La Mar, San Francisco

You may not have heard of Gastón Acurio, but in his homeland the celebrity chef is a mix of George Clooney and Emeril Lagasse. His popularity is enough to draw cameras and handshakes everywhere he goes. The 41-year-old chef has 29 restaurants worldwide, over 20 books and several TV shows with his name. He is doing for Peruvian food what Paul Bocuse did for French cuisine–evolving it in the kitchen and changing its role to the rest of the world. But curiously, it all happened by chance.



Son of a prominent Peruvian politician, Gastón was sent to Madrid to attend law school. It was a few hours drive from the capital, in the small town of San Sebastian, that one dinner changed his life forever. A meal that pushed Gastón to embrace his lifelong passion, drop out of law school and enroll at the Cordon Bleu in Paris. A meal cooked by Juan Mari Arzak; a Spanish chef that, like Bocuse, redefined his homeland cuisine and gave it worldwide appeal.



La Mar is Acurio’s first step in turning Peruvian food into an international sensation. Fifteen years after opening his first restaurant, the chef has taken his new franchise to Brazil, Chile, Mexico and US. San Francisco was selected as his first North American address and New York, Dallas and Las Vegas are in the planning stage. Assuming all goes well, Gastón is destined to put Peruvian gastronomy in Uncle Sam’s map.



Located at Pier 1 ½, just a few steps from the Ferry Building, La Mar has one of the most enviable spaces in San Francisco. Flooded with natural light, the ample dining room is complemented by a lively bar, a lounge and a coveted patio with views of the bay.



The interior design is simple, combining earthy colors with a bright beach-like palette of cyan, orange and green. The colorful theme is repeated on menus and paper placemats printed with La Mar’s logo–a design choice normally associated with large restaurant chains, something that I believe cheapens its image. The atmosphere is informal and welcoming albeit with a slight touristic flair.



Almost as big as the dining room is the open kitchen equipped to serve about 200 diners.

The good-looking wait staff is attentive and well trained. In my two visits, curiously the female servers seemed more enthusiastic than their male counterparts.


The menu



La Mar’s menu offers an appetizing selection of revisited Peruvian classics prepared with great technique and fresh, seasonal ingredients. Ceviches are a must. There are 6 types (priced around $17 or $10 for a smaller portion during lunchtime). A ceviche tasting ($28) gives diners the option to try 4 of them. Other specialties include about 30 appetizer-sized dishes ($9 to $16) and main courses ($17 to $29). Sharing is highly recommended, mostly so you can try multiple things.


The meal



Crispy potato, sweet potato and plantain chips served with 3 dipping sauces color coded by heat level. Green for mild, yellow for medium and red for spicy. Each one made with a different Peruvian chili pepper, spices, queso fresco, milk, olive oil and thickened with ground crackers.



Some signature ingredients in Acurio’s Peruvian cuisine make an appearance in several of his dishes. These 3 sauces are among them.



You can’t leave La Mar without trying a ceviche (called on the menu as cebiches). They are unlike most ceviches in San Francisco in which the acidity of the lime completely overpowers all other flavors. Gastón’s are made with leche de tigre (tiger’s milk), a light marinate of lime juice and chili peppers. The liquid from the ceviche is so flavorful that the restaurant offers a tasting of 5 leches de tigre shots–said but not guaranteed to have aphrodisiac properties.



Cebiche clásico. California Halibut and red onions in habanero pepper leche de tigre with Peruvian corn and yam. Simple and delicious.



Cebiche chipotle. Scallops, calamari, shrimp, red onion, cilantro, habanero, in a chipotle leche de tigre with Peruvian corn and yam. Beware, as the red color suggests, this one is flavorful but very spicy.



Empanadas de lomo saltado. Stuffed with beef tenderloin, red onions and tomato. The classic Latin American pastry turnover is filled with chopped grass fed beef and baked until crispy. A tasty appetizer.



Anticuchos de pulpo. Grilled octopus skewers, herbed mashed potato with chimichurri sauce and ají panca. La Mar offers a variety of anticuchos–barbecued skewers similar to kebabs. The octopus is tender and smoky but the herbed mashed potatoes is a bit on the dry side.



Anticuchos de lomo. Grilled marinated skirt steak served with shaved red onions and Peruvian corn. Flavorful and tender, the meat is simply exceptional.



Arroz Norteño. North Peruvian seafood combination with mussels, shrimp, octopus, clams, and fried rice with cilantro and Huancaína sauce. The majority of La Mar’s menu is made of appetizer-size dishes perfect for sharing. A few main courses are available like this Peruvian version of a Paella in which cilantro is used instead of saffron to give the rice a rich color and flavor.



