MARIN

Tavern at Lark Creek’s new Biergarten, Larkspur

Think towering redwoods, smoky aromas of sausages, onions and peppers wafting from a grill, German beers on tap from a cooler, and a darling oompah band of elderly gentleman playing with spunk and skill. Enter the just-launched this week Biergarten at The Tavern at Lark Creek. For a short jaunt from the city to Larkspur, it feels worlds away.

I arrived the inaugural Sunday, 8/21, to sunny, fresh air and the knowing shade of those gorgeous redwoods that flank the Tavern (more a classic yellow and white house than tavern). The Biergarten will run every Sunday through October 30 (2–5:30pm) outside the restaurant. It evokes Munich beer garden days but with a decidedly California spirit from towering redwoods and elevated beerhaus food.

Chef Aaron Wright grills up smoked beer or chicken apple sausages and garlic bratwurst, juicy and savory, accompanied with grilled onions, peppers and two types of mustard. House-made pretzels come generously dusted with sea salt, or German potato salad helps in soaking up pints of Spaten’s Pilsner and Dark Optimator. Food operates with a ticket system (1-2 tickets, at $5 each, per dish or beer).

When the oompah band raised their steins with rowdy joy, I raised mine, feeling time stop if for a moment, aware of the simple joys of taste, smell, music, camaraderie and nature on a Sunday afternoon.

El Paseo, Mill Valley

Tyler Florence and Sammy Hagar’s (yes, of Van Halen) rebirth of El Paseo, the historic, brick-lined labyrinth of a space tucked off an alley in Mill Valley since 1947, has been going strong since March. And if you’ve tried, you know it’s mighty difficult to get a reservation. I have found, however, on a weeknight or Sunday, that slipping into the bar around 7:30pm affords me one of its two cozy tables, while seats at the bar tend to open up pretty regularly.

Despite the fact that I can vouch for the quality of food coming out of the kitchen, the number one reason to go is still that magical space. The enchantment of candlit, brick-walled walkways opening up into one dim, romantic dining room after another, evokes a subterranean wine cellar feel.

Even the font used for the restaurant name (on plates, knives, menus) harkens to the past, while the straightforward American chophouse menu confirms the old school vibe.

Though nothing here has been revolutionary, an heirloom salad ($15) loaded with yellow and red tomatoes, crispy croutons and thick mozzarella, is fresh, if a little salty, and more artful than expected. A a side of creamed corn ($8) is pretty much Summer goodness encapsulated.

Steaks ($26-29 or $60-90 for two) are juicy, dry-aged (for 38 days) California Holsteins (some come wrapped in bacon). Cravings for beef are satiated. As they are with the Béarnaise burger ($16): medium rare, its tenderness melts between toasted brioche, dripping with caramelized cioppolini onions and Nueske’s bacon.

There’s a worthy wine list, yes, but the one thing missing is a fine Scotch or bourbon/rye cocktail.

All in all, I’d come return again for more meaty, candlit enchantment.

Early Favorites at new Union Square Tavern

Jasper’s Corner Tap and Kitchen, Downtown/Union Square  (401 Taylor at O’Farrell, 415-775-7979)

You heard it in my Guardian column a couple weeks ago: Jasper’s Corner Tap & Kitchen is going to be a drink destination, no doubt about it. Pair its all-star bartender line-up and impeccable cocktail menu with 18 beers on draft (like Telegraph Reserve Wheat from Santa Barbara), a fine wine list with playful categories like “Flower Power” and “We’ve Got the Funk”, satisfying bar food, (eventually) open-all-day hours – and plunk the whole thing down next to Union Square, a perfect tavern space for your downtown rendezvous? The set-up is already screaming hit.

If a sneak taste before opening is any indication, it’s the type of place to bring friends for casual comfort food – house-made sausages, fish and chips, and lamb shepherd’s pie — with well-crafted yet un-fussy cocktails or craft beers in a space that manages to be industrial and warm at the same time.

Bar service bodes well with a  talented staff that includes not only Kevin Diedrich (formerly of Burritt Room and NYC’s PDT), but also Brian MacGregor (Jardiniere), Francis Kelly (Ponzu, Presidio Social Club), and Allison Webber (Portland’s Irving Street Kitchen and The Gilt Club).

