Beer & Nosh

On Hiatus

Jesse — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 18:11:46 +0000

Howdy Reader!

This is a post to let you know that for the first time since I started writing Beer & Nosh two years ago, we’ll be taking a little break. While I’m gone I’ll be getting married to beautiful girl and amazing girl, doing a little honeymoon travel across Europe to celebrate, and taking a much needed vacation. That said, I’ll be traveling camera in hand, so you can expect lots of content when I get back. Maybe even some photo essays while I’m abroad – we’ll see. In the meantime, I’ll still be posting to Twitter so you can follow my exploits there.

This break seems like a good time to take stock as well. I’ve been posting to Beer & Nosh for almost exactly two years. Two Hundred and Fifty-Eight posts later, what started as a small project that only my Dad read (Hi Dad!) has grown into something much, much bigger. It’s helped me refine my culinary and brewing point of view, understand what makes for great food and beer, both in the kitchen and on the restaurant floor. It’s opened up phenomenal friendships and professional relationships with local chefs, butchers, brewers, sommeliers, cicerones, restauranteurs, farmers, food bloggers and lovers of great food of all stripes.

One of the most rewarding parts of this blog has been the opportunity to plan beer dinners. It’s easy to play blogger/critic and say how things should have been done (Note: I’m plenty guilty of that too) but it’s much harder, and much more rewarding to go out and build something new. My dinners at Scalas Bistro – both the first beer dinner I ever put together, and last year’s epic Mostly Barrel Aged Dinner successfully combined classic San Francisco Cal/Italian food with great local beers. Then there was Notoberfest – an indulgent free for all of Ryan Farr’s never-ending parade of pork, Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream and Steve Altamari’s beer. Everyone keeps asking when there will be another one. It isn’t planned or scheduled yet, but yes, there will be another Notoberfest. How could there not be? Thanks to everyone who has attended these events, and I only hope you’ve had as much fun at them as I have.

Creating these dinners, getting to collaborate hands on with local talent, and present in person to a welcoming San Francisco crowd has been an extraordinary experience. The reaction to both my work on this blog, and these events has proven over and over again that there is a market in San Francisco for great beer and food, and the constant string of announcements of new beer-related openings hammer the point home.

So, with all of this in mind, I’m very excited that when Beer & Nosh comes back in late August, I’ll have some announcements to make for a new project – one that brings much of what I’ve learned here to bear, and will bring local beer and local food together in a whole new way. We’re creating something just for San Francisco, designed with the local beer and food lover in mind. It’s one of those “You got peanut butter in my chocolate!” kind of moments. It’s gonna be…

See you in August.

- Jesse

Good Foods All Bacon Dinner

Jesse — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 23:17:09 +0000

Dontaye Ball of Good Foods Catering can do a lot more than just smoke a piece of pork, and wants you to know it. When I heard “All Bacon Dinner” I immediately thought of heart clogging, one note, smoky, greasy food. What I found couldn’t be farther from that imagine grease spill. Dontaye deftly uses bacon as seasoning, spice and fat to enhance a well rounded, surprisingly classical dinner. His all-bacon dinner isn’t just a pile of smoked pork (not that there’s anything wrong with that!) but here his aspirations aim quite a bit higher. His meal is collection of perfectly seasoned food, bolstered by a great collection of seasonal veggies. It’s an invitation into his home and kitchen, to sit around the table with this mother, family and friends and enjoy a great community meal.

So, join me, Dontaye, his Sous Rhea and front of house Kamael for a underground dinner in Dontaye’s home?

We started out with a “micro breakfast” – which turned out to be the only course with a straight up piece of bacon on it. The poached egg was perfectly cooked, and it was a nice, simple way to start the meal.

Micro Good Foods Breakfast: Poached brown farm egg, seared good foods house made bacon, and toast with a bacon brown sugar butter

Next up was soup – Dontaye explained that there was no additional salt added – everything came from the bacon. It was silky smooth.

Bacon Corn “Chowder” : Good Foods House-Made Bacon, corn, potatoes, cream, fennel

Ahhh, a much needed salad course. The peaches were fresh and vibrant, with a hint of carmel from grilling. The dressing was extremely acidic, a nice offset to the heft of the bacon.

