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Grappa Galore at Bar 888

15 Sep

There are 3 things you should know about me: I like grapes, 8 is my favorite number and I like hard alcohol. Pull the slot machine of luck and we have a winner at Bar 888. A few weeks ago, I got a message on Twitter from the InterContinental Hotel asking me to follow them so they can DM me an invite. It sounded mysterious, so I followed and they hit up my DM box with a grappa tasting invite. Done! I like the word grappa and I knew involved grapes and alcohol. I remember it listed as an ingredient in a few cocktails that I had and I knew it alone was very strong. But that is where my knowledge stopped. I will save you all a Wikipedia visit by saying that grappa is made from distilling the pulp, seeds, skins, and stems from grapes. In other words, the waste product from winemaking.

I arrived at the hotel lounge and was escorted to Luce where the grappa bottles were hand selected from the Bar 888 bar to try. The rest of the evening went something like this: a welcome grappa cocktail, two grappas made from muscat grapes that tasted very different, some light bite food consuming, another grappa cocktail, and more straight grappa samplings. The Luigi Francoli muscato grappa was one of my favorites of the evening. It was floral and easily as complex as wine as each one poured gave off a completely different aroma and taste.

Some were aged for a long time and almost bourbon like, others were more like a high quality vodka that had been flavored. Normally, I would have thought Tagliatella to be a pasta, but it was a flavored grappa by Nardini with a fruity and bitter taste that the sommelier explained was a bit like Fernet Light. Ugh please, I have lived in SF for more than a year, I don’t even ginger back anymore; I go straight…and hard.

I spent a good amount of time really delving into the grappa menu that is endless. First there are more than 10 grappa cocktails and there is a list of bottles that simply never ends. I asked the som if this was the biggest grappa list in San Francisco, he nodded and then said, “Probably the biggest west of the Rockies.” It’s pretty incredible. I am now at that point in my life when I can see an item on a menu or a dress in a store and without tasting it or trying it on I can be right about 90% of the time that it will be a Cinderella fit for my body/palate and that I will love it. I read the word chamomile on the grappa menu and I knew I just had to have it. I am a sucker for tea infusions it accounts for all of my favorite desserts, macarons, and ice creams so it may as well work for my grappa. I begged to try it and I was right, it was my dream spirit. Smooth like honey and tasting of honey. One sip and I was transported to my childhood, picking the yellow buds of chamomile off the field. Squashing it on my fingers and putting my nose as deeply into it as possible to pull out the tea scent that I knew. My cups of tea that I would make around this single digit age would have so much honey and sugar at the bottom that the first few sips were watery torture while I waited for the thick sweet stuff that could hardly make its way down the cup. Yeah, this bottle of Marolo Grappa & Camomile was pretty incredible.

I recommend you save the grappa cocktail drama for your mama, and head to Bar 888 for some serious straight up grappa tasting.

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My Six Top Bites from SF Street Food Fest

29 Aug

In the Mission district of San Francisco a couple of  Saturdays ago, an expansive variety of street food was served at the 3rd annual San Francisco Street Food Festival, put on by La Cocina. Food carts, trucks, stands, coolers, grills, and brick-and-mortar restaurants showcased their offerings of food and drinks priced from $1-$8. People carried cash or special event passports in search of all the best food they could find. I was on the scene scouting local foodie goodness.

Here are the top picks from this indulgent day:

#6 Watermelon Gazpacho from Commonwealth

In several years of covering food events, I like to think that I have reached some kind of method for the madness. For instance, after judging a cupcake challenge, I go straight to a vegan restaurant for some on-the-fly cleansing. Rational? My approach perhaps makes no nutritional sense, but it’s what I do. Another well-honed tactic: There is something to be said about starting an event off with a shot of liquid courage, so that is another food fest rule. For this afternoon, I started with a shot of watermelon gazpacho with lemon verbena oil artfully decorating the top. It was sweet and tart as I shot it down, prompting a handful of fellow foodie goers to ask, “That looks so refreshing, where did you get?”

The answer was Commonwealth, a top Mission restaurant who had a stand for this event and offered the shooter for $2. It was an inexpensive way to coat my stomach with something ostensibly healthy before the delicious abuse it was about to endure.

#5 Thai Grilled Chicken with Sticky Rice from Lers Ros

Next up was the most beautiful-looking chicken and sticky rice I’ve ever seen. I was on the prowl for something substantial but not too heavy (read: fried). I was excited to encounter Lers Ros, a top Thai restaurant in San Francisco. The restaurant features a diverse menu including items such as frog legs and alligator. I have yet to visit and try these exotic meats that “taste like chicken,” so it was beneficial to see how they actually prepared their food. They do it very well. It fell off the bone. I generously rescued it with a spoon and grabbed some sticky rice for a full dip in the sweet and spicy chili sauce. My first thought? Oddly enough, that this is how mall food should taste.

