18 reasons, and the coffee-tasting
Blind coffee tasting at 18 Reasons, San Francisco
18 Reasons is a non-profit organization located in the heart of the gourmet gulch in the Mission. It’s an organization that we here at MUS•e•YUM have grown to love. The group is dedicated to bringing the people of the community together, using food and food production as the thread that binds. In the tradition of family, friends & neighbors gathering around the table to share a meal and each other’s company, 18 Reasons hosts events that teach, enlighten, enliven and delight. I’ve met a lot of quality folk here, it’s just that kind of place. Here’s the Mission Statement:
18 Reasons brings people together to deepen our relationship to food and each other. Through an innovative community center and thought-provoking, fun programming, we inspire action and foster collaboration toward creating a just and sustainable food system.
18 Reasons has several events per month, of dizzying variety. Want to learn how to make cheese at home? How about a multi-course meal, each dish prepared with, and paired with, Chinese teas? Maybe you’ve had the desire to try urban farming (and you can) and didn’t know where to begin? 18 Reasons and their community of eaters and producers will help you. I love coffee but realized, I didn’t know that much about it. So when I saw a coffee tasting come up on the schedule, I jumped. (The cost is usually discounted for members, so much I decided to purchase a membership; I suggest you do, too!)
evaluating the aromas. . .
We blind-tasted 9 coffees. It was fun to conjure up adjectives to describe the nuances of the flavor profiles, which varied wildly from cup to cup. Of course, the event reminded me of a wine tasting but with a twist: interesting adjectives emerged that I’d never used when speaking about wine. Of a flavor profile, the best descriptive phrase of the evening was “hot, humid jungle”!
The tasting also differed from a typical wine tasting in another way. Because of the changes coffee undergoes during preparation, we wrote notes for each of 9 samples at four different stages of brewing. First, we described the fragrance of the grounds themselves and second, the aroma released after the pour (this was timed with precision). Third, we broke the surface of the coffee to release still more aroma, and described that. Last, we documented the taste. This involved a particular technique of aspirating the coffee, essentially a very quick suck from the spoon with a loud sssssssssssuppppppppp!
writing down our tasting notes
With 9 coffees side by side, it’s just so easy to appreciate the broad array of flavors that the varied beans deliver. There’s a surprising diversity out there. It’s amazing, too, to see how one’s experience of a particular coffee, one’s impression of it, changes from the moment you sniff the grounds, as compared to the first taste. And not only that, for each coffee the taste and aroma change over time, from bean to brew. Very cool stuff.
For fun events like this and so much more, check out the calendar of events at 18 Reasons and, go try one out!
the surface of the coffee is gorgeous, four minutes after the pour
18 Reasons
593 Guerrero at 18th Street
San Francisco, CA
info@18reasons.org
my pocket choice for thai, Suriya Thai Restaurant
Suriya Thai Restaurant on Howard, in SOMA, San Francisco, CA
Tonight, dinner was about not just food but celebrating my friend Ll’s great accomplishment, acing a critical exam needed for his profession. (He’s so good. ) We chose Suriya Thai Restaurant, a place we’ve known for years, back in the days when it anchored the south end of the Valencia foodie corridor. (In fact, before Valencia was the foodie street that it is today.) Still, the new location on Howard has all the familiar trappings of the old. Gorgeous antique carvings are placed throughout the dining room including a striking display of centuries-old carved coconut shellers.
coconut shellers at Suriya Thai
And the food is special. One can find a lot of thai in the City but somehow Suriya manages to set itself apart. Many of the dishes are drawn from family recipes so you’ll find some things here that you’ve not seen on menus before. The helpings are generous, the price reasonable. The casual-dining-feel in turn reflects the casual nature of the food. The descriptions on the menus are well worth reading, too…
Suriya menu
Our server was Ahn, always flawlessly kind. A special treat was meeting Suriya’s owner, who came by to check on us, and I met one of the lovely women behind the scenes responsible for the exciting flavors on the menu.
A meal in pictures:
scrumptuous, the chicken dumplings at Suriya.
perennial favorite, the sausage-stuffed eggplant with basil
bursting with flavour: pineapple, tomato and duck curry
special menu item tonight, and so good!, the bbq pork ribs with shredded new coconut
(between 11th St & Lafayette St)
San Francisco, CA 94103
Neighborhood: SOMA
(415) 355-9999
Burger News: Mission Bowling to bring back Mission Burger!
the Mission Burger
We’ve been searching San Francisco in search of the best burger. It’s been hard to find one quite as good as the now defunct, Mission Burger. (MUS•e•YUM report, here.) Elated we are to hear that Anthony Myint is bringing the burger back. And, the concept sounds fun. More destination eating in the Mission, and how much do we love this neighborhood!
