Death and Taxes and Rosamunde’s Burger

“In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes,"
wrote Benjamin Franklin in 1789. On Haight Street, there’s nothing more certain
than Moonlight Brewing's Death and Taxes dark lager with Rosamunde's addictively luscious cheeseburger.
Death arrives but once in a lifetime and taxes, thankfully, come around only once a year. But Rosamunde grills its heavenly concoction of prime ground meat, cheese and garnish embraced by a fresh kaiser roll every Tuesday. And thanks to Toronado's affinity for brewer Brian Hunt, Moonlight's beers are on tap all the time. Along with the toasty Death and Taxes, Toronado this week featured the amber ale Toast, Lunatic Lager pils, and on cask Bombay by Boat IPA and Twist of Fate, an English style bitter.  On a dreary, cold afternoon, sipping a gently carbonated English-style ale like Twist of Fate (while waiting for the cook at Rosamunde to work his magic) makes Toronado feel even more like a British pub than usual. It's no wonder Brits refer to such ales as session beers, since you could easily pass an afternoon in their comfortable company. Cask-conditioned ale is apparently not restricted to England and its Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA).
Death and Taxes is fine by itself, but it also calls out for food to complement its roasty flavors. The dark lager looks heavy but is refreshing and surprisingly light. It stands up deliciously to the slightly charred, velvet textured, medium rare burger, whose addictive secrets have never been fully revealed, not even to Rosamunde’s namesake sausage restaurant on Mission Street.
If you find yourself hungry near Haight on a Tuesday afternoon, go out of your way to stop in at Rosamunde for a burger before settling in for a pint or two at Toronado. But don't think about it too long; the burgers have been known to disappear by 2.

Rosamunde Sausage Grill
545 Haight St
(between Fillmore St & Steiner St)
San Francisco, CA 94117
Neighborhood: Lower Haight
(415) 437-6851
www.rosamundesausagegrill.com/

Hoppy New Year

Now that the holidays have thankfully passed, we beer drinkers can focus on the year ahead. American beers are often extreme versions of their European counterparts, particularly our strong ales. American craft brewers continue to push the envelope for beers that are bigger, fuller in flavor, and have more bitter and aromatic hops and a higher alcohol content. East Bay brewers like Triple Rock and Drakes, and pubs like The Bistro in Hayward celebrate the full flavors of our evolving domestic beer palate.
Last Friday, Drakes held its monthly open house with some of its deliciously hoppy strong ales, including Hop Salad and Jolly Rodger, by former Drakes and current Triple Rock head brewer Rodger Davis. Hopocalypse, alas, was nowhere in evidence. Triple Rock bought Drakes last year and the company has big plans for the year ahead.
Hop Salad (pictured) is a delicious Imperial/double IPA, with two-row malted barley and Simcoe and German Magnum hops. The hop aroma is somewhat restrained. It’s plenty hoppy on the mouthfeel, but nicely balanced with a firm malt backbone. Drakes’ blog points out: “Simcoe hops are mostly for bittering, but have a clean, light pine-like aroma, and a slight citrusy flavor. Alpha acids 12-14%. German Magnum hops don't have much of a distinct aroma character, and are therefore often used as bittering hops. Alpha acids 12-14%.”
Jolly Rodger (nee “Roger”) is also a very tasty, hop-forward beer, very much reminiscent of Rodger Davis’ brewing style while he was at Drakes. The brewery describes Jolly Rodger as an Imperial Red. “We brew a different style for Jolly Rodger every year. For the 21st edition of our winter seasonal, we made it an Imperial Red Ale. Be prepared for a big, malty beer with a huge hop aroma. We mashed in with plenty of two-row barley, carared and chocolate malt for body and flavor. Then we hopped it up with Columbus for bittering, then for flavor and aroma– lots of Chinook and Cascade. Finally, we dry hopped in the fermenter with loads more Chinook and Cascade.”
Good news for beer drinkers: Drakes is bottling Jolly Rodger this year, so look for it at your favorite quality beer store.
When the beer in your glass gets colder as you drink it, it just might be a sign that it’s time to go indoors. The Bistro in Hayward is cozy, warm and serves great beer under the careful scrutiny of beer master Vic Kralj. On weekends, the Bistro is hopping with live music and an even livelier beer list. Last Friday, Bistro celebrated the release of Sierra Nevada’s popular Hoptimum double IPA.
Sierra Nevada describes Hoptimum as a community effort:
“A group of hop-heads and publicans challenged our Beer Camp brewers to push the extremes of whole-cone hop brewing. The result is this: a 100 IBU, whole-cone hurricane of flavor. Simply put- Hoptimum: the biggest whole-cone IPA we have ever produced. Aggressively hopped, dry-hopped and torpedoed with our exclusive new hop varieties for ultra-intense flavors and aromas.
“Hops, hops and more hops are the stars of this big, whole-cone Imperial IPA. Resinous ‘new-school’ and exclusive hop varieties carry the bold and aromatic nose. The flavor follows the aroma with layers of aggressive hoppiness, featuring notes of grapefruit rind, rose, lilac, cedar and tropical fruit – all culminating in a dry and lasting finish.”
Beer specs:
ABV: 10.4%
Original Gravity: 22.8 Plato
Final Gravity: 4.5 Plato
Bitterness Units: 100 IBU
Color: Orange Amber
Bittering Hops: German Magnum
Aroma Hops: Simcoe & New Proprietary Variety
Dry Hops: Simcoe & New Proprietary Variety
Topedo Hops: Citra & Chinook
Malts: Two-row Pale, Golden Promise, Munich & Wheat
Yeast: Ale

