Central Kitchen

Central Kitchen in The Mission opened a year ago but has been a local cause célèbre of late, thanks to the power of a recent San Francisco Chronicle review. The review's glowing take on the food was drowned out by the reviewer's ballistic rant on the blaring loud music.

As chance would have it I happen to be at Central Kitchen the night before the SF Chron review came out. The music was indeed loud but never distracting and unsurprising for the vibe of the place. The resto attracts a young, hipster, Mission grazing crowd drawn to this kind of scene. If there was any issue with the music, it would be the poor acoustics of the building (an old sausage factory). To be honest, crowd noise bothers me a lot more, alas, that seems to escape restaurant critics. Suffice it to say our group of four didn't have a problem conversing till midnight without resorting to shouting, unlike at places like A16 or Nopa where crowd noise is deafening.

As soon as I saw Wind Gap's Trousseau Gris on the list by the glass I didn't hesitate. Sharp and crisp, almost like a fino, it's a mouthwatering, bracing start.

Someone in the group pointed to a dish that must be ordered. Indeed, I would come back to Central Kitchen just to have another plate of the snap peas, chickpeas and chorizo. Rustic yet also a refined balance of flavors and textures.

I guess we where behaving goodly because the chef sent out a complimentary dish of an ethereal potato stew that showed the more ambitious refined tendencies of the kitchen.

I brought along a bottle of 2009 Cos Cerasuolo di Vittoria Classico which was warmly received by the staff. Made in Sicily by the great Giusto Occhipinti, the rich and elegant character of this Nero d'Avola and Frappato blend was a versatile match with the dishes. I got raves from everyone for bringing the bottle.

At the other end of the building the music and the energy was thumping even more at Trick Dog, an attached bar which like the restaurant has an industrial, early 20th century look to it. The cocktails are killer. I had a drink after leaving Central Kitchen, I think it was Pennies from Heaven, which was very good.

The sconces at Trick Dog are part of the old factory look. Nice touch.

Serving as decor above the bar, cast-iron Trick Dog mechanical banks, a vintage Americana that's apparently the bar's inspiration. You insert a coin in the dog's mouth, press a button and the dog leaps through the hoop held by the clown and deposits the coin into the barrel. Cool.



Central Kitchen (Trick Dog is next door)
3000 20th Street
San Francisco, CA

At Mission Chinese Food

Yesterday, the day of the Harvest Moon, I decided to check out again Mission Chinese Food. I was feeling Chinese for lunch, but having just returned from a trip to France I preferred something more interesting, rather than the same-old, same-old Chinese eatery.

Certainly, MCF is not a swanky place, in fact it looks just like your typical Chinese joint, which it is--the restaurant's actual name is Lung Shan Restaurant, but seemingly just a cover. MCF operates like an underground layer within this nondescript environ, offering a more adventurous, contemporary, indeed, subversive cuisine that's free from the traditions of Cantones, Shanghainese, Sichuanese, Hunanese or Beijing cooking. And what's risky about the whole operation is that it's not owned by westerners, which would've excused it, but by a Chinese family. They can be ostracized by their compatriots, you know, who want Chinese cuisine to remain the way the last emperor left it.



I ordered one of two items on the menu that is not available for take-out: Taiwan Mussels. The dish is fiery hot, and it did upset my stomach afterwards, as I've been out of practice eating hot stuff lately, but it was delicious nonetheless. I don't mind suffering a little for good food. The black mussels were tossed with hot chili oil and black bean sauce and combined with chunks of braised pork belly, then blended with shishito peppers and garnished with Thai basil. Talk about a dish that borrows heavily from a good swath of the Pacific region! I can tell you the Bundaberg ginger beer came in handy.



A new design feature of the restaurant, of which the owners are apparently very proud of, is the large dragon that hangs from the ceiling. A symbol of luck. And, if I must say, a sure sign that good food is being served.

The Summit's Start-Up in The Mission

San Francisco seems to be getting smaller. The more I go out to the city these days, the more I realize that if it's not in The Mission then it's not really happening at all. The Mission is what defines San Francisco right now: it's the "new" San Francisco.

And in The Mission, you can't get any newer, both literally and conceptually, than the eclectically named The Summit.

So what is The Summit? Well, I went to the private soft launch a few Saturdays ago (public opening is scheduled on Sept. 30) and I walked away still not entirely sure if I got it. Maybe Desi Danganan is just light years ahead that I'm still about a year away from fully comprehending his start-up, er café.

Desi, arms stretched out, in the universal gesture for "I did it!"

So let me take you through what I observed from Desi's quick tour. Essentially, The Summit is part of an integrated café and crib for tech start-ups known as i/o ventures. Okay, you with me? Only in San Francisco, or more pointedly, in The Mission.



The cavernous 780 Valencia space is shared between The Summit (the café) and i/o ventures (the tech start-up incubator business). i/o ventures is the angel funder for The Summit, but curiously I find it hard to tell which of the two is the tail and which is the dog. Just seems a little blurry, especially because of the porous physical layout. Time will tell, I guess, then again, this might be the genius of the project. A vision of a "third place" for everyone, particularly hipster folks.



So when are we going to eat? Enough of the start-up talk and let's turn our attention to the café. Service is cafeteria-style. You walk up to the front counter. Read the wall menu. State your order. Pay. Take the table number handed to you. Settle down on one of the communal tables, sit in the couch in the lounge area, pull a stool at the counter, or just stand around while you wait for your order to be brought to you. At times I felt like being a guest in the living room of a very large house. The minimal decor of concrete floor and wood stain counter and tables create a contemporary, sleek look.



Eddie Lau, the chef, prowled behind the counter, stepping in and out of the enclosed kitchen and the open prep area and drinks bar. There is no gas running in the kitchen so it's fully electric. Desi pointed out that the advantage is that the kitchen cooks cleaner with less smoke and burning odors--very key in this integrated café/office environment, I guess. I asked Eddie if cooking all-electric pose any limitation, and he confidently replied, not at all. Except that he does prep some dishes off-site, like his slow-smoked pastrami. More on this later.





The Summit menu perfectly fits the format. Delicatessen cuisine-inspired, updated with local ingredients and good, honest cooking. Servings are moderate, not heaping, so I got an almost spa-like feel, especially with the tea and chai selection. One thing my friend, Max, noted about the service is that the order is not coursed out--everything comes out together, the salad, soup, sandwich or mains. Maybe he's right, coursing out the order could be a key refinement.



I started with the Summer Corn Soup ($5) that was slurpalicious! Eddie said it was just corn with some dairy. But this is why it's so good!



My Red Pastrami Sandwich ($7.50) was also very good, though the slaw topping was under-seasoned. Eddie slow-cooked the pastrami off-site for 3.5 hours using cherry wood at a downright glacial 130-155 F. My teeth just sank in to it with each bite.



Max opted for the Hot Pork Sandwich ($8) with melted Gruyere on grilled toast. He scarfed it down before I even had a chance to ask him for a taste bite. It did look good, and Max said, indeed.

No alcoholic drinks were on the list but my Iced Lychee Black Tea ($2), perfectly sweetened, was refreshingly delicious! A classic pairing with my pastrami.

Eddie said he's working with Alex Fox (ex-Myth sommelier) on a wine list. I can't wait to see what they'll come up with. Maybe I can nag Eddie and Desi for a Vineyard Gate wine dinner soon.


The Summit
780 Valencia Street (cor. 19th)
San Francisco, CA
(target opening is Sept. 30th)