Category Archives: Restaurants

Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall at AQ in San Francisco

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Succulent monkfish roasted with hops.

By the time you read this, there’s a good chance that not only have the dishes changed on the menu at AQ in San Francisco, but the decor, as well.

That’s because this new restaurant, opened less than two months ago, takes seasonality as literally as it gets — down to switching out the bar top, light fixtures, artwork and waitstaff uniforms according to whether it’s autumn, winter, spring or summer.

If you’re familiar with Park Avenue (Winter, Spring, Summer, Autumn) in New York City, you’ve seen this concept before. It can be gimmicky, but only if the food falls short and plays second fiddle to the switcheroo interior. In the case of AQ, it does not. Indeed, the food created by Executive Chef-Proprietor Mark Liberman, former chef de cuisine at La Folie in San Francisco, is the star of the show. It’s executed so well, and with so many thoughtful little touches, that you long to come back again and again just to experience more, no matter how the dining room morphs.

The look for "autumn.''

The trees inside will shed their leaves for winter.

The open kitchen.

When I was invited in two weeks ago as a guest of the restaurant, it was still officially “autumn” at AQ — down to the bronze plaque embedded in the floor right after you walk through the front door. The bar top was a gleaming, gorgeous copper, which will give way to white marble in winter. The industrial-chic space with exposed brick walls and massive timber beams is decorated with soaring trees, whose leaves will be stripped for the winter. So will the hip ceiling fixtures fashioned out of vintage heaters and chicken wire. The servers were dressed in warm, plaid shirts, but will be wearing something all together different in the next season.

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A Ferran Adria Food Gal Giveaway

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Believe you me, I wish I could be so lucky as to give away a table for two at El Bulli.

But now that the illustrious and pioneering restaurant has closed, I can at least give you a better understanding of the culinary genius, Ferran Adria, revered by chefs all around the world, who created what was arguably the best restaurant in the world.

“Ferran: The Inside Story of El Bulli and the Man who Reinvented Food’ (Gotham Books) tells of Adria’s humble beginnings as a college drop-out who took a job as a dishwasher only to make enough money to party. Then, he was drafted into the military, where he landed the demanding post as a cook for an admiral. During a summer leave, a friend urged him to take a job in the kitchen of a Michelin two-star restaurant in the middle of nowhere in Spain. Adria so impressed his bosses at El Bulli there that he was promised a full-time job after he finished his military service.

At age 25, he became El Bulli’s sole head chef. That same year, a chance encounter with some Spanish chefs would forever change his life and his way of thinking about cooking. Learn what set him on the path to creating foams, gels, spheres and other breathtaking, modern cooking techniques we now refer to as “molecular gastronomy.”

The book, by Saveur magazine co-founder Coleman Andrews, has just been released in paperback with a new afterward that details what Adria plans next.

Contest: One lucky Food Gal reader will win a copy of the book, “Ferran: The Inside Story of El Bulli.” Entries, limited to those in the continental United States, will be accepted through midnight PST Dec. 31. Winner will be announced Jan. 2.

How to win?

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Bottle Cap Opens in A Legendary Spot in San Francisco

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Comfort food like butterscotch pudding highlights the menu at Bottle Cap.

San Francisco’s Washington Square Bar & Grill was the ultimate power-dining spot. Back in the day, it wasn’t uncommon to see Willie Brown and other movers and shakers holding court there in North Beach over perfect burgers and classic cocktails.

Like all good things, though, the Washbag (as it was affectionately known), sadly came to an end.

Now, Chef Dane Boryta and his wife, Elizabeth Ferro (who met while working together at Bruno’s in San Francisco), are trying to bring glory back to that landmark spot with their restaurant, Bottle Cap.

Opened in July, the restaurant is outfitted with aqua stenciled tables, which give it an air of an ice cream parlor. There’s eclectic art on the walls, including a mosaic of Tina Fey. Old movies are projected on a wall of the back dining room. And live music is featured three times a week.

