Due to the time difference between South Africa and San Francisco, keeping up with the World Cup could be a challenge for people who don’t have Tivo or a DVR. The good news is that sports networks have finally come to the conclusion that a lot of people actually care about the greatest sports event in the world, even in the U.S. A handful of brave pubs are willing to bet that enough people will be willing to rise before the sun to enjoy the far-off cup. Here are a few places to catch them. Remember, it’s always 5 p.m. somewhere. Let me know if there’s any I’ve missed.
Abbey Tavern
Category: Pub/restaurant
Irish pub in the Inner Richmond will be showing all games live (even though Ireland was left out, due to a very questionable goal created by France’s Thierry Henri).
4100 Geary Boulevard
at Fifth Avenue
(between 5th Ave & 6th Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94118
Neighborhood: Inner Richmond
(415) 221-7767
www.abbeytavern-sf.com/
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Chieftan, The
Category: Pub
Irish-themed pub South of Market with some good beers (not just Guinness and Harp) on tap, including Paulaner Hefeweizen and Marzen and Czechvar (the original Budweiser). Affligem Blond and Chimay Rouge in bottles. Food is a cut above the typical pub grub, like Prince Edward Island Mussels and Chieftan Guinness Stew. Good place to watch footie and the World Cup. Check out the Web site for special hours for the World Cup live from Africa (bar opens at 6:45 a.m. on Friday, June 11, for the kickoff between host South Africa and Mexico and 4:15 a.m. for The Netherlands vs. Denmark on Monday, June 14.
198 5th St.
(between Natoma St & Howard St)
San Francisco, CA 94103
Neighborhood: SOMA
(415) 615-0916
www.thechieftain.com
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Danny Coyle’s
Category: pub/restaurant
Irish pub in the Haight will show all the World Cup games live.
668 Haight St
(between Pierce St & Steiner St)
San Francisco, CA 94117
Neighborhood: Lower Haight
(415) 558-8375
www.dannycoyles.com
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Edinburgh Castle Pub
Category: pub/restaurant
English-themed pub that’s been around since before craft beer was cool but still manages to pour some outstanding beers. Will be showing tape-delayed World Cup soccer, starting at 6 p.m., for those with actual jobs.
Hours: 5 p.m.-2 a.m.
950 Geary St
(between Larkin St & Polk St)
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 885-4074
www.castlenews.com
-----------------------------
Public House
Category: pub/restaurant
Along with the adjoining Mijita, the new player at AT&T Park. Two dozen well-selected taps and an equal number of bottles. Twenty-three TVs for watching sports. Good food, reasonably priced. Try the mac ‘n cheese and Thom’s Cheesesteak Sandwich. Mijita’s bar opens at 6 a.m. for the World Cup, with the restaurant opening at 8 a.m. Public House bar will open at 10 a.m. Wear any World Cup team’s jersey for some complimentary fries, onion rings or chips with your burger. Get a punch card for drinking the 24 beers on tap and earn a world cup when you’ve completed it. USA vs England at AT&T Park on Diamond Vision free. Pray for fog.
Hours: noon-midnight
24 Willie Mays Plz
San Francisco, CA 94107
Neighborhood: SOMA
(415) 644-0240
www.publichousesf.com/
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First Street Ale House helps revitalize downtown Livermore
Perry’s Liquors in Livermore is a good example, with wall-to-wall cold cases of some of the best beer you’ll find anywhere in the Golden State. Not far from Perry’s is First Street Ale House, which not long ago moved from a cramped pub space to more spacious surroundings next door in what had been a furniture store. The transition also seems to have marked a subtle change in emphasis. More room means that First Street Ale House is less of a “divey” pub and more of a family restaurant, although the pub still pours some very good beer from a couple of dozen taps. The transition seems to have been successful, and the high-ceilinged, bright, casual First Street Ale House has become a very popular hot spot in rejuvenated downtown Livermore.
