Bobbing for apples: After recent ABC crackdowns, state liquor license regulators may have muddied the waters about whether or not mixing up sangria (in Spanish, "bloody") in a commercial establishment is a crime. For Hoodscope blogger Aly, it'd be a crime not to indulge. Today she flaunts half a dozen local favorites, from the rite-of-passage pitchers at Cha Cha Cha (you can't truly say you've lived in San Francisco without first loving, then sort of hating the elixir Aly calls "inconsistent") to the fusiony Asian mixup at Burma Superstar and B Star (lychees, Asian pears, Fujis).
But the one she love-loves? Limon Rotisserie's hammer-delay thirst quencher ("it may take you a few glasses to feel a nice buzz ... [but] with plenty of chopped fruit dices, it's often you'll get a piece of fruit with every sip and sometimes an ice chip here and there"). Read Aly's complete listicle here. And if, next time you're out, you witness a barkeep getting cuffed for adding fruit to cheap red wine, well: At least you'll know it was worth it.
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Number 54: Pata Negra Ham from Contigo
In our imagination, Black Hoof is the name of the crushing sludge-metal band we would start if we could really play the guitar. In our reality, it's merely the best ham we have ever tasted. Crafted from large, semi-wild Iberico pigs that cheerfully snarf up acorns in the holm oak-crusted, savannah-like countryside of Dehesa in western Spain, jamón ibérico de belotta, also known as pata negra ("black hoof"), cures for up to four years. During this period, the legs lose half their weight as fat sweats off. Seasonal cycles initiate complex molecular changes in the flesh, and, in the end, a long, slender ham with deep golden fat and dark red meat emerges. We have sampled shavings at Bi-Rite, but enjoyed the beast in more ample quantities at Contigo in Noe Valley. Sweet, nutty, and melting, Contigo's pata negra cures for 36 months. It comes from a small town called Guijuelo in a famously hammy region of Spain. It also runs $29 for a "large" portion, but trust us, it's worth it.
Contigo 1320 Castro (at 24th St.), 285-0250; dinner only, Tues.-Sun.
Hungry for more? Click on the links (after the jump) on our list thus far:
There'll be free prosecco at Bianca Starr (3552 20th St. at San Carlos), Straus soft-serve cones at Rodger's Coffee & Tea (3520A 20th St. at San Carlos), Firestone beer at Gravel and Gold (3266 21st St. at Bartlett) and Mission: Comics & Art (3520B 20th St. at San Carlos), and honey and mead tastings at Her Majesty's Secret Beekeeper (3520C 20th St. at San Carlos).
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We were pleasantly surprised by the new chicken flavor ― a chicken meatball inside maple-infused batter, a take on chicken and waffles; we hear a vegetarian chicken version will be available soon. Sweet Breams' miniature taiyaki are sold in half schools (six for $3.25) or schools (12 for $5.50), and you can mix and match flavors. Since it takes a while to make taiyaki, we suggest calling ahead for large orders (four or more schools). The delightful hot and crisp waffle minis can also be ordered as a soft -serve ice cream sundae topped with six fishies ($4.50).
