It’s happened again – I’ve fallen head over heels in love with a new restaurant – and her name is Frances.  Tucked away on a quiet corner on 17th street, just ending into the Casto, this tiny, typical “neighborhood restaurant” is anything but typical.

You see, the ongoing problem I have when visiting a restaurant is I want to try to order everything on the menu.  I don’t know when the next time I’ll be back is, and when I do come back – especially at market driven places – the menu will have dramatically changed.  It’s now or never.

It’s the top section of the menu at Frances that’s made me fall so hard.  ”Bouchées” are akin to small plates – nicely priced at 6.50, it’s easy to look them over, and just order one of each for the table to share.

A few of my favorite bouchées:

Pork Trotters – I’m such a sucker for pork trotters.  She does the service of taking what sounds like a scary piece of meat, and making it into a nicely seared pork meatloaf.  Great punch of flavor in a little bite.

Grilled Calamari – Perfectly tender, tossed with arugula and squash.

Panisse Frites – Worth the trip just for these.  A light, crispy exterior, and a almost custard like interior – better than fries.

Eventually though, it may be necessary to wander deeper into the menu:

Grilled Asparagus with Radicchio Salad – nicely balanced bitterness, with a great texture from the grill. The first asparagus I’ve had this season. Doubt it’ll be the last.

Ricotta Gnocchi – unbelievably light.  By time the bowl as dropped in front of us, we were totally stuffed – and yet, we finished the whole thing.

Finally we were forced gladly ordered dessert.  We had the lumberjack cake – a not too-sweet cake made with a mix of dates and pears, served alongside a scoop of always welcome Humphry Slocombe Maple Walnut Ice Cream.

Singing the lumberjack song when your waiter introduces the dish is entirely optional.  I did.

Chef Melissa Perello has done an outstanding job making Frances a destination small restaurant.  It has personality and charm to spare. Daily specials, like a “market shot” are listed in expo marker on an old window behind the bar.  Plus, with a tap from Magolia always flowing, you know you’ll have something to drink.

My first underground farmers market, both as a vendor and attendee was great fun.  We sold pickled grapes and green garlic, and sold out of baked mochi and two kegs of ginger beer (the nonalcoholic variety.)   It was crowded, but everyone seemed to be in high spirits.  The door was well regulated, leading to one hell of a line around the block, and just barely enough space to move around inside.

As the event wound down, we took stock of what was left of our refrigerator pickles (about 25% of what we brought!) and decided there was only one thing to do: barter.   Which was great – we got cakes, truffles, bbq pork sandwiches, cupcakes, granola, bacon bbq sauce, macaroons, kombucha, homegrown beets and more, all in exchange for a few pickles.  This is the sort of participation and attitude that makes this event such a success, and such a pleasure to be a part of.

Thanks to everyone who bought our wares, and don’t forget to refrigerate your pickles!

More pictures:

Every time I’m near a well stocked cheese counter, I poke around, looking for an elusive round of Cowgirl Creamery’s Sir Francis Drake.  This rare cheese is brought about by accident.  When a batch of Mt. Tam doesn’t set correctly (or something – I don’t entirely understand it, and the Cowgirl Website doesn’t offer any clues) the cheese is washed in Beaume de Venise (a fortified wine) and finished with a free currents on top.

The resulting cheese has the creaminess of Mt. Tam, but with a funky edge – not a harsh as Red Hawk, but with a slight briniess that everyone says reminds them of the sea (i agree.)

But what to drink with it?

Luckily for me, one of my favorite pours at the SF Beer Week Opening Gala has just appeared in bottles: Napa Smith’s Organic IPA.

Organic hops are a difficult ingredient, which is one of the reasons you don’t see many Organic IPAs on the market.  But here, brewmaster Don Barkley has created a unique beverage – with a definite hop aroma, but not the one most of us expect.  Gone is the citrusy and piny aromas of most west coast style IPAs.  Instead, this heady brew has a much more floral, aromatic quality, backed by just a hint of alcohol heat.    This is one food friendly IPA.

I often recommend Napa Smith as a great starting place for wine drinkers interested in beer.  Their classic, balanced approach is easy to get along with.  Even their label reflects an old school approach to brewing, one of restraint and confidence is subtle balance.

Against this cheese, the beer was a great foil.  Besides offering a palate cleansing lift on the tongue, it bring out the earthy characteristics in the cheese, and emphasized the floral qualities of the funk it brought with it.  Where a traditional IPA might have run right over this cheese, this more nuanced delicate beer struck just the right chord.

It’s just like latkes and dreidel, only porkier.

One bright spot in this sea of yellow is Baja Brewing, in the little seaside town of San Jose del Cabo. Nestled amongst tourist art and jewelry stores is a small brew pub, producing craft beers in the new American tradition.

We bellied up the bar and started with a sampler flight.

My favorites from the day’s offerings – an IPA (hops!?!) and the black scorpion –  a schwarzbier-style black lager.

