San Francisco Food Blog

Some years ago, B. United International, a New York-based importer and distributor, started commissioning limited-edition, vintage-labeled beers, ciders, and sakes intended for aging,  cellaring them until ready to drink, and only then releasing them to market under its Master's Collection label.

Case in point, the Hanssens Oudbeitje Lambic 2000. Hanssens, located in Dworp, Belgium, is not a brewery but a blender: the house buys lambics (beers spontaneously fermented with wild yeast) from breweries, then blends and ages them, playing a role much like that of négociants in the French wine trade. Hanssens started in May 2000 by putting two-year-old lambics from Boon and Girardin into 600-liter wooden barrels with 150 kilos of peak-season fresh strawberries, sparking a secondary fermentation of the sugars in the fruit. The beer aged in the barrels until the following March, when it was bottled.

In this week's box:

• strawberries (2 baskets), 1 lb. 12 oz.
• fennel, 15 oz.
• asparagus, 11 oz.
• baby artichokes, 12 oz.
• sugar snap peas, 12 oz.
• kale, 11 oz.
• lettuce (2 heads), 12 oz.

Full Belly's strawberry season got off to a bang with this double portion. I just washed these and served them plain as dessert.

Normally I cut the stem out of kale, but this was so young I just made a chiffonade and threw it into a pot of soup that had otherwise finished cooking. Prepared that way, the kale took only a few minutes simmering to cook through.

Chianti used to be one of the great bargains of the wine world. Farmers in the several Tuscan Chianti regions grew a lot of good to excellent Sangiovese, a grape that, in the hands of a skilled winemaker, can make wines as fine as any in the world. However, until recently, when making Chianti they blended 70% Sangiovese with 30% lower-quality grapes Canaiolo Nero, Malvasia, and Trebbiano, resulting in wines that, while often very pleasant, could not be sold at premium prices.

This changed in 1971 when the major Chianti producer Antinori made an unblended wine from its best Sangiovese grapes and aged it Bordeaux-style in small oak barriques. Since this wine did not follow the DOC rules, it could not be sold as Chianti, so Antinori registered it as a relatively unregulated vino da tavola and gave it the proprietary trademarked name Tignanello, after the vineyard. (Subsequent vintages contain around 20% of the equally noble Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.)

The international demand for and unprecedented prices commanded by this wine led other Chianti producers to create their own proprietary "super-Tuscans." The diversion of the best grapes into these new wines resulted in a corresponding drop in quality of the producers' Chiantis.

Friday, 5/1, 6:00-8:00 p.m., The Jug Shop (1590 Pacific at Polk): Sake2Me tasting, $10

Saturday, 5/2, noon-3:00 p.m., K&L (638 4th St at Bluxome): tasting of small, artisan-estate Champagnes, $20

Saturday, 5/2, 2:00-5:30 p.m., SF Wine Trading Co. (250 Taraval at Funston): tasting of Spanish wines, $10

Saturday, 5/2, 4:00-6:00 p.m., The Jug Shop (1590 Pacific at Polk): tasting of under-$20 Italian wines, $10

Monday, May 4, 3:30-5:30 p.m., Bently Reserve (301 Battery at Sacramento): California Cabernet Society of tasting of 100 California Cabernets, tickets $50 with K&L promotional code

Monday, 5/4, 6:00-8:00 p.m., The Jug Shop (1590 Pacific at Polk): Pio Cesare (Alba, Italy) tasting, $10

Monday, 5/4, 6:00-9:00 p.m., California Wine Merchant (2113 Chestnut at Steiner): tasting of wines from Petroni Vineyards (Sonoma), $20

Monday, 5/4, 7:00-9:00 p.m., 18 Reasons (593 Guerrero at 18th): "Italian Basics" class with Delfina wine director Becky Swanson, tickets $35 ($30 members)

SF fans of British boxer Ricky "Hitman" Hatton have an obvious choice for a convivial public place to watch this Saturday's big fight. The Abbey Tavern (4100 Geary at 5th), while Irish, has a good selection of UK beers on tap including Bass and Boddington's, and while no food is served, customers are welcome to bring in whatever they like, such as fish and chips from Old Chelsea (932 Larkin near Post). The fight's also being shown at Kezar Pub (770 Stanyan near Waller), which has a huge beer selection, serves American pub grub like burgers and wings, and was named "Best Bar for Expats to Watch Their Home Sports Teams" by SF Weekly in 2004. Both places are charging $20 cover.