First Street Ale House checks all the right boxes for this type of pub:
• Kid-friendly, check
• Plenty of TVs for watching sports, check
• Good beers on tap, check
• Friendly servers, check
• Decent burgers and pub food, check
It might seem a bit formulaic, but it’s a formula that has proved popular in many pub/restaurants, especially in the suburbs.
On a recent visit, I matched a sandwich piled high with pork carnitas, grilled onions and cheese, and crispy fries with a timeless classic, the lovely Paulener Hefeweizen, which isn’t on tap as often as it should be. Cloudy and subtly spicy, the lively, yeasty Paulener Hefeweizen wheat beer is assertive enough to stand up to Mexican-style food but without the bitter hops that might be overly jarring. Even if the carnitas had been a little spicier (as they should have been), the Paulener would have stood up well. Other good hefes include Weihenstaphener Heffeweissbeer, Hacker-Pschorr Heffe Weisse, Schneider Weisse, Ayinger Brau Weisse, Sierra Nevada Kellerweis and the ubiquitous Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse. A lot of places will serve refreshing, low alcohol, warm-weather hefes with a slice of lemon, which I don’t think adds a whole lot to the beer. Have it on the side and you can taste it both ways.
It’s a testimony to the conviviality of good beer that First Street Ale House has become an integral part of revitalized downtown Livermore and a local hot spot.
First Street Ale House
2086 1st St
(between K St & L St)
Livermore, CA 94550
(925) 371-6588
www.firststreetalehouse.com
Hours:
Sun-Wed: 11:00 AM – 11:30 PM
Thurs-Sat: 11:00 AM – Midnight
Kitchen closes a half an hour before restaurant closing
Perry’s Liquors
1522 Railroad Ave
Livermore, CA 94550
(925) 443-0550
http://perrysliquor.com/
Downtown Oakland leads the soul revolution with beer and vegan BBQ
The potent beers featured at Beer Revolution would overwhelm a lot of foods. Fortunately, the vegan soul food at Souley Vegan, located right next door, has the toothsome substance to hold its own. Although you won’t find any meat on Souley’s menu, you probably won’t miss it when you tuck into the BBQ tofu and creamy mac ‘n cheese (pictured), red beans and rice, and fried okra.
At the same time, the Bay Area is in the midst of a culinary revolution that integrates influences from a variety of cultures – Latin American, Middle Eastern and Asian – as well as classic American dishes like barbecue. The 21st century American culinary insurrection is on full display at 3rd and Broadway, where Souley Vegan and Beer Revolution intersect. You can have a lot of fun matching Souley Vegan’s brightly flavored soul food with American beers like Valley’s Decadent Darkness and Effin Guud, and the 30th anniversary collaboration stout between Ken Grossman of Sierra Nevada and Fritz Maytag of Anchor Brewing. Rich, opaque, potent brews are a delicious match with the darkly sweet richness of Souley Vegan’s BBQ tofu and accentuate the cheesiness of its mac ‘n cheese.
With all due respect to Tea Party activists nostalgic for the bygone era of the revered founding fathers, the real revolution is in looking forward and embracing what America can become rather than yearning for what it was when knee breeches and tricorner hats were in style. Beer Revolution and Souley Vegan are at the forefront of our current culinary insurgency, matching American beer with American food. To my mind, enjoying American craft beer and soul food on the sunny patio at Beer Revolution is a more patriotic and infinitely more enjoyable way to honor our country’s history over the Memorial Day weekend than reliving the Boston Tea Party. Souley Vegan
301 Broadway
(at 3rd St)
Oakland, CA 94607
Neighborhood: Jack London Square
(510) 922-1615
souleyvegan.com
Beer Revolution
464 3rd Street
(between Washington St & Broadway)
Oakland, CA 94607
Neighborhood: Jack London Square
(510) 452-2337
www.beer-revolution.com
Valley Brewing
157 W Adams St
Stockton, CA 95204
(209) 464-2739
www.valleybrew.com
Cameron's brings a taste of England to the coastside
Many years later, Pete Douglas christened his El Granada beach house The Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society, following a particularly raucous and explosive celebration at the beach. Douglas’ beach house now hosts intimate concerts featuring outstanding musicians on Sunday afternoons. More recently, the best-known expression of coastside personality has been the big wave surfing competition at Mavericks at Pillar Point, where swells as tall as four-story buildings threaten to crush wave-skimming specks propelled by a heady blend of moxie and ability, mingled with a tinge of madness.
