem to have copied the north beach atmosphere with a mexican twang. The food was a step above Olive Garden, with a disagreeable after-taste. I would suggest Del Fina for an authentic mission experience.

Took the excuse of some out of town friends visiting to try this place out and had a simply perfect evening. Each course was even more amazing that the last. All the wines we tried from their selection were lovely, and the grappa selection was an equal match.
If you are one of the few people that responded with a negative review, I highly suggest giving it another shot and enlisting the advice of the staff. The few suggestions they made at our request were great compliments to the choices we had already made. A more authentic genovese meal can not be had in San Francisco! I can't wait to go back.

Being born in Genova, I wanted to try this place. It was great. The food was outstanding and so was the service. We were seated upstairs ( on a Saturday night) and we felt like we were the only people that mattered with all the attention and prompt service we received.If there's a complaint, it would be the background music. Somehow the Latin music was, I almost want to say, annoying. I'm sure there's plenty of Italian music that could be played and I just don't mean "O Sole Mio" and the like. There's plenty of modern Italian music out there. But this was a minnor thing. For those who complained that the portions were too small, they need to know that portions in restaurants in Italy are generelly on the small size, since you just don't order one thing, but a series of courses. For too long Italian restaurants have been what "Americans" thought they should be: huge portion of pasta with globs of runny sauce which you don't know whether to eat or drink it and the biggest no-no of all: meat served on top of the pasta or alongside on the same dish. Not Italian. Besides, if you want a big portion at Farina, order the veal chop, it's huge.Keep up the good work, Farina, we will definetely be back. And yes, the focaccia, just like we had in Recco, buonissima!!

Farina [MenuPages]

The burger craze is officially arrived.

Custom Burger is now serving lunch and dinner on the corner of 7th and Howard in SoMa. As seems to be the requisite with new San Francisco restaurants these days, all ingredients are locally sourced, from meat from Golden Gate Meat Company to buns by Bay Bread (say that five times fast).

Rather than a traditional menu, Custom Burger has a five-step guide to creating "your perfect custom burger." First you select your patty (Angus beef, American "Kobe" beef or Veggie). Then, you encounter a bevy of options, some free and some not. And there are a lot. Uncommon toppings vary from grilled pineapple and hoisin glaze to a fried egg (a la Fat Burger, we presume). Also, an interesting twist comes with the inclusion of one free sauce, and like the toppings, the sauces are very ... eclectic: ketchipotle, peppercorn ranch, Spanish romesco, cucumber raita and more.

Yelp reviews have been pretty positive so far. Anyone have further details to share?

Custom Burger [MenuPages]

[Photo courtesy: Yelp/Ed. U]

With the recent earthquake in Peru in mind, we bring you the following service announcement from Tablehopper:

James Schenk, the chef and owner of ~DESTINO~ is contributing a portion of his restaurant sales to assist earthquake victims in Peru. Schenk mentioned the Consulate General of Peru in San Francisco has initiated an urgent campaign within the Bay Area to support the Peruvian citizens affected by this tragedy. If you wish to contribute directly to this campaign, you can make donations by contacting the Consulate General of Peru in San Francisco: 1-877-490-7378. Donations may consist of: nonperishable canned or bottled foods, tents, sleeping bags, sleeping mats, and air mattresses, plus financial contributions. James has also been accepting donations at Destino—in fact, he just carted a huge truckload of items to the consulate yesterday.

Destino [MenuPages]
Destino [Official Site]

Here at MenuPages, we are constantly updating our vast menu database. Every morning, we'll highlight five or so menu updates to bring you the latest in San Francisco culinary upheaval.

Today's updates: Downtown & the Mission.

• Little Henry's, 955 Larkin St (Btwn Post St & Geary Blvd), 415-776-1757

• Luna Park, 694 Valencia St (At 18th St), 415-553-8584

• Mixt Greens, 120 Sansome St (At Pine St), 415-433-6498

• Mixt Greens, 475 Sansome St (At Commercial St), 415-296-9292

• Rue Saint Jacques, 1098 Jackson St (At Taylor St), 415-776-2002

Shakespeare once wrote: "There’s many a man has more hair than wit." We suppose the same scarcity of wit among men can be applied to wit among restaurants (and their restaurateurs). Even in our supposedly open-minded, free-thinking city by the bay, clever menus and the like are hard to find. Pizza Orgasmica never disappoints, and the menu at both locations of Cafe Gratitude is just, well, special.

But Spork takes whimsy to new heights, with the stellar cuisine to match. It's the brainchild of Neil Jorgensen and Chef Bruce Binn (veteran of Postrio, Delfina, Bix and Slow Club) and once you walk in the new Mission hotspot, there are plenty of little details to make you smile:

Above the door that goes to the old walk-in refrigerator, now used as a service area, is the original KFC sign Binn found in the attic. Old exhaust fans become artwork over the door leading to the kitchen.

And then, of course, there's the namesake utensil that receives top billing in such dishes as Mussels and Pork With a Spork ($15). This hearty bowl of mussels steamed in Belgian beer is accompanied by mounds of roast pork resembling carnitas, smoked chile aioli and a topping of green beans.

A similar sense of whimsy peppers the menu, too. The In-Side-Out Burger ($14) is a deconstructed version of an American icon, designed to be eaten with a knife and fork. (I wonder if someone has ever patented a knork?) Lettuce and tomato are at the bottom, stacked with two patties, a bun, special sauce, Tillamook cheddar cheese and a dollop of onion confit. It's accompanied by irregular blobs of crisply fried smashed potatoes. Fortunately, the results aren't a joke; the flavor is great in that downscale, guilty-pleasure sort of way.

In the end, it's thumbs-up on all around for Bauer. He loves the laid-back atmosphere, the relaxed yet competent service and most of all, the excellent, serious food coming out of Binn's kitchen. KFC it ain't.

