best restaurant series, starstream
exquisite pizzas and sandwiches of Starstream
I first met Remi at Goody Goodie Cream and Sugar, home of the Best Chocolate Chip Cookie in San Francisco. (Evidence here. and here.) Frankly, Remi had me at the chocolate chip cookie but upon ordering that, she offered me a sample of a product in development: the cocoa nib wafer. This thing blew me away, chocolate made savory. Earthy. Magic. Combining notes of chocolate (without the sweetness), and oil-cured olives, Remi had just taken me to a new place! And how great would this be with a strong cheese and a bold Italian red?! What followed was a conversation about food that only happens between folks that are in love with it. . . wine pairings for cookies, cheese pairings for fruit (and prosciutto), favorite producers at local farmer’s markets. I was hooked.
On a subsequent visit, Remi offered me a sample of a “bun-in-development”. She’d been offering featured sandwiches at Goody Goodie made with bounty from the day’s farmer’s markets (example here) and now had some tantalizing information for me- she’d finalized plans to open a restaurant. Not surprisingly this would be the place she’d been wanting to open for a long time, a full-service restaurant that would afford her the space and tools to showcase her unique talent, her ability to bridge pastry and savory (and, a place with seating!) Owing to the relationship Goody Goodie has with scooter-loving Blue Bottle coffee-making Vega next door on Folsom, the two entrepreneurs envisioned a palate-pushing Roman-styled industrial-chic café and the name would be Starstream.
Yesterday I had a great lunch there with my gorgeous friend, one who happens to be a foodie of the first order! Between us we (naturally) tried a little of everything, from a great citrus salad, to the ‘squashed’ pizza Schiacciata to a flight of sandwich sliders and the famous cookies. The salad: greens dressed in a light citrus vinaigrette with pieces of citrus fruit and notes of fennel, was served on the aforementioned cocoa nib wafer. My pal was blown away by the combination of flavor profiles, from earthy to bright, which really worked. This salad was one of the highlights of the meal, for sure.
citrus fennel salad at Starstream, San Francisco
The pizza: thin and light, the house-made crust is stuffed not with tomato but rather Bellweather Crescenza cheese, arugula & Prosciutto de San Daniel. The flavor is at once bold and light. The sandwiches themselves were wee works of art, each unique in terms of shape and bread kind and style. These included a mortadella with fried quail egg, an egg salad on focaccia (the standout) and the Robiola Di Langa- creamy cheese made from goat, sheep & cow’s milk, micro greens & Fuji apples.
sliders at Starstream, with an assortment of pickled vegetables
The styling details of the meal are part of the fun, right down to the fried quail egg and mini pickle stabbed on top of the mortadella slider. The sandwiches came with an assortment of pickled vegetables that were a gorgeous array of pinks, arty in their presentation and tangy delicious. The lemonade was special, too, made with honey and infused herbs, not overly sweet. (Teaser, Remi told us she’s working on a line of different lemonade concepts for next year, so stay tuned! I thought this was an awesome idea since one of my favorite beverages to make at home is rosemary-infused lemonade, using herbs cut from the garden. Here’s the recipe in case you want to try it, too: Recipe link here.)
The meal ended with Goody Goodie cookies, all of which are available at Starstream as well as the G.G. Folsom location.
From the pastry side, I’ve previously sampled not only the cookies but also the brioche bomb (cinnamon, sugar and orange in a brioche bun) and a spice cake with citrus glaze. Next up, I plan to try the famous Belgian Waffle.
brioche bomb from Starstream
The space itself reflects the materials of the neighborhood, industrial concrete and metal, but somehow it does not seem cold or austere here. The lines are clean and the space is chic. There’s ample seating inside but on a nice day, grab a table on the east-facing sidewalk to capitalize on that morning light while you enjoy your coffee.
Looking ahead, I know Remi has some new menu ideas planned not only for the morning coffee and pastry crowd but also for the lunch-time crowd so do expect more great things to come at Starstream and if you’re lucky, you’ll be one of the first to get a sample, too;-)
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
MUS-e-YUM does 3-SUM . . .
3-SUM-EATS at Off the Grid, Haight
-and MUS-e-YUM loved it.
3-SUM-EATS, the new venture by Top Chef Alumnus Ryan Scott, made its debut tonight at Off the Grid/Haight and despite the rain, and despite feeling unwell, I made the trek because the menu sounded so good . . .