Cameron’s Restaurant and Inn, a British-style pub in Half Moon Bay, fits right in. You know you’ve found owner Cameron Palmer’s somewhat daft tribute to the sceptered isle when you spot a red double-decker bus parked in a lot on the ocean side of Highway 1 in Half Moon Bay.
After you walk past the stocks (fortunately not in working order) and the red telephone box (no Doctor Who in sight), you find yourself inside a suitably dark and divey pub. Once your eyes adjust to the dim light, the owner’s whimsical sense of kitschy style becomes even more apparent. Decades before beer marketers got wise to a house built of Bud Lite tins, the 10-year-old Cameron Palmer had embarked upon his life’s quest of collecting all the cool beer cans he could find. The fruit of his labor –banished from the bedroom for the sake of domestic harmony – comprises a considerable portion of the pub’s wall space. (The publican has thoughtfully left a bit of shelf room for new contributions if they pass muster.)
Cameron’s seems determined to provide something for everybody. Several televisions scattered around the pub make it a suitable sports bar, and for more energetic patrons, a game room features shuffleboard, darts, foosball and pinball. A faux fireplace imparts the illusion of warmth. The establishment also functions as a general store for Brits, expats and anglophiles yearning for such English delicacies as HP Sauce and Marmite; Heinz canned goods (salad cream, baked beans, cucumber sandwich spread and puddings); marrowfat processed peas; Pataks sauces and pastes; and Sharwoods papadoms.
The “inn” part of the “Cameron’s Restaurant and Inn” equation refers to three “bed and beverage” rooms located above the pub and restaurant.
The fun continues outside, starting with the two buses. One is for kids to idle away their time while the adults indulge themselves in the pub; the other caters to smokers. “The World’s Only Double Decker Smoking Bus” is Palmer’s rejoinder to the county’s ban on smoking in restaurants and bars, and takes advantage of the statutory loophole that makes parking lots and vehicles fair game for lighting up a stogie or a fag. Drinkers are free to carry their pints aboard the stationary bus as they satisfy their craving for nicotine with their drinks. Just a few yards away is “Cameron’s Park,” a spacious beer garden, complete with a stage and a volleyball court, suitable for private parties. (It could stand a little sprucing up for summer.)
Enjoying a pint of English ale with somewhat greasy food is a time-honored pub tradition, and Cameron’s certainly accommodates that course of least resistance. But Cameron’s also has the makings to support more transcultural fare. Pairing pork ribs with the Obsidian Stout, for instance, subtly exposes a palate-pleasing link between a quintessential British beer style and classic American soul food. The slightly burnt caramelized flavors of the toasty, pitch-black stout adroitly balance the earthy sweetness of the barbecue sauce and the smokiness of the meat. It’s the culinary equivalent of the Rolling Stones meeting Howlin’ Wolf.
Cameron’s has a lot going for it, not the least a quixotic publican eager to playfully integrate aspects of British culture into his coastside restaurant. But why stop with traditional British pub grub pairings when with a little more imagination Cameron’s could take advantage of the local culinary bounty and explore fresh combinations? Instead of adhering to the same old beer/food playbook, Cameron’s could advance it.
At the same time, Cameron’s beer should reflect the British tradition of naturally fermented brews hand-pumped from a cask, which has been enjoying a revival in England and the U.S. The British Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) has been advocating a return to cask ales as an alternative to mass-produced lagers since the 1970s. Several brewpubs and pubs in the Bay Area have also taken up the real ale gauntlet, including Magnolia, which brewed a cask-conditioned English bitter for the new Public House at AT&T Park; the Toronado on Haight; and Thirsty Bear in San Francisco, to name a few. Cameron’s, which bills itself as an English-style pub, also belongs on that list.
