Latest news with #Chartreuse
Eater
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Eater
Have a Darling Cocktail Moment in the Marina With the New Bar Darling
On the heels of the gastropub Tipsy Pig's closure on May 26, co-owner and restaurateur (bar-teur?) Nate Valentine is opening his latest project, Bar Darling, on Tuesday, June 3. Located a few doors down from Tipsy Pig, Bar Darling takes over the former Squat & Gobble space at 2263 Chestnut Street in the Marina. Valentine has several San Francisco bars under his belt (April Jean, Harper & Rye, Peacekeeper, Lost Resort, and August Hall), and he's teamed up with Jamal Blake-Williams (April Jean, Harper & Rye, and Peacekeeper), Stryker Scales (Mamanoko and Blue Barn), and Jimmy Garcia (who previously worked with Harper & Rye for 10 years) for this new project. They've pulled in chef Deiber Tzab of Mamanoko to lead the food menu for bites the team calls 'seasonal, thoughtful, and meant to be shared,' per a press release. The vibes are 'a cocktail reception at a family wedding': Think brie puff pastry bites with rosemary-fig jam, lettuce cups highlighting sesame chicken salad and crispy rice noodles, three types of sliders, chicken skewers, and more. There's also a touch of dessert to be ordered, such as red velvet cake pops covered in a white chocolate shell and sprinkles, and snickerdoodle old-fashioned doughnuts. Befitting a team with a deep bar background, the drinks look to be well-considered. The bar embraces what the press release calls its 'farm-to-bar philosophy, using garden-grown highlights.' What that shakes out to (or stirs out to) are vegetable- and fruit-forward cocktails that should prove highly drinkable in the summertime. On the starting drinks menu, for instance, is the Mijo Mijo!!! featuring tomato, basil, green bell pepper, and citrus, with a vodka base. Tam Tam, meanwhile, mixes gin with carrot, saffron, honey, and lemon, and Oh Darling... works a berry shrub into a cocktail with yellow Chartreuse, tequila, and lime. On draft, visitors can expect a selection of six beers, plus two wines and two cocktails; beers and wine will also be available by the can or glass, respectively. Some nonalcoholic options are also in the works, utilizing that same farm-to-bar philosophy. For those who frequented the Squat & Gobble, the interior will most likely be unrecognizable. Gone are the crepe and sandwich menu boards; the Bar Darling team reimagined the entire space, leaning into warm woods, earth tones, and a tree mural painted by Nicole Haden. The back patio remains a fixture, of course, with the manzanita tree still holding court alongside native plants. Bar Darling (2263 Chestnut Street) debuts on Tuesday, June 3. Sign up for our newsletter.
The Star
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
KLCW's pairing dinners showed how chefs and bartenders can work well together
The second Kuala Lumpur Cocktail Week (KLCW) has come and gone, and it was an amazing week of fun, events, and bar-hopping to a lot of great guest shifts by international bars, serving plenty of great drinks. The centrepiece of the event was the KLCW Festival Village at Sentul Depot, where almost all the participating local bars set up shop to serve cocktails all day long. It also saw the finals of the Hennessy MyWay cocktail competition, which saw Oh Chong Hau of Nest cocktail bar in Penang emerge as Malaysia's first ever national champion for the competition. While I managed to make it for a number of the international guest shifts, this year's highlights for me were the cocktail pairing dinners, arguably the one aspect that sets KLCW apart from many other cocktail festivals out there. This year, I sat for two of these dinners, both of which highlighted how cocktails and food can go hand-in-hand with one another. Helmed by chef-owner Raymond Tham, modern Malaysian restaurant Beta needs no introduction, having been awarded one Michelin star in last year's Michelin Guide KL and Penang. What many diners may not know is that the restaurant also has a unique cocktail program that follows Tham's philosophy of championing Malaysian flavours and ingredients. For the KLCW pairing dinner, we tried four different drinks from the menu, all made with either The Botanist Gin and Remy Martin 1738 Royal Accord cognac. The Pollo-Me cocktail is made with Botanist gin, pomelo, Chartreuse herbal liqueur, and mint. We started with the Pollo-Me, made with Botanist gin, pomelo, Chartreuse herbal liqueur, and mint. A refreshingly herbal tipple that puts the citrus notes of the pomelo up front, it paired very nicely with the opening tray of Snacks, which included finger bites inspired by classic Malaysian dishes like Penang's perut ikan, and Kedah's perkasam. There was also a delicious yeast-less, tapioca-based bread that came with a rich and savoury 'sambal' that brought out the citrusy notes of the Pollo-Me really well. The pairing cocktail for the Scallop dish was the gin-based Myristica. Next up was the Scallop dish – a lightly seared scallop paired with a kacangma (motherwort) emulsion, heirloom tomato and barley base, and topped with a scallop and mussel foam. The