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If one of the four questions at the seder table is always, “Why am I the one in charge of making the matzo ball soup?” – consider taking the whole tribe out on the town for a Passover feast. And unlike at your Uncle Moise’s, these restaurants probably won't have an extra folding chair to pull up to the table, so do yourself a favor and call for a reservation already!
Delfina: In the Mission, chef Craig Stoll won’t be hosting a seder, but a week-long à la carte Passover menu shares the stage with his regular menu. Though the menu (which runs from March 29–April 3) has yet to be finalized, expect customary holiday dishes like matzo ball soup (made in the Stoll tradition, flecked with walnuts) and brisket. Items on last year's menu included ribollita, carciofi alla Giudea and chocolate-dipped matzo. As always, Stoll makes no claims to being kosher or authentic – just “deliciousness and fun” (415-552-4055).
EPIC Roasthouse: On March 30, chef Jan Birnbaum hosts his first ever “Spirit of Passover” dinner at his steakhouse on the Embarcadaro. Gather for hors d'oeuvres at 6 PM, followed by a traditional seder service led by a local cantor at 6:30 PM. The five-course prix fixe with wine pairings starts between 7–7:15 PM and includes chicken soup with kneidlach, honey and red wine–marinated apple salad, braised brisket and blackberry clafoutis with vanilla ice cream for dessert. See the full menu here [PDF]. The price is $95 per person and $45 for children 10 and under (415-369-9955).
Firefly: At this Eclectic in Noe Valley, chef-owner Brad Levy stops serving “The Fried Chicken of Your Dreams” on March 28 to make room for his annual "Eight Days of Passover" menu. The à la carte menu features chopped liver (what did you expect?), along with other Jewish holiday greatest hits like housemade gefilte fish, Grandma Rose's matzo ball soup, matzo kugel, latkes and beef brisket – along with the only-in-California vegan-inspired brisket. The menu is available from March 29–April 5 (415-821-7652).
Mission Beach Café: Heeb magazine joins this Californian in the Mission to put on the annual "Slow Food Seder" on April 5. The four-course dinner mixes holiday basics like matzo ball soup with New American dishes like sweet potato and butternut squash hash with sauteed savoy spinach, asparagus, chanterelle mushrooms and sage-red wine reduction. Seatings are available from 5:30–10:30 PM, and the meal costs $55 per person (415-861-0198).
Perbacco: On March 31, noted cookbook author and Jewish cooking maven Joyce Goldstein plays guest chef at this Downtown Italian for its annual Italian-Jewish Passover dinner. For one night only, the regular menu is sent to exodus, giving way to a $49-per-person prix fixe that's served family-style and commences with haroset and a bounty of antipasti (chopped liver, fried artichokes, chicken and dumpling soup). There's a choice of secondi, including fresh tuna with spring peas and lamb stew, as well as several contorni and dolci options. Check out the full menu here [PDF] (415-955-0663).
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Open all night and tastes like it.
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- – Michelle Obama's obesity initiative has sent some food companies scrambling. [Atlantic]
- – Organic food sales may have hit their peak. [Reuters]
- – Bad news for bluefin tuna from the U.N. [Atlantic]
- – McDonald's is contemplating $1 drinks. [WSJ]
- – The Yelp extortion class-action lawsuit gains nine more businesses. [Eater]
- – Country ham, the new bacon? [Salon]
- – Cheese is trendy now. [AP]
- – Ostrich eggs for Easter? [Daily Mail]
- – Foods the chef loves may not sell well. [P-G]
- – Here's hoping that Obama's second state dinner goes better than the first. [Obama Foodorama]
- – Top Chef, the tour. [GS: P]
- – Ruth Reichl is in on the joke. [Eater]
- – What will the first Indian astronauts eat? [DNA, via ColdMud]
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The 20th annual Savor Sonoma event, the wine region’s big DeMille-close-up moment, takes place this weekend, March 20–21. Sip 2009 vintages straight out of the barrel, pig out at a winemaker lunch and enjoy live music at the more than 20 participating wineries. But act quickly: advance tickets are available only until today at 3 PM. After that, day-of tickets will be available at participating wineries, but some events may sell out (a weekend pass costs $55 per person; $20 for designated drivers; for more information and tickets, click here or call 866-794-WINE).
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Georges, a sustainable seafooder, opens in FiDi digs (415 Sansome St.; 415-956-6900) next Monday, March 20, but that isn't the only newcomer headed our way:
Fans of arepas will soon have an outpost of Pica Pica Maize Kitchen in the Mission to sink their teeth into. Slated for sometime in early April, the casual, 30-seat Venezuelan will feature the signature street-food dish, along with its popular maize'wiches (grilled corn breads stuffed or layered with meat, cheese and vegetable fillings), soups and salads. Once it snags a liquor license, there will also be pitchers of sangria and guarapita, a daiquiri-style drink, to aid in the merrymaking (401 Valencia St.).
Finally, restaurants may be folding faster than an origami master these days, but the Lark Creek group is plowing ahead with three new ventures. First up is Fish Story, a casual seafood house by the Napa Riverfront that’s on schedule to open in the summer. The group also recently announced that they’ll be opening a yet-to-be-named artisanal pizzeria (yes, another one) over the now-shuttered Zazil space in the Westfield Center, which is in spitting distance of Lark Creek Steak – look for a late 2010 opening. Lastly, plans are in the works for The Grill by Lark Creek, an all-American vittles and wine venue, which will be located in SFO’s Terminal 2.