Cameron’s has a rare opportunity to bring together some of the best of both worlds, and with a little minor tinkering it could become an even better destination for coastside locals and seaside visitors. Half Moon Bay might not be Brighton or the Isle of Wight, but as you sip a cup of Tetley’s Tea or a pint of Bass Pale Ale at Cameron’s, you might find yourself musing about British seaside resorts.
Cameron’s Restaurant & Inn
1410 S Cabrillo Hwy
Half Moon Bay, CA 94019
(650) 726-5705
www.cameronsinn.com
Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society
311 Mirada Rd
Half Moon Bay, CA 94019
(650) 726-4143
www.bachddsoc.org
Gourmet Haus: German beer and hearty fare on the Peninsula
In mid-March, an Apple employee, perhaps unaccustomed to the potency of German beer, misplaced a next-generation prototype iPhone at the bar while celebrating his 27th birthday. Weeks later, the test model turned up at technology site Gizmodo, generating a great deal of consternation at Citadel Apple. Gizmodo had paid $5,000 to the guy who ended up with the phone after the Apple engineer left it on a bar stool at Gourmet Haus.
“There was no doubt about it. It was the real thing, so we started to work on documenting it before returning it to Apple,” Gizmodo wrote on its site. At the behest of an apparently apoplectic Apple, police turned up with search warrants at the homes of the Gizmodo editor who had written about the top secret device and the guy who found it, confiscating computers.
Newsmedian Jon Stewart called out Apple, bemoaning that the erstwhile revolutionary company that had once challenged the establishment had itself become “the man,” or as The Daily Show put it, “Appholes.” Stewart shouldn’t have been surprised; Apple has been more paranoid than a roomful of tweakers for quite a while now.*
Unexpected notoriety aside, “Gourmet Haus Staudt: a German Beer Garden” deserves more attention not only from beer lovers on the beer-parched Peninsula, but from aficionados of German beer from all over. Tucked behind a Bavarian gift/bottle shop and deli, the small pub sports some of the best German beer taps in the Bay Area. Gourmet Haus recently featured lagers such as Innstadt Edelsud, Hofbrau Maibock, Konig Pils, Kostritzer Schwarzbier, Spaten Bock and Optimator, Aktien Hell and Bischofhof 1649, as well as the potent Belgian ale Klokke Roeland, the sublime Weheinstaphener Vitus weizenbock and Valley Brewing IPA, for West Coast hop heads. The constantly rotating taps are a testament to the taste of the pub’s beer-loving owner, Volker Staudt.
Volker took over the business from his parents, who nonetheless continue to help prepare the food that’s available Wednesday through Saturday. A recent Saturday brunch featured a hearty Jagerschnitzel -- breaded veal cutlet and mushroom gravy -- with mashed potatoes. Also on the menu were some brats, sandwiches, hotdogs and big, soft pretzels.
The hunter’s schnitzel called for a beer that could stand up to the richness of the brown gravy, like the malty Kostritzer Schwarzbier, a lager that’s dark in appearance yet surprisingly light in flavor. Germans have been enjoying such combinations for nearly 500 years; the first documented mention of Kostritzer Schwarzbier dates back to 1543. Light-colored pilsners didn’t appear until some 300 years later. (Gourmet Haus lists The German Beer Institute's site for more information about everything beer in Germany.)
Gourmet Haus’s food would best be described as hearty and filling rather than gourmet. The schnitzel could have been pounded thinner and the bread crumbs fried a little crispier, for example. But the brown gravy gave the dish a rustic flavor that the Schwarzbier balanced admirably. On a Saturday afternoon, Gourmet Haus is a family-style restaurant with a sun-splashed patio where you can take your 10-year-old for a bite after a soccer game or your parents or grandparents for a simple meal. When food isn’t on offer, Gourmet Haus is a pub: same great beer but without the food.
The gift shop is also worth more than a cursory glance as you enter and leave the pub, not only for its jaunty Bavarian-style hats and HB Munchen Das Boot beer glass, but for its extensive selection of excellent German beers.
