SVEDKA Bar Crawl in the Marina Recap

Last Wednesday, I received an invitation to attend the SVEDKA Summer Crawl in SF’s Marina district hosted by Gilt City. 4 bars. 4 bites.

SVEDKA is a vodka brand from Sweden. You probably have noticed their ads with the sexy robot. Uh-huh. Have I ever mentioned that I love vodka? I really do, so this was going to be fun.

I seldom come to the Marina. Though it is only a 5 minute drive from work, it’s the opposite direction of home. That only made this excursion to the Marina a little more interesting. I have to admit that I am very unfamiliar with this area as I have dined more on Chestnut Street. Union Street is another story. I immediately fell in like with it. Love? Not yet.

Come on. This was only our first date!


Our Entry Passes - Note the Sexy Robot
My Cousin Star and I started at OSHA Thai where we were given our passes. It was a great idea where you just unclip the pass to the designated bar and hand it to the bartender. Each pass was a different color which also indicated what type of vodka the bar was going to use.

Stop 1 - OSHA Thai on Union


The “Lady Gaga” at OSHA Thai
SVEDKA Raspberry, Fresh Lemon, Triple Sec, Drop of Chambord
Great, fun cocktail especially with the sugar-rimmed glass. Star and I are major Gaga fans, so you can say we were tickled by this one. We have both been to OSHA in the past, but never had happy hour there. That’s going to change.


Veggie Roll, Mango Prawns, and Wasabi Beef Roll at OSHA Thai
Each plate of food for each guest was gorgeous with the purple orchid and the details with each bite. My favorite was definitely the prawn. It was lightly battered and fried. Went perfectly with the slightly tart mango.

Stop 2 - Cafe des Amis


Swede Cherry Spritz
SVEDKA Cherry, Peychaud’s Bitters, Lemon, Pineapple, Lemon-Lime Soda
Café des Amis was next and were excited to try some French fare. The drink was very light and easy to drink. Very nice. Let me say here that the room they hosted us in was absolutely gorgeous with the beautiful chandelier in the middle of it. Perfect for a private dinner. My favorite venue space out of the four right here.


Duck Rillettes & Chanterelles à la Grecque at Café des Amis
English? Well, Franglish…duck crostini with pickled chanterelle mushrooms and cornichons. The vinegar from the vegetables cut the richness of the duck. The only complaint is that I wish we could have had seconds.

Stop 3 - Perry's


Sparkling SVEDKA Pink Lemonade
SVEDKA Citron, Soda, Splash of Cranberry, Sweet & Sour, Triple Sec
This is a drink I can get in trouble with if I had enough. Had the flavors of the classic pink lemonade, but I knew there was something extra in there once my cheeks felt flushed.


Foreground is a Mini Ahi Tuna Taco and
Background is a Buffalo Tender Bite at Perry’s
What I liked is that we got seconds on all the bites here. The ahi tuna was seasoned well, though the chip was a little delicate. Ask my guest who dropped her’s. Poor Star. The buffalo bite was full of spicy flavor and nice tang from the blue cheese sauce.


Cheese Quesadilla Pinwheel at Perry’s
I would love to come back here to hang out during a Giants game. I can already tell the husband would love these quesadillas stuffed with cheese and vegetables.

Stop 4 - Unwind


Screwhound
SVEDKA Vodka, Fresh Orange Juice, Fresh Grapefruit
By this time in the crawl, I was getting full…and slightly buzzed. Good, classic drink. Would love this during brunch. What I noticed as I was going to freshen up in the CR was that they have a poppin' dining area in the back. It looked so festive with the holiday lights on the rafters. Gotta check it out one time!


Signature Thai Stick Spring Roll and the New American Skin at Unwind
I really really liked the potato here. Fluffy potato interior and the top is buttery and sprinkled with bacon and jalapeno. Delicious.

Thank you and Gilt City and Skirt PR for this fun evening in the Marina. What I really liked was that each location had representatives there to welcome you. I also enjoyed that you can move at your own pace. I have been to a few crawls where the whole group has to arrive and leave at the same time. This frustrated me especially when I didn’t like the place or if I did enjoy the place and wanted to stay longer. This is definitely something I would do again. For ticket-buying guests, the price was only $30! What a bargain. Normally a cocktail would go for $8-$10. Here you got 4 drinks and 4 sets of awesome bites to try. You get a taste of the Marina for very little money. Can’t beat that.

Union Street, when is our second date?

xoxo,
Jo

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Fifth Floor - There Are No Words...

Restaurant: Fifth Floor
Address: 12 4th Street at Market inside the Hotel Palomar, Downtown SF
Phone Number: (415) 348-1555
Cuisine: New American
Dining Companions: The Girls

I was a very bad food blogger when it came to this visit. I didn’t take any notes or take any pictures (what you’re going to see are photos my girlfriends took). I treated this meal as if I was not a food blogger…if that makes any sense. I just sat back and enjoyed my visit. I didn’t have any intention of doing a recap of the meal, but since Exec Chef Baz and “The Filipino Pastry Chef” were so nice to us, I had to share.


