Bread & butter:
Burger master to head museum cafe
Anna Haight
08/11/2010 12:18:23 AM PDT
Chef Chad Newton's burger was named the No. 1 burger in San Francisco by 7x7 magazine.
They've also been called "life-changing" by one Yelper.
Whether his soon-to-be customers at the Cafe Discovery will feel the same way is uncertain - most toddlers don't think in those terms, after all. But their parents will likely appreciate the local and organic foods and sustainable practices Newton and partner Frank Klein will bring to the Bay Area Discovery Museum's reinvented cafe.
Newton and Klein are behind San Francisco's Fish & Farm restaurant and launched the Muir Woods Cafe, Marin's greenest restaurant; that was a big reason why museum officials, who had been chatting with Klein and Newton for about a year, were happy to sign them on in May.
"We saw what they were doing there, and we're a tenant in a national park, too, so it was a good fit, being local and sustainable," says Jennifer Caleshu, BADM director of communications. "It will be family-friendly, affordable and top-notch. Nobody else is doing anything like this at a children's museum." Cafe Discovery's menu will feature local, sustainable, organic sandwiches, salads, soups and burgers with pastries provided by Larkspur's Rustic Bakery. A kid's box lunch will cost $5.95; an adult version - because it wouldn't be fair if all that good stuff was just for the kiddies - will go for about $9. It will open Aug. 17, with a grand opening Aug. 21.
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October 1, 2010
Discover Your Appetite at Cafe Discovery
Bay Area Discovery Museum Reopens with Family-Friendly Organic Cafe
Next time you treat the tots to a day at Bay Area Discovery Museum, leave the packed lunch at home and try out the newly reopened Cafe Discovery. After months of waiting, the cafe does not disappoint, with kid-friendly eats made from the best ingredients. Let junior order whatever he wants—everything is organic, sustainable, or local here!
Chad Newton, the chef behind trendy Fish & Farm restaurant in San Francisco and acclaimed restaurateur Frank Klein teamed up to create a menu that highlights the best of Bay Area ingredients (think Sonoma goat cheese, Petaluma chickens, and organic pastries from Rustic Bakery) and offers plenty of options for the little ones. You can order a small or large sandwich depending on the appetite or a hamburger with “all or nothing” (pickles, ketchup, and mustard or absolutely nothing). Also, you can "box it" – that is add fresh fruit, snack of the day, and apple juice or milk to any sandwich or hamburger to round out your tyke’s meal for just $1.95. Snack options like homemade potato salad and whole grain pasta salad are not just delicious but healthy.
We love how Chef Chad brings a sophisticated touch to the classic kid’s menu. He makes the almond butter and seasonal jam in the AB&anp;J from scratch and has perfected the grilled cheese sandwich. For you adults, try our favorite salad of local salami, cheese, grapes, and olives over greens or the daily soup with cheese and onion scone. Both will give you the boost of energy you need to keep up with the kids!
There is seating indoors, but we suggest taking your snack or meal outside to the picnic tables just north of the cafe where you can soak up the epic views of Golden Gate Bridge. And make sure to visit the cafe on time — it closes an hour before the museum at 4:00pm everyday.
—Sarah K. Choi
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Caffe Pascucci Italian Coffehouse Opens First U.S. Location
Monday, January 10, 2011, by Carolyn Alburger
The first American branch of successful Italian espresso beverage chain Caffe Pascucci opens today near AT&T Park. One look at the menu will tell you this glamorous little shop is not your stereotypical Third Wave SF coffee haunt. Over 25 caffeinated offerings include proprietary creations with names like Paspuccio and Fraspuccio, many of which seem more like elaborate desserts than espresso drinks. The "Yogurt Cappucino," for example, layers a thick tangy yogurt mousse, fruit, chocolate and/or caramel sauce and whipped cream over one espresso shot. Italian Barista champion and lead barista Eddie Righi is currently schooling the staff on Pascucci's ways.
And as you may recall, the brand brought on local consultants Frank Klein and Chad Newton -- last seen together at Fish & Farm -- to help create the menu. So we now have the unique juxtaposition of Euro-style espresso beverages and a limited menu of foods with a hyper-local sensibility, like a BLT with Sonoma bacon and a chopped salad made with cage-free Sonoma eggs and Molinari's meats. Hours: Monday to Friday, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday to Sunday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. As per usual, your early thoughts will be very well received.
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Caffe Pascucci now open in SoMa; The Grove Hayes Valley due Saturday
Tuesday, January 11, 2011 at 12:41 PM in What's New
Some cafe news from around town. First up, Caffe Pascucci — the Italian import of a coffeeshop mentioned last month — opened yesterday, right across the street from the ballpark. Though it’s the first American location of the international chain, the menu is designed by local consultants Frank Klein and chef Chad Newton (Fish & Farm).