Would you like to see some pictures of Mission Bowling Club as it’s getting built out? Mission Mission shows us the six shiny new bowling lanes being laid down. The bar top will also be made of a reclaimed lane, and please remember that Anthony Myint will be bringing the historically famous Mission Burger back from the dead. Lots to look forward to. Previous Mission Bowling Club coverage, here.
Link by:
Chile Pies Opens in the Castro, Chipotle Bonanza, More! – Friday Opening Report – Eater SF
Chile Pies Opens in the Castro, Chipotle Bonanza, More! – Friday Opening Report – Eater SF.
WE LOVE PIE! And, we love the NOPA location of Chile Pies and Ice Cream. Home of incredible crust and one of our favorite ice creams for a la mode, the local organic and wonderful Three Twins. Can’t wait to have both in the Castro.
Check out our homage to another pie establishment here. yes, we still think Pie is the new cupcake…
SF Street Food Festival Is This Saturday! Heres a Handy Guide – Street Food – Eater SF
SF Street Food Festival Is This Saturday! Heres a Handy Guide – Street Food – Eater SF.
MUS•e•YUM will be on the ground and reporting from the event. Check it out, not only will it bring together good people and amazing food, the proceeds go to charity, thanks to the San Francsico non-profit La Cocina.
Teach Pie.
It’s been nearly four years since my first trip to Mission Pie, a wonderful oasis for homespun dessert and savoury pies located in the Mission District of San Francisco. I was new to the food community then, and eager to learn more about it. I wanted to learn more about the provenance of the wonderful ingredients being used in the meals that I was enjoying. My eyes were being opened to the wealth that is the abundance of the Bay Area’s local produce.
I’d started taking photos, too, with my new digital camera and many of those pictures were of my food. I began to post photos of memorable meals on Flickr and Yelp, together with reviews of my experiences both good and bad. I wanted to document my excitement for what I was discovering and for what I was learning, all at the same time. And, I wanted to connect with others who shared my passion. And my passion was fed.
It’s funny now to think that something as quintessentially homespun as a warm-from-the-oven pie could be a novel new player on the bakery scene but then, it was. At a time when bakeries were vying for the top cupcake, a bakery devoted to the humble pie seemed novel and maybe even bold. No one was doing pie then. I sought out Mission Pie soon after it opened and on that visit, after tasting that perfectly cooked crust and the luminous brightness of the fruit inside, even then remarked to my friend that pie ‘just might be’ the new cupcake. Was I right? Maybe not quite on the grander scale but for me, it sure is! And I wanted to learn more. . .
What I also learned on this first visit made me love this business even more. Mission Pie is the retail outlet for a bigger picture and a bigger story. All the ingredients which comprise every one of those gorgeous pies comes from a ranch, the Pie Ranch, located outside the city on the San Mateo Coast. Bees make the honey, fruit falls from the trees, wheat is milled to flour, and the spirit, hard work and love of farmers and volunteers all come together there so that you and I may enjoy the fruits of their labor here, and I was- and am- blown away and moved by that concept.
Founded in 2002, The Pie Ranch is a working farm, not only producing food but producing change. Their mission (Mission Pie) is to feed and nourish the body, the mind, the consciousness and the broader community by educating people as to where their food comes from and how it gets to one’s table. The Ranch welcomes students from inner city schools and introduces them to the country, all the while teaching farming and an appreciation for where food comes from. They mentor adults who want to learn to farm sustainably.
So they’re doing far more than growing food or even making pies…they’re making a difference. You can see this passion in the eyes of every single person in this video and I invite you to check it out:
via Teach Pie. on Vimeo.
The Pie Ranch apprenticeship program gives apprentices the skills needed to become the next generation of successful farmers.
Pie Ranch is an education farm whose mission it is to inspire and connect people to know the source of their food, and to work together to bring greater health to the food system from seed to table.
pieranch.org/
Thanks to Nancy, Jered, Amy and all the apprentices and interns!
