what’s cookin’
Howdy, dear hopper pals. Are you still alive? Did you melt into a cranky puddle this past week? Mamma mia, I’m someone who loves the heat, but that heatwave was a beast. How delicious did that breeze feel Monday night? Last week, I was basically on smoothies, egg salad wraps, panzanella, silken tofu salad, tomato and tuna salads, all kinds of Vietnamese bun (vermicelli bowls), Mr. Espresso iced lattes two times a day, Ceybon Bright AF aperitif, and shoutout to my corner store for their tasty selection of paletas.
Thank goddess for my sissy, who scooped me up to go to Ocean Beach on Sunday evening. I can’t believe I actually submerged myself in that always-chilly AF water. In fact, I got so caught up with the refreshment moment that decided to body surf a cute little wave and I lost my sunglasses. Oops, I totally forgot I had those on my face. But what a way to go! Bye!
Last Tuesday, I led a private progressive dinner in North Beach for 18 guests, and I was so damn grateful for the A/C cranking in the private back room at Tosca (file that one away for when you need a space with A/C, a rarity in SF).
Much respect and gratitude to everyone who was working in a hot kitchen or restaurant this past week—I thought I was going to die just boiling rice noodles in my hotbox top-floor apartment kitchen. I can’t imagine the exhaustion after more than a week of that ish! Brutal.
On Wednesday evening, me and my posse were savoring the aircon at the transportive AIR performance at The Masonic. (I mean, it kind of had to be that way. Air at AIR.) What a show, and the art direction was sublime—so cinematic and French and chic. Magnifique! And the mid-century modern venue was perfect, it was such a cohesive experience with the music. So much nostalgia was bubbling up—the show was in honor of the 25th anniversary of AIR’s Moon Safari album. That was such a memorable and fun time in my life here in SF, and it was wonderful to share the moment with friends and fam who remember it with me. I came out of the venue on a misty cloud. Dreamy night.
Thursday evening was such a special gathering (and menu) at Zuni for Rustichella d’Abruzzo’s 100th anniversary celebration. Here’s to four generations of this incredible family-run business and their fantastic artisanal pasta and products. Check out my post and pics from the evening here.
After last week’s fabulous lineup of events, on Friday, I had to hop down the rabbit hole, which is my current residence. I have a big personal project going on right now that I can’t talk about, but I can share that it’s taking over my life for the next couple weeks in a major and utterly exhausting way. (No, it’s not a TV show, and I’m not hiding out in Bali! I wish!) I just wanted to let you know that I’m going to be mostly unavailable and unresponsive until the end of this month, so if you email me or DM me, please don’t expect a reply.
I also need to take next week off from writing my column; I should be back in your inbox on October 22nd in some shape or form. I cranked out a heftier issue this week to (hopefully) tide you over. Thanks so much for understanding while I batten down the hatches over here. See you on the other side.
XO
~Marcia
the chatterbox
Some Thoughts on Aphotic’s Upcoming and Unexpected Closure
I gotta say, even after writing about SF restaurants for over 20 years, there are still some things that can surprise me, and seeing an email last Friday from chef Peter Hemsley announcing that they were closing Aphotic at the end of December definitely made my jaw drop for a moment. Just two months ago, the Aphotic team was on stage at the Michelin California awards celebrating retaining their Michelin star and their Green star, and beverage director Trevin Hutchins was named the 2024 Exceptional Cocktails Award Winner. Quite the trifecta. And now, what I consider to be one of the City’s most exciting and innovative restaurants, is closing in a couple months? This is a tough one.
The team is wildly talented, and every meal I had there over the past two years included something unique and beautiful and delicious, from the unexpectedly genius oyster ice cream from pastry chef Deirdre Balao Rieutort-Louis (along with other seafood-inspired desserts), to the coastal-inspired beverage and distillation program from Trevin Hutchins (I’m going to miss that Montara martini). As a self-described “crazy chef,” chef Hemsley created a special and unusual environment for people to work in, giving his team quite a bit of creative authority to pursue their craft and ideas. The menu and experience were always evolving.
I wrote about Hemsley’s impressive commitment to direct seafood sourcing and his groundbreaking seafood charcuterie program for Nob Hill Gazette. He was deeply motivated and inspired to highlight what fishermen are doing along the coast, and enjoyed the synthesis of their craft with the tasting menu, and how the lives of the people and partners behind the products are reflected in every dish.
