Before you make a reservation at Haven, the latest addition to chef / restauranteur Daniel Patterson's growing restaurant group, be sure you are hungry. Very hungry. Once you enter the beautiful wooden door that leads into the dining room, you'll have to put your New Year's fitness resolutions temporarily on hold. Your resolve will most likely waver once you scan Haven's menu and start eyeing the roasted bone marrow and braised lamb.

Located in Jack London Square opposite Bocanova and right next to Heinold's First And Last Chance Saloon, Haven settled into its space in mid-December of last year. In the main dining area, you can take in the view of the waterfront through its large wall of windows, or tuck yourself away in a more intimate corner of the bar.

Dark brown linen coasters, miniature tableaus of air plants, candles and ceramic salt cellars along with Heath dinnerware are the small formal touches that enliven the warm, natural decor of the rustic-modern space.

The ample wooden bar extends the length of the dining room and flanks the kitchen. If you enjoy a more theatrical dining experience, aim for a seat that affords you a view of the chef and her staff busy at work. We arrived early on a Monday night and were able to sit directly in front of the kitchen humming along with activity.

Executive Chef Kim Alter (with the purple head scarf) and her staff at Haven

I mentioned earlier that it's important to be as hungry as possible when dining at Haven. This is absolutely necessary if you choose the "Let Us Cook For You" option -- as my husband and I did -- and allow Executive Chef Kim Alter to spoil you with her 4 or 5-course family-style menu that's available for a table of two or more ($55/person for 4-courses, $65/person for 5). We elected to go with the decadent 5-course meal as this would give us a broad survey of Haven's offerings.

The meal began with a simple and delicious amuse bouche of a white anchovy on a crostini with celery root puree. This was followed by a light, creamy fennel soup made with Meyer lemon preserves and pearl onions. The server poured each portion into our bowls tableside, which had been "washed with absinthe" for additional hints of anise.

I hope the housemade Parker House rolls that arrived in between the next course remain a staple of the restaurant, as they're probably the best ones you'll ever sink your teeth into. Salty and toasted on the outside, soft and pillowy on the inside, they were the perfect accompaniment to the Little Gem salad tossed in a gorgonzola dressing with celery, jalapeno peppers, and sprinkled with fried chicken skin. A small galvanized bucket filled with deep-fried caramelized Brussels sprouts seasoned with lime, mint and garlic had a delightful sweet and sour tang that reminded us of British "chips" with malt vinegar.

Following these three delicious renditions of classic comfort food was a twist on pasta carbonara. Haven's version with housemade fettucine noodles uses a thick-cut bacon that imparts a deep smoky flavor to the sauce.

Next up was a bowlful of clams with seared turnips and garlic toast, which we used to sop up the rich bacon and bourbon broth. A side of crispy, mildy spicy fingerling potatoes with seaweed, shiro soy, miso -- an unusual combination that worked well -- completed this course.

Here's where we began to feel quite stuffed, but there was more to come. The best dishes of the evening were served to us personally by Chef Alter: a sous vide and confit-prepared chicken (a mix of breast and leg/wing, respectively) with a generous portion of wheat berries and roasted parsnips and carrots in a sweet Banyuls-foie sauce, along with a whimsical reinvention of shepherd's pie prepared with ground pork, topped with a delicate rutabaga-derived foam and fried fingerling potatoes. And there was a savory baked cauliflower dish (garnished with a few raw florets) made with cheese from Andante Dairy and served in a cazuela.

Chef Kim Alter plotting to fill our stomachs to the limit with dessert

We had barely recovered from our main courses when the magnificent dessert courses arrived. The intermezzo was a grapefruit sherbet atop a tarragon custard, but the show-stopper was the baked California. Swirled with airy fennel meringue, filled with vanilla ice cream that rested on a lemony cookie crust and served with dollops of citrus and avocado, it was a sweet homage to native flavors.

When we finally put our forks down and savored the last bite of baked California, we had that same, blissfully full feeling as if it were Thanksgiving in January. Our hearty 5-course meal would have been plenty for three, so next time we'll sample some small plates or bring back a group to share in the bounty. And hats off to Chef Alter for a fine meal; I'm looking forward to the ongoing evolution of Haven.

Haven
Address: map
44 Webster Street
Oakland, California 94612
Phone: (510) 663-4440
Facebook: Haven Oakland
Twitter: @havenjacklondon
Hours:
5 pm - 10 pm
Friday & Saturday
5 - 11 pm

Next month, the Mission outpost of sausage and craft beer emporium Rosamunde Sausage Grill marks its third birthday. Partner-owner Josh Margolis shared some meaty updates with Bay Area Bites recently: plans for an East Bay Rosamunde location are in the works.

His longtime passion has been to open a beer restaurant, and he first came to San Francisco and worked at Postrio in 1990. The UC San Diego and Culinary Institute graduate is from Los Angeles, and gravitates to Saison and Belgian beer: “Duvel in the bottle is one of my go-to drinks.”

Margolis lives in the Bayview with his husband Raymond Lobato, who is a graphic designer, DJ, artist, and feng shui artist. The two have also lived in the Mission and Noe Valley. “We met in college and have been together 25 years... he DJs here on Friday nights. He did all the artwork. We've been married four times. In 1991, we became domestic partners. Then we did a ceremony in 2000. 2004 was the best one. We saw Gavin Newsom on the news. Then we got in line and we’re probably 80th or 90th in line at City Hall. The place was on fire! The energy and ceremonies were happening every 5 minutes. It was just the two of us, and we saw our old next-door neighbors. They took pics--via cell phone--and became our witnesses.”

How did you open Rosamunde? Any chance of bringing the Tuesday Rosamunde burger to the Mission?
I partnered with Jennifer Tucci to open the Mission one. We’ve decided to keep the Rosamunde burger at the Haight only. There is a steak sandwich now every day in the Mission. We started the steak sandwich in the summer, as well as a mushroom sandwich. Our vegetarian orders are significant, and we are one of the biggest destinations for veggie diners in the city.

Lady Gaga visited in August 2010. Do you get Gaga fans trying to see where Lady Gaga hung out?
People still ask about it. It was around three in the afternoon, and only a few people were around. She came in with her boyfriend and bodyguard and was wearing a red leotard outfit. She said to the bartender Claire, “I'm Gaga” and Claire told her, “I’m Claire.” Then Claire came into the office to look her up online. Gaga hung out, drank several glasses of white wine, and stayed for two to three hours. Apparently she was on her way from San Jose to dinner in the city. She wanted Mexican, and a friend told her to go to the Mission. She saw the sign for sausages, and decided to go to Rosamunde instead.