The girls I came with I have known since high school and j0lie, since the 4th grade. After years of not seeing each other, we realized we were all getting older and hey, why not reunite over dinner? Two weeks prior we went to Wayfare Tavern. On this night, the Fifth Floor. I had always wanted to come here, but since Chef Baz joined the desire became even stronger. Perfect timing. I experienced Chef's food for the first time when he was back at Chez Papa and it was simply fabulous. Couldn't wait.

Again, because I was a “bad blogger,” I didn’t take notes of the exact menu descriptions...so everything I am writing here is from memory. Like the experience I had at Benu a little while ago, I am not going to go dish by dish to say how “glorious” and “fantastic” each was. In truth, everything we had was amazing. I want you to go to the Fifth Floor and try it out yourself. With that said, here was our dinner (after the delicious champagne and amuse bouche Chef had sent over):


Hamachi Crudo with Cherries

Beets, Strawberry, and Mascarpone

Heirloom Cucumber Salad to the Left and Beets to the Right

Mendocino Uni Flan…Yes…

Brillat-Savarin Ravioli

Hot and Cold Foie Gras with Rhubarb

The Foie Gras. Chef Baz does it best!

Spring Pea Risotto with Bacon

j0lie’s Duck Breast

Popper’s Fallon Hills Ranch Spring Lamb with Couscous

Momma’s Salmon and Clams

My Squab

Rozzer’s New Bedford Diver Scallops

Bammer’s Dry Aged Steak

The biggest treat was having Chef Baz and The Filipino Pastry Chef
bring out our desserts. Yup, we got a flippin’ fireshow with dinner.
All the following desserts were made by Fifth Floor’s pastry chef Francis Ang.

Baked Alaska with Cassis Ice Cream

Strawberry Consommé

Chocolate Bomb

Rhum Baba with Pineapple

Beignets and Ice Cream

Mignardise

It was an awesome dinner to say the least. Chef Baz made sure he used only the freshest ingredients he was able to find at the local farmer’s market and doing so gave us incredible dishes that evoked color, flavor, and sexiness. I would come back just for the uni flan and the foie gras. Seriously.

Fifth Floor.

Try it.

You won’t be sorry.

xoxo,
Jo

PS: it sure was grand to be served by the “Hottest Chef in America.” ;-)
PPS: bad blogger.

SF Chefs 2011 - My -Delicious- Recap

Summertime in San Francisco means one thing:

SF CHEFS!

My food loving friends and I had a fantastic time at this year's festivities.  The moment I saw the big white tents go up in the heart of Union Square, I got so excited...to the point of giddiness.  Sick, I know.  That's what food does to people like me!

I was so overwhelmed with all the incredible chefs and food I ate that I fell into a deep food coma.  Looking back at all the pictures (about 300 of them) was traumatic.  Now I am okay to do a review.  I have finally recuperated.

- July 31, 2011 -

The first event I went to was the SF Chefs 2011 Cable Car Crawl. 

We were picked up at the Intercontinental Hotel in SOMA and then whisked away to three nearby restaurants to sample some delicious bites.


For those who have never been on a "crawl," consider it like a food "trip."  You are led to different restaurants and each one will have a dish ready for you to try.  Each stop we went to had their house specialty on deck as well as plenty of FIJI water provided by the sponsor as well as sips from the folks over at Justin Wines in Paso Robles.

I will be honest.  I was born and raised in San Francisco, but I have only ridden the cable car a handful of time.  It's nice to play tourist for a day!

Our first stop was Alexander's Steakhouse where we were treated to their Hamachi Shots.  The raw tuna was dressed with truffled ponzu, ginger, chilies, and avocado.  A nice glass of rose rounded out the experience.  I love rose. 

Roy's Hawaiian Fusion Restaurant was next.  I have a soft spot for Hawaiian cuisine.  Not only is it a lovely melange of Polynesian and Asian flavors, it's quite sexy.  The flavors in the meaty rib and lumpia took me to white sandy beaches and clear water.  The white wine only brought me there faster.

At Butterfly, we enjoyed our salmon strawberry rolls on their patio overlooking the bay.  To contrast the fruity flavors, we were also given kobe beef sliders - oozing with flavor and juiciness.  The deep red wine was nice and rich, pairing well with the beef. This is a great place for happy hour and the views are breathtaking.

Tres added a great spice to our itinerary.  We sat near the bar and loved the chips with the zesty salsas.  The salsa verde was amazing.  Also passed around were sopes - little savory tarts made with corn dough.  One was filled with chorizo and cheese and the other with corn and cheese.  The mango margarita which accompanied the little bites was STRONG!  Not that we were complaining.

Our last stop was Luce located in the InterContinental Hotel.  The Michelin-starred restaurant gave us two refreshing tastes - grape skewers topped with pistachio and a tasty hamachi bite.  The cocktail was a concoction of sparkling wine and fruit juice.