As bar manager Kevin Diedrich told me, the menu is meant to be “approachable and not too geeky,” yet in signature Diedrich style, perfectly balanced and nuanced (for a delicious example of Diedrich balance, try his Soda Jerk, in which blanco tequila and Campari get tart with hits of lime and passion fruit, then fizzy and gently sweet with cream soda and egg white).

Upping the game, Jasper’s will be the first known bar to have Bols Genever on draft! Starting next week, get your fill of a beloved Dutch spirit, flowing fresh and lush. Stay tuned for future unusual draft and barrel-aged offerings.

Enjoying Adam bar bites (Berkshire pork riblettes, anyone?), I tasted through a wide range of the cocktail menu.

With playful descriptions under each drink and plenty of house bitters and syrups, it satisfies the cocktail aficionado but, as Diedrich mentions, keeps bartenders and customers happy by not being painstaking or pretentious. Some drinks only have a handful of ingredients, others require a simple mix and stir and they’re ready. Elegant but straightforward.

With location, talent and hip casualness on its side, I can bet this will be destination for locals and tourists downtown.

** Cocktail recipes are Kevin Diedrich’s unless otherwise noted.

SF BEER WEEK

This year’s SF Beer Week was the biggest yet. February 11th’s Opening Gala was mobbed even at VIP hour (big increase from last year), while tastes of new releases like Russian River’s Pliny the Younger, ran out in mere minutes. It’s hard to appreciate the over-crowding, but at least there’s a week full of events to spread things out. Maybe next year the Opening Gala entrance process will be better organized or held in a larger space?

Anchor Brewing Co. - At a private release party at Anchor Steam Brewery, their brand new Brekle’s Brown Ale flowed. An all-malt, single-hop brown ale named after Gottlieb Brekle, Anchor’s distiller from 1871-1888, this just released ale celebrates Anchor’s 140th anniversary. It is only available via draught currently and is one of the better brown ales I’ve tasted, malty-rich without being heavy.

Social Kitchen & Brewery - Since Social Kitchen opened last year, these two experimental brews poured at the Opening Gala are the best I’ve had from them thus far: White Thai Affair (9.5% ABV), an imperial Rapscallion, bright and earthy with galangal and lemongrass; and The Big Lebowski White Prussian (9.0% ABV), a fun film nod with surprisingly bold espresso punch (using Bicycle Coffee Roasters). Bonus points for Humphry Slocombe’s use of Social‘s Big Muddy Weizenbock in an ice cream flavor during Beer Week, redolent of banana and clove.

Speakeasy – Though I like the bold surprise of Social Kitchen‘s coffee beer (see above), Speakeasy pours a smoother, gently sweet coffee beer, Ritual Payback Porter, made with, of course, Ritual Coffee.

Devil’s Canyon Root Beer – Just like last year, Devil’s Canyon awesome Root Beer remains my favorite root beer ever. Small batch and organic, its touch of sweet comes from organic cane sugar, agave nectar and California honey. Rich, rooty, refreshing.

Napa Smith Brewery Barleywine – Napa Smith served a rare, event-only barleywine that surpassed other barleywines I sampled at the Opening Gala with complexity and a memorable finish.

15 ROMOLO, North Beach – 15 Romolo‘s Jared Anderson created my favorite SF Beer Week cocktail – and it’s not easy for beer cocktails to keep up. His C.F.K. (initials of Mr. Charles Foster Kane, Citizen Kane himself) is a delicate glass of St. George’s single malt with Firestone’s Velvet Merlin Oatmeal Stout. Nuance comes with Averna and Art in the Age’s gingersnap liqueur, Snap. Rounded out with a bit of coconut cream and cacao nib tincture, it’s an unusual, dessert-like beauty that’s not too sweet.

