San Francisco

Outtake of the Week

BuzzEditor — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:54:00 GMT

It was good, but not nearly as good as the employees kept telling me.

Don't Pupu This

BuzzEditor — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:38:00 GMT

As part of its ongoing Monday night prixe fixe special, the otherwise sophisticated Jardinière is letting down its hair and going a little tiki-tacky on Monday, November 9, laying out a three-course spread that begins with – what else? – an updated pupu platter (chicken wings, seafood poke and hearts of palm spring rolls), followed by a banana leaf–steamed cod, pork belly and pineapple rice and a passion-fruit tartlet. All three courses come with specially paired wines, but what would a tiki bar be without some massive, vintage tropical drinks. To that end, the restaurant has invited bar impresario Martin Cate (of Forbidden Island in Alameda, and the forthcoming Smuggler’s Cove) to guest bar-tend for the evening ($45 per person, reservations are encouraged, and can be made online or at 415-861-5555).

Dining News Elsewhere: Obesity and Cancer, Bacon-Wrapped Matzoh Balls

BuzzEditor — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:58:00 GMT

– A baguette dropped by a bird stopped the Large Hadron Collider. [Times]
– Linking obesity and cancer. [MSNBC]
– Scripps (which owns the Food Network) sets its sights on the Travel Channel. [EMD]

– Jamie Oliver, upholder of justice. [Telegraph]
– How wine became a "fast food." [Daily Beast]
– Daniel Boulud sets his sights on London. [Bloomberg]
– LA's Orso prepares for a final bow. [NYT]
– A long chat with Gordon Ramsay. [Telegraph]
– Not kosher: Ilan Hall's bacon-wrapped matzoh balls. [Jewish Journal]
– 7-Eleven gets ready to roll out its own wine. [MSNBC]
– Why Guinness can taste different in Ireland (and elsewhere). [Accidental Hedonist]
– Will laser etchings replace fruit and vegetable stickers? [Gizmodo]
– Portion sizes, then and now. [DivineCaroline]
– How exactly does Jell-O work? [BG]
– Meat, the fabric. [EMD]
– Cookie monster cupcakes love cookies. [Leila Cohan]

Primal Napa

BuzzEditor — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:18:00 GMT

Animal roast at last year's Primal event

Photo: courtesy of Primal Napa

Are butchers the new celebs? Find out yourself on November 7 when meat mavens Chris Cosentino (Incanto, Boccalone), Staffan Terje (Perbacco), Taylor Boetticher (Fatted Calf), Scott Boggs (Hudson Ranch), Ryan Farr (4505 Meats), Tia Harrison and Melanie Eismann (Avedano’s), and Jesse Schwartzburg (Star Meats) sharpen their blades and prepare a wine-paired barbecue of heritage meats over hardwood fire at Chase Cellar’s Hayne Vineyard in Napa. Before that, the Primal Napa chefs will take to the stage for a series on how to cook with different types of wood, as well as not-for-the-squeamish demos on breaking down a whole pig, cow, goat and lamb. Those who splurge for VIP tickets will be rewarded with wood-fired oysters, Benton’s bacon and grilled artisan cheeses, plus reserve wines and cocktails by Alembic’s Daniel Hyatt (2–7 PM; general admission $65; VIP $100; held outdoors, rain or shine, at 2252 Sulphur Springs, St. Helena; to buy tickets, call 404-849-3569 or visit www.artofthebutcher.com).

Nick's New Nibbles

BuzzEditor — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:18:00 GMT

Nick's Cove

Photo: courtesy of the restaurant

Every Thursday and Friday night at the bar, Pat Kuleto's Californian Nick's Cove is running a special three-course "Local’s Combo" for $15, available at the bar only. What are the three courses? We're glad you asked. The menu consists of three barbecued oysters, the house-ground burger with hand-cut French fries and a draft beer. Yep, you read that right: they’re counting a pint as the third course. For those craving a little more to eat, the restaurant has also introduced Maine Lobster Sliders (two for $12), available at the bar and in the dining room (415-723-1071).

