Trick Dog and American Grilled Cheese Kitchen Open in the Mission

By Anna Roth Mon., Jan. 7 2013 at 3:00 PM

Categories: Mission, Opening

Trick Dog/The Bon Vivants

The Pantone color wheel-inspired cocktail menu at Trick Dog.

Despite all the talk about embargoing new restaurants on the Valencia corridor, the furious restaurant-opening days in the Mission continue. The first is the much-anticipated debut of Trick Dog, a new bar from Josh Harris and Scott Baird of the Bon Vivants (3010 20th). The whole concept sounds very, very designed, from the industrial-chic interior decor featuring reclaimed bannister posts from the staircase of the Warfield Building, to the drinks menu, which offers in-house "drinking vinegars, bitters, syrups and tinctures" all which form the bases for cocktails inspired by the Pantone Color Guide.

What does that mean, exactly? Well, according to the press release:

"Each of the signature cocktails is named after an official Pantone color, including Vintage Photo, Denizen white rum, Amaro Averna, pineapple, coconut vinegar and allspice; Alligator Alley, olive oil-infused Broker's gin, Imbue vermouth, Tempus Fugit Quinquina and green chartreuse; and Polar Bear, Pierde Almas Mezcal, Dolin Blanc, Crème de Menthe, and Angelica tincture."

But before you drown in a sea of pretentiousness, remember this: The two Bon Vivants are responsible for the pop-up bar Rio Grande in A Temporary Offering and have consulted on cocktail lists for Quince, Comal, and others, so the drinks should be well-crafted, tasty, and certainly more interesting than your average bar. And the food menu has things like Scotch eggs, crispy fried sweetbreads, and Fernet ice cream (!).

Down the street is the newly opened second outpost of The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen, which traffics in, you guessed it, sandwiches involving bread and melted cheese. Including a masterpiece that involves mac and cheese stuffed between two slices of bread for an unholy creation of dairy and carbs that can't be part of any respectable New Year's diet. Still, grilled cheese is one of those comfort foods that's hard to screw up, and a superlative version can easily make your day. And one of those sounds like a great base before bold adventures in cocktail experimentation.

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