If you want to see it in action, just view the video above. Watch out for my back at 2:22 getting off the cable car and heading to Butterfly.  Yes!!  Loved how the wind flipped my hair!  I got legit backtime.  Look for Keat at 2:54 looking so lonesome at Tres.  Awww, poor thing.  Again see us at 3:15 as I reach for a drink at Luce.

- August 5, 2011 -

The next event we attended was the Friday Night After Party: Late Night Affair at The City Club.

Talk about FUN!  I don't remember too much about the food and drinks - honestly, we were too busy dancing and you will see why in a second.  We did like the little salad, cheese buffet, and sliders, but come on.  We were here to party.

The DJ was Chef Hubert Keller of Fleur de Lys and Burger Bar!  This man knows how to stir it up in the kitchen AND on the dancefloor!  I loved it!  The ballroom was absolutely gorgeous and everyone seemed to be having a great time.  Keat and I passed out in bed after dancing the night away.  Good times!

- August 7, 2012 - 

Okay, bad me.

I also attended the Top Chef Saturday Night Party the night before, but didn't take any pictures.  It was located in the Westin St. Francis and there was a great band and Top Chef alums walking everywhere from Chef Jenn Biesty to Chef Ryan Scott.

Great party!

Then fail #2 (aside from the lack of pictures), I woke up tired!  C'mon Jo!  Man up!

I did however get up and went to my morning class:  Wake Up Your Palate presented by Duggan of Cantina and H. of Elixir.

I adore these two men.

They were both so passionate about their drinks and so knowledgeable about the history and ingredients of the ones they made.  Because the class was in the morning, the theme of the class was "Breakfast Cocktails."  Perfect for me who party hardied the last few days. 


The first one that was brought out was a milk punch.  Milk and alcohol?  It totally works.  Hailing from New Orleans (or Nawlins), this drink can be made with either brandy or bourbon.  There is a hint of vanilla and sweetness which I loved.  Because I didn't taste the alcohol, this has the potential of being a dangerous drink.

What else do you have for breakfast?  Eggs!  Here, Duggan made us a traditional Pisco Sour which is a drink you can typically find in South America.  The frothy egg white dotted with Angostura bitters tops the tangy drink - here, he used a combination of lemon and lime.

What's brunch without a Bloody Mary?  H. from Elixir made his version using pickling juice.  This has got to be the best Bloody Mary I have ever tasted.  Some places make their's too peppery or too spicy.  This had the perfect balance of acid and savory notes.  Win.



By the time I reached the tasting tent at Union Square after class, I had a huge smile plastered on my face.  The cocktails not only made me very happy, they also whet appetite for what I was about to see in the huge tent.

The last time I came was in 2009 and that one experience blew my mind.

There were three days of Grand Tasting Tent events with each event having it's own set of chefs and dishes.  For those who have never been to one of these, just think of a giant room filled all your foodie dreams from your favorite chefs, wine vendors, to fruit and cheese tables, to of course, food.

Prospect's Braised Berkshire Pork Cheeks was one of my favorite bites from the whole day.  The meat just disintegrated in my mouth.

Scala's Chef Jenn Biesty is one of my favorite chefs in San Francisco.  Her little fish bite was amazing.

Absinthe in Hayes Valley has a special place in my heart as I met former Chef Jaime Lauren at the Grand Tasting back in 2009.  I am glad that even after she left, the food is still great.

Chef Falkner of Citizen Cake and Orson always leaves me starstruck.  I love this woman.  She served up some homey pork and beans.

Let the food porn begin!  No really, I found myself in awe at some of the stations.

From BBQ sandwiches to gazpacho to smokey gumbo, the bites did not disappoint!

Even though the dishes are meant to be eaten in no more than 5 bites, they were all presented beautifully.

Another reason why I LOVE coming to these events is that ordinary people like me get to interact with those we admire - the chefs, mixologists, and wine producers.  Where else can you find all this knowledge in one place?!

I adored the sweets we had, but I do have a question about the marshmallow in the upper left-hand quadrant.  Can someone tell me what exactly was on it?  =)  I just popped it in my mouth, but upon review, it looks a bit sketchy.  The little panna cotta and ice cream olive oil sundaes were delish.

Dranks!  Dranks!  My partner Francis and I toured the tent together and let me say I was even more happy when I left the tent - not that I was glad to leave, but the access to alcoholic beverages was awesome!  Francis WAS a little blushed in the cheeks when I left him.  Or could it be that Aida Mollenkamp just looked absolutely stunning?

******

SF Chefs is the event for you if you love the SF food industry and have an appreciation for great dishes made by phenomenal chefs.  In 2009, I felt so lucky when I left the Grand Tasting Tent.  I was in the presence of such big names like Tyler Florence and Thomas Keller.  Little old me was enjoying fantastic food in the same room.  This year, the list was even more impressive.

If you can, go to SF Chefs!

I had an incredible time and I have no doubt you will too!

xoxo,
Jo

******

Disclaimer:  The press passes to the events I attended were granted to me by the Golden Gate Restaurant Association, SF Magazine, and A. Freeman & Co.  Any person, not in press, who attended the festivities with me was responsible for the price of their ticket.