Made in SF: Brew, Chocolate, Coffee and More!

The Anchor Brewery sits tall on the foot of Potrero Hill. The exterior has the appeal of a post office, off-white and navy blue and rectangular. Inside sun shines in through the windows, the copper kettles glow, and there's an earthy smell somewhere between burnt toast and barley soup. The tasting room is shades of brown, from the mahogany bar to the leather seats and coffee carpet to the amber ale being poured into tasting glasses. I want to say that my grandpa's parlor is like this but Grandpa Jack drinks Trader Joe's version of corona and Grandpa Dick sticks to vodka on the rocks, and neither of them have parlors. I'm here at 12:10 pm on Monday and someone has already placed a beer in one of my hands and a salami cone in the other. Gonna be hard to finish the week.

Monday's event was a journalist retreat including a tour, lunch and panel aimed to introduce writers to San Francisco food and brew, hosted by Anchor Brewing as part of the Craft Brewers Conference. So how did a potty-mouthed blogger like me get in? I work for SFMade, a non-profit that supports, promotes and celebrates San Francisco manufacturers. While I'm trying to hold off on committing shameless promotion, I will say that part of the fun of working at SFMade is getting to know crafters, chefs, brewers, bakers, candlestick-makers that rock whatever it is they're passionate about, push consumers to try new things, and believe in building community. Lucky us, who have them in our backyard.
Anchor Brewing 

Anchor has got a host of good beers (there's more than Steam, which is what we typically see at local bars), a friendly, knowledgeable staff, and a distillery that produces small batch whiskeys and gins. They offer free tours twice a day by reservation. Unfortunately you'll have to book months in advance.

Chris Cosentino, Incanto & Boccalone
Chef Cosentino prepared a three course food and beer pairing, and is entirely responsible for my long afternoon nap which I awoke from five minutes before I was being picked up for a date, during which I was not hungry, nor thirsty and mostly just bored my date to death talking about the amazing lunch I had. This is the second course, steam beer cured local sardines, radish and calçots, which seemed to convert most of the "oh I'm not really a sardine person" people at my table.

During the panel, when Chef Cosentino was asked about his experience doing business in San Francisco, he called it "the land of misfit toys." And while yes, in his case, specializing in turkey lungs and pig head is not exactly of the ken barbie doll make, he was also referring to this city and its culinary culture allowing all sorts of passionate chefs and food producers the opportunity to shine. "This is a place where if you stand up for what you believe in, in the end you win, " he said.

Ritual Coffee

Brewed in SoMa, sold here and other cafes around the Bay (like Remedy). The Bay's OG of "third wave" coffee making (along with Blue Bottle). Freshness, quality, and technique rule here. During the panel Eileen Hassi, owner, mentioned a disloyalty card Ritual has with other coffee bars- a neat way (yes, I said neat) to promote the greater coffee community. Buy seven drinks at any of the participating coffee bars and get the 8th free (hint: you may have to ask for the card if you don't see it on the counter).

Recchiuti Confections

Fancy (pricey), tiny labors of love. Remember those simple yet delicious sesame candies? The truffle on the left is toasted sesame seeds and caramel topped with a blend of pure milk chocolate and caramel, and enrobed in pure bittersweet chocolate. How juiced would you be to get THAT in your trick-o-treat bag?

Leadbetter's Bake Shop
Jamieson Leadbetter is pretty much a one man show, carrying on a five-generation family baking tradition. His English muffins are fluffy and giant. Find them here. 