#4 S’mores from Kika’s Treats

In an interview I did with San Francisco local and Top Chef: Just Desserts winner, Yigit Pura, he confessed that Kika’s Treats were one of his favorite sweets. I endured the long line to see what spell the chocolate-dipped graham crackers held over a master pastry chef. One look at the torch turning a marshmallow and a graham cracker into a S’more and I got it.

#3 Banh Mi and Pad Thai Taco from The Peached Tortilla

Some out-of-state vendors were present and I was so intrigued by one menu that I had to try all of the offerings. A food truck from Austin, Texas that was serving a Pad Thai taco and a Banh Mi taco? Obviously I had to try both. I got the Pad Thai taco with tofu and was a little turned off by the look it. Noodle-free, essentially a mash-up of toppings, I had my doubts. One bite in and I realized the best part of pad thai: the sauce, the crushed peanuts, the bean sprouts and the lime wedge. The tortilla was just the vessel for this flavor powerhouse. The Banh Mi taco was similarly fashioned, but had Vietnamese braised pork belly with pickled Daikon and carrots topped with Srichacha mayo and cilantro. Once again, the toppings were supreme. If I lived in Texas, you can guarantee this would be my go-to truck after a night of cocktailing.

#2 The Yes Please! from The Crème Brulee Man

Living in San Francisco, the Crème Brulee Man – and his Twitter feed – is one of my regular haunts. For the festival, I had a mouthwatering brulee featuring Nutella and balsamic strawberry. I can now die and go to heaven.

#1 Arepa de Queso from The Arepa Lady

I do not recall when or where I first heard about The Arepa Lady, but like a mythical creature, I knew she existed. Hailing from Jackson Heights in New York, she also goes by the nickname “Sainted Arepa Lady.” As part of the visiting vendor program, she graced us and gave us all a great Arepa gift. It may have the same appearance as a Salvadorian Pupusa, but the Arepa version is much denser and sweeter. Summed up? Imagine tender dough cheese-filled, buttered and grilled to a brown and crispy sweet perfection – and then topped with more cheese. This was, without question, the best thing I ate at the festival. Possibly ever. (Butter! Cheese!)

For the final paragraph, please see the full article on EcoSalon.

Side note: My whole life I’ve wanted nepotism but despite the awesome editor and I having the same last name, sadly, we are not related.

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Top Three Spring Forward Dishes in SF

20 Apr

The bunny has hopped on, your clocks have sprung forward, and now it is time for your springy palate to do the same. I’m anti-wearing pastel but pro-rabbit and vegetable eating. I may be Jewish but I have a special place in my heart for the Easter bunny. My favorite spring time dishes include: rabbit, asparagus, peas, and eggs. Because asparagus leaves behind an unpleasant odor, I am ignoring it from the list. Deal with it.

#3 Deviled Jidori Eggs at Wayfare Tavern

It’s the season of crucifixions and rebirth, of ying and yang, of the white and the yolk. And while hard-boiled and creme-filled might be good enough for some, what if you want to delve into the darker, dare we say more devilish side of the egg? The egg dish that’s so controversial that when it appears at church potlucks it has to go by an alias?

Deviled eggs just don’t have the same ring when they bear the euphemism “salad eggs” or “dressed eggs.” The “deviled” part comes from the spice, mustard and paprika mainly, though those can seem way too vanilla these days. If you’re looking for a heightened level of devilishness, head to Wayfare Tavern. Its deviled Jidori eggs ($9) feature mustard- and crème fraiche-whipped yolks, radish, celery leaves, and bottarga.

That’s what we like about TyFlo: He could go all out and give us caviar on our deviled eggs, but like Jesus he’s a man of the people, so he features roe of the peasant variety. It’s the salty edge to the sinfully delicious yolk concoction, filling the cavity of the otherwise pure egg white. That’s hot. [Read SFoodie post]

#2 Chicken-Fried Rabbit, Rabbit Toast, and Celery Salad at Comstock Saloon

I have written about this dish in such length because I absolutely adore it, it is one of the best things I ever ate. Rabbit several different way, a hot sauce to pour over it, and a fresh and crisp celery salad…sign me up! This is the year of the rabbit, this is the season for rabbit, and as a single girl living in SF rabbit is always in season. Pair the rabbit with a whiskey cocktail at the saloon and I can guarantee that you will be all bright eyed and bushy tailed.