Picarones. Traditional warm pumpkin and sweet potato fritters with spiced Chancaca honey. Desserts at La Mar are generously portioned. Denser than the traditional American doughnut, the Picarones have a pronounced pumpkin flavor and can be easily shared by 2 or 3 diners.



Suspiro limeño. Classic dulce de leche mousse with port wine meringue. This dessert is more like a runny pudding than a mousse but, consistency aside, it’s tasty and sweet.


In short

Beyond its impressive looks, La Mar is the best Peruvian restaurant in San Francisco. Gastón Acurio’s food brings a contemporary flair to classic dishes. His cuisine is at the same time authentic and highly approachable. Go to La Mar if you love Peruvian fare and if you don’t think you do. The accidental chef may change how you see his hometown cuisine after all.



La Mar is at Pier 1 ½
Online reservations

Borough Market, London

Let’s admit it, England is not a country known for its epicurean heritage. Yes, there are some notable exceptions like The Fat Duck; but overall, you’ll likely find more appetizing cuisines in other European countries. Maybe for that reason, the one place in London where food can be exciting is where Europe comes together under one roof. Welcome to Borough Market.

Started by the Romans about 1000 years back, the oldest food market in the city is also recognized as the best. Here you’ll find a maze of about 150 food stalls selling specialty products from every corner in Europe. Fresh Mozzarella di Bufala Campana from Italy, canned escargots from France, dried chilies from Spain and, of course, Her Majesty’s meat pies.

Like popular markets in Europe or Asia, early hours are preferred if you want to avoid the flock of tourists that flood the place. By noon, when visitors are joined by the local lunch crowd, the sight is closer to a theme park than a food market. Busy enough that you may miss the ubiquitous “High risk pickpocket area” signs. But if you are a food enthusiast like I am, no matter what time you arrive you are sure to have a blast. And maybe, just maybe, change the way they think of London after all.

Flour + Water, San Francisco

In San Francisco, the city with the highest count of declared foodies and food critics per capita, restaurant openings are akin to blockbuster movie premieres. With much anticipation, they command great buzz, long lines and instant hip status. At least until the dust settles. In the end, few places endure through the fad to become a favorite. Flour + Water is sure to be one of them.



Inside the new Mission district restaurant, the ample high-ceilings space features a bar, a communal table and solid wood 2 and 4-tops crafted with recycled redwood from old wine fermentation tanks. The walls are painted in muted shades of green and, at the end of the room, colored glass tiles and a large mural painting create a surreal natural sciences backdrop. The interior design is straightforward and contemporary; call it urban chic barn.



A few curious macabre artifacts are peppered around the restaurant; like in the restroom, where skulls and seashells are found neatly displayed in a cabinet of curiosities. They come from the Flour + Water’s designer, Sean Quigley, who also owns one of San Francisco’s most authentic stores; Paxton Gate.



Bustling with locals, the atmosphere is inviting and unfussy. Friendly servers dressed in civilian clothes make sure you feel right at home. Service was a little out of sync on my first visit–main courses arrived while we were still working on our appetizers; but things seemed better the second time around.



All in all, the main attraction here is definitely the food. Chef Thomas McNaughton (Gary Danko, La Folie, Quince) brings his sophisticated cuisine background to a welcoming homey fare.


The menu



Flour + Water specializes in fresh house made pastas, cured meats and thin crust Neapolitan pizzas. The chef has imported from Italy an enviable wood-burning oven capable of achieving 800ºF–according to the restaurant, about the same temperature as hell. The one-page menu also features flavorful meat entrées that benefit from McNaughton’s Franco-Italian techniques. Appetizers are priced around $10 and main courses range from $12 to $22.


The meal



To start, a nice house baked rosemary foccaccia served solo.



House cured salumi – chili Toscana, cacciatore, finnochiona. McNaughton’s charcuterie is tasty, I’d say on par with Boccalone’s.



Shaved asparagus & arugula salad with quail egg & a pancetta-caper vinaigrette. A fresh salad with crunchy vegetables and rich, carefully poached quail eggs.



Margherita pizza - tomato, basil, fior di latte, extra virgin olive oil. There are only 4 options for toppings and arguably less inventive combinations than Gialina and Delfina. But at Flour + Water, only 2 minutes in the wood-burning oven produces an unparallel crust with a nice balance of chewy and crisp and aromatics from the wood. Worthy every bite.



Corzetti stampati with braised monterey squid & castelvetrano olives. The pastas are made fresh every day. In this dish, flat pasta discs are served with a flavorful sauce and the coveted mild Italian olives that seem to have taken San Francisco’s epicurean scene by storm. I just wish there was an option for a bigger portion.