pairing cocktail for this dish was called Myristica, made with Botanist Gin, clarified nutmeg and lemon. The distinct taste of the nutmeg added a pickled note to the more umami flavours of the scallop, while the sour notes added a hint of acidity to it as well. The highlight of the night was the main course – Wagyu Short-Ribs Masak Hitam with Acar and Kadok – which on its own was a delicious Malay-inspired dish with acar vegetables and fried daun kaduk. The Wagyu Short-Ribs pairing with the Pepper-groni was the highlight of the night. The pairing of the Pepper-Groni cocktail, however, elevated the dish to a different level. A negroni twist made with Remy Martin 1738 cognac, Campari, rosso vermouth and housemade pepper bitters, the sweetness of the cognac and vermouth itself both complemented and contrasted with dish. The Campari also added layers of flavour to the acar, and the pepper spice note just rounded everything off in the finish. The White Coffee dessert was paired with the elegant Nyonya Noir cocktail. Last but not least was the White Coffee dessert, which is Tham's take on a date pudding, incorporated with coffee blossom and coffee husk. This was paired with the Nyonya Noir, made with fat washed butter Remy Martin 1738 cognac, pineapple and buah keluak infusion. Served in an elegant tulip tasting glass, this was a silky, decadent drink that added complexity and pineapple notes to the rich sweetness of the pudding. While the Beta dinner showed how an in-house bartender can help complement a chef's vision with his or her drinks, the second dinner I attended at Raw restaurant at Else Hotel gave a different insight. This was when I realised how a highly respected chef and an acclaimed bartender can work hand-in-hand to create pairings that bring out the best in both food and drinks. This dinner had drinks by Joel Poon, bar manager and co-owner of Reka:Bar (recently named No.49 on Asia's 50 Best Bars 2024), and food by Jun Wong, executive chef of Yellow Fin Horse, also located at Else Hotel (but which is currently taking a break before the launch of its 'second season' later this month). Wong (left) and Poon's collaboration showed how chefs and bartenders can work well together. The collaboration paired three cocktails made with Michter's Unblended American Whiskey, Los Siete Misterios Doba-Yej mezcal, and Farmer's Gin with four of with four bold, flavour-forward dishes. While two of the drinks were adapted from Reka's existing menu, the first one, Solar Flare, was an original drink created for the occasion. Reka's Solar Flare drink provided a surprisingly playful contrast to the Tonno dish. Made with Farmer's Gin, soursop, green mango, curry leaf, and coconut oil, the drink was paired with 'Tonno', a delightfully refreshing starter that balanced the rich fattiness of lightly seared tuna with pesto and a lightly spiced acqua pazza with juniper and caper berry. While the juniper in the acqua pazza melded well with the gin in the cocktail, the drink's soursop and green mango elements provided a surprisingly playful sour yet fruity contrast to the dish that was quite interesting. Mezcal is known for its smoky flavours, and the next drink, Martini ... Still Not Stirred (adapted from Reka's existing menu), used that smokiness to enrich the main course. This featured two rich and sumptuous dishes – Grilled Fresh Water Prawns (with chilli crisp oil, garlic toum, a side of greens, and sourdough); and Stuffed Aubergine (breaded aubergine stuffed with feta, Harrisa butter, and lemon). Reka's Martini ... Still Not Stirred cocktail had a surprising duality when paired with the main course at the Raw dinner. — Photos: MICHAEL CHEANG/The Star What surprised me most about this pairing is how differently the cocktail interacted with each of the two dishes. Made with Los Siete Misterios Doba-Yej mezcal, Farmer's Gin, figs, and dill, the spirit-foward nature of the cocktail added a powerful, smoky contrast to the rich seafood flavours of the prawns. At the same time, the mezcal, dill and figs in the drink cuts right through the savoury butteriness of the aubergine, adding a touch of herbal flavour to the palate. The dual nature of the drink when sipped alongside these two different dishes was, for me, the highlight of this dinner. The garnish on the (C)loud and Clear cocktail went perfectly with Wong's dessert. While the first two drinks played a lot more with contrasting flavours with the dishes, for the dessert, Poon decided on a drink that complements it instead. (C)loud & Clear (also adapted from Reka's current menu) is made with Michter's Unblended American Whiskey, white rum, Pedro Ximénez sherry, and Oolong milk tea, and is a cocktail that would satisfy even those who do not have a sweet tooth. Its crowning glory, however, is a matcha cloud garnish that was perfect when paired with Wong's dessert – the Burnt Marshmallow Yuzu Pie. With hints of citrus from the pie and silky, sherried fruity notes from the cocktail, it was the perfect way to end a most satisfying cocktail pairing dinner. Michael Cheang is all cocktail-ed out after KL Cocktail Week. Follow him on Facebook ( and Instagram (@mytipsyturvy).