Witty Spork follows through on flavor, too [SFGate]
Spork [MenuPages]
Spork [Official Site]

When it comes to reading the Daily Candy, we usually give it a quick skim, being a guy and all. Granted, we're not exactly the target audience, since we're not one for spas et al, but the DC definitely does a great job on the restaurant openings and special events front. Case in point: this morning's Weekend Guide included a very newsworthy tidbit about Barry Bonds' trendy stomping ground, the (supposedly) closed-for-renovations Roe Restaurant:

EAT
Good Fridays at Roe
What: Tuck into chef Alvin San's new El Bulli-inspired three-coursers pre-DJ set.
Why: TGIF.
When: Fri., 8 p.m.
Where: 651 Howard St., at Hawthorne St. Reservations at 415-227-0288.

Roe Restaurant [MenuPages]
Roe Restaurant [Official Site]

Every Friday, we provide you with the best--and the worst--user reviews from the week. The following reviews are real, valid, submitted, unedited (except where marked) reviews from our various sites.

Instead of dedicating this week's edition of The Week In (User) Reviews to the countless funny, ridiculous and/or idiotic reviews that come in every week here at MenuPages, we're going to share two well-written reviews. Since we don't write reviews ourselves, it's really helpful to other users when great reviews appear on the site. So, we encourage you to read the following reviews, find your muse and share your bounty of San Francisco gastronomical knowledge:

"Anonymous" left the following review about Spork, the modern Mission eatery that also got the SF Weekly treatment this week :

We went early, and there were plenty of tables, but the place was full, with several groups waiting by the time we left. Warm, soft bread came with honeyed butter. We shared a starter of lobster on polenta, which was tasty, with big pieces of lobster. Each of the three in my group had something different, and each was excellent: inside-out burger, pork and mussels, and mine: stroganoff, which didn't come as one would expect it, but it was delicious--the kind of meal one thinks about later! We shared a dessert: pot brownie. Ordering coffee gets a French-press pot, that provides about 2-1/2 cups. Tables are close, and there are no table cloths, but the service is good, and the decor nicely minimal. It's not a cheap meal, but definitely worth the money, and, as I said, I'm still thinking about it.

Continue reading "The Week In (User) Reviews: Something Different" »

Some hot restaurants defy logic. While location seems to be crucial in the success - and failure - of many places, there are exceptions. Sometimes when the place is obscure, the location's negative becomes a positive.

At least that's the best way I can explain the runaway success of the tiny Bar Bambino, in the Mission on 16th Street between South Van Ness and Capp.

Slices and sips of Italy at Mission's chic Bar Bambino [SFGate]
Bar Bambino [MenuPages]
Bar Bambino [Official Site]

[Photo courtesy: Flickr/San Fran Annie]

Here at MenuPages, we are constantly updating our vast menu database. Every morning, we'll highlight five or so menu updates to bring you the latest in San Francisco culinary upheaval.

Today's updates: South o' Market.

• 21st Amendment Brewery Cafe, 563 2nd St (Btwn Bryant & Brannan St), 415-369-0900

• Annabelle's Bar & Bistro, 68 4th St (Btwn Market & Mission St), 415-777-1200

• Asqew Grill , 865 Market St (Btwn 4th & 5th St), 415-227-0306

• Bacar, 448 Brannan St (Btwn 3rd & 4th St), 415-824-8210

• South Park Cafe, 108 S Park St (Btwn 2nd & 3rd St), 415-495-7275

Here at MenuPages, we are constantly updating our vast menu database. Every morning, we'll highlight five or so menu updates to bring you the latest in San Francisco culinary upheaval.

Today's updates: Restaurants up and down Mission.

• Cafe InFusion, 829 Mission St (At 4th St), 415-808-0808

• Medjool, 2522 Mission St (Btwn 21st & 22nd St), 415-550-9055

• Roy's, 575 Mission St ( Btwn 1st & 2nd St), 415-777-0277

• Savanna Jazz, 2937 Mission St (Btwn 25th and 26th St), 415-285-3369

• The Blue Plate, 3218 Mission St (At Valencia St), 415-282-6777

• Zante, 3489 Mission St (Btwn Cortland Ave & Kingston St), 415-821-3949

• Wednesday, July 25th: At the W Hotel, XYZ continues its tradition of Sip and Splurge. It's decadent, rewarding and has something for everyone, from rare champagne paired with tuna carpaccio to vin santo paired with chocolate hazelnut cake.

• Saturday, July 28th: Every Saturday, Jack Falstaff's Executive Chef Jonnatan Leiva goes to the Farmers Market, whips up something nice from the day's finds and then shares his bounty. Tastings are a mere $5 and wine pairings are just $3. More information, including reservations, can be found on the official website.

• Wednesday, August 1st: The first Wednesday of the month means wine class at the Fifth Floor. For the August edition, Sommelier Emily Wine (real name) is putting together Wine and Cheese 101. Room in the class goes quickly, so hop to it.

• Saturday, August 18th and Sunday, August 19th: It's a cooking class ... for singles. TWO presents Hot Summer Nights. It's $80 a pop. Saturday is for the straights and Sunday is for the gays. People attending probably won't want to mix up the days. That'd be quite the waste of $80. But it would be a good story.

• And while we're in the area, an FYI: the restaurant at ballplayer haunt Roe is currently undergoing renovations, but the club is still up and running.

Instead of waiting until this afternoon's Blog Roundup, we thought it best to pass along this little tidbit from the folks over at SFist sooner than later.

You can submit entries at SFist for a dinner reception at the Michelin-rated Maverick. The reception, which is tomorrow evening, will celebrate the release of Eric Gower's new book, "The Breakaway Cook." Tickets are $35 for most folks, but if you win SFist's little contest, you can indulge in the prix fixe menu (complete with wine pairings) for free. Feeling luck?