Raymond Lobato, Josh Margolis, Jennifer Tucci - Rosamunde First Year

What’s new at the restaurant?
We’re getting ready for our 3rd anniversary on January 18. There’ll be a party of some sort. Then, there’s SF Beer Week February 10-19. We’ll host some breweries and also have a beer drinking & sausage-eating contest that will be something classy. Teams of two will compete together. Rosamunde will choose the sausages cut in 1/2 while each team will choose a unique beer. Eat as many 1/2 sausage as you can with as much beer as you need to get it down in 15 minutes. The winner gets $100 in Rosamunde gift certificates. Everyone gets $1 off the winner’s beer choice the rest of the day or $2 for the beer choice with winner’s sausage choice. All contestants get a Rosamunde T-Shirt. Team signup begins January 25th at the Mission Street location.

What are your favorite spots to shop for food?
Rainbow is my standard go to for dairy, pantry, vinegars, oils and sauces.

Sun Fat Fish Market is the cleanest, nicest of all old time seafood shops. Since November 15, I’ve been visiting them every day. I’ve been eating a lot of crab.

On Saturdays, I go to the Alemany Farmers’ Market.

I also like the European Market on Clement. They have whole walls of refrigerated cured meats, salami, sausage, and things like that. They also bring in really good German bread. It’s frozen and they bake it off. That’s the only place in town you can get that. They cure and smoke own fish, salmon, white fish, herring.

Where are your favorite date spots?
Besides home?... We drive down to Santa Cruz and make a day of it. We usually take our bikes and ride on the north side of Santa Cruz. It’s such a beautiful place and one of the best times to go is not summer. On the way, our favorite lunch spot is Sam’s Chowder House in Half Moon Bay. I like both their red and white chowder, and fish and chips.

What is your favorite meal to have with your family?
I’m pretty famous for not cooking the same thing twice. Ever. Restaurants and farmers’ markets constantly inspire me. We may have pizza once a week at home, but I’ll never make the same pizza twice.

Do you have plans for the holidays?
Kathleen is my friend from San Diego. Together we make “Turkey Prince Edward”: take the skin off a turkey, and completely debone it. Lay the meat down on the turkey skin so that you basically make a roulade. You can do Turkey Prince Edward with two turkeys, rolled and stuffed with prunes, port and chestnut. Kathleen fed us when we were opening the new place (Mission Rosamunde).

"Turkey Prince Edward"

What’s your guiltiest food pleasure?
Which one should I choose? The burrito mojado al pastor at Taqueria Cancun is a huge, swimming in sauce delicious meat thing that you pay for later. Then there are super nachos, but I don’t treat myself to that anymore.

Peter Temkin. Photo: Sarah Logan

Peter Temkin brings a decade of experience to Show Dogs and specializes in charcuterie from pates and whole-cut dry-cured meats to fresh sausages. Peter began working with Chefs Gayle Pirie and John Clark six months ago as Show Dogs’ in-house Charcutier, and recently introduced five new specialty sausages to the menu including: Merguez, Wild Boar, Chicken Curry, Chicken Boudin and Maple Bacon. Each sausage is made with locally sourced meats but incorporate seasonings to mirror the regions from which the sausages are inspired.

Peter was introduced to the culinary world in his youth while growing up in New York City -- his mother was a catering chef and his father was a book publisher for MCA/Universal's book division, now known as Putnam Books. This upbringing, coupled with travels to France and Italy, instilled an early appreciation for food and cooking traditions. He began his culinary career as an apprentice at Florio restaurant in San Francisco. Here, Temkin says, Chef Rick Hackett set his foundation for cooking -- learning everything from practical skills to the art of cured meat. Since then, Temkin has been instrumental in the opening of Nopa, Spruce, and Cavallo Point’s Farley Bar, where he developed comprehensive charcuterie programs. He lives in South City.

What’s new at the restaurant?
Things are great and the in-house sausages are really singing. We're in the process of developing several new charcuterie offerings as well, which is very exciting. At Foreign Cinema, the housemade program is starting to hit its stride, now that the salumis are beginning to show. My chefs are so supportive and generous with their talent. I'm very lucky to work where I do.

What are your favorite 2 spots to shop for food?
Avedano's on Cortland and Olivier's Butchery in the Dogpatch. I also keep my eye on anything Good Foods Catering does. Chef Dontaye gets it done!

Tell us about meeting your wife.
My wife is Melody Mitchell, who is a certified sommelier and the lead server at The Village Pub. We met through mutual friends after a catering event. I went up to her and kissed her, and we've been together ever since. That was about 6 years ago, and we've been married for over a year and a half. My sun rises and sets with her.

What are your favorite date night spots?
Slow Club because the combination of the ambiance, the decor and Chef Matt Paul's food are just devastating.... My wife and I always order his flatbread, and I know he just put his short ribs on the menu. We'll have to get those, since I've heard they're just amazing. We also love Flower Lounge in Millbrae and, well, our house! We cook quite a bit together and the food's getting better all the time. My friend Jon Reitz just opened his first place, Cedar Hill Kitchen + Smokehouse, so we're looking forward to eating there as well.

What is your favorite meal to have with your family?
My wife's chicken thighs, braised greens and scalloped potatoes.

Guiltiest food pleasure?
Stouffer's French bread pepperoni pizza

As a teacher, what are the “musts” of making charcuterie?
You have to keep your proteins clean, cold and covered. Don't let the fancy words intimidate you -- a pate is just a meat loaf that's had a couple of cocktails. Finally, patience and passion -- you'll need both to do charcuterie well.

Do you have plans for the holidays and/or a favorite dish/recipe?
Eat, drink and be merry!

