About 40 adventurous foodies joined Dishcrawl for its first ever food tour of San Francisco’s Bayview neighborhood. The Dishcrawlers were a mix of Bayview residents curious to see their neighborhood shared and showcased (and meet new neighborhood friends!) as well as many “first time” Bayview visitors.   Nestled between Hunter’s Point on the San Francisco Bay and 3rd Street, this area is undergoing what KQED recently referred to as a “Food Renaissance.” 

The evening kicked off at 5800 Third Street, a new condo building which is now in the second phase of sales.  Despite SF’s frothy real estate market you can definitely get a lot of space for your money here!

Although just a few short blocks from 5800, the walk to our first food destination led the group past warehouse after warehouse.  As we approached our destination I spotted a refrigerated railway car parked on a weed-covered train track that looked like it could have been used to haul cargo decades ago.   What food would we find here?

Housed in a warehouse with simple signage, Smokin’ Warehouse BBQ has a small unassuming service window.  Although this is purely a “take out” joint, the manager Sam and owner Bill had set-up a small tent and some tables on the sidewalk in anticipation of our visit.  We were treated to pulled pork sliders with coleslaw, their best-selling beef brisket chili and a piece of their cake-like cornbread.

Bill, the owner and a electrical contractor by trade, shared with us that cooking was his passion and that his prime rib could “Kick House of Prime Rib’s butt.”  He said that Smokin’ has been able to expand its service range through its food truck, which can usually be found near 3rd and Harrison Streets in SOMA.  Another truck location near SF’s Costco is in the works.  Bill also donates his wonderful BBQ food with a number of local non-profits and asked Dishcrawlers to let him know of any other worthy causes he could support.  What’s not to love?

Our tour of industrial Carroll Avenue was a bit longer than we anticipated due to a wayward bus.  However, once it arrived the group headed north up 3rd Street to our next destination Radio Africa & Kitchen, where platters of edamame hummus, saffroned shrimp and mushroom wot crostini awaited us.

Chef Eskender Aseged and his restaurant have been getting a lot of buzz lately and it’s easy to see why.  A far cry from his “pop up restaurant” days in the Mission, he has built a little oasis of deliciousness.  Despite buzzing around between kitchen, tables and in-between he shared a few moments with the group and apologized for the limited selection we were tasting.  After glancing at the entire menu and seeing the food on other patron’s tables, I got the sense that many people in the group were already plotting a return visit.

Our last stop of the evening was Limon Rotisserie, which is in one of the ground level commercial spaces in the 5800 building where we began the evening.  This is the newest outpost of this Peruvian restaurant, which has been delighting diners in its two Mission locations for years.  The manager Francisco arranged a bounty of mouth-watering offerings for us.  The Leche de Tiger cups of marinated fish were full of tangy lime juice with an unexpected powerful chili kick at the end.  This was followed by both veggie and chicken empanada bites, which were encased in a delectably crispy shell.  Just as I was about to reach for another empanada bite out came the Lomo, which is a Peruvian specialty of french fries mixed with marinated beef strips, onions and peppers. Veggies were treated to a special marinated beet salad.  Amazing! As this was our last stop, several Dishcrawles availed themselves of some of the tasty cocktails Limon has on their menu and chattered away.

Fresh & Easy, a British grocery retailer committed to bringing fresh food to under-served neighborhoods, opened one of its two SF locations in the same 5800 complex last year and provided some cookies and other baked goodies as a way to welcome Dishcrawlers to the neighborhood.  It was indeed a sweet note to a delectable evening.

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Can’t wait to discover more gems in another San Francisco ‘hood and maybe even another Bayview tour as we only scratched the surface. Hope to see you there!

The Foie Battle heats up as our first San Francisco chef enters the competition and hosts the city’s kickoff dinner.

Freelance writer, Stephanie Hua attended the dinner and broke the story here.

Chef Ian Begg of Txoko graciously hosted a group of foodies on April 5^th and choreographed a truly unforgettable dinner.

Rustic and sleek, Txoko is a true hidden gem amidst the colorful bars and clubs of North Beach. Long time friends, co-owner Ryan Maxey charms in the front of the house while Chef Ian Begg works his magic in the kitchen. The pair also own Naked Lunch, a nearby lunch spot. Txoko, pronounced “choco” refers to a gastronomical society where people father to eat and drink.  Ryan and Chef Ian strive to recreate a similar experience.  The spacious but intimate décor creates the perfect ambiance to revel in the Basque inspired cuisine.