#1 English Pea Flan at Fifth Floor

Peas, the shoots of life, have never been presented in a way more beautiful than the flan that The Baz created. David Bazirgan has brought a new level of hotness to Fifth Floor, he was even voted the hottest chef in America by Eater reader votes. The savory custard has snap peas, pea shoots, cumin, and carrot air. The aroma is intoxicating and the texture is so decadent. I am an uni fanatic, I even own the URL Looney Uni dot com, and I was under the impression that nothing could top the uni flan that The Baz created his first month in at Fifth Floor, but he outdid himself. The pea flan is where it’s at, so get it before it is out of season.

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Cupcake Challenge Coming to San Francisco

23 Feb

It’s award season and it is also my first February in many years not living in LA. I miss the excitement of Hollywood during the Globes, Grammy’s and Academy Awards. Thankfully, I just got word that one of my favorite events has followed me up to San Francisco and that is the Cupcake Challenge. I was a judge last year in LA and it was some serious business. I have never run a marathon but I am sure the experience is similar. Exciting build-up, adrenaline rushing, a sugar high peak, extreme exhaustion, wondering if you can finish, and then a disbelief that you made it through. That’s right, I am a food baller.

Last year, I tried bites from 40 cupcakes. I left in a sugar coma and wanted nothing more than vegetables and meat. I kept telling everyone: “I survived.” I had a dumb grin on my face and kept repeating to myself: I made it. I went to battle. I survived.

It was such an event that I am so happy to have experienced it. San Francisco, let me offer up some words of advice and get you ready for San Francisco’s first ever Cupcake Challenge.

Here’s all the info from the organizer Drink:Eat:Play:

SF Cupcake Challenge

Lets get reaaaaaady to rumble! The baking gloves are coming off as the best bakeries from around the Bay Area will compete for the title of “best cupcake” in three categories:  traditional, original, and overall. Attendees will have an opportunity to taste and judge dozens of bakeries’ best submissions and finally put to rest which bakery makes the best cupcake.  The competition will take place March 6 from 1pm to 4pm at Mezzanine in San Francisco

Tickets are $40 and can be purchased here

http://www.drinkeatplay.com/sfcupcakechallenge/

Here’s my personal advice:

  1. Bring tupperware and lots of it.
  2. Take a bite of each cupcake so you can score and judge, but take the rest to go.
  3. Plan what you will eat for a “real” meal afterward ahead of time because your brain won’t be working properly after the event. I rarely recommend vegan restaurants but on this occasion I make an exception. You can have meat but make sure lots of veggies are included in your post-cupcake meal.
  4. Eat a light meal ahead of time, like soup and salad.
  5. Score as you go along.

Alright, those are my frosting pearls of wisdom. Good luck and I hope those cupcakes make you cream and bring you to a mission fruition!

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Most Romantic Foodie Dates

17 Feb

My artichoke heart and hearts of palm V-Day dip

We are still in the month of February and love is still in the air. I have recently written about S.F’s Best Restaurants for a First Date and Eight Dishes to Get Your Valentine Thinking About Sex, so I guess that makes me an expert on food and love. One question: Why I am never fully satiated with either and still on the hunt for delicious food and a delicious lover? True Story:  I once had a guy work on a comic book for me called The Insatiables.

Let me steer men and women to foodgasms and orgasms alike, and hopefully polish myself off at the same time. In my experience, people that are passionate about food are passionate about love making. Foodies make the best lovers! So here are three different date ideas to indulge in some good food and land yourself a foodie.

Date #1: How about we…head to Tartine and share a banana cream tart.

Photo Credit: BrasilPo P. on Yelp

Tartine can be trite, there is always a line around the block, and since the New York Times deemed it the “Best Bakery in America” it is a top foodie destination. So, why am I recommending this place? First, it does give you some foodie street cred. Secondly, it is a damn good bakery and the dish that I am talking about is perfect. Bananas in cream, is just as sexy as it comes. Hot apple pie is for teenagers, banana cream pie is for lovers. Grab a fork for each of you, dig into the flaky crust, and go to town on the sweet creamy filling.

Date #2 How about we…sit at the Hog Island Oyster Co. bar and slurp oysters together.

Photo Credit: Katherine C. on Yelp

Anyway you shuck it or serve it, oysters are sexy. A well-known aphrodisiac that has reminded us of lady parts for centuries just happens to be the most elite of foods meant for the most refined of palates. If foodie was a religion, then the Ferry Building would be it’s Mecca. The Hog Island Oyster Co. in the Ferry Building is an institution in itself and is the perfect place to have a date. The guys will do the heavy shucking, you and your date just get to slurp away and let the slimy goodness work its magic.