Hoptimum pushes beer to its extreme hoppy limits, but its statistics belie its drinkability. Every hop head needs to give it a try. Hoptimum also is scheduled to be bottled.

After all those hoppy ales, it was time to shift gears a bit, and The Bistro had the perfect night cap beer: the sublime Abyss from Deschuttes Brewery in Oregon. Abyss is an Imperial Stout with a ridiculous profile of flavors that evolve as the beer warms in the glass. Anise, chocolate, espresso and bourbon are just a few of the flavors drinkers ascribe to this incredible beer.

Drakes Brewing Co.

1933 Davis St Ste 177
(between Beecher St & Phillips Ln)
San Leandro, CA 94577

(510) 568-2739

www.drinkdrakes.com

The Bistro

1001 B St

(between Foothill Blvd & Main St)

Hayward, CA 94541

(510) 886-8525

www.the-bistro.com/

Monterey Jazz: a feast for the senses, balm for the soul

For three glorious nights and two days every year in September, the jazz center of the world isn’t New York City, Paris or New Orleans, but the dusty Monterey Fairgrounds. World class jazz musicians and their fans have been making the annual pilgrimage to Monterey for 53 years. The music commences on Friday night at four venues concurrently—two indoors, two outside—and continues on Saturday and Sunday from noon until after midnight. It’s impossible to hear everything. The quality and abundance of the music, enhanced by intimate interviews and a day devoted to youth bands, make Monterey one of the best jazz festivals anywhere.

But there’s more to Monterey Jazz than simply the sum of its many parts. Over the years, the artists have forged a rare bond with music lovers, many of whom have attended the festival for decades. Performing in Dizzy’s Den with guitar virtuosos Russell Malone and Romero Lubambo, jazz chanteuse Dianne Reeves (pictured) beamed that she felt so comfortable, it seemed as if she was performing in her living room. Needless to say, Reeves captivated the packed house with her inimitable phrasing and intimate personal anecdotes.

The Monterey Jazz Festival spans the jazz spectrum, with veterans like the perpetually youthful octogenarian drummer Roy Haynes and pianists Chick Corea and Ahmad Jamal mingled with talented young rising stars, showcased on Friday. Few in the audience knew quite what to expect from the quixotic Nellie McKey, dressed in a bright yellow thrift store frock and channeling Doris Day (her most recent album, “Normal as Blueberry Pie,” is a tribute to Doris). Alternately disarming and provocative, McKey was entirely mesmerizing, seamlessly mixing her Doris Day repertoire (“The Very Thought of You,” “Crazy Rhythm,” “Wonderful Guy”) with jaw-dropping ditties of her own, like “Mother of Pearl” (“Feminists don’t have a sense of humor…”). Remarkable and unforgettable.
Some jazz appeals to the intellect, but certain styles, like New Orleans jazz, are more visceral and challenge you not to move and tap your feet. Troy Andrews, aka Trombone Shorty, brought the Big Easy to Monterey in all its many musical flavors. Shorty gives his forebears like Professor Longhair their due, but also expresses what’s current in the bubbling gumbo of the Crescent City, stirring infectious funk and rhythm and blues tastefully into the heady mix. Shorty’s enthusiasm and his tight band had the jam-packed Garden Stage rocking—literally from our shaky perch on the aluminum bleachers.