The amazing pictures to follow are courtesy of Stephanie and her artistic eye for beautiful photography.

The first course was a glazed marin miyagi oyster with foie gras cream, chili oil, pickled cucumber, shiso. The cream was beyond addicting and induced several diners to lick the bowl to get the last remnants.

The second course was a salt cured foie gras torchon, meyer lemon, toasted almond, muscato gelee, pain de mie, and arugula. The sweet gelee balanced the richness of the foie and the bitterness from the meyer lemon. Every bite was perfect.

The third course was a pan seared day boat scallop with foie gras sauce, potato coulis, hen of the woods, and sage. The scallop was perfectly cooked and paired so well with the potato coulis and foie sauce.

The main course was a foie gras a la plancha, beluga lentils, green garlic, mirepoix, fave beans, duck jamon, and chicharones. The table was completely silent once this dish came out. We were too busy devouring every delicious morsel of this dish.

For dessert, we were served foie gras ice cream with prunes in syrup. Light and creamy, the foie was not at all overwhelming.

Overall, it was a delicious dining experience unlike any other I’ve every experienced. It’s devastating that such a versatile and amazing ingredient will soon no longer be available. If you missed this dinner, snag a seat to one of the remaining dinners in the Battle!

RSVP for a #foiebattle in SF, SJ, HMB, San Mateo, and more at foiebattle.com.  For a limited time only.

SOMA may be best known as the tech-hub of San Francisco, with loft offices and engineers in hoodie sweatshirts, but it’s also home to some pretty tasty restaurants.  On Tuesday evening a group of Dishcrawlers noshed its way down 2nd Street in eastern SOMA.   We kicked off at The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen, which opened after hours especially for our group.  Nate Pollak, a co-owner, welcomed the group with shooters of their homemade tomato soup topped with creme fraiche.  After explaining each type of sandwich and the origin of the ingredients (the bread is baked just a few blocks away!) the group was served bite-sized tastes of each type of sandwich including the Mousetrap, the Piglet, Mac ‘n Cheese grilled cheese, Mushroom Gruyere, Jalapeno Popper, Club Turkey, Foghorn Leghorn and the49er special in honor of the team’s great season.

The next stop was an easy stroll across the street to Nova Bar & Restaurant,where we were greeted by co-owner Jeff Thompson.  Jeff and his partners opened their business shortly after the AT&T baseball stadium opened in the neighborhood.  After ordering a round of drinks, we were treated to generous portions of some of Nova’s specialties including their Mac ‘n Cheese (which has been called the best in the city), lobster and wild mushroom quesadilla, calamari and mushroom/arugula pizza.

Luckily the walk to the third stop of the evening was about 15 minutes giving people some time to digest all the goodies they’d had so far.  When we arrived, Ed Trakarnwutikosol, the owner/chef of Tara Restaurant, was ready to treat our group to some delicacies from Southeast Asia and his native Thailand.  At Tara we got a nice sampling of some of their small plate specialties including roti with beef curry sauce, rice cake with bbq pork and mango papaya salad served in a lettuce cup. Ed even gave the Dishcrawlers a 25% off coupon for their next meal at Tara.  The cocktails were yummy too!

The last stop of the evening was Creperie Saint Germain, which serves delicious savory and sweet crepes out of a permanently parked trailer on the corner of 2nd and Howard Streets.  Owner Zee Ayanci, who loved eating crepes in her native Turkey, had recently revamped the menu and it didn’t disappoint.  She offered a special Dishcrawl menu with a choice of Béchamel chicken (grilled chicken, mushroom, cheese, tomato, spinach), Ratatouille (eggplant, bellpeppers, green onion,cheese, spinach), Caramel with sea salt, Chocolate with bacon or Nutella, banana, whipped cream.  It was an awesome way to end the evening!

Don’t forget to add us on Facebook and Twitter!  And please join us for an upcoming Bay Area Dishcrawl.

Can’t wait to head off into another unique SF ‘hood for some delicious eats.  Hope to see you there!