Our favorite morsel from the blogs.
Why do some of us have such contempt for waiters?
On Wednesday we published a listicle by new contributor Michael Procopio, "Why Your Waiter Hates You." I tagged it with the category "LOLS," a hint ― more than a hint ― that Procopio's collection of peeves was meant to be funny. Amusing, anyway, even though his laments about weak tippers and cork sniffers were cemented in experience (Procopio's actually a waiter). But in the 125-plus comments the post's received so far, it's clear that, well, a lot of you just can't fucking stand the people who wait on you.
What gives? Is it that Americans have been brought up to be too individualistic, too independent, to feel entirely comfortable about somebody attending them, especially in as intimate a setting as the table? Is it contempt for working people? Like, anyone smart enough and ambitious enough would've wadded up their apron long ago and gotten a real job? Is it self-consciousness about messing up, mispronouncing foie gras, or fear of cluelessness about ordering wine, or eating a raw oyster without looking stupid?
It's beyond me.
While we rarely go to craft fairs (too many crafts, not enough fare), we're stoked about attending next week's Day in the Dogpatch. Why the sudden change of heart? Two words: pie contest. Would-be contestants are encouraged to enter a pie in four different categories: best overall presentation, classic Americana, best meat pie, and most unexpected ingredient. Judging begins at 3 p.m. on Nov. 7. Would-be eaters are encouraged to devour said pies. Also, the first 20 attendees will receive a $1-off coupon to Mr. and Mrs. Miscellaneous. An orgy of pies and discounted ice cream? If more craft fairs added these bonuses, we could become a regular Carol Duvall.
Day in the Dogpatch Craft Fair and Pie Contest
When: Sun., Nov. 7, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Where: Acupuncture Kitchen, 2325 Third St. (at 20th St.), Suite 4r-70
SFoodie's series focusing on San Francisco's up-and-coming talent behind the stick, the Muppet Babies of the shaker.
Who: Brandon Josie
Where to find him: 15 Romolo, 15 Romolo (at Broadway), 398-1359
Background: Starting off as a barback at 15 Romolo after working as a flight attendant for a few years, Josie worked his way up to bartender splitting his time between Romolo and the Alembic. "The first day on the job [at 15 Romolo] our drains broke, and I had to shop-vac the water every time I ran the dishwasher. I would run through the crowd carrying gallons of water and dump it onto the street every 10 minutes. Apparently this impressed the higher-ups enough to eventually give me a bartending shift. The rest is history."
Why he made the list: Josie's creativity and work ethic have propelled him quickly up through the ranks. Being behind the bar, says Josie, is about fostering relationships. "The kid that learned how to drink good whiskey at your bar is gonna keep coming back. You might tend bar for him for years, through his relationships and breakups and new jobs. You're a friend. The best part? You don't even have to remember someone's name ... just what they like to drink and whether or not they want ice in their water."
Everyone knows Two-Buck Chuck, the Trader Joe's line of super-cheap Charles Shaw California varietals. At $1.99, a bottle is cheaper than one Bartlett pear at some San Francisco markets, and barely more expensive than a single Olde English 800 40-ounce. But not everyone is familiar with Three Wishes, Whole Foods' entry into the $2 wine market, released earlier this month. Whole Foods has kicked off a campaign to "chuck the Chuck," offering "ridiculously delicious" wines at the $1.99 price point set by TJ's.
Curious about this battle for the basement, I went ahead and spent slightly less than $14 on six bottles of wine, three of the same varietals in each brand, sharing them with two friends on a balmy Friday afternoon. Now, I know bragging rights for being the best $1.99 bottle of wine are dubious, like being the thinnest kid at fat camp. Nevertheless, we put Trader Joe's Two-Buck Chuck head-to-head with Whole Foods' Three Wishes to see which would be more palatable. Assuming either would be palatable at all.
Both brands offer a Chardonnay, a Merlot, and a Cabernet. After a slightly hungover discussion, my friends and I decided to blind-taste them, each of us taking notes that we'd compare afterward. I generally choose to write about wines I can be positive about, rather than be accused of exercising cliché wine snobbery. But in this case my better judgment turned out to be right: Though one of the brands was better than the other, both were only barely better than the taste of a well-used shoehorn.
Friday's beer and wine tasting from members of California Certified Organic Farmers is merely the aperitif for a weekend of free Harvest Festival events at the Ferry Building. Saturday there's apple pressing and lots of pumpkins, with cooking demos running through the afternoon. During the daytime hours both days this weekend, look for varietal honey tasting, live music, face painting, and a barnyard by the bay, with a free petting zoo for "kids of all ages." Play nice, please.
