Lou Bustamante

Pasa Tiempo cocktail

There were close to a dozen glasses in front of me, nearly the entire cocktail menu at the newly opened Padrecito in Cole Valley, all sitting in various states of consumption. The wave of drinks crested with the newest cocktails up front, the older and emptier ones ebbing towards the back, while the sea of liquor pushed and pulled like the tide. But two had beached themselves close to me, and despite my better judgment, I was close to finishing them.

I notice my personal telltale sign that the tipsy riptide was pulling me out to sea as I "lose" my phone in one of my own pockets (you fiend!). I fight the current's pull with an order of the Chicharrones with Fava Bean Sikil Pak dip ($9), but those two cocktails were so gorgeously bright and sparkly with citrus, that I couldn't help wading back in for "re-tasting" dip.

See Also: Mamacita's "La Hora Feliz" Has Cheap Margaritas, Duck Confit Tacos
Drink of the Week: Thirsty Like the Wolf at Azucar Lounge
Drink of the Week: Breaking Promises at Hakkasan

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Magnolia Brewery

Magnolia gears up for Strong Beer Month.

The bad news is that SF Beer Week has come and gone. The good news? You're probably a lot less hungover. Wait, we still have another week of Strong Beer Month? Okay, scratch all that about fewer hangovers. The good news is that there's still gobs of delicious beer to consume throughout the city.

See also: Meet Armstrong Brewing Co.
Braving the Madness for a Taste of the Elusive Pliny the Younger
Strong Beer Month -- Your Beer Week Training Regimen

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Lou Bustamante

Neutral territory is not something you find very often in bars. But what if the bar sits in an intersection where the Castro, Mission, and Lower Haight all meet? Far enough away to be in none of them officially, but near enough to be in all of them is Blackbird, a bar that attracts some of the most diverse crowds in San Francisco. Belly up to the bar, and in the course of a few rounds you will meet people from all of those neighborhoods and beyond.

See also:Drink of the Week: The Rastafari at Lark Creek Steak
Drink of the Week: Drink Like a Big Shot at Capo's
Local Pears Keep Flavors Sweet Through the Holidays

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Lou Bustamante

As if we needed a more dramatic celestial gesture to signal the start of Indian Summer in San Francisco, Wednesday's dramatic sky -- complete with double rainbow, no less -- was almost as grand an entrance as a skydiving queen of England.

With a full 52 entries (yes, a full year) into my tenure with the Drink of the Week column, here's a peek at some of my favorite warm weather coolers to enjoy the sun.

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Christina Spittler

Nestled among the vintage stores and tie-dye of the Upper Haight is a new food nerd-friendly destination with a unique culinary purpose: to let you taste all of the inventory.

Operating initially as an online wholesaler and broker of gourmet and specialty products, Buyer's Best Friend Wholesale and Mercantile has now expanded its scope by adding a brick-and-mortar retail component to its business in hopes of sharing the extensive product catalog with a wider audience. And should that audience become hungry as they peruse the shelves stocked with Jade Chocolates, imported truffle flour, Saucy Mama mustard, and Stumptown coffee, shop associate Adam would be more than happy to offer samples of almost everything in the store. In fact, his unabashed enthusiasm about giving out said samples is second only to the tasty tidbits themselves.

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Lou Bustamante

Blue agave growing in Jalisco, Mexico

With National Tequila Day hitting us smack dab in the Tuesday, you now have a thinly veiled excuse to go out and have some margaritas or tequila at brand new Copita, Tommy's Mexican, Mosto, or Tres for lunch and dinner. The rest of the week is boozy too, and we have a look at where to quench your thirst over the humpday and beyond.

National Tequila Day Celebration at Copita
Where: Copita, 739 Bridgeway (at Anchor), Sausalito, 331-7400
When: Tuesday, July 24
The rundown: At Joanne Weir's new Mexican restaurant and tequila bar, the celebration is happening with tequila flights. Six dollars get you a taste of three Herradura tequilas including the blanco, reposado, and añejo for the great way to celebrate the day. If straight tequila isn't your thing, belly up to the bar for one of their house margaritas.