What? More Contests? Win Dinner With The Breakaway Cook! [SFist]
Maverick [MenuPages]
Maverick [Official Site]

TWO--and its prior incarnation, Hawthorne Lane--have been providing neighborhood workers with some of the better Happy Hour offerings and promotions in the entire city for some time now. Last month, the Hawthorne gem tapped into the mid-day market, and TWO-Go lunch boxes made quite the impact on SoMA lunchtime eaters. Today, the good folks behind TWO debut their Gourmet TWO-Go menu:

our Gourmet TWO-Go menu offers many of our house-made specialties for use in your kitchen. Our handmade sausages and smoked fish, our intensely flavored stocks and demi-glaces, our zippy vinaigrettes and our irresistible, ready-to-bake chive biscuits are just a mouse click away.

In any event, we've got the entire TWO-Go menu both on the main site and after the jump...

Continue reading "Introducing The Expanded TWO-Go Menu" »

The city's foremost vegan/organic/shojin-style eatery, Medicine Eat Station, is back from its temporary hiatus with a vengeance. The new, shorter menu has retained some of the greatest hits from past incarnations as well as adding some new items. For the early scoop, here's what Chow had to say on the updated version of Medicine:

Medicine New-Shojin Eatstation, the recently updated San Francisco restaurant, has retained its New Age-y air (the “loving-kindness to your body” motto; dishes with names like “clarity”), but the revised Japanese-inspired menu now includes prawns and fish (the only “animal ingredients” available). We scarfed down our soboro tofu rice bowl (ginger-chile-simmered tofu, seasonal veggies, shiitake mushrooms, and nine-grain rice) on our first visit, and our curry tofu rice bowl (fried tofu, steamed greens and seasonal veggies, curry sauce, nine-grain rice) on our second. But the pickled vegetables pickled our pucker ... Chowhounds ding Medicine New-Shojin Eatstation for its relatively high prices, but they advocate it for something different, a good place for mushroom-seekers and vegetarians.

Take Your Medicine [CHOW]
Medicine Eat Station [MenuPages]
Medicine Eat Station [Official Site]

[Photo courtesy: Medicine Official Site ]

Zuppa has been open a mere two years, yet Joseph Manzare's SoMa Italian joint has gone through (at least) three chefs. With Nick di Arenzo's imminent departure, Manzare--whose empire also includes Globe, Pescheria and Tres Agaves--has decided to take matters into his own hands, at least for the time being:

Instead of hiring another chef, co-owner Joseph Manzare will start manning the stoves himself.

"I love the restaurant so much that I'm looking forward to going in and cooking,'' he said on the phone from Mexico, where he was taking a few days off.

Manzare says he intends to keep the food simple and focus on local ingredients, such as petrale sole roasted in the pizza oven.

Zuppa [MenuPages]
Zuppa [Official Site]
New pub to open near ballpark [SFGate]

As you're probably aware, the stars will be aligned at AT&T Park tonight. If you're heading out for dinner tonight, you probably fall into one of two camps: those who want to soak up the festivities and those who want to avoid the crowds.

Now, just about every bar and restaurant in the China Basin area is sure to have plenty of specials, whether it be $2 beers at Mars Bar or the happiest hour at Tres Agaves, but some of you may want to get out of dodge tonight. And geographically speaking, nothing is farther away from AT&T Park than the Richmond.

You can stop by Sutro's at the Cliff House to sample some of the 17 organic or biodynamic wines offered on their new wine list. If you want, you can continue on a scenic restaurant tour to the Chalets. Tuesdays are Taco Night at Park Chalet; $2.50 tacos, $2.50 beers, 2-for-1 margaritas and live music abound. For a mellow vibe, head upstairs to Beach Chalet and enjoy their Tuesday Jazz Jam Session, from 6:30pm to 9:30pm.

Looking a bit further into July, we've got two quick tidbits to share: Jack Falstaff will offer "a weekly four-course Farmer’s Market Finds prefix menu served family-style every Saturday evening," beginning on July 21st for $55.

The 8th Annual Farmer's Market Dinner (five courses, $65/person) at Millennium is Wednesday July 25. Check their website for more details, including reservation information.

Here at MenuPages, we are constantly updating our vast menu database. Every morning, we'll highlight five or so menu updates to bring you the latest in San Francisco culinary upheaval.

Today's updates: Business dining in the city.

• Ame, 689 Mission St (At 3rd St), 415-284-4040

• Farallon, 450 Post St (Btwn Mason & Powell St), 415-956-6969

• Moose's, 1652 Stockton St (Btwn Union & Filbert St), 415-821-7652

• The Cosmopolitan Cafe, 121 Spear St (Btwn Mission & Howard St), 415-989-7800

• Zuni Cafe, 1658 Market St (Btwn Franklin & Gough St), 415-552-2522

Bi-Rite Market [MenuPages]
Bi-Rite Market [Official Site]

Several weeks ago, we enjoyed the national exposure given to the heartwarming tale of Cafe Gratitude. Lo and behold, the Times somehow unearthed an even better San Francisco feel-good story: the Mission's La Cocina.

In short, La Cocina is a shared kitchen space with low hourly rental rates "to provide a platform for women entrepreneurs without assets." In full, it's a business incubator that provides women with a business model, career training, and culinary training, not to mention hope:

“There’s an entrepreneurial gene,” said Valeria Perez Ferreiro, executive director of La Cocina. “And we are finding amazing entrepreneurs who are already cooking or have a product that is so promising that it deserves to be seen in the market and that we think has a chance for success.”

[Veronica] Salazar, 32, was one of the first participants in La Cocina and is one of its bigger successes. Her company, El Huarache Loco, makes traditional foods from Mexico City.

