The monumental Slow Food Nation affair is finally here!  The monumental Slow Food Nation affair is finally here! Time may have felt like it slowed down since you first heard that the largest Slow Food event in America was coming to San Francisco for Labor Day weekend, but with all the events quickly selling out it’s time to pick up the pace and make plans.  You can slow down again once you get there. Here are our picks for the best of show.


photo by John Olmstead

1. Urban farm excursion
Do you know there is a four-acre organic fruit and vegetable farm located right here in San Francisco?  Meet at 11:30 a.m. on August 30 at Alemany Farm for a one hour guided tour (for more info about what the farm is all about, click here to read our story from the August issue!) You’re advised to wear comfy shoes, layered clothes and bring a hat and water bottle.  There will be a potluck picnic lunch following the tour so bring something to share. 



2. Life in a Tuscan town
Feel like life is moving too fast? Slow down the tempo with a visit to Douglas Gayeton’s photo exhibit, "Slow: Life in a Tuscan Town" at the Museo ItaloAmericano.  You can feast your eyes on photos of Italy’s slow living culture for free between August 27 and September 10. 



3. A Foreign tongue
Foreign Cinema’s got the covered outdoor cinema courtyard; Marin Organics is supplying the appropriate film. In a slow food team up, the 28-minute documentary, Hidden Bounty of Marin: Farm Families in Transition will screen at 5:30 p.m. and prelude a local and organic dinner.  Call Foreign Cinema to reserve a seat for the $100 (wine included) elegant, sit-down supper. 

4. Learn to speak French (laundry) at the green kitchen
A green kitchen is all about using simple ingredients and basic tools to bring a tasteful, sustainable meal to the table.  On Sunday, August 31, at 5 p.m., join French Laundry chefs Corey Lee and Peter Jacobsen of French Laundry will be demonstrating their skills in the green kitchen at the Taste Pavilion. 



5. Just eat it
More than 250 young farmers, cooks, food artisans and activists will gather on September 1 for a potluck feast in Dolores Park. Outstanding in the Field, known for hosting al fresco dinners in unusual spaces, will set up a communal table for an all-day youth celebration to support a new sustainable food system.  Although there aren’t any seats left at the banquet table, the venue presents the perfect opportunity to have your own potluck picnic in the park.

6. Let the music play on
With all the events to check out this weekend, don’t forget to take some time out to soak it all in. We plan to be at Civic Center Plaza on Saturday, August 30, to listen to the Old Time Trio playing Bluegrass while enjoying some food from Slow on the Go.

7. Best foot forward
What better way to spend the last day of Slow Food Nation (and Labor Day) then with a long hike to Sausalito via the Marin Headlands, followed by a ferry ride back to the Embarcadero? To join this view-filled 12-mile guided hike, congregate at Justin Herman Plaza (by the Hyatt Regency) at 10 a.m. on September 1. Best of all, it’s free!

A bowl of figs at the SFN dinner are worth a million words.

Sunday night I attended a fundraiser kick-off dinner for Slow Food Nation, hosted by Alice Waters, Thomas Keller and Peter Coyote. Held at City Hall in the rotunda (with hors d’oeuvres passed in the impressively thriving Victory Garden which is cranking out 100 pounds of produce a week, which then makes its way to the Food Bank), and catered by Paula LeDuc, it was quite an evening.

It’s interesting being at the epicenter of the sustainable movement in the US. Of course, sitting at tables decorated with fresh figs (what is it about figs—they’re like the mascot for the “delicious revolution”), we listened to Waters speak with her trademark breathless passion about the need to make “good food a right and not a privilege,” and Keller wax on about the butter he has made by Vermont farmer Diane St. Clair for his restaurants. Apparently when he opened Per Se, he asked St. Clair, ‘What are we going to do?’ And she said, “Get another cow.” (Which brings up the fact that Keller has a third restaurant in Los Angeles is in the works. Is it time for cow #3?) But it was the dinner conversation that piqued my interest—a conversation that might only be had here in the Bay Area where we have the luxury of taking good ingredients for granted.

Seated across from Oliver Rowe, the 35-year-old chef of Konstam at the Price Albert in London (who will be doing one of the Green Kitchen demos), the conversation veered towards the subject of whether or not it’s a chef’s duty to label things as sustainable and local on his or her menu. It’s actually a conversation I’ve found myself having a lot lately with chefs.