We were also given a tour of the brewery by brewmaster Jordan Gardenhire.  An American expat, he loves what he gets to do.  Brewing in Mexico presents different challenges than brewing in America.  He explained that brewing ingredients are more scarce  - everything has to be imported – and equipment must be trucked down from California, fighting of coyotes along the way.  They’ve also had to work hard on the education side of serving craft beer, explaining their flavorful product to the locals – who have taken quite a liking too it.

But being in Baja also presents new opportunities.  An adventurous home brewer at heart, he’s free to experiment with new, indigenous fermentables.  Such as in his cactus heffe (sadly, not on tap when we visited)

Overall, Baja Brewing was a breath of fresh (hop scented) air.  Plus – they have pretty decent wood oven pizza, featuring a thin crust, studded with two row malt around the edges.

After weeks of planning, hours of tasting, and an unknowable number of phone calls to brewers confirming their beer would be there, the “Mostly Barrel Aged Beer Dinner” went off without a hitch.  As usual, Scala’s Bistro and The Sir Francis Drake pulled of this huge feat without breaking a sweat.

“Enough preamble, get to the food porn!” you’re saying.  I hear ya.  I’ve got a lot of pictures, so pour yourself a big beer, get comfy, and let’s jump right into the good stuff, shall we?

I poked my head into the kitchen before things got going.  Pastry Chef Tim Nugent’s team was getting the housemade pretzels ready, and topping them with volcanic salt.  These were then paired up with a beer mustard, made from Sierra Nevada’s Old Ale (more on that beer later.)

You know you’ve got a good dinner on your hands, when the staff is taking pictures of their own handiwork.

Meanwhile, the savory team was scooping out canelles of a chicken liver mouse  - which Eli later declared, tastes like grandma’s recipe.

Beers were chilling.  We started with the beers pretty cold to make service easier.  By time they reached the table, most beers were being served only “cool” – so that all of the delicate nuances of the barrels came through.  Cold beer tastes like nothing. If you want it to stay that way, serve it cold.  Otherwise, bring it up a few degrees to reveal all the hard work the brewer has put into their brew.

Vina, our rockstar private dining coordinator reviewed our menu with the wait staff.

Upstairs, it turns out people were ready to go.  By time we “opened” the doors at 6:30, most everyone was already there.

We kicked off the night with some exceptionally good and rare beers. Shmaltz Brewing offered up a taste of their Coney Island Mermaid Pilsner.  In their typical style, it was slightly twisted and amped up by the addition of rye and extra hops for aroma. Valley Brewing poured a spectator sour, made with pomegranates and lots of lacto with a bretty, farmhouse finish.  The “Bill Brandbic” was made in honor of Bill Brand – who is sorely missed, and surly would have loved his namesake “Calambic.”

Besides the pretzels, we also enjoyed some additional passed apps:

White bean puree with white anchovies.

Goat cheese crustinis.

Chicken Liver Mousse.

One of the real highlights of collaborating with local brewers is having them on hand to talk about the process of making their beer.  Here’s Steve, explaining his love of fermenting pomegranate juice.

First up at the table was an amuse bouche: Ggolden beet & malt soup with hoppy creme fresh.

Next up were pours of Firestone Walker’s Lil Opal aged in Viognier Barrels. A light, crisp beer, the barrels added a hint of tobacco and a nice touch of oak.  To go with it: Yellow Tail King Fish: Fresno Chilies, Ginger, Basil, Rice Crackling.

Having such a delicate beer allowed us to present a equally delicate course.  In this case, it highlighted amazingly fresh and buttery fish.

Next up Dogfish Head Chateau Jiahu.  This sweet, sake influenced beer  was an ideal pairing for crab, which really benefitted from the boost in sweetness.  Plus, in the right light, this is one pretty beer.

The pairing: Crab Toast: Miso Beer Dressing, Celery Root Remoulade, Meyer Lemon, Chervil.  The carmel notes of the toast were a great match for the beer.  Plus the miso brought out the association with sake in the beer.

Next: Lamb Merguez Crepinette: Harissa, Preserved Lemon, Sun Choke, Star Route Farms Winter Greens, Brewer’s Malt Blend Crackers.  We paired this with Speakeasy Brewer’s Reserve Old Godfather Barleywine.  This special barleywine has a amazing nose on it, with lots of apricot and fruit. To stand up to this beer, we used lamb with a pungent harissa sauce to cut through the beer.

We also served the dish with a malt cracker.  The malt was sourced at Speakeasy, and was special blended by their brewer to mimic the malt of the pairing beer.  I love having a full bakery at our disposal.

Our last savor course of the eventing: Housemade Duck Liver Ravioli with 15 yr Old Balsamic, Duck Chicharrones, Brown Butter, Beer Braised Carrots.

To pair, we offered Sierra Nevada Brewing’s Old Ale.  This Scotch Ale and Russian Imperial Stout blend spent some time in a Bourbon Barrel.  The addition of the stout gave it a great mouth feel, and a nice, long chocolate finish.

People seemed to be having a good time.  These barrel aged beers have a bit of a kick.

Everybody loves Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream:

Ah, Cheese.  What’s the point of doing a beer dinner, if you aren’t going to have a cheese course?  We started with the beer – I worked with Brian (below) and my team of beer palates to built a great, pinot noir inspired stout blend.  We used a base of Pinot Barrel Stout, them added Bretty Blond for some edge, and a touch of port barrel with blueberries stout for a nice vinous finish.

