The fine folks at the Bay Area Newsgroup, which includes newspapers the San Jose Mercury, Oakland Tribune, Contra Costa Times, and others, asked me to write a long profile of Trick Dog's Caitlin Laman, so that's what I did.
The story comes out in this Sunday's Eat Magazine, an insert into all those papers. I'm not sure if it's going online in traditional format, but here it is in Issu, the online magazine format. If it comes out as traditional text I'll share the link.
They did a nice job! Lots of photos and a lovely layout.
The article also includes illustrated recipes by 8 Bay Area bartenders:
Caitlin Laman of Trick Dog
Suzanne Long of Longitude
Nick Kosevich for Mortar and Pestle
Antoine Nixon of Jack's Oyster Bar and Fish House
Russ Stanley of Jack Rose Libation House
Jimmy Marino of The Lexington House
Brandon Clements of The Village Pub
Andrew Majoulet of Rich Table
They asked for ten but chose eight – sorry if yours was one of the ones left out.
While they haven't crossed all the T's and dotted the I's (or added the prices) to it, the good folks at ABV in San Francisco let me photograph their new menu.
The bar is in soft-opening mode beginning Tuesday (and they'd really, really appreciate it if everyone didn't show up on Tuesday), and it will be open from 2PM – 2AM after that.
Reminder: ABV is a partnership between Erik Reichborn-Kjennerud (owner of Dalva, Dalva Hideout), Ryan Fitzgerald (former Beretta bar manager and Del Maguey Mezcal brand ambassador), and Todd Smith (former bartender at Dalva Hideout, former distributor rep with Pacific Edge, founding Bourbon & Branch bartender).
The menu contains 20 cocktails, including 4 non-alcoholic ones, divided by spirit. The menu flips at an angle and the bottle list of spirits is on the underside of the previous page. Click these photos to make them larger – you should be able to read it.
There will also be a food menu, written above the back bar, but I'll let someone else cover that.
ABV is at 3174 16th Street, in the former Tokyo GoGo space.
Coming not-so-soon (January most likely) in the former Tokyo GoGo spot on 16th Street in the Inner Mission of San Francisco will be the bar ABV.
ABV is a partnership between Erik Reichborn-Kjennerud (owner of Dalva, Dalva Hideout), Ryan Fitzgerald (former Beretta bar manager and Del Maguey Mezcal brand ambassador), and Todd Smith (bartender at Dalva Hideout, distributor rep with Pacific Edge, founding Bourbon & Branch bartender).
The specifics are likely to change a bit as they transfer the liquor license and build out the space, but here's what I learned in a meeting with the partners:
The concept is a bar that will offer about 10-15 cocktails and around the same number of small plates dishes, also priced around the same as each other (ten bucks more or less). So, like at Beretta, if you are having great drinks there you may as well order something to great eat as well.
The goal with the food (they're hiring a consultant chef to work out specifics) is to have high-quality, regularly-rotating, finger-friendly foods that will probably include some pickles and something fried, but not jalapeno poppers or standard pub fare like that. Food will be served until late; probably 1AM, and they are considering opening in the early afternoons, seven days a week.
The space won't be completely gutted for the rebuild, but they will make the kitchen smaller and remake the bar bigger; extending it to be the focus of the space. You shouldn't expect to too many bar design elements that they feel have become cliched, liked reclaimed wood and bare Edison bulbs. Seating will be primarily at high-top tables and shared tables in the back, to avoid that situation where people at low tables have standing bar patrons' butts in their faces. It will not be a lounge. They'll have some sort of table service and a doorman checking IDs, but not a host stand or typical restaurant reserved seating.
The drink program doesn't have a specific direction outside of "things that we like," according to the partners. "We're not trying to have every single whisky or tequila," says Reichborn-Kjennerud, though with Fitzgerald's mezcal affiliation you should expect to see a fair amount of that.
The team spoke mostly about what they are planning to avoid: barrel-aged cocktails, bottled cocktails, cocktails on tap; things they feel are more gimmicky than practical. "There's not going to be a uniform and it's not like everyone is going to wear a certain kind of hat." That said, they will have "great ice".
Cocktails will reflect their personal preferences and those of the bartenders who work there. Smith says, "A few years ago I was really into boozy drinks, but lately I've been enjoying lighter aperitif-style drinks, so for example you should expect to see some of that." The plan is for a good portion of the drink menu to change fairly regularly.
As time goes on, they plan to have a themed night or two, educational programming likely to take place in the balcony area, and perhaps some different food at brunch. They mentioned a quality soundtrack as a focus, but also that it could be radically different from night to night depending on who is working (as it is at Dalva Hideout currently).
The key words for the bar are "comfortable" and "affordable" they say. "We're not trying to reinvent anything," says Fitzgerald.
My overall impression is that they're trying to create a casual-but-quality themeless bar with great music, easy-and-delicious food, and amazing cocktails, reflecting the preferences and tastes of the owners. It's fair to say that's that goal of most people opening up a new neighborhood bar these days, but in this neighborhood with these owners, our expectations probably should be raised to match.
As ABV will be the second-closest cocktail bar to my house, I'm pretty sure I'll be able to keep you updated on its progress.
Eater.com did a big interview with me about the SF cocktail scene and now it has gone live.
I blab about everything from the lack of molecular mixology in San Francisco to the death of muddling to the rise of carbonated cocktails. It goes on and on.
Photo by Aubrie Pick www.aubriepick.com
You'll have to let me know, but I think I didn't make too much of an ass out of myself. Read the story here.
My latest story for the San Francisco Chronicle is now online. I wrote about carbonated cocktails and the many, many different approaches bartenders are taking to make them.
Carbonated cocktails proving popular By Camper English
A little fizz can do wonders for a cocktail, making it more aromatic, lighter and a bit more dynamic.Traditionally, drinks get that fizz from mixers like ginger ale, sparkling wine or soda water. But several new carbonating devices have given bartenders the opportunity to add sparkle to almost any drink.
Carbonating drinks directly "makes a more intense, more flavorful cocktail, as opposed to adding 2 ounces of soda water," says Cappy Sorentino, bar manager at Healdsburg's Spoonbar.
