This week’s tablehopper: buttery. (free)

what’s cookin’

Hi! It’s me. Would you believe that a couple hours before I was supposed to send this thing, my laptop decided to be a monster and come to a freezing halt? Ugh. Not again. Worst timing! After a call with a quirky senior advisor from Apple Support, I have stabilized my computer system enough to send this beast of a newsletter, but don’t plan on any quick email responses from me—I’m weeded with computer updates and rebuilds at the moment. Busted brick! Please stand by.

Did you enjoy a little sun on your face over the past couple days? I needed that. From chilly-ass winds on Friday, to wearing short sleeves and my sun fedora at the Alameda flea market on Sunday, this is how we roll. It was finally warm enough to take Fortuna out in the garden yesterday—she was rolling around in the dirt (her happy place) and batting at bugs. (I would include a picture if I could, but my laptop isn’t letting me.)

On to food-related things! Last week was La Cocina’s 20th anniversary—it was so uplifting to see the many eras of OG entrepreneurs all dressed up and looking fab (and not working, for a change). Since tablehopper is going to hit 20 years next February, there were a bunch of folks and memories coming up for me all evening, it was feeling so full-circle with our shared years in the SF food world—what a lovely event. Here are my pics/stories from the evening.

On Friday, I attended the kickoff at P.C.H. (along with Mayor Lurie!) for SF AAPI Cocktail Week, which runs May 25th–29th, with five days of parties, masterclass panels, and pop-ups spotlighting the people and flavors redefining the cocktail world. I’ll be sharing more in next week’s column about the lineup (hello, Pandan Party!), but if you want to jump on event tickets now, go for it!

Later on Friday evening, I swung by the new Side A for dinner (peep my IG stories here), and visited Jalebi Street for lunch on Saturday—read both of my early preview pieces in today’s column! 

This Wednesday is Master Chefs at Home to benefit 18 Reasons, and tonight is the last chance to get tickets. Hope to see you there! This Thursday May 8th, guest chef Bruce Hill (Stars, Oritalia, Picco, Bix, Fog City, and Zero Zero) will be at Foreign Cinema for a collaborative dinner, there are still some reservations available on the later side. Looking forward to seeing our Zen chef back in the kitchen and having some of his springtime dishes.

Sunday is Mother’s Day, and I have some ideas for you. Much love and I’m raising my glass to all the mothers and mother figures.

I was sorry to read that Sunday is also Michelin-starred Osito’s last day of service—chef-owner Seth Stowaway worked so hard during one of the most challenging times for fine-dining restaurants to survive. I know many of us are wishing this talented and big-hearted chef all the best for whatever’s next.

I will also be raising my glass next weekend (May 15th–18th) at the fourth annual Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience, and tablehopper subscribers get a special discount code on tickets in today’s column, thanks to their sponsorship! Check it out—I’m looking forward to Saturday’s Grand Tasting, it’s a big one (and I love getting out of the City and into more springtime sun!).

I’m going to be staying over next weekend in Sonoma County at the stunning Dalya Estate, so if you have any recent recos for new things to eat and drink around Healdsburg or Sebastopol, I’m all ears! I’m stoked that I managed to score a preorder of PopUp Bagels, visiting from New York at Single Thread on Saturday! Great timing. And I’m going to have a bubbly visit at Iron Horse: they’re throwing a garden party on Sunday May 18th—there are just four tickets left!

Have a swell week, and I hope to see you out on the town.
~Marcia

the chatterbox

Liner Notes from an Early Visit to Side A

On Friday night, I bopped over for dinner at Side A, the new hifi vinyl modern American bistro that just opened in the former Universal Cafe space. It was the second night of service, and the vibes were energetic and lively—it felt like a house party, with lots of socializing and hellos. I loved seeing owners Caroline and Parker Brown buzzing around the room, with chef Parker serving and clearing dishes along with servers and runners while talking to guests. 