Working with intensity, she needed to produce 700 of her trademark huaraches, the bean-filled cakes, for her weekly booth at a farmer’s market and hundreds more for Carnaval San Francisco festivities over Memorial Day weekend. She also prepared fish and shrimp ceviche as an employee stirred 30 gallons of carnitas in a brazing skillet for a catering job for 100 people.

And what better place than the Mission to house one?

For Women, a Recipe to Create a Successful Business [NY Times]
La Cocina, Community Kitchen [Official Site]

Here at MenuPages, we are constantly updating our vast menu database. Every morning, we'll highlight five or so menu updates to bring you the latest in San Francisco culinary upheaval.

Today's updates: Trendy downtown places.

• Coi, 373 Broadway (Btwn Montgomery & Sansome St), 415-393-9000

• Globe, 290 Pacific Ave (At Battery St), 415-391-4132

• Nua, 550 Green St (Btwn Stockton St & Grant Ave), 415-433-4000

• Patisserie Philippe, 655 Townsend St (Btwn 7th & 8th St), 415-558-8016

Here at MenuPages, we are constantly updating our vast menu database. Every morning, we'll highlight five or so menu updates to bring you the latest in San Francisco culinary upheaval.

Today's updates: Restaurants in the PlumpJack Empire.

• Balboa Cafe, 3199 Fillmore St (At Greenwich St), 415-921-3944

• Jack Falstaff, 598 2nd St (At Brannan St), 415-836-9239

• MatrixFillmore, 3138 Fillmore St (Btwn Greenwich & Filbert St), 415-563-4180

• PlumpJack Cafe, 3127 Fillmore St (Btwn Filbert & Greenwich St), 415-563-4755

Here at MenuPages, we are constantly updating our vast menu database. Every morning, we'll highlight five or so menu updates to bring you the latest in San Francisco culinary upheaval.

Today's updates: Restaurants south of Market.

• Little Joe's, 85 5th St (At Mission St), 415-433-4343

• Panera, 301 King St (At 4th St), 415-777-2080

• Patisserie Philippe, 655 Townsend St (Btwn 7th & 8th St), 415-558-8016

• The Blue Plate, 3218 Mission St (At Valencia St), 415-282-6777

• The Liberty Cafe, 410 Cortland Ave (Btwn Bennington & Andover St), 415-695-8777

Here at MenuPages, we are constantly updating our vast menu database. Every morning, we'll highlight five or so menu updates to bring you the latest in San Francisco culinary upheaval.

Today's updates: Hot menus in SOMA & The Mission.

• Angkor Borei, 3471 Mission St (At Cortland St), 415-550-8417

• Destino, 1815 Market St (Btwn Valencia & Guerrero St), 415-552-4451

• Jasmine Tea House, 3253 Mission St (At Valencia St), 415-826-6288

• New Yorker's Buffalo Wings, 663 Valencia St (Btwn 17th & 18th St), 415-863-7755

• 'wichcraft, 866 Mission St (Btwn 4th & 5th St), 866-942-4272

Here at MenuPages, we are constantly updating our vast menu database. Every morning, we'll highlight five or so menu updates to bring you the latest in San Francisco culinary upheaval.

Today's updates: The Mission's Best Non-Taquerias

• Delfina, 3621 18th St (Btwn Dolores & Guerrero St), 415-552-4055

• Maverick, 3316 17th St (Btwn Mission and Valencia St), 415-863-3061

• Pizzeria Delfina, 3611 18th St (Btwn Dolores & Guerrero St), 415-437-6800

• Range, 842 Valencia St (At 20th St), 415-282-8283

• Spork, 1058 Valencia St (Btwn 21st & 22nd St), 415-643-5000

A recent thread on Chowhound has been debating the most "chowish" neighborhoods in San Francisco. The original poster writes, "In an ideal world, I would eat chinese, japanese, mexican, lebanese and vietnamese in a steady rotation ... where to start my search?" The broad question has now spurred over 50 responses, so here's a quick breakdown of the suggested destinations, with some MenuPages input.

Possibility #1: Inner Richmond
• 'Hounds say: "Inner Clement Street pretty much has that mix. No lebanese that I know of, though. Just make sure you buy a monthly bus pass, SF is a good transit city and there are good eats all over town."
• MP says: The Inner Richmond has got most Asian cuisines covered (Burma Superstar, Spices, King of Thai Noodle House), but it's sorely lacking in the taqueria department, and that's quite the shortcoming in a city like San Francisco.
• Added bonus: Russian restaurants: Cinderella Restaurant and Katia's.

Possibility #2: The Mission
• 'Hounds say: "Mission District is Chowhound heaven. You can find Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, Middle Eastern, and Vietnamese within a couple of blocks of the 16th St. BART station, along with restaurants of a dozen or more other ethnicities."
• MP says: The Mission is probably the cheap eats haven of the entire Bay. The selection of quality Chinese food may be a bit sparse, but just about everything else is there in spades, from the nation's best Mexican to "hidden" gems like Delfina and Range.
• Added bonus: The nightlife.

Possibility #3: Nob Hill
• 'Hounds say: "I live in Nob Hill, and there isn't much ethnic food here. However, I am very close to Chinatown (cheap veggies and spices!), and I have good nice restaurants within walking distance and pretty good markets (LeBeau, Leonard's). You'll find, too, that you'll revise your sense of what "walking distance" is. I have enjoyed being able to walk to the Whole Foods, Ferry Market, or the Trader Joe's in North Beach and take the cable car home (get a Muni Pass--$45/month for the bus, streetcar, muni rail, and cable car) .. So, I would add my voice to the others--live near transportation."
• MP says: Now this is thinking outside the box. If you can afford to live in Nob Hill, you have to take that opportunity. Yes, cheap eats are practically non-existent, but there is a flurry of fancy restaurants for the taking. With that said though, the above Chowhound has got it right--living in the middle of everything is the way to go. Nob Hill is sandwiched by the Tenderloin, Chinatown and the Western Addition, all of which have wonderful, chowish destinations. Furthermore, it's just a streetcar ride away from both the downtown hub and the Richmond strip.