Salumi Paradiso - Sausage Knot. Photo: Elisa Cicinelli

Recipe: Salumi Paradiso

20 lbs of boneless pork butt, large cube, lean and fat separated
9 oz of kosher salt
3 tsp of DQ#2 curing salt (Butcher & Packer is a fantastic source for curing salts, starter cultures and casings.)
125 g of dextrose
2 cups of non-fat dry milk powder
4 oz of dry white wine
Two large pinches of saffron
10 g of crushed chile de arbol
15 g of minced fresh ginger
15 g of minced fresh garlic
4 g of starter culture

• Place meat on a full tray sheet for 20 minutes or until very cold.
• Grind lean and fat pork separately through 3/18" plate-make sure to chill all grinder parts for at least 20 minutes before grinding.
• Place ground pork, separating the lean and the fat, on a full sheet and keep refrigerated until all ingredients are assembled and ready to be utilized.
• Bring white wine to a boil and then off heat, crush the saffron between your fingers to release the essential oils of the saffron and then, put the saffron into the white wine and let steep into liquid is cool.
• Remove meat from fridge and combine lean meat with all seasoning and spices, by hand, break the fat into small pieces and incorporate into meat mixture.
• Mix white wine/saffron liquid into meat along with several glugs of ice water.
• Place starter culture into 3 oz of room temperature distilled water and vigorously incorporate solution by hand into meat mixture, make sure mixture is tacky.
• Stuff mixture into 34-36 mm hog casings, form sausages into 1/2 foot links, tying off links with double knots on both ends.
• Prick sausages with sausage pricker and hang on dowels and place in fermentation chamber for 48 hours.
• Place in drying room with a temperature of 58 degrees and an ambient humidity of 65-70% for 4-6 weeks or until sausages have given up approximately 40-50% of their water weight.

"There's a new sheriff in town. She has a smoker and she's not afraid to use it."

So says the Twitter description for B-Side BBQ, an excellent new barbecue restaurant in West Oakland. But the "new sheriff" is already a neighborhood favorite. Chef / owner Tanya Holland is the seasoned veteran of the nearby successful soul food restaurant, Brown Sugar Kitchen, and her new restaurant is the "flip side" to her popular flagship establishment. She and her husband, Phil Surkis, have lived and worked in West Oakland for seven years and are helping to bring more great eats to the community.

My husband and I stopped by three days after their official open to visit the newly renovated space. The former home of Yardie Jerk, B-Side BBQ now has a warm, country-and-western feel with whimsical touches.

Tanya commissioned local artist April Banks to create artworks for the restaurant that will make you do a double-take. Look closely and you'll see Tanya and Phil making cameos in these classic western scenes.

They were already out of their smoked brown sugar rubbed brisket by the time we placed our order, so we chose the pulled pork sandwich ($8) and the St. Louis Ribs ($10 half-order / $18 full order). Sides come separately, and we went for the day's seasonal vegetable (collard greens with garlic, $4) and spicy coleslaw ($4). The "Dark and Stormy" sauce (made with molasses and honey) I chose for my barbecue was a perfect complement to the crunchy coleslaw heaped on my tasty sandwich. The ribs were juicy and hearty; be sure to grab some of the complimentary wet nap towelettes to help clean the smoky, saucy aftermath off of your fingertips (unless you go for the finger-licking route, which I highly recommend.) And definitely try the housemade lemonade ($3) if you're looking for a sweet refresher to accompany your meal.

Tanya and Phil currently split their time between B-Side and Brown Sugar. She was busy in the kitchen and the dining room, with Phil helping her and her staff serve her customers. Stay tuned for the next iteration of B-Side BBQ. More items are on the way for the menu, and they'll increase B-Side's hours over time. Phil also mentioned they'll be expanding the existing space to accommodate more seating and lengthen the bar. We'll definitely be heading back for the brisket and cornbread.

Tanya Holland, Chef / Owner of Brown Sugar Kitchen and B-Side BBQ

B-Side BBQ
Address: map
3303 San Pablo Avenue (at 33rd Street)
Phone: (510) 595-0227
Hours:Tuesday-Saturday 11-4
Facebook: B-Side BBQ
Twitter: @BSideBBQ

Chop Bar's grilled pork bahn mi is a great lunchtime sandwich, although their burger is always a sure bet for satisfaction. Photo by Jenny Oh.

Are you the one in your social circle who's been identified as the "Restaurant Recommendations Resource?” Do you keep tabs on new restaurant openings and have more opinions on eateries than Yelp? With the holiday season fast approaching and company coming into town, you’ll probably find yourself fielding the usual flood of questions: "So my parents will be here this weekend and I want to take them somewhere tasty, but that's not too pricey." "Where do you go for dim sum?"

My brother visited us over Thanksgiving, and I was reminded of the pressure a food aficionado feels with non-native guests. You want the restaurants to be exceptional and unique to the Bay Area, yet not break the bank if you’re going out on a regular basis. So if you’re tired of showing your friends and family tourist attractions and don’t want to fire up the stove for dinner, try this short list of fail-proof places in the East Bay. These are restaurants my husband and I go to if we're feeling too lazy to cook or want to take folks out for a good, reasonably priced meal. It’s tough to find places that please all palates, but these restaurants have been quite successful with a diverse group that ranges from my notoriously picky parents, friends from the city who are unfamiliar with the East Bay and hard-to-impress East Coasters. This list leaves off the fancy, the adventurous, the underground and the usual suspects, and was created to appeal to a pretty wide group of tastes.

Coffee
Blue Bottle, Subrosa, Remedy Coffee and Actual Cafe have sprung up in the past few years to provide primo caffeine to the East Bay. Another place I enjoy, Bica Cafe, is located in the Rockridge neighborhood near Zachary's Pizza. They carry local coffees from De La Paz, Verve and Ritual among others.

Brunch & Burgers
Yes, there's one place that can satisfy your craving for a delicious brunch and deliver an amazing burger. Chop Bar makes my favorite burger in the East Bay and they do a pretty fantastic pig roast in the summer, too. For $12, you get a juicy burger made with Preferred Meats ground chuck with bacon, avocado, tomato & aioli piled on an Acme Kaiser roll. It's served with an arugula salad so you can feel less guilty about the burger. If you're throwing calorie caution to the wind, I also suggest ordering their divine macaroni & cheese as a $7 appetizer to share -- which may be hard to do since it's so unbelievably good. Their breakfast/brunch fare is a solid selection of comfort food like their bacon, egg, & cheese sandwich on an Acme torpedo roll for $7.50.

Burritos
La Calaca Loca is tucked away in a little mini-mall in Temescal across the street from Bakesale Betty's. This great little Mexican restaurant also makes a wonderful breakfasts on weekends (the Huevos a la Mexicana -- scrambled eggs w/ tomato, onion & cilantro, served with pinto beans --- for $6.25 is my favorite.) But their burritos are what bring me back; their Baja Pescado burritos made with fried beer-battered fresh fish (line-caught mahi mahi, baja sauce & cabbage for $6.50 is phenomenally good. And they use meat and chicken from Niman Ranch and Fulton Valley Farms, which is always a plus.