I hope you showed up hungry, because these midwesterners want to FEED YOU. I loved the surprise ribbons of pickled green tomato in their chow chow (instead of it being chopped up), all tangled up the lightly fried squid ($18), or you can go healthy with the abundant lacinato kale salad ($19) that was barely dressed in an avocado Green Goddess with flavor and texture hits from the fried chickpeas, pepitas, and jalapeño slices (the salad could easily serve four as a starter—and I appreciate they are using all of the kale leaves and not just the best parts).

It isn’t a party without some artichoke-spinach dip, here made with leeks instead ($20), served with tortilla chips and spears of lightly brined carrots (Side A’s fermented hot sauce is almost ready and will be great with this dip).

The decadent Parisian gnocchi ($32) are so delicate and cheesy—come to find out, they’re made with a pâte à choux base that they fold eggs, Dijon, “mucho parm,” and herbs into, and then they poach ’em and pick ’em up in brown butter for a golden touch (you can see where Parker’s fine-dining technique shows up—he was previously chef de cuisine at Aphotic). The gnocchi come with some tender, meaty morsels of short rib, tangy giardiniera, and fluffy islands of Liwa cheese (a fresh goat cheese from Tomales Farmstead Creamery), all resting in an exquisite sauce bath that is gonna make you want a piece of bread to mop up all that goodness (it packs mega flavor, thanks to short rib braising liquid, butter, PX sherry, and an acidic lift from the giardiniera). This is a great dish to share since it’s rich like Oprah, but you gotta try it.

The chicken cutlet ($34) blew us away. It’s a hefty schnitzel, with a slab of crisp-yet-juicy buttermilk-brined chicken breast that is pounded and breaded. It’s served with a nest of fines herbes (chervil, tarragon, parsley, chives), resting atop another diabolical pan sauce, this time with honey mustard (it was like having a huge French McNugget, ha), with sautéed chicories and hazelnuts. I was mulling over why the cutlet was giving me such heavy nostalgia and asked Parker what was in the breading: cornflakes! Mystery solved. I’m going to have mad cravings for this dish, it was refined comfort food at its best.

Parker says the kitchen isn’t super rigid and can make adjustments—if you’re vegetarian but you really want the gnocchi, they can figure that out for you. Maybe you eat gluten-free, but are hankering after the short ribs—they can put them on some polenta, done. They mean it when they say they are a neighborhood restaurant.

The wine list by Paul Chung from La Ciccia had three kinds of Italian bubbles by the glass ($12, $16, $18), and at that pricing, I will collect all three. Of the 18 wines by the glass, only one hits $20, and it’s one I love (Meigamma “Terzo” bianco). I applaud them for this list that wants you to enjoy yourself and drink some wine. I also chuckled seeing the bottles of Miller High Life on a few tables, and they also have beers from Enterprise (yay) and Barebottle on draft. 

So, I know many of you would love to come here for the food and the nostalgia for Universal, but I’m gonna say this off the bat—if you can’t handle music being a prominent part of the experience, this may be challenging for you. When you walk in and see the custom-fabricated aluminum DJ island (with a handmade mixer by Khramov Audio in Brooklyn), and the suspended Tub’s Audio speakers, that’s your clue that music is joining you for dinner. 

I loved the vibey set from King Most, who played one of my favorite and emotionally evocative tracks ever (“Lujon” by Henry Mancini), so I was thrilled to have it filling my ears while swooning over the carrot cake. The DJ lineup will rotate on the weekends (Side A posts who’s playing on their Instagram), which will likely have more energy and revelrous vibes.

During the week, expect vinyl sets from Caroline herself, who DJs as Music Please, and has curated a choice vinyl collection for the restaurant. They’re going to be tweaking what’s right for the room and guests, and the custom-made Sonoma sheep’s wool acoustic panels (so beautiful) are doing their best, but let’s say I wouldn’t bring my quiet or mumbly friend who has sensitive ears, or a client to discuss business, or my girlfriend who needs to process her recent breakup. But, my friend who I regularly go dancing or hang out with in bars with? Easy.

