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Your Bubbie Would Follow Me...

Magnolia: Beer and Beyond

6/24/2013

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Fried Doughnuts, Crème Anglaise, New Speedway Bitter (Branthill)
My first beer as a resident of San Francisco was at Magnolia. I moved into a house on Page St. between Central Ave. and Masonic Ave., and my roommates took me out that very night for a drink right around the corner. 

The walk took all of 45 seconds. 

Over the course of the next year, Magnolia would come to be a staple of my outings: half priced pint Tuesdays and fried chicken Thursdays were just some of my weekly pop-ins. Then one Sunday, close friends of mine came over from Berkeley for brunch. Running late, the couple had foiled any chance of our getting in line early anywhere, turning our walk-in status into a minimum hour and a half wait. So, I decided to walk around the corner on the off-chance that Magnolia served brunch. 

They did. 

And there was no wait. 

Our experience was stellar: phenomenal food, fantastic service, and wonderful beer pairings.  
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Brew Board, Hand-Drawn in Chalk, Magnolia
Since moving, it had been quite some time since I had made it back to the neighborhood: that three mile trip seemed like an eternity in comparison to what once was a hop, skip and a jump (and, let's face it – a stumble some nights). So when my friend and I had a spare weekend, we thought we would attempt to relive our experience.

My go-to beer here has always been the Proving Ground IPA – hop heavy and super bright – but General Manager Matt Costa steered me toward the New Speedway Bitter (Branthill). As it turns out, Magnolia has cultivated a relationship with Branhill Farm, from whom they purchase the malted barley that goes into this crisp, light, refreshing ESB. Sourcing ingredients from a specific farm, in much the same way that a winemaker would source specific grapes for a blend, is not something you typically see in the craft beer process, but is just one of the aspects that makes Magnolia unique. 

We each started out with a glass of the New Speedway and a line of fried donuts nested on a bed of crème anglaise – one of chef Ronnie New's nods to his Louisiana roots. What looked like a stomach bomb and breakfast in and of itself turned out to be anything but. These pillows of happiness were impossibly airy with nearly hollow insides as traditional beignets should have. . 

Hollow until we spooned in the intensely vanilla pastry cream.

My buddy placed his order for the BBQ Belly and Grits, which came with two poached eggs and crispy fried shallots. Once punctured, the yolks oozed out and added another layer of creaminess to the bowl. The sweet and tangy barbecue sauce was a salty counterbalance to the buttery grits, the tender pork belly was perfectly cooked, and both its crispy skin along with the fried shallots added a perfect crunch.


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BBQ Belly and Grits
I opted for another grit based dish: the Axis Venison Maple Sausage served atop the same cheesy base, but accompanied by a buttermilk biscuit slathered with a chunky, smokey bacon jam. The sausage was rich and slightly gamey, while the maple cut through with a pronounced and welcome sweetness.  

Under normal circumstances, I prefer a flaky, layered, delicate biscuit. However, that version would have absolutely collapsed under the heavier grains and shmear, so I was thrilled that a sturdier version stood up to it's surroundings and acted as a perfect sandwich anchor and subsequent scoop for last few bites.
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Axis Venison and Maple Sausage
As we sat there, devouring each and every morsel we could scrape from the bottom of our respective plates, I thought back to all the times I had been to Magnolia. It occurred to me that I had been in at pretty much every time of day – a weekend breakfast of french toast covered in bourbon maple syrup, lunchtime for a sandwich, 'prevening' (that odd time after lunch but before anything is open for dinner) for a snack of devils on horseback (incredible goat cheese-stuffed, bacon-wrapped dates drizzled with kölsch gastrique), pre-dinner for brews and late night for one of the most underrated burgers in the city. 

There's a seamless fluidity to the turns at Magnolia. At any point from open to close, you can walk in and eat elevated pub food, drink consistently killer beers, convene with friends, make new ones at the communal table, or sit at the bar and chat up the amiable staff and neighborhood regulars. Few places can offer all of that while still maintaining an extraordinary level of quality time and time again. 

Oh, and not to mention they're doing all of this while simultaneously building out their new brewhouse and restaurant in the Dogpatch

Magnolia is everything a neighborhood bar should be and so much more: even if you don't live in the neighborhood.