WINE

GAMBERO ROSSO – TRE BICCHIERI, February 16
Out on the Bay at Fort Mason, this massive, annual tasting of all wines Italian took place. Gambero Rosso’s Tre Bicchieri is only held in three US cities annually: SF, NY, Chicago. Consistent with my love of Italian wines, particularly from multiple trips to my favorite of countries, Italy, there were many highlights – here are a few:

1. 2008 Andriano Movado Gewurztraminer, Alto Adige – floral, with notes of lychee and bananas, full-bodied
2. 2006 Colli di Luni Niccolo V – peppery, dry (also like their wild flower-redolent ’09 Vermentino)
3. Pietracupa 2009 Greco di Tufo – earthy, dry
4. Capichera 2006 Mantenghja – full, complex, from Southern Sardinian grapes

PERSIAN PUB GRUB at ZARE at FLY TRAP – 6/3-5

www.zareflytrap.com

It is a joy when our city’s food/drink greats team up to form something unique. Such was Zare at Fly Trap’s three nights of Persian Pub Grub, as envisioned by Zare’s chef/owner, Hoss Zare, and Monk’s Kettle’s Sayre Piotrkowski and Ryan Corbett.

The exuberant, hospitable Hoss created a menu lovingly melding traditional elements of his home country of Iran with creative expressions. Though Hoss admits that “Pub Grub doesn’t really exist in Iran” (nor would the alcohol pairings), he dreams up a Persian dinner as it might look in a modern, hypothetical Iranian Gastropub. Each course was happily far from typical, and most were downright heartwarming. My two favorites ended up being Caspian Seafood Stew, a smoky, saffron-heavy broth (enhanced by black garlic aioli and sour, pickled grapes) loaded with plump calamari, octopus, mussels and smoked sturgeon with a dollop of caviar. The other? A brilliant take on traditional Ghormeh Sabzi, an Iranian herb stew and national dish, one Hoss says would win your sweetheart’s affection if you perfect in Iran. This Persian Chili was redolent of herbs, paprika, harissa, and a spicy, crumbled lamb sausage mixed with organic kidney beans. I could not get enough.

Certified Cicerone, Piotrkowski, and his equally passionate-about-beer co-worker, Corbett, paired a stellar list of beers with Hoss‘ food, facing off directly with wine pairings from Zare’s Wine Director, Mario Nocifera. At two convivial communal tables, we debated which paired best with any given course, and I can honestly say there no afterthoughts on either side. But the final score? In my book, it’s two for two. 

My two favorite wines were the impressively elegant, layered acidity of Niepoort Codega’s 2006 “Tiara” white from Branco, Portugal, and an earthy, dark berry/pepper, mineral, but balanced, 2008 Borsao Garnacha, “Tres Picos”, from Campo de Borja, Spain (quite a value at $14.99 a bottle at K&L ).

On the beer front, though I was delighted to see Hitachino’s “XH” and Midas Touch for dessert, I was blown away by grapefruit brightness in Stone Brewing Co.’s dark, bitter Sublimely Self-Righteous, and the Belgian-style, caramel-y but bone dry Goose Island “Pere Jacques”.

Hoss has hosted other special Persian dinners and I hope will throw plenty more. Bookmark their website’s event page to be prepared for the next one. Or go for dinner or lunch to sample Hoss‘ heartwarming cooking paired with Reza Esmali’s Middle Eastern-influenced cocktail menu (there’s a classic cocktail list, too) or Nocifera‘s wine list. Monk’s Kettle is thankfully always ready to pour one of these fine or other equally exciting, and often, rare, beers.

Here is the Persian Pub Grub menu ($75 per person, including all pairings):

Sumac Couscous Salad with Dungeness Crab

Victory, “Prima” Pilsner, US| Yarden, Brut Traditional, Galilee Israel

Caspian Seafood Stew with Mussels, Cod, Sturgeon and Black Garlic aioli

Hitachino “XH” Ibaraki Japan | Niepoort Codega “Tiara”, Blanco, Portugal

Chicken Wings “Fessenjoon” with Pomegranate Walnut Sauce

Stone, “Sublimely self-righteous” Ale, US | Coroa Godello, Valdeorras, Spain

Persian Chili “Ghormeh Sabzi” with Spicy Lamb Sausage

Goose Island, “Pere Jacques” Belgian Style Ale, US | Borsao Garnacha “Tres Picos”, Campo de Borja, Spain

“Faloodeh” Lime Sorbet with Rice Noodles and Pistachios

Dog Fish Head, “Midas Touch” Ancient Ale, Milton US

SOCIAL KITCHEN & BREWERY, Inner Sunset

Social Kitchen & Brewery – This brand new brewery opened at the beginning of May in the Inner Sunset, adding a welcome member to the small but mighty collection of local brewers. The beers were created by Rich Higgins, President of the SF Brewers Guild and a certified cicerone.