Jazz fans need to fortify themselves for the long afternoons and evenings of music, and Monterey has plenty to offer, from Korean barbecue, fried chicken wings and fried catfish and barbecued ribs to funnel cakes and cinnamon buns made onsite. The sights and smells of the food court are almost irresistible. For the past few years, North Coast Brewery has been the exclusive beer vendor, and their beer is exceptional: Scrimshaw Pilsner, Red Seal Ale and Brother Thelonious Belgian-style ale are a tasty match with the diverse foods at the Monterey Jazz Festival food stalls. Brother Thelonious, for example, was unexpectedly delicious with a chewy cookie infused with dried cranberries. Co-owner Tom Allen and brew master Mark Ruedrich were on hand to discuss their beer.
Certainly the emphasis of Monterey Jazz is on the excellent music, but there’s more to the festival than that. It’s a consistent and reliable celebration of the human spirit, camaraderie and joie de vivre that’s more than welcome in our trying times.

Celebrate 200 years of beer at Oktoberfest by the Bay

This year marks the bicentennial of perhaps the most popular beer festival in the world. Oktoberfest began on Oct. 12, 1810, when Prince Ludwig of Bavaria (later crowned King Ludwig I) shared the celebration of his marriage to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen with his subjects. Some 40,000 people attended the first Oktoberfest, which was highlighted by a horse race, an agricultural show and lots of beer.
Little did Ludwig know that people would still be hoisting festive steins 200 years later. Still held at the original site in Munich, Oktoberfest has mushroomed into a 16-day bacchanalia celebrated in brewery-sponsored beer halls that can hold 5,000 people. Last year, 5.7 million visitors swarmed 14 huge tents, drank 6.5 million liters of beer and consumed 111 oxen. Munich police reported 759 "beer corpses": people who had drunk themselves into oblivion. People come from all over the world to celebrate Bavarian culture, food and, most of all, beer. (You can follow the countdown here.)
If you can’t make it to Munich this year, you can still salute Ludwig's largesse and all things German at Pier 48 from Sept. 23-26 at Oktoberfest by the Bay, now in its 11th year. Unlike other Oktoberfest tributes, which are often just an excuse to drink Bud Light and eat hot dogs, Oktoberfest by the Bay re-creates an authentic German Oktoberfest experience. “The key is in the details,” said Dan McPhee, executive producer of Oktoberfest by the Bay. The sights, sounds, tastes and aromas all pay homage to the Bavarian festival.
In the beer tent, sponsored by Spaten, people will sit at the same tables and benches they’d be sitting on at the Spaten tent in Munich, McPhee said. They’ll also be drinking Spaten’s refreshing Franziskaner Hefeweizen, Spaten Pils and Premium (Munich Helles), and the seasonal Marzen, the only style served during the German celebration. The menu will feature Oktoberfest fare like sausages and sauerkraut, chicken roasted on site and Schweinshaxn (pig’s knuckle).

What better way to work off that Schweinshaxn and Marzen than a lively polka with The Nature Friends Schuhplattler dancing group, propelled by the 24-piece Chico Bavarian Band? “Involvement is encouraged,” McPhee said. If your feet are happy but your sense of rhythm is sad, the Nature Friends will help you work out your steps.
McPhee said that the experience at Oktoberfest by the Bay will be different depending on which day you go. Friday and Saturday nights will be more raucous (and probably more similar to the celebration in Munich), while Sunday will be more of a family day featuring a parade celebrating the 121st anniversary of German Heritage Day in San Francisco by the United German-American Societies of San Francisco and Vicinity Inc. (UGAS-SF).
Even though Oktoberfest by the Bay celebrates German heritage, McPhee said the event draws people from all cultures and from all over the Bay Area looking to have a good time.
Oktoberfest by the Bay outgrew its original digs in Fort Mason and last year settled into the more spacious 200,000-square foot hall at Pier 48, near AT&T Park. Although parking will be available, the organizers encourage people to take public transportation. Last year’s event drew around 45,000 people, which is quite an achievement considering that the organizers were initially unsure if the event would take off. “We didn’t know if people would do something as goofy as the chicken dance,” McPhee said.
It turns out that “goofy” and San Francisco go together remarkably well. So get out your lederhosen and tracht and your dirndel, kick it with some polka, and raise a glass of Spaten to Prince Ludwig, a true beer visionary.

