In Conversation with Chef Melissa Axelrod

Some of the best gnocchi I've ever had

8/27 Menu for Melissa's Dinner at Velo Rouge

Melissa Axelrod, of Melissa Claire’s Kitchen, a chef with a background at none other than Delfina and Fringale, now works with other chefs and beer and wine experts to create a series of meals rich in range and taste.

I took in a night in Melissa Claire’s Kitchen at cozy Velo Rouge Cafe on August 27th, a stunning Indian Summer evening with white clouds dotting a moonlit sky. The four-course menu ($45 per person) redolent with freshness, each plate substantial and well-paced so I somehow did not leave stuffed.

Caponata

Melissa filled the menu with “late summer goodness”, starting off with a Caponata (eggplant, tomato, pine nuts) with fresh mozzarella and a grilled crostini, followed by a buttery Frisee Salad with ripe peaches, toasted almonds, and a tarragon creme fraiche dressing. Between the Renaissance Man and myself, I tried both entrees: a grilled/seared local Albacore Tuna, a generous piece of fish surrounded by butter beans, haricots verts and an Early Girl confit of tomato, basil, pesto. This would have been good enough, but she won me completely with her hand-made Potato Gnocchi with charred Brentwood corn, cherry tomatoes, corn butter broth and Parmigiano. For a gnocchi fanatic like myself (and I’ve had some of my finest in Italy), this was one of the best gnocchis I’ve ever had. Dessert was no afterthought: Gravenstein Apple Galette with cinnamon ice cream and salted caramel sauce, sweet with a welcome dose of salt.

Tuna

Now that your mouth is watering, there are plenty of opportunities to indulge in such a meal yourself.

As I sat and talked with Melissa, it was exciting to hear the projects and partnerships she has in the works. Teaming up with Toronado, namely her fiancee, Christian Spybrook,  they’ve created some intriguing beer dinners, usually around six courses at $95, with her own charcuterie and pates part of the feast (the last dinner offered tastes of no less than 13 local beers!) October 25th is their next Octoberfest-themed dinner (watch her website for details), but one where local Rieslings and German-style wines are paired (by wine consultant, Robert Joyce) with dinner, rather than beers.

With chef, Liz Bills of California Table, there’s a series of meals, usually around four courses (plus passed plates) for $55, held at Mercedes Hair of the Dog.  With communal seating, two long tables are set-up, and wine pairings commence, their last Tomato Dinner Feast paired with a fabulous selection of local Roses, again selected by Robert Joyce. Watch Melissa and Liz’ websites for dates and tickets through Brown Paper.

Melissa’s hands-on and seasonal, local approach is the “real deal” – she’s so involved in each course and the farm produce she lovingly selects, having wisely partnered with other food and drink experts to maximize the experience and camraderie. When Melissa says she “doesn’t want [her dinners] to be fussy”, she ensures they aren’t. Rather, it’s a fresh explosion of local foods with the welcoming spirit of dining in a friends’ home.

Frisee Peach Salad

EAT REAL FESTIVAL – August 28-30

Street food in the Bay Area is exploding this past year and we’ve had a few recent events to commemorate, none bigger than Oakland’s Eat Real Fest. Much has been written about the event this week, but I’ll just share a few highlights via photo. It was a dance of taste from one vendor to another, with nary a line on Saturday until around 2pm when some lines reached unbearable status in the heat. Thankfully, I arrived at 11am and savored three hours of feasting on $5 or less items, a fantastic beer selection on tap, and a welcome sneak peek of  Harvest Hall, the massive market launching in Jack London Square. Hopefully, this will become a tradition.

Seoul on Wheels' fabulous Spicy Pork Taco ($3) - maybe the best taste of the day (http://twitter.com/SeoulOnWheels)

Tried most of Davis' Aisu Pops (http://www.fruitmeetsfun.com) - Thai Tea/Sweet Potato is tops, with Kaffir Lime Avocado a close 2nd

Jon's Street Eats $5 (http://twitter.com/Jonsstreeteats) Heirloom Tomatoes w/ Buffalo Mozzarella

Jon's Street Eats "Secret Menu" Mint Cocoa Nib Ice Cream ($3)

Zella's Souful Kitchen $5 BBQ Chicken Sandwich (www.zellassoulfulkitchen.com)

SF Pie Truck's $3 Steak & Gruyere Pie (http://twitter.com/thepietruck)

Ritual's roving coffee cart

Jim 'N Nick's Bar-B-Q from Arkansas (http://www.jimnnicks.com) - Hot Link w/ Pimento Cheese & Serrano Peppers ($5)

SF CHEFS.FOOD.WINE. – August 6-9

Chef/DJ/Top Chef Master Extraordinaire, Hubert Keller DJing at Saturday night's Urban BBQ

SF Chefs.Food.Wine was nothing short of blissful weekend of  eating, drinking and connecting with passionate foodies, industry folk, chefs, bartenders and vineyards… all from the Bay Area.

