Worth The Trip, Part II: San Francisco

If you're planning a trip to the Bay Area or just want to see what some of the top chefs on the west coast are up to, visit our new SF site, Savory San Francisco. The site officially launches next week, but we wanted to give you the early scoop. The site is in "preview," meaning that we'll be adding more listings and videos (Chez Panisse, Slanted Door and others) and working out the bugs before the official launch.

Jennifer's View from the Kitchen:

There are two types of kitchens in SF: The one that is run in the more traditional French manner where line cooks call back to the chef with "yes Chef!" or "oui Chef!" And then there are kitchens like NOPA where I actually heard chef Laurence Jossel say, "thank you" to a line cook, who placed a dish on the pass for him to garnish and send on its way. N.B., call Laurence "chef" and he'll ask you to call him by his first name. Regardless of the formality, the restaurants I visited are all turning out beautiful and delicious meals. They also share another thing in common, the mantra of "seasonal, local and sustainable."

Seasonal: Northern California's climate produces a nearly year-round abundance of fruits and vegetables. When Chris and I visited a Marin County farmers market last April, we were giddy at the site of strawberries. After five months of being in root vegetable and cellared apple purgatory, the sight of fresh strawberries can do that to you.

Local: Unlike any other place in the United States, San Francisco benefits from a variety of great local produce, and the chefs I met are doing their best to take full advantage of this bounty.

Sustainable: While New York City has its share of adherents to the sustainability philosophy, including notable chefs such as Dan Barber of Blue Hill, Galen Zamarra of Mas (Farmhouse) and Colin Alevras of The Tasting Room, in San Francisco it's practically a religion.

Watching the videos you'll notice that "local, seasonal and sustainable" is heard in practically all of them. With strong arguments in favor of this approach and the local bounty available at their fingertips, there really isn't an alternative way to operate.

AND WE'D LIKE TO THANK...

Our hardworking interns. Because without Jane, Emily, Anne and Jill, Savory San Francisco would be a quarter of what it is. Their time and effort in researching has been invaluable. Their input, enthusiasm and thoughtfulness about which restaurants to include has also been immeasurable. So, Jane, Emily, Anne and Jill - please take a bow.

END NOTE:

On October 5th in New York City, Slow Food will be hosting Fertile Ground, the organization's second annual gala. The event will be hosted by Marion Nestle, author of What To Eat and will honor Poppy Tooker, the leader of Slow Food's New Orleans chapter. Galen Zamarra of Mas (Farmhouse) will prepare a meal highlighting Slow Food Ark of Taste products. Additional event and ticket information can be found on the Slow Food web site.