Aphotic is one of my favorite SF restaurants to send people to—it has enough luxury for special occasions, but isn’t stuffy or too precious; I always have fun. I know I’m not alone in feeling dismayed that our city couldn’t sustain this special place, it’s so dramatic and chic and singular. So many details were deeply considered. Top-notch hospitality (shoutout to somm Avery Chan!) and craft. That team worked really hard to get it where it is in just under two years.
But Hemsley said the writing has been on the wall for a while, and that it’s hard to maintain a staff of 30 on slow midweek nights while in wait for busier weekends. Looking at the fall books, they just weren’t seeing the private dining and reservations they would need to stay open. While there was an uptick in reservations after retaining their Michelin stars, it still didn’t provide enough traffic. He muses that two stars would have been a saving grace, and honestly, I think they deserved two. They have been pushing for two since last year’s awards, and kept reinvesting in the space and developing the concept, from adding a significant non-alcoholic beverage program to the chef’s counter. But sadly, Michelin didn’t wave their wand.
I’m including Hemsley’s unfiltered letter about why they’re closing below, and while I can partially understand why leery visitors to SF who have read too many hellscape headlines may not have a restaurant in SoMa with a name they can’t pronounce at the top of their list, what does that say about locals not going? SoMa may be a bit more desolate these days, but I just look at it as an opportunity to find parking—I drove all three times I have dined there without incident. Worried about your car? Take an Uber. Door to door is so easy in this town.
In a conversation with me, Hemsley admits it was a long shot to open in their location—the former LuLu—but it was such a rare and unique space, and he believed that with overwhelming effort that they could overcome the desolate surroundings. He fully committed to the big space, and utilized it to its max to build out the extensive bar program, wine storage, private dining, and different menu formats and experiences.
Is it the price of the tasting menu? I wrote about it a couple years ago when it was shockingly only $135 for 10 courses, pretty much the best tasting menu deal in town, and was such a worthy splurge when you consider how much you’ll pay for a mid-level dinner out with a lot less quality and style. The price went up to $215 (and 11 courses) after they got their stars and to properly reflect their painstaking direct and sustainable seafood sourcing (and inflation), but the experience was and is still so worth it for a fine-dining experience. I see people blowing plenty of money on pricy omakase, so it’s not like diners aren’t spending money on seafood dinners. And you could always grab a seat at the bar for a cocktail and order off the bar menu (which is where you can try the seafood charcuterie).
Obviously, convention business and buyouts are a big deal for any SoMa restaurant, and Aphotic had all the private rooms and wines and amenities you could desire, but companies and business travelers still aren’t booking and spending big the way they used to. It’s so hard to keep large and finer-dining restaurants open these days—but people sure need those PDRs when the occasion arises.
Hemsley notes that while there are some positive signs of life and recovery around town, they just can’t keep waiting for a couple more years for SoMa to return to some level of vibrancy. He notes that people want to visit and dine in a part of town that feels good, and wishes he could just pick up the restaurant and plunk it down somewhere like Jackson Square.
He mentioned that he’s reevaluating what could be next with his team, and is thinking about starting another project in a different part of town, and trying to find a location with a smaller footprint. But that will take time, at least a couple years. Stand by.
Here’s chef Hemsley’s letter that he sent: San Francisco. Oh, San Francisco. To you, there goes another one. As all residents of SF know, these are tough times for fine dining operators. There are few left in SF that aspire to provide services like we do at Aphotic, and the smart and lucky ones in that pack are located in the right storefront, on the right block, and in the right part of this town.
Aphotic is many, many, many, (I could probably add another many) blocks away from where it could and likely should be if there were ever a prospect for its long-term success in San Francisco. Adding to our worries is the terrible state of downtown and SOMA, the rising cost of everything, the shrinking population of an already small 'big' city, diners' preference for more casual offerings, fear of street parking due to broken windows, road construction delayed for five years and now popping up everywhere, allergies to gluten, all forms of soy, alliums, and dairy (butter OK), DoorDash, designer hoodies, the tipping debacle, overnight international Japanese fish markets, the popularity of chicken, whales and many others. I digress.
Over the years, I have stayed put where I am because I was always charmed by the architecture of my restaurant and the potential it had as an exceptional dining venue from within and because I believe in my own talents and in the craft I have pursued as a profession. I have had the pleasure of working with many skilled professionals under my roof, but the current team that has brought forth Aphotic, and those who continue to provide excellence in the face of so much adversity, is quite inspiring to me. I think my team and I share in and suffer from that particular disease of non-complacency and the general desire to be better—potent stuff that produces results.