Sydney Morning Herald
02-05-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Renowned New York bar to open two Australian venues this year – and they're not pop-ups
Celebrated US cocktail group Death & Co is set to open bars in Melbourne and Brisbane this spring. The new locations will be the group's first permanent bars outside North America. Australian Venue Co, which operates more than 200 pubs and bars across the country, is partnering with Death & Co to run the Australian outposts. The original Death & Co opened in New York's East Village in 2006 and has expanded to Los Angeles, Denver and Washington. The New York bar was a key player in the global craft cocktail renaissance of the late 2000s, popularising modern classics such as the Naked & Famous (mezcal, Aperol, Chartreuse and lime). 'We've admired Death & Co's work for some time now and have teamed up with them on a number of pop-up events at our venues in the past, so this has felt like a natural extension of our shared vision,' said Ben Hehir, Australian Venue Co's head of training and development.
San Francisco Chronicle
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
This Top 100 S.F. pizzeria is now making slices with Asian American flavors
Each week, critic MacKenzie Chung Fegan shares some of her favorite recent bites, the dishes and snacks and baked goods that didn't find their way into a full review. Want the list a few days earlier? Sign up for her free newsletter, Bite Curious. Top 100 restaurant Outta Sight opened its second location in Chinatown in January, and the stars of the show here are chunky, rectangular grandma slices loaded with Asian American-inspired toppings like butter chicken and Peking duck. It's the mapo slice ($8) that has my heart. A squiggle of tangy whipped tofu stands in for ricotta, cushioning dollops of chile crisp packed with Sichuan peppercorns. Maggie McGarry's is the bar for Arsenal supporters, Black Magic Voodoo Lounge is where Saints fans congregate and the Morris is where you go if you're nuts for Chartreuse. Owner Paul Einbund displays his collection in his ' Chartreuse museum ' by the restaurant's entrance, which is famous for its brain freeze-inducing Chartreuse slushy. But if you want a cold treat, my recommendation is a scoop of Chartreuse ice cream ($5) for dessert. The richness of the dairy does wonderful things to the herbaceous liqueur, which I also love as a complement to chocolate. To that end, consider ordering the chocolate pudding ($12) as well and alternating bites. The Morris. 2501 Mariposa St., San Francisco. Although technically outside my coverage area, I have to give a special shoutout to Fieldnotes Bakeshop in Mendocino County. You can find Alexandra Osmidoff's exemplary baked goods, including date caramel cinnamon rolls, pepita asiago scones ($5.50) and creamy artichoke heart turnovers ($6), at the Gualala farmers market on Saturdays. And if you have occasion to order a special event cake, as I did a couple of weeks ago, you can't do better than her black sesame chiffon with blood orange curd and cream cheese mousse. Fieldnotes Bakeshop. Gualala farmers market and by special order.
San Francisco Chronicle
23-04-2025
- General
- San Francisco Chronicle
This is the Bay Area's best new restaurant of the year so far
If industry pros Paul Einbund and Gavin Schmidt opened a restaurant anywhere in the Bay Area — or Mars for that matter — it would likely be a good restaurant. So perhaps it's no surprise that the duo behind the Morris in San Francisco, which opened nearly a decade ago, is back with one of the year's standout restaurants: Sirene in Oakland. Veteran sommelier Einbund and chef Schmidt, who met while working at the now-shuttered Coi, are like the Abbott and Costello of the Bay Area food world. They bring a lifetime of operating chops to their sophomore effort, and it already feels like a fully realized concept after just three months. The space, with exposed brick walls and a patio engulfed in vines, is gorgeous. The service is attentive and warm. And the food is pleasantly idiosyncratic. This is not the Morris 2.0, but Sirene shares a few touchstones with its sibling restaurant, including rustic loaves from phenom Rize Up, house-made hot sauce, buckwheat doughnuts and a respectable fanaticism for Chartreuse. While smoked duck isn't on the menu, the restaurant makes great use of its wood-burning oven, blessing dishes with smoky boldness. Sirene offers a novel mix of seafood and fried chicken that seems incongruous on paper but is undeniably flavorful. Start off with seafood, like the delightful shellfish charcuterie — a rare sight in the region. Cured meats are a staple at the Morris and Schmidt further flaunts his skills at Sirene by incorporating sea life in this latest cold cuts. The duck and lobster mortadella ($22) offered a gentle