Bacon Spinach Salad: Baby Willie farms spinach, grilled twin girl farm peaches, shaved red onion, goat’s cheese with a bacon dressing

One of my favorite courses. The scallops are well seared, but it was the veggies and bacon sherry jus that stole the show. And that’s what i loved about this dinner: the veggies of summer really showed through, which isn’t something you’d expect to say about a BBQ guy.

Seared Dayboat Scallops: Fresh Dayboat Sea Scallops early summer squash, corn, cherry tomatoes and bacon- sherry jus

I’m salivating just thinking about this chicken now. It was mind-numbing juicy, which Dontaye attributed to brining it. It was also great to see a bit more of his BBQ side show through here with the southern greens.

Roasted Rocky Jr Chicken Breast: Rocky jr chicken, bacon braised summer greens and a bacon bread pudding

Lastly, we finished with dessert. I was a bit underwhelmed by the pie tart – it felt like it needed just a bit more “umph!” – but it hardly mattered with the the mountain of fruit on top, off set with the whipped cream. A great summer finish to the meal.

Peaches and Cream: Fresh peaches and figs with mascarpone cream and almond bacon tart shell

And on that light, summer fruit note, we were done. We gathered our things, and waddled back outside where it was unseasonably warm for 1 AM. Yes, it was of course great bacon, but it was well balanced against the seasonal fruit and veggies. While the allure of underground dinners is undeniable, this was one the the first ones I’ve been to to really back up the hype with great cooking technique and professional touch at every opportunity. Case in point: when you got up to use the restroom, Dontaye would be folding your napkin for you when you returned. That’s more than you get from most underground dinners, and way more than you get from most BBQ. Which is exactly what Good Foods Catering aims for.

CUESA Sausage & Beer Party

Jesse — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 17:53:24 +0000

It’s summer, and that means time to break out the grill and throw down a few sausages. While beer and sausage is as cliched a pairing as there is, it’s one ripe with possibilities. Sausages go way beyond some ground pork or beef and a casing. As the chefs on display at CUESA’s Sausage & Beer Party proved. Offerings ranged from Chris Cosentino’s Mortadella Dog to Dennis Lee’s Kimchee Dog to Taylor Boetticher’s Crepinette Sandwich. All of these modern butchers and chefs busted out the big guns, and served juicy sausages bursting with flavor. Ryan Farr even wrapped his in bacon, and served it on top of a peach slaw, just to be sure you knew it was summer.

To go with these (mostly) porcine offerings, the SF Brewer’s Guild brought out summer beers aplenty – offering up kolsch, belgian goldens and even a Double IPA. A good time. The best pairings balanced the beer’s crispness against the fat of the sausage – and since it was a textural contrast, nearly all of these summer brews made a great companion for the sausages. Which was good, because in this crowded space, it was impossible to line up and check each sausage with each pairing. Sometimes you have to just relax, and enjoy the weather, people, food and beer. Welcome to Summer.

Participating Chefs: Taylor Boetticher, Fatted Calf; Chris Cosentino, Boccalone; Antelmo Faria, Tacolicious; Ryan Farr, 4505 Meats; Matt Kerley, Magnolia Gastropub and Brewery; Dennis Lee, Namu; Pierre Mange, The Plant Café Organic.

Participating Breweries: Magnolia Gastropub and Brewery, Social Kitchen and Brewery, Thirsty Bear Brewing Co., Speakeasy Ales & Lagers, Gordon Biersch, 21st Amendment Brewery, Beach Chalet Brewery and Restaurant.

PS – This photoshoot also served as a test run for a new wide angle lens – you you’ll notice some fun distortion in some photos. I’m still getting the hang of it - when it’s all the way open at 10mm, it’s really, really wide. I plan to use it to help bring more of a sense of space and atmosphere to future photos. Don’t worry thought – the close up food porn you know and love isn’t going anywhere.

Cheese Making Lab

Jesse — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 21:57:16 +0000

Local: Mission Eatery wants to be much more than a restaurant. It’s a combination of a sandwich shop, bakery, cookbook library, pop-up restaurant, and cooking class space. I’ve tried most of these iterations – the brioche at Knead is outstanding, the braised lamb sandwich is my favorite, the prix fixe dinner is an outstanding deal for what you get, and the cooking classes turn out to be fun too. Not content with just making beer, Elianna and I have had a budding interest in cheese making. So we ventured over on a wedsday evening for a cheese making course taught by Jacob Des Voignes, the regular chef behind the sandwiches. (Other classes are taught by outside experts.)