Nosh on,
Josh



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Drive The District: GM's Good Taste Tour

6/11/2013

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Panucho de Pollo al Pibil and an Empanada from Nopalito
When I first began writing this blog, I had no idea where it was headed – I started merely to keep my family across the country updated with stories of my adventures in San Francisco. I'm not sure who else reads, who simply looks at my photos, or who even knows that NoshWithJosh exists. 

Then, I had the honor of being recognized by Refinery29, and suddenly my inbox was flooded with emails. Not in some sort of celebrity fashion, but rather with invitations to events, offers for cookbooks and requests for features. I was wary to accept any of them – both because I wasn't sure which brands with which I wanted to "align" myself, and second because, due to my readership reach, I didn't want to take something that wouldn't be equally reciprocated.   

One email in particular did catch my eye, however – an invitation from General Motors to attend a curated tour hosted by Joe Hargrave and Telmo Faria of Tacolicious. The two would show a few food bloggers some of their favorite San Francisco restaurants, chefs, meals and culinary inspirations as part of GM's new blog called Drive the District. Despite rave reviews and gorgeous photos (I'm looking at you Sonya!), I had yet to eat at Tacolicious. So, I decided to take a chance and go along for the ride. 

Joe and Telmo were incredible hosts, and after I got over the awkwardness of a camera floating around the entire night, it truly was a fantastic experience. Throughout the evening, we ate, drank, talked and learned about each other, as well as what made these places stand out to Joe and Telmo. We began with a delicious start at Nopalito before making our way to Zaré at Fly Trap: another San Francisco staple I had yet to try. Here, chef Hoss Zaré  came out to greet us with open arms. 

Literally. 

Famous for his, "Hossy Hugs," he gives his friends (or anyone who is willing, really) gigantic bear hugs. In fact, he lifted me off the ground! After we dined on impossibly soft braised lamb, sipped Minted Memory cocktails, and finished with goat cheese cheesecake with kumquat and baklava, Hoss let me in on his secret sage advice for success:

"Every day, hug someone, make someone smile, make someone feel wanted."

I still have that sticky on my phone.

We ended the night at Tacolicious, where I was finally able to find out just what makes Joe's and Telmo's restaurant so special: at least in the form of albacore tuna tostadas and a variety of tacos – in short: culture, history, and authenticity mixed with California flair. If you haven't been, change that as soon as possible to experience what I mean. 

Check out the video from our evening, and read more about the night on the District Drive page. 
Nosh on,
Josh
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I Got Fired; And That's Alright

6/7/2013

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Salty Bea Arthur: Vanilla Soft Serve, Dulce De Leche and Sea Salt Rolled in Crushed 'Nilla Wafers (Big Gay Ice Cream)
Three weeks ago, I took at job with an amazing startup as a copywriter and content production manager. 

On Thursday, I was let go. 

This was one of the first times in my life where I truly believe I had failed. I gave it my all, worked atrocious hours in an attempt to keep up, and ultimately just couldn't cut it. I was a bit inexperienced and, despite learning quickly, I was not learning quickly enough. To my credit, they did recognize that I was improving and mentioned that in another environment there was tremendous potential for me to succeed. They just didn't have the luxury of time. I lasted all of seventeen days at a tech startup in San Francisco before being fired. 

And that's alright.

After my departure, I wasn't quite sure where to go. So, I called my family and started walking – somewhere, anywhere. Until I ended up at Bi-Rite and ordered myself a double scoop of rhubarb cheesecake and ricanelas (cinnamon ice cream with snickerdoodle cookies) – which tasted like an amazing fruit pie in ice cream form. Not as some sort of reflexive emotional reaction that women seem to always have after a bad breakup or fight (at least, I don't think...), but as a comforting consolation from something familiar.

Ok fine. Women: I get it now.

The next morning, I woke up, and brewed myself some fancy coffee...
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Stumptown's Holler Mountain in the Aeropress
...made breakfast...
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Kale Omelet, Acovado, Bacon and Sliced Picnic Pork
...grabbed a strawberry and cherry buckle with vanilla almond streusel from the Blue Bottle at Heath Ceramics while reading the newest issue of Kinfolk Magazine (which has a phenomenal article on page 105 you should check out)...
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...and had myself the BIGgest, GAYest Ice Cream I've ever had. Seriously, that Salty Bea Arthur (which was the normal Bea Aurthur with my requested addition of sea salt) was outrageous: simultaneously creamy, salty, sweet, and crunchy. 