Dining News Elsewhere: An Illy Invasion, Iron Chef in the White House

BuzzEditor — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:11:00 GMT

– Illy is making inroads into U.S. coffee shops. [WSJ]
– Gordon Ramsay is planning to bring the popular MasterChef to the U.S. [THR]
– Sam Kass: assistant White House chef, policy wonk. [NYT]

– Related: Iron Chef America heads to the White House. [NYT]
– After 17 years, Jean-Georges is shutting down Vong. Though maybe not for long? [Eater]
– Learning to compost in Chicago's public schools. [Chicago Tribune]
– More on the affect of calorie counts on menus. [NYT]
– The Kogi Truck folks in LA have their own custom car now. [Mouthing Off]
– Kids menus should grow up. [BG]
– What does your beer choice say about you? [AdAge]
– Yellow Tail isn't the only Aussie wine, y'know. [WSJ]
– One 225,000-ton ship, more than 24 dining options. [EMD]
– Grant Achatz stands sternly in front of an airplane. [GS:C]
– Is it a steak house or a gay bar? [SteakHouseorGayBar]

Celeb Chefs Cover the Market

BuzzEditor — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:32:00 GMT

Jardinière

© 2008 Frankie Frankeny, FrankenyImages.com

Though fine dining may have cooled off a little as a result of the past year’s economic turmoil, celeb chefs remain as popular as ever. Fortunately, many of them have opened more casual concepts, allowing diners with tighter budgets to get a taste of their culinary vision. But how do these budget-minded sibs stack up against their high-end counterparts? Read up, and then add your own votes and opinions.

Traci Des Jardins

One of the top toques in town, Traci Des Jardins is comfortable cooking both high-end Cal-French and wallet-friendly Mexican.

Jardinière

300 Grove St.
(Franklin St.)
San Francisco, CA 94102
415-861-5555; reserve online

Food	Decor	Service	Cost
26	26	25	$74

“The best thing to happen to Tristan und Isolde in many years” sing “cultured” customers who “float across the street post-opera or -symphony” to this Civic Center “celebration” place where Pat Kuleto’s “glitzy” “supper-club” decor sets the stage for Traci Des Jardins’ “exquisite” “artistry” with sustainable Cal-French cuisine, matched by “sublime” wines and “stellar” service; the “bar menu is perfect” for a “quick” nibble “without reservations”, but many prefer to “stay for hours and savor an entire experience” as “rich as the price tag.”

Key to Zagat Ratings

Mijita

1 Ferry Bldg.
(Market St.)
San Francisco, CA 94111
415-399-0814;

Food	Decor	Service	Cost
20	12	13	$17

Mjita

© 2008 Frankie Frankeny, FrankenyImages.com

Traci Des Jardins (Jardinière) “nails the perfect taco” and other “terrific Mexican basics” made from “local, sustainable ingredients” at her “upscale” taqueria in the Ferry Building, where the “amazing” comida is “worth waiting in line for (even cutting a few tourists)”; “it’s impossible to get a seat on weekend” market days, but since there’s “no atmosphere” inside anyway, amigos advise taking it “outside to soak in the sunshine and views of the Bay.”

Charles Phan

After dazzling with his high-end Vietnamese at The Slanted Door, Charles Phan foresaw the current street-food trend way back in 2004 when he launched his first Out the Door location.

The Slanted Door

1 Ferry Bldg.
(Market St.)
San Francisco, CA 94111
415-861-8032; reserve online

Food	Decor	Service	Cost
26	22	21	$49

Charles Phan’s “justly famous” Ferry Plaza “juggernaut” “dazzles” with “remarkable”, “high-end” Vietnamese (“the shaking beef still shakes me to the core”) and “off-the-main-path” wines served in a “minimalist” “glassed-in” waterfront setting with “gorgeous” views; since it’s a “tough reservation”, customers “congratulate themselves for even getting a seat” in the “roaring” room, tended by a “ruthlessly efficient and competent” staff.

Key to Zagat Ratings

Out the Door

Multiple locations

Food	Decor	Service	Cost
22	14	16	$23

For “the best of Slanted Door without the crowds, wait or attitude”, the “lunch and shopping” set is glad to “take a table now and skip the pretty views” at these “Phan-tastic” “second label” venues that “elevate humble” Vietnamese street food; while they’re “cheaper” than the “mothership”, some find them “expensive” for the “fast-food” setting.

