Gialina, San Francisco

Mark Sullivan, the talented chef at Spruce, once said in an interview that this was one of his favorite places in San Francisco. He spoke with regards of Sharon Ardiana, owner and chef of Gialina.

Named after Sharon’s grandmother, the small neighborhood restaurant proudly displays her family photos in oversized black-and-white prints. Only 13 tables fill the red-walled dining room, another 3 people can sit at a dining counter and watch the pies being made, skillfully hand-stretched by the focused chef.



With barely any spare space in the dinging room, the local crowd lines up outside to wait for a table or takeout. But don’t be intimidated; it will be definitely worth your while.

The menu

Thin-crust Neapolitan-style pizzas are the restaurant’s specialty. There are about 10 pies to choose from, with some changing depending on the day. The toppings are inventive but celebrate Italian and local ingredients. Pizzas are served in a single size, 6-slices medium. In addition, starters and a roast of the day are available to help fill your appetite.

The meal



Starters include salads and charcuterie plates as well as more filing options like the PLT-Pork Belly Bruschetta w/ heirloom tomatoes & balsamic condimento. A delicious variation on the classic. Served open faced with ripe heirloom tomatoes and house made aioli. And topped with a generous portion of tender pork belly.



Another option is the Pan-fried salt cod cakes with Meyer lemon aioli. Although it lacks the outside crispiness of a deep-fried version, and the inside is on the dry side, the cod cakes are a tasty starter. Good and unpretentious comfort food.



You can opt to skip appetizers but don’t dare leaving without trying the pizzas. Specially the Pork belly with tomato, red onion, oregano and taleggio. A mouth-watering preparation of thick strips of tender pork belly over a bold, flavorful tomato sauce worthy of the noblest pastas.



Another great pizza is the Potato w/ applewood smoked bacon, roasted onions, sage & taleggio. A surprisingly flavorful and well-balanced combination. Like the pork belly pizza, made with impossibly thin (and firm) crust and taleggio cheese-which beats mozzarella’s flavor. Paper thin slices of potato add great texture while the onions brings a nice sweetness to the pie. The bacon, well, what doesn’t taste better with bacon?



Even the Parmesan served along with the pizzas is of great quality. The microplaned cheese has a much more pleasant texture than the average dry, factory-grated kind.



Gialina offers a good selection of desserts, from house-made sweets to Bi-Rite ice creams. I was curious to try the Chocolate hazelnut dessert pizza, but slightly disappointed when I finally did. After the unbeatable pizzas, I was expecting something less ordinary, something more than Nutella® spread. Also topped with mascarpone and biscotti crumbs, the crunchy open-textured crust is hard to cut into making the dessert better suited for hands that are not afraid of getting messy.

In short

Located in the somewhat remote neighborhood of Glen Park, Gialina serves some of the best pizzas in the city. Creative combinations prepared with a great deal of skill and talent, enough to challenge your notion of what a good pizza tastes like.



Gialina is at 2842 Diamond Street

Farina, San Francisco

The all-glass façade at 18th and Dearborn glows bright in contrast with the dimly-lit Edwardian condos surrounding it. The buzzing vibe seems to captivate the yuppie passersby.



Inside, the bright dining room looks just as it is, brand new. An ample space divided by tall metal shelves with wine glasses and bottles splitting the bar from the dining room. An L-shaped dining counter gives patrons a chance to watch fresh pasta being made. On the back, pristine white tiles cover the walls.



The carefully built atmosphere is modern and bold, accentuated by a red, black and white palette. Everything looks neat, maybe even too neat. It reminded me of a Design Within Reach showroom, complete with seven different light fixture models and a handful of chair designs. Not unlike some LA restaurants, it feels staged; well staged nonetheless.



The menu

Farina serves food from the Italian region of Liguria. The menu offers a good selection of dishes from antipasti to house-made pastas and meats. About 28 options are available but don’t expect the faux unfussiness to be reflected on the prices. In many ways, you pay more for what you see than what you get.

