Ferry Building: This, friends, is the fine piece of craftmanship that has been dubbed The Salumi-Cycle. The plan at the week-oldBoccalone is that once they start their Financial District delivery service, the guanciale, prosciutto, and other assorted tasty salted pig parts will ride in the front compartment of the bike, custom-designed for Boccalone by Sycip. And if you ask nicely, Cosentino himself might pilot the Salumi-Cycle to your office party (note: very unconfirmed). It'll be a healthier, greener, San Francisco version of Batali on a scooter.
· Dispatch From the Ferry Building: Boccalone Arrives [~ESF~]
Ferry Building: Earlier today, Boccalone opened its doors to salumi aficionados everywhere, and the Incanto spinoff already looks and feels right at home in its 300 square-foot stall in so many ways. Along with upwards of a dozen staff members, Chris Cosentino — whose faux-hawk is long gone, we're sad to report — was running around behind the counter, while Mark Pastore presided over the register. As far as food options go, there are hot and cold panini options, along with the straight-up Boccalone sliced salumi; Eater Operatives opted for the lonza-mint-peach concoction. Other sights and sounds include a fancy vintage red slicer, free meat samples, prepackaged products (similar to Cowgirl's setup), and one massive meat locker.
Welcome back to our special two-part edition of The Gatekeepers. Read part one of our Incanto interview here.
Katie "Judge" Mathis, Dining Manager at Incanto: The dining room is usually entirely booked through the end of the night. The only seating area we reserve for walk-ins is our wine bar, which we seat on a first-come, first-serve basis. So depending on how early the first turn started, we could have a wait of 30-90 minutes for dinner at the wine bar. Things change so quickly though, especially on Saturdays. A reserved table could no-show, cancel at the last minute, skip dessert, etc., in which case it’s all yours!
What’s the most outrageous request from a customer you’ve had to accommodate? Something cool that Chris did after his battle on “Iron Chef: America” was to offer the exact menu he created on the show as a special menu people could request with one week’s notice. Someone booked a party of twelve for that menu, which may not seem that outrageous to anyone reading this, but since Chris did each plate (all six courses) by himself, the logistics of it were a nightmare. ...that you couldn’t accommodate? A table once brought their own store-bought mortadella (not Boccalone) for us to slice and serve them. We thought that was inappropriate.
This is The Gatekeepers, where Eater roams the city to meet the fine men and women standing between you and some of your favorite dining destinations. Jennifer Yin, 5/29/08
At this point in Incanto's popularity, odds are that you probably know all about the little rustic Italian restaurant in Noe Valley and its celebrity chef Chris Cosentino, but we're betting you might not know Zane Fiala and Katie Mathis, unless you've had the misfortune of trying to score a walk-in table on a Saturday night. So, in this special two-part edition of The Gatekeepers, let's get to know Incanto's front-of-house duo, shall we? Today, we chat with Zane; tomorrow, it's Katie's turn.
Zane “Z” Fiala, Dining Manager/Assistant Wine Director at Incanto: When we are maxed out, we can seat about 111, and that’s including our 16-seat wine bar that we reserve for walk-ins. Incanto has several tables I might consider to be my favorite. Of course, our corner window table is great for an overall view of the restaurant ... If you would rather have a bit of seclusion, but still want to be out where the action is, there’s another corner table in the back of the main dining room that offers a nice blend of both. Now, if you really want something intimate, there is a separate room in the back called the Dante Room that only seats 18-20, and many guests prefer it to the main dining room.
And now, some morning plywood. As always, do feel free to send along your sightings of any recent activity sneakily spied in your nabe. Gold stars for all if you include photos.
1) Union Square: Cafe Claude's takeover of Claude Lane is starting to take shape, with visible signs starting to show. Above is the new door for Gitane, in the old Blupointe space at 239 Kearny that opens up to the alley in the back. Current due date is summer. Meanwhile, across the alley, Cinque (the Italian rep) has been pushed back to next year. [PLYWOOD]
FERRY BUILDING—Boccalone, Chris Cosentino's little side project of artisanal salumi and other tasty salted pig parts, continues to grow quickly. From the Inside Scoop: "Boccalone Salumeria, the artisanal salami business from Incanto's Chris Cosentino and Mark Pastore, will get its first retail spot when it opens in San Francisco's Ferry Building Marketplace this summer. Pastore and Cosentino signed the lease Tuesday to take over the corner spot (No. 21) currently occupied by Capay Organic ... The sliced-to-order salumi (including the previously unavailable prosciutto) will be available individually, as part of a platter assortment or in walk-away paper cones." [Scoop]
This short four-minute video puts you behind the scenes—and in the factory—of Chris Cosentino's Boccalone side project. Cosentino shares his familiar thoughts about his meat beliefs/movement, some of the customers are interviewed (including one entertaining child-ignoring father), we take a gander at industrial power grinders, cured pig hearts are involved, and speaking from his private office, Boccalone CEO and Incanto owner Mark Pastore does his best Godfather impression. [Current]
This is Hangover Observations, where we share our thoughts on last night, the night that was.