Mezcalistas Pop-up Mezcaleria
Where: The Bold Italic, 34 Page (at Franklin)
When: Wednesday, July 25, 6:30 to 9 p.m.
Cost: $60, tickets available online
The rundown: Mezcal, tequila's rustic cousin, is making serious headway into bars, and for good reason. Gone is the "worm at the bottom of the bottle" rotgut as the only choice, and now craft spirits from small villages are becoming more filling bar shelves. Learn more about the spirit, its production, and a tasting of mezcals by the Mezcalistas bloggers. Included with entry are tacos from Tamarindo restaurant's El TacoBike, and cocktails. Included in the tastings are Alipus (this will be its U.S. premiere), Pierde Almas, Del Maguey, Metl (espadin and madrecuishe -- not currently available in the Bay Area), and Wahaka.

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Jonathan Kauffman

Flywheel Roastery: newly opened, and still a work in progress.

It seems sometimes that San Franciscans grow too used to the reigning coffee regimes. Blue Bottle, Sightglass, Ritual, etc. have been prominent for so long that it's easy in the city to forget that the Bay Area and beyond (both North and South) is home to a bevy of up and coming coffee companies.
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Lou Bustamante

Nauti' Mermaid with the Monterey Calamari

Wine and beer have been natural companions with food for centuries, cocktails are notoriously challenging to pair (with the odd exception, like Margaritas and Mexican food). Higher alcohol can wreck havoc on delicate flavors, and the higher acidity typical of juice-based drinks can throw a meal off balance. Even with a move to sherry and lower alcohol cocktails, things don't always work as well as a glass of wine. But just because it doesn't usually work doesn't mean it can't be done well.

At Maven, bar manager Kate Bolton does an impressive job working with the kitchen, led by co-owner David Kurtz, to ensure that flavors and textures find a complementary balance. The Global Warming ($11, aged gin, sake, reisling, absinthe sorbet) has tart and herbal quality that sets off the shiso and apple in the Scallop Crudo ($12) making the dish even more impressive, as does the after-dinner drink and the dessert duo of the Beach & Hyde ($9, Four Roses Bourbon, Firelit Coffee Liqueur, vanilla, egg white, orange) paired with the Mayan Chocolate ($6, chocolate cake with cardamom ice cream).

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Gil Riego, Jr.

While we wait for Hapa Ramen's permanent location at 1527 Fillmore to open this summer, preview pop-up dinners will have to suffice. Chef-owner Richie Nakano said things are moving slowly because of permits.

The next one takes place next Tuesday at Wing Wings in the Lower Haight. At this dinner, Nakano will go beyond ramen to offer a variety of smaller items including something sauteed, something fried, and something raw (Nakano says that he doesn't have a menu set because he likes to "fly by the seat of his pants.")

Teaser from the last popup: potato chips and Thai beef salad.

Because of the small space, which has about 10 seats for guests, expect to-go friendly plates. The dinner is cash only, and you're free to bring your own beer. "Anyone who's been to our pop-ups before will see a different side of our food at these dinners," Nakano says. "We're trying to simplify things on our end. We used to get technique-heavy, but are now working toward giving guests more of what they want." He's planning future popups once a month; stay up to date with the restaurant's progress by following Hapa Ramen's Twitter feed.

Hapa Ramen Popup
Where: Wing Wings, 422 Haight (at Webster)
When: Tuesday, May 1, 6-10 p.m.

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Iann Ivy

Memphis Minnie's brisket, in sandwich form.

When your plate of 18-hour smoked brisket slides over the glass shelves at Memphis Minnie's, your stomach might balk a bit. This is an intimidating spread of food. In one corner: a bright-yellow cornbread muffin and two ramekins of vinegary slaw, smoky beans, or whatever else you might have chosen. In the other: a daunting pile of spice-crusted ovals of Memphis Minnie's signature 18-hour smoked brisket. SFoodie's countdown of our favorite 50 things to eat and drink, 2012 edition Though the claims of 18 hours of slow-smoked goodness seem impressive (and they are), brisket, the superficial and deep pectorals of the cow, are well-used muscles. Without lengthy cooking, the cut has a tendency to stay tough and stringy. Memphis Minnie's avoids even the suggestion of dry meat, by smoking it on-site over white oak. What emerges is a flat boulder of blackened meat, perfectly encrusted with a secret mix of dry ingredients and lightly charred meat. Once thinly sliced, the reward for this lengthy cooking period emerges. The meat itself is tender enough to be torn apart by the desperate fingers of a starved barbecue lover. More »