The meal



Dinner starts with house-baked bread served on a branded cutting board, accompanied by olive oil. The pumpkin seed loaf is very good.



One of Farina’s specialties is the Focaccia di Recco. A flat oven-baked Italian bread from the small city of Recco, 30 minutes east of Genova. It is filled with stracchino cheese and topped with a variety of ingredients like pesto and prosciutto. It’s definitely one of the restaurant’s fortes. Big enough to share as an appetizer or eat individually as a main course. I ordered the Focaccia di Recco with Porcini. The crispy thin bread came filled with the mild cow’s milk cheese and topped with nutty porcini and fragrant oregano.



House-made pastas are also worth a try. Like the Mandilli di seta al pesto. Hand made handkerchief pasta with Genovese basil pesto. A delicate pasta sheet served extremely fresh with a creamy pesto sauce that, in my case, was tasty but a pinch too salty.



A good meat option is the Vitello all’uccelletto con porcini. Milk fed veal straccetti served with porcini mushrooms. A flavorful dish with small tatters of tender veal in a fragrant, buttery sauce.



Dessert was disappointing. The Piccola selezione di dolci (Dessert sampler) includes 5 small sweets that are, well, a little too small to be appreciated. I wished I had ordered the Sigaro di cioccolato con caffe corretto. An inventive dessert in which a chocolate cigar filed with chocolate mousse is served on a glass ashtray with a shot of espresso. The table next to mine seemed to be enjoying it. Next time.

In short

Farina’s trendy atmosphere is modern and exciting. The food is good but fails to impress. For that reason, it can feel somewhat overpriced, especially when compared to Delfina and Beretta which are just a few blocks away. In any event, it’s worth a visit.



Farina is at 3560 18th St
Online reservations

Ad Hoc, Yountville

The story goes that the building currently occupied by Ad Hoc was intended for a very different type of restaurant. While the space was being designed, Thomas Keller decided to open a place to serve casual, family-style food. A place that emulated the feeling of eating at home. Thomas Keller’s home that is.

The idea worked so well that popular demand turned permanent what was formerly an interim project. But in many ways, the makeshift feeling still rings true.

Keller’s third wine country restaurant is also in Yountville (likely the U.S. town with the highest number of fine dining restaurants per capita); just a few blocks from Bouchon and The French Laundry. On the nondescript facade, a discreet metal sign hangs from the canopy: Ad Hoc. For temporary relief of hunger.



Inside, the makeshift atmosphere highlights the fact that things are somewhat out place. The ambiance is spacious, comfortable and elegant but lacks a distinct personality. A small bronze pig standing on a vintage butcher’s bench is the only unique element in the somewhat unremarkable interior. But that’s the whole idea. Ad Hoc is truly ad hoc. When we walked in, "Hotel California" played on the restaurant’s sound system. An introduction to a music selection that seemed to come from an anachronistic jukebox. Hits from the 60s, 70s and 80s shuffled from Forest Gump’s soundtrack.



The casually dressed wait staff walks around in jeans, sneakers and brown Dickies work shirts sporting a patch with the restaurant’s name. But the casual wear is no indication of careless service, quite the contrary. As you’d expect, service is sharp and well trained. This is Thomas Keller’s home after all.

The menu

Ad hoc has a bold proposition. The prix fixe menu changes everyday to feature a single 3-course meal. There are no options, no vegetarian alternatives or side dishes. You’d be served what the chef has prepared for that day, much like dining at someone’s home. So why is this a bold proposition? In the land of endless choices and ever-growing food restrictions, driving over an hour to find only one option seems to go against the American way of life. I, for one, love the idea.



But I have to admit I felt a small disappointment as, after waiting a week in anticipation, I opened the manila folder menu to find the title: “Sunday Brunch”. Did I just drive 60 miles for ham and eggs? For a moment, I considered calling Bouchon to see if they’d take a couple of lunch walk-ins. But as the song “I can’t help myself” played in the background, I decided to stay. Thomas Keller has never let me down.