Mission Pie
2901 Mission St
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 282-1500Hours:
Mon-Thu 7 am – 9 pm
Fri 7 am – 10 pm
Sat 8 am – 10 pm
Sun 9 am – 9 pm
our favorite coffee destination, Sightglass, set to open cafe space 11 July
Interior of the new Sightglass Coffee space, photo courtesy of Tablehopper.com
Straight from local food authority Tablehopper comes some news for which we’ve been eagerly waiting here at MUS•e•YUM, not in the least because their location is but blocks away from the Mission Street office! Yes, after one cup of Sightglass Coffee and we were hooked. In our estimation it’s the best cup of coffee in the city (click here for our first review). Up until now the coffee has been served up from a kiosk on 7th Street near Folsom, housed in a loading dock that is tucked into a nondescript part of a nondescript industrial block. Sightglass has been building-out the space next door, however, over the past several months. Curious we were and after taking several peeks through the curtain, we’ve followed the development in its progress, as the immense warehouse space morphs to coffee Mecca. The centerpiece is a towering roaster, gleaming under the skylights that bring ample light into the two-tiered, lofted room. Beautiful. What you need to know is this: not only will the space be as impressive a space as the coffee is rich (it’s roasted on the spot after all), they’ll also serve baked goods from two of the hottest sources in town, Tell Tale Preserve Co. and Hooker’s Sweet Treats. Everything comes together here: Industrial chic, fabulous coffee and great desserts… so get thee there! Here’s the full article by Tablehopper, with all the sumptuous details and photos:
http://www.tablehopper.com/chatterbox/sightglass-ready-to-open-its-spacious-cafe-and-roastery/
Sightglass Coffee
270 7th St. at Folsom
SOMA
Hours: Mon-Sat 7am-7pm, Sun 8am-6pm
415-861-1313.
burger-truck face off. That’s right.
We’ve been wondering why this city full of food trucks didn’t have one devoted to the burger (hmm!) and now, lo and behold, we have two! Here’s the scoop, straight from SF EATER. Of note, the second truck they mention, Doc’s By the Bay, also has a vegetarian option that sounds kinda good, actually…
These guys can be found (among other locations) at some of the Off the Grid hotspots, check the OTG website for details (for more Off the Grid commentary, jump here)
Burger Truck Faceoff 2011: Doc’s of the Bay vs. Fivetenburger
Friday, May 13, 2011, by Carolyn Alburger
In the great tradition of January’s BBQ Truck faceoff, we now bring you Burger Truck Faceoff 2011. We’ve heard numerous complaints about the lack of burger-wielding food trucks in San Francisco of late. And soon, where there were none, there shall be two—both of them flipping burgers to-order from an on-truck griddle. As Zak Silverman’s Doc’s of the Bay deals with its public hearings for two future Mission locations, we learn of new player Fivetenburger, suiting up for action. Both burger vehicles will be rolling up to Off the Grid’s Civic Center edition for the next two Tuesdays. So consider it your fleeting chance to try the contenders side-by-side. Behold now, the vitals for each.
1) Fivetenburger
Mastermind: San Antonio-native and former Bar Johnny chef Roland Robles
Burger Style: Choice of grain-fed Golden Gate Meats or Eel River Ranch 100% grass-fed ground beef on a proprietary North Beach Bakery Co. bun Robles “spent months perfecting”
Special Sauce?: Yes. Housemade spicy mustard, garlic mayo and a “secret spice mix”
Location: Off the Grid, Civic Center
The Extras: A cage-free egg, applewood bacon or garlic fries can be added to each order.
Twitter, Facebook, website
2) Doc’s of the Bay
Mastermind: New Jersey-native Zak Silverman
Burger Style: Organic black Angus beef, Mid-Western smashburger technique
Special Sauce?: Yes. Housemade ketchup and a special ratio of minced onions worked into each patty
Location: Washington St. by the TransAmerica building, Off the Grid, Civic Center on Tuesdays, every other Sunday outside Homestead, possibly two locations in the Mission next month
The Extras: Doc’s has a black bean veggie burger that’s been driving vegetarians crazy
San Francisco’s Favorite Burger, 4505 Meats
As if hearing our call here at MUS•e•YUM for the Best Burger in San Francisco, the fine fellows over at SF Eater have mobilized the entire city (and their fancy-shmancy number crunching servers) to scientifically determine just that! The winner? -no surprise here: celebrity chef and food concept innovator Ryann Starr and his 4505 Meats. Starr is a busy guy, running 4505 Meats at the Ferry Building on Thursdays as well as other pop up venues (like his fabulous turkey lunch right before Thanksgiving in Hayes Valley, link here) and the scrumptious 3-SUM Food Truck which you can find at various Off the Grid venues around town.