Thai
Solano Avenue in Albany is chock-full of fantastic restaurants, and it's the home of one of our favorite Thai places: Bua Luang. Winter weather makes me crave curries, and I usually go for their pumpkin curry with pumpkin, green pea, bell pepper and sweet basil for $9.75 or the chicken pa nang red curry with lime leaves, ground peanuts, bell pepper, sweet basil for $8.95 with a side of steamed coconut rice.

China Village's orange chicken, sesame bread and seafood and pork delight. Photo by Jenny Oh.

Chinese
China Village is located just down the street from Bua Luang. Don't be daunted by the massive encyclopedic menu they hand you when you sit down; there's plenty to choose from and it'll take you a while to peruse their offerings (and you'll be amused by some of the typos you'll see along the way.) I often go for their dim sum, which they serve anytime and love their steamed pork bao ($4.50), green onion pancake ($3.50) and spicy wonton with hot oil sauce ($5.95). I'm also a big fan of their lamb with cumin for $9.95 and the Kingtu Princess Prawns -- deep-fried shrimp with a spicy ginger-garlic sauce for $11.95.

Italian
If you're lucky enough to get into La Trattoria Siciliana -- there's usually a wait if you don't have a reservation -- then your next dilemma is figuring out what to order. I'm always deliberating between their Rigatoni Cosa Nostra made with their award-winning pesto sauce for $12 or their Gnocchi alla Norma with homemade potato pasta dumplings with fresh tomato sauce, fried eggplant, ricotta salata and basil ($13). And they have several specials every night which makes the decision-making process all the more torturous.

Korean
Telegraph Avenue hosts a number of Korean restaurants, and there are quite a few that are excellent. Casserole House is one at the top of my list and got the nod of approval from my visiting brother who loved their yue gae jang, ($9.95) a spicy beef soup with noodles that will clear your sinuses for several months. Their kimchee ji gae ($9.95) is a savory simmered kimchee stew made with pork and tofu, and I'm partial to their goon mahndu, fried dumplings filled with pork, beef, tofu, vegetables and kimchee for $8.95. They also give you a nice assortment of ban chan, or side dishes, and complimentary barley tea to warm you up as soon as you settle in at your table.

Japanese
Mitama is on the corner of College and Alcatraz Avenues right on the border of Oakland and Berkeley. They have wonderful bento box lunch specials, but we enjoy coming for dinner so we can sit at the bar and order sushi and sashimi directly from the chefs. Their chicken karage for $6.95 is a generous portion of fried chicken goodness if you want a decadent starter to kick off your meal.

Pizza
There's a ton of respectable pizza joints in the East Bay, but Rotten City is not too far from our West Oakland neighborhood and makes top-notch slices using local, sustainably sourced and organic ingredients when possible. You can visit their Facebook page to salivate over photos of their daily specials. And you have to try their terrific meatball sub at least once, and you'll probably try it again after you've sampled it.

Vegetarian
Shangri-La
Manzanita's former digs have been taken over by Shangri-La, another vegan restaurant on the Emeryville-Oakland border. The menu, however, is similar: healthy, organic food that's a good way to detox from all the rich cookies and cakes you might have been eating. Call or check online for the daily menu; you can order their full meal or the simple one. There's usually a soup, grain and an assortment of vegetable dishes with dressings.

Bica Coffeehouse
Address: map
5701 College Ave., Oakland CA
Open Daily 6:30-6:30 PM
Facebook: Bica Coffeehouse
Twitter: @bicacoffeehouse

Chop Bar
Address: map
247 4th Street #111
(4th & Alice)
Phone: 510-834-2467
Facebook: Chop Bar
Twitter: @chopbar

Hours:
Monday-Thursday
Breakfast 7-11AM
Lunch 11-3PM
Dinner 5:30-10:00PM
Friday
Breakfast 7-11AM
Lunch 11-3PM
Dinner 5:30-11PM
Saturday
Brunch 9-3PM
Dinner 5:30-11PM
Sunday
Brunch 9-3PM
Dinner 5:30-10:00PM

La Calaca Loca
Address: map
5199 Telegraph Ave
(between Claremont Ave & 52nd St)
Phone: (510) 601-8226
Hours:
Monday: 11-8PM
Tuesday-Friday: 11-9PM
Saturday: 9-9PM
Sunday: 9-8PM
Facebook: La Calaca Loca

Bua Luang
Address: map
1166 Solano Ave
(between Cornell Ave & Stannage Ave)
Phone: (510) 527-8288
Hours:
Monday & Thursday: 11:30-3PM / 5-9PM
Friday - Saturday: 11:30-10PM
Sunday: Noon-9:30PM

China Village
Address: map
1335 Solano Ave
(between Pomona Ave & Ramona Ave)
Phone: (510) 525-2285
Hours:
Monday-Tuesday, Sunday: 11-9:30PM
Wednesday-Thursday: 11-10PM
Friday-Saturday: 11-11:30PM

La Trattoria Siciliana
Address: map
2993 College Ave
(between Ashby Ave & Webster St)
Phone: (510) 704-1474
Hours:
Monday-Sunday: 5-10PM
Facebook: Trattoria La Siciliana

Casserole House
Address: map
4301 Telegraph Ave
(between 43rd St & 44th St)
Phone: (510) 601-6001
Hours:
Monday-Saturday: 11-10PM
Sunday: 1-10PM
Facebook: Casserole House

Mitama
Address: map
3201 College Ave
(at Alcatraz Ave)
Phone: (510) 652-6157
Hours:
Monday-Thursday: 11:30-9:30PM
Friday: 11:30-10PM
Saturday: 12-10PM
Sunday: 12-9PM
Facebook: Mitama

Rotten City
Address: map
6613 Hollis St
(between 66th St & 67th St)
Phone: (510) 655-2489
Hours:
Monday-Saturday: 11-10PM
Sunday: 12-10PM
Facebook: Rotten City Pizza
Twitter: @rottencitypizza

Shangri-La Vegan
Address: map
4001 Linden St
(between 40th St & 41st St)
Phone: (510) 547-1842
Hours:
Monday-Sunday: 11-3PM
Monday-Sunday: 5:30-9PM
Facebook: Shangri-La Vegan

When the mission of a restaurant is to feed and nourish, starting with the staff just makes good sense. In The Family Meal, author and El Bulli chef Ferran Adrià describes how they actually call their staff meal “family meal: “we believe that if we eat well, we cook well,” he said. And as simple as that may sound, it’s really at the heart of it all.