*Regardless of how Apple and Gizmodo work out their dispute, the $5,000-richer guy who left the pub with the phone might be guilty of violating an unwritten code of pub ethics.
Among the rules: ladies sit first; don’t talk on your cell phone in a pub; tip your server; if there’s a coaster atop a glass, leave it alone; and if you find something unattended at the bar and cannot immediately find its owner, turn it over to the bartender.
Gourmet Haus Staudt Gifts & Cafe
2615 Broadway St
Redwood City, CA 94063
(650) 364-9232
www.gourmethausstaudt.com
Store hours:
Monday-Friday: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Beer garden hours
Monday and Tuesday: 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
Wednesday-Saturday: 10 a.m.-10 p.m.
Lunch
Wednesday-Saturday
11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Dinner
Wednesday-Saturday
5-8 p.m.
Enjoying beer and food in the wine country
If indeed it takes a lot of beer to make wine, then vintners are in luck; there’s some great beer in the wine country. Just as the modern U.S. wine industry has its roots in the 1970s in Sonoma and Napa counties, craft beer companies like Russian River, Bear Republic, Lagunitas and Moonlight are making their mark today, brewing some of the most distinctive and adventurous beers in the state. And while much of the wine industry is sadly becoming a parody of itself, with wine tourism eclipsing wine making, brewers are demonstrating the innovative spirit that’s dwindling among too many wineries.
If you’re visiting Sonoma’s Russian River wineries and find yourself weary of paying for the privilege of tasting 2-ounce pours of overoaked Chardonnays and overpriced, wimpy Pinot Noirs, drop down to Santa Rosa, just a few miles south of Healdsburg for some great beer and good food. And if you want to sample a brew that you’re not familiar with, breweries and pubs are more than happy to pour generous tastes – for free.
Visiting Russian River Brewing is the beer lover’s version of making a pilgrimage to a sacred shrine and should not be missed, but brewpub Third Street Aleworks, just a couple of blocks away, makes some decent beer in its own right and serves good food to go with it. On a recent visit, we tried Third Street’s award-winning Oatmeal Stout and Annadel Pale Ale, pairing the latter with one of the biggest small Caesar salads I’ve ever had (pictured). For the main course, we split a rib eye steak, which was more than enough for two people, accompanied by a Bodega Head IPA. The hoppiness of the beer cut right through the fattiness of the well-seasoned, nicely grilled medium-rare steak.
Not long ago, drinking beer exclusively meant American macrobrew lagers, fizzy yellow beers that were OK for quenching your thirst, but not much else. By default, then, wine was what you matched with food. With the emergence of craft brewing, that’s all changed, and pairing beer with food is at least as satisfying as matching wine. Many years ago, Sonoma was the largest hop producer in the country. The historic old hop kiln at Hop Kiln Winery is a relic of those bygone days, cut short by disease and mechanization, which resulted in hop growing moving mostly to Oregon and Washington State. Sitting on the Third Street Aleworks patio, with a little breeze, good company, tasty food and refreshing, full-flavored beer, it’s easy to forget that you’re in the wine country. Perhaps as the craft beer industry matures, the “wine country” appellation will once again become more inclusive of the brews that are gradually redefining the area and quenching the thirst of winemakers.
Third Street Aleworks Brewpub
610 3rd St
Santa Rosa, CA 95404
(707) 523-3060
www.thirdstreetaleworks.com
Russian River Brewing Company
725 4th St
Santa Rosa, CA 95404
(707) 545-2337
www.russianriverbrewing.com
Lagunitas Brewing Company
1280 N McDowell Blvd
Petaluma, CA 94954
(707) 769-4495
www.lagunitas.com
Bear Republic Brewing Co.