http://sf.eater.com/archives/2011/04/29/4505_meats_new_school_burger_wins_big.php
4505 Meats “New School” Burger Wins Big!
Friday, April 29, 2011, by Laura Beck
4505 Meats won the Best Burger in the SF Bay Area Burger Brackets showdown! You go, girl. Congrats to 4505 Meats team and congrats to all of our restaurants and voters. You’re all the real winners here. I think.4505 Meats Burger [Photo: HamBlogger]
Smitten is OPEN…YAY!
We’ve been waiting a while for this one. Smitten, center of a lot of buzz in the local ice cream scene (check out our Smitten post, here), is finally open for business in the fledgling Hayes Valley Proxy project, soon to be THE hot summer foodie destination (coming, a beer garden by Suppenkuche and a pizza kiosk by Delfina, among others) Smitten dishes out the freshest ice cream you can buy anywhere: it’s made to order using a fantastic liquid nitrogen freezing system that whizzes and smokes and delivers decadent deliciousness right before your very eyes!
Check out this article in the Daily Candy and stay tuned for our on-the-ground coverage, coming soon;-) Homemade pizzelle cones…
Smitten Ice Cream Shop Opens in Hayes Valley
Made-to-Order Scoops in 60 Seconds
Time was, seeing Smitten’s Red Flyer wagon around town meant one thing: sprinting after it for a scoop of ice cream like you hadn’t eaten in days.
Hang up your running shoes and park it on a milk crate in the Hayes Valley Proxy Project instead. That’s where Smitten just opened a shop.
Owner Robyn Sue Goldman’s innovative liquid-nitrogen machine (the Kelvin) means each scoop is made one at a time, in just a minute. The freshest in-season ingredients and creative flavor combos (maple brown sugar butternut squash and candied pecans; banana chocolate chunk; strawberry and white balsamic) top even your childhood ice cream fantasies.
For now, order a cup of the speedy treat; homemade pizzelle cones and cookie sandos are on the way. No matter what flavor you choose, consider Smitten a justifiable detour in your diet.
Smitten Ice Cream, 432 Octavia Street, at Linden Street, suite 1a (415-863-1518 or smittenicecream.com).
april 1st, where food goes to die, the lucky penny diner, san francisco
Overheard: “if the United States had lost the war and become a Soviet Block country, this is the kind of food we’d be eating in the diners.”
And it’s true. This is horrible stuff. It’s where food goes to die. (Twice.)
As the door to the kitchen swings open, one can see the rows of plus-sized generic-label cans of vegetables that supply the diner. The lone waitress for the whole dining room comes and goes from the kitchen with her arms full of plates of bad food moving one way, and dirty dishes with half-eaten food the other. Your wait for her attention is time best spent deciding whether or not you’ll stay a minute longer.
For my main, I ordered a hot turkey sandwich because, well, I used to like those growing up. The one presented to me here was a nightmare. The slices of deli turkey were dried out. There was a greenish tinge to some of the edges. The slices of white bread were a little stale, too. The gravy was bland with a sort of film on the top, covering the sandwich and the mashed potatoes in a gelatinous goo. They were instant mashed, but by now that was expected. Ok, you can’t really mess those up; I added salt and butter margarine. And pepper. Yes, you certainly do have a choice of sides here, and all of them have shelf-lives in the dozens of years. Copper penny carrots, grey-ish kernels of corn, mushy green beans- you might remember any or all of these from the school lunch program with which you grew up. Yuck. There’s a memory I didn’t want.
The service was awful. Not that the waitress was mean. She wasn’t. The part of her psyche that could get angry, sad, or be pluckily ironic, or ironically plucky, was probably long dead. She was just. . . blank.
Some restaurants harken back to the past with sort of nod to nostalgia. Not this place. No whimsical memorobilia on the shelves here. There’s nothing joyous in this dusty place. It’s just that old, and hasn’t been renovated in that long. The furniture has aged. The vinyl booths have torn and discolored. Try not to touch that vinyl with any exposed skin. And, don’t buy the open-faced hot turkey sandwich.