Ryan, you had me at the fried gnocchi tater tots, in your dirty ranch dressing, no less. And, frankly, you had me when I heard the name of your food truck. But then, there was more. There was the beef short rib sandwich. the Roasted Pear Salad. The maple/ bacon cupcake. THE CRACK COOKIE.
buttermilk cupcakes with maple/bacon frosting at 3-SUM-EATS, Off the Grid Haight
It was a cold and rainy night but it was so worth it. The prices aren’t cheap but when you see the size of the portions, most can (should?) be split by two people. And there was no line! If you’ve been wanting to try an Off the Grid without all the crowds, this location is for you. (On a rainy evening.)
menu at Ryan Scott's 3-SUM-EATS food truck, OTG HAIGHT
lunching in san francisco, Goody Goodie Cream and Sugar and coming soon, Starstream
lunch at Goody Goodie Cream and Sugar, 1246 Folsom Street, SF
Goody Goodie a stellar place to get your cookie fix, having in fact won top honors from SFWeekly, but what you may not know is that you’ll also find wonderful sandwiches there at lunch time. The type of sandwich varies from day to day, depending on what is fresh and local, and available at the nearby farmer’s markets. Owner Remi is a foodie of the first order, so you’ll find wonderful combinations of fresh fruit, meats, and artisanal cheeses all layered in her homemade rolls. Pictured here, my sandwich is made with elephant plums, piave cheese (a hard, nutty cheese) and prociutto! And it was so good, I’d never heard of piave cheese in fact, but the strong bite of it paired very well with the sweetness of the plums and saltiness of the prosciutto. Combining flavor profiles in this way (and probably with an artisanal cheese) is Remi’s signature style, so you can expect something unique and surprising on your visit, too.
Remi knows her wine, so I’m certain she’ll be more than happy to suggest a pairing for your sandwich if you ask!
Currently, Goody Goodie operates out of a salon at 1247 Folsom Street (between 8th and 9th) so service is to-go, not dine-in.
But just wait, because dine-in possibilities are on the horizon. Remi is nearing completion (early October) on a new cafe @ 1830 Harrison Street (between 14th and 15th, near the Best Buy) to be called, Starstream. Watch this space for details!
1246 Folsom St
(between 9th St & 8th St)
San Francisco, CA 94103
Neighborhood: SOMA
ikes’ place is. . . back? NEAT!
picnic in dolores park with Ike's Place Sandwiches
EaterSF reports that Ike’s Place will remain open after all. Following up on my previous post, Ike’s was to be evicted today and in a stunning 11th hour move, . . . wasn’t ! How cool would it have been to have been there when Ike came out of the store and exclaimed, “we’re not closing!” Seems there was a technicality in how the paperwork was drawn up and the whole case was thrown out. Man, those neighbors that instigated this whole thing must be in a snit!!
>>UPDATE 13 September 2010:
Today Ike announced that this will be his LAST day, and he’s staying open late to celebrate. I drove by on my way home from work and the line stretched nearly to the end of the block. People were doing spontaneous ‘waves’ to pass the time. We’ll miss you Ike! I hope you open another location here in San Francisco!
best san francisco bakeries: goody goodie cream & sugar
You know I love a discovery, a real find. There’s a gem that’s opened up in the neighborhood where I work and it’s called Goody Goodie cream & sugar.
Conveniently located next to a stella-r coffee shop, Vega (see my review of Vega, here), Goody provides the knockout of the ‘one, two’ punch to be found on Folsom Street between 8th and 9th. While Vega will fix you up with a top-notch coffee, Goody provides the sweets and even sandwiches, made daily from market-fresh ingredients. While I got there too late for the sandwich today (farmer’s market nectarine, tarragon and Mt. Tam cheese, yeah really!) I had my pick of many cookie options and a super special surprise, a sample of the wafer, made of a combination I’d really never thought of but it SO works.
chocolate chip cookie from Goody Goodie
Old School Chocolate Chip- so good. More than half the cookie IS the chocolate chip, sort of melted and fused together. I’d dare say 3/4 the cookie is chocolate, in fact. They use semi-sweet, which I like best. . . this is not a cloying sweet cookie. I ordered the “Bite-Me” size, which is the small option; at between 1-2 inches, they’re thick and the perfect size to sate your chocolate fix. Go with them so you can sample more 
circus cookie from Goody Goodie
Circus, a semi-sweet chocolate chip with caramel corn baked into the cookie. Equally good, the chips are now layered with notes of caramel and the buttery savoriness of the popcorn- another winner here.