Fans of Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao could go to the Abbey and bring along, say, a pile of lumpia and a lechon, but if you'd prefer to join a likely unanimous crowd of Pacman supporters, consider heading to Gerry's Grill (31005 Courthouse Drive, Union City, in the Union Landing shopping center). One of two US branches of a big Philippine chain, this place offers Pinoy comfort foods such as chicharon bulaklak, sisig, and liempo, plus San Miguel light, dark, and premium in bottles and American beers on draft. In partial compensation for the schlep, the cover is only $10.

Though its perch on top of the Moscone North complex might be hard to find the first time you visit, B Bar is worth seeking out at happy hour, when this Boxed Foods spinoff offers some of better values in the generally not-cheap neighborhood, as well as a great view and both indoor and outdoor seating. While officially located at 720 Howard (between Third and Fourth), it might more helpfully be described as in the Yerba Buena Gardens complex, between the Metreon and the Center for the Arts Theater, above the waterfall. If you know where Samovar Tea Lounge, B Bar is just at the other end of that rooftop plaza.

At happy hour, Orson (508 4th near Bryant) offers "classic cocktails" (i.e. well drinks) for $5, your choice of a martini, Manhattan, margarita, or southside (a Chicago specialty made from gin, lemon juice, mint, and simple syrup). These drinks are good, but note that the regular specialty cocktails, such as the "black Manhattan" made from top-shelf rye and Averna, still cost $9, and are arguably worth the higher price.

There aren't any discounts on the food, either, but the duck fat fries ($7) are definitely a good value. These are a perfected, grownup version of the McDonald's style, thin and crisp with a creamy center, and the browned-butter béarnaise dip served with them is amazing stuff. Orson's happy hour runs from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.

In his blog today, Bauer ponders a reader's question as to why, at a restaurant that focused on "very local, farm friendly, organic and sustainable" food, "the wines were predominantly French and Italian." Let's take his responses point by point.

First, Bauer opines that "wines from Chile, Spain or Australia may offer more value per dollar than the California counterparts." True enough, but the wines at the restaurant in question are, as at many of our market-driven, otherwise locavore places, French and Italian.

Next, he suggests that, since "many of these wines are unfamiliar to the average consumer," restaurants can, for example, mark up a Michele Chiarlo Arneis higher than they could a bottle of California Chardonnay. Sounds good in theory, but I don't believe I've ever seen a wine list where local and imported wines had different markups. Most restaurants around here sell bottles for three times the wholesale price, which is double the undiscounted retail list price. (As far as I'm concerned, anything higher is a ripoff.)

Fabriza Lanza, daughter of the eponymous founder of, and instructor at, the Anna Tasca Lanza cooking school / foodie resort on the Regaleali estate outside of Palermo, is touring the West Coast to promote Sicilian culture and cuisine. Two or three of the events are in the Bay Area:

Monday, May 11, 6:30 p.m., Italian Cultural Institute (425 Washington near Battery): screening of Lanza's short documentary film The Bread Altars of St. Joseph's Day, an interview by noted local cookbook author Carol Field, and light refreshments. Free, but reservations required; call the Institute at 788-7142 to RSVP.

Tuesday, May 12, Chez Panisse (1517 Shattuck near Vine, Berkeley): four-course Sicilian dinner with Regaleali wines, $125 including wine before service charge and tax. The menu:

Thanks to an article by Roxanne Webber on Chow, I discovered Veggie Trader, a site that helps people swap or sell their home-grown fruits and vegetables. Since the plants in our yard produce more Meyer lemons, figs, and rosemary than we could ever consume ourselves, I thought it would be a great way to get some other fruit for free.

SARDI - Greg Baker

Well, think again. A few minutes after I posted a listing looking to swap some of our Meyer lemons for whatever people might have to offer, I got a message from a moderator saying, "it looks like you are in the Bay Area apple moth quarantine zone. You probably aren't aware of this, but unfortunately this comprehensive quarantine is in effect for many parts of the Bay Area and prohibits people from removing most homegrown produce from their property. Nuts and seeds are probably fine, but lemons are definitely under quarantine."