San Francisco Travel Guide: In the Magazine : bonappetit.com
Here’s a great list of San Francisco restaurants to experience. We can vouch for Commonwealth, and we’re eager to try more on the list! Click here :
San Francisco Travel Guide: In the Magazine : bonappetit.com.
Forthcoming Hayes Valley Ice-Creamery Sounds Like a Foodie Event Horizon – SFist
((SHARE from SFist.com))
“This afternoon, EaterSF takes a look at the construction of Smitten, which could very well be the most densely buzzword-packed restaurant to date. Once you start reading the description, it becomes impossible to turn back no matter how badly you want to. Observe:
Smitten is a made-to-order (slow food: check), liquid nitrogen (molecular gastronomy: check) ice cream shop (frozen dairy products: check) built inside of a recycled shipping container (food truck: check, kinda) that has been dropped in to an empty lot in Hayes Valley (neighborhood revitalization by way of dessert: check). What’s more, the shop’s owner started off with just one liquid nitrogen ice cream machine in a red wagon in the park (food cart: check). That was way back in 2009, even. When people still wanted to eat food at tables. And before you ask: Salted Caramel is on the menu (check).
Still, as much as we’d like to be annoyed by all this, the idea of slobbering all over a handmade pizzelle cone topped with “one of the purest commercial ice creams out there”, some sweaty October afternoon does seem kind of pleasant, doesn’t it? At least it’s not another fro-yo place, right? That would be too L.A.”
via Forthcoming Hayes Valley Ice-Creamery Sounds Like a Foodie Event Horizon – SFist.
What To Expect at Smitten, Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream Shop – Plywood Special – Eater SF
What To Expect at Smitten, Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream Shop – Plywood Special – Eater SF.
Anxiously awaiting the arrival of what could be the best ice cream store in the City… Smitten. Check out the story linked above for the details about this venture, which will entail ice cream made-to-order with one of four liquid nitrogen ice cream machines. Smitten is part of a greater project called the Hayes Valley Proxy, a network of shipping containers that will form a food court of sorts in this very cool SF neighborhood.
From Delfina Pizza to a Suppenkuche beer garden, this is going to be an excellent foodie destination!
Snap Good Photos in Restaurants
link to norecipes.com post
Here’s a great article from one of our favorite food blogs, [No Recipes]. Marc Matsumoto is not only a photographer but an artist when it comes to preparing food. You can’t ask for food photography tips from a more knowledgeable source! LOVE the tip about balancing your point and shoot camera on a water glass in low light conditions. Check it out:
Snap Good Photos in Restaurants.
(disclaimer: it’s unabashedly a commercial for Sony products too, and we make no endorsement of them here…never used them. Delfina Restaurant on the other hand, we LOVE. You should go there;-)
Marc also happens to be a gifted writer. He cooks improvisationally, hence the name of the blog, and the narrative of his posts is as much about his day, his inspiration and his process as it is about the food. We love the way he weaves food, socializing and a moment in time together, reminding us why we love to cook and . . . celebrate food.
But darn, he shot this video mere blocks from MUS•e•YUM H.Q. So bummed to have missed out on meeting him in person. Marc, come back! We’ll take you to Starstream on the company expense account!
FREE DONUTS. FREE BEER.
Meyer lemon and huckleberry donut from Dynamo Donuts, SF
Dear readers you know we’re all over this event: Dynamo Donuts has teamed up with Project Open Hand for what could be the event of the year. On Friday March 18th, at Dynamo Donuts on 24th, you will get yes, free donuts and free beer from 4-6. Be assured, it’s the good stuff. . . you’ll already know Dynamo Donuts rock as evidenced by some pictures we’ve previously posted, here and here, and the beer will be a craft brew from Austria, Stiegl.
You’ll know from a previous MUS•e•YUM post that Project Open Hand has a track record for teaming up with foodie-favorite hotspots in town, like Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream, which is right down the street from Dynamo, on Harrison.
Here’s the story, as published on Facebook:
We are excited to announce a new collaborative effort with Dynamo Donuts. On Friday, March 18th, Dynamo Donuts will launch their newest doughnut flavor, Open Hand Peanut Butter Banana. To celebrate the flavor’s debut, we will give away FREE doughnuts paired with FREE Stiegl beer, an Austrian specialty, on March 18th from 4-6pm at the bakery on 2760 24th Street. Come out and celebrate a delicious treat that benefits your cherished San Francisco non-profit organization. It’s eating for a good cause!