Date #3 How about we…head to Tony’s and eat a meatball pizza pie, eh?

“When the moon hits your eye
Like a big-a pizza pie
That’s amore”

The two things we are talking about, food and romance, the Italians do very well. A date in San Francisco’s very own Little Italy, North Beach, is a date worth having. Tony’s Pizza Napoletana is by far my favorite pizza in this city. I am a meatball girl (how am I still single?) and my favorite pizza is the Soprano with Tony’s famous meatballs on top, I also have them add on some ricotta. I think of Tony Soprano, my mouth experiences great things, I down a couple glasses of chianti, and even if my date happens to be lame I come out a winner. Between meatballs and a circular pie, I will be having a ball and so will you!

These three date options will charm the pants off of any foodie and if, for any reason, it doesn’t you will at the very least go home feeling that the food satisfied you!

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Fleur de Lys: The Black Feast

6 Jan


White Parties a la Puff Daddy are so 2000 and late. The new trend is Diddy and Black Feasts. Fleur de Lys is home of the other chef Keller, Hubert, and is notorious as one of the classiest joints in San Francisco; even if one of the housewives spit out foie in her napkin, sacrilegious!

Anyway, on January 21st, Fleur de Lys will be home to a Black Feast of epic proportions known as, Le Regal Noir. You get dressed up in black velvet and black diamonds and enter the private dining room for 5-courses of “Black”: think black truffles, black cod, and everything else black and decadent. The drinks poured during the special night are as impressive as any Hamptons party:

  • Krug Champagne
  • Black Bottle Cabernet wine with dinner (valued at $1,000 per bottle)
  • Pouring of Angel’s Share International’s The Black Mirror, a 47-year-old single malt scotch whiskey from Scotland (valued at $375,000 a cask)
  • Exclusive, not available to the public, specially created black, hand-rolled Payne-Mason cigar for each guest ($120 value)

The price tag isn’t cheap but it is well worth it and it includes tax, tip, valet, and a ton of other perks and specials that are available for this night only.

Head over to Gilt City and make your ticket purchase and feel free to buy one for me while you are at it!

http://www.giltcity.com/san-francisco/fleurdelys

Here’s to making 2011 as luxurious, black, and wonderful as possible!

 

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OAKland is A-OK! Bocanova, El Tio Juan and Adesso

4 Aug

My move to San Francisco has really been quite extraordinary and I always seem to sum it up into a single word: Roots. Nope, no mini-series about slavery. This transition in my life is about coming back to my Bay Area roots and about planting my own. The best part of this experience is reconnecting to my old roots and that means family and friends. The picture above is me and my friend Analisa, and it was taken at our Junior High graduation. We have been friends since 4th grade when we were both newcomers to the same school. She has always been someone that I have respected and considered a friend but in high school I very much went my own way. I knew since I was 14 what college I wanted to go to and that I wanted to live in LA, so high school always felt like a holding cell. Analisa and I had been friends via Facebook and Twitter for the last few years but I really had not heard her voice since our high school graduation (4 years after that photo was taken). When I moved to San Francisco, a month ago, I reconnected with this old friend and it has been fantastic. I have learned that she is a Social Media expert and quite the little foodie. We are made in friend heaven. In fact, the first time I saw her she took me to Comstock, which I am dying to return to. We drank cocktails and ate chicken fried rabbit and all was right in the world; we were back to being friends. Analisa lived in San Francisco for a while after college but now she lives and works in Oakland and for me atleast she is Oakland’s greatest advocate.

Two weeks ago, I set forth on my first real Oakland adventure. I had met her there once prior but this was going to be the ultimate tour. Tying to shed myself of my LA ways, I took the bus and BART to Oakland. It was all fairly painless especially since Analisa cued me into the almighty Clipper Card. She picked me up right out of the station and she took me to Bocanova. Well well well I wasn’t expecting this, we walked into an over-designed gorgeous industrial styled restaurant and were asked if we had a reservation. I knew that the NY Times had recently written about them but still I was impressed. We sat at the chef’s counter and I ordered my new signature cocktail: The Last Word. It was excellent, as was our server and the bartender who came up to me saying how much he liked my drink choice. We then went on to Walu “White Tuna” crudo and the bone marrow. The crudo was refreshing and we had to keep it just with papaya on top because I somehow remembered that Analisa had a mango allergy. This is mission fruition and I think I make it pretty clear  that I love fruit components on every dish. The bone marrow was yummy, but when isn’t bone marrow delicious? Although, I was disappointed that they cut it vertically instead of horizontally. I always get the impression that I am eating a push-pop when I eat that way. Also, after Animal’s perfect pairing of bone marrow and chimichurri there really is no better combination for this dish. All other bone marrow dishes have been put to shame.