Best CH 'hood in SF. Might be moving... [Chowhound]

Here at MenuPages, we are constantly updating our vast menu database. Every morning, we'll highlight five or so menu updates to bring you the latest in San Francisco culinary upheaval.

Today's updates: Up and down Mission Street.

• Jasmine Tea House, 3253 Mission St (At Valencia St), 415-826-6288

• Playa Azul, 3318 Mission St (At 29th St), 415-282-4554

• Savanna Jazz, 2937 Mission St (Btwn 25th and 26th St), 415-285-3369

• 'wichcraft, 866 Mission St (Btwn 4th & 5th St), 866-942-4272

George Costanza: "That's pie country. They do a lot of baking up there."
Jerry Seinfeld: "They sell them by the side of the road. Blueberry blackberry."
George: "Blackberry boysenberry."
Jerry: "Boysenberry huckleberry."
George: "Huckleberry raspberry."
Jerry: "Raspberry strawberry."
George: "Strawberry cranberry."
Jerry: "Peach."
-Seinfeld

If only George and Jerry could stop by the Mission District.

Today's article in the Chronicle about Mission High students learning the craft of pie-making at four-month old Mission Pie, from the "coastal farm to city cafe" is just the latest big piece of Slow Food publicity around the Bay this month. And well, those kids sure like their pies:

This being San Francisco, diners can have an organic latte with their pear-raspberry pie, served by streetwise Mission High kids working after school. It takes awhile, sometimes several visits, for customers to realize that the teens behind the counter are some of the same ones grinning in the farm photos on the wall, and to learn that those unassuming pies drive an ambitious social experiment.

In a cycle of production and consumption that is rarely so neat and direct, Mission Pie's proceeds help support a farm on the San Mateo coast, which in turn supplies ingredients -- eggs, wheat, pumpkins, berries -- for the pies.

The teens, all of them learning disabled, work on the farm one day a month, getting up-close exposure to the environmental issues they've explored in science class. The students who work in the store stay connected to those berries from farm to table and proudly recommend pies that contain fruit they helped to grow.

A piece of the pie [SFGate]
Mission Pie [Official Site]

And a reminder: tonight is Southern Fried Night at Maverick in the Mission. Be excited, because the guys over at Maverick have a twist to their usual SFN menu: boiled Louisiana crawfish. The prices are reasonable, and this is the last Southern Fried Night until July, so hop to it.

And, for your viewing pleasure, tonight's special menu, post-jump:

Continue reading "The Promo Department: Southern Fried Night, With A Special Guest" »

But for some reason, Bar Bambino has us a little more excited than usual. Maybe it's because we like the name. Maybe it's because we like that area of the North Mission. Maybe it's because we have a soft spot for a bread-centric Italian menu.

Whatever the cause, Bar Bambino has piqued our interest. Part wine bar, part cafe, they offer small bar bites like olive oil tastings and bruschette, in addition to larger plates (meatballs, pork shoulder). According to some reports, the place has been abuzz lately. If you've been, send any info our way.

Bar Bambino [MenuPages]
Bar Bambino [Official Site]

[Photo courtesy: Zagat Buzz]

Here at MenuPages, we are constantly updating our vast menu database. Every morning, we'll highlight five or so menu updates to bring you the latest in San Francisco culinary upheaval.

Today's updates: Restaurants near the water.

• Acme Chophouse, 24 Willie Mays Plaza (At Pac Bell Park), 415-644-0240

• Boudin Sourdough Bakery & Cafe, Pier 39, 415-421-0185

• Fog City Diner, 1300 Battery St (At The Embarcadero), 415-982-2000

• MarketBar, 1 Ferry Building, 415-434-1100

According to the Tablehopper, the rash of purse thieveries has continued to grow worse. Purses are now vanishing quicker than the Attorney General's memories. Here's what our favorite investigative reporter has unearthed thus far:

She was all over the Mission: Andalu got hit, and she also got Tangerine, where she wandered in and said she was looking for a friend—after someone noticed their purse was stolen, members of the staff actually jumped in a car and tried to find her! They win the vigilante award so far. Both times purses were hanging on the backs of chairs. She also hit Regalito Rosticeria, where she was foiled by a waiter who sensed something was wrong and chased her out (she was with another African American woman while at Regalito).

Another reader reported she stole a purse at Koh Samui & The Monkey, and proceeded to spend two grand at Bloomie’s with the credit card. And yet another reader’s purse was taken off the back of a chair at the Westfield Centre, so if it’s the same person, she was busy shopping and stealing all at once.

Watch your backs, ladies. And your purses.

The Chatterbox [Tablehopper]

We have an admission.

We love the Dogpatch.

The name perfectly epitomizes the neighborhood's quaint, essence-of-San Francisco charm. So, naturally, we were excited when Piccino Cafe opened a couple months ago, and we practically wet ourselves with the deluge of positive reviews the little cafe has received since then. Today's article in the Bay Guardian is no exception:

Part of Piccino's charm is its snugness, but the food is so good that demand is bound to raise the issue of expansion sooner or later, probably sooner. While that question simmers, wedge yourself in at one of the knee-to-knee tables, pour yourself a tumbler of water from your personal stash, have a bite of flatbread, and scan the brief menu.

Continue reading "Digesting The Reviews: It's Dogpatch Time" »

Here at MenuPages, we are constantly updating our vast menu database. Every morning, we'll highlight five or so menu updates to bring you the latest in San Francisco culinary upheaval.