Braised pork cheek with sweet pea & erbette chard. The best dish I had. Tender, melt-in-your-mouth pork served with a flavorful wine reduction and nicely balanced by the slight bitterness of chard.



Roast leg & loin of lamb with spring shallot, rabe leaves & green olives jus. Also very tender, the leg is thinly sliced and served with sweet roasted onions and a tasty reduction.

The desserts at Flour + Water are anything but afterthoughts. The 3 options on the menu are all very good.



Chocolate budino with espresso-caramel cream & sea salt. With a consistency between a pot de crème and a mousse, the rich chocolate budino is complemented beautifully by the flavored whipped cream and highlighted by sea salt crystals. An outstanding dessert.



Olive oil cake with macerated strawberries, honey thyme ice cream and candied fennel. Another great combination of fluffy, moist cake and creamy Humphry Slocombe ice cream.



Cherry ricotta tart with saba and torn mint. A delicate tart with fresh cherries on a crunchy crust, served with grape syrup.


In short

With a warm atmosphere and a flavorful cuisine that I’d compare to Delfina and its pizzeria all under one roof, this brand new Mission spot is worth trying and going back to. Opened less than a month ago, Flour + Water is already the most exciting new restaurant in the city. One that this foodie and food critic hopes is here to stay.



Flour + Water is at 2401 Harrison Street
Online reservations

Brenda's, San Francisco

It was 9:30am when I arrived at the small eatery in the Tenderloin. Early enough to avoid the vagrant crowd that makes the neighborhood not so family-friendly but clearly not early enough to beat the family brunch crowd. About 30 people already stood in front of the building; a façade tightly squeezed between a Laundromat and a KFC/Taco Bell combo. And while it was Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial kickoff of summer, the prospective diners stood shivering outside under overcast skies and 44 degrees. Mark Twain was right.



At every gust of wind, people walked towards the door, checked their place on the clipboard and peaked inside the dining room. A helpless gesture repeated over and over akin to an anxious father to be, pacing outside the delivery room. Watched pot never boils.

And while the frequency in which names were crossed was painfully slow, the number of new ones added seemed to grow at full speed. Soon enough it was up to 3 pages long. “It must be worth it”, I kept repeating to myself as I battled the half of my mind trying to convince me otherwise. With few exceptions, I rarely wait long for a table. Curiously, it was the excessive wait time that compelled me to stay.



As I jumped up and down to keep my body temperature up, the stubborn optimistic in me kept thinking it would be any minute now. But it took one and a half hours for me to see my name crossed from that pesky list. I rushed inside like that anxious father, finally allowed to see his newborn son.



The dining room is packed with glass-covered tables, squeezing the maximum number of people in the tiny space; 30 in total. The room that already looks small from the outside reveals itself as half the perceived size once you get inside and realize a wall-to-wall mirror gives it a false sense of scale. Seating at the counter puts you about 10 inches from that very mirror–not recommended for diners with low self-esteem.



The atmosphere is cozy, like a small town diner. Service is friendly and fast; turning tables here is a must.


The menu



Brenda’s takes pride in offering a Creole-inspired menu in which no item sells for over ten bucks. In addition to the à la carte selection of beignets, egg plates and off the griddle dishes; daily specials are written on the mirror wall. The restaurant brings together New Orleans soul with refined French technique. There are plenty of options to choose from and some room for customization.


The meal



Brenda’s serves the traditional New Orleans blend of coffee and Chicory from Community Coffee. Full bodied and very rich, it has a bittersweet flavor that, although smooth, can be too bold for diners with a lighter palate.



If you like beignets, there is no shortage of options. Plain, filled with Ghirardelli chocolate, Granny Smith apple or Crawfish. If in doubt, the Beignet flight will guarantee you a taste of each.



Unlike the lighter, hollow plain beignets; their filled counterparts are as hearty as a small meal. The apple filling above is nicely spiced with cinnamon, honey and butter.



Daily specials often include Eggs benedict prepared 3 different ways; with molasses ham, florentine (spinach) or fried catfish. Instead of the classic English muffin, Brenda’s serves their benedicts on incredibly flaky, melt-in-your-mouth biscuits. The combination of perfectly cooked eggs topped with a lightly spicy Creole hollandaise and biscuits is delicious.



While the molasses ham is tasty, it’s a little too sweet. The fried catfish on the other hand makes for a great complement adding a crispy texture and an additional southern flair.



Andouille and Cheddar Omelette. Filled with spicy sausage, cheddar, mushrooms, scallions and topped with sauce piquant. Served with soft hash browns or grits and a baseball-size biscuit.