To pair, Chef Jen selected Tomme de Montagne, a beer washed cow milk cheese with enough funk to stand up to the beer. For an extra savory edge, the cheese with served with a bit of olive tapenade.

Finally, we had reached the first of two desserts.  We started with Triple Rock IMAX Double IPA, served brilliantly fresh.

Rodger joking introduced it as the “light” beer of the evening. We served this hop bomb with crepes with blood oranges and kumquats.  The two citrus fruit provided a foil for the DIPA, and brought out the citrus aroma and bitterness of the blood orange.  A malt syrup provided the much needed balance.

Finally, we had arrived at the big finish for the night: Fifty Fifty Brewing’s 2009 Eclipse Stout Barrel Flight.  Todd explained how they aged in a variety of barrels - Jack Daniels Barrel, Elijah Craig Barrel, Heaven Hill Rye Barrel – and that they normally blend at this point.  However, this year, the beers we so distinctive, they decided to offer them as different versions.

To pair, a flight of chocolates – with chocolate marshmallow, salted carmel, and a piece of bitter dark chocolate.

Finally, five hours later, we were done, and very very full.

I want to give a huge thanks to the staff of Scala’s – who both in the kitchen and on the floor, delivered a great meal to the brewers and lovers of fine food and beer.

And to those who attended: how was your meal?  Leave feedback in the comments below!

More pictures from Toronado Russian River Night…

My favorite of the night.  Because of all of the mislabeled tap and glass shortage issues, no one was quite sure what it was.  Even Natalie wasn’t so sure. It was light, spritely with a sour citrus punch – lots of lacto. My best guess is some aged Beatification.

More pictures from Magnolia Cask Night…

The people have spoken, and they are saying: more beer ice cream.

Jake, Sean and the rest of the team at Humphry Slocombe have made some great ice cream, but they didn’t do it alone.  The local brewing community really got behind this experiment in frozen goodness, and provided the base beers for all of the flavors.

Kicking in the good stuff are: Dogfish Head, Speakeasy, Bison, Fifty Fifty, Valley Brew, Triple Rock, Drakes, Shmaltz, 21A,  Firestone Walker, Beach Chalet, Thirsty Bear, Lagunitas, Uncommon Brewers, Blue Frog, Trumer, Shiner, Bridgeport, Moonlight, Iron Springs, Eel River, Bear Republic, Sierra Nevada, and Magnolia.

Umm, yea.  It’s a lot of beer.

I am also very proud to be presenting my first show of beer photography!

All of the prints are available for a limited printing run for $40 each.  They’re 11 by 14 inches, and printed on matte photostock.  The perfect valentine’s day gift for your hop head lover.  They’ll be available for pickup at Humphry Slocombe after ordering – so no shipping.  Peruse the photos and purchase here.

Some of my favorite flavors to pass through the cold case have been: 21A Monk’s Blood with Figs, FiftyFity Eclipse Bourbon Stout, Magnolia Old Thunder Pussy and most recently, Lagunitas Hop Stoopid with Bacon (really.)

Can’t make it down to the Mission?  Don’t worry, Magnolia has got your back. Rather than take the MUNI 33 across town, Magnolia collaboration ice creams are available at BOTH Humphry Slocombe, and Magnolia Brewpub.  Since all of Magnolia’s beers are draft only, it took a lot of growlers to make this ice cream.

To keep up with the demand, the kitchen at Humphry Slocombe is working around the clock. When I stopped by this afternoon, Max was just putting together a fresh batch of Speakeasy Prohibition Ale Ice Cream.  Each batch is flavored and seasoned to taste.  It’s the same attention to each batch that makes many of these beers such great culinary launchpads.

The line was out the door.  The favorite seems to be the four scoop flight for 4.50.  Only available for SF Beer Week.

Not sure what to get?  Ask Emily for a taste. (Fun fact – in order to keep up with tastes, the 100+ metal spoons are washed three times a day. That’s a lot of saved plastic/potatoware)

Notes & Observations from MeteVeza’s Beerunch (Part of SF Beerweek 2010):

• I’m a fan of their Yerba Mate IPA.  Nice IPA with a delicate hand for a clean herbal finish.  Combined with the new attractive packaging, it’s a nice local spiced beer for the hop lover.
• The perfect weather continues to hold out.
• As Jeremy of Shmaltz pointed out: great biscotti, paired with Moonlight’s Burnt Toast and Magnolia’s Smokestack Lightning.
• Another topic of discussion that broke out at the table: pairing beers with vegetable-driven dishes.  Discuss.
• Fried crunchy things are always delicious.
• The add the correct amount of capers to smoked salmon, cover the salmon in capers till you can barely see it’s pink flesh.  Bravo on getting it right.   Also the Dogfish Pangea pairing was a natural choice.
• I’m seeing a lot of beer industry people at lots of events – not because they’re involved, but because they want to be there.  That’s the kind of attitude that makes this week such a pleasure.

Pictures from the Beerunch on the bay: