THE MISSION—We've received several frenzied emails over the last several hours regarding a possible shuttering of Ti Couz. The impetus for the worries is a giant sign above the door on 16th Street, which is never short on passers by. However, Ti Couz insists the banner is not a farewell note. Rather, the creperie is celebrating its 16th anniversary this month, and is exactly what it says: a thank you to the community. [EaterWire]
SOMA—On July 30th at Acme Chophouse, Traci Des Jardins and Elizabeth Falkner will host the San Francisco edition of Epicurious's Third Annual Wine.Dine.Donate. This year's theme is farm-to-table; tickets are $125 and can be purchased here. [EaterWire]
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:
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.
Our sister site Curbed SF dropped the dime on the newest entrant into the 2008 condo dining extravaganza: The Hayes, pictured above. The new Hayes Valley condos are slated to open sometime in 2008 at 55 Page Street, between Franklin and Gough. According to Curbed's source, The Hayes is currently in negotiations with a "big name chef" from a "popular local restaurant" to open a spinoff on the ground level. Predictably, all are mum beyond the little tease, which means that it's time to start churning the rumor mill!
Entry the second for newly-minted chef/blogger Traci des Jardins is out on Epicurious, and the Jardiniere boss discusses truffles and discloses the results of her secret vice: "The one thing I should advise people not to do during the holiday season is to have shoulder surgery! But I finally had the ski fall (among other things) that broke the proverbial camel's back. I admit I am a bit adventurous on the ski slopes and frankly I started cooking as a way to support my ski habit, but that's another story." [Epi Log]
HAYES VALLEY—Congrats are in order for the town's newest blogging chef, none other than our local, inimitable and decorated Traci Des Jardins. She will be replacing Rick Bayless as the celebrity chef blogger on Epicurious' revamped blog The Epi-Log (see what they did there with the name?). Her "first blog ever" was published today and offers suggestions for surviving the holiday madness. Going forward, the blog will rotate contributors "in order to share different perspectives with readers." [EaterWire Inbox, Epi-Log]
NOE VALLEY—After several weeks of trial and error over at his blog, chef/restaurateur Brett Emerson has finally chosen a name for his upcoming Noe Valley restaurant. Brace. The winner of his name game is ... contigo, which we feel is an good choice, proving again that the masses are never wrong (except in most real elections). However, Emerson has now updated the blog, saying that there may be some legal barriers with contigo. Anyway, look for something to arrive near a stroller-filled sidewalk in spring 2008. [IPOS]
CYBERSPACE—Rounding out this little interwebs-centric edition of EaterWire is news that link aggregator database Digg will be adding a Food & Drink category. You've been warned. [DiggBlog via Serious Eats]
Even though, for the first time, no local chefs graced the competition this week, we figured it only appropriate to round out the season and share our thoughts on the finale that saw John Besh and Michael Symon take to Kitchen Stadium. Warning: spoilers follow.
1) Symon and Besh meet for the last episode of this much-too-short but wildly entertaining debut season. The challenge? Dubbed "Attain Greatness," it's an old-fashioned battle in Kitchen Stadium.
2) We have a sneaking suspicion that Besh's sense of humor isn't quite up to snuff if he thinks Symon's jokes are "hilarious."
3)Alton Brown—decked out in a tux, obviously—announces that three of the four iron chefs will be observing the battle (and later judging the fare). Gee, which iron chef could be missing? Hmm ... it certainly couldn't be the one rumored to be leaving, could it?
Have news, gossip or general concerns fit for EaterWire? We like tips.
SOMA—After shuttering in late September for repairs and renovations, Howard Street's Buca di Beppo will reportedly reopen in the "later half of November 2007." The good news is that it's been a while since we've seen a restaurant on Yelp that actually has less than three stars, so that was enjoyable. The bad news is that we remain thoroughly confused as to how a chain like Buca di Beppo can survive in San Francisco outside of the Wharf. [EaterWire Inbox]
THE CASTRO—From La Tablehopper comes a bit of news concerning The Lookout, the semi-revamped at 16th and Market: "...the former Metro Cafe found a name: ~THE LOOKOUT~. Its new owner is Chris Hastings, formerly of Catch, just up the street." Reports are that most things remain the same, from the crowd to the decor. [TH]
We'll never fully understand how jamesbeard.org, the official website of the James Beard Foundation, can possibly be as disorganized and hard to navigate as it is, but that's a side matter. Via the links below, and only via the links below, for now, you can now nominate your favorite chefs, restaurateurs, writers, and restaurants for the 2008 James Beard Awards, to be given out June 8, 2008 in a ceremony at Manhattan's Avery Fisher Hall. This is your chance to be heard, people. With the notable exception of Traci Des Jardins snagging Best Chef: Pacific last year, San Francisco didn't represent as well as in years past, so let's try to do it a bit better this time around.
· 2008 James Beard Foundation Awards Entry Forms [JBF]
· 2008 James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Awards Voting Ballot [JBF]
Last night marked the premiere of television's newest food reality show. Since a pair of San Francisco chefs are involved, we thought it best to tune in and share our thoughts as we shake our Bay Area pompoms for Incanto's Chris Cosentino and Jardiniere's Traci Des Jardins. Warning: spoilers follow.