Got the travel bug?
http://www.anchorbrewing.com/
http://incanto.biz/
http://www.boccalone.com/
http://ritualcoffeeroasters.com/
http://www.recchiuti.com/index.html
http://www.leadbettersbakeshop.com

Revisiting downtown Berkeley: Japanese food at Ippuku

Being in downtown Berkeley has always made me feel like I'm in high school again. Those days of scrambling for crappy off-campus lunches, impatiently waiting for the hourly 65 bus, and being called a godless parasite by angry, angry bums. Enduring the mix of cal students, frumpy entitled hippies, sad empty storefronts, and bad drivers has never seemed worth it just to get to that one nice brunch. But recently a few places have popped up, creating a strip of destinations that are (dare I say it) hip, interesting, and in true Berkeley style, a little weird. Here's one:
Ippuku

Walk through the mysterious wooden doors and you're immediately greeted by an upside down Shochu bar, a hallway of cool concrete walls and natural wood tables, and the gleeful suspicion that you're about to remove your shoes and sit on heather blue cushions for this meal. The decor, down to the pepper shaker and sake cups, alternates between stone colored ceramic and rustic wood, it feels like a spa, then it feels like New York. There's a sleek, comfortable, and thoughtful vibe.

I required a little bit of help navigating this menu, but a few things were instantly clear- there's no shortage of chicken parts, mochi, or sake here. The menu is a maze of small plates ranging from $6 to $15, making Ippuku a great place for a quick quail egg fix and a drink (sake and beer), or a relaxing place to chill and eat a ten course dinner. My top picks? The gyoza to start, the negima (chicken thigh with leeks) to devour, yaki onigiri (rice balls) to fight over, the krobuta bara (pork belly) to make you smile, and the kuro goma sundae to finish. For those of you who like liver, my friend in the chicken-liver-lover-camp was highly pleased. Skip the ramen.

 Chicken liver

Pork belly

Sundae (with crispy tempura bits, mochi, and a type of bean paste)

Sake

Unless you're familiar with Japanese food (not just sushi) be prepared to walk away having learned something from Ippuku, whether it be a taste for chicken tartare or the idea that downtown Berkeley can surprise you. 

Got the travel bug?
http://www.ippukuberkeley.com/

Strollerless in Rockridge

I know most of us strollerless folks tend to avoid Rockridge for fear of getting a toe crushed or being attacked by the dirty hands of a cute blond toddler, but here are a few places to drink, eat, and indulge that are 20-something friendly. 
Happy Hour at Hudson

What once was Garibaldis (and then Garibaldis and Marzano) is now Hudson: strong drinks, good pizza, weird Tahoe hotel lounge carpet situation, and a bartender that looks like a hyperactive Chirstian Bale (that's a plus, ladies!) Their happy hour is from 5 to 6  with deals on well-done classics like a margarita, negroni, French 75, pizza and cesar salad.
Sandwiches at Southie

The "Pulled Piggie" is a juicy, giant bite of pulled pork, aioli, pickles and slaw on an acme bun. Wood Tavern's new "Pantry" is a cute, airy, bougie sandwich joint with great College Ave. window seating for people watching. We also liked "The Standby" (a cup of soup with a pressed levain grilled cheese).
Candy at Powell's Sweet Shoppe

I realize it's hypocritical to include a candy store in this post, but any parent that takes their kid into this store is asking for a sugar high from hell. Walking in is like diving into the inside of a piñata. Here lives every color of the M&M rainbow, a party of Pez figures, an endless pay by the pound gummy and jelly bean selection, a disturbing array of lollipops (pie lollipops, toolbox lollipops, tie-die peace sign lollipops, watermelon popsicle lollipops), and shelves and cases of childhood candy favorites whether you grew up on 5¢ Baby Ruths or 25¢ Cry Babys.
Hot Chocolate at Bittersweet

This is my suggestion for a gloomy day: Do and eat whatever relieves your winter doldrums, then come to this cozy cafe to top it off with a classic hot chocolate. While Bittersweet has a range of alluring chocolate drinks and treats, splitting a cup of the classic is a perfectly satisfying shot of chocolaty heaven. It's so rich if you put it in the fridge I'd bet it would come out a flawless milk chocolate bar. 

Got the travel bug?
Hudson: http://www.hudsonoakland.com/ Happy hour 5-6 daily.
Southie: http://southieoakland.com/
Powell's Sweet Shoppe: http://www.powellsss.com/go/
Bittersweet: http://www.bittersweetcafe.com/index.html