*Guests will be invited to name the new doughnut. The individual who comes up with the winning name will receive an incredible prize!
We hope to see you there!
this is a dynamo donut
we love this hot new foodie website, Deep Dishing by the gorgeous Marcia G.
:^)
There’s a hot new foodie website on the interwebs, and it just launched today. It’s called Deep Dishing and it’s the brainchild of Marcia Gagliardi of Tablehopper fame (((our OTHER favorite foodie website 
))
What do we love about the site? It provides the reader a fast way to find out which restaurants are trending right now, and an easy way to look up the ‘fan-favorite’ dishes on each of those menus. Need a recommendation for a…? There’s an active forum that delves into such consequential questions as “Where’s the best croissant?” and apropos a previous post on this blog, “Where’s the best burger???” Now, we know.
And thankfully on Deep Dishing, there are lots, and lots of pictures of those menu items and, as everyone knows, we here at MUS•e•YUM do love our food porn;-)
Best of luck Marcia! It’s lookin’ hot!
PS: if you look carefully enough through the image galleries on DeepDishing, you just might find some familiar photos . . .
the Heartwarming Story of the Open Hand Fluffer Nutter
The people of San Francisco really know how to love. Having lived here for 10 years, I’ve seen people practice charity and kindness, from the simple to the grand, to a degree unsurpassed by anywhere else that I’ve lived. So, when I hear about a story like the one told in the following video, a story of different businesses and groups creatively partnering for the purpose of supporting a single, charitable goal, I love to spread the word and in so doing I love to spread, well, the love. ((In fact, where ice cream is involved, I shout!)) Check out the video below for a story about the partnering of two local organizations, a non-profit and a small business, that embody the very best of San Francisco values. And, I encourage you to support both of them because of what they do for our community. Happy Valentine’s Day, folks!
I give you Project Open Hand* and Humphry Slocombe:
*In the 25 years that Project Open Hand has been serving food, they’ve never missed a single day.
lunching at my favorite cafe, starstream
Roasted fig, fresh basil and stracciatella cheese sandwich with salad of arugula, red onion and fingerling potatoes
Given the choice of trying a new restaurant or going back to one that is tried-and-true, I’ll usually opt for the former rather than the latter. So if a place does manage to keep me coming-back on a fairly regular basis why, that’s an endorsement in and of itself. Starstream certainly is that kind of place, and it certainly has a hold on me. I keep going back. And without fail, every time I do there’s at least one new thing waiting to be tried, something that blurs the line between sweet and savory (a distinguishing factor for which Starstream is known, check out my previous review here). As much as I try to resist that bit of sweet at the end of the meal, I can’t. (It is the best cookie in San Francisco, after all) And then there’s Remi, the owner and chef, who is a true gem.
The following is a lunch in pictures. Joining me on this latest visit was MUS•e•YUM Trustee, L., a former advertising exec. who’s eaten at some of the top restaurants in town and beyond, so he has a refined palate and holds the bar high. L. always presents a neutral and unbiased review. . . it was his first time eating here, in fact. (Not his last, he really liked it!)
On my plate were the roasted fig, basil & stracciatella cheese sandwich and the salad of arugula, pickled red onion and sliced fingerling potatoes . Both of these dishes reflect Chef Remi’s signature approach of bringing savory and sweet together, in a deftly-balanced way. L. also loved his meal, the Pork Conserva sandwich and Citrus Salad. He appreciated how well-balanced all the flavors were on his plate, as well. The brightness of the citrus fennel salad was a real highlight, as well as the iced Bergamot tea he ordered with his meal, very aromatic and rich. We both agree the rolls on which the sandwiches are served are pretty great and well worth mentioning; they’re beautiful, they’re flavorful, and they’re made in-house by Remi, as well. We also agreed the portion size is exactly right. We left completely satisfied, but not stuffed. In fact, as always, I had room for a little dessert, the dark chocolate and red chile pepper scone, dusted with gorgeous crystaline turbinado sugar. The flavor of the scone was nothing short of amazing, the richness of the chocolate totally satisfies your sweet tooth, and it’s accompanied by a real nice “kick” on the back-end, thanks to the chiles. Awesomeness.
And this visit we found out about a bit of exciting news from Chef Remi- . . . so stay tuned for a big story mid-February!