Oktoberfest by the Bay
Thursday, Sept. 23 and Friday, Sept. 24 from 5 p.m.-midnight
Saturday, Sept. 25, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. and 6 p.m.-midnight
Sunday, Sept. 26, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
21 and over on Friday and Saturday nights

Pier 48
Tickets are $30, except on Thursday, when tickets are $25
Check the Web site for ticket discounts

Other Bay Area German bars will also host Oktoberfest celebrations.
On Sept. 18, Gourmet Haus Staudt in Redwood City kicks off Oktoberfest with polka, beer and brats in the parking lot behind the bar. Chances are, Oktoberfest Marzen will be featured, but Gourmet Haus never fails to amaze me with their selection of German beer.


Gourmet Haus Staudt Gifts &Cafe
2615 Broadway St
Redwood City, CA 94063
(650) 364-9232
www.gourmethausstaudt.com

Food trucks and craft beer converge at Eat Real

The Eat Real Festival in Oakland celebrates (primarily) regional, sustainable food, much of it dispensed from the food trucks that have become a ubiquitous highlight of our Bay Area culinary landscape. Now in its third year, Eat Real, held last weekend, continues to get bigger and better. More than 100,000 people were expected to flock to Jack London Square to enjoy small plates of food from nearly 100 vendors. Live music and food demonstrations entertained the throng as people lined up for buns from Chairman Bao, pork on flat bread from Chop Bar, lobster rolls from Sam’s Chowdermobile, paella from Gerard’s and a lot more.

Beer from local breweries was also featured in a “beer shed” with craft beer from the East Bay (Pyramid, Trumer Pils, Pacific Coast, Linden Street, Triple Rock, Drakes, Ale Industries, Black Diamond); the north (Lagunitas, Anderson Valley, Bear Republic, Iron Springs, Marin Brewing, North Coast, Eel River); San Francisco (21st Amendment, Social Kitchen & Brewery, ThirstyBear, Beach Chalet, Speakeasy, Magnolia, Anchor); and Sacramento (Ordonata, Rubicon).

In addition, the beer shed featured guest brewers like Brian Thorsen from Drakes, who was pouring the San Leandro brewery’s excellent 1500 pale ale. Other standouts included Ordonata’s delicious saison, a Belgian-style farmhouse ale, which was perfect for the warm weather.
Despite the abundance of food and beer, enjoying them together can be a challenge at Eat Real, with food and beer seldom located in the same vicinity. The lines (especially for beer) are prohibitively long and seats can be hard to come by. I did manage one tasty pairing, however, matching 21st Amendment’s Back in Black with a delicious dark chocolate brownie. 21A’s black IPA is more toasty and malty than it is IPA bitter, and was a perfect complement to the brownie.
Eat Real Festival founder Anya Fernald has tapped into the rich vein of our local food culture, and the annual late-summer event reminds us just how lucky we are to share in the Bay Area’s bounty of craft beer and fantastic food. You can read Fernald’s food manifesto here.

Super Duper and Scrimshaw celebrate the all-American burger

Burgers don’t need to be too complicated, but over the past few years, the humble hamburger has become a cause celebre. It’s not enough anymore for a burger to be just a meat patty with melted cheese, lettuce and tomato. Celebrity chef Hubert Keller is one of the drivers of this gourmet burger band wagon and his Burger Bars tout “The Ultimate Burger Experience” in St. Louis, Las Vegas and San Francisco. For a mere $60, you can bite into his top of the line chef’s burger, called “The Rossini.” The Kobe beef burger buffa is topped with sautéed foie gras, shaved truffles and Madeira sauce on an onion bun. Skinny fries are included.
Keller is not alone in instigating burger inflation, and restaurants all over the city now feature burgers in the $13 range, topped with bacon, avocado and Point Reyes Blue Cheese. Some of them are very good, like the burger at The Broken Record ($10), with a bacon-infused patty. Nopa also makes a fantastic grass-fed burger ($13), and the burgers at brewpub 21st Amendment are reliable and hearty before a game or event.
But sometimes you just want a simple burger with some crispy fries. Refusing to buckle to burger mania, Rosamunde, next to the Toronado on Haight Street, cooks an excellent burger on Tuesdays for a mere $6. And despite its name, Super Duper Burger in the Castro makes a reasonably priced burger that will satisfy your craving without causing undue harm to either your wallet or your cholesterol count.
Super Duper’s burgers are more reminiscent of In ‘N Out Burger than Burger Bar, but that’s not necessarily a negative. They’re ample and not too greasy, and the fries are skinny and crispy. The servers are efficient and friendly, and would rather call your order by name than by a number. A Niman Ranch burger will set you back $3.75 and a cheeseburger is $4.25 (add $2 each for a double). Fries are $2.25 and milkshakes and ice cream are also available.