The first urban food & wine “classic”, as it were, happened right under tents in Union Square, with classes, tastings and sessions at nearby restaurants, and a three night roster of gala dinners, awards ceremonies and parties. I wish I could have gone to every single one, but I will tell you now, mark you calendar for next August and plan to splurge on one day, one evening event, anything. If there is one food and drink event I’ve found worth the price, paced well, allowing for face time with chefs, wine owners and bartenders, with more amazing tastes than you have room to try, and one big party, it’s this one.

Watch my Bay Guardian Appetite column for more… I enjoyed three events of the weekend. Here’s a snapshot in photos, by my husband, Daniel Stumpf, for Saturday Night’s Urban BBQ.

Friday’s Grand Tasting

Mountains of artisanal breads & the Golden Gate Bridge in bread form

Union Square transformed into the Grand Tasting Tent

Chris Cosentino & Jamie Lauren's friendly cook-off competition - MC Michael Chiarello looks on

Illustrious judges Hubert Keller, Tyler Florence, Sara Moulton, Jessica Battilana

Chiarello samples Cosentino's corn cocktail

Saturday Night’s Urban BBQ

Entrance to the tents... magic awaits within

Artists painting live during the evening

Neyah White's brilliant build-your-own cocktail bar with his housemade bitters, exotic sugars and spirits

Scott Beattie & Lou Bustamante mix Beattie's gorgeous Autumn Apple cocktail

Watermelon granita with tuna

Martin Cate mixes a classic Nui Nui & a sneak Smuggler's Cove preview, The Dead Reckoning

Chocolate Whiskey Alaska for dessert from Absinthe's Luis Villavelazquez

15 Romolo's Aaron Gregory & Jared Anderson serve Smokin' Bols (Bols Genever, Benesin Mezcal, Cascadian Amarillo hops, mint, lime, simple syrup)

Chef DJ Hubert Keller rocks the crowd

Silver Moon's Mojito Ice Sorbet drizzled with rum & lime essence

Dancin' to Hubert Keller's turntable tunes

8/8 Chocolate Enchantment After Party

Supperclub’s Uber Dinner II

Here’s a mini-photo peek from photos I took a Supperclub’s crazy, memorable Uber Dinner II with Jamie Lauren (Top Chef, Absinthe) and Jennie Lorenzo (Fifth Floor) as guest chefs preparing a four course meal paired with a Supperclub show. Read Top Tastes for favorite taste of the night or my Bay Guardian “Appetite” summary of the evening. Though guest chefs haven’t been announced yet, the next Uber Dinner III is September 14.

Guest Hubert Keller and Chef-for-the-evening, Jamie Lauren (this photo courtesy of Hollenbeck Associates)

Amuse Bouche from Guus Wickenhagen (Supperclub chef): Lobster w/ Coconut & Vanilla Mousse

Poetic acrobatics

Jamie Lauren's Chilled Brentwood Corn Puree w/ pickled chili oil & mint

Sparkling Blue Bunny

Jennie Lorenzo's Hamachi w/ English peas, golden beets, charred green garlic w/ citrus essence

Jamie Lauren watches the Blue Bunny

Wickenhagen's Herb Oil Confit Veal Loin w/ crispy sweetbreads, fava bean puree, perigord truffle jus

Pussycat!

GOOD EVENING THURSDAYS
Bruno’s
2389 Mission Street at 20th Street
415-643-5200
Reservations: goodeveningthursday@gmail.com

I couldn’t let much time go by without telling you about Good Evening Thursdays. Similar to a Mission St. Food scenario, this is a skilled team from various restaurant backgrounds creating a weekly changing menu in a unique space… but unlike other experimental meal “events”, this one has Rat Pack-chic with a touch of sassy sex appeal (read on!)

The short-but-sweet menu on debut night satisfied: Filet Mignon with bone marrow ($22), Oysters Rockefeller ($12), Chop Salad ($9), Burger & Fries ($15), even Prime Rib for two ($40), are served in Bruno’s intriguing upstairs room. If I had to name a stand-out, it probably was the tender, bleeding-rare filet with fine pairing of bone marrow and glazed carrots.

On their debut night, May 7th (reservations-only, thankfully, so no waits), I walked up the leopard-carpeted stairs for my 8:30 reservation (8pm until 2am – we’re big city folk now!) into a room that evoked Betty Page sexy and the spirit of a Parisian, speakeasy club.

Yes, he's watching you!