The service and the atmosphere were so good that I could have stayed at that bar and ordered more and more food, spent a ton of money, and watched the chefs all night but thankfully Analisa saved my wallet and we had more planned for the evening. I remember from our days of class plays that Analisa was a good actress and on this particular night she was going to be in a production of Steel Magnolias. I had seen the movie and was looking forward to but I didn’t realize until Analisa was talking to the waitress that she had the Julie Roberts role. Hold the phone, I was having cocktails and plates with the star of a play that would happen in less than an hour. Not only that but the waitress knew all about the production and said that the host wasn’t there tonight because he had to see the play. I was given strict orders to look for him: the flamboyant guy with blue hair. I was a little bit in celebrity awe and now more excited than ever to see the show. Analisa has a boyfriend who loves taco trucks. After years of living in LA and late night Highland Park taco runs, I share his love. I was still a little hungry from these plates and was shocked when she asked if we wanted to go to the best taco truck before her play. Um, does the Pope where a funny hat? How did this girl know me so well?

In a short amount of time we arrived at the El Tio Juan truck. It’s funny both Analisa and I took four years of Spanish in high school but her spanish trumps mine, so I left the ordering to her. She swore by the chorizo taco and I was up for it, shocked that the star of the play would eat curbside with me. She also asked for a side of the grilled onions. Now these onions weren’t the kind of grilled onions that you get with your bacon wrapped hot dog at 3A, not that there is anything wrong with that. These were cipollini onions that were thrown on the grill skin on and my god they were delicious. This should be a condiment at all taco trucks. Speaking of condiments, on top of our tacos was a variety of pickled vegetables. It was more than the just the pickled carrots and jalepeno, there were radishes and cucumbers and even more onions. The tacos were perfection, with just enough heat. Not enough to make me say, “I need someone to make out with me, my mouth is on fire” I have sadly said that on several occasions but this was also more heat than your average taco truck.

Analisa then drove us to the theater, quickly brushed her teeth, and transformed into a Southern Belle. She did all this while I reminiscing on my tacos and said hello to my new blue haired friend. Right before the play started the director came up to me and said, “Hi Carina, Analisa told me to say hello to you” I told him how excited I was and that this was my first real time in Oakland, He corrected me that this was Alameda. Oh well, close enough. For the next two or so hours I was completely transported to that beauty salon. There was nothing but a handful of women on stage and they all shined brillintly. This play was superior to the movie and while I may be biased, Analisa was more charming than Julia Roberts. I left the play with Analisa and we still had more of Oakland to see.

Our next stop was Adesso and we were joined by my new Bulgarian friend. It was a dark bar with salumi for days (Bay Area lingo), strong cocktails, and this snack buffet on the side that was complimentary. That is my favorite price and I filled up on breads, cheese, and olives. My friend Kristina, the Bulgarian, just got off work and wanted chocolate cake. Analisa and I didn’t complain and we all indulged in a delicious flourless chocolate cake. After fish, bone marrow, chorizo tacos, and chocolate cake others may have stopped but we had the hankering for more meat. We got a sample salumi platter and I was set.

If you don’t all have an Oakland ambassador as fantastic as Analisa then simply follow these exact plans…you will be in heaven. Oakland has high-end food, low-end food, culture, arts, and even hip little late night places offering free salami. Yes, I am currently overwhelmed with how many places in San Francisco there are to try but Oakland is definitely on my radar and I have Analisa to thank for that!

Bocanova

55 Webster St
Oakland, CA 94607
Neighborhood: Jack London Square

(510) 444-1233

www.bocanova.com/

El Tio Juan Truck

40th Ave. and Foothill

Adesso

4395 Piedmont Ave
(between Brandon St & Pleasant Valley Ave)
Oakland, CA 94611
Neighborhoods: North Oakland, Piedmont Ave

(510) 601-0305

www.dopoadesso.com/

Analisa Svehaug

http://analisasvehaug.com/

http://twitter.com/socialarts

Altarena Theater

http://www.altarena.org/

Steel Magnolias playing until August 8th

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Contigo Kitchen + Cava: Let a Great SF Meal Be With You

