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Food and Beverage
Cuco’s Closing in the Lower Haight!; Pizza Hacker Pops Up; and More
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Lower Haight: Twenty-plus-year-old Cuco's (488 Haight), with their beloved plantain burrito, just got served a 30-day notice by their landlord. Expect a riot. [Haighteration] Read more posts by Jay Barmann Filed Under: mediavore, closings, cuco's, dear mom, pizza hacker, previews, surf spot |
Patty U. Loves Tacolicious Very Much
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Tacolicious Ms. Unterman checks in on the new Tacolicious in the Mission, and files the first review of the place. She says it "fits right into the smart Valencia Street restaurant corridor. Yet it still feels home grown and a part of the larger Mission." She's a big fan of the rock cod tacos, the tuna tostada, Mosto's nopal taquito, and the Veracruz-style grilled calamari with "garbanzos, a relish of chiles, olives and capers, and a whisper of herbal Mexican oregano." She takes note of the uncomfortable, bar-stool seating, taking a restaurateur's perspective and seeing that it encourages fast turnover of the tables. But she reserves special praise for the desserts, which he hadn't heard anyone mention before: the "perfectly crisp, creamy centered churros" with Mexican hot chocolate, and "a winter squash flan velvetized by cream cheese." [Examiner] Read more posts by Jay Barmann Filed Under: the other critics, patricia unterman, tacolicious |  |
Watch U-Sushi’s ‘Robot Automation’ Maki Get Made
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All slices precisely alike. The hard-core, punk-rock, old-school sushi chefs around town like Ino-san at Ino in Japantown and Tetsuo Kashiyama at Hama-ko in Cole Valley would undoubtedly scoff at the fast-food maki sacrilege happening at newly open U-Sushi (525 Market at 1st). But the downtown lunch crowd is likely to appreciate the efficiency (there's even a slicing machine!), and the Chipotle-style customization available (see also Sushirrito and Bamboo Asia). U-Sushi comes to us via the Ozumo team, and via Southern California, so, obviously, they have a fancy marketing video with a peppy Japanese-pop soundtrack. Watch and learn.
Read more posts by Jay Barmann Filed Under: video feed, openings, u-sushi, videos |  |
Behold Éire Trea, the First Ever Irish-Eritrean Food Truck
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Galway meets Addis Ababa. They're not doing Irish-Eritrean fusion just yet, but as Jon Kauffman notes this week, S.F. has its very own bizarro combo food truck in Éire Trea, from the minds of neighbors Alan Hyland and Absulam Abdai. They've got shepherd's pie, Irish curry and chips, chicken doro-wat, and vegetable stew with injera. The only fusion experiment so far: shiro (ground-chickpea stew) nachos. [SFoodie] Read more posts by Jay Barmann |  |
A Nine-Course Meal at Campton Place, Illustrated
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Bluefin-tuna carpaccio. It's been more than two years since Campton Place restaurant at the Taj Campton Place earned its first Michelin star, and we only recently had the pleasure of trying out chef Srijith Gopinathan's luxurious tasting menu. His dishes are nuanced and surprising, combining French technique, modern flourishes, and occasional South Asian touches, with the results satisfying and unpretentious. Apart from the Michelin love, it's certainly one of the city's most underrated fine dining destinations. We were especially fans of Chef Sri's market vegetable course, which well dressed and benefited from the addition of some delicious cylinders of compressed apple; and the guinea hen course with chestnut and pear. See the meal for yourself by clicking below. Campton Place - 340 Stockton Street at Campton - 415.955.5555 - Dinner served Sunday to Thursday, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Breakfast and lunch also available. Read more posts by Jay Barmann Filed Under: photo plates, campton place, slideshow |  |
Welcome to Your Ultimate Game-Day Guide
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We've spent the whole month in an appetizer state of mind, dreaming up buffalo-flavored provisions, global chicken wing recipes, daytime cocktails, and more - and now, we're putting it all in one place. If you're trying to figure out what you should make this weekend, look no further: meet your ultimate guide to game-day food. View Slideshow › |  |
Anderson Cooper Has a Tense Brunch; Philip Glass Turns 75