A cheesy, creepy cat hangs over the proceedings, near a little bar, while “Pussycat” illumines the wall in giant ’60′s lettering, a little Bardot/Gainsbourg, a little Austin Powers. Despite campy touches, the intimate space, with corner nooks, maintains its class. That is, until you get to the gold pole in the middle of the room. I don’t want to make any assumptions about its purpose, but let’s just say if you sip too many martinis or want to show off for your date, it could be a little too tempting to make use of it.

With a delightful team of waiters in vintage suits, the ’60′s French aspect marries Sinatra/Martin/Davis/Bishop/Lawrence attitude.  I felt like I could be in a Vegas mobsters’ club or private restaurant in old New York with the other ‘swells’, sipping martinis and slurping oysters. A perfect excuse to dress up and put on your best heels (any excuse is a good one for me!)

Though I’d miss the exclusive fun upstairs, I look forward next time to staying downstairs in the bar where those sans reservation also get a Thursday night-only menu with options like Let’s Be Frank Hot Dogs on an Acme Bun ($9) with choice of beef chili & onions or kimchi relish & bacon mayo. If hot dogs aren’t your scene, how about Marin Sun Farms Pork Bahn Mi ($9) or Mary’s Chicken Wings ($9) with Blood Orange and chili sauce? You can stick with Kennebec Fries ($6) or Pork Rilettes ($7), too. It’s glorified bar food, to be sure.

An inviting corner table

It can’t be a secret for long, but being there on debut night, it sure felt like one. Albeit, the kind of “secret” where Alice Waters is at the table next to you (shhhh, you didn’t hear that from me…)

Chefs and partners include Chris Kronner of Serpentine and Slow Club, and Sam White of Chez Panisse and Open Restaurant, plus Christa Manolo of Beretta making cocktails. This crew is onto something unique, memorable and altogether one-of-a-kind. Good Evening Thursdays, indeed.

My favorite events this month…

the pig's head

MEATPAPER’S PIG PARTY at Camino

The setting couldn’t be more ideal for a pig party: wood floors, beams and chandeliers, long tables, and a roaring hearth fire with counter big enough to hold a massive pig and all array of homemade sausages, pig tails and terrines. It felt akin to a rustic, British home where we’d come for a heartwarming feast.

Celebrating the Spring issue (pig-focused, natch) of Meatpaper, the definitive meat magazine, the food/drink spread is well worth the $35 fee, though good luck snagging a table and making your way through a body-to-body crowd in the sold out event. I hate things that packed, but the vibe was convivial and Camino’s staff stayed upbeat throughout, even when descended upon coming out of the kitchen carrying Ryan Farr’s gourmet Corn Dogs with mustard sauce (I guiltily admit to being a descender).

Camino’s patient bar staff made a couple house cocktails using sponsors, like Leopold Brothers gin and St. Barths‘ Batiste Rum, while wines (from Pacific Edge), beers (Trumer Pils) and a mild hibiscus juice flowed.

Russell Moore's sausages

Leif Hedendal created some gorgeous vegetarian offerings in the midst of all the pig, like a bright Snap Pea/Blood Orange salad, Potato Salad and one of my tops, a bright Pea & Mint Crostini. Fatted Calf’s Taylor Boetticher cooked juicy, grilled Crepinettes with Becker Lane Organic Pork wrapped in. His Pork Terrine with spicy mustard on toast was nuanced. Staffan Terje of Perbacco laid out charcuterie, but better was his one-of-a-kind Bacon Marshmallows. Camino’s chef, Russell Moore, made Green Garlic & Herb Sausages (using Prather Ranch pork), and Ryan Farr’s famous Chicharrones were piled in bowls around the room. Smart move. No one could stop eating them.

With quarterly release parties for each issue of the magazine (check their website), there will be more chances to indulge in such a feast. But back at the party, butchery of the hog commenced, its head sitting proudly on the counter, overseeing the festivities.

St. George/Hangar One's hangar

MINISTRY OF RUM at St. George Distillery/ Hanger One in Alameda

Ministry of Rum… what is that, friends asked? Some cool ministry of spiritual significance, roping in followers with fine rum? Well, that’s not too far from the truth. An event focused on education in cane spirits, specifically rums and cachaças, in the massive airplane hanger of incomparable St. George Distillery, Ministry of Rum tours the country, its focus on “the noble spirit”. Mainly attended by spirits cognoscenti, it was one fine taste after another through the bustling hangar. Thanks to a well-paced crowd, I could talk reasonably with and hear from vendors about their rums, sampling different ages and styles. I heard stories of distilling processes, or in the case of delightful Sergeant Dave Classick himself, of his family who are all involved in running their distillery – his daughter and son poured tastes and mixed cocktails as we chatted.