Banana’s Foster French Toast. Thick slices of brioche served with caramelized bananas, butter rum sauce and whipped cream. Tasty but very sweet.


In short

Breanda’s French soul food brings a fresh angle to the San Francisco brunch scene. The appetizing menu offers flavorful, hearty dishes at more than fair prices. No wonder its popularity. You may consider getting off bed earlier and arriving before 9am, it will shave one hour or so of wait time. You’ll still have to hang outside a good 30 or 40 minutes–enough to wake you up in the cold morning breeze.



Brenda's is at 652 Polk St
No reservations are taken for brunch

Follow that taco truck!

Mobile eateries have been around for generations feeding blue-collar workers who crave a filling meal on a limited time and budget. On the west coast, the iconic taco trucks are sure to be found at lunchtime near any construction site. But beyond white-collars with the late night munchies and more open-minded foodies, few considered them as epicurean destinations. Now, what happened to other American classics like cupcakes and doughnuts, is happening to the taco truck. Gourmetization by gentrification.

In LA, the media darling Kogi BBQ serves handheld Korean-Mexican fare with a fine dining pedigree. Behind the wheels is Roy Choi, a chef who started out cooking at Le Bernardin in NY and more recently ran the kitchen at the 4-star Beverly Hilton restaurant in LA. Choi’s mobile menu includes Korean short ribs, spicy pork and tofu tacos prepared with high-end ingredients and packed with the flavor of carefully created marinates. But the food quality is responsible for only half of Kogi’s astronomical popularity–the truck commands lines of over one-hour wait and serves up to 600 customers a night. The other half comes from its 140-character marketing strategy.

In a curious twist on business economics, the one service that is yet to find its business model is empowering Kogi’s business to thrive. The truck has over 26 thousand Twitter followers that signed up to receive updates on where it will show up next. There’s no set agenda, locations are announced on the day; sometimes only a few hours ahead. Foodies and fans flock to tweeted addresses from all over town. Chasing the chef’s 2 trucks feels like the quest for “Where’s Fluffy” from “Nick and Norah’s infinite playlist”.

Kogi’s cult success inspired a myriad of copycats ranging from pure plagiarism to more original interpretations, kicking off a gastromobile trend.

In San Francisco, the Crème Brûlée Cart roams around the Mission district at night serving à la minute caramelized custards. Boccalone, purveyor of “tasty salted pig parts”, is sending its Salumi-Cycle to the Financial District during lunch hours. In its inaugural trip last week, the full load of 25 prosciutto paninis sold out in just 2 minutes–leaving dozens of hungry customers empty-handed. Other roaming food carts in the city include Sexy Soup Lady, Magic Curry Man and Mobile Pho Truck. Like Kogi, they all use Twitter to broadcast their locations, albeit to a much smaller audience.

Even Chez Spencer, the renowned French restaurant in the city, has launched a takeaway spin off in a converted taco truck. The concept follows the same gentrified gourmetization but isn’t quite as successful–the menu doesn’t have much of a street food flair and orders are said to take up to 45 minutes to be done.

This week in New York a converted pizza truck is hitting the road as Cupcake Stop. The owner is a law school dropout who put his bar exam on hold to sell cupcakes. He guarantees the confections are baked from scratch daily and expects to sell about 1,500 a day. Beyond announcing the truck’s location on Twitter, he is also using the social network to ask his followers for flavor suggestions. Over 500 submissions have already been sent.

But the idea of mobile eateries has always spurred some controversy. Neighborhood associations and local restaurants often see them as nuisances or threats. In mid 2008, Los Angeles passed an ordinance that required taco trucks to change location every hour (30 minutes in residential areas). A few weeks later a judge ruled the law unconstitutional allowing the trucks to conduct business in set locations. No shuffle required. The city of San Francisco, which has strict polices about street food, is constantly threatening to shut down unlicensed trucks and carts. Twitter is allowing mobile businesses to cultivate an ever-growing customer base while constantly changing their location.

But in the end, this is still restaurant business. A few months from now, many of these ventures will likely go out of business as fast as they hit the road. Diners will grow tired of niche menus and realize the long lines are not always worth braving. Unlike restaurants though, mobile eateries have the advantage of easily moving to a new spot and taking their fare to new fans. The most loyal Twitter fans will follow.

For now, until the fad goes out of fashion or legislators discover the wonders of 140-character social networking, we can enjoy the creativity and convenience of technology-powered gourmet street food. So get on Twitter and follow that truck.

Where to find?

In LA
@kogiBBQ

In NY
@CupcakeStop

In SF
@cremebruleecart
@sexysoupcart
@magiccurrykart
@boccalone
@whatthepho
@chezspencergo