In less than two years of Aphotic’s existence, we have developed 4 comprehensive and completely original tasting menus, earned a Michelin Star, a Michelin Green star and a Michelin distinction for accomplishments of the bar program. Even in the right part of town, those would be huge accomplishments in that timeframe for any operation. The fact that we all did this at the ugly butt end of a desolate convention center suck hole in the post-panny apocalypse, is nothing short of a small miracle. And I believe in miracles - I have to as a chef and restaurant owner in these times. But I also know that miracles do not last forever.
Our last service as Aphotic at 816 Folsom Street will be on Saturday, December 21. I invite you all to help make this small miracle’s last weeks a bustling and happy window before the closure, celebrating our team’s accomplishments, while indulging in what we do best - seafood, cocktails, wine and impeccable service.
Splash.
-Chef Peter Hemsley
Honestly, how deeply disappointing. I can only imagine how frustrating it was to ultimately make the decision to close. But I appreciate how they decided to give us a couple months before turning out the lights. It was a smart move: in the last three days, 1,000 reservations have been booked.
So, whether you have never been to Aphotic (really, you should), or you want to go for some final meals and martinis and thank the team for what they created, book your table here. If you really feel like splashing out for a finale, the Aphotic’s Chef’s Counter experience recently expanded to a 16-course tasting menu ($295/person), with dishes like smoked opah belly with gochujang and radish, and sea urchin soufflé. Way to end things on a high note. 816 Folsom St. at 4th St.
Che Fico Pizzeria Opening This Wednesday at Thrive City
Last week, I started seeing some pics of the soon-to-open Che Fico Pizzeria at Thrive City/Chase Center, and according to this recent article in The Chronicle, the opening date has been set for this Wednesday October 9th.
Unfortunately, their PR team has handed out exclusives that don’t jive with my deadline, so all I can tell you is that it’s opening, and chef David Nayfeld will be serving their trademark but ever-evolving sourdough pizza by the pie (or slice, from a window), some casual bites like a “chopped salad and a chicken cutlet sandwich,” and gelato, with some pretty amazing views of the water (the Chron piece mentions 146 seats on the patio, and 44 inside). Open Mon–Fri 5pm–9pm and Sat–Sun 4pm–9pm to start; lunch coming later. 1 Warriors Way #300 at Terry A. Francois Blvd.
Foliage in Precita Park Appears to Have Closed
A New Mayan-Influenced Coffee Bar Is Now Open in the Inner Richmond
A longtime tablehopper homie let me know about a new opening that was coming to the Inner Richmond on Geary: Alushe Coffee Bar, a Mayan-infused coffee shop. First-time business owners and husband-and-wife team Marcos and Jessica Moonayas have been working at and running the program for the past few years at Tellus Coffee in Walnut Creek, as well as tending bar at Mr. Tipple’s Recording Studio here in SF. They came to the realization that they wanted to run their own spot (it also ends up that Marcos’s mother has Cocina Mayah in the Mission, at 16th Street and Capp), and so they decided to follow their dream of opening a cultural coffee shop, and took over the former Cafe Coco on the corner of Geary and 6th Avenue.
For their soft opening, they’re offering all kinds of custom coffee drinks (using coffee from speciality roaster Drink Coffee Do Stuff in Lake Tahoe), which include housemade syrups, like a Mayan chocolate syrup for their mocha, and a peanut butter sugar and orgeat syrup that Marcos says goes great with coffee (they serve it with foam and almond crumbles left over from making the syrup). There are six kinds of cold-brew drinks! You’ll also be able to get fresh-pressed juices and smoothies.
The opening menu includes creative breakfast and lunch items, like a sikil p’aak avocado toast, made with the Mayan pumpkin seed dip (roasted pepitas, sesame seeds, tomato, onion) and avocado, topped with pickled onion, queso fresco, corn, hard-boiled egg, and cilantro. They’re bringing over a breakfast burrito from Mom’s restaurant, the El Yucateco, with scrambled eggs with tomato, onions, and garlic (sautéed in avocado oil), refried black beans, sour cream, avocado, queso fresco, and cilantro, which you can get as a burrito or in a croissant. There are Argentine empanadas, breakfast sandwiches and bagels, waffles, and more.
Additional cultural dishes like Mayan soups and Yucatecan tamales are available (great news for the holidays!), and the menu will expand even more in time. When their beer and wine license kicks in, they will extend their hours to 7pm–8pm or so, and will offer more of a wine bar vibe, serving charcuterie and cheeses from the Yucatán.