While Demi is in rehab, Rihanna goes blonde, and Madonna rehearses for the big, sexy halftime show, New York had a couple lovely, if unscandalous, celebrity sightings this week. The dapper Anderson Cooper brunched, the bald Howie Mandel dined, and everybody's favorite classical music guru, Philip Glass, celebrated his birthday. This, and more celebrity sightings, straight ahead. ACME: Zachary Quinto enjoyed a Friday evening dinner at ACME last week, and was therefore not shooting the new Star Trek movie. But really, this flick is never going to get made if he keeps putting his personal life first. [Grub Street] Filed Under: celebrity settings, acme, catch, la lanterna di vittorio, le poisson rouge, rao's, work in progress |  |
Empellón Cocina Taking Reservations for Next Week; Make Pasta With Nikki Cascone on Valentine’s Day
East Village: Good news, people who love pizza (a.k.a., everyone): Famed shop L'asso launches its brunch menu this weekend, featuring any entrée with a mimosa, coffee, or orange juice for just $16. [Grub Street] Kips Bay: Winston's Champagne Bar has launched a food and caviar menu designed to complement their vast selection of Champagne. [Grub Street] Filed Under: neighborhood watch,
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Finish Up the Week With Two Very Different, Yet Equally Great, Food Videos
We're not the only ones who feel like this week is taking longer to get through than the current season of Top Chef Texas, right? It's interminable. But as we count down the minutes until we can all finally GTFOH for the weekend, we wanted to share two really delightful food videos with everyone. The first is an ad for some low-fat butter thing called Lurpak Lightest. And even though we could never bring ourselves to actually use the product, the vegivore-friendly video sure is pretty (apologies if you end up getting the song stuck in your head): But that's not all. We also have the latest entry in a video series called "This Must Be the Place," which, according to its creators, "is a series of short films that explore the idea of home." And in this case, home is Prime Burger in Manhattan. The video, which looks like a beer commercial from the sixties, highlights the people who have been making the burger shack run since it first opened in 1938: Read more posts by Alan Sytsma Filed Under: video feed, |  |
Savory Sights Challenge Roundup
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We know one thing for sure: there is a lot of delicious food being made and eaten out there in Instagram land. Last week, we asked you to upload Instagrams of your coolest culinary happenings with the hashtag #savorysight and we were thrilled by the response. Here are five of our favorite captures from the past week. View Slideshow › |  |
It Took Two Years to Open The Ice Cream Bar
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The Ice Cream Bar opened at last on Jan. 21. Cole Valley's Ice Cream Bar, which just opened two weekends ago and is already getting plenty o' buzz for its old-timey soda-fountain drinks, had a hell of a time navigating city bureaucracy to get permission to open. As the Bay Citizen reports today, the absurd, Brazil-like, two-year process entailed tens of thousands of dollars, not to mention rent on the empty space that owner Juliet Pries couldn't legally operate in until the thousand and one hoops were jumped through. The joke of it all inspired this video called "Hello, City Planner," which was actually created by the Planning Department in mockery of itself. "It’s so convoluted,” says Planning commissioner turned Supervisor Christina Olague. "It’s so difficult for these businesses to move ahead." Isn't there such a thing as over-planning? [Bay Citizen/NYT] Read more posts by Jay Barmann Filed Under: community bored, hopelessly delayed, kerfuffles, the ice cream bar |  |
Food Trucks Roll Into Battery Park City
Now feeding bankers. "If you build it, they will come" could be the motto for Battery Park City these days, which has gone from culinary wasteland to having quite a few excellent dining options (Shake Shack, Blue Smoke BPC, North End Grill, anyone?) in a hurry, and will get its own food truck court on Monday. Unlike food truck courts in other boroughs, ahem, this one will have a roster of 21 rotating players, with the likes of Red Hook Lobster Pound, Mexicue, Treats Truck, and other members of the mobile dining elite on hand daily from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. So if you find yourself wondering where all the trucks have gone, that's where. [Official Site] Related: Who Wouldn’t Want to Occupy It? [NYM] Read more posts by Jenny Miller Filed Under: the new york banker diet, battery park city, food trucks, truckin' |  |
Tables Available at La Silhouette; Within the Hour at Adour Alain Ducasse
It's 4 p.m., and that means it's time to play Two for Eight. We just asked ten restaurants the best time they can squeeze in a couple for dinner; you need only make your chosen reservation. (As always, we make the calls but don't guarantee the results.) Adour Alain Ducasse (Menu) Boulud Sud (Menu) Bouley (Menu) Daniel (Menu) Le Bernardin (Menu) Lyon Bouchon Moderne (Menu) Filed Under: two for eight, |  |
Is There Any Dish That Intimidates You in the Kitchen?