Wild game week returns to the The Big 4 restaurant in the Huntington Hotel (1075 California at Taylor) from Tuesday, May 12, through Saturday, May 16. The dishes on this year's menu range from such relatively normal meats as rabbit, quail, boar, antelope, buffalo, and elk to serious exotica such as "Nigerian salt prawn," Brazilian pacu, sika deer (originally native to Japan), and Himalayan yak.

An appetizer and entree will set you back $55-65, and desserts from the regular menu are $9-10. The restaurant is open from 5:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. and you can make reservations online or by calling 771-1140.

In this week's box:

• asparagus, 11 oz.
  
• salad mix, 9 oz.
• green garlic, 8 oz.
• tokyo turnips (first of the season), 15 oz.
• chard, 10 oz.
• spinach, 8 oz.
• sugar snap peas, 8 oz.
• radishes, 12 oz.

The huge radishes we just washed and ate with salt as an hors d'oeuvre. For variety, I also put out some smoked salt, which was pretty good.

I chopped the white parts of the green garlic, sauteed them in olive oil with chile flakes, toasted and ground fennel seed, and salt, added some tomato sauce, and simmered it for a while. Then I stirred in some shredded leftover halibut and simmered just long enough to heat the fish. Oddly, given the ingredients, the flavor was reminiscent of Thai catfish salad.

This Thursday, 4/30, instead of its usual wine tasting, 18 Reasons hosts the first in a series of presentations on seafood. This week, Marilyn Latta of the California Coastal Conservancy and Sumudu Welaratna of Bi-Rite Market will discuss the life cycles, habitats, and future of San Francisco Bay's shellfish. The evening will include a seafood pasta and hearty red wine. The event starts at 7:00 p.m. and costs $10 ($5 members).

Friday, 4/24, 6:00-8:00 p.m.: tasting of around 40 wines from the catalog of importer Louis/Dressner Selections split among three locations, $10:

• Arlequin Wine Merchant (384 Hayes at Gough): French wines with Catherine and Claude Maréchal (Burgundy), Pierre and Pierre-Marie Luneau of Luneau-Papin (Muscadet), Eric Texier (Rhone Valley), François Pinon (Vouvray), and Claude-Emmanuelle and Louis-Benoît Desvignes (Beaujolais)
  
• Biondivino Wine Boutique (1415 Green at Polk): Italian wines with Mauro Vergano of Chinati Vergano (Chinato and other fortified wines from Piemonte), Alessandra Bera of Vittorio Bera (Asti), Arianna Occhipinti (Sicily), Silvio Messana of Montesecondo (Tuscany), Cristiano Guttarolo (Puglia), and Francesca Padovani of Fonterenza (Montalcino)
  
• 18 Reasons (593 Guerrero at 18th): French wines with Eric and Christine of Domaine de Bellivière (Jasnières), Jean-Paul Brun of Terres Dorées (Beaujolais), Christian Chaussard of Domaine le Briseau (Jasnières), Evelyne de Jessey of Domaine du Closel (Savennières), and Franck Peillot of Domaine Franck Peillot (Bugey)
  

Friday, 4/24, 4:30-6:30 p.m., K&L (638 4th St at Bluxome): tasting of Australian wines with winemakers from Rocky Gully, Frankland Estate, Elderton, Hewitson, Wishing Tree, and others, $5

Friday, 4/24, 6:00-8:00 p.m., The Jug Shop (1590 Pacific at Polk): tasting of beers from Deschutes Brewery, price TBA

Saturday, 4/25, noon-3:00 p.m., K&L (638 4th St at Bluxome): tasting of Tuscan wines, $20

Saturday, 4/25, 1:00-4:00 p.m., Wine Club (953 Harrison at Oak Grove): tasting of Bordeaux wines, details and price TBA

Saturday, 4/25, 2:00-5:30 p.m., SF Wine Trading Co. (250 Taraval at Funston): tasting of southern Rhone wines, $10

Saturday, 4/25, 4:00-6:00 p.m., The Jug Shop (1590 Pacific at Polk): tasting of organic wines from Lolonis Winery, $10

