The past 24 hours in gossip, innuendo, and cold hard facts about the San Francisco food scene.
Chef news: The pending Jake's on Market just found itself a chef. Inside Scoop reports Erik Hopfinger (Circa, Waterfront, Long Bar) will focus on Americana dishes from scratch: from grinding the meat to an in-house pastry chef's fresh baked goods. The restaurant is still on track to open early next year, but no word yet on when the restaurant currently inhabiting the space, the 16-year-old 2223, will shutter.
Also, Eater SF spots Jeremy Fox in L.A., working as a consultant on a new project from Jeff Weinstein (of The Counter burger chain). We're guessing his pending Bay Area restaurant is still a ways off.
Same coffee, different name: Tablehopper dishes that Four Barrel's Jeremy Tooker is opening a new place on Disvisadero, and while the coffee will be the same, the space (and name) will be quite different from his other coffee shops. Expect a bakery (and toast bar) from Josey Baker, outdoor seating, and an opening date in early 2012.
Food truck news: Earlier we mentioned North Berkeley's Off the Grid offering brick-and-mortars the option to make the jump (for a night) onto four wheels. Tonight the Local Butcher Shop will be serving an assortment of meaty options from the window, including mortadella sandwiches.
Addition to the Thai restaurant openings mentioned yesterday, Tablehopper finds one more. House 530, from the son of those behind Thai House Express, is slated to open on 11/11/11 as well.
Over at Unwind on Union, there's some temporary papered windows. Eater SF reveals owners Todd Slosek and Kai Vance closed the restaurant after Sunday's service, and they're currently reformatting the space into a new concept. Expect a new name, chef, and a reopening Nov. 17.
Bay Area-based food writer Carol Field spent two years in Italy, learning classic Italian breads and pastries for The Italian Baker. This award-winning book, first published in 1985, has been praised by everyone from Alice Waters to Mario Batali.
Bread is such an integral part of the Italian culture and so highly regarded that children are taught not to waste even a crumb, "Should a bit accidentally fall to the floor, it must be picked up, immediately cleaned off, and eaten," she writes. "It is said that anyone wasting bread will be condemned to purgatory for as many years as there were crumbs."
Thanksgiving is about two weeks away, and you're probably a little stressed out. Between crazy family and crazier family, it can be hard to figure out how you're getting food on the table. It's okay, we've compiled a list of the best classes, clinics, and resources to help you get that perfect feast on the table. Or make dinner reservations, whatever. Now that we've taken care of your meals plans, you better start doing sun salutations, hit the shooting range, or do whatever it is you do so that you don't smother your mother in the mashed potatoes. Happy Holidays!
5. SF Gate Thanksgiving Section
Big ups to the Chron for putting together a holiday section to rival... other paper's holiday sections. Doing us proud! Find restaurants, classes, cooking techniques, recipes, and pretty much everything else in their comprehensive guide to the big day. They even have illustrations showing you where to put that thermometer. Don't be fresh!
It's hard to say Carlo Splendorini's last name and not conjure up images of a magician, dazzling an audience with feats of the impossible--especially when he's behind the bar summoning up enchantments in liquid form. Hyperbole aside, the kid can make a drink.
The soft-spoken Spelndorini, also one of this year's Bar Stars, at a mere 26 year-old is lead bartender for Michael Mina. While he may seem young, he's already a veteran with almost ten years experience working in bars. Getting his start in Europe, encouraged by his father who is also in the hospitality business, Spelndorini got his chops working in London and Italy before ending up in San Francisco at Gitane and then making the move to Michael Mina.
What: Harvest Gala
Where: David Brower Center
When: Fri., November 19, 6-9 p.m.
Cost: $20-50
The rundown: The Berkeley Student Food Collective is throwing their third annual Harvest Gala this month! The BSFC is a student-run collective with an adorably tiny, yet fully stocked, store. It's kinda like what your corner bodega would be like if it carried stuff you actually wanted. All items in the store strive to meet four principles: environmentally sound, humane, fair trade, and community-based. Neato! It's an entirely volunteer run non-profit, so they gotta make some monies if they wanna keep you in snacks. That's where the Harvest Gala comes in!
The gala this year is celebrating their first year in business. They'll serve hors d'œuvres and a four-course meal with drinks, plus live music. So put on your eating pants, and support these industrious youngsters.
Tickets are $50 for the full night, $25 for half the night, and you should buy them online before they sell out.
For all of the San Francisco foodistas who humblebrag about the number of years since they've stepped foot in a McDonald's, there are just as many who are on first-name basis with the cashiers at their local Popeye's. Chipotle -- a Colorado knockoff of a Mission taqueria -- just opened its fifth San Francisco location this fall. And two new chains with national aspirations have just opened locations in San Francisco: The Melt and Umami Burger, which are the subject of this week's full-length review in the SF Weekly.
Both restaurants openly, eagerly tout their technological sophistication at the same time as they promise fresher, more wholesome ingredients. Umami cooks its burgers to medium-rare in a low-temperature steam oven, while the Melt -- a SF-based chain that plans to open 500 stores -- has designed a machine that griddles the bread and nukes the cheese inside at the same time. Did either tech-friendly restaurant transcend their species? I'm not so sure.