Super Duper Burger also has something you’ll never find at In ‘N Out: a couple of well-selected beer taps. Granted, the beer variety isn’t as extensive as Burger Bar’s, but the light, refreshing North Coast Scrimshaw pilsner and the piney Racer 5 IPA from Bear Republic are more than adequate. You can eat inside the cozy restaurant or, on a sunny day, sit at an outdoor table.
Whether you’re in a blue state or red state, conservative or liberal, evangelical or atheist, burgers are as American as the 4th of July, diners and barbecues, and it’s no wonder they are such a great match with American ales and lagers. Unlike mass-market American beers, which only add cold and wet, American craft beers like Scrimshaw and Racer 5 offset the savory umami flavors in the burger.
As Super Duper Burger demonstrates, you don’t need truffles on your burger or extreme beers to appreciate this quintessentially American experience.

Super Duper Burger
2304 Market St
(between 16th St & Noe St)
San Francisco, CA 94114
Neighborhood: Castro
(415) 558-8123
www.superdupersf.com

Beer and coffee to face the daily grind at Epicenter Café

Epicenter Café has something for almost every denizen of SOMA. Nomadic nerds can park their laptop with a free wi-fi connection. People who crave some of the best coffee in the city can sip perfectly made espressos, cappuccinos and macchiatos properly served in thick ceramic cups. And for a light meal, Epicenter offers wine and food, like homemade hummus and soups, empanadas and other tasty bites. Epicenter is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Even beer lovers will find joy at this cozy café on Harrison, around the corner from Whole Foods.

The emphasis at Epicenter is clearly on the coffee: “We take our coffee seriously and hope to show you just how great it can be.” Coffeeratings.com, which evaluates gourmet coffee houses in San Francisco, says Epicenter serves the second-best espresso in San Francisco, just behind Blue Bottle. Coffeeratings compares espressos from all over the city, and I can attest that Epicenter pulls a great shot (I chose a macchiato rather than the straight espresso that Coffeeratings evaluates, and it was delicious). Great coffee starts with quality beans, and Epicenter’s coffee is sourced from one of the best providers in the Bay Area, Barefoot Coffee Roasters in Santa Clara. The baristas are friendly, skillful and artistic, and according to Coffeeratings, have no qualms about tossing a shot that doesn’t meet their high standards. Even in a neighborhood like SOMA, which is virtually soaked in coffee, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better espresso than Epicenter’s
Like tasting beer and wine, coffee tasting has come a long way in the past few years, and Coffeeratings does a good job keeping up with the evolving San Francisco coffee scene. Tasting coffee (called “cupping”) has a lot in common with tasting wine and beer, and according to Greg Sherwin at Coffeeratings, coffee has more than 1,500 aromatic and flavor components, compared with about 200 for wine. More than 1,000 flavor elements have been identified in beer; they’re categorized on a beer flavor wheel.

Happy hour (Monday-Friday from 5-8 p.m.) is a good opportunity to sample some of the many flavors Epicenter Café has to offer. Although the sunny café doesn’t have any beers on tap, it has some intriguing brews in bottles. On a recent visit, I sampled the house-made hummus, with pita and slices of cucumber and tomato, matched with two very simpatico beers: Allagash White, a Belgian-style wit, and North Coast Pranqster, a strong Belgian pale ale. Although both of these beers are made in the U.S., they are very tasty and faithful versions of the Belgian styles. The hazy, golden Pranqster is complex and spicy and tastes a little of coriander, with a slightly sweet finish. It’s also fairly potent, at 7.6% abv, so you might save it for the end of the day. Allagash White, cloudy and pale yellow, is also subtly spicy with coriander and has a hint of lemon. Both were well-matched with the fresh hummus and veggies. A perfectly made macchiato was the ideal punctuation on a light late lunch.
There’s no lack of coffee houses in the South of Market, but Epicenter Café is a standout for its superb coffee and its selection of light dishes and good bottled beer.

Epicenter Café
764 Harrison St
(between 4th St & Lapu St)
San Francisco, CA 94107
Neighborhood: SOMA
(415) 543-5436
www.epicentercafe.com