Key to Zagat Ratings

Alice Waters

Chez Panisse's Alice Waters has always made the argument that eating sustainably doesn't necessarily mean breaking the bank, a point she proves at her affordable breakfast and lunch spot Café Fanny.

Chez Panisse

1517 Shattuck Ave.
(bet. Cedar & Vine Sts.)
Berkeley, CA 94709
510-548-5525; reserve online

Food	Decor	Service	Cost
28	23	27	$85

“Still ‘keeping it fresh’ after lo these many years”, “Alice and her crew” continue to “enchant” “foodies” who “come to worship” at her Berkeley “altar”, where the “ultimate” Cal-Med prix fixe dinners are prepared with “unadorned” ingredients “right off the boat and garden”; “not everyone loves the Craftsman decor” or “being locked into the menu of the day”, but most are “thrilled” to “walk through the kitchen” “where it all started” – “a philosophy and a movement, and it tastes so damn good” too; P.S. “reserve ahead.”

Key to Zagat Ratings

Café Fanny

1603 San Pablo Ave.
(Cedar St.)
Berkeley, CA 94702
510-524-5447

Food	Decor	Service	Cost
23	12	15	$18

“Gourmet ghetto heaven on a budget” awaits at Alice Waters’ “tiny”, “so Berkeley” French stand-up bar (with some “parking-lot” tables), serving “Chez Panisse–style” breakfasts and lunches, replete with “cloudlike” eggs, “dreamy, creamy lattes” and “granola taken to another level”; expect to “pay through the nose” for the pleasure and to “wait” awhile (the “pretentious” staff “adds a new dimension to ‘Slow Food’”), but fans agree “this little nothing place is something.”

Key to Zagat Ratings

On the Costanera

BuzzEditor — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:36:00 GMT

La Costanera

Photo: courtesy of the restaurant

Perched on a cliff overlooking the Pacific, La Costanera, a contemporary Peruvian nuevocomer from chef-restaurateur Carlos Altamirano (who also owns SF’s Piqueo’s and Mochica), brings punchy pisco cocktails and over a dozen types of ceviche, tiraditos and crudos to the coastside berg of Montara Beach near Half Moon Bay; the three-story, 10,000-sq.-ft. former Chart House space boasts a soaring glass ceiling plus tall windows to maximize surf- and seal-watching.

8150 Cabrillo Hwy., Montara Beach; 650-728-1600

See more new restaurants around the Bay Area

La Costanera

Photo: courtesy of the restaurant

Coming Soon: Cantinetta Piero, Encuentro

BuzzEditor — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:53:00 GMT

Cantinetta Piero, the flagship Tuscan restaurant in the soon-to-open Hotel Luca in Downtown Yountville, is set to debut at the end of November. Meant to conjure up the convivial attitude and open-air lifestyle of Tuscany, the space includes design elements such as vaulted brick ceilings with massive beams, a dedicated pizza bar, an open kitchen with a wood-burning oven and salumi-curing room, and 20-ft.-tall glass walls that open onto an outdoor dining area filled with olive trees. Chris Vacca (formerly of Cantinetta Luca and the Patina Group) will oversee the seasonally driven menu, and longtime Napa veteran Michael Galyen (formerly of Bistro Don Giovanni) will run the front of the house (6774 Washington St., Yountville; 707-944-8080).

A little closer to home is Encuentro Cafe and Wine Bar, a tiny vegetarian enoteca set to open in Oakland's up-and-coming Jack London Square area during the first half of November. Eric Tucker, the chef behind San Francisco’s Millennium, is pairing up with New Jersey restaurant veteran Lacey Sher (formerly of the vegan Down to Earth restaurant) and partner Linda Baz for the project, which will be fashioned from reclaimed materials on the ground floor of a new "green" condo building. The space lacks a full kitchen, however, so expect a limited menu of Mediterranean-style sandwiches, soups and small plates (such as a local, organic vegetable–rennet-based cheese plate) and a selection of biodynamic, mostly New World wines (200 Second St., Oakland; 510-832-9643).

Speaking of Jack London, Blue Bottle opened its second cafe and roastery outpost at 300 Webster Street. Opening hours are Monday–Friday, 8 AM–2 PM (510-653-3394).