If anyone started the trend of namedropping farms, it was Chez Panisse. But today, the more committed to sustainability a chef is, the more they often view this kind of information on a menu as unnecessary, almost patronizing—something that shouldn’t need to be said, but should be assumed. In fact, more and more chefs are finding that the words, sustainable, local and organic to be so ubiquitous that they’ve lost their impact. Further more, if a customer wants to know where the restaurant’s food came from, they should just ask

I hear this argument. I do. But, from my perspective as a diner, I don’t particularly like feeling self-righteous either. When I’m out, I want to enjoy myself, not interrogate the server with questions like, “Ahem, could you please tell me if steak comes from grass-fed beef raised within a 100 mile radius that was slaughtered humanely? And while I’m at it, are those frites from a small, local, organic farm?” I don’t think that menus need to flaunt every little thing they’ve got, but they certainly can put a little note saying that the ingredients were sourced with care. It’s a nice compromise that leaves me able to get on with my meal, feeling confident that someone's looking out for my dinner, no questions asked.






 

Much has been reported (here and elsewhere) about Slow Food Nation. It’s safe to say that we may rapidly reaching saturation point. And while it’s all fine and good to talk about the what—who, when, where—it’s also interesting to talk about the how. As in, how are they going to pull this off?

I caught up with Nico Monday, a cook at Chez Panisse, who, together with Pizzaiolo chef-owner Charlie Hallowell, will be operating the wood-fired pizza ovens housed in the bread taste pavilion. The pavilion is curated by Acme owner (and baker extraordinaire) Steve Sullivan—in addition to the two wood-fired ovens (one of which Monday built himself) there will also be an Acme-quality deck oven and a collection of tandoori and other clay ovens. The pavilion will supply all the bread for the rest of the Nation.


Find Nico Monday at the pizza Taste pavilion.

But back to pizza. Nico and Charlie will be making two types—a margherita, topped solely with red sauce and mozzarella, and a sausage and rapini pizza. They’ll be selling whole pies on sheets of butcher paper and estimate that over the course of the three- day nation they will make some 2,500 pies. 2,500! “We figured it out,” says Monday, “and we need to have three pizzas in each oven at all times during the hours of operation.” To accomplish this feat, each oven will have four stewards: One to shape the dough, a second to top the dough, a third person tending the ovens and the baking pizzas, and a fourth to garnish, cut, and deliver to the front counter.


Let the flames begin: A trial run of Monday's wood-fired
pizza oven. Photograph by Eloise D. Warren

2,500 pizzas will require some 20 gallons of tomato sauce made from 24 cases of Early Girl tomatoes (the vegetables will be supplied by Riverdog, Full Belly and Happy Boy Farms); each day, the team will make a 250-lb. batch of pizza dough at Acme headquarters in West Berkeley (they’ve been experimenting with a new recipe that uses a high percentage of California-grown wheat). They’re also making 80 pounds of pork sausage using pork shoulder donated by Patrick Martin at Heritage Foods USA, and expect to burn a cord of wood (a cord of wood is about two full-size pickup trucks full) over the weekend. What Monday failed to tell me, however, is how many cases of ice-cold beer those pizzaiolos will consume during the 3-day extravaganza…maybe they can make a trade with (Magnolia owner and beer pavilion curator) Dave McLean?

Word on the street is that we're looking at a very nice weekend ahead, weather-wise, so in the spirit of a fog-free couple of days here's a very grill-friendly recipe for grilled pork tenderloin and nectarines with a bacon vinaigrette, courtesy of one of our very favorite North Bay restaurants, Picco (yes, home of the soft-serve I blogged about some weeks back). This recipe serves four, but we're betting you could easily double or even triple it and invite a crowd. This recipe is just one of many featured in a new book titled Organic Marin: Recipes From Land to Table, which showcases recipes from great restaurants in Marin (and a few in San Francisco, too).

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Nectarines and Bacon Vinaigrette




SERVES FOUR AS A MAIN COURSE

Fresh stone fruit is an ideal complement to pork. Picco serves this sweet and savory recipe with local nectarines in summer, and persimmons in fall. Plums or apricots are also delicious when grilled.

Bacon Vinaigrette
3 ounces diced pancetta
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 1/2-pound pork tenderloin
2 firm nectarines, quartered
2 tablespoons canola oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 head frisée lettuce or small bunch arugula


For the vinaigrette: Heat a small sauté pan over medium heat and cook the pancetta for 3 minutes, until golden. Add the shallots and sauté for 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the sugar and vinegar. Gradually whisk in the olive oil, then whisk in the salt and pepper. Set aside until ready to serve.

Preheat a hot fire in a charcoal grill or preheat a gas grill to high. Season the pork tenderloin and nectarines generously with 2 tablespoons of oil, salt, and pepper. Oil the grill grids and place the pork and nectarines on the grill and sear for about 5 minutes, or until both are browned on all sides. Turn off the heat or move the tenderloin and fruit to the cool edges of the grill. Cover the grill for 10 minutes.

