• Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Dessert First

a san francisco food and travel blog | all things sweet

  • About Me
    • about pastrygirl
    • faq
    • press
    • Contact Me
    • Disclosure
    • Privacy Policy
  • My Books
  • Recipes
    • Breads
    • Cakes
    • Candy
    • Chocolate
    • Cookies
    • Custards
    • Fruit
    • Ice Cream
    • Pastry
    • Tarts
  • Sweet San Francisco
    • Sweet Spots
    • SF Events
  • Travel
    • Asia
    • Europe
    • California
    • Hawaii
  • reviews and recs
    • Cookbooks
    • Chocolate
    • Tools
  • Conversions

{San Francisco}:Eat Drink SF 2016

Sep 14 by Anita 4 Comments

eat drink sf 2016

After a summer of food and wine events, it’s always exhilarating to go out with a bang. Eat Drink SF, a weekend-long festival of food, wine, and spirits from around the Bay Area, was a delicious way to close out August. Over 160 Bay Area restaurants, along with over 70 bars, wineries, and distilleries served up a feast of bites over three days of celebrations.

Eat Drink SF is organized by the Golden Gate Restaurant Association. Many thanks to them and Wagstaff for inviting me to attend the Sunday Grand Tasting! This year, the festival highlighted several Legacy Restaurants – establishments that have been running for over 20 years, and have helped shape the culinary landscape and language of San Francisco. It was very cool to see restaurants like Delfina, Scala’s Bistro, and Sutro’s at the Cliff House showcased at the event. Hope you enjoy the following selection of highlights and my favorites from the tasting!

tosca cafe stone fruit proscuitto

One of the first bites I had ended up being one of my favorites of the day. Tosca Cafe‘s Stone Fruit with Proscuitto Americano, Smoked Pancetta and Toasted Sunflower Puree.

front porch pulled pork

Another standout of the afternoon: Front Porch‘s Carolina Pulled Pork with Red Pea Hoppin’ John and Green Onions. Customized with their three levels of hot sauce, totally satisfying.

1601-bar-smoked-salmon

Utterly decadent: 1601 Bar & Kitchen‘s House Smoked Salmon with Burnt Onion Creme Fraiche and Turmeric Gel.

noe valley bakery

So happy to see bakery representation at the festival. Noe Valley Bakery had the most mouthwatering lineup of breakfast pastries and breads. I snuck a couple of them out for a fabulous breakfast the next morning.

noe valley bakery bread

Another shot of their double raisin bread.

teleferic barcelona torito

Teleferic Barcelona, a Spanish tapas restaurant, offered up their version of pigs in a blanket with chorizo sausage wrapped in a unbelievably flaky pastry.

town hall ham tasting

One of my go-to restaurants in San Francisco, Town Hall, did a country ham tasting which pitted a Johnsthon County North Carolina Ham against La Quercia Speck from Iowa. Served on a buttermilk biscuit with butter and red pepper jelly, I could have eaten these all afternoon.

le colonial tuna tartar

Another San Francisco classic, Le Colonial, which serves Vietnamese cuisine in a gorgeous houselike restaurant, offered up a fresh take on tuna tartare in a crispy shrimp chips, dressed with pickled vegetables, avocado lime oil, green papaya, and passion fruit dressing.

buffalo theory porky sisig

One of my husband’s favorites, the Porky Pig Sisig and Grits from Buffalo Theory. A “pork medley”, chilies and onions, and chicharrons, spooned over cheesy grits. Quail egg optional

hudson valley foie gras ice cream

Onto the sweet bites of Eat Drink SF: one of the most novel desserts was certainly this foie gras ice cream.

blue plate corn panna cotta

Blue Plate‘s Corn and Smoked Oyster Panna Cotta with Raspberries, Vanilla, and Chili Oil

scalas bistro cobbler

Fall fruit crisps from Scala’s Bistro. Scala’s also makes the gorgeous Neighborhoods of San Francisco chocolate collection that highlights several of the city’s iconic districts.

gowans apple cider

My favorite discovery of the day: Gowan’s heirloom apple ciders. Gowan Orchards in Mendocino County has been growing apples since 1876, but only recently started making apple cider. The Gravenstein Heirloom cider was my pick, not surprisingly since I love Gravenstein apples so much!

super duper ice cream

Super Duper is my current burger joint of choice: although they weren’t making burgers at the event they were serving their equally famous chocolate-dipped Straus ice cream cones. A don’t miss for sure!

Protip: Definitely don’t eat anything before you go to the tasting, and do a bit of strategizing about what restaurants you want to try. It’s nearly impossible to sample everything, unless you have a supersized stomach (and a high alcohol tolerance) – the focus is on relaxing and having fun. So take your time to stroll around, check out the various dishes, chat with the chefs, and enjoy the atmosphere at one of the best food festivals San Francisco has to offer. Thanks again to Eat Drink SF for a delightful afternoon!

Filed Under: San Francisco, SF Events Tagged With: eat drink sf, event, festival, restaurant, review, san francisco

Related Posts

  • Miller's Rest Choco Bread Pudding SideAvital Date Night San Francisco
  • Best Baking Cookbooks 2018Best Baking Cookbooks of 2018
  • Cassava Centerpiece{SF} Cassava San Francisco: The Perfect Neighborhood Restaurant
  • Ozumo Sashimi{San Jose} Ozumo Santana Row Brunch
  • EatDrinkSF2017Eat Drink SF 2018 Is Almost Here!
« My Disney Alaska Cruise: Itinerary Guide
Fresh Fig Mascarpone Tart in Cornmeal Crust »

Comments

  1. 1

    Ren says

    Sep 14 at 9:27 am

    Sounds like a great time. I’ll have to check it out next year.
    Just a side note, Gowan Orchards is actually located in Mendocino County in the heart of the Anderson Valley Wine Country. Great old family farm.

    Reply
    • 2

      Anita says

      Sep 19 at 11:35 am

      Hi Ren,

      Thanks for the correction – I fixed the article. I’m hoping to check out the orchards soon!

      Reply
  2. 3

    tfp says

    Sep 22 at 2:12 pm

    Delicious round-up, Anita!

    Reply
    • 4

      Anita says

      Oct 4 at 3:43 pm

      Thanks Annelies! Loved reading your roundup as well!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating





About Me
Mentions in the Press
Want to go to pastry school?
Email me

subscribe to receive posts in your inbox

Archives

best of dessert first


The Making of Macarons (Sucre Cuit Style)

Hong Kong Eggettes (Daan Jai) for Mom


Tis the Season

A Better Brioche for World Bread Day


Consider the Humble Chocolate Chip Cookie

A Feast of Figs


Pure Dessert, Pure Inspiration

My Own Remembrance of Things Past: Dan Tats


The Slow Drip of Coffee on a Languorous Summer's Day

Still Life of Strawberry Tart

disclosure

This site uses affiliate links. Purchasing through the links will give this site commissions. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

about pastrygirl

Anita Chu, also known as pastrygirl, is a baker, writer, and photographer with a passion for pastry. She trained at Tante Marie's Cooking School and is the author of Field Guide to Cookies, Field Guide to Candy, and Lollipop Love. Anita lives in San Francisco with her husband, baby girl, and rescue cockapoo Snickerdoodle. More about pastrygirl

my latest cookbook


My newest cookbook, Lollipop Love, is now out!

stay connected

Subscribe to new posts by email

  • home
  • my books
  • recipes
  • sweet san francisco
  • reviews
  • conversions
  • shop
  • archives
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

© 2006–2023 Anita Chu. All Rights Reserved. Design by Deluxe Designs