Last night, superstar chefs from near and far rubbed elbows with fans and other charity-minded folk at Share Our Strength's 17th annual Taste of the Nation. With all proceeds going straight to SOS, the sold-out $250/ticket event was held at the Acme Chophouse, and the way the Giants' season is going, it was likely the biggest assembly of talent that will grace the building all year, and for a good cause at that. The entire shindig was graciously hosted by Traci Des Jardins, who pretty much led the way in bringing all types of big names on board. A cocktail/hors d'oeuvres reception kicked off the event with a silent auction, followed by a live auction and a five-course menu prepared by Des Jardins, Michael Symon, Chris Cosentino, Gavin Kaysen (Cafe Boulud), and Elizabeth Falkner. Here then, some observations:
1) Prior to the event, we received more than a few emails spotting best buds Symon and Cosentino cavorting all about town on Saturday, from the farmers' market to a romantic sunset stroll down in Kuletoville. For the evening affair, Cosentino roasted an entire goat.
2) Notable news of the night: anticipated Master of Ceremonies Tyler Florence backed out at the last second, leaving the event charity event sans a true replacement (dude, it's charity) and reinforcing our working theory that Florence is, well, really more of a call girl.
On April 6th at her Acme Chophouse, Traci Des Jardins will host Share Our Strength's 17th annual Taste of the Nation, and the industry's heavy-hitters—and some television personalities—will be out in force. General admission tickets cost $250, but 100% of the proceeds go directly to Share Our Strength. Dinner will be prepared by Des Jardins and her merry band of Next Iron Chef contestants: Michael Symon (Cleveland's Lola/Lolita), Chris Cosentino (Incanto), and Gavin Kaysen (NYC's Café Boulud), with Elizabeth Falkner handling dessert. Also, a veritable cornucopia of chefs and sommeliers from local big names (Absinthe, Coi, A16, Spruce et al.) will put on the hors d'oeuvres reception and wine program, respectively. On the other side of the house, Tyler Florence will reclaim his mantle as Master of Ceremonies. Here's the complete run-down on the event:
NOE VALLEY—Lest you think that Chris Cosentino would only offer his Head to Tail dinner to New York this year, we have word that for the first time ever, Incanto will offer the special dinner for not one, but two nights this year. It's still a ways off, but as of now, the dates are Monday, June 9th and Wednesday, June 11th. [EaterWire]
SAN FRANCISCO—The city is getting closer to approving an ordinance that would require chain restaurants to post nutritional information in their menus, as the measure passed the Board of Supes earlier today. Naturally, the various restaurant associations are not pleased: "While gaining support from health advocates, the legislation is meeting resistance from the restaurant industry, which views the requirements as burdensome and possibly illegal. [the CRA's Lara Diaz] Dunbar said the association is likely to challenge the San Francisco measure in court if it becomes law." [Chron]
TELEVISION—It's nice that Emeril's new show is embracing the whole green movement, but you'd think they could find a better place to shoot the show (you know, like at real farmers markets): "...we can now look forward to Emeril Green, a daily show on Planet Green, the new eco-lifestyle network from Discovery. The new network is launching this Summer and Emeril Green begins in July. The series will highlight Emeril's love of fresh, top quality foods and will be shot entirely on location at Whole Foods locations across the country." [YumSugar]
Coming to you live from the main stage of the Sobe Fest, we're here bringing you a live blog of the 2008 Golden Clog Awards, much to the chagrin of the festival honchos. You'll recall, this little award show is the brainchild of Tony Bourdain and Michael Ruhlman's darkest, drunkest nights. The full list of nominees was announced earlier in the week. Bourdain and Ruhlman just took the stage about 30 minutes late, much to the female groupies' delights (the wine flows early down here). Bonus tease: rumor has it one Rocco DiSpirito will be on hand to give out his own award.
2:35: Up first: THE FERGUS, for greatest achievement in pork, and/or guts. It's between Martin Picard of Montreal's "Au Pied de Cochon"; David Chang of New York's "Momofuku Noodle Bar and Momofuku Ssam and ..."; Chris Cosentino of San Francisco's "Incanto" And your winner is ... David Chang! Accepting the Golden Clog is ... Aaron Sanchez?
On Friday, the first annual Golden Clog Awards will be doled out at the 2008 South Beach Wine & Food Festival. This trophy show, the premie baby of Michael Ruhlman and Tony Bourdain's darkest places and booziest nights, are an alternate universe version of the Beard Awards, complete with real categories, nominees and, for each winner, a statuette for mantelpiece display. Since the emcees of the Golden Clogs here are two of the biggest names in food, their deliberately lo-fi laser light show spectacular may prove one of the hottest tickets on the beach.
On Monday, we caught up with Bourdain, who was kind enough to break down the categories and nominees for us. Read on for his thoughts on the field, plus some bonus ruminating on the ideal Bourdain awards show, the seating chart and the all-important after party.