Today's updates: Restaurants in Potrero Hill

• Aperto, 1434 18th St (Btwn Missouri & Connecticut St), 415-252-1625

• Baraka, 288 Connecticut St (At 18th St), 415-255-0387

• Chez Papa, 1401 18th St (At Missouri St), 415-824-8210

• Connecticut Yankee, 100 Connecticut St (At 17th St), 415-552-4440

Huitlacoche means "raven's excrement" in Aztec, but it's not actually dung. It's just fungus. Corn fungus, to be exact.

A delicacy and common flavoring ingredient in many traditional Mexican dishes, huitlacoche grows naturally on the ears of corn. It is often used in dishes like quesadillas and tamales to impart a smokey, earthy flavor. In 1989, the James Beard foundation even held a huitlacoche upscale dinner, though they renamed it as a "Mexican truffle."

According to Wikipedia, huitlacoche (aka "corn smut" ... yummy!) develops when a pathogenic plant fungus "enters the ovaries and replaces the normal kernels of the cobs with large distorted tumors analogous to mushrooms. These tumors, or 'galls', are made up of much-enlarged cells of the infected plant, fungal threads, and blue-black spores. The spores give the cob a burned, scorched appearance."

You can find huitlacoche in canned form in most Mexican groceries if you look hard enough. As for restaurants, Zazil serves pollo con huitlacoche and Tres Agaves offers chile relleno con huitlacoche en salsa jitomate.

So now you know the following tidbits: Huitlacoche is corn fungus. You can find it easily if you know where to look. And corn has ovaries.

Feel free to impress your friends.

Zazil [MenuPages]
Tres Agaves [MenuPages]
Corn smut [Wikipedia]

Today, we add a pair of restaurants to our database.

Visit Thai recently opened its doors in the Lower Haight, making it the ninth or so Thai restaurant in the neighborhood. What's different about it? Supposedly, the space is supposed to be a little more aesthetically pleasing than surrounding spots, but reviews have been quite mixed thus far.

Down in the Mission, Caffe Bellissimo took the space of Zagora, a Moroccan restaurant that just didn't quite catch on. The rustic Italian cafe's menu looks affordable and intriguing, with items like housemade gnocchi ($14) and pizza prosciutto ($9).

As always, preliminary reports are welcome, either here or on the main site.

Visit Thai [MenuPages]
Caffe Bellissimo [MenuPages]

It's Friday, and that means one thing: The Drink Menu. Here's a trio of upcoming (chronologically-organized!) wine-related events that are sure to fill up quickly so plan accordingly.

• Monday, April 23: Yield Wine Bar hosts a wine tasting led by French organic winemakers Catherine and Pierre Breton. Cabernet Franc wines from the trendy region of the Loire Valley will be featured. Snacks are included in the $40 fee.

• Wednesday, April 25: The first winemaker event of the year at Millennium takes place with the Bokisch Winemaker Dinner. Bokisch Vineyards is a family-run winery in Lodi that produces Spanish varietals; the Millennium kitchen will pair Bokisch wines with a five-course feast. Tickets are $75 per person.

• Monday, May 14: OK, it's three weeks away, but Absinthe just announced the first Sonoma Coast Wine Tasting Event. It's $48 per person and 15% of the proceeds go to Save the Bay. Saving the bay + supporting local wineries + lots of wine imbibed = a good sleep.

If you had to guess which San Francisco restaurant received a write-up in today's edition of The New York Times, Cafe Gratitude probably wouldn't be your first guess. But instead of saying, "I am wrong," you can say "I am bountiful" or "I am luscious" at one of the four Cafe Gratitude locations, and in a couple minutes, you'd be looking at a smoothie and a plate of live crustini toasts.

Cafe Gratitude gets attention for its wacky menu names, but the creativity of Matthew and Terces Engleheart's raw cuisine continues to garner national attention to the husband and wife team. The Times review--which, by the way, is extremely glowing--also tosses in plenty of fun little tidbits and stories about Cafe Gratitude. Plus, it's always nice to see local stars go big, especially a mom-and-pop(ish) place where no entries are over $12.

Be proud, San Francisco.

Adoring Yourself and Your Appetizer [NYT]
Cafe Gratitude [MenuPages]
Cafe Gratitude [official site]

Here at MenuPages, we are constantly updating our vast menu database. Every morning, we'll highlight five or so menu updates to bring you the latest in San Francisco culinary upheaval.

Today's updates: Restaurants in Bernal Heights.

• Piqueo's, 830 Cortland Ave (Btwn Gates and Ellsworth St), 415-278-0480

• The Blue Plate, 3218 Mission St (At Valencia St), 415-282-6777

• The Front Porch, 65A 29th St (Btwn Mission St & San Jose Ave), 415-695-7800

• The Liberty Cafe, 410 Cortland Ave (Btwn Bennington & Andover St), 415-695-8777

• It's Southern Fried Night at Maverick. In the grand tradition of southern diners, chicken fried steaks, fried chickens and biscuits will be flowing at 17th Street this evening. There's still some space left, but the small Mission eatery/wine bar is filling up fast, so pounce on the final few reservations.

• The Fat Tuesday Band and Edna Love will be playing Biscuits & Blues tonight; also on sale for $30 are Friday night tickets for Elvin Bishop and Little Smokey Smothers.

• This isn't tonight, but we just discovered that one of our favorite soul food spots, farmerbrown, offers Happy Hour all day on Sundays and Mondays. That's a lot of joviality sure to cure your weekend blues. Or make them worse, depending.

• There's a garden party at Bistro Yoffi tonight. It's advertised as "the best hippie hangout in yuppieland." What? There are yuppies in San Francisco? And they congregate in the Marina? Someone call the mayor!

• Finally, tonight marks the debut of supperclub's "supperlite four-course Tuesdays." The basic premise of the hip dining experience will persist, albeit in a shorter, $45 four-course form.

We've got it straight from the source.