Watch out: opening week alone brought out what felt like the entire Sunset (a strong sign that this kind of place is highly desired), with people piled out onto the sidewalk waiting for tables (no reservations). A raucous din engulfs the modern, cavernous space. I recommend a table upstairs situated next to the brewing tanks, where the noise is not as overwhelming, and there’s a front row view over the bar.

And then, the beers ($3-5 a glass, in small and large sizes): a light Social Kolsch sports a bright lemon tart, with grassy, white pepper notes. Upon first visit, I liked the Rapscallion best, a Belgian-style golden ale with ginger, fig, pepper notes, and a bitter finish that mellows, evolving with food. I enjoyed L’Enfant Terrible, Belgian-style dark ale, rich and redolent of chocolate, but dry and crisp, unusual for this style of beer.

On the food tip, what could have gone better with beer than beer-battered Sweet Potato Tempura ($4 – more like breaded fries), with apple malt vinegar? The vinegar’s tart enlivened comforting sweet potato. Classic Buffalo Chicken Wings ($6) with celery and Maytag blue cheese sauce also took on the beers with success. The refreshing Kolsch is ideal when the intense heat of the Buffalo sauce kicks in. Salads, like the piquant Beer Lover’s Salad ($7) – strawberry, jicama, apple, and greens, in a toasted malt, apple-Kolsch vinaigrette – are small but fresh.

Next time (and once it’s open all day for mellower mid-afternoon lunches), I want to try their burger and rock cod sandwich. But I didn’t need anything else after sharing entrees with friends (out of five on the menu, priced $14-17).

Braised Beef Short Rib ($15) is tender under a flaky puff pastry, but came off a bit dry without much jus voer the beef and veggies. Still, the overall effect is heartwarming.  Rocky Jr. Chicken Breast ($15) is juicy in a ‘cannot fail’ caramelized onion/raisin/Altbier sauce, though I could have used a lot more of the delicious Anson Mills cheese grits the chicken sat atop of.  My table’s favorite was Sonoma Liberty Duck Breast ($17): seared, pinkish, over sweet potato duck confit hash (they had me there), with kumquats and blackberries, in L’Enfant Terrible beer jus.

There are kinks to work out and being one who doesn’t believe in long waits and concert-like chaos to eat, I prefer to return during “off” hours… at least for now, while it’s the hottest thing to hit Inner Sunset.

4/7 La Chouffe Beer Dinner at Monk’s Kettle

The last beer dinner I attended at Monk’s Kettle was a media-only event showcasing Sam Adams’ Utopias (and then some), but this is a regular series at Monk’s: five course, beer-paired feasts paired with either the brewmaster or a rep from the featured distillery walking you through each beer. The next one is May 5th with none other than Allagash Brewing and its founder, Rob Tod. Make your reservations now as they’ll be gone quickly.

These dinners are pricey, $95 per person (usually for five courses and six beers), especially compared to other multi-course feasts around town, but they’re unique. Pairings are extremely thought out on the part of the experts at Monk’s, including Exec Chef, Kevin Kroger, while direct interaction with and stories from brewery founders is a rare treat.

I attended the Brassiere d’Achouffe Beer Dinner on April 7 with a Duvel rep (a Belgium native herself) walking us through mostly La Chouffe beers, plus a couple other Duvel products: an aperitif of Duvel Green and dessert finish of Ommegang’s Three Philosophers (Ommegang was bought by Duvel in 2005).

The tiny pub was packed with other beer aficionados and by the end of a nearly four hour dinner, was pleasantly rowdy. If I thought my stomach could handle another decadent meal like this (and even if it couldn’t), I’m tempted to join the Allagash dinner… get on their email list for news of surprise guest breweries at upcoming beer dinners.