chocolate nib and olive wafer at Goody goodie
Wafer of cocoa nib and oil cured-olives, what can I say but this is the standout, if only because the flavor profile is so new to me and works so well. Going either sweet or savory, this would be a great addition to your dinner party, either as an appetizer with a wine and cheese pairing or incorporated into a dessert. It’s absolutely fine on its own too, and I heartily recommend you try it.
Like Vega, Goody caters to sidewalk traffic- there’s nowhere to sit. Rather, you’ll place your order through the cute set of clapboard windows under an old-fashioned awning. The look is quaint for this gritty neighborhood, hence the “goody goodie” name. . . ??? Of course this belies a sassy streak- after all, they call the little cookies “Bite-Me”s and mix chocolate and olives; I love the delicious incongruity of it all! Salty and sweet, Sassy and cute, you will find both converge at this neat spot. You can expect certain items on standard rotation and some changing daily specials, depending on what’s been found at the farmer’s market. They’ll even tell you the optimal wine pairing for anything you buy, as wine is another passion of the store owners.
Just ask.
While taking the many options in and trying to decide what to order, I had the best conversation with one of the owners, ranging from a shared love of local food and farmer’s markets, to cookies, to wine. . . you get the idea. These folks LOVE food, and they LOVE LOVE LOVE what they do. You can tell they will be doing a lot of experimentation here. How can you not love a business like this? And it’s all reflected in the product, which is amazing.
1246 Folsom St
(between 9th St & 8th St)
San Francisco, CA 94103
Neighborhood: SOMA
breaking news: Ike’s Place Sandwiches has been served an eviction notice
ike's place sandwiches
This is my favorite sandwich destination in San Francisco and I’m not alone. In just a little over two short years of business, Ike’s has managed to achieve national recognition, which you wouldn’t think would be all that easy to achieve when your dealing with a food so ubiquitous in the American diet as the sandwich. He’s made one that is that good. Rolls are fresh-baked at the time of the order, meats are prepped on the premises, and a special sauce of mayo, garlic and around twenty other secret ingredients is baked right into the roll. A foodie culture has risen around Ike’s and the line is always present outside that shop (tip, avoid it by calling ahead;-). Of course, that also contributed to the problem, despite Ike’s efforts to accommodate the litigious neighbors who, by many accounts, were uncompromising and mean.
Ike’s was a positive force for the neighborhood. The Castro prides itself on fostering small local business to the exclusion (for the most part) of national chains. We actively preserve and maintain that quality of life, the unique character of the neighborhood in which we live, by keeping them out. But times are tough, rents are high (too high) and it’s hard for all those businesses to remain open. There are more and more empty store fronts and the neighborhood has to work to make opening a business viable again. In this playing field, Ike’s was not only a success story but a magnet for the neighborhood, drawing customers not only from other parts of the city to the Castro but, thanks to national media publicity, he made the neighborhood not only a gay tourist destination but also a sort of foodie tourist destination. Ike’s personality was also a great fit, reflecting the easy going and friendly nature of the community. As popular as his business got, I often saw him still working the line himself, always smiling and concerned about the customer experience and quality of the food.
All the more sad that he’s going to have to close his doors by August 26th. MUS•e•YUM only hopes Ike’s will find another location in the city and in the Castro, especially. We need our Ike’s!
taking the prize for the coolest signage in town
Au
Amazingly, the sign above this ‘soon-to-open’ establishment means only to suggest the name of the business inside, rather than explicitly spelling it out. I think it’s gorgeous, lighting up as it does a rather dark portion of the city, perpetually in shadow. While the subtle approach may lead to some confusion at first, as people look up-and-down from their handheld gps devices looking for ‘blankety blank’ and seeing a golden ‘Au’ in its stead, I suspect the operation will have no trouble snaring customers. Why? If the golden sign doesn’t invite you, the buttery aroma wafting from the storeront sure will. If you’ve been following the food blogs you’ll already know the name of this place and if not . . . just stay tuned. ‘Au’ opens tomorrow and I’ll fill you in;-) (Click here for review…)