Sunday, 4/26, 3:00 p.m.-?, South Food + Wine Bar (330 Townsend at 4th): "Sunday Session" showcasing "some of down under's best Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir," $35 includes "Aussie cheese and nibbles"

Monday, 4/27, Spruce, 6:30-9:30 p.m.: four-course dinner with Talley Vineyards 2002, 2004, and 2006 estate Chardonnays and 2000, 2001, and 2005 estate Pinot Noirs, $130 (not including tax and tip), call 931-5100 to reserve

correction 4/24: I was misinformed by the importer, tonight's tasting is $10

When A16, Incanto, La Ciccia, or some other restaurant with a long list of obscure Italian wines serves you something delicious you've never heard of and you want to buy some to drink at home, the first place to call or visit is Biondivino (1415 Green between Polk and Van Ness). This small shop is jammed to the ceiling with many of the best and hardest to find Italian wines. They also carry some equally esoteric wines from neighboring Austria, Croatia, and Slovenia.

Outside of a Church festival every October at St. John Etchmiadzin, San Francisco has been fairly deprived of Armenian food. No more: since last July, Royal Market & Bakery (5335 Geary between 17th & 18th) has been offering a wide variety of products imported from Armenia, plus items from countries with similar cuisines, such as Georgia and Turkey.

On the grocery front, Royal has dairy products including kefir and cheeses, herring and other pickled fish, fresh and smoked fish, fresh meat including veal tongue and lamb's tounge and testicles, and seasoned meat (shown above) ready to be skewered and grilled for kebabs. The deli offers a wide variety of salads, pickles, olives, sausages, smoked meats, and prepared foods made in-house.

When we reviewed Larkin Express Deli in June 2007, it was a stereotypical, slightly divey, lunch-only Civic Center deli with a small selection of Burmese dishes buried in a menu devoted mostly to American standards such as roast beef sandwiches and turkey platters. Nevertheless, the kitchen set the local standard for such dishes as tea leaf salad and moh hinga.

Since then, the place has been remodeled to create a more restaurant-like atmosphere, expanded the Burmese section of the menu to 50 dishes, relegated the deli stuff to the back, and changed its name to Larkin Express Burmese Kitchen. Best of all, it's now open for (early) dinner on weekends.

Whether inspired by health-food notions, the "locavore" movement, Michael Pollan, or a simple desire to save money, these days lots of people are looking to buy their meat as whole animals, in bulk, and/or direct from the producers. If you're into bulk, here are some options:

Creston Valley Meats (3280 Calf Canyon Hwy, Creston, 805-286-7533): This plant processes beef, lamb, goat, rabbit, and llama (!) from ranchers in the Paso Robles area. They also have a large selection of bones, scraps, and innards they label as dog food. See the online store for current inventory or call for special requests or to arrange pickup in the Bay Area.

Nature's Bounty (5636 Weber Rd., Vacaville, 707-693-0908; no Web site): At this family-owned farm and halal processing facility you can pick your own naturally-fed, hormone-free lamb, goat, or cow, have it slaughtered and processed to your specifications, and take the meat home with you the same day. If you can't handle a whole beast, they'll match you up with other customers to share one. Nature's Bounty is open Friday-Sunday 8-5 or by appointment.

In this week's box:

• fresh onion, 6 oz.
  
• asparagus, 11 oz.
• fennel, 11 oz.
• lemons, 12 oz.
• red chard, 10 oz.
  
• spinach, 8 oz.
• salad mix, 8 oz.
• mibuna, 12 oz.
• sugar snap peas, 7 oz.

I used the fennel leaves to make baked halibut using the recipe I posted last week (above, before baking; below, after), and served the baby fennel bulbs with salt as an appetizer, along with some chorizo, Marcona almonds, and anchovy-stuffed olives.

The spread of free eats during the early-evening and late-night happy hours at Adesso (4395 Piedmont, Oakland) goes far beyond anything in SF proper. For the first two hours of business (5 to 7 Monday through Saturday), and then again for the last hour (10:30 to 11:30 Monday through Wednesday, 11 to midnight Thursday through Saturday), the buffet counter at the back of the room offers platters of house-made salumi and pâtés, panini, crostini, stuffed piadine (flatbreads), deep-fried croquettes, and salads.