Top Tastes in DRINK

I'm excited to return to Oakland's new Era Art Bar & Lounge (www.oaklandera.com) - a photo from my sneak peek pre-opening

Here’s two brand new openings I’d recommend for sipping a glass of vino:

• Brave 6th Street and duck into Passion Cafe, a spacious French bistro with rooftop garden and multi-room space so cool, it’s a pleasure to linger over a glass.

• I’ve been a big fan of Kitchenette’s fabulous food since they opened… so it’s an easy win to be able to get it in greater variety at the Mission’s new wine bar, Heart. A crisp, minimalist space and startling photography set the tone for the playfulness that awaits when French wines are served in Mason jars (with these kind of tasting descriptions: “Like licking a skeleton with a pineapple in your mouth.”)

WINE

• At the dream of a pig feast that is Oliveto‘s Whole Hog Dinners, I couldn’t decide which wine I loved best with all that pig… each one cut the fat beautifully, never overpowered, but stood its ground. There’s the refreshing acidity of an ’06 Garlider Sylvaner from Alto Adige. Two more Italian beauties on the red side: 2005 Grifalco Aglianico del Vulture (dark red cherry and herbal notes) or the subtle plum and earthiness of a ’05 Valmaggione Nebbiolo d’Alba. I finished fine with a ’07 Cuvee Classique Domaine Monpertuis Chateaneuf-du-Pape: 70% Grenache, layered with dark fruit, dried herbs, spice, even leather notes.

• Bagrationi Sparkling Brut is from Georgia… a tiny country situated on the edge of Eastern Europe and Western Asia (next to Albania). For a reasonable $13.99, it’s a good value, from hand-picked grapes, refreshing, with light citrus and honeydew notes.

BEER

A few of my favorites from SF Beer Week’s Opening Gala at Yerba Buena:

• My love for spirits first and foremost clearly plays into my top taste from Beer Week: Abacus, a bourbon barrel-aged barleywine (13% ABV) that has aroma and tastes of bourbon (caramel, vanilla, oak). Thank you, Paso Robles’ Firestone Walker. They also deliver a bright Union Jack IPA, but it’s Abacus that wowed me. I’m not alone – demand for this barelywine has been such that they are purported to finally bottle it for the first time later this year.

•  Devil’s Canyon makes some fine beers, but its their awesome Root Beer I fell madly in love with. Small batch and organic, its touch of sweet comes from organic cane sugar, agave nectar and California honey. Rich, rooty, refreshing.

•  Linden Street Brewery‘s owner, Adam Lamoreaux, is such a cool guy and one man show at Oakland’s newest brewery, making “Old California style” lagers like a roasty, dark Burning Oak Lager.

•  Schmaltz Brewing Company – I was quite impressed with the fine taste of Albino Python, a white lager brewed with orange peel, ginger, fennel. My other fave is Jewbelation Bar Mitzvah, their 13th anniversary ale brewed with 13 malts, hops and 13% alcohol. These guys are doing it right.

•  North Coast Brewing Co.’s Brother Thelonious Belgian-style abbey ale is robust and memorable (9.3% ABV). It doesn’t hurt that jazz genius Monk himself is the mascot.

SPIRITS

•  Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey- Far from a traditional whiskey, the unusual taste of Stranahan’s intrigued my palate with smooth wood and a range of tastes from caramel and spice to tobacco and leather. Here’s Malt Advocate’s publisher, John Hansell’s, great review.

• You’ll rarely see me go for flavored rums, vodkas (or vodka in general), etc… John Meisler, Don Q’s ambassador, gave quite the rum education and tasting on 2/2 at Yoshi’s for an industry event. Somewhere in the middle of side-by-side tastings of Don Q next to popular rums (of which I won’t name names) which lacked the flavor of Don Q (from Gold to a Grand Anejo), I kept burying my nose in a glass of Don Q CoCo, a rum flavored with natural coconut oils. I’d never order it but the fresh scent of coconut oil transported me immediately to some island beach, relaxed and tan, far from my seat on a Winter afternoon.

SAKE

• The Mission’s new izakaya extraordinaire, Nombe, has an admirable selection of sakes, including flights to further your education. Out of a $15 Akita flight, the two that stood out the most were an acidic but balanced Manabito Kimoto Junmai Ginjo and elegant, chilled Akitabare Koshiki Junzukuri.