23 Jun 4723879932_641e3c4381

My 4 years of spanish in high school taught me that “contigo” means “with you” and  last Thursday night Contigo was most definitely with me. I had officially moved in to my first SF apartment only hours before my dinner. The moving truck had been returned, my new apartment was stacked full of boxes, and I had my newly appointed best friend Tony with me. He had been more than awesome: He helped me move. He drove the truck from LA. He endured me and my neurotic family and he did it all expecting nothing. The night before there was a very funny encounter with Tony and my family. First, Tony dominated my 9 year old brother at a game called sting pong, which is like ping pong but if you lose you remove your shirt and the winner gets to peg you with the ball. Let’s just say my little brother went to sleep with welt marks. My mom then made a joke that she never would have guessed that Tony would have been a finance major instead of an anthropology student. Tony was now several vodka and cranberries in and responded, “Finance, are you kidding me? I am moving your daughter, who I have never slept with, for free” Anyway, Tony is fantastic and after all he had done I really wanted to buy him a nice meal. We explored my new neighborhood, Noe Valley, until we found THE place. Have no fear, we first grabbed a beer and while it was the final Lakers game the only cheers heard in my neighborhood pub were from Celtics fans. Tony was annoyed and we walked more finding numerous cheese shops and bakeries in my charming stroller lined neighborhood. I read “Cava” and Tony and I determined that this was the place. The front window looked into the open kitchen and a hot chef with tattoos (a sign of any hot chef) was chopping vegetables. The place was so cute with a modern decor and although we didn’t have reservations we were seated right away at the only empty table. We ordered the Jamon Serrano, which was aged for 18 months, and the Patatas Bravas.

We also, of course, had several glasses of Cava. The potatoes were far too salty for my taste but the ham was perfection. Super high quality that literally melted in your mouth. The concept of this place was Spanish and Catalan and the name was chosen to connote “connection, community, collaboration, and convivialit.” As with most San Francisco restaurants this means local, organic, and humane ingredients. However, the restaurant’s mission went far beyond this, there was actual interaction with the other tables. We found out that the table next to us was a newly wed husband and wife from DC and they were visiting the wife’s daughter. Tony and the husband, who both had retirement in common, discussed the game that Tony was checking on his phone. Tony has lived in LA for the last ten years and was saying, “Of course, you are rooting for Boston. The rest of the world hates Los Angeles, but everyone loooves San Francisco. Let me guess, if it was the Dodgers and the Giants in the world series you would choose SF.” The man shrugged and Tony nodded. Tony just turned 31 and is a Boyle Heights resident, a part time professional mover, a member of the Mo-Odds and an anthropology student at East Los Angeles Community College. This man kind of rules at life, he bakes all of his own bread, gardens, and drinks good beer. He enjoys being mildly annoying and interrogated the waitress on the menu that changes daily based on what is available and in peak season. When he asked where Watson Farm was, where the lamb was from, the waitress didn’t skip a beat when she replied Marin. He ordered the roasted spring lamb and I ordered the cod with fava beans. My dish was good, although I wasn’t crazy about the sauce, but Tony’s dish was much better. He deserved the better entree, after all, he did all of the heavy lifting. The lamb was phenomenal and caused the foodgasm of the meal. After he finished the lamb, I went in and dug into the perfectly roasted turnips.

It was the perfect meal in my new city and my new neighborhood. Yes, I live in San Francisco now. And yes, LA has a bad rap when you leave the area but, truth be told, I love LA and I still have some excellent LA gems to write about. While I had to leave behind great people, restaurants, and food to make the transition to the next phase of my life I was so excited to be welcomed by such open arms and to have a restaurant that was “with me.” I dropped off a well-fed Tony at the airport an hour later and was alone for the first time in my new place. I have so much to explore and I couldn’t be more thrilled! Contigo was a perfect introduction and due to their close proximity and daily menu changes, I have feeling that I will be with them for a very long time.

1320 Castro St
(between 24th St & Jersey St)
San Francisco, CA 94114
Neighborhood: Noe Valley

(415) 285-0250

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Going from LA and UG to SF: My Goodbye

1 Jun _0D31760

For the last two years, Uncouth Gourmands has been my life. For the last year and a half, I have shared my Uncouth Gourmand adventures with you. Josie and I were inseparable and I still cannot go to any event in LA without people asking where my other half or partner is. It is  a role that I have loved because I have met so many great people in the food, restaurant, PR, blogosphere and Twitterazzi worlds. I have lived in LA for the last 6 years, long enough for me to attend both college and grad school and really only since my time as a UG did this monstrosity of a city, LA, feel like a home to me. I felt as though I knew all 88 cities and the food and the culture belonged to me. However, my problem is that I love getting lost and the idea of being a Foursquare Mayor of anywhere frightens me. I want to explore something new and am moving on to a new chapter. There are three people in the food world that I have met or digitally talked to that have greatly changed my direction in the last few months. They are my idols and I am going to share what I learned from them and how they shaped my new San Francisco life.