The two design firms, Studio AHEAD and 280 West, did a marvelous job building on the room’s original industrial modern design—the new chairs are so chic, and the frosted front windows got me excited for a future lock-in with some amazing talent on the decks. The room feels airy (love the skylight) and has a soothing minimalism that reminds me of LA house parties in Los Feliz. 

So, you know how there is barely anywhere to eat after 9:30pm in this town? Yeah, it’s rough. They are really going to try to stay open later, but it’s up to us to make that work. Industry folks, here’s your new spot (they’re even offering industry specials on Mondays). Sure, it’s a little off the beaten Mission path, but just by a few extra minutes. Go have fun. Dinner Mon, Thu, and Sun 4pm–10pm, Fri–Sat 4pm–12am. 2814 19th St. at Bryant.

A Heartfelt and Vegetarian Northern Indian Restaurant Opens in the Upper Haight

I was thrilled to see that a super-legit Northern Indian restaurant (with all kinds of vegetarian chaat and main dishes) had opened in the Upper Haight, Jalebi Street, so I recruited a friend and went to check it out for lunch over the weekend. The owners are Sam Bhamu and Bhawana Choudhary (they both have roots in Rajasthan), a charming and super-friendly young married couple who both have a background in food, and Bhawana studied food as well. They started as a pop-up in Sunnyvale, and this is their first brick-and-mortar restaurant, which they say is a dream to open in San Francisco.

The location was previously VeganBurg, and now it has happy pink walls, and the sole adornment (for the moment) is a large tree-like installation with Indian puppets suspended from the foliage—it ends up they’re still waiting on their container from India to arrive with all their décor and plates and flatware and more. For now, they decided to serve their food on paper plates until everything arrives, so sit tight. It’s going to be quite a big reveal for their grand opening, which they are hoping will happen in late May.

They are very passionate about featuring healthy and housemade ingredients—everything is made fresh, and nothing is frozen or uses preservatives. If there’s anything unfamiliar, go ahead and ask questions—they’re happy to tell you more and make recommendations. And if you need vegan options, they can accommodate that as well.

The chaat section of the menu includes some faves like pani puri, sev puri, and we loved the dahi sev puri (crispy puri filled with potatoes, garbanzo, onion, topped with yogurt, sev, and chutney—five for $8.99). I need to return soon to try the kachori, a specialty of Rajasthan that is kind of like a soft samosa—they have three kinds on the menu with different fillings, like spiced lentil or onion. 

We also enjoyed the beautifully prepared and fresh saag paneer ($16.99), and we ordered the pudina paratha (with mint) on the side ($5.50)—you can smell the ghee that it’s brushed with as soon as it hits the table. The vada pao (a spiced potato patty in a buttery and pillowy roll with green and tamarind chutneys) is made Delhi-style here and fried in chickpea flour ($5.50).

You can’t miss the namesake jalebi ($7.99) for dessert—they told us they were the first in the Bay Area to serve it. It’s made from a liquid batter that comes out of a squeeze bottle (it’s a particular art to make it) and fried in amul ghee (from buffalo milk). It’s almost like a thin and crisp version of funnel cake, and dipped in saffron syrup, so it’s almost juicy when you bite it. Don’t miss it. We also had a bite of milk cake, which was like an Indian tres leches.

There are 12 kinds of fresh juices (the winner for us was the pineapple-orange-apple-carrot-lemon-ginger-cayenne combo), as well as a couple kinds of lassi, and a masala soda lemonade that was funky-fizzy. Stand by for a sun-fermented probiotic kanji made with carrots, beets, and mustard seeds. There’s already a lot to love here, and I look forward to seeing how Jalebi Street evolves for their grand opening. Open Tue–Sun 12pm–9pm. 1466 Haight St. 

