Category Archives: Chefs

Enter The Wild

California bluefin tuna with ponzu and bonito at The Wild.
California bluefin tuna with ponzu and bonito at The Wild.

Something wild has happened at 201 Spear St. in San Francisco.

The space that housed Gozu restaurant for the past five years was renamed in August to The Wild.

Chef-Owner Marc Zimmerman, who also owns San Francisco’s Yokai, is still in charge. The layout of the striking, black-box dining room with seats circling the perimeter of a live-fire open kitchen is still intact. But the menu has shifted, giving him and his team, which includes Chef de Cuisine Peggy Tan and Pastry Chef Mark Lieuw, more liberties with both service and dishes. Even the libations that once touted an impressive collection of Japanese whiskies have now shifted to include many Calvados and Armagnacs.

Previously, Gozu was laser-focused on Japanese A5 Wagyu, and using every bit of that luxurious beef — from flesh to fat to bones to tendons — in uncanny ways. In contrast, The Wild’s current menu is noticeably absent of Wagyu. In fact, the restaurant’s dry-aging fridge that used to hold slabs of Wagyu now house Liberty Farms ducks.

“It feels fresh,” says Zimmerman about the change. “It gives us the ability to stretch more.”

Chef-Owner Marc Zimmerman.
Chef-Owner Marc Zimmerman.
A glass of Evening Land Seven Springs Chardonnay while taking in the view of the kitchen.
A glass of Evening Land Seven Springs Chardonnay while taking in the view of the kitchen.

Diners seem to be embracing it all, too. Zimmerman acknowledges that Gozu’s use of Wagyu in nearly every dish may have intimidated some and even turned off others. Now, The Wild has attracted more first-time diners, as well as regulars who come in twice a week for the a la carte or the $130 five-course tasting menu.

Read more

Learn How to Make Franklin Barbecue’s Smoked Chicken

A magnificent smoked chicken from the master of smoking.
A magnificent smoked chicken from the master of smoking.

I’ve yet to make the life-changing pilgrimage to Austin to endure the hours-long line for the much-lauded fare at Franklin Barbecue.

But at least now, I can say that I’ve made owner Aaron Franklin’s “Smoked Chicken” at home — and swooned over the results.

It’s actually an easy recipe that results in some of the juiciest chicken around, kissed by smoke and infused subtly with tangy, sweet, peppery, and piquant notes. In short, it’s outstanding.

It’s from his book, “Franklin Smoke” (Ten Speed Press, 2023), of which I received a review copy.

A James Beard Foundation “Best Chef” Award winner who has garnered every major barbecue honor around, Franklin wrote the book with New York-based James Beard Award-winning writer Jordan MacKay.

Read more

San Carlos’ Saffron Gets A Menu Redo

Chicken paratha wrap, one of the items on the new "Bites'' portion of the menu at Saffron San Carlos.
Chicken paratha wrap, one of the items on the new “Bites” portion of the menu at Saffron San Carlos.

Think tapas — Indian-style.

That’s what husband-and-wife owners Ajay Walia and Reena Miglani had in mind when they revamped the menu at their Saffron restaurant in downtown San Carlos three weeks ago.

Regulars shouldn’t fret, as their favorites are still there, only portioned in smaller sizes so that diners can try a greater variety of dishes now.

Want to enjoy a pav slider, but you’re vegetarian and your dining companion is not? Now, you can order them by the piece, so that everyone gets what they crave.

Indeed, the restaurant has added a sizeable “Saffron’s Bites” section to the menu, that allows you to do just that.

The exterior of the restaurant.
The exterior of the restaurant.
The parklet for outdoor dining.
The parklet for outdoor dining.
The dining room.
The dining room.

I had a chance to try the new menu when I was invited as a guest of the restaurant last week. In fact, Executive Chef Vivek Tamhane was amenable to making some of the “bites” even smaller so that I could try that much more.

Read more

Soda-Pop Pickled Cucumbers

Yup, a splash of soda pop adds a fun sweetness to these pickled cucumbers.
Yup, a splash of soda pop adds a fun sweetness to these pickled cucumbers.

These crunchy pickled cucumbers have the usual suspects of ingredients — vinegar, salt, and sugar — but also something rather unusual.

7Up. Or Sprite for those who prefer the competing lemon-lime soda.

Yup, how crazy is that?

I have to say that surprising ingredient was what drew me to this particular recipe, “Sweet-and-Sour 7Up Pickled Cucumbers,” in the new cookbook, “Koreaworld: A Cookbook” (Clarkson Potter), of which I received a review copy.

It was written by Deuki Hong, the chef-owner of the Sunday Family Hospitality Group in San Francisco; and Matt Rodbard, the founding editor of the online magazine, Taste.

Korean cuisine is having a major moment right now. Hong and Rodbard attribute that in great part early on to Chef Roy Choi’s Kogi trucks in Los Angeles that drew crowds for its Korean-Mexican mashup tacos and to Chef David Chang, whose Momofuku in New York introduced a wide audience to the Korean feast known as bo ssam.

Read more

The Brixton Gets A Revamp in San Francisco

Dragon roll pressed sushi at The Brixton.
Dragon roll pressed sushi at The Brixton.

After opening in 2011 on Union Street in San Francisco, The Brixton slowly but surely began to evolve into more of a drinking establishment.

But last week, after a revamp, the restaurant, named for an iconic rock and roll venue in London, reopened as a modern gastropub, with as much emphasis placed on the food as the drink.

To redesign and expand the menu, owner Hugo Gamboa brought in long-time Bay Area chef Joey Altman of San Francisco’s Hazie’s as a consultant.

On a prime spot on San Francisco's Union Street.
On a prime spot on San Francisco’s Union Street.
The bar.
The bar.

Last week, I was invited in as a guest of the restaurant to try a sampling of the new menu the night before it opened to the public. It’s an eclectic mix with everything from deviled eggs topped with bourbon bacon ($14) and Korean barbecue ribs ($24) to a spicy tuna roll ($21), a Brixton Prime Rib burger ($25), and shrimp scampi and linquine ($28).

Read more
« Older Entries Recent Entries »