Pork Conserva sandwich and arugula/fingerling potato salad at Starstream Cafe
figarella sandwich at Starstream with the delicious iced bergamot tea
dark chocolate and red chile pepper scones at Starstream
Starstream Cafe, on Harrison Street, SF
Starstream
1830 Harrison at 14th St (near the Best Buy)
San Francisco, CA 94103
Neighborhood: Mission
(415) 864-6370
Hours: Mon-Fri 8 am – 4 pm
Links to articles in the Press:
https://sites.google.com/site/mattegrayinsf/journals/journal-2010
http://blogs.sfweekly.com/foodie/2010/10/star_stream_belgian_waffles.php
http://www.rundown.com/article.php?article_id=1445
http://blogs.sfweekly.com/foodie/2010/09/best_chocolate_chip_cookies_san_francisco.php
lunching series, the Green Chile Kitchen review
Green Chile Kitchen, NOPA, San Francisco
Lunch with my friend D. always is a treat. In this review I shall refer to him only as D. in order to protect his privacy, because he is quite famous. And not only is D. a world-renowned author and a pillar of the community but also, he just happens to be a foodie of the first order. (Suffice to say, he is simply fabulous.) So for all these reasons and more, it was a joy to try out a new restaurant with him, the Green Chile Kitchen, a Western Addition/NOPA restaurant that serves dishes inspired by the food of New Mexico.
my friend D., his identity intentionally concealed, arriving to join me for lunch at the Green Chile Kitchen
Before getting to a review of the food, I feel a hiccup must be pointed out. The restaurant is not that new so I was surprised that upon entering there was a bit of confusion with regard to the service. No one greeted us and as it was a big restaurant. . . what to do? Where was the menu? Oh, there’s a basket of them near the door. Should we seat ourselves or order at the counter? We managed to flag down a server (it was 12.30pm) and we were instructed to proceed first to the register to place our orders. Scanning the paper menu at the register took some time, given how extensive it is and how unusual some of the dishes are. . . they merit a good read (this could definitely create a bottleneck at rush hour) We made our selections and paid, and then we got our flags with numbers to take with us back to our table.
The decor was austere, with lots of heavy wooden furniture and catholic iconography. The room almost had the feel of a Spanish mission. . . some of the pieces were gorgeous. . .
As for the food, we ordered the following:
the vegetarian quesadilla was delicious: jack & cheddar cheese, potatoes, sautéed mushrooms, red onions & calabacitas
the vegetarian burrito, "so-so" : organic pinto, refried or black beans organic rice, lettuce, pico de gallo & red or green chile
The food was good, but not great. While the ingredients themselves clearly were of top quality, and while the food was beautifully plated, the end result still felt a bit disappointing. The burrito was unremarkable, bland. The quesadilla though was much better; while mild, it was rich and had a deep savory richness that we both loved. The drink, what was it called??, was horrible. Bottled vinegar. Yuck!
Given the uneven nature of our experience, I think the reason to go to this restaurant is the following: it provides solid, good food (and sometimes really good) but moreover, provides a convenient venue for the people of the neighborhood to connect. In terms of menu and decor, it’s one of the coolest spaces on the block. It is spacious enough for the ladies who lunch, it is friendly to parents with babies in tow, to the laptop warriors who want plenty of space to stretch out while they work over lunch, and for the singles that want to linger over a book and people watch. The restaurant provides a fine stage for all these things but to be fair, can also get fairly loud, too, during prime time.
the verdict?
I’d definitely go back to try some of the other menu items, as there were many things that looked appealing, but I’m not in a hurry.
The Green Chile Kitchen,
1801 McAllister StSan Francisco, CA 94117
Neighborhood: Western Addition/NOPA
(415) 440-9411
PS:
After lunch, however, we discovered a real gem, one block to the south. Green Chile Kitchen has a partner bakery, Chile Pie and Ice Cream. We decided to ‘peak-in’, despite being full from lunch. We both decided we’d have to make a point to come back for this one. The pies are gorgeous, made of organic ingredients and every bit as gorgeous as the ones you’d find at a church bake-sale. Perhaps more so. They also serve Three Twins ice cream which is another star on the local ice cream scene and again, all organic. Stay tuned for a review as we’ll be going back to Chile Pie and Ice Cream, most definitely!