Harvest Festival at the Ferry Building Marketplace
When: Fri.-Sun., Oct. 29 -31; times vary
Where: The Ferry Building, 1 Ferry Building (at Embarcadero)
Cost: Free
Between the World Series and Halloween we've got a lot to be excited about 'round here. If you have time between getting your Snooki or The Situation costume together and painting a sign with clever wordplay involving Jonathan Sanchez, take a moment to celebrate our other two favorite loves: booze and everything organic. Indulge in one-stop shopping for both at the Ferry Building today, via CCOF's Fifth Annual Organic Beer and Wine Tasting, 4-8 p.m.
Since 2006, this tasting organized by the California Certified Organic Farmers has shown that pilsners, IPAs, Baltic Porters, and even a beer brewed with yerba maté from MateVeza are best when they're handcrafted (sustainable, too, brewed using all organic ingredients). So reduce your carbon footprint while increasing your beer gut by sampling brews from eight certified organic breweries and 18 organic wineries from California. Seven of the eight breweries package their beers. The eighth, Thirsty Bear, is the organic brewpub located in SOMA. Pick up a growler from the pub, or a sixer of one of the others from a retailer, to lug to that eco-friendly Halloween party you'll be attending. Just avoid bringing New Belgium's Ranger IPA at all costs.
Participating breweries:
The cocktail menu at Absinthe is rife with literary, historical, and personal references, making it one of the most fun to read in town. Of course, we recommend actually sampling from it, and note that the restaurant has a particularly lively selection of brunch libations available only on weekends.
Citron Lemonade (Hangar One Buddha's-Hand vodka, ginger syrup, lemon juice, ginger ale, and cranberry) is one such refresher. This drink is available in non-alcoholic form all week, where it's known as "Absinthe lemonade," but the weekends make it, well, a little more special.
Absinthe: 398 Hayes (at Gough), 551-1590.
SFoodie's roundup of tips, news, and rants from the week in animal-free eats.
• Did you know it's World Go Vegan Week? I bet you didn't because all you care about is the Giants. Well, that's okay. Assuming the team comes back to San Francisco to finish up the Series next week, AT&T Park has vegans covered, with tons of ballpark snacks from vegan hot dogs to sushi. In fact, PETA named it the second most veg-friendly sports stadium in the country. Nice. Turns out the only thing a vegan can't get at AT&T Park is reception on their iPhone.
• In Bay Area celebrity news that doesn't involve Sean Penn or Robin Williams, Twitter's Biz Stone (he's vegan) moved to Marin, and Corte Madera is all a-twitter! See what I did there? So clever.
• I love it when vegans beat omnivores in creating the newest disgusting/delicious food insanity. This week: tempeh bacon-stuffed tater tots. You'll have to make it to L.A. this weekend to learn to make them at Spork Foods, but did I stutter? TEMPEH BACON-STUFFED TATER TOTS.
• Get in the Halloween spirit tomorrow by stuffing yourself with baked goods for a cause. Not sure how that's the Halloween spirit but whatever, it's VEGAN DOUGHNUTS! The East Bay Vegan Bakesale takes place in Oakland Oct. 30, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. All profits go to benefit Mickaboo Companion Bird Rescue, who will be on site with literature (and maybe real live birds?! Oh, we hope so!), and the East Bay Children's Book Project. If you bring a book to donate, you get a free sweet. Let's promote literacy and obesity at the same time. Yes!
La Cocina will host a workshop next week to help decipher the shifting landscape of San Francisco's street-food legislation. Supervisor Bevan Dufty has suggested he'll spearhead changes to the city's process for licensing mobile vendors. The goal of Monday's workshop is to arm current and prospective vendors with information on how their businesses will be impacted by possible changes afoot, but also to educate the public in advance of possible legislative hearings at City Hall. The La Cocina team will be joined by Matt Cohen (SF Cart Project), Ken Rich (San Francisco Planning Department), and reps from Legal Services for Entrepreneurs for this discussion, to be held in both English and Spanish.
Street Food Legislation Workshop
When: Mon., Nov. 1, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Where: La Cocina, 2948 Folsom (at 25th St.), 824-2729
Cost: Free
Follow us on Twitter: @sfoodie.
The past 24 hours in gossip, innuendo, and cold hard facts about the San Francisco restaurant scene.
Tyler Florence must slip bags of unicorn glitter into the pay envelopes. Either that or issue signing bonuses bristling with Food Network stock. Either way, a week after reporting that the Wayfare Tavern mogul secured Jeremy Fox as "creative director" for the Florence Group, Inside Scoop's Paolo L. reveals that TyFlo has signed Momofuku group GM Cory Lane as "corporate service director."
Grub Street's Jay B. passes along a tipster-fueled rumor about the possible imminent demise of Joe DiMaggio's Italian Chophouse in North Beach. We predict massive panic in Danville ― where else will the Escalades valet-park when they come to the city?
