Bay Area food writers can’t realistically eat at every place in Silicon Valley or San Francisco, but they can recognize rising stars and established icons.
That’s exactly what Trevor Felch has done in “City Eats: San Francisco,” a collection of 50 insightful and sometimes nostalgia-inducing recipes, and of morsels doled out by luminaries like Chez Panisse alum Joyce Goldstein, herself a prolific cookbook author, and longtime San Francisco Chronicle food reviewer Michael Bauer.
“We San Francisco-area writers are expected to know about the food scene in every Bay Area city in detail,” Felch says. “But of course, it’s impossible to truly know vast places like Napa Valley, Oakland and San Jose if you’re an hour away.”
Felch has an excuse to visit the South Bay in that he has family there. His grandparents retired to Los Gatos, and his parents live in Los Altos Hills, where they have a vineyard planted to sauvignon blanc and syrah. Family outings in Los Gatos have taken them to the Lexington House, Oak & Rye and the Bywater. When his grandparents lived at The Terraces, his grandfather loved walking into town for a meal at Los Gatos Brewing Company, a place Felch still enjoys.
Felch says his goal in putting the book together was to overview San Franciso’s rich culinary history and to showcase the best restaurants in each of the city’s many neighborhoods. He also includes a list of the best restaurants in the South Bay and the Peninsula, as well as the best view spots in San Francisco for dining, the best wine and cocktail bars for food and the best bakeries and pastry shops.
“This could not be checklist journalism,” says Felch. “I wanted to make sure each San Francisco neighborhood was well-represented.”
The book is a who’s who of San Francisco culinary history, with homage paid to Jeremiah Tower of Stars, Michael Mina, Chronicle columnist Herb Caen and Nancy Oakes of Boulevard. Reverently mentioned are Sam’s Grill, open since 1867, and Zuni Café, an icon since 1979.
Getting recipes from restaurant luminaries was no easy task. “At Swan Oyster Depot, I had to stand in line to get in, and when I asked for the Dungeness Crab Louie recipe, I eventually got notes scrawled on an envelope,” Felch recalls.
Those notes said crabs should be alive until dropped in boiling water, and grab them from the rear as they are vicious.
Felch also includes Original Joe’s recipe for their Louie dressing, which is spiced up with horseradish.
Other recipes are more involved, like pistachio-crusted 38 North duck breast from Mark Sullivan of Spruce, and phyllo-crusted sole from Estatiatoro Ornos, which inhabits the space that was formerly Aqua and Michael Mina.
Uncle Mikey’s Chicken Alla Cacciatora from Café Zoetrope is absolutely doable, though, especially since it requires one and a half bottles of red wine.
The book reveals the secret to sand dabs and oysters Rockefeller from Tadich Grill, as well as Tyler Florence’s recipe for steak tartare (he likes tabasco), along with Tony Gemignani’s pizza dough. Interviews with chefs include David Barzelay of Lazy Bear and True Laurel, and chef/owner Craig Stoll of Delfina.
Felch scored the Peking duck recipe from Beijing-born Chef Han of Z&Y, who has served this signature dish to dignitaries, including Chinese presidents. He’s translated it into a dish you can make at home.
“City Eats: San Francisco” is available on Amazon.
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