Reheat the vinaigrette over low heat. Lightly dress the frisée in a bowl and mound on a platter or 4 warmed plates. Cut the pork tenderloin into 1?2-inch-thick slices and place with the nectarines alongside the frisée. Drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette. Serve warm.



Reprinted with permission from From Organic Marin: Recipes From Land to Table, 2008, $29.99, Andrews McMeel Publishing

The other night I was taken to Oyaji, a sushi spot on Clement Street, so far out in the avenues you might as well get on a plane to Tokyo. I’ve heard a lot about it from my friends that frequent it. They talk about the sushi, sure, but what they really talk about is Hideki-san, the theatrical, ham-of-a-chef and owner who knows his fish and drinks like one too.

We walked in and Hideki-san greeted us warmly. I was with my friends Jas (who goes by Jas-san there) and Sona. Jas has been going to Hideki-san’s restaurants for 12 years now; he used to own Saji in the Marina, so the crowd was a mix of destination dining Marina-ites and Japanese. Oyaji supposedly means “dirty old man”—which I would say is pretty appropriate. As Jas tells it: “The craziest night at Oyaji was X-rated, really. Let’s just say he made some rare carvings with cucumbers that he served as rolls to us girls. This of course, was after lots and lots of sake! When he’s on a roll, he’ll buy you sake just to keep you there! I have to say I do laugh a lot when I'm there. It’s very therapeutic.”

I wasn’t expecting more than to be entertained (and Hideki-san is plenty entertaining), but his sushi was fantastic: The rice was slightly warm, and it was all served in small Tokyo-style portions. We had everything, from a buttery toro to ankimo, hamachi, abalone and Spanish mackerel (which then returned to us in the form of crispy fried bones that we ate like the best chips). The menu also has plenty of izakaya dishes, such as kushiyaki and fried things. Completely full, I could barely taste more than a bite of the Oyaji beef that came sizzling to our table as well as the very good ramen that Jas ordered on top of everything, skinny fiend that she is.

While we sat at the bar, more than one customer walked behind the bar to give Hideki-san a hug and toast him with more sake. His daughter served us. We toasted her with sake, and Jas sent sake back to the kitchen staff. I’m not denying that the sake might have fueled a lot of the evening (and left me slightly fuzzy on the details), but it was one of those nights where I was reminded that in some of our quests (ok, my quest) to always try out the newest, latest restaurants, we’re missing out on the pleasures of being a regular—it’s such a great way to make the city seem like a small town. Not to mention, food always tastes best when there’s a community around it.

1. Mondays with Morrone
Award winning Bay Area chef George Morrone will add his seasonal influences to the Fish and Farm menu on Mondays for the rest of August and the entire month of September (with the exception of Labor Day, September 1).  Each Monday, the menu will also feature one of Morrone’s famous soups from his cookbook, Simply Elegant Soup.  Call 415-474-3474 to make a reservation. 



2. Quack job
On August 28, chef Josiah Slone will prepare a decadent four-course duck dinner in the kitchen of his cottage-style restaurant, Sent Sovi using ducks sourced from “Duck Man” Jim Reichardt of Liberty Farms. The seasonal, French-influenced menu will be paired with wines for $125 per person.  Space is limited; make reservations by calling 408- 867-3110.



3. Specific catch
Celebrate the Pacific Environment’s work to protect the coastal ecosystems from off-shore oil and gas drilling with a sustainable wild salmon barbecue dinner at Crissy Field on August 21 from 6 to 8 p.m.  Tickets are $50 and include the meal, local wines and music.  Tickets can be purchased here. 



4. Unbalanced portions
In his book, Stuffed and Starved, Raj Patel explores how the imbalance of world food resources has brought obesity to some parts of the world and malnutrition to others. On August 21, at 7:30 p.m., Patel will read from his work at the Modern Times Bookstore  in the Mission. 

5. Sweet Saturday
Nothing satisfies a sweet tooth like complimentary chocolate confections. On August 23, chefs will demonstrate candy-making techniques from 12 to 2 p.m. in the demonstration kitchen at Williams-Sonoma in Union Square.  The best part: You get to taste all the sugary samples at the bittersweet end of the event.

6. Speed up the slow down
Meet Slow Food Nation organizers and chefs and mingle with fellow sustainable food enthusiasts on August 26 in the cellar of Macy’s Union Square.  At 6:30 p.m. Thom Fox, executive chef at Acme Chophouse, will prepare choice cuts of meat from Clark Summit Farm, a sustainable beef, pork and poultry producer in Marin County.  Dan Bagley and Liz Cunninghame, the husband-and-wife team who own and operate Clark Summit, will be on hand to tell their story.