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- – Why all the food giveaways lately? They're good for business. [WSJ]
- – New York restaurateurs are nonplussed that the city is really going to force them to display health-score letter grades. [Eater]
- – Fallout from Florida's winter freeze won't stop until mid-April. [NRN]
- – Praising the restaurant critic. [Time]
- – Starbucks will soon offer the ability to completely customize their Frappuccinos. [WSJ]
- – Related: the Times' exclusive deal with the coffee chain is over. [AdAge]
- – The potato industry is ready for America's decreasing taste for french fries. [The Star]
- – Calorie counts loom in Illinois. [S-T]
- – Foodies on food stamps. [Salon]
- – Restaurant trends that have to go. [Eater]
- – What goes into your OJ might surprise you. [Culinate]
- – Top Chef's Marcel Vigneron is getting a show on SyFy. [EMD]
- – Not content with a menu in Toronto, Wilco gets a beer too. [The Stew]
- – One woman's dream to weigh 1,000 lbs. [Gothamist]
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Radius
Photo: courtesy of the restaurant
SoMa locals are already honing in on Radius, an all-day Californian slinging an affordable selection of French-inspired, locally sourced soups, salads and sandwiches, along with a few nightly specials and local beers and wines; it’s walk-in only for now, but reservations will be taken for the adjacent dinner house, slated to open in about a month, which will showcase more highbrow dinner offerings like a 24-hour-braised veal shank.
1123 Folsom St.; 415-525-3676
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Located on a key corner of 18th Street’s foodie corridor, Ebb & Flow, a rework of the Mission’s shuttered Craig’s Place, has brought in big-gun chef Vincent Schofield (Boulevard) to craft an affordable, sustainable seafood menu – think crab Louis, niçoise salad, plus a few token meat entrees; the simple, nautically decorated storefront is open Wednesday–Monday, with weekend brunch options like salt-cod cakes and poached eggs with tonnato sauce.
598 Guerrero St.; 415-355-9191
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Pebble Beach Food & Wine Conference
Photo: courtesy of the fest
April 8–11, eat and drink yourself silly at this year’s Pebble Beach Food & Wine Conference. The epicurean extravaganza by the sea, held in Pebble Beach on the Monterey Peninsula, will feature an embarrassment of riches – cult winery tastings, intimate vintners' lunches and high-profile demos. There will also be gala dinners prepared by alumni of Food & Wine’s "Best New Chefs" and Bravo’s Top Chef plus a culinary smack-down between Thomas Keller
and Charlie Trotter. All this
comes at a price, however, and many events will certainly sell out. Act now and Zagat readers will get a 15% discount on tickets – simply click here to see a full list of events and the specially discounted ticket price will already be applied.
Tickets start at $100 for entry to 22 wine tastings, 10 chef demos and a plethora of events including the "Lexus Grand Tastings" held on Saturday and Sunday. More expensive packages range from $995–$4,750 and offer special access to lunches and wine tastings not available to the general public. Special room rates at the Inn at Spanish Bay and the Hyatt Regency Monterey also apply to the packages.
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Era
Oakland upstart Era has plenty of room – 5,000 sq. ft., in fact – so it’s no surprise it offers something for everyone, from rotating exhibits of abstract art to a downstairs bar mixing creative, pricey cocktails to an upper level filled with tufted leather sofas and well-dressed folks springing for bottle service; expect to stand in line behind velvet ropes and pay a cover on weekends to experience the nattily attired bartenders and DJs spinning eclectic beats on the sizable dance floor.
19 Grand Ave., Oakland;
510-832-4400
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From March 21–27 (aka World Water Week), the UNICEF Tap Project is coming to a restaurant near you, offering diners a chance to give water to children in need while enjoying a nice meal. Here's how to get involved: during that time, donate $1 (or more) for the tap water you normally drink for free at hundreds of participating restaurants. By doing so, you'll be helping provide children around the world with safe, clean water. You can also donate online or by texting "TAP" to UNICEF (864233) to contribute $5. Before you head out, be sure to peruse our handy guide to participating restaurants, complete with ratings and reviews. To learn more about the UNICEF Tap Project, click here.
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- – Gordon Ramsay, always in the news, is picking up the pieces of a bad year – and owing the taxman. [Guardian, DR]
- – The Chilean wine industry continues to take stock. [WSJ]
- – Oh, no! Gloucestershire's annual cheese rolling has been canceled due to health and safety fears. [Guardian, via EMD]
- – The anti-HFCS campaign hits success with the return of sugar in products like ketchup and Gatorade. [Ad Age]
- – It isn't just about making healthy foods cheaper – you have to make the junk more expensive. [NPR]
- – NYC restaurants are turning their expansions toward DC. [WBJ]
- – For love of shad roe. [WSJ]
- – Bobby Flay heads to prime time. [Eater]
- – Gross: 13,780 lbs. of spaghetti. [KTLA]
- – How to annoy your server. [CNN]
- – A McDonald's that doesn't serve food? [Jaunted]
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Horrible waitress, awesome nachos!
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Scala's Bistro
Photo: courtesy of the restaurant
Here’s an affordable way to get your vino kicks, and lend a helping hand to boot. On March 24, former Top Chef contestant Jennifer Biesty hosts the fifth dinner in an ongoing series at Scala’s Bistro (where she's executive chef) to support Project Open Hand. The multicourse meal will be paired with Nine Vines wines and other bottles from Angove Family Winemakers. Previous dinners in the series have sold out so be sure to reserve your spot soon (6:30–9:30 PM; $75 per person; click here or call 415-447-2316).
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Zagat To Go for the Palm webOS
Zagat released its mobile application, Zagat To Go (ZTG), for the Palm webOS. Similar to ZTG for the iPhone, Android and BlackBerry, the webOS application works with the Palm Pre, Pixi and Pre Plus and includes the ability to use GPS to find nearby restaurants; sorting by food, decor, service and cost; instant reservations; and browsing top-rated lists. Zagat To Go is available through the webOS app catalog for $9.99.
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