The classes smartly balance demoing with hands on practice, and lots of things to taste. We started out with a cheese plate – to compare contrasting cheeses – served with a house made apricot mustardo. Wine flowed freely, to celebrate that they had just been issued an ABC license.

Once the content got going, we covered a lot of ground in an hour and half. We were treated to a tasting of creme fresh at various stages of fermentation. The recipe was printed and handed out for making it at home. Why I don’t already do it strikes me as inexcusable. It’s SO easy. Step one: mix cream and yogurt with live cultures. Step Two: wait while it ferments. Step Three: Eat.

Then jake demo’d how to extract vegetarian rennet from nettle leaves.

And ricotta, which Jake was making in the picture at the top of the post. He put out both the curds and whey to taste.

Finally, we pulled mozzarella. My first attempt didn’t go so well. I did better on another try. This was the most interactive lesson we had, and the most fun.

All told, the classes are a fun way to spend an evening. At $40s, they’re not too expensive, and are a great way to learn more about a particular culinary craft without committing to much more in equipment. We didn’t do anything I hadn’t tried at home before, but I got the idea we were the exception, not the rule – most of the crowd seemed to be seeing this for the first time – and was game to try everything. I learned more than I knew before, and had fun in the process. All that remains is answering the question, which lab to do next?

Black Star Beer & Parcel BBQ

Jesse — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 21:48:42 +0000

Black Star is a classic American Pilsner, with a light dry hopping touch. It’s crisp, clean, and great for a summer day. It’s interesting to see a craft take on a style so thoroughly consumed by corporate beer behemoths. Chad Newton’s Parcel BBQ is exactly what it claims to be – classic american BBQ, served sans silverware. Great pickles too. More pictures:

Hapa Ramen

Jesse — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 17:01:58 +0000

Opening day of Hapa Ramen seemed to go smoothly. Water boiled easily, and three hundred servings of ramen went out the door without incident (OK, maybe a few plastic things were melted. but that’s a sign of too much heat, and that’s a happy problem is have under the circumstances.)

My bowl was rich and flavorful, with well textured fresh noodles and a perfectly cooked sous vide egg that clung to the noodles after the yolk streamed out into the broth. My informal survey of ramen slurppers revealed a happy crowd. Checking every batch of noodles individually for doneness is time well spent.

Why is Ritchie smiling? Because it’s his last batch of noodles.

And while he’s the muscle in the kitchen, it’s a team effort. Congrats to Ritchie, Kitty, Sky and the whole Hapa Ramen team on their first ferry building service!

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Ferry Building…

Clara St Brewing Collective

Jesse — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 18:54:23 +0000

On Thursday nights on Clara street, you can smell a wisp of malt aroma drifting through SOMA. Follow the aroma down a thin alley street, by garage doors and parked cars, and you’ll find an open garage as the source. Poke inside and you’ll find Patrick Horn of Pacific Brewing Laboratories and Bryan Hermannsson of Clara St Brewing adding hops and pouring pints for welcome guests.

Welcome to the Clara Street Brewing Collective.

Born out of a love of brewing, this expanded, kinda-sorta open to the public private homebrew event join Elizabeth Street Brewing as a halfway point between making beers in your kitchen, and actually opening a licensed brewery. The beers are free (it’s illegal to sell homebrew to public) and a empty malt extract plastic bucket is placed out to invite donations (all of which gets put right back into the cost of brewing.)

There is a refreshing purity to what they’re doing. The enthusiasm is infectious, and without the normal restrictions of brewpubs, you’re welcome to walk around, sipping your pale ale (that’s what was on tap last week – expect something next Thursday,) asking questions, even helping out. Want to throw in the next hop addition? Just ask and the task is yours. No one ever volunteers to help sterilize.

Their small gatherings seem to attract all type – from fellow homebrewers, curious neighbors, to lovers of things homemade and free. The back way is covered in chalkboard paint, and details the status of each brew, and it’s state in the process. Typical of homebrewers, it’s a mix of classic styles, and wild variations.