Old movies are shown here in the back dining room.

A couple of weeks ago, I was invited in as a guest of the restaurant. It’s a very personal venture, with Ferro making the rounds to greet tables.

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Cookies to Cha-Cha About

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Cookies full of chocolate and dried cherries to make your stomach dance with joy.

When my husband and I first met, he wooed me with dancing — even though both of us have two left feet and moves that win more points for sympathy than grace.

We had been friends for a short span, when he asked me to be his swing-dance partner, as he wanted to take lessons.

I had always wanted to learn, so I eagerly said, “Yes!”

We’d meet after work once a week at a local club for lessons. Each week, we’d master a new step or turn — much to our own amazement.

After more than a month, we’d not only become semi-decent on the dance floor, hand in hand, but we’d also started dating.

Flash-forward to after our engagement: With our relationship more serious now, my soon-to-be husband feels the need to tell me that when he asked me to be his dance partner way back when, it wasn’t a scam, nor any kind of scheming on his part to find an excuse to ask me out. Oh no, he merely needed a dance partner. That was it, plain and square.

Flash-forward again to shortly after our wedding: I’m sitting on an airplane, flying home from Chicago with a gabby male seatmate next to me. He tells me a funny story about how he met his wife, then asks me how I met my husband. I tell him about the dancing lessons, and how my husband had asked me to be his partner on pure innocent whim.

My seatmate recoils in laughter, then looks me square in the eyes: “Your husband told you THAT? Listen to me — there is no way any man is going to take dancing lessons without an ulterior motive. Trust me on that!”

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Stuffed on Stuffed Crust at Patxi’s and a Food Gal Giveaway

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Patxi's stuffed crust will leave you stuffed for sure.

California pizza of late has been all about the thin.

Crusts that snap, crackle and practically pop with crispness when you sink your teeth into them.

But if you’re more in the mood for heft, for a pie that’s a gut-busting two-inches tall, look no further than Patxi’s, famous for its Chicago-style stuffed crust.

The first Patxi’s (pronounced pah’-cheese) opened in Palo Alto in 2004 by William Freeman and Francisco “Patxi” Azpiroz, who previously worked at the legendary Zachary’s Pizza in Berkeley. The restaurant features four types of pizza (stuffed, pan, thin, and extra-thin), as well as three types of dough (regular, whole-wheat, and a new gluten-free one).

Recently, I was invited to be a guest at the newest Patxi’s, which opened just a couple weeks ago in the Pruneyard in Campbell.

Early on a Sunday evening, the place was already packed when I walked in. The bustling, dimly lit restaurant features big-screen TVs that were broadcasting NFL football games that night.

The pizzas are baked to order, and the stuffed ones can take as long as 40 minutes to finish in the oven. So, settle into your chair and bide your time with an appetizer. Or a nice glass of wine, as Patxi’s has a pretty impressive wine list for a pizza joint. Indeed, you can sip Prosecco or a nice French Rosé from the Languedoc region.

A classic Caesar.

We started with a barely dressed, chilled Caesar salad ($6.95). The dressing could have been a bit more assertive. But the garnish of anchovies added bite. Crisp Parmesan toasts were a nice touch.

Then, it was on to the main attraction: a 12-inch stuffed pizza that has a layer of crust on the bottom and another that covers the fillings. We went with the “Special,” a mix of sausage, mushrooms, onions and green peppers ($25.54).

When it arrives at the table, it’s quite impressive looking — tall, with the loads of deep red housemade tomato sauce covering every inch of the top. If you’re a toppings person as opposed to a crust one, this is the pizza for you. The layers of cheese, sauce, meat, veggies and crust meld into one soft, saucy mouthful. It’s hearty and as filling as it looks.

I dare you to eat more than one slice.

On the advice of an insider, we also tried a 12-inch extra-thin with “cheese to the edge.” Our toppings of choice were prosciutto, mozzarella and tomato sauce ($16.69).

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