It could look something like this: proper wine glasses, real silverware and white napkins. But it could also look like sandwiches and skillet cake. Staff meals, a common ritual and routine at restaurants around the country, vary dramatically. Not all small businesses can afford to serve their staff the same food that diners eat that evening, and yet, they want to feed them well. In this time of giving, how do small food businesses create meaning in an affordable shared meal that’s often prepared in the midst of kitchen chaos?

On one end of the spectrum are staff meals at Alice Waters’s Chez Panisse. Things are different here. Holly Peterson, a café cook at the restaurant, says it didn’t take long for her to figure that out. She’s been at the restaurant for a little over two years, much of which was spent at the garde manger station where she planned, cooked, and enjoyed hundreds of staff meals. At 8 p.m., the cooks from the downstairs restaurant all sit down together and taste each other’s food with a glass of wine that compliments the meal.

Down the road a bit in West Berkeley sits Dafna Kory’s bustling INNA Jam kitchen. Like many small business owners in the beginning, Kory began working solo in the kitchen. There were busy days filled with long hours. But when she started hiring, Kory no longer felt right about subsiding solely on energy bars. “Having real meals didn’t start until I had real people working for me,” she said. “There’s a paradox that I don’t accept of being hungry and working in a kitchen. I wasn’t going to see that happen.” INNA Jam is different in that they make a condiment, so there isn’t extra produce or leftover meats, fish, or pasta in the walk-in. In this way, Kory has to actively plan for each meal. This planning has taken on many iterations in the last year, and it’s constantly evolving based on the seasons, the production schedule, and the extent to which she can find family and loved ones to contribute.

Across the bridge in San Francisco, Anna Derivi-Castellanos of Three Babes Bakeshop can relate to this kind of planning. They too are unique in that they’re producing a single product: pie. And they work long night shifts, so it’s important to have some savory options in the kitchen to keep everyone’s energy and blood sugar up. Derivi-Castellanos laments, “I wish that I had more time to plan our staff meal, but usually I try to keep it simple, and loop it in with part of our production. If we're making something that day that could be considered dinner, (a savory or pot pie, for example) then I'll make more of it.”

But it doesn’t always work out seamlessly. Derivi-Castellanos will often find herself making a special trip to her local co-op to pick up ingredients for the nightly meal. She’ll often end up grabbing some pre-made salads and raw ingredients—making a concerted effort to keep the meal simple but interesting. And affordable. Most of all, “it's important to me to cater to who's on our staff that evening," she says.

The key is really to find “a balance between the time you have and the quality of food that’s important to you and the variation you’re going to need," Kory says. When boyfriend Jesse Clark—who often prepares the meals—needs to focus more on his work, a member of the INNA kitchen will step up to maintain the sandwich station they’ve been doing or chip in with other seasonal ideas. The ultimate goal: “standard home-cooked high quality square meals.”

“Staff meals have taught me how eating well during the work day really makes a huge difference -- for our energy, moral, and good mood all around. Also, feeding the staff is a chance for me to show my respect and appreciation for all their hard work and dedication," Kory says. So while Chez Panisse, Three Babes Bakeshop and INNA Jam all approach their meals differently, they’re all making a conscious important decision. They’re making a statement about the kind of business they want to run and the small things they can do throughout the day not just to feed their staff, but also to nourish. Gracefully.

Inna Jam Skillet Cake. Photo: Dafna Kory

Jesse's INNA Jam Kitchen Skillet Cake
This skillet cake is made year-round in the INNA kitchen, rotating whatever fruit is in season at the time, from stone fruit to figs to plums to apples to berries. Buttermilk isn’t often on hand in the kitchen and yogurt works just as well—use whatever you have. The cake is simple to put together and showcases the best of the harvest. And, it’s nice to snack on throughout the day, too. Not just during staff meal.

Adapted from: Epicurious.com

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

Serves: 8

Ingredients:
For topping
1/2 stick butter
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 pound or so of fresh, seasonal fruit- enough to cover the pan.
(Apricots, plums, figs are halved, apples are sliced, berries used whole)
Raw sliced almonds, optional

For cake
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk or yogurt

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Arrange the racks so that one is in the middle of the oven (for the cake) and another rack is below it. On the lower rack place a baking sheet to catch any drips from the cake.

2. Melt the butter in 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over the butter, then turn off the heat (you don't want all your sugar to be melted). Arrange as much fruit as you can fit, cut sides down, close together on top of the brown sugar. Sprinkle sliced almonds, if using.

3. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl (if you're a sifter, you can sift this. Using a fork works just fine).

4. Beat together the butter, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Beat in the eggs until mixture is creamy and doubled in volume, 2-3 more minutes. Reduce speed to low and add the flour mixture in 3 batches alternately with the yogurt, beginning and ending with flour mixture, and beat just until combined.

5. Pour the batter over the fruit and spread as evenly as you can. It might not look perfectly distributed right away, but don't worry -- it'll sort itself out in the oven. In any case, it's going to be the bottom of the cake. Bake the cake in the middle of oven until it's top is dark golden brown and a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. It's hard to overcook this cake because of all the fruit juice that will bubble up- it's really the golden color on top that will help you judge when it's ready.

6. Let the cake cool in the pan for a bit to reduce the chance of molten juice/sugar running down the pan when you flip it. Place a large plate if you have one (I use a cutting board) over the skillet, using oven mitts firmly pressed the plate and skillet together, and flip the cake onto plate. Lift the skillet off the cake (knocking on it with a wooden spoon helps to release it). If any fruit stuck to bottom of the skillet just scrape it off and place it back on the cake. Cool to warm or room temperature. It's good right away, but even better the next day.

Temescal's Telegraph Avenue in Oakland is becoming quite the coffee-lovers' hot spot. There's a Peet's Coffee, Remedy, Good Bellies, Aunt Mary's Cafe and The Mixing Bowl. And now there's a new cafe on the block, Arbor, which has taken over the former kid-friendly spot SadieDey's as of October.

Arbor is owned by DNA Lounge manager Christopher Marquez. When my husband and I stopped in for brunch on a chilly Sunday morning, we were looking forward to a good hot cup of coffee and a warm breakfast.

The decor reflects the retro-vintage chic that's all the rage right now, with wood floors and mismatched tables and chairs filling up the space. But there's very little artwork up on the walls, so the space doesn't quite have the same warm, lived-in look as its furniture. It would be a great venue for a rotating gallery featuring local artists, so hopefully they'll utilize Arbor's spacious room for small art openings.

The indoor bicycle rack was filled to capacity -- a nice touch to help attract cycling-friendly clientele -- and Arbor brews java from the local Bay Area company Bicycle Coffee as well.