Photo Credit to NY Magazine

1. Gael Greene is a woman who I greatly admire. At one point, Josie and I were getting a comic book made called “The Insatiables” and it wasn’t til a few months later that I realized that Gael Greene already authored a book called “Insatiable.” She embraced her sexuality along with her insatiable appetite for food. As someone who is a die-hard feminist and foodie, I appreciate her on a very personal level. Her chapter on having sex with Elvis Presley in the 50′s was the most exciting thing I have ever read. While all of the girl’s were down below on the street level of his hotel screaming his name she was actually getting him although she has a better memory of the exact sandwich she ordered him after the deed. I remember writing something to her on Twitter saying how much I admire her and Ruth Reichl and she responded to me saying, “Perhaps you are becoming a more couth gourmand.” I didn’t believe it then but it is true. The way Josie and I branded this company was she was the more uncouth and I was the more gourmand one. I am champagne and Josie is beer. I really want to learn more about the food and shed some of my uncouth ways. I will probably always sit with my leg up at any restaurant and not hold a knife and fork correctly but I want to learn wine and cooking and the process. That is where my new interest lies.

2. Thomas Keller is considered one of the best chefs in this country and when I met him a few months ago at a book signing he wrote something very profound on the inscription. I am sure he wrote this to everyone but this had particular resonance with me. It IS all about family. My family is small and exceptionally tight and for the last 6 years I have lived away from them. I always stayed in the same state but I want to be closer to my Santa Cruz roots and my family tree branches. San Francisco is a 70 mile drive to my mom’s home in Santa Cruz where my 9 year old brother and my 90 year old grandfather are and I want to be near both of those gentlemen and my mama. I think my friend Hanh said it best, “You will never regret a decision that favors on the side of family”

3. Ruth Reichl: I met Ruth at a celebration for Gourmet Magazine in January and I really felt as though she changed my life. I come from a family of writers and was always under the impression that I wanted something much more serious for my life. After all, I just got an MBA and business was my form of rebelling. I learned from her that writing, even writing about food, is extremely serious and she really made me want to be a much better food writer. I realized at this point that writing for the rest of my life would make me the happiest person in the world. Prior to this, I used writing more as a means to promote the brand that was Uncouth Gourmands. I wanted to head a lifestyle brand and, in order for people to understand that lifestyle, I shared my life. This became my favorite part of UG and through this I ended up finding my voice and what is that I want to do. In April, I headed up north to see my family and spend some time in San Francisco. The first night of this trip, my mom bought me Garlic & Sapphires after I heard from Gastronomyblog and Glutser that it changed their lives. I devoured the book by Ruth Reichl during the trip and while driving into San Francisco I did that trick that I sometimes do on dates where I say “Please don’t let me fall in love. Please don’t let me fall in love” I tend to have some restraint on dates but on this trip I fell in love. I knew driving back to LA that I would end up moving to SF and even wrote a post entitled, “I left my footprint in San Francisco” What I learned from Ruth and her book is that there is a certain inspiration that can only come when you are discovering a new city. She was from NYC but after years in LA she was in no rush to return. LA is cozy and beautiful and at one point in the book she describes it as the silk coffin because it is hard to escape. However, rediscovering NYC provided her with some great writing and especially when you write about restaurants half the fun is the first second you walk in to a new place and your first bite.

It’s official, sometime this month I will be moving to San Francisco and I will be leaving UG behind. I will always be an Uncouth Gourmand, after all I added the “Gourmand” part to the name but I don’t know how well I fit the brand anymore. It is LA based and that is where the UG Global Headquarters is and where the “magic” happens. Have no fear, Josie and I are still friends but our identities aren’t as enmeshed as they once were. People change, businesses grow, and as Josie and I (perpetual singletons) know all too well relationships don’t end up being what you imagine them to be in the beginning. The picture above was us volunteering at our favorite LA food event, Taste of the Nation LA, and we will be doing it again this year. It features some of the best food, the who’s who of the LA food world, and it all goes to help a great cause. If you are sad about this news and wanna see the OG UG girls together again then buy your tickets ASAP and we will see you on Sunday! If you can’t make it you can still find Josie on @UncouthGourmand and you can follow me @CarinaOst on Twitter.

Thank you all for everything and I hope to see you in SF or in my second home LA. Spork on, Uncouthies!