An Unexpected New Era for the Steps of Rome in North Beach

Collaboration Time! There’s a Mister Jiu’s Pizza at Flour + Water Pizzeria for AAPI Month

the sponsor

Get Your Tickets (and Save!) on the Many Events Happening During the Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience, May 15th–18th

Experience the best of Sonoma and beyond at the Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience (May 15th–18th)! This weekend-long festival celebrates local farmers, world-renowned winemakers, and top chefs from around the world. 

The Vintners Plaza Grand Tasting on Saturday May 17th is the centerpiece of the weekend, with over 150 wines, beers, and spirits, plus curated bites from chefs like Antonia Lofaso, Stephanie Izard, Maneet Chauhan, and more! 

Groove to an Outdoor Concert at Rodney Strong Vineyards featuring the soulful sounds of Allen Stone. Or chow down at a lunchtime Barbecue with Matt Horn at Orsi Family Vineyards. Want to get nerdy with it? Dig deep into California’s terroir with a seminar called Unearth California’s Grand Cru Vineyards. 

This is your chance to indulge in the ultimate wine country celebration. Join us May 15th through 18th—tickets are on sale now at healdsburgwineandfood.com.

➡️ Use code tablehopper10 for 10 percent off any Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience event!

the lush

Congratulations to West Bev Consulting on Five Years of Providing Top-Shelf Creativity, Hospitality, and Excellence from a Trio of San Francisco Cocktail Professionals

When I was coming up with the concept for Bohemian Sunday, my 19th anniversary party for tablehopper at the Savoy Tivoli just over a year ago, I knew I wanted to celebrate San Francisco cocktails as a focal point of the event programming. I reached out to longtime friend (and one of our City’s most thoughtful bartenders), Christopher Longoria, for his thoughts on how I should handle the beverage program for my event. I have known Longoria for years: first behind the stick at Aziza, and then at 1760 on Polk, and later at Che Fico, and he deeply loves SF the way I do. By the end of our conversation, I was so grateful he was interested in talking to his partners at West Bev Consulting about working with me on my event. 

West Bev Consulting is also Nora Furst, another longtime SF beverage professional I have known and admired for years (since her days at Lolinda, to Uma Casa, and Seedlip, and now an operating partner at Buddy), and I soon got to meet Stephanie Gonnet, whose background includes Che Fico, Bar Iris, and The Morris. All three of these talented folks are a dream team of hospitality professionals—they understand what clients need and customers want (hospitality and a good drink), and are in it for the love of the profession, and not their own egos. 

It really helps to be able to work alongside people who share the same high standards as you—as a perfectionist (I’ll own it!) and someone who likes to over-deliver (but also have fun while doing it), with West Bev, I truly found my people. They are such passionate individuals who have dedicated themselves to constantly evolving and leveling up as skilled bar and hospitality professionals.

Honestly, my event would not have had the level of success it did (on so many levels) without West Bev’s support. The team’s stellar reputation opened so many doors to sponsorship of the event (which required a substantial budget to pull off), and it was gratifying to know my guests were enjoying top-tier cocktails executed with expertise and care, which then made the sponsors happy as well. Win win win!

Because of West Bev’s deep knowledge of and roots in the City, all of Bohemian Sunday’s cocktails told a story, from a Boothby to a Southern Exposure to a Tommy’s Margarita (and our N/A cocktails were just as compelling). From helping me figure out quantities to glassware to ice to special guests to invite, West Bev had it covered, and then some. I am forever grateful to them for helping me produce one of the most meaningful events I have ever hosted.

Something I really loved seeing (and learning from) was how respectfully they work together, which I noticed on our conference calls. As a team, they have a cultural rule to not speak over each other. Even if they’re burning to share an idea, they listen and absorb the others’ perspectives first. They have discovered the necessity for teams to create a culture of listening, and it’s very compelling when you’re in brainstorm sessions with them. Everyone could take note of this practice.

West Bev Consulting offers much more than just “bar consulting” and creating a cocktail menu for their clients—the team’s collective deep experience making cocktails and being in the hospitality industry means they build culture, history, and thoughtfulness into the cocktail programs they create, as well as seasoned strategy. 