The meal

Eating at home means family style. Dishes are served on large plates, portioned for the number of people on the table. The presentation is casual but careful. Although the server explains the chef’s preparation, it’s up to you to dish up your plate. It didn’t take long for me to realize this was no ordinary brunch. What was once brief disappointment quickly became lasting enthusiasm.



First course was Yellow corn grit cakes with smoked trout salad, heirloom tomatoes, and house cured salmon. Beautifully presented in polenta-like cakes, crunchy outside and creamy inside.



Each one topped with perfectly balanced complements. Flavorful combinations that delicately highlighted each ingredient.



Despite the name, what came next was anything but ham and eggs. Ham & Eggs, marinated bailey long pork, slow cooked hen eggs, wilted spinach, buttered country bread, mixed berry jam. The sliced pork was buttery and tender. Toped with roasted red bell peppers that brought a nice sweetness to the dish. The eggs were of great quality and perfectly cooked. A great combination of flavors and colors that, despite the generous portion, left me wanting more.



Even the buttered toast, served with a coulis-like jam, was worthy of the last breadcrumb. “How am I supposed to live without you” by Michael Bolton played in the background.



To finish, Nectarines and cream. Mascarpone cream, lemon syrup, shortbread cookie. An example of how the simplest desserts are sometimes the best. Summer peak sweet white nectarines and Santa Rosa plums served under a large dollop of luscious whipped mascarpone cream. Simply irresistible.

As we finished the meal, the first contemporary song started to play, as if bringing us back to present time. “We’re going to be friends” by the White Stripes; perhaps a sign that we’d be back many times.

In short

Ad Hoc brings together the casual comfort of family-style dining with the coveted high-end cuisine of Thomas Keller. The food is simply exceptional and with only one choice in the menu, you just can’t go wrong. Reservations are usually available for the same week making it a great opportunity to try Keller’s food in an unfussy atmosphere. For dinner or brunch. Either way, you won’t leave disappointed. Cue “On the road again”.



Ad Hoc is at 6476 Washington St.
Online reservations

Entremet: Pata negra is here

Ham smugglers may be soon out of a job. Last week the U.S.D.A. lifted the ban on, as the WSJ calls it, “the world's best and costliest cold cut”. Simply put, Jamon Iberico de Bellota is the Beluga of hams. Raised primarily in the south of Spain, the rare black-footed pigs range loose in oak forests for 60 days, feeding exclusively on sweet acorns. This gives the animal a beautifully marbled meat that produces incomparable flavor. The legs are then cured for up to 4 years. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on one.

I drove to Dean & Deluca in Santa Helena to get a few legal slices of Iberico de Bellota. The ham was proudly displayed, like in a museum, showcased as their latest acquisition. The price tag: $150 a pound. After a quick tasting, I left the store with about ¼ lb of shoulder and leg. They have distinct flavors and textures that are worth trying out.

Both cuts are incredibly aromatic and buttery. The luscious fat that ripples through the meat literally melts in your mouth. The shoulder is richer in fat and stronger in taste while the more delicate ham highlights the complexity of its gamy, nutty flavor. Without a question, it’s worth the wait, the drive and the price.



The only drawback, Dean & Deluca cuts the ham on a meat slicer. This may sound normal for most hams, but for this one it’s a sacrilege. In Spain, Iberico de Bellota is hand carved to order, which allows for a better appreciation of the meat’s texture. For hand-sliced ham, you can buy your own 8.5lb leg at approximately $1400 (La Tienda is currently taking $199 deposits); or go to Barcelona and visit Jamonísimo, Ferran Adrià’s favorite purveyor. At the small family-owned store, the best jamon you can get sells for 129 Euros a kilo, or $58/lb less than in the US. That’s practically a steal.

Spork, San Francisco

Although I had been intrigued to visit Spork for quite some time, it was by accident that I ended up dining there last week. Unable to get to Farina, due to the San Francisco pride parade, we found ourselves trying our luck for a walk-in spot at the trendy Mission district restaurant. Surprisingly, there was one table open– for a good reason, as we’d later find out.