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I Left My Footprint in San Francisco

7 Apr

I grew up in Santa Cruz, so whenever I mention “The City” it has always been San Francisco that I have had in mind. I spent a bit of time there during the last few years of high school but I have now lived in LA for 6 years and since then I have had limited visits. Especially because when I head up north my mom wants me all to herself. I have had small excursions and I was a guest at the Tasty Awards last winter, but I have yet to really spend some quality time in the city that I always assumed I would end up living in. This weekend was different, one of my best friends who is more of a sister, named d’Auria, had just moved there from New Orleans and the whole time felt like us going home in some weird way. I picked her up on Saturday and she told me that another friend from Santa Cruz was in the city to see Wicked and asked if I wanted to hang out with him. I knew his name right away and was pleased that he knew who I was, even though I was a grade older and only knew him because he had dated an acquaintance during my senior year of high school. He was right across from the Ferry Building, we picked him up and I asked d’Auria to get on her phone and find me a sandwich. We drove around until she found a place on her Yelp App. She navigated me and we ended up only a block away from where we started. The sandwich place she found was closed and with our princess parking we went by foot and returned to the Ferry Building. Here is my bestie, d’Auria, in front of the building that houses a ton of culinary treasures.

The place was bustling and it contained some of my favorite things. I loved the oysters because of the aphrodisiac element and the mushrooms for their richness while still containing zero calories. I took a picture of Cowgirl Creamery because I know how much Josie loves their cheeses. I, on the other hand, love my cheeses like I love my men…hard and hol(e)y. We were in the mood to be served so we just browsed and returned to the car. I said something to d’Auria about how all of the LA food bloggers go nuts over Tartine. She told me that she goes there several times a week and loves just getting a baguette and jam. d’Auria is a French girl that is a foodie in her own right and she led me straight there. It was in the Hayes Valley neighborhood. It was the exact kind of neighborhood I dream about living in. There is a park in the center with an enormous woman statue made of recycled parts and is surrounded by boutiques, candy shops, and people picnicking and serenading one another. We walked to the bakery and it was quiet and empty. I thought that surely this couldn’t be THE Tartine that gives people food boners. Correct I was, it was not. Apparently we were at Tartine Cafe Francais instead of Tartine Bakery. I didn’t mind. I was starving, this place had a French owner, and my French bestie vouched for it and the prices were so reasonable. I am always happy when I see a sandwich less than $7. I had the salami and swiss with cornichons. I told d’Auria about how when I was in Cannes I brought a jar of cornichons  back with me in my luggage and what a tragedy it would have been if  the jar were to break. d’Auria proved why I love her so much by saying, “Then you would really smell Jewish.”

My sandwich was quite good and reminded me of something I ate in France. Simple, small, and fresh ingredients. Apparently this place has been here longer than the other Tartine and it clearly doesn’t have the same clout. It is a friendly neighborhood bakery and one that I wish was in my own neighborhood. The pastries were all hand crafted and everything was yummy and inexpensive. I left with an apricot hamatashan. I liked the fruit filling but strangely enough it was d’Auria who isn’t Jewish that explained to me this significance of this little cookie. We had a nice stroll through the park and then I said I needed a drink because I was parched. I said either a Diet Coke, a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, or a cider. I ended up with the latter, a pomegranate cider brewed by Two Rivers, at  the 21st Amendment Brewery. It was a perfect neighborhood brewery, there were two bars inside, the food looked delicious, and along with serving local brews they also brewed their own beers.

d’Auria and I were left by our friend and we headed to her new office to change for dinner. Her new office is this very cool warehouse space in the SOMA district. She is working with her other Jewish BFF (actually all of her besties are Jews) on a very exciting new project that I can’t wait to tell you all about. We grew up in the same town, went to the same HS, and have the same confident/bossy demeanor that can be a lot to handle. We talked about business, dating, partnerships and everything else under the sun. We ate nuts, drank Stella, and it felt like the guys (er, girls) getting back together. It was fantastic. At around 9:30, I said I was hungry for dinner and we agreed on a Thai restaurant by the office. The place was called Manora, which made us both think of Hanukkah, and it was kismet.  We ordered the fresh mint rolls, a chicken curry (after we told the duck curry we were planning on getting was very spicy), and some pad thai. The fare we ordered was standard but the food was all very good. d’Auria got full early on but I could have been grazing for hours. I was having a fantastic day in a fantastic city and I couldn’t help but notice that the packed restaurant contained 90% men. This was far better numbers than we have in LA.

I told d’Auria when we were driving into The City that I had the feeling that I sometimes get when I go on a first date, which is a repetition in my head of “Don’t fall in love. Don’t fall in love. Don’t fall in love.” However, San Francisco won me over…hard. I had the perfect day, great conversation, good food and drink, princess parking throughout the city, and good weather. I think I left a bit of my heart in San Francisco but the rest of my footprint has yet to be made. I am quite certain that the other foot will drop in the future and I’ll return to this beautiful city that has always felt like part of my destiny.

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