And it’s not just a one-and-done: they also provide education, one-on-one training, and mentorship to their clients’ teams (and the industry as a whole), as well as help to instill process and context around their menus. In addition to creating lasting and impactful bar programming, they also form relationships with the staff, which helps create a personal style of service with each and every project. There is a holistic-ness to their consulting projects that tells a story that is much greater than “West Bev did the drinks program.” 

In a silver-lining kind of story, the pandemic is what spurred their partnership five years ago—Christopher asked Nora to collaborate with him on a to-go cocktail project for a distillery and realized they wanted to add a different skill set and perspective into the mix, and then brought Steph on, too. They discovered a lot of synchronicity working together, and quickly recognized they have a special chemistry (and they’re hard workers, so they connect on that basis as well). Another thing that differentiates them as a consultant group is all three of them actively tend bar and work service—you’ll currently find Christopher at Copra, Steph at Left Door, and Nora is intermittently at Buddy. 

Since their company was founded during the pandemic’s intense period that required almost every business to “figure it out!” or perish, especially the bar business, perhaps it’s what spurred West Bev’s unique policy about not saying “no” to any projects, especially the ones that pose a challenge. The trio likes to problem solve, sail uncharted waters, and figure it out: they enjoy seeing where their expertise and imagination can take them—each project offers future experience. 

Now, five years in, the team has really loved their global projects (they had an exciting bar project in New Delhi called The Mission Bay)—they discovered how much they learn and grow as a consulting service when they’re traveling outside the U.S., like learning bar systems and hospitality in India. They have more global projects on the horizon, like developing a non-alcoholic cocktail program for a Bihari-focused restaurant in Delhi, and look forward to doing more.

Recent West Bev Consulting projects include Eylan in Menlo Park (from the same group behind Copra in SF), Izzy’s San Carlos, El Chorro in Scottsdale, and developing 40 cocktails for Handheld Catering and Events in San Francisco. Steph also won regional first place in the Bordiga Last Stop Competition in 2024 (she’s really good at cocktail competitions). Every year, West Bev dedicates a certain amount of internal resources to charity, often in the form of pop-ups, fundraisers, and donated time, so plan on seeing their name on upcoming events.

Education is a big part of what they do, and this summer, West Bev will be leading a seminar at Tales of the Cocktail on N/A drinks (one of their passions). It’s fitting and funny, because when I was at the recent James Beard Taste America: SF Bay Area event, I tasted a bewitching N/A Negroni (the Newgroni) from Sipeos in Walnut Creek. Come to find out, West Bev was behind the Sipeos cocktail program—I should have known from that perfect saline touch it had, something Christopher taught me about making drinks—so I asked them to share the recipe for their Newgroni here. Cheers to five years, West Bev! 

Newgroni (at Sipeos)
Wilderton Bittersweet Aperitivo - 1oz.
Optimist Bright - .75oz.
Verjus Blanc - 1oz.
Simple Syrup - .5oz. (see below)
Saline Solution - 1 barspoon (see below)

Add all ingredients to a mixing glass and fill with fresh ice, stir briskly for 10 seconds. Strain over a big ice cube in a rocks glass. Garnish with an orange peel. 

Saline Solution
200g Hot Water
40g Kosher Salt

Combine all ingredients and stir until dissolved. Yield: 200ml

Simple Syrup
Equal parts hot water and granulated white sugar. 

Combine ingredients and whisk until sugar is dissolved.

the socialite

Mother’s Day Options and Special Treats

How did Mother’s Day sneak up so quickly? Seriously, whoa. It’s this Sunday May 11th, and I know it can be a hard day for many of you, so I’m sending some hugs. If you’re fortunate to be able to take Mom or your mother figure out for brunch or dinner, I want to point you to my earlier post with Easter locations, since there’s a lot of crossover with what makes a good Easter or Mother’s Day brunch or dinner spot (like La Connessa, which is only charging $65 per person for a prix-fixe brunch menu).