On Friday, the first annual Golden Clog Awards will be doled out in South Beach. These, the primi baby of Michael Ruhlman and Tony Bourdain's darkest places and booziest nights, are an alternate universe version of the Beard Awards, complete with real categories, nominees and, for each winner, a statuette for mantelpiece display. Since the emcees of the Golden Clogs here are two of the biggest names in food, their deliberately lo-fi laser light show spectacular may prove one of the hottest tickets at South Beach.
Yesterday, we caught up with Bourdain, who was kind enough to break down the categories and nominees for us, in this, the first annual Golden Clog Awards. And away we go.
This is Hangover Observations, wherein we share our thoughts on last night, the night that was.
Last night marked the second annual Eat + Drink Awards Gala put on by 7x7 magazine. The event—held at the opulent City Club of San Francisco and hosted by imminent restaurateur Tyler Florence—celebrated and honored the hard-working folks of the local restaurant industry (well, technically, just those that do their jobs better than the rest; Luisa Hanson was almost assuredly not in attendance). In any event, it was as close to the Oscars as the restaurant industry get on a local scale, except instead of Billy Crystal, there was Tyler Florence and instead of gold statuettes, there were cute little piggies. The full list of winners was mentioned earlier, but now, our thoughts on the evening's festivities:
1) The second best moment of the evening: the transition from cocktail hour to awards ceremony came in the form of a drumline. The high school drumline—go Cougars—stole the show and in many ways, gave the performance of the evening. The crowd got into it, and it was a great way to start the formal ceremonies. It also gave some folks the opportunity to tell inappropriate drummer jokes that had been left unused since the mid-80s.
Whilst discussing chefs' newfound sympathy for animals and its implications, Michael Ruhlman lets it slip that none other than Incanto's own Chris Cosentino—also a purveyor of fine salumi and t-shirts—is writing a book: "I'm reading San Francisco chef Chris Cosentino's book proposal today which, as it happens, begins, 'My life changed a few years back [itals mine] when I had finally decided to take an animal from start to finish, from slaughter to supper, myself.'" [Ruhlman]
With all the recenthubbub over cloned meat this week, it's safe to say that Chris Cosentino is in the anti-cloned meat camp: "Well folks, I guess we have truly reached the pinnacle of fucking stupidity. I cannot believe that the public knows what they are getting themselves into with this cloned meat program." In other words, you won't have to worry about Frankenmeat at Incanto. [Offal Good]
Truly a Renaissance man, Chris Cosentino has already conquered Noe Valley. He has dominated animal innards everywhere. The man has even conquered food television*. Clearly, there's only one arena left to triumph: the fashion world, and now he's doing just that ... in style, no less:
The long awaited "Lips and Assholes" T-shirts are finally here. They were designed by a good friend of mine Rex Ray. These t-shirts are limited edition and will only be available here. And they're good fun.
Let the world know that you are an offal eater. They've been printed on american apparel shirts in a lovely shade of hot dog pink[Ed note: isn't every shade of hot dog pink categorically lovely?]. Eat 'em up.
The Incanto meat man has already put together his share of memorable moments and such, but this ... this is nothing short of brilliant. Well, except for the $30 price tag.
· Offal Good T-Shirt [Offal Good]
In a Noe Valley Voice profile, Chris Cosentino discusses his private life, punk appearances, and of course, newfound celebrity: "Cosentino does get recognized on the street, mostly by kids, he says, but celebrity is not why he got into cooking. 'It's bizarre. All I ever wanted was to make a restaurant where every chef would want to go and eat.' He rails about food celebrities like Rachael Ray ('a nincompoop with no real experience who everyone loves because she's like their sister') and the under-appreciated talents of chefs such as New York's Bobby Flay" [NVV]
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Katie "Judge" Mathis, Dining Manager at Incanto: The dining room is usually entirely booked through the end of the night. The only seating area we reserve for walk-ins is our wine bar, which we seat on a first-come, first-serve basis. So depending on how early the first turn started, we could have a wait of 30-90 minutes for dinner at the wine bar. Things change so quickly though, especially on Saturdays. A reserved table could no-show, cancel at the last minute, skip dessert, etc., in which case it’s all yours! 
FERRY BUILDING—Boccalone, Chris Cosentino's little side project of artisanal salumi and other tasty salted pig parts, continues to grow quickly. From the 
On April 6th at her Acme Chophouse, Traci Des Jardins will host Share Our Strength's 17th annual 
NOE VALLEY—Lest you think that Chris Cosentino would only offer his Head to Tail dinner to 
On Friday, the first annual 
Last night marked the second annual Eat + Drink Awards Gala put on by 7x7 magazine. The event—held at the opulent City Club of San Francisco and hosted by imminent restaurateur Tyler Florence—celebrated and honored the hard-working folks of the local restaurant industry (well, technically, just those that do their jobs better than the rest; Luisa Hanson was almost assuredly not in attendance). In any event, it was as close to the Oscars as the restaurant industry get on a local scale, except instead of Billy Crystal, there was Tyler Florence and instead of gold statuettes, there were cute little piggies. The 
Truly a Renaissance man, Chris Cosentino has already conquered Noe Valley. He has dominated animal innards everywhere. The man has even conquered food television*. Clearly, there's only one arena left to triumph: the fashion world, and now he's doing 