After much anticipation, Spork (on Valencia, between 21st and 22nd) will be open tonight at 6pm. Their online menu (as well as ours) has been updated for tonight's Tuesday night dinner. According to our source, it should be "hot," so get there early, as they don't take reservations.

As always, reports are welcome.

Earlier: Openings: The Name "Runcible Spoon" Didn't Have The Same Ring, So Here's "Spork" [MenuBlog]

Spork [MenuPages]
Spork [official site]

Any day now, Spork will be opening in the Mission on Valencia between 21st and 22nd. It's always enjoyable when a smaller, independent restaurant unseats a chain (Spork is taking over a former KFC space), and we have to admit, we're excited about Spork. The changing New American-ish menu, from the mind of Bruce Binn (formerly of Citizen Cake), is rife with reinvented dishes like an inside-out burger.

Neither the answering machine nor website reveals a certain opening date, though the menu online is dated Monday, April 16th, which is odd because the same website says the restaurant is closed on Mondays. Whatever. We'll stay on the beat and report our findings. Tips, as always, are welcome. More details to come.

Sidenote: is it ironic that KFC is the only restaurant that still uses sporks? Also, sporks are impossible to eat with. They are too shallow for soup, yet their prongs are too short to pick up any solids; let's hope this isn't a bad omen for Spork.

Spork [MenuPages]
Spork [official site]

First, San Francisco burritos are made with freshly steamed flour tortillas. The steaming is done with a tortilla steamer, which allows the tortilla to stretch without breaking; more elasticity means more ingredients can be (over) stuffed inside.

Second, San Francisco burritos are wrapped in foil. In NYC, burritos are put in a styrofoam clamshell and eaten with a fork and knife. Yuck. In LA, burritos are usually wrapped in wax paper. But not by the Bay. The foil provides support for the burrito, enabling the burritophile to eat it with his hands, tearing off rings of foil inch by inch.

Third, sheer size. Sure, San Francisco burritos might pale in comparison to this, but the normal size often reaches about 10-12 inches. And it's not just rice and beans filler.

Who's in our Fave Five? Find out after the jump.

Continue reading "Making A List: Burrito Picks" »

Here at MenuPages, we are constantly updating our vast menu database. Every morning, we'll highlight five or so menu updates to bring you the latest in San Francisco culinary upheaval.

Today's updates: Restaurants that received Michelin stars.

• Boulevard, 1 Mission St (At Steuart St), 415-543-6084

• The Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton, 600 Stockton St (Btwn California & Pine St), 415-773-6168

• Range, 842 Valencia St (At 20th St), 415-282-8283

• Restaurant Gary Danko, 800 N Point St (At Hyde St), 415-749-2060

• Rubicon, 558 Sacramento St (Btwn Sansome & Montgomery St), 415-434-4100

As you probably know, Kurt Vonnegut died last night. Needless to say, his dark humor and strong moral vision impacted countless readers, including this blog's editor. What you might not know is that Vonnegut was a big jazz fan. In fact, in a Rolling Stone interview, he proposed that jazz, along with Alcoholics Anonymous, is the only American invention that has made the world a better place. With that in mind, we've decided to dedicate this edition of The Promo Department to the jazzy offerings around the city this weekend, because well, so it goes: "I will say too, that lovemaking, if sincere, is one of the best ideas Satan put in the apple she gave to the serpent to give to Eve. The best idea in that apple, though, is making jazz." (Vonnegut, "Timequake")

• Kim Nalley, "a swinging and sassy vocalist," will spend the weekend at Jazz at Pearl's. Don't miss Nalley; her blues style has been described as a cross between Louis Armstrong and Jessica Rabbit. Seems like must-see jazz to us. More info is available on the official website or by calling 415-291-8255.

• One of our favorite haunts, Rasselas, is the scene of tonight's YMCA community support campaign. For $50, you get a drink, Ethiopian hors d'oeuvres and performances by Swoop Unit and Oriente, not to mention the satisfaction of helping the Y. RSVP is necessary.

• West African Mission standby Bissap Baobab will host a Senegalese independence party on Friday the 13th, with lots of African-jazz fusion fun. On Saturday, its sister East Bay restaurant Taxi Brousse will host Geah, an African harp-double bass-percussion trio.

• For your traditional jazz fix, the Bill "Doc" Webster Band will be playing nostalgic swing from the '30s and '40s at Les Joulins Jazz Bistro on Saturday and Sunday.

Nothing beats a good ol' dive.

And nothing beats a good ol' Mexican Mission joint.

Hence our intrigue regarding El Maya Yucatan, which recently surfarced on our radar after a glowing review from Chowhound elder statesman rworange. Nothing says the Mission like tortas de cochinita and unmarked squeeze bottles of an as-yet unidentified spicy substance. So, rworange and the rest of you Chowhounds, you've done it. You've piqued our interest in this "working man's place." Now can we have a menu?

Extra points to anyone who can explain the roles of the three managers, who by the looks of their respective surnames, appear to be Vietnamese and Polish. Because, you know, the Yucatan is home to lots of Vietnamese and Polish people.

Email us a menu or fax it to 415-358-5770.

El Maya Yucatan, 2022 Mission St (At 16th St), 415-252-8810

[Mayan pyramid in the Yucatan (get it?) photo courtesy: Adventure Pics]

• All week, Delfina will be offering several special Passover-inspired dishes on its à la carte menu. The rustic Italian joint is making no claims that the special items will be kosher or authentic, but if past experiences at Delfina are any indication, we're sure it'll be impressive.

According to our favorite investigative reporter, durian will soon be a featured item at critically-acclaimed Vietnamese restaurant/lounge Bong Su. Pastry chef Matthew Mina has allegedly started experimenting with the stinky Asian fruit (which supposedly tastes pretty good). Mina plans to use it in a pudding dish alongside white chocolate in some capacity. Could this be the start of a new durian trend? Will durian juice soon take over the Whole Foods drinks section like Pom did several years ago? Will someone start producing durian lotions and bath products? Stay tuned.