Here are some quick updates to add to the list of options:

Chef Heena Patel is launching her new spring tasting menu at Besharam on Sunday for dinner, featuring her innovative and seasonal vegetarian Indian cuisine. New dishes include biryani arancini with tomato soup and pandum crisp, and paneer korma with smoked cardamom butter sauce, seared paneer, and peppers. $95 per guest, with an optional beverage pairing for an additional $49. Dishes are also available à la carte. Reservations on Resy. 1275 Minnesota St.

Melissa Perello and her teams at Frances and Octavia...

If Mom is a bit fancy and you feel like splashing out for a buffet, it’s tough to beat the panoramic city views from the Top of the Mark at the InterContinental Mark Hopkins. Their abundant brunch buffet includes a sparkling welcome with Champagne or sparkling wine; seafood selections featuring oysters, prawns, and Dungeness crab; a caviar station with blinis, crème fraîche, and traditional accompaniments; dim sum; carving stations with slow-roasted Angus prime rib and herb-roasted lamb; salads; cheese and charcuterie boards; chef entrées; freshly baked pastries and artisan breads; and a dessert bar. There will also be live piano music. $210 per adult, $85 per child (ages 4–12); an automatic taxable 19% gratuity will be added to the check for all parties. Seatings: 10am, 10:30am, 2pm, 2:30pm; reservations.

A couple years ago, we brought Mom to Hayes Street Grill for lunch, which happily coincided with the kitchen putting Chesapeake Bay soft-shell crabs on the menu. This year, the timing is no different. They dip the soft-shell crabs in buttermilk and seasoned flour, sauté them until crisp, drape them in a meunière (a pan sauce of shallots, wine, butter, and parsley), and serve them with French fries, which you will love dipping in that sauce! So good.

Do you have a party mom? Then maybe you should bring her to The San Francisco Proper Hotel, which just restarted their Paella & Rosé Day Party at their stylish rooftop bar, Charmaine’s Rooftop Bar & Lounge. Tickets are $30pp (reserve here) and include admission and unlimited paella (the rosé is up to you) for two hours. There’s also an à la carte menu with cheese, charcuterie, and desserts. It’s happening this Sunday, and every other Sunday from 11am–2:30pm.

If you can’t commit to brunch or dinner, you should know China Live is open all day Sunday from 12pm to 8pm, with no set menu.

The same all-day format goes for Chapeau! in the Inner Richmond. Open on Mother’s Day from 12pm–9pm, you’ll find a $60 three-course prix-fixe menu (and an á la carte menu) that blends classic French technique with seasonal California ingredients, from French toast to cassoulet.

Does Mom like to eat really well? Then Lily on Clement is the spot—check out their Mother’s Day menu of Vietnamese dishes here (you have a choice of one drink, appetizer, entrée, and dessert for $58/person!). And: they have Schubert’s princess cake (my favorite) for dessert!

Are you looking for a special place for dinner that is hopper Mom–approved? I wrote about the delicious Mediterranean dinner my family had at Amara in Belmont in my newsletter intro last month, and it has the perfect vibe, space, and warm hospitality to properly celebrate Mom. Book an early table to enjoy the beautiful light in the dining room.

Are you going to cook brunch for Mom at home? Nopa’s Bake Shop is back this Saturday with their epic French toast kits (I loved them during the pandemic), and you can also get Nopa bacon, garlic breakfast sausage, hand-squeezed organic Navel orange juice, and a bottle of Conquilla Cava Brut. Order now, pick up on Saturday!

And here’s a reminder about the La Cocina Bake Sale Box, which I wrote about last week, which features a baker’s dozen of sweet and savory treats from talented La Cocina entrepreneurs and acclaimed Bay Area bakeries and restaurants. Place your order by Friday May 9th, pick up Saturday May 10th at various locations (SF, Oakland, or Sunnyvale).