Dining News Elsewhere: PBR For Sale, Wading Into the Tip Pool

BuzzEditor — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:43:00 GMT

– Talking with the troubled Ciprianis. [Vanity Fair]
– The brewery behind PBR and Schlitz is for sale. [NYP]
– Restaurants seek to better manage tip pools. [NRN]

– Western foods are gaining in China. [ABC]
– Where have all the Angostura bitters gone? [Bostonist]
– Who gets all of those 7 PM reservations, anyway? [Between Meals]
– The last days of Gourmet. [Last Days of Gourmet]
– Nation's Restaurant News to go biweekly. [Food Writer's Diary]
– Who needs to tip when you can buy the chef a beer? [GS:C]
– 222.5 pounds? Now that's a big meatball. [MSNBC]
– Could you eat 78 pieces of cutlery? Would you? [Daily Mail, via EMD]
– The manually operated hamburger vending machine. [JapanProbe]

Cooking With Coco

BuzzEditor — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:15:00 GMT

David Chang's pork neck with succotash

Photo and recipe: courtesy of Phaidon Press

For its latest cookbook, Coco, Phaidon Press turned to 10 world-leading chefs – Ferran Adrià, Mario Batali, Shannon Bennett, Alain Ducasse, Fergus Henderson, Yoshihiro Murata, Gordon Ramsay, René Redzepi, Alice Waters and Jacky Yu – to each pick 10 contemporary chefs from around the world. In turn, each of those chefs then wrote a menu and recipes for the book. The final product is more than 400 pages of gorgeous photographs, mouthwatering recipes and interesting tidbits from kitchens around the world. Want a taste? After the jump, get the recipe for pork neck with succotash from New York chef David Chang (of the Momofuku empire).

Pork Neck with Succotash
Serves 4
Recipe by David Chang

For the pork neck
300 g kosher salt
270 g sugar
6 liters hot water
2 bay leaves
25 g black peppercorns
6 liters cold water
10 g pink salt
1 pork neck

Mix the salt, sugar, hot water, bay leaves, and black peppercorns.
Mix the cold water with the pink salt.
Add the pork neck and confit 5 hours at 300°F (150°C) covered.
When tender, press between 2 sheet trays. Portion into serving size pieces.
Crisp on a griddle or pan to heat through.

For the succotash
100 g ground (minced) smoked, think-cut pork belly
12 g chanterelle mushrooms
250 g lima (butter) beans
175 g corn (sweetcorn) kernels
Butter for sautéing
1 tbsp tarragon, chopped
4 ml buttermilk
120 g butter
130 g arugula (rocket)

Sauté the pork belly, chanterelles, lima beans, and corn in a pan.
Finish with a pinch of salt and pepper, chopped tarragon, buttermilk, butter, and arugula.

Outtake of the Week

BuzzEditor — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:03:00 GMT

A bit out of the way and not worth finding.

Who's Breaking Out Breakfast?

BuzzEditor — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 21:11:00 GMT

Sure, you can always line up for a Breton-style crêpe or greasy plate of Tex-Mex grub at one of Zagat’s top-rated breakfast joints, but there are two new players in the midweek breakfast game. Rather than brave the crowds at the insanely crowded Tartine, why not head a few blocks over to sibling Bar Tartine, where you can now carbo-load on chef Chris Kronner’s newly launched “Good Morning Breakfast” menu, served every Wednesday–Friday, from 8–11 AM. Founder Liz Prueitt has developed some in-house breads and pastries (mmm, apple fritters) along with house-fermented yogurt to make it worth your while.

Likewise, savvy diners can enjoy Charles Phan’s culinary prowess, minus the epic Slanted Door waits, at his new Out the Door outpost in Upper Fillmore, where he’s serving the likes of housemade coconut pulled bread and beignets with Vietnamese coffee, along with more American-style fare such as buttermilk pancakes with Fuji apple butter and bacon-smoked maple syrup and poached eggs with brisket and potatoes (Monday–Friday from 8 AM–11 AM, as well as weekend brunch; 415-923-9575).

Speaking of Charles Phan, there’s been plenty of talk about cocktail specials during happy hour at Heaven’s Dog, but we stumbled on a daytime deal at the SoMa Chinese. In addition to the regular small and larger plates, the lunch menu now offers a half-dozen $7 lunch plates featuring dan dan noodles, spicy seafood soup and "Timmy’s Beef." That’s practically the price you’ll pay at the nearby Subway (11 AM–5 PM; 415-863-6008).

