The past 24 hours in gossip, innuendo, and cold hard facts about the San Francisco food scene.
Last week we spotted a liquor license for Charlie Palmer's restaurant group in the window of the Crescent Hotel. Now, Inside Scoop confirms Palmer will create a new concept in the space, with a restaurant slated for the current dining room near the second floor entry. Burritt Room fans need not worry: the bar is to remain relatively unchanged.
The new and vintage kitchen shop, Pot + Pantry, which opened just about a year ago, is moving to roomier digs. The store from former Williams-Sonoma merchandise coordinator Donna Suh Wageman will reopen in the former 18 Reasons space (593 Guerrero at 18th St.) this Thursday. They'll celebrate with a housewarming party from 5-8 p.m. All are welcome.
And the counter ticks up: The second location of The Melt, at One Embarcadero Center (at Clay) started flipping sandwiches today. The Feast reveals the first-of-three openings slated for November ushers in menu additions: local beers, sparking wines, and new cheesy creations.
After closing on Van Ness, La Fina Estampa scooted over to a new location and is open again. The Tender dishes the Peruvian and Spanish restaurant's menu remains the same (1407 Bush at Polk).
SFoodie readers are remarkable in their abilities to put the correct name to almost any mystery we present, and so this might be one of the most deceptive-looking pieces of food we've served up yet. Can you identify this item -- as well as the SF-based eatery where we shot this photo? Please offer your best guess in the comments below.
Last week's Mystery Spot was quickly and easily solved by Melissa Chung, and today we offer her a virtual high five in celebration.
What: Chef's Night Out Pop-up dinner
Where: Coi
When: Mon., November 14, 6-9:30 p.m.
Cost: $55
The rundown: A four-course dinner at Coi, priced at $55 per person, excluding tax, beverages, and gratuity. For those of you familiar with how much a regular dinner at Coi costs, this is a mega-mega deal. The dinner will feature Chefs Evan and Sarah Rich, and Pastry Chef Bill Corbett of Absinthe Brasserie. According to the Facebook event, they're are all excited to return to the kitchen at Coi to cook this meal for you. Exciting!
The tentative menu includes Wild Fennel Kettle Corn; Giant Clam, Passion Fruit, Green Apple, Celery; Garlic Soup, Steamed Egg, Wild Greens, Sourdough Stuffing; Pork Pieces, Brown Butter, Sage, Autumn Squash; Apples, Buttermilk, Hazelnut
Petit Fours, and a parting gift. Oooh la la!
Reservations can be made on OpenTable or by calling Coi at 393-9000.
The Mission's Sycamore has become a gathering place for friends who want to drink specialty beers, play board games, eat unpretentious food and generally chill for hours on end. From the "seat yourself" atmosphere to the democratic jukebox, it's an absolutely hands-on experience -- and brunch is no exception.
The restaurant review published in print this week, of Grill House Mediterranean in the Tenderloin, noted that there were clear differences in the quality of the food when the restaurant's Turkish chef, Vahit Besir, was in the restaurant.
That was truer than even I knew.
Mr. Besir emailed me today to say that he actually left the restaurant four weeks ago, in the middle of my four visits. "I had the quit my job because the owner (Ali) did not obey the agreement" he wrote. When I contacted the restaurant shortly before publication to verify information, I was told that Mr. Besir was the chef, but he was out for a few days with back problems. I have a phone call out to the restaurant to find out who the new chef, if there is one, might be.
There's an assumption in food-policy circles that obesity rates are high among the poor because they eat so much fast food. It's an assumption that led the LA City Council to ban the construction of new fast-food restaurants in low-income neighborhoods in 2008.
But according to a new study from UC Davis, the links between fast food, poverty, and obesity aren't so direct. The study found that people in the lowest income groups eat less fast food than lower-middle and middle-class households. In fact, the households who eat the most fast food have an average income of $60,000 a year.
The UC Davis study just looked at fast food -- not access to fresh produce, exercise, and time to cook; many other studies have shown that obesity is connected to all those factors, and low-income people lack access to all of them. But the architects of bans on McDonald's in poor neighborhoods may want to think their nanny-state approach to zoning.
In a world of corn syrup, San Francisco chefs continue to handle sugar as well as anyone, and San Franciscans themselves have certainly supported them. Now you can support your sweet tooth, and a great cause, alongside some of the Bay's best desserts. The fifth annual Sugar Rush, Spark's annual dessert and wine tasting event, is coming to San Francisco, November 10th, at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel
The line up looks exceptionally sweet, with many consistent SFoodie favorites creating featured desserts for the evening:
Chez Panisse
Recchiuti Confections
Farralon
Humphry Slocombe
Range
Boulevard
Mama's Bakery
Delfina
Scala's Bistro
Millennium
While sweet treats are the obvious focus, there's also wine. Barber Cellars, B.R. Cohn Winery, and Starlite Vineyards will pour. If you need a palate cleanser before returning to gorge on sweet bliss, the producers promise "some non-sweet food (olives, bread, etc.) for some "sweet relief" as well."
Silent and live auctions will raise money for Spark's programs in support of under-served Bay Area youth. Auctions can yield unique items at exceptional values, so don't get so distracted by the newest Humphry Slocombe creation that you miss looking over the offerings. These offerings will include high-end getaways, sports tickets and packages, wine tours, hotel/restaurant packages, and more. Silent auction selections are certain to have a host of culinary and other gems.
Standard tickets are $75 in advance, or $85 at the door, for 7:30 PM admission. VIP tickets ($125 in advance/$135 at the door) allow access at 7:00 PM as well as, "exclusive tastings with the chefs, access to a VIP-only room during the event, and complimentary champagne."