Hours are weekdays from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. and weekends from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Clearly, the cafe changes food offerings throughout the day, with midday featuring sandwiches and salads and evenings of salumi, cheese and bruschette. On the coffee side, signatures include a $4.50 gianduio (gold espresso, hot foamed milk, gianduia, whipped creme, hazelnut crunch, hazelnut spread) and a $3.95 salcedino, an iced drink made with espresso, sugar, light milk, chocolate syrup, and a dense chocolate called pas-ciok. 170 King Street, near Third; caffe-pascucci.com
In other news, the fourth San Francisco location of The Grove is currently hoped to be open on Saturday. Remember, it’s smack on the corner of Franklin and Hayes, to be eventually bookended by Nojo and Lers Ros. The Hayes Valley concept will mirror the other locations in the Marina, SoMa and Pac Heights, right down to the stained glass windows and fireplace.
301 Hayes, at Franklin
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The 2009 Burger Bonanza: Fish & Farm Plus 15 NapkinsWelcome to the 2009 Burger Bonanza wherein two girls eat 20 of the city's best burgers, on the path to burger enlightenment. The 10 best will then be chosen to be featured—in ranking order—in 7x7's September magazine issue. Burgers must fit our "fancy burger" parameter: made with beef and available as part of the regular dinner menu at upscale restaurants in SF. Beyond that, we're open to suggestions, which we hope you will leave in the comment box below!
| FISH & FARM Price: $12 Beef: 80/20 Niman Ranch Bun: Acme brioche Fixings: secret sauce, caramelized onions, housemade pickles, melted cheddar cheese Cooked: griddled and then oven-roasted Comes with: fries topped with fried herbs |
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This is how our final burger came to pass: On a foggy, cold summer night—the kind that makes me want to throw in the SF towel and get the hell out of here—I headed to my destination. I was cranky and cold and in no mood to pander to another beef patty. I was pretty much over it. Fish & Farm was not on our original list of go-to's (I'd venture to say Fish & Farm is probably not on anyone's SF burger short list), but someone had written in to suggest we should try it. When we got there, we decided to sit in the bar, which is removed from the restaurant itself. The marble table was cold to the touch. I kept on my coat, my scarf and my scowl.
But then, the burger arrived—literally dripping with a “special sauce,” a knife stabbed into the center rather violently, as if to say, Take this! Despite my current martyr status, I felt a little thrill. The acutal burger at F & F goes against the case I've been building for the past month in regards to what makes for greatness: There's no crunchy lettuce (no lettuce at all, actually); the pickles are house-made but mild and paired with caramelized onions; a huge hunk of Cabot cheddar oozes down the sides and the bun is sopping with a steak sauce, studded with tiny fresh peppercorns. There's not a Zuni-esque pickled zucchini in sight. I took a deep, martyr-y sigh and took a bite. What I experienced was a purely warm-and-fuzzy, hedonistic moment of deliciousness that wouldn't allow even a bit of snarky judgment to sneak its way in. If there's an umami god out there, this burger was built to pay homage to it. The Thousand-Island inspired sauce is really the kicker: It was sweet and savory and salty and messy. I only came up for air 10 shredded napkins and a clean plate later.
By Sara Deseran
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BAR BITESFISH & FARM
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Fish & Farm: Ev en before chef Chad Newton took over the kitchen at Fish & Farm four months ago, the restaurant had drawn them in with California renditions of all-American comfort fare.
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And though many San Francisco restaurants have responded to the rising costs of running a food business by raising prices, the folks at Fish & Farm have done just the opposite: The restaurant has embraced the recession by tweaking the menu and introducing several specials, such as a $41.95 three-course prix fixe special. |
Among the most intriguing of Fish & Farm's new discounts is the bar's happy hour, where you can fill up on gourmet pub grub from 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
The vibe: Hotel lobby meets neighborhood pub, with a marble-topped bar, high-backed bar stools and a TV tuned to sports.
The crowd: In-the-know locals clink glasses with hotel guests from around the world, offering suggestions and translations.
Best seat: Jump up on the high banquette against the back wall to claim one of the few two-tops for a low-key tete-a-tete.
Killer app: The kitchen elevates time-honored bar snacks, such as bacon tater tots ($3), french fries with house-made steak sauce ($3) and the Juicy Lucy cheeseburger topped with caramelized onions ($5). You can also toss back oyster shooters for just $3 each.
Signature drink: The two house cocktails just barely toy with the classics: The Fish & Farm mint julep ($9) includes a little tarragon that plays off Buffalo Trace bourbon, and the Taylor Street margarita ($9) adds orange juice to the traditional lime juice.
Also on tap: California beers are well represented in the Fish & Farm bar, with happy hour pints ($3, $5.50 at other times) on tap include Anchor Steam Porter and Liberty Ale. Bottles include Lagunitas red ($5) and Sierra Nevada Hefeweizen ($5.50). An all-California wine list includes 12 wines by the glass ($9-$16), with 10 of them in the $9-$11 range.
Bonus: Fish & Farm recently rolled out the American Box, a to-go lunch option that includes several sandwiches and salads from 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. on weekdays. And if you can't nab a reservation for the dining room, the full dinner menu, including a bigger version of the cheeseburger ($13), can be ordered in the bar.
Vitals: 339 Taylor St. (between Ellis and O'Farrell streets), S.F. (415) 474-3474. www.fishandfarmsf.com. Bar open 4-10 p.m. Tues.-Wed., until 11 p.m. Thurs.-Sat.. Happy hour is 4-6 p.m. Tues.-Sat. - Jane Tunks, 96hours@sfchronicle.com
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