Dining News Elsewhere: Menu Labeling Goes National, No More Kitchen Nightmares

BuzzEditor — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:53:00 GMT

– Menu labeling hops onto health-care reform. [NRN]
– 2009 had the worst honey crop on record. [Daily Green, via GS:C]
– Not with a bang, but a whimper. Ramsay kills Kitchen Nightmares. [The Sun]

– The return of the milkman. [WSJ]
– Restaurants look to Halloween for a boost. [NRN]
– The White House garden, by the numbers. [Obama Foodorama]
– Europe's eel population is slipping away. [WSJ]
– Costco is getting ready to accept food stamps. [CityRoom]
– Hooters is facing a lawsuit for making its waitresses buy their uniforms. [NYP]
– Just try and top this Halloween dish. [Not Martha]
– 100-year-old whiskey, anyone? [GlobalPost]
– In Illinois, 100 hours of community service or...a tray of jerk chicken? [Chicago Tribune]

ZAGAT.mobi, Now With Your Tweets

BuzzEditor — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:33:00 GMT

Read the latest Twitter entries on ZAGAT.mobi

ZAGAT.mobi just got Twitter-fied. Now when you look up restaurants on our award-winning mobile website, not only can you access our trusted ratings and reviews, you can also read up-to-the-minute comments about the restaurant on Twitter. You don't have to download or install anything to get in on the fun – simply visit ZAGAT.mobi on any web-enabled phone, be it an iPhone, a BlackBerry or a Pre, and see what people are saying about your favorite spot. Now that's something to tweet about.

San Francisco

Outtake of the Week

Don't Pupu This

Dining News Elsewhere: Obesity and Cancer, Bacon-Wrapped Matzoh Balls

Primal Napa

Animal roast at last year's Primal event

Photo: courtesy of Primal Napa

Nick's New Nibbles

Nick's Cove

Photo: courtesy of the restaurant

Dining News Elsewhere: An Illy Invasion, Iron Chef in the White House

Celeb Chefs Cover the Market

Jardinière

© 2008 Frankie Frankeny, FrankenyImages.com

Traci Des Jardins

Jardinière

300 Grove St. (Franklin St.) San Francisco, CA 94102 415-861-5555; reserve online

Mijita

1 Ferry Bldg. (Market St.) San Francisco, CA 94111 415-399-0814;

Mjita

© 2008 Frankie Frankeny, FrankenyImages.com

Charles Phan

The Slanted Door

1 Ferry Bldg. (Market St.) San Francisco, CA 94111 415-861-8032; reserve online

Out the Door

Multiple locations

Alice Waters

Chez Panisse

1517 Shattuck Ave. (bet. Cedar & Vine Sts.) Berkeley, CA 94709 510-548-5525; reserve online

Café Fanny

1603 San Pablo Ave. (Cedar St.) Berkeley, CA 94702 510-524-5447

On the Costanera

La Costanera

Photo: courtesy of the restaurant

La Costanera

Photo: courtesy of the restaurant

Coming Soon: Cantinetta Piero, Encuentro

Dining News Elsewhere: PBR For Sale, Wading Into the Tip Pool

Cooking With Coco

David Chang's pork neck with succotash

Photo and recipe: courtesy of Phaidon Press

Outtake of the Week

Who's Breaking Out Breakfast?

Dining News Elsewhere: Menu Labeling Goes National, No More Kitchen Nightmares

ZAGAT.mobi, Now With Your Tweets

Read the latest Twitter entries on ZAGAT.mobi

300 Grove St.
(Franklin St.)
San Francisco, CA 94102
415-861-5555; reserve online

1 Ferry Bldg.
(Market St.)
San Francisco, CA 94111
415-399-0814;

1 Ferry Bldg.
(Market St.)
San Francisco, CA 94111
415-861-8032; reserve online

1517 Shattuck Ave.
(bet. Cedar & Vine Sts.)
Berkeley, CA 94709
510-548-5525; reserve online

1603 San Pablo Ave.
(Cedar St.)
Berkeley, CA 94702
510-524-5447