By the end of the evening, the keg is nearly dry, ten gallons of IPA have been brewed, and the curious imbibers are finishing up their pints. The yeast is pitched, and the bar and brewery closes down until next week.

Want to join in? See the Pacific Brewing Laboratories page for details about their upcoming events.

Screen Door, Portland OR

Jesse — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 17:47:51 +0000

One last post on my epic Portland adventure, then it’s back to business as usual at ye ‘ol SF beer blog. Luckily, this last one is a great one. For our last brunch in Portland, we headed over to Screen Door. I was forewarned that I would be getting the chicken and waffles. They were right.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Screen Door was packed for brunch when we arrived, and deservedly so. It’s a great melding of cultures – southern dishes, executed with local Portland produce and the typical northwestern flair. Our large group settling into a table outside, and perused the menu.

Stumptown Coffee was poured.

Quickly, a few favorite dishes emerged. Namely the chicken. It’s three pieces of spicy buttermilk battered fried chicken over a sweet potato waffle – all held in place with a knife. With a quick pour of syrup, it’s perfect – the crust on the chicken has a great touch of heat, and no additional hot sauce was needed. The three pieces of chicken is the very definition of overkill. There were leftovers.

Aaron is happy.

OK, maybe one more picture, really close up.

Also great – the smoked brisket hash.

And a side of praline bacon? Yes please.

All told, a pretty outstanding meal. Normally I’d have more picture of other dishes to show. But our table just got order after order of the chicken. A peek in the kitchen showed other tables willing to gamble on other dishes.

The only problem being that after a brunch like this, I was ready to go back to bed – not jump onto a plane home. Thanks for a great trip Portland, but it’s time to go home to San Francisco. It was all clear skies as my very small commuter plane flew right over San Francisco, making for a few nice pictures. (Though i always hate it when i discover i missed a weekend of great weather. Portland was… wet.)

Cascade Brewing

Jesse — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 18:15:05 +0000

When I planned my trip up to Portland, there was one brewery above all others I was interested in visiting: Cascade Brewing at the Raccoon Lodge. They brew inspired, sour ales that are uniquely American. Their beers have slowly been creeping into San Francisco area by way of City Beer Store and Beer Revolution (You can find their Apricot, Cherry, and Sang Rouge beers on well stocked local shelves.) I imagined these beers came from a place lined with rows and rows of barrels, holding a huge variety of sour ales. I was not disappointed.

Brewmaster Ron Gansberg gave us an outstanding tour, which included samples of their beers in all different states – from fermenters, to half-aged barrels, to finished product. One or two were even “chunky.” As Ron explains it, even after the beers have finished aging, it’s only partway there. It’s the blending process that allows them to finish the product, and create a final brew. These final products are all about balance – sweetness balanced with tartness, and the fruit balanced with savory undertone – these beers scream to be paired with meats that love fruit pairings – duck, lamb, and pheasant come to mind.

So join us won’t you, at a tour and tasting of the barrels at Cascade Brewing. If your web-browser support scratch and sniff technology, now would be a good time to turn it on.

Good Foods BBQ

Jesse — Thu, 27 May 2010 16:58:37 +0000

I first met Dontaye Ball at the Underground Farmer’s Market a while back. Once we setup a black-market exchange program of homebrew for BBQ, we both knew quickly we were going to get along just fine.

Shortly there after, I was contacted by a television network, and invited to make a demo tape of me, interacting with people and food. With little to no planning, expertise, or even microphones, I set off at the Alemany Farmer’s Market to make a movie. After a few false starts with other vendors, I ran into Dontaye and his piles of smoked pig, and knew I had found my subject. So, we filmed the video, eat mightily, and I went off to edit it (poorly.) I never did hear back from the world of TV, but that’s probably for the best. I was left with this video.

Good Foods Catering seems to be having something of a moment right now – what with winning awards from SF Weekly, taking the top spot at SF Food Wars, and praise from vegan-loving Mission Mission. The Ball family seems to be suddenly on everyone’s radar. So enjoy this mouthwatering look at their operation, just please excuse the 2AM public access production standards and camera shy host.

And spoiler alert – there’s a puppy at the end.