Bong Su [MenuPages]

Bong Su [official site]

A trio of new dining destinations are due to hit our fair, moth-infested city this week.

• In the heart of North Beach, Nua opened last week to mixed reviews. The Mediterranean-inspired restaurant and wine bar is home to a trendy wood-panelled interior and a decent wine list. Nua is currently only open for dinner, but a lunch menu is slated to arrive in mid-April.

• Good news for all bastilla lovers: Tajine is slated to reopen sometime early next week. The owner finally found a new space in Nob Hill, thereby resurrecting one of the better Moroccan spots in the Bay. Welcome back, Tajine.

• Rounding out the week's openings is Piqueo's, an intriguing Peruvian restaurant on Cortland Avenue. The menu is rife with traditional seafood dishes, from ceviche to carapulcra. Entree prices range from $15-25, so it's not exactly cheap, but no different from other Peruvian favorites in the city.

Because there should be a rule in the blogosphere that free gin always merits its own post ...

Tonight at Mezzanine, a graffiti street artists' club will be celebrating the URB Next 100 issue by screening "Infamy," a film about "an intense journey into the dangerous lives and obsessed minds of six of America’s most prolific graffiti artists" (this according to SFist).

In any event, tickets for the show are a couple bucks, and for the first hour, Damrak Gin is on the house. These kind of events are always fun, especially once the graffiti artists get a little tipsy and start making art on the bathroom stalls.

Mezzanine, 444 Jessie St (At Mint St), 415-625-8880
SFist Tonight watches Infamy [SFist]

We figured we'd round out the day with one final ballpark-neighborhood post.

In a world slowly succumbing to Starbucks, Crossroads Cafe persists. Part bookstore, part coffeehouse and part Euro-cafe, Crossroads is a local favorite for brunch (we recommend the waffles) and cheap eats. It's your quintessential neighborhood cafe, and as most neighborhood cafes are wont to do, they change their menu often and don't have a website. So it's up to you to share the wonders of Crossroads with the masses. Email us a menu or fax it to 415-358-5770. Godspeed.

Crossroads Cafe, 699 Delancey St (At Brannan St), 415-836-5624

(Update: an astute user pointed us towards a photo of the Crossroads Cafe menu online. Much obliged. We'll have it up on the site ASAP.)

Continuing with the Opening Day Mania theme ...

Just when you thought you would go the rest of your life without thinking about workers' rights advocate, labor union leader and AFL founder Samuel Gompers, the Wrigley Beer Vendors Association is formed.

The WBVA has quite the website (complete with neat-o individual vendor cards!), which makes us think that they've got quite the strong organization over there in Chicago. It also serves as an appreciative reminder that without beer vendors, sporting events would be a lot less heartbreaking entertaining.

We thank you, beer vendor union workers.

[via Deadspin]

• Right across the Embarcadero, MoMo's has already extended its hours to open early on game days (10:30), so you can have more time to "prepare" prior to first pitch and celebrate/mourn after the game.
• The 21st Amendment Brewery Cafe has been eagerly anticipated this day for weeks. The beer garden doors were opened this past weekend for the A's games, and the fabled cans of 21A IPA and Watermelon Wheat have finally arrived as well.
• Palomino's daily Happy Hour lasts from 4-6 and then from 10-closing, making it perfect for pre- or post-game festivities.
• You can park in Zuppa's lot for just $5 when you join them for dinner on game nights.

The 2007 baseball season officially begins in a couple hours as the Giants host the Padres, so we thought we'd take this opportunity to remind everyone of one of the best dining destinations in all of the Bay Area: AT&T Park. No other sporting venue in the country can match the myriad gourmet food stands sprinkled throughout the home of the Gigantes. Hell, AT&T Park has better food options than most cities (cough cough Fresno).

So, If you're stuck in an office today, our advice is to play hookey and enjoy the waterfront view of the most picturesque sporting venue in the country. The forecast: low 70s with a slight breeze and lots of sunshine. That's baseball-watching, hot dog-eating weather.

After the jump: the list of our favorite dining options in AT&T Park, including some garlicky ones (the famed fries and a 40-clove garlic chicken sandwich) and a few undiscovered gems.

Continue reading "Opening Day 2007: AT&T Park's Many Concessions" »

The best part about the experience was the ambience. The interior feels like a French plantation home in Vietnam. It was obvious people were having a good time. While the food may no longer be transporting, the surroundings certainly are.

Earlier in the week, Bauer did cartwheels over Napa's Go Fish. Cindy Pawlcyn's restaurant represents the upscale sushi destination that everyone knew was coming to the wine country; however, as Bauer points out, Pawlcyn decided to go above and beyond sushi, including " just about every iconic permutation of seafood imaginable--West Coast oyster bar, classic Asian sushi bar, East Coast-inspired clam shack." Getting high marks: the salt-encrusted prawns ("so expertly fried we could eat them shell and all") and a modern take on fish and chips, fried smelt and shoestring potatoes.

Continue reading "Digesting The Reviews: Complacency Comes To Le Colonial, Lots Of Fish Arrives In Napa" »

Welcome to The Drink Menu, wherein we'll take a break from our restaurant and food-related madness and focus on the subtleties and happenings of our other passion: alcohol.

Just when you thought that the wine bar boom was starting to quell, a veritable plague of vino-destinations has swept over The City, more potent than ever. Since it's a bit tricky to weed out the also-rans from the hidden gems, we turn to the small army of Bay Area bloggers for their opinions on the wave of new wine bars.

Post-jump: Rouge et Blanc, District, Yield and naked people in trees.

Continue reading "The Drink Menu: Wine Bars Are The New Locusts" »