7. Savory secrets
These Top Chef stars no longer have to worry about getting the knife on Bravo’s cooking show. Instead, they’re free to dish the details about life behind the swinging kitchen door at the Commonwealth Club on August 20 at 6:30 p.m.. Local contenders Zoi Antonitsas, Jennifer Biesty and Ryan Scott will be on hand to tell-all about their experiences on the hit show and their careers post-television.  Tickets are $25 and can be purchased by calling 415-597-6705 or clicking right here.

Eater SF reported yesterday that the Four Barrel back-alley coffee cart is no longer—the end of an era of clandestine caffeination? Perhaps, but in this case the end of one era is the beginning of another. We caught up with Four Barrel owner Jeremy Tooker, who is in the midst of putting the finishing touches on his coffee house, which he expects will be up and running by Saturday. “It’s gorgeous!” he exclaims (in a charmingly immodest fashion, given that he designed and built the space himself, using recycled and repurposed wood).


Hey Mr. Tooker, what's brewing at Four Barrel?
Photo by Stefanie Michejda

The beans (sourced collaboratively with Stumptown Roasters, in Portland) will be roasted in-house in a 15 kilo roaster; truly curious coffee-geeks can join Tooker for a once-daily “cupping.” (Wondering what cupping is? Don’t be shy: click here for the scoop.) The beverage menu here is straightforward—“Just the usual,” says Tooker, “and no non-fat milk.” That means you can forget about pumpkin-pie lattes and mochas and, in fact, you can forget about different sizes—each beverage will be offered in only one size. And while they’re still toying with morning pastries, there are plans in the works to serve Dynamo Donuts (go Dynamo, go!) and pie (though the pie supply-lines are still being hammered out, possible contenders include neighbor Mission Beach Café or a newcomer called—really—“Baking Pies and Taking Names.” Another thing Four Barrel won’t have: Wi-fi. Bring a book, talk to your friends. Drink coffee. Stop working for a minute. Chill out.

Four Barrel, located at 375 Valencia St., will be open seven days a week (Mon–Thurs. from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.). Welcome to the ’hood!

El Huarache Loco, just one of the many vendors
at Slow Food Nation's Slow on the Go.

Slow Food Nation is only 11 days away—have you bought your tickets yet? If not, hop on over to the site now and take your pick—taste pavilions, day trips and special dinners await. But today we want to tell you a part of the Nation that requires no special admission—Slow on the Go.

In my mind, I’ve been thinking of Slow on the Go as the world’s greatest food court, an alfresco one where all of the best vendors gather, cooking up the best food, for scarcely more scratch than a 6-in. sub at Subway. Curated by Sylvan Brackett (formerly Alice Waters’ assistant) and restaurateur Larry Bains (Acme Chophouse, Let’s be Frank hot dog carts), this court promises to be like no other. I caught up with Brackett last week and he gave me the (hot) dish.

Tell me about the highlights of Slow on the Go.
Well, [Berkeley based] Vik’s Chaat House will be making chicken biryani in these giant copper vessels—traditional it’s something that is made outside of temples in India. They layer the rice and meat, cover it and steam gently for something like two days. He’ll be serving it with raita—he makes the yogurt himself.

What’s this I hear about country ham?
Yes! Benton’s Smoky Mountain country ham from Madisonville, Tennessee. The ham is going to be served on biscuits, which will be made by [Atlanta-based chef] Scott Peacock. He’s hoping to use Fatted Calf rendered lard for the biscuits, and he’s trying to figure out a way to bake them on-site, so they’ll be warm. And there is talk of gravy and preserves too—most likely blackberry preserves. That’s a real Southern thing.

What about some local representation?
El Huarache Loco will be there. They’re making Mexico City-style huaraches—a beef variety with cheese, salsa and beans.

Anything else we shouldn’t miss?
Mario Batali’s dad Armandino will be there making muffaletta sandwiches, and Blue Bottle coffee will be serving their chicory iced coffee, so we’re going to have a little New Orleans thing going on.  We’re asking the vendors to use as little packaging as possible, to limit the amount of trash Slow on the Go produces. Oh, and nothing will be over $8. Everything will be between three and eight dollars.

Did I mention the hand-pulled noodles that the Imperial Tea Court will be making? The owner [of the Imperial Tea Court] learned the recipe from her father. Their family was relocated to Xi’an during the cultural revolution, and one of the recipes he learned in the new city was the recipe for hand-pulled noodles with greens and chili sauce. Good stuff.