This isn't one of those not-so-happy-hour deals where the food comes out once and disappears. The kitchen keeps it coming, constantly bringing out new items and replenishing old ones. In the course of an hour and a half at the bar, I sampled at least 20 different items, completely stuffed myself, and paid only my $12 bar tab. Quantity doesn't trump quality, either: this food is as good as you'll get at any Italian restaurant in Bay Area. If you've eaten at Adesso's parent restaurant, Dopo, you know what to expect.

Friday, 4/17 , 6-8, The Jug Shop (1590 Pacific): tasting of local beers from Moylans and Marin Brewing, details TBA

Saturday, 4/18, noon-3, K&L (638 4th St): tasting of eight 2006 Bordeaux, $20

Saturday, 4/18, 1-4, Wine Club (953 Harrison): tasting of Châteauneuf-du-Papes, details TBA

Saturday, 4/18, 2-5, CAV (1666 Market): French, Italian and German wines imported by Fourcade & Hecht with F&H partners Francois Beal and Mark Serrano in person 

Saturday, 4/18, 2-5:30, SF Wine Trading Co. (250 Taraval): tasting of Malbecs from Argentina's Mendoza region, $10

Monday, 4/20, 6-9, California Wine Merchant (2113 Chestnut): tasting of Pinot Noirs from Expression Wines, $20

Monday, 4/20, 5;30-8:30, Lolo (3234 22nd St): four-course dinner with Rhone and Provencal wines from SF Wine Trading Co., $75 includes tax and tip

Here's a new addition to the Financial District happy hour scene: Gaylord India ("promenade" level of 4 Embarcadero Center, across from the Landmark movie theaters). The drink specials include Indian bottled beers for $4 ($8 for large bottles), house wine for $5.50, and selected cocktails for $6, but the real draw is the selection of $4 appetizers.

updated 4/16 with Cafe Maritime, new hours for Jeanty at Jack's, & East Bay

Oysters for $1 each have become a staple of SF happy hours. Here's a current list of where and when to find them. If you know of others, please send email.

• B (720 Howard - upper terrace at Yerba Buena Gardens), Tuesday-Friday 4:30-7:30
• Bacar (448 Brannan), Fridays 4:30-6
• Cafe Maritime (2417 Lombard, Mondays all night (5:30-1 a.m.)
  
• Circolo (500 Florida), Tuesday-Friday 5-7
• District (216 Townsend), weekdays 4-6, Fridays 5-7
• El Rio (3158 Mission), Fridays 5:30 until they run out--not $1 but FREE
  
• Eos (901 Cole), Sunday-Thursday, 5:30-7
  
• Hyde Street Seafood House (1509 Hyde), daily 5-7
• Hog Island Oyster Bar, Mondays & Thursdays 5-7
• Jeanty at Jack's (615 Sacramento), Monday-Friday 4-7 (no longer all night)
  
• Sotto Mare (552 Green), Monday-Saturday 3-6
  
• Waterbar (600 Embarcadero), daily 11:30-6
• Woodhouse Fish Co. (2073 Market), Tuesdays 4-9:30
• Yabbies Coastal Kitchen (2237 Polk), Monday-Thursday 5-7

As long as we're updating the list, here are some in the East Bay:

• Cafe Rouge (1782 4th, Berkeley), Tuesday-Thursday 5:30-9:3
• Luka's Taproom (2221 Broadway, Oakland), Mondays 11:30 a.m.-midnight
• Sea Salt (2512 San Pablo, Berkeley), daily 4-6
• T-Rex (1300 10th, Berkeley), weekdays 3-6 ($1.25)

Here's a new alternative to takeout: Sneaky's BBQ, a delivery-only barbecue non-joint. The limited menu currently includes:

• 1 pint of "Carolina-style" pulled pork (which Carolina not specified), $9
  
• 1 rack of baby back pork ribs, $19 (1/2 rack $10)
• 1 pint macaroni and cheese, $5
• 1/2 pint cole slaw, $3
• 1/2 pint collard greens, $4

I ordered one of each, for a total of $40 delivered. The order also came with a small tub of sauce on the side and two supermarket-type burger buns, presumably for the pulled pork. With a good loaf of bread (I like Acme levain with my barbecue), this much food would easily feed four.