Their daily menu is written up on a chalkboard perched on an easel: granola with yogurt and fruit ($5); egg and cheddar sandwich with salad ($6); poached eggs with toast and salad ($7); prosciutto, poached eggs and toast ($7) and strawberry and Nutella (we're presuming on toast) ($6). There were also an assortment of pastries for sale. They were out of the egg and cheddar sandwich when we arrived just before noon, so my husband ordered coffee while I decided to try their prosciutto special. There were only two friendly staffers behind the counter, so service was a little slow as they prepared the drip coffee and meal. But they were cheerful and attentive, and we didn't mind the wait as they apologized for the fact they're still smoothing out the kinks.

The prosciutto plate was rather plain; two slim slices of buttered baguette were topped with poached eggs and meat, and the accompanying mixed green salad was simply dressed. While the breakfast was a bit on the underwhelming side, I'm hoping Arbor will continue to evolve and expand their offerings. Judging from the number of tables occupied that morning, it's building a loyal community following and is another welcome addition to the neighborhood.

Arbor Cafe
Yelp: Arbor Cafe
4210 Telegraph Ave
(between 42nd St & 43rd St)
Hours:
Tue-Fri 9-5PM
Sat-Sun 10-7PM

Chefs Chad Newton and Grace Nguyen. Photo: Eric Wolfinger

Chefs Grace Nguyen and Chad Newton may be the couple that seem to do everything together: work, live, cook, and create food-related businesses in the Bay Area. Chef Grace Nguyen has numerous years of experience working restaurants in Las Vegas and San Francisco including: Postrio, The Slanted Door and Out The Door, on Bush Street. She currently is a partner and Executive Chef of Asian Box, slated to open its first (of many) stores in Palo Alto next month. Grace likes to run, read, eat, drink wine and bake cupcakes for her friends’ kids, and is lovingly referred to as “snobby cupcake” by her business partners Frank Klein and new husband Chad Newton. The chef has adapted both Newton and Nguyen as her last name, explaining that: “I go by Grace Newton. But for Asian Box, I am known as Grace Nguyen.”

Chef Chad Newton was raised in Mountain View and recently moved with his wife Grace to Redwood City. He has worked at restaurants such as Postrio, Redd, Fish & Farm and Baraka. Chad is currently the Culinary Director and Partner of local restaurant group FK Restaurants & Hospitality and helps operate Café Discovery, American Box and Asian Box with CEO and founder, Frank Klein. Frank and Chad have diverse consulting clients like the JCCSF, District of Columbia Public Schools, Muir Woods Trading Company, and numerous independent restaurant owners. Chad likes to make cocktails, sleep, eat and follow local sports teams in his time away from the restaurants.

How did you meet?
Chad: We met in 2001 when we were working at Postrio.
Gracie: I left to cook in Vegas for 5 years and in 2008 we reconnected in SF at numerous chef events. Chad was the Chef at Baraka and I was at The Slanted Door.
Chad: And then we were pretty much inseparable. We moved in together and decided to get married. It all happened pretty fast and we knew that it was right.

Tell us about the wedding:
Chad: The wedding was great! It was very food/Chef driven. Scott Beattie on the cocktails, the amazing food photographer Eric Wolfinger there to capture it all; and Sandra and John from Estate cooking the food and hosting. Estate in Sonoma is so beautiful! Perfect for a wedding.
Gracie: Our honeymoon was pretty crazy. We went to New York City for a week to eat, and tried out about 10 restaurants a day and had amazing experiences at Eleven Madison Park, Robataya, Ippudo, Eataly, Lupa, and Roberta’s and Fette Sau in Brooklyn.
Chad: Gracie kept trying to find the Big Gay Ice Cream truck. We found it on the day before we left. That made the trip for her I think.

How are things going at Stow Lake?
Chad: Really well. Following our success at Muir Woods and Café Discovery we are helping our client, Ortega Family Enterprises, with providing healthy, sustainable, and affordable food at Stow Lake. It’s fun to be around the boats and lake, and feeds into what we do with the National Parks. My partner, Frank Klein, just spoke at the White House on providing sustainable foods to parks.

How are things going at Asian Box in Palo Alto?
Gracie: Moving right along. We will get through permitting this week, start construction right away and hopefully be up and running in the middle of December. In the meantime, we are just perfecting the recipes, cooking test dinners and making fun You Tube commercials. All I got to say is that our business partner Frank is a very creative and fun man, so watch out for these commercials. They will be very memorable to say the least.
Chad: I’m so excited for this project. There are so many times where we are driving around the Peninsula looking for good food, fast, that is actually fresh and executed well. It just makes me hungry thinking about it.

Any updates on Provision?
Chad: Provision has been a dream of mine as well as Frank's for quite some time and now we are very close to making it happen. We have wanted to bring a Big City caliber restaurant to Palo Alto together to celebrate why we are both in this business -- hospitality. Provision is all about hospitality. I can not talk yet about the actual details of the concept but we will hopefully get to share it soon. We do a monthly Provision pop-up in Palo Alto at Frank’s house. Word has gotten out about how fun they are -- people are doing some interesting things to try and get invited. Frank and I also have plans for a few more restaurants in the Palo Alto area.

What is it like working together?
Gracie: At times it can be a bit of a challenge, but for the most part it is really fun. We share resources, bounce ideas off of each other and team up to tackle large projects and dinners. I have to give Chad beat downs sometimes.
Chad: I have learned so much from Gracie. It has been very rewarding. We feel like such freaks sometimes. We work all day together, then come home and watch food shows on television and read cookbooks -- all together. But, this is our life together, and we love it.

What are your favorite spots to shop for food?
Gracie: New May Wah in the Richmond is always interesting and bustling. I can find anything I would ever need to cook traditional Vietnamese food.
Chad: Nijiya market, to buy different yuzu products, shishito peppers, tofus and shiso. We cook a lot of izakaya style dinners for friends and family at home and I can always find what I need from Nijiya.

Favorite date or off-night spots?
Chad: Tacolicious. Always fun -- and Joe and Telmo are some of the best restaurant people in this city. The chupitos are fun and Chef Telmo’s food is always so fresh and vibrant. We always get the queso and Gracie loves the frozen margaritas. We also enjoy Commonwealth, Mission Chinese Food, and brunch at Absinthe.
Gracie: flour + water for me. Most people don’t know that we got engaged there. Chad arranged it with Thomas and David behind my back and we ended up having a long tasting menu in their Dough Room. Chad proposed at the end and I was so shocked. flour + water will always have a spot in our hearts because of this but also from the amazing food that they do. You can’t go wrong with anything on the menu.