Ministry of Rum vendors

Despite a number of highlights (El Dorado distills some beauties), I was pleased, as a Bourbon lover (who hasn’t yet met a spirit she didn’t find some good qualities to), to discover a number of sipping rums that would stand beautifully alone, paired with a fine cigar (as the Renaissance Man continued to point out). My tops at first sip: Zacapa’s rum, aged in bourbon, sherry and wine barrels, each barrel imparting another layer to the nuanced rum grown from Guatemalan sugar cane. The color of rich mahogany, it’s dense with woody, vanilla and spiced notes. Another favorite was Mount Gay’s Extra Old Rum from Barbados, one of the oldest rum distillers in existence since 1703. Aged 17 years in toasted oak barrels, it’s smoky but smooth with notes of molasses and oak on the nose.

A major perk of the evening was having some of SF’s best mixologists serving drinks made from each vendor’s rum. The line-up was stellar and they were often educating on the rums they were working with: Martin Cate, Erik Adkins, Brooke Arthur, Thad Vogler, Duggan McDonnell, Marco Dionysos, and so on. Reason enough to go, but all in all, a richly informative night… and sensory delight, the lights of San Fran twinkling in the distance. All this in an airplane hangar.

LA COCINA OPEN HOUSE

La Cocina is a neighborhood food endeavor you should know about. Located on a residential Mission block of Folsom (between 25th and 26th), it’s a non-descript building housing over twenty young food businesses in our fair city from gourmet catering to specialty food products to farmers market ventures. They have a lovely commercial kitchen space and offer technical assistance to low-income entrepreneurs as they launch, market and formalize their business. What a friendly, delightful staff they have and a vision that excites me.

On September 12, I went to an afternoon industry-only Open House at La Cocina (which was followed by a public event that evening). A few of the vendors I already knew and tasted (like Kika’s Treats or Sabores del Sur’s alfajores), but many I discovered, delightedly so, for the first time. Best of all, I got to talk to many of the entrepreneurs, mostly women, about what inspired them to start their businesses or the vision behind their excellent foods.

I want to recommend a few of my favorites, so you can check them out, too. I can honestly say there was not a bad one in the house – I was impressed at the consistent quality and taste of every vendor, so it’s tough to narrow it down. Some don’t have websites so read about them on La Cocina’s (which links to sites if they exist) for contact info and where you might find the products.

DRINK

Hangar One

It helped to have Hangar One/St. George Spirits on hand to wash down all those tastes with little shots of vodkas, whiskeys and Eau di Vies. After a recent tour of their distillery, I have a fuller appreciation for the craft alcohol they make. Crispin’s Rose Liqueur is a fascinating, hand-distilled, fresh rose petal liqueur I tasted at this event with a subtle rose flavor to compliment the apple and honey tones (www.greenwaydistillers.com).

SAVORY

Oh, those pepitas! Botanas Felicitas (email; 415-574-1449) roasts Mexico City botanas (snacks) like pumpkin seeds (pepitas), peanuts and chicharrones to perfection. The Pepitas Con Chile (spicy) or Con Limon Y Sal (with lime and salt) make perfect movie-watching snacks.

El Buen Comer is a family owned business that cooks homemade Mexican guisados, mole sauce and chilaquiles at my neighborhood Noe Valley Farmer’s Market on Saturdays (8am-2pm). Yum!

El Golazo – Hearty homemade pupusas.

SWEET

Sabores del Sur

The aforementioned Sabores del Sur (“Flavors of the South”) is a catering company that makes sinfully decadent Alfajores (classic South American shortbread cookie sandwiches layered with caramel-ly dulce de leche, dusted with powdered sugar). I can’t get enough! You can buy them at the La Cocina booth at the Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market or in places like Canyon Market on Diamond.

Billie Grant makes truly Sinful Sweets, individually packaged brownie-cookie-cake type desserts, my favorite being “Gabrielle’s Delight”, a pecan pie/buttery shortbread-like brownie. Richly satisfying.

Kika’s Treats you’ll see more readily around town in popular shops like Bi-Rite. Their artisanal shortbreads, graham crackers and honey cakes are dipped in dark chocolate. I have to say, I love ALL five of their products, but am especially fond of the Espresso Cardamom Shortbread in Dark Chocolate.

Di Tullio’s is a Cal-Italian family business making Neopolitan foods, including a White Chocolate/Candied Orange Peel Biscotti and Pastiera Napoletana, a signature Naples’ dessert: creamy ricotta cheese cake with the texture of cooked wheat berries? Sign me up!

And maybe my favorite of all…

Neo Cocoa

Neo Cocoa – These handcrafted, “unshelled” chocolate truffles are some of the best I’ve tasted. The chocolate is dark, rich, aromatic and the flavor combinations in perfect balance: Mocha Cinnamon or Toasted Coconut (wow!) I can’t wait to try Key Lime and Roasted Peanut Butter.