Then, during a quick run to Whole Foods Market for a few groceries, I finally met Wes Anderson in person (no, not that one...), who directed me to Golden Road's Among Weeds IPA.
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So, here I sit – on my patio, drinking a beer, writing to those of you who read, and thinking about what my future holds. 

Perhaps it was a revelation, or perhaps I was all hyped up on sugar and emotion-enduced adrenaline, but in the 24 hours since my...um...'parting of ways' with the corporate startup world, my activities have centered around the very core of what launched my writing career here: food. Maybe it is time to recognize that this is my calling – be it long-form writing, teaching, or even working in a kitchen. Somehow, I keep falling back on what got me started here, and it might just be the case that this was the lesson I needed to learn: no matter how hard it was. 

I've always said that there is no such thing as failure if we learn from it, move on, and grow. Now, it's time to start believing it.

Nosh on,
Josh  
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Truly Outstanding In Their Field

6/2/2013

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The other week I met Ilana Freddye, culinary school graduate and food blogger extraordinaire. She was on her way through San Francisco before starting a six-month stint as a traveling member of Outstanding in the Field. 

For the longest time, I had been wanting to attend an Outstanding in the Field farm dinner. However, be it timing, cost, or distance, I simply couldn't make it happen. Until, seemingly out of the blue, Ilana sent me this text message on Friday afternoon: 

 "Funny question: any chance you want to work the event tomorrow?"

This was it – my way of attending a dinner at long last. Sure, it wasn't going to be exactly what I had envisioned but hell, I was going to be there! Plus, I was even getting paid – eliminating my previous financial concerns. 

I arrived at McEvoy Ranch in Petaluma to an open farm, two trailers full of tables, chairs, linens, an entirely deconstructed kitchen: not to mention a dozen wonderful, easy-going, hard working staff members ready to give 163 guests a meal they would never forget. 
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Only Half the Chairs to be Placed
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Table Setup
I understood Outstanding in the Field's premise of converting a farm into a fine-dining experience.

In theory. 

But after four hours of hands-on hard work, sweat (lots and lots of sweat), heavy lifting and meticulous attention to detail, the transformation from rugged agriculture to pristine elegance can only be described as magical. 
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Magic Through The Trees
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Chef Mourad Lahlou of Aziza was our guest chef, and knocked it out of the park with a killer four course menu including a chilled English pea soup with grapes and a hazelnut "soil,"  alaskan smoked salmon (smoked the night before) with fennel roasted beets, radish, toasted almonds and greens tossed in a sherry shallot vinaigrette, ras-el-hanout braised short ribs, and an olive oil cake with whipped cream, albion strawberries, tarragon, nasturtium, cinnamon streusel and anise syrup.
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Olive Oil Cake, Whipped Cream, Albion Strawberries, Tarragon, Nasturtium, Cinnamon Streusel and Anise Syrup
From my end, the evening was phenomenal. I had an absolute blast with my two tables, and I can only hope they had half as good a time dining as I did serving. Speaking of the local and sustainable ingredients in the dishes, the qualities of the wine, and the meal as a whole was more enjoyable than I could have imagined. Conversing with the diners was as natural as if we had been friends for ages. 

The ambiance was familial, genuine, and sincere. It radiated with charm and class without remotely touching snooty. Roosters crowed and geese honked every so often as a reminder to everyone of their surroundings - as if being inches from the same olive trees that provided the table's oil weren't enough.  

An experience here is unrivaled. We were mere miles away from the gardens that grew many of the vegetables we enjoyed that evening. We were mere miles from vineyards where grapes for the accompanying wines were grown. We were back to the roots of our food, our farmers, and ourselves. 

Outstanding in the Field has honed in on something truly unique, and over the next six months will provide this same quality evening over 75 more times: and there is no doubt in my mind that each one will be as magnificent as the last.
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Nosh on,
Josh
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    Writer, educator, and positive peer-pressurer. 

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