What is your favorite meal to have with your family?
Chad: Now that we have the two families combined which actually is then four families combined there are a lot of dinners we that have been memorable. The Leg of Beast Dinner at Incanto is a great way to eat as a family. Chris Cosentino and Mark Pastore are great hosts. The family style dinner experience there is a great time, and nothing brings a group together like a large tender beef leg with all of the fixings!
Gracie: To get approval for our marriage from my family in Houston, Chad had to cook for my extended family, which turned out to be around 30 people that day. He was so nervous but did a great job. Crispy skin chicken thighs, artichokes, seared broccoli, etc. In addition, my family brought 80 lbs of steamed crawfish and very large platters of BBQ from Goode Co. We will all always remember that dinner.

Any news we should know about?
Gracie: Frank always has something interesting working. Frank and Chad do a lot of traveling so I am sure they will be on the road a lot in the new year.
Chad: We have a lot of projects going on but they are not ready to be announced. It was a big year for FK Restaurants in 2011 and we are ramping up for an even bigger, busier year ahead. Launching Asian Box as a national brand with numerous locations, our return to fine dining, multiple consulting jobs. Should be fun.

Do you have plans for the holidays?
Chad: I think I want to make Posole this year. I don’t know why, I just do.
Gracie: I will probably end up making a croquembouche. Also, my brother is moving up here and staying with us for a bit. He loves to cook, so we will probably have some sort of collaboration. Like last year, we will probably do a lot of canning, pickling and other fun things as gifts -- like Kimchi and Hot Box It, our incredibly super hot sauce from Asian Box.

Guiltiest food pleasure?
Gracie: Flaming Red Hot Cheetos!
Chad: Budweiser cans? I don’t know. Gracie eats everything with aioli though. We were at a nice restaurant in Palo Alto the other day and Gracie asked for ranch dressing with her onion rings. That’s the Houston in her I guess. It was pretty funny.

Chef Sunhui Chang showcases Fusebox beer + wine license notice. Photo: SunIm Chang

Asian cuisine in the Bay Area has a new crop of intensely passionate leaders with enough talent and culinary chops to lure Martha Stewart to the table. Anthony Myint and Danny Bowien stand behind big, bold Mission Chinese. Sylvan Mishima Brackett of PekoPeko Catering’s insanely articulate and authentic Japanese food will certainly land him on the map of grander things -- one hopes the rumors are true that he’s seeking his own location.  And scheduled to open in January, FuseBox, the West Oakland eatery of Korean-born Sunhui Chang, will add fuel to the Korean food fire with housemade gochuchang, exquisitely crafted pickles, bacon mochi, and well-honed culinary passion.

What’s pucker-worthy about Chang’s cuisine is its pickle-centric nature, many varieties of which he’s been sharing with the pickling community. He’s currently crafting several different varieties of kimchee, using the standard cabbage and daikon, and also rapini and turnip greens. He prides himself on making use of the “offal of vegetables” and thereby using ever part -- including radish greens, and reusing a vinegar pickle brine and the pickled garlic that flavors it. He dunks in the drink your standard vegetables such as cucumbers (see the recipe for Oiji below) and breakfast radish, but also more experimental concepts such as blueberries, summer squash, and fennel.  FuseBox is equipped with some vegetable boxes that will grow some of the produce, and Chang is currently working with the People’s Grocery to have them grow additional vegetables for him. Everything pickled and fermented from Chang’s kitchen will be as closely sourced as possible.

Of course, pickles aren’t the only things on the menu. Bacon-wrapped mochi are satisfyingly stretchy and smoky, and Chang will be grilling ko chu jang pork and chicken yakitori, and caking housemade tofu.

Chang takes regular trips to LA to procure quality, small-batch artisan soy sauce -- he says it’s the closest place to find it outside Korea.  But another of the most impressive aspects of Chang’s cooking is that he makes his own gochuchang, the hot, salty and sweet fermented red pepper paste that is the basis of Korean cooking (akin to what miso is to Japanese cuisine). Few are the Korean chefs who make their own. Most Korean markets offer several different varieties, and if you’ve ever eaten Korean food, you’ve tasted it.  It’s used in stir fries like bi bim bab, as a marinade for bulgogi, to flavor stews, as a condiment for crispy lettuce wraps, as the base for soups, and in many varieties of Korean pickles. I’d never tasted good gochuchang until I’d encountered Chang’s proprietary blend of glutinous rice, soybeans, red chili powder, and sugar. The sauce ferments for about 60-90 days.

“It took a while to learn the gochuchang. I went through so many batches where mold had developed. What I make is not as sweet as the store-bought stuff; more earthy.” Chang reports that in anticipation of the FuseBox opening, he’s experimenting with different varieties of gochuchang, including one for fish stews, and another to be eaten fresh.

Chang has kimchee and other Korean flavors flowing in his blood. As a child born in Korea, family friends gathered to play cards at his house and eat his mother’s well-loved kimchee chi gae. “There’s a Korean expression, ‘She just had her hands in the food,’ and that’s why it was so good. We didn’t have recipes or grow up with cooking books. Cooking was just innate to her.”

Eventually, after Chang’s family moved to Guam, his mother opened her own Korean restaurant when he was 13 years old, and he immediately began helping out by cleaning dishes, sweeping, and mopping. Later he was allowed to slice meat and occasionally pop into the kitchen. “I’m so grateful for everything she taught me, and I wish I’d followed her more. However, at the time, I didn’t think she was really, really cooking. It wasn’t as exciting as watching chefs on the cooking shows!” Growing up with Guam’s tiny and remote culinary culture, Chang laughs as he recalls that the PBS show Great Chefs, Great Cities was a huge influence on his career choice.

Just a few days after his 17th birthday, Chang moved to Berkeley by himself to begin qualifying for in-state tuition at UC Berkeley, where he later studied sociology. To fund his schooling, he worked in a bagel shop, then as a butcher and a fishmonger at a market. He soon became a cook at the now-defunct Hwang Won, a Korean restaurant in Oakland, before launching his own catering business for 14 years.

After two years of effort, FuseBox has secured over $17,000 via Kickstarter (where I invested $25); enough to finish construction and, hopefully, have the inside complete for an opening this January. Expansion plans are already underway to offer outdoor seating and possibly open a market next door selling fresh fish, local artisan goods, and of course Chang’s pickles by the jar.