1) The voiceover-heavy preview lasts a solid seven minutes, surprisingly long for a show that, as a whole, felt a bit rushed.
2) First impressions of New Orleans star chef John Besh: he's definitely being set up as the favorite, but his "seasoned by combat" line was a bit much.
3) As soon as the chefs are thrown into the first challenge, it becomes clear that The Next Iron Chef is about cooking, not character development. The first competition begins right away, pitting the chefs in a race against time as they perform a medley of knife skills: debone a chicken, French a rack of lamb, shuck oysters, etc.
4) Speaking of the environs, looking at the Culinary Institute of America mansion campus should assuage any doubts as to where tuition goes. Heavens.
When one door closes, another opens. Top Chef is over, but the Food Network's Next Iron Chef debuts on Sunday at 9pm. What's in store for episode one? Three words: Tripe ice cream. Mmm-mmmm.
Eight chefs compete for that blue Iron Chef jacket to stand alongside Mario Batali, Bobby Flay, Masaharu Morimoto and Cat Cora. And these aren't unheard of up-and-comers, here. We're talking John Besh, Chris Cosentino, Jill Davie, Traci Des Jardins, Gavin Kaysen, Morou Ouattara, Aaron Sanchez and Michael Symon ...
Now that the majority of the computer-owning public has chimed in on Top Chef (except, ahem, theofficialbloggers), the aftershock ripples of last night's finale are finally starting to wear off. Meanwhile, the power vacuum shifts the buzz over to Food Network's The Next Iron Chef, which will dominate Food Network commercials for the next month until its (surprisingly quick) conclusion on November 11. A pair of San Francisco chefs are involved, if not the favorites (more on that later), and for those of you still in search of another reason to watch, look no further than the magnificent Alton Brown, the show's host who would rather not compare TNIC to, well, anything:
The only comparison to Top Chef is that one or two chefs get eliminated after each round. Otherwise, there are no similarities. The Next Iron Chef is the first time a show has been made that captures the good part of reality TV with high-end culinary credibility. Most of the people on Top Chef are barely out of Denny's. They are of marginal experience and talent.
Vegas is getting ready too, with Caesars Palace actually putting odds on the contestants. The current odds-on-favorite might surprise you; it's our very own Ms. Des Jardins: "After several heated discussions we decided that Chef Des Jardins possesses both the culinary sensibilities and high-pressure kitchen skills needed to win this contest and enters today as our odds-on favorite." Pres-sure!
· The Weekend Buzz [the strong buzz]
· Who Is the Odds-On Favorite To Be the 'Next Iron Chef'? [CNN]
· Top Chef Listage: It's a Huynh-Win Situation [~ELA~]
Working in the restaurant industry leads to many a tale: "I applied for a job at the restaurant Jardiniere here in San Francisco as a pastry chef and dessert plater. The restaurant is owned by Traci Des Jardins who is a contestant on The Next Iron Chef. The hiring pastry chef came up to me and said "you're pretty frickin gutsy to apply for a job here when you've never worked in a restaurant kitchen before" Within my first hour of plating desserts the pastry chef came to me a out of nowhere and asked me to make her an angel cake our [sic] of scratch. I had never made an angel cake before (since im not done with school) and I was really nervous but I did it. a day later they called me to offer a job." [Food for Thought]
NORTH BEACH—Signs that a venue just might be on its last legs? We've got two words for you: ticket. giveaway. From Jazz at Pearl's, on the ripe corner of Broadway and Columbus: "Come see Jazz and Blues lion Terrence Brewer on us this weekend! Reply with the correct answer to below question and get one of the 20 pairs of tickets we have waiting for you!" [EaterWire Inbox]
SOMA—Don't look now, but notable rumblings are afoot at Mint Plaza. At long last, the folks down at Jessie Street are entering the home stretch. Much, much more on the restaurant development is forthcoming. [Curbed SF]
TELEVISION—The series premiere of The Next Iron Chef is still a week away, but the food stars were out in force this week. Wednesday night marked a shindig in Kitchen Stadium, with a guest list including Food Network President Brooke Johnson, Host Alton Brown, Chairman Mark Dacascos and all eight finalists, including our local pair: Chris Cosentino and Traci Des Jardins. [EaterWire Inbox]
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On April 6th at her Acme Chophouse, Traci Des Jardins will host Share Our Strength's 17th 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 
HAYES VALLEY—Congrats are in order for the town's newest blogging chef, none other than our local, inimitable and decorated Traci Des Jardins. She will be replacing Rick Bayless as the celebrity chef blogger on Epicurious' revamped blog 
1) Symon and Besh meet for the last episode of this much-too-short but wildly entertaining debut season. The challenge? Dubbed "Attain Greatness," it's an old-fashioned battle in Kitchen Stadium. 
SOMA—After shuttering in late September for repairs and renovations, Howard Street's Buca di Beppo will reportedly reopen in the "later half of November 2007." The good news is that it's been a while since we've seen a restaurant on 
We'll never fully understand how 
Last night marked the premiere of television's newest food reality show. Since a pair of San Francisco chefs are involved, we thought it best to tune in and share our thoughts as we shake our Bay Area pompoms for Incanto's 
