The second, smaller Hong Kong Lounge has officially opened, according to Eater SF. Earlier we mentioned the location would be a few blocks up Geary from the original restaurant, and have a limited menu, but Tablehopper assured diners that dim sum and Peking duck would still be available (3300 Geary at Parker).
Local: Mission Eatery has extensive plans for 2012. Grub Street reports the owners are focused on opening two places: a market featuring local products and a small cafe. The Local Mission Market will be in a 2,700-square-foot industrial space on Harrison (at 22nd St.), while Local Corner, the small cafe space, will be just down the street from the current restaurant. The market is aiming for a summer opening, while the cafe should open this spring.
Naan will again grace the tables of the shuttered Maharaja Indian Restaurant space. Eater SF discovers Taj Express will move into the Valencia Street location; still no word on an opening date.
With plenty of innovative takes on spiced winter flavors, traditional classics, and celebrations of local seasonal produce, San Francisco bars have the winter cocktails to help you make the most out of what's left of the holidays. Here's some suggestions:
Eggnog is the most familiar and classic of winter drinks, but conventional doesn't have to mean heavy or boring. The Moss Room is serving the Puerto Rican variation made with coconut cream and coconut milk called a Coquito (which translates from Spanish to "little coconut"), based on general manager Rafael Jimenez Rivera's grandfather's recipe. Rickhouse, meanwhile, takes a trip to Mexico with the Feliz Navinog ($10, reposado tequila, horchata, agave, egg white, bitters) that keeps the thick texture, but takes away the heaviness of the drink.
Each week we take a quick, cautious look at what's going on with televised cooking.
Have you seen Guy Fieri's kitchen-fort on Guy's Big Bite? I love this guy. Here are some photos from the set.
SFoodie is calling up food types around the city to ask them about their favorite discovery of the past year, whether it's new or ancient, an ingredient or a person. We'll be running their responses through the end of the year.
Millennium's Eric Tucker sat down with us to explain his 2011 food finds. Oregon white truffles, crab apples, and burnt orange zest? We're drooling already.When asked about his favorite find of 2011, Tucker says, "There are a couple, but they're not new, more like revisting forgotten friends. First is nori, pureed into a sauce or condiment, served with onigiri. The nori is simmered with mirin, tamari, ginger, a bit of sesame oil, and blended with a little grapeseed oil. It's great! Although, if not prepared correctly, it's reminiscent of a bad head cold!"
What other deliciousness did Tucker rediscover this year?
Broccoli rabe (pronounced rob), is also referred to as rapini. This leafy member of the brassica family is a staple in southern Italian cooking. The green flowers look like miniature heads of broccoli, but they do not come from the same plant. The taste is earthy like broccoli, with a stronger, bitter flavor and a hint of spiciness.
If 2010 belonged to Benu, Mission Chinese Food/Commonwealth, and Sons + Daughters, 2011 was all about burgers, barbecue, and ramen. A buzzy group of new-generation food trucks turned into a fleet, and more of us subscribed to the mailing lists of popup restaurants than ever before. After last year's improbable optimism -- how many crazy-ambitious restaurants opened up last year? -- in 2011, the reality of the recession's staying power sunk in.
This year, however, was no slump, food wise. It's just that the pleasures were quieter, more haunting than spectacular. As I was compiling my annual list of my five favorite dishes of the year, I realized how many of my finalists came from places that had been in business for eons, or established restaurants with new chefs. That's not a slam on the many good restaurants that opened this year: It's a reminder of how deep the city's food scene is, and how full of surprises it remains.
In addition to the five dishes listed in the article, here are 10 runners-up, many of which made it onto the 2011 SFoodie's 92:
SFoodie is calling up food types around the city to ask them about their favorite discovery of the past year, whether it's new or ancient, an ingredient or a person. We'll be running their responses through the end of the year.
We all know Thad Vogler of Bar Agricole knows how to run a bar, but what does he like to eat? We asked him what his favorite food find of 2011 was and here's what he had to say."I've been obsessed with sausages this year."
Oh really, which ones?
If you read the food media, especially in large cities, you'd believe that the sustainable food revolution is winning. But if you talk to a state senator or member of Congress, writes public-health advocate Michelle Simon, they'll assure you that the food-industry lobbyists are still the ones with all the power. Simon talks to a politician in Maine who says that corporate food interests are prowling the state government buildings every day. No wonder they can easily sway senators to consider pizza sauce a vegetable and convince the FDA to stop worrying about regulating antibiotics on farms.