We all have our culinary fears. Mine revolve around temperamental dessert recipes that require precision and the right environment to work. Case in point: I am completely intimidated by chocolate soufflés (yet I've promised myself to attack this fear head on in the coming weeks). Once, I also had a horrific experience with a batch of marshmallows, which I don't think I'll ever forget. So I'm wondering, what are the recipes or techniques that intimidate you in the kitchen? Share your answers (and advice!) in the comments. Source: Flickr User boo_licious |  |
European Sushi Shop Makes a Splash Uptown
Euro-Maki hits midtown Manhattan. This weekend, New York gets its first taste of Sushi Shop — a concept that has revolutionized Sushi take-out in Europe for fourteen years. The meticulous two-story space is located on Madison Avenue, featuring self-service and takeout by day and in-restaurant dining at night. With 150 choices of maki-style rolls, "crossovers" like foie gras sushi and fish tartares, macarons (by Mille-feuille Bakery), and booze, it sounds like quite the party. [NYT] Sushi Shop, 536 Madison Avenue (54th Street), (212) 840-5555. Read more posts by Alyssa Shelasky Filed Under: openings, sushi shop |  |
Actually Pretty Awesome: The Suckling Pig Sandwich at Sweet Woodruff
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A mighty fine pork sandwich. It's lunchtime! So allow us to suggest a great midday option should you find yourself in the Union Square/TenderNob environs: the suckling pig sandwich at new Sons & Daughters takeout spot, Sweet Woodruff (798 Sutter at Jones). It's as fine a pork sandwich as you're going to find, with the added bonus of homemade ciabatta, homemade pickles, a bright and tangy salsa verde, and a perfectly spiced aioli made with the legendarily deadly ghost pepper. It's a sandwich that strikes that sweet balance between meat, fat, spice, bread, and green-acid flavors, and always comes with a couple of expertly seasoned, house-made pickled baby carrots. We previously mentioned their pheasant "hot pocket" and little gem salad as winners, but you should also note that they've extended their hours to 8 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, so you can drop by for any of the above or their daily changing $13.50 dinner special — which may be one of the better deals in town, given the quality of ingredients and the combined talents in the kitchen. Sweet Woodruff - 798 Sutter Street at Jones - 415.292.9090 - @SweetWoodruff - Open Tuesday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Earlier on Actually Pretty Awesome: Read more posts by Jay Barmann Filed Under: actually pretty awesome, lunch, sandwiches, sweet woodruff |  |
Republicans Name New Key Voting Demographic: Waitress Moms
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Waitress Timber Hill, counting tips in Boulder, Nevada. As the Republican candidates troll Nevada for votes before Saturday's caucuses there, GOP strategists have honed in on the demo that most matters: so-called "waitress moms." White, blue-collar women without college educations are "the Democrats' true vulnerability," according to one pollster. Hence the San Francisco Chronicle seeks out a poster gal to showcase as their 2012 version of Joe the Plumber: 27-year-old Timber Hill of the World Famous Coffee Cup café outside Las Vegas (which Guy Fieri has also visited on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives). Her suggestion of the huevos rancheros was reportedly "spot on," and she's likely voting for Ron Paul because he doesn't want to tax her tips. Also, they talk to the wise, 50-year-old grandmother who runs the joint, who applies a "waitress mom" ethos to all political candidates. "You have to be consistent," she says. "You can't fall down; you're held accountable if you screw up. And nobody is going to bail you out." Unless of course you're a "banker dad," in which case, yeah, somebody probably has already bailed you out. 'Waitress moms' key to this year's elections [Chron] Read more posts by Jay Barmann Filed Under: fyi, national interest |  |
Tasting Plates Vancouver: The Menu
| 12 restaurants, cafes, bakeries & food trucks will be participating in the event that will take place all over downtown Vancouver including Gastown, Yaletown, Downtown and the Westend. Each of the restaurants will be doing tasting plates of their various dishes, and some will now be offering beverages as well. Advance Tickets: $25 per person [...] |  |
Now We Have to Hear About the Movies Anthony Bourdain Hates, Too?
Bourdian, no doubt during one of the films. Anthony Bourdain is obviously a man who rarely holds his tongue when he has a distaste for something, and it's usually fun to hear him spew his bile. But over on the Times' carpetbagger blog he's speaking out against Midnight in Paris and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (again): About the former, he opines, "It’s everything bad about Woody Allen" (so it's a movie about marrying Mia Farrow's adopted daughter?), and he says he "beyond loathed" the latter movie. We won't defend either film's merits, but do you think Bourdain has ever just sort of not liked something? Or even been nonplussed? Now that would be a story. [Carpetbagger/NYT] Read more posts by Alan Sytsma Filed Under: tony tony tony, anthony bourdain |  |
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