Oiji—Korean Cucumber Pickle

Recipe by Sunhui Chang of FuseBox Oakland

5 small cucumbers—Either Pickling (Kirby), Persian, or Japanese
2 tablespoons kosher salt
3 cloves garlic
The whites of two green onions, cut into 1’ pieces
4-5 Korean chili pepper threads (available at Korean markets)
3/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup water

Wash cucumbers, leaving them wet.  Sprinkle salt on cucumbers and let them sit in a flat dish for three hours, turning them occasionally.

Wash the salt from the cucumbers and trim the ends so that they’ll fit standing upright in a pint-sized jar.  Add them to the jar, along with the garlic, green onion, and pepper threads.

Meanwhile, make the brine.  In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar, sugar and water.  Bring to boil.  Lower heat and simmer for 1-2 minutes.

Pour warm brine over cucumbers.  Cover, cool, and refrigerate.  Enjoy the pickles after two days, but they will last up to two weeks.

Makes one pint.

Photo of Bacon Mochi by SunIm Chang. Photo of Kimchee and Gochuchang by Sarah K. Khan.

In the vibrant neighborhood around 16th Street and Guerrero, a new Italian restaurant is taking shape. As opening day draws closer, construction continues around the clock. Come by and you may hear the squeal of the electric saw, the clattering of lumber, the whine of an electric drill. But, despite the fact that several people are conversing simultaneously, one noise that’s notably absent is the sound of voices. That’s because the conversations are all in sign language. The owners and operators of Mozzeria, Melody and Russell Stein, and many of their workers are deaf.

For this food writer—whose other job as a sign language interpreter has given her the gift of another language and a window into a fascinating culture—this is the dream interview. As I visit with Melody and Russ, we effortlessly chat in ASL (American Sign Language).

Make no mistake, however, the Steins are designing their restaurant and menu for the general public. And Melody has done her homework: besides studying Hospitality Management, she did a tour of Italy in 2010, taking cooking classes in several Italian cities to hone her recipes and perfect her pizza technique.

Melody also draws on support and inspiration from her father, who ran two successful restaurants in Hong Kong, where she was born. When her parents realized that Melody and her younger brother were both deaf, they began a search for the best school for their children. After short stints in deaf schools in the Philippines and Singapore, the whole family relocated to Northern California, where Melody and her brother attended CSD (California School for the Deaf in Fremont) and her father opened another branch of his Wu Kong restaurant in San Francisco’s Rincon Center.

Actually, Russ is the reason behind the pizza. Growing up in a large deaf family in New York City, Russ has always been a pizza addict, devouring cheesy slices almost every day. Melody and Russ met when they were both studying Business Administration at Gallaudet University in Washington D.C. (the world’s only university specifically designed for deaf people).

After they married and had two children (now 10 and 12) and worked for a large non-profit in South Dakota for 10 years, they moved back to California (partly because they missed the food) and started a management consulting company. Melody’s dream, however, was to open a restaurant. “So the compromise,” she jokes, “is that to please Russ it had to be a pizza restaurant. Now I know that my husband will be happy every day.”

Of course, only the world’s best pizza would satisfy this pizza gourmet and that’s why Mozzeria will be serving Neapolitan style pizza made in their new 5,000 pound Stefano Ferrara wood-burning oven, imported from Italy. Russ will use almond, oak or apple wood to feed the shiny black-tiled mountain that dominates the dining room of their cozy 49-seat space. As for the rest of the décor, Melody uses the vivid economy of ASL signs to paint a quick picture of the kind of Italian restaurant this is NOT going to be. She deftly describes a red-and-white-checkered tablecloth and old wine bottle overflowing with colored wax drippings, then gently shakes her head as she smiles sweetly.

Instead, Melody envisions a combination of modern and vintage styles. The vintage is inherently part of this historic 1908 building and is stunningly represented in the 100 year old hardwood floor they were thrilled to discover hiding under grungy old tile.

As is the custom in collectivist Deaf Culture, the Steins looked first for deaf artisans or laborers to fill their needs and found Michael E. Sharnov and Samuel Reynolds, deaf wood refinishers who brought out the warm luster in the dark brown Douglas fir floor. They also hired Nathan Dingel, a deaf electrician and HVAC professional who was Melody’s classmate at CSD and Ron Trumble, a deaf woodworker, to design and make their door, tables, shelves, banquette seating and a counter topped with marble. Interior designer, Patty Foo Hampton, who has deaf parents, created a stark black and white color scheme, set off by shiny red chairs that are sitting in patient stacks, waiting for opening night, which is planned for December 9.

As for the menu, Melody is keeping some surprises up her sleeve until the big day. She does say that Mozzeria will feature “traditional and non-traditional pizzas to celebrate San Francisco’s cultural diversity.” Pasta and inventive small plates (developed by lead cook Justin Belluomini) will be served with local beer on tap, Californian and Italian wine and vintage sodas. Their wood fired oven will reach a temperature of 1000 degrees and bake pizzas to crispy, melty goodness in a flash—60-90 seconds. Dinner will be offered Tuesday-Sunday nights with addition of brunch on the weekends.

“There are only a handful of deaf owned restaurants around the country, “ says Russell proudly, “ We are the first one in a major city—and a famous food city too.” Although, the Steins expect that most of their customers will be “hearing” (the ASL term for those who are not deaf), they want to make sure their deaf supporters, many of whom have been cheering on Mozzeria’s progress over the past year on their blog, are comfortable too.

Lighting is the most important component for deaf diners and Russ says that Mozzeria will have plenty of lighting. Melody adds that dim interiors make her eyes tired and teases that candle-lit tables could be dangerous during an emphatically signed exchange. Their big screen TV will have its captions on permanently, emergency lights will be strobe-enabled and flashing light signals will alert them when the phone rings or someone is at the door.

Customers can make reservations online using Open Table and the restaurant is also equipped with a videophone which hearing customers can access through a video-relay service.

Melody has already hired two deaf dishwashers through CSD’s Work Readiness program and hopes to hire servers who can sign. Communication is not expected to be a big problem as Melody and Russ are both comfortable writing notes with their hearing vendors and customers. “Our UPS man has gotten used to Deaf culture now that he has been making so many deliveries here,” says Melody, smiling. “He knows to wave his arms outside the window to get my attention when there is a package for me.”

For updates and to check opening date, go to mozzeria.com.
Address: 3228 16th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
Twitter: @MozzeriaSF
Facebook: Mozzeria