As for the name, Marcos tells me an “alushe” is a kind of Mayan leprechaun/spirit people who turn into stone and can cause some shenanigans if you don’t leave them offerings (farmers make offerings to them to protect their crops). Marcos says, “I wanted to name the business something so people would ask me about it and I can share more about my culture. [Me: it worked!] We are so grateful to have the opportunity to open a cultural coffee shop.” For now, hours are Mon–Fri 7am–4pm. 4201 Geary Blvd. at 6th Ave.
Chef Moves and Pop-Ups
After five years as the executive chef of The Proper Hotel (which includes Villon, Charmaine’s, and La Bande), it ends up chef Jason Fox moved on a couple months ago. Many longtime SF diners fondly remember his earlier role as chef/co-owner of the innovative and Michelin-starred Commonwealth in the Mission, which sadly closed in 2019.
While at Commonwealth, he worked with Carrie Blease of Lord Stanley (and became good friends with her husband, Rupert), and they have all worked many food events together. They got to talking, and decided to have chef Fox come in for a Turntable pop-up dinner at Lord Stanley from October 14th–19th. The tasting menu will be an ode to Commonwealth, featuring many of chef Fox’s favorite progressive Californian dishes, and a liquid nitrogen slushy cocktail. An early peek at the menu includes these snacks to start: chicken kaarage with fermented chili glaze; smoked mussel with potato cracker; and beef tartare with fig and anchovy toast. Nope, no shortage of creativity from chef Fox, ever. The menu will have 7–8 courses for $150, plus optional supplements. Book here. 2065 Polk St. at Broadway.
One more chef sighting: it ends up the talented Selasie Dotse (e le aɖe Test Kitchen) did not leave the Bay Area, and recently consulted on the menu of the brand-new Gold Palm, which just opened in the former Palmetto in Oakland from Shirin Raza and Daniel Gahr of nearby Bar Shiru. Eater reports the “menu features bites that are takes on what the couple calls Pakistani party food.” Plus cocktails. And that fabulous Floral Depot building. Fun! 1900 Telegraph Ave. and 19th St., Oakland.
How Well Do You Know Your Godfather Trivia?
Do you know who said, “Leave the gun, take the cannoli?” Then maybe you should attend a special trivia dinner at Cafe Zoetrope on Wednesday October 16th, featuring a question-and-answer game about the The Godfather (prizes include two gift certificates), a special à la carte menu, and the latest releases from Niebaum-Pennino Winery.
To secure your spot, make a reservation by calling 415-291-1700 and ask for Lidia or Gonzalo.
If you want to participate in Trivia Night, arrival time should be no later than 6:30pm. (You can also just come in for the dinner and wine pairings.) 5:30pm–8:30pm. 916 Kearny St. at Columbus.
the socialite
Foodwise’s Sunday Supper Is Approaching and We’ve Got Deets
by Savannah Leone Bundy
Fall is here and it’s time once again for Sunday Supper at the Ferry Building on Sunday October 20th—and this year’s farm-to-city feast promises to be just as amazing as the last. Organized by Foodwise, the autumnal celebration and fundraiser serves as a gathering of the Bay Area’s best restaurants and food makers, and a massively fun party.
The food lineup includes dishes from Oakland’s upscale soul food spot Burdell (mezze of black-eyed pea falafel, boiled peanut hummus, pickled veggies, whipped buttermilk, benne seed) and SF staples like Octavia (Flannery Beef zabuton with Lee’s masa miso mole, coal-roasted carrots, green tomato salsa), Nopalito (butternut squash tostadita, requesón, jalapeño, epazote, salsa macha), Besharam (methi poori, charred red pepper chutney, spiced sweet potato wedge), and Breadbelly (Kabocha squash tart, spiced pumpkin caramel, whipped hojicha cream). These dishes and many more will be featured as part of the bountiful meal served in the Ferry Building’s Great Hall, immediately following the cocktail reception (read: endless parade of utterly delicious bites, canapés, and drinks) on the plaza.
Admission is $400 ($250 of which is tax-deductible), and proceeds will go towards funding Foodwise’s community programs, supporting local farmers market vendors, and underwriting food and labor costs for businesses participating in the event. There’s also a live auction with prizes like luxury getaways (Tuscany anyone???) and tastings with Michelin-starred chefs. Tickets are on sale now and available here. 4:30pm–10pm. 1 Ferry Building.
the archivist
by Savannah Leone Bundy
Once upon a time on Fillmore Street, there was a bar that boasted the world’s tallest and shortest bartenders—and the world’s longest bar...
