Tag Archives: Naked Kitchen San Francisco

Abstract Table’s Edible Art

Posted on by One comment
Buttery tasting, raw hamachi served in the "Kelp Forest'' dinner.

Buttery tasting, raw hamachi served in the “Kelp Forest” dinner.

 

Andrew Greene and Duncan Kwitkor know full well that folks eat with their eyes first.

After all, they are both painters who met as painting students at the San Francisco Art Institute.

Since starving artists may be a cliche yet also unfortunately a truism, Greene and Duncan soon turned their attention to their love of cooking in hopes of pursuing a more economically stable profession.

The result was Abstract Table, a pop-up dinner series that now has a home base after hours at The Gastropig, the fun brunch-lunch spot in Oakland, where Greene used to cook.

A week ago, though, Abstract Table returned to its roots, hosting a pop-up at the Naked Kitchen private events space in the Mission District of San Francisco. Typically, the five-course menu is $50; the seven-course one is $70.

Prepping for Abstract Table's pop-up at the Naked Kitchen in San Francisco.

Prepping for Abstract Table’s pop-up at the Naked Kitchen in San Francisco.

Chef Andrew Greene (far left) and chef Duncan Kwitkor (in green apron), along with their assistants.

Chef Andrew Greene (far left) and chef Duncan Kwitkor (in green apron), along with their assistants.

What’s fun about this space is that it’s essentially the main floor of a Victorian house, in which the kitchen has been outfitted with professional-grade appliances and the living room and dining room get set with tables for dinner guests. You’re free to wander around, too, to sneak peeks at all the action in the kitchen.

Read more

A Taste of Senia — One of the Most Anticipated Restaurants in Honolulu

Posted on by 4 comments
Chefs ChrisKajioka, Mimi Mendoza and Anthony Rush of the soon-to-open Senia restaurant.

Chefs Chris Kajioka, Mimi Mendoza and Anthony Rush of the soon-to-open Senia restaurant.

 

Senia is arguably one of the most hotly anticipated restaurants to open in Honolulu this year.

And I had the opportunity to get a divine preview taste — in San Francisco, of all places.

Transporting a taste of the islands to the city by the Bay makes perfect sense when you realize that Co-Executive Chef Chris Kajioka has strong ties to the Bay Area. He worked at the Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco under the tutelage of Ron Siegel, as well as at Thomas Keller’s Per Se. He also cooked at San Francisco’s Aziza, and helped open its sister restaurant, Mourad.

It was at Per Se that he met his British-born Co-Executive Chef Anthony Rush, who also had worked at the French Laundry. Not to mention, Senia’s pastry chef, Mimi Mendoza, just left that position at Chez T.J. in Mountain View. Moreover, one of Senia’s main investors lives in San Francisco.

Hearts of palm draped over Maui venison tartare.

Hearts of palm draped over Maui venison tartare.

So while Senia is being constructed in Honolulu’s Chinatown, right next door to the popular Pig & The Lady, the chefs took the time to host an invitation-only pop-up dinner at the Naked Kitchen in the Mission District. The private event space is inside a Victorian whose first floor has been transformed into a souped-up professional kitchen with long tables spanning through the dining room and living room.

Read more