amazing pies at "Chile Pie and Ice Cream", NOPA, San Francisco
Lemon Buttercream Pies at Chile Pie and Ice Cream, SF
best concert at an ice cream shop, 2010: Jane Wiedlin plays Humphry Slocombe with special guest, Big Gay Ice Cream Truck
Humphry Slocombe‘s played host to a birthday party- slash- ice-cream-mashup this summer, 22 August, and the result of this hot-mess conflagration-of-coolness turned out to be one of the most memorable parties of the year. The birthday boy was Doug Quint of the infamous Big Gay Ice Cream Truck. Haven’t heard of it yet? It’s a roving ice cream truck out of New York, and it has a cult following there. The man himself chose Humphry Slocombe’s as the site of his party, and dished up a special flavor on-the-spot, Tranny Smackdown:
(“tranny padding” (shortbread baked by Humphry’s Jake Godby), Slocombe strawberry ice cream and marshmallow fluff, smeared “mascara” (dark chocolate sauce), and smeared “lipstick” (Amarena cherry sauce), all topped with Trix cereal.)
Add to the mix Quint’s long-time friend, rocker and former Go-Go Jane Wiedlin, who lives in the Mission(!!) and who, in the column of coolest. birthday. present. ever. debuted her new song Big Gay Ice Cream Truck, a gift for Quint (which you can download on iTunes here)
Rounding out the glamouratti: Yay! Sprinkles and Beach Blanket Babylon were on hand to provide the requisite chic flair, together with lots (and lots) of rainbow balloons…
Beach Blanket Babylon at Humphry Slocombe's
Birthday party at Humphry Slocombe's
Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream, the Mission, SF
Best of 2010, a great meal at Commonwealth
A meal in pictures: happy birthday MUS•e•YUM, October 2010
Commonwealth Restaurant, the Mission, San Francisco
to start, house-made potato chips with vinegar 'foam'
potato chips and vinegar foam at Commonwealth
porcini churros, thyme, huckleberry jam: unbelievably good
...those were so good!
albacore tuna sushi with crushed hazlenut and wasabi
potato gnocchi, corn, maitake mushrooms, sage, parmesan reggiano, truffle oil
summer squash, chilled soup, fried squash blossoms, shaved salad, vadouvan
coconut milk poached halibut, sea beans, grapes, little gem lettuce, thai spices
perfectly-cooked marrow stuffed squid, tamarind pork, shelling beans, black gardlic, cilantro
dessert: cinnamon mille-fuille, caramom marshmallow, chocolate ganache, burnt honey ice cream
We cannot wait to go back.
Commonwealth
(between 18th St & 19th St)
San Francisco, CA 94110
Neighborhood: Mission
(415) 355-1500
- Hours: Tue-Thu, Sun 5:30 pm – 10 pm + Fri-Sat 5:30 pm – 11 pm
Press:
2010′s top new Bay Area restaurants
Restaurant Experts Name the Top Newcomers of 2010
Best New Restaurants, Top Eats of 2010
New San Francisco restaurants that redefine fine dining
People’s perk, Affordable, innovative Commonwealth gives inventive cooking mass appeal.
Yes, We Can: Choose This Year’s Greatest Empire Builder
This Just In: The Top 5 New Restaurants in San Francisco
Commonwealth offers exciting, unusual dining
best of 2010, our favorite bakery is Thorough Bread and Pastry
breads at thorough bread and pastry, sf
It was a great year for bakeries in SF, with several notable openings. Yet despite the competition one bakery still holds the title of our favorite and that is Thorough Bread and Pastry.
Why we love it:
- beautifully prepared food, every item we’ve ever had there has been exquisite
- broad choice, from morning pastries and loaves of bread to small, beautifully decorated artisanal desserts, parisian macarons and even sandwich offerings at lunch
- the prices are very reasonable, and it’s a great value for your money
- the beautiful space, perfect for lingering. Not only is there ample seating indoors but check out the charming garden behind- it’s a great place to read over your coffe or, to take a special friend for lunch.
- they have a mission, and that is to train future bakers. This store is affiliated with the San Francisco Baking Institute and serves as a laboratory for the students.
- Babette
- friendly, quick service. It’s quite fun to shop here, and they’ll take good care of you.
Thorough Bread and Pastry
248 Church St (between Market St & 15th St)
San Francisco, CA 94114
Neighborhood: Castro
morning pastries at Thorough Bread and Pastry, Castro, SF