oceanic savor, while plump shrimp chorizo ($16) had the boisterous attitude of a hot link. Equally exciting were the raw offerings, especially the Dungeness crab ($26) available on an early visit. It was marinated in an invigorating passion fruit elixir: sourness comes from limes, heat from habaneros and a touch of vegetal sweetness from carrots. Vegetables, like wood-fired asparagus ($21) in a nutty tamarind sauce, provide a break from the seafaring lifestyle; meanwhile crudités ($18) accompanied by caviar-spiked ranch, bridge both worlds. On a phone call, Einbund bragged about his keen eye for fresh produce, surpassed only by Schmidt. Once you've whetted your appetite with the lighter fish fare, you have two entree routes: ocean or land. To get the full scope of the restaurant, I suggest trying both. The cod with crispy skin, over a pond of nettle jus, was lovely, but the mussels ($27) stilled my heart. Bathed in anchovy broth, the mollusks are roasted in the wood oven, picking up toasty aromas. It's a dish made for sharing that's really a vehicle for soaking up the peppery, umami-rich broth. It comes with only two slices of buttery bread so you'll need an extra order ($7), just to be safe. You're going to want to try the fried chicken (quarter for $20, half for $35, full order for $60), the strongest of the land options. The birds are brined in buttermilk; battered in wheat and rice flour; and fried until dark caramel in color. Each piece has a light shell with a thin crackle and meat overflowing with savory juices. The sides and sauces, however, are what really take it over the edge. They fall into two groups: standard ($6) — like two kinds of gravies, mashed potatoes and braised greens — and premium ($15), which translates to three kinds of fish eggs. For a party of two, I recommend prioritizing the funky, piquant octopus kimchi sauce ($6), biscuits with accordion-esque laminations ($6) and, should you want to fully plunge back in the water, smoked trout roe (half ounce for $15). The latter add-on is like microdosing a smoked, fishy gravy. If you're visiting with a bigger group, order the chicken with all the fixings ($30), which arrives in a tower: fried chicken and biscuits on top and a roulette of sauces on the bottom. Not everything is a hit yet though. Gnocchi ($32) was too soft, and the fried coating on the fish and chips ($25) was more chewy than crisp. On the beverage side, Sirene stands out as one of the few places in the Bay Area where you can nourish an interest in Madeira and Chartreuse, with a dedicated list for each. Both are passions for Einbund, who, on one arm, has a tattoo of a bottle of Madeira and three of Charteuse. The monk-made spirit is everywhere: in sterling slushies ($12); in the anglaise paired with the fabulous buckwheat doughnuts ($12); in cappuccinos ($10) during Sirene's cafe hours. (A little birdy told me it's an off-menu item for dinner.) During the day, Sirene transforms into a fabulous coffee shop. Pastry chef Elaine Lau, formerly of Sunday Bakeshop, supplies baked goods like a runny egg croissant. As a coffee nerd, I was pleased to see the shop offering pour overs ($7) made with beans from Hydrangea Coffee, an underrated roaster in Berkeley. On a recent visit, I had a cup that tasted like sour grape candy. I was entirely charmed by all aspects of Sirene. Einbund and Schmidt pull off the oddball mix of fried chicken and seafood. Much of the duo's chemistry comes from an obsessive passion for restaurants and a partnership built on trust. In another timeline, the Morris might have been in Oakland. Schmidt and Einbund looked at spaces in the Town before deciding it was better suited for the city. The itch for opening an East Bay restaurant, however, never went away — especially for Schmidt, who has lived in Oakland for 12 years. Instead of opening another location of the Morris, the duo created something that better fits the East Bay's vibe: a hospitable neighborhood spot, where you can pop in for a coffee and biscuit; belly up to the bar for a glass of wine and mussels; or visit for a full fried chicken dinner and explore niche beverages. 'I am the clientele,' Schmidt said. 'I know what I want, or what I want to give to the neighborhood.' And they took their time, waiting nearly a decade before opening a new restaurant. I look forward to their third spot in 2034. Sirene 3308 Grand Ave., Oakland. or 510-200-8750 Hours: 8 a.m.-2 p.m., 5-9:30 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday. Accessibility: Dining room on one floor. Wheelchair accessible tables in the main dining room and patio, which has a ramp entrance. Meal for two, without drinks: $80-$150 Best practices: Start with the lighter seafood fare, move on to the heavier options and end with doughnuts. Bright red and tangy, the house-made sriracha ($1.50) is your friend.