All the food comes cold, as shown above. If you're not going to eat it right away, it's probably best to take the ribs out of the foam clamshell and store them in plastic wrap or a zipper freezer bag. Sneaky's recommends reheating it in the microwave, which I did.

Several posters in a recent Chowhound thread concurred that The Butler & the Chef Bistro (155A South Park) makes SF's best croque-monsieur, the classic French grilled ham and cheese sandwich. Their praise was so enthusiastic--"very rich and tasty ... always love it," "truly a fantastic representation," "puts [the competition] to shame ... in a totally different class ... absolutely no contest"--that the next time I was nearby at lunchtime it was an easy choice.

I can see why they like it. This is the apotheosis of the style of croque topped with Bechamel or Mornay: the top of the sandwich is coated with a generous layer of an almost fluffy, very rich-tasting sauce, like a savory custard. If that description's making your mouth water, you'll probably love this. Just be prepared to use a knife and fork--the creamy topping is definitely not finger food.

However, croque means "crunch," and one of the things that I like most about a croque-monsieur is that texture. While the bread in Butler & the Chef's version is toasted and by no means limp, it isn't what I'd call crunchy, either, so it didn't satisfy my croque craving. Chacun à son goût.

The $35 ticket covers porky eats such as fireplace-roasted pig, corn dogs, sausages, pig tails, chicharrones, and cold cuts by Camino chef Russell Moore and guests Sam White & Chris Kronner of OPENrestaurant, Ryan Farr of 4505 Meats, Leif Hedendal of Cooking with Leif, and Taylor Boetticher of Fatted Calf. An open bar will feature drinks from co-sponsors Trumer Pils, Oliver McCrum Wines, Pacific Edge Wine & Spirits, Leopold Bros., St. Barts Spirit Company, and Beaune Imports. Entertainment will include a whole-pig butchery demo.

Finding a cheap bottle of sparkling wine easy: lots of Spanish cavas and Italian Proseccos cost under $8, as do many domestic sparkling wines. However, most of these wines aren't that great--some are bland, some too sweet, some downright nasty-tsting. Finding a delicious one in that price range is a challenge.

Veuve du Vernay Brut Rosé is the best cheap bubbly I've come across in a while. It has a nice strawberry nose, toasty, creamy, floral flavors with a hint of white pepper and rose petals, and a long, dry finish. Though quite fruity, it's not sweet at all, and has bracing acidity.

The label is not very informative: the only factual information it provides is that the wine is made in France and has 11% alcohol. The Veuve du Vernay Web site says it's 100% Tempranillo, which means the grapes are probably grown in Spain, but it nevertheless tastes French.

The fine, long-lasting bubbles (what wine geeks call "the bead") are like those that result from the méthode Champenoise, in which the wine undergoes a secondary fermentation in the bottle, but at this price point it's surely made using the cheaper bulk process (especially considering that the brand was founded by Robert Charmat, son of the bulk process's inventor, Eugene Charmat).

In this week's box:

• grapefruit, 1 lb. 3 oz.
  
• salad mix, 8 oz.
• asparagus, 12 oz.
• fennel, 1 lb.
• red chard, 10 oz.
• green garlic, 8 oz.
• walnuts, 8 oz.

I'll use the fennel leaves and green parts of the garlic in a baked fish dish adapted from a recipe in Richard Olney's 1994 book Lulu's Provencal Table.

Church Key (1402 Grant, 986-3511), a recent addition to North Beach's ever-vibrant drinking scene, is perhaps the prettiest beer bar in town. Eight taps feature a rotating selection of domestic and imported craft brews, and another 60 or so beers from the US, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, England, Germany, Japan, Norway, and Scotland are available by the bottle. (The bar doesn't have a Web site, but Thrillist has a sample menu from January.)

I made a special trip because I wanted to try Allagash Curieux on tap before they finished the keg and swapped in something else. Unfortunately, the draft version hadn't picked up nearly as much flavor from the recycled Jim Beam barrels as the bottles I've had. Still, kudos to Church Key for giving me the chance to find out!