Slim news: In its piece on Larry Bain and Let's Be Frank at the Aspen Ideas Festival, 7x7 does stretches worthy of a bikram class. There are ... rumors that the White House could be serving the LBF dogs for their annual Fourth of July picnic. As Bain put it: "I'm not allowed to say, but people are talking to people who are talking to people." Not a lot to wrap your lips around there. But it allows Bain an opening to flog LBF as perhaps the ultimate expression of grass-fed populism. We're skeptical that a wiener priced at $5.50 (at LBF's Marina shop) could be anyone's democratic ideal, especially one so über-skinny. Sorry -- not buyin'.
Sick party: Duh -- everybody knows you can't get H1N1 from a rack of babybacks. Still, Hot Food Porn suggests throwing a swine flu party on the Fourth. It starts with a BBC news item -- idiots hosting meet-'n'-greets with the infected, hoping the non-sick will walk away with disease immunity. Talk about effed up. Porn can't resist offering his own tips for mixers: Encourage double dipping. Dip the chip, take a bite and dip it again and again and again. Or this: Reinstate childhood classics like Spin The Bottle, Seven Minutes In Heaven or just plain old raunchy saliva exchanges. Sounds a lot like the pre-Pride brunch we dropped in on last Sunday.
The Bay Area is packed with brewpubs where you can toast Dr. Seuss, Jackson Pollock, Miles Davis, César Chavez, Jonas Salk, Ava Gardner, and other all-American worthies with a stein of beer and a bowl of gumbo as the shortstop turns the double play on the plasma widescreen. The Marin Brewing Co., Dempsey's of Petaluma, and ThirstyBear and the Beach Chalet here in S.F. are among our favorites.
Or if you want to fire up the grill in the comfort of your own backyard, Presley and Puente at the ready, be sure to stock the cooler with a potent array of local brews: Anderson Valley's downright nourishing Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout, for instance, or the Humboldt Brewing Company's creamy, spicy Red Nectar Ale, or Anchor's crisp, refreshing seasonal wheat beer, the perfect potable on a warm summer's day. And don't forget the blackberry pie.
El Rio (3158 Mission at Precita): From 1:30 to 8 p.m., eight smackers (aka $8) gets you an afternoon of traditional BBQ, drink specials, and live music ... from eight bands. Outdoor patio seating is available, and the sign says it all: Your dive.
Epic Roasthouse (369 The Embarcadero at Folsom) and Waterbar (399 The Embarcadero at Folsom): Pat Kuleto and co. offer two (nearly) adjoining posh posts on the waterfront. Both restaurants will have regular à la carte lunch and dinner menus, and enticing drinks.
Jardinière (300 Grove at Franklin): Chef Traci Des Jardins is keeping a family feel to this year's rib-sticking barbeque, priced at $55 per person. Kids of all ages may giggle with glee over their root-beer floats. Mains include Hoffman Ranch fried chicken and Berkshire pork ribs, with Southern inspired sides ranging from buttermilk biscuits to mac and cheese. Cherry pie à la mode fills out the roster of sweet treats.
La Cocina director of operations and festival organizer Caleb Zigas, who calls the unpermitted food sellers "informal vendors" -- suggested that legitimizing the food sellers would have an educational component. "We're all about showing people it's possible to make the transition from the informal to the formal economy," Zigas told SFoodie.
The daylong Street Food Festival is set to take over a closed-off block of Folsom between 25th and 26th Streets, and will include a beer and spirits garden. Besides the unlicensed vendors, there'll be food from La Cocina's two-dozen client businesses, and eats from a handful of city restaurants. So far, Zigas told SFoodie, Poleng Lounge, SPQR, Heaven's Dog, and La Mar Cebicheria Peruana have all committed. The festival is technically free, but food will be for sale, either through cash on site, or via ticket books (called Passports) ranging from $50 to $150.
| Willie Mae's Scotch House |
Thanks to our homies at the Austin blog Taco Journalism for turning us on to this tasty accessory.
Hof braus once peppered the Bay Area, but most have disappeared, and survivors such as S.F.'s Tommy's Joynt (1101 Geary at Van Ness) are shadows of what they once were. Nostalgia isn't enough: We want really good food!
On a recent visit to the new Brennan's, we missed the carefully waxed wood paneling and Chinese chefs of the old place. But we loved the impeccable corned beef and cabbage, served with boiled new potatoes ($13.25), and a hearty open-faced sandwich of brisket with homemade mashed potatoes and gravy ($9.15). And roasted turkey wings ($8.95), necks ($8.75), and legs ($8.95) were so good, they just about trumped nostalgia.
Brennan's 700 University (at Third), Berkeley; (510) 841-0960
A dog with ketchup and mustard? Nothing wrong with that, but sometimes you crave a bit more refinement than the classic red hot provides. There's a whole of craving going on these days -- gourmet wieners are poised to become a national (even an international) phenom, and that's just fine with us. Behold our list of the 10 best gastro-dogs currently gracing buns in San Francisco and beyond. Eat and enjoy -- cocked pinky optional.