In the small dining room, orange is the signature color. Present from a pervasive neon light to small details like decaf (orange) coffee decanters used to refill glasses of water.

Fiberglass chairs, vinyl booths, pegboard partitions and scattered designer toys evoke the image of a Japanese version of a Jetsons’ diner. On the walls, oversized hands from a 1952 roadside billboard. In stark contrast with the gentrified interior, graffiti tags scribbled on the outside windows serve as reminders that you are in the Mission.



Above the kitchen door, the only thing left from the old tenant that inspired Spork’s story. There it hangs, portraying the proud colonel’s visage, boldly printed in black and white over a bright red background. Next to him, the words behind the acronym: Kentucky Fried Chicken. Like a Pan Am logo, the sign seems to carry a nostalgic coolness that adds to the retro-futuristic atmosphere.



Service is friendly and casual but sometimes dismissive. Dishes are delivered to the table with the same lack of ceremony that they are bused away. The hip wait staff parades around in dark gray uniform accented by a fashion-forward waist apron reminiscent of a manga superhero utility belt. Our table, definitely the worst in the house, was long forgotten behind a thick wall of standing patrons waiting for their call.

The menu

The ever-changing menu offers a selection of revisited American classics prepared with fresh local ingredients. The choices are appetizing. A welcoming mix of comfort food with fine dining inventiveness. But for a place named after the folk/spoon combo introduced by KFC, it’s surprising fried chicken is not an option.

The meal

You’ll find some familiar flavors in the chef’s preparations. Bruce Bin has cooked in many San Francisco restaurants including Delfina, Bix and Slow Club. His dishes highlight natural ingredients and simple yet inventive preparations.



As a starter, it’s hard to resist the smell of warm bread served with whipped butter. Freshly baked, sweet and soft.



Among that night’s appetizers, a couple peaked our interest. First, Hand-stretched mozzarella – organic shaved squash, chopped olives, fava beans, organic olive oil. The dish is well balanced in texture and flavor. The shaved squash brings a nice crispiness that contrasts the fresh semi-soft cheese. Accentuating the flavors, the saltiness of the black olives and a pleasant acidity in the dressing.



Second, Strawberries with goat cheese croquette –organic coastal strawberries marinated in aged sherry, warm goat cheese fritter, wild arugula, toasted almonds. The crispy croquette is filled with luscious creamy goat cheese and served over peak season strawberries that are sweet and fragrant.

It is in the entrées that comfort food comes to life. The two meats I tried were of great quality and served in generous portions. Flavors were subtle though, giving the impression of under seasoning.



One example is the Milk-braised eden farms boneless pork chop, griddled apricot, mashed potatoes, whole grain mustard soubise sauce. The milk braising does wonders to make the meat extremely tender and juicy but doesn’t do much for its taste. This is a very filling dish but it lacks the mouth-watering flavor I was hoping for on such a beautiful cut of pork.



The same is true for The tasty steak, griddled all natural american kobe steak, yukon potato puree, glazed carrots, horseradish cream, aged balsamic. Although the perfectly cooked meat was served on a well-balanced dish, I was expecting less subtle flavors. The horseradish cream was the only thing on the plate I could rely on for a stronger taste.



The dessert menu includes American classics like Root beer float, Strawberry cobbler as well as curiously named items like Pot brownie, and Donut power–light and fluffy beignets with cinnamon sugar. Unlike other beignets in which the dough is airy and moist inside, Spork’s version is hollow. They are indeed light and fluffy although a bit on the dry side. Spruce cleverly serves theirs with crème anglaise and preserves.

In short

Spork’s atmosphere is hip yet understated. An original, modern rendition of the American diner. The fare is a sophisticated version of comfort food classics but is sometimes too subtle in flavor. In all honesty, I wanted to like Spork a lot more than I actually did. Even so, this is a place I recommend trying out and even going back for a second try. I probably will.



Spork is at 1058 Valencia Street
Online reservations