345 Healdsburg Ave
Healdsburg, CA 95448
(707) 433-2337
www.bearrepublic.com
Hop Kiln Winery
6050 Westside Rd
Healdsburg, CA 95448
(707) 433-6491
www.hopkilnwinery.com
The Beer Revolution has begun in Oakland
In just four years, City Beer has become an indispensable destination not only for San Francisco beer lovers but for beer aficionados from all over. The formula is deceptively simple: well-selected craft beer poured from a handful of rotating taps and bottles sold on the premises (with the option of paying an extra $1 to be consumed on site), plus some simple food to nosh on if you’re hungry. It works because of the dedication and attention to detail of City Beer’s indefatigable owners, Beth and Craig Wathen. Their passion and grace have made their Folsom Street beer store a regular stop for thirsty downtown office workers and visiting beer pilgrims alike. If you can’t find the beer you’re looking for at the diminutive City Beer, you probably won’t find it anywhere else in the Bay Area. City Beer turns 4 years old on May 2. Happy birthday, City Beer, and many happy returns.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Bay Bridge, there may not be any “there there” (at least according to Gertrude Stein), but there’s quite a bit of beer. One of the more recent additions to the vibrant Oakland beer scene is Beer Revolution, which has the potential to be as good as or (at the risk of heresy) even better than City Beer.
The playbook at Beer Revolution is similar to City Beer’s, except more so: more space, more sun (from a patio in front), more cold cases (no shelves whatsoever) and twice as many taps. As with City Beer, the most important component is the owners, Rebecca and Fraggle, who set the convivial tone with their extensive knowledge and infatuation with great beer. They are tireless in their efforts to find and stock the best beer available.
Beer Revolution is an easy walk from downtown Oakland (and from the 12th Street BART station) and not far from Jack London Square. A roomy, sun-drenched outdoor patio leads to the spacious pub, dominated by a beautiful bar and several cold cases, with the beer organized according to style: stouts, lagers, IPAs, etc. The barrels/tables inside the pub are decorated with beer caps and sometimes-edgy rock music accents the ambience. There’s no food available on site, though you’re welcome to bring it in. Like City Beer, there are no televisions to distract from conversation or the enjoyment of the beer. Although the setup looks simple, it’s obviously been intelligently thought through.
Beer Revolution has only been open for a few months, but it has already attracted a steady clientele of beer lovers, especially in the late afternoon. Even when it’s busy, however, Beer Revolution never feels as cramped as the tiny City Beer.
Just like City Beer, the owners of Beer Revolution are dedicated to helping customers explore the nuances of beer and will happily pour a taste if you’re curious about a particular beer on tap. On a recent visit, Beer Revolution focused on strong dark beers (stout Wednesday), including Allagash Black, Dark Force from HaandBryggeriet in Norway, Lost Abbey Serpent Stout, the delicious anniversary collaboration between Sierra Nevada’s Ken Grossman and Anchor Brewing’s Fritz Maytag, Unibroue’s Chambly Noir and several others. Before diving into the dark side, I needed a lighter beer to quench my thirst after the walk from downtown and settled on a cold bottle of the crisp yet complex Weihenstephenar Vitus, a weizenbock from Brauerei Weihenstephan in Germany. Beer Revolution’s bottle prices are remarkably reasonable, and you don’t need to turn on the taps to enjoy some great beer. But the Allagash Black (pictured) was irresistibly tempting and it poured blackly beautiful, crowned with a foamy white head. It’s a full-flavored beer that expresses its nuances as you sip it. Once some of the darks are cleared out, Beer Revolution will tap a keg of Dogfish Head’s delicious Burton Baton double IPA.
Beer Revolution is a newborn compared with City Beer and it’s still working out a few kinks with distributors and format. Having some rudimentary food available would be a plus, or perhaps forming an alliance with some of the local restaurants to have food delivered. Even in its infancy, however, Beer Revolution is already a worthy destination and a strong addition to any Bay Area beer lover’s itinerary.
Beer Revolution
464 3rd St
Oakland, CA, 94607
510-452-2337
Tues - Thurs:
noon - 9:30 pm
Fri - Sat:
noon - 10:00 pm
Sun:
noon - 9:00 pm
closed Mondays
City Beer
1168 Folsom St
(between Hallam St & Langton St)
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 503-1033
www.citybeerstore.com
Hours:
Tue-Sat Noon to 10pm
Sunday Noon to 6pm
Closed on Monday
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