Rustic Bakery

"Rustic Bakery is a wonderful breakfast place in Marin Country", said friend of mine.

With cozy and small sized "family own" outlook,  Rustic Bakery serves flavorful  and high quality homemade pancakes, granola, etc.  Their lunch time offer are fantastic as well: a bowl of soup, salads and sandwiches, which are all homemade.
To be patient if you want to dine in.  There is always a long line in/out this bakery everyday. Around 2:00pm, Wednesday, we were at the end of long line and found no seat available.

Having been the center of organic/local movement, Marin County has keen insight on food tends/movements as well as access to high quality ingredients.  High percentage of flavor is constructed by quality of ingredients.  Maybe, the owner of Rustic Bakery knows this simple formula.  Flavor of wheat, butter and sugar.  There are only three key factors harmonize with bakers skill, and this place have them all. 

Mission possible? ~ State Bird Provisions

"Five months, or a long line."
Dining in State Bird Provisions now is one of the most difficult mission to complete.  
Call for reservation five months, at least three months, in advance if you deserve to dine in.  Without reservation, stay in line in front of the door before 5:30pm.  There is few table available for walk in everyday so that, if you are lucky, there is a table for you.
     

State Bird Provisions is located on Fillmore and Grary Bv., this "tablie" introduces Chinese yum cha （dim sum） serving style with multinational, fusion, foods.

This tablie has a menu, but there are more "off menu" dishes.  Variety of little dishes rounds on a wagon or tray, many of them are made out of "on market today".  A wagon stops at every table and explains dishes, so there are no needs for the written menu.   

There are many dishes with Kimuchi, Korean pickles.  There are many dishes inspired by Asia.
All we tasted had a bit extra salt which accelerates liquor consumption, so with a glass, maybe a bottle, of wine, dishes will give more enjoyment.

State Bird Provisions is the place for night-out.
Good for dating if you do not mind noise around. 
    

INTELLIGENTSIA roastery

Big name is here in San Francisco!
INTELLIGENTSIA has been distributing their product in greater Sun Francisco area through their business partner, but now opens their "base", own roasting station, on Mariposa, San Francisco.
Based on Chicago, Intelligentsia is well known, one of the top three big name of, third wave coffee roaster in the States.  It is not too much to say that "Their passion in coffee roasting has started and boost the Third Wave movement" together with Stumptown Coffee Roasters and Counter Culture Coffee.
  
As one of the leading center, San Francisco's Coffee market is highly diverse.  Regarding the aspect of roasting, there are a wide range of techniques to express single origin flavors.  Ritual coffee roasters and Sightglass Coffee Bar & Roastery emphasize "flavor/uniqueness of specialty beans" with light roast, which is often poorly described in one word, "Scandinavian Style".  Blue Bottle coffee emphasizes balance between roasting and beans' flavor, when Four Barrel focus more on roasting technique to enhance beans' flavor.  Referring the fact that there are a large number of roasters flowering here in SF area, there is a question: "Why big name like INTELLIGENTSIA opens the factory now?"  Coffee market here is highly competitive as well as exclusive to non-locals.  Let us see how this factory survive here, one of the most competitive foodie town.

Roaster in Dream: Cafe Vita

Do you have a coffee roaster dreamed to visit?

I do: Caffé Vita in Seattle.

Seattle is well known as "the World Coffee Center".  Not only mega-chains such as Starbucks, Tully's and Seattle's Best,  but also independent coffeehouses & roasters do establish and deepen coffee culture in Seattle.  Among all the independent roasters/coffeehouses,  Caffé Vita coffee roasting Co. has been leading Seattle's coffee culture as the ARTISAN coffee roaster since 1995.  This brief history of Caffé Vita reminds me of Blue Bottle Coffee in San Francisco.  

History of Blue Bottle Coffee begins in Oakland.  Blue Bottle has grown and been growing one of the leading ARTISAN coffee roaster in/out of greater San Francisco, the epicenter of slow food movements.  
San Francisco appreciates high quality of foods and Seattle high quality of coffee.  Both city has the base to grow and to support genuine artisan foods. 

Based in San Francisco area, Seattle, somewhat, does not appeal so much; however, the name "Caffé Vita" has printed on my brain as a place to visit.  The deeper I dive in coffee world, the more I deserve to visit this roaster.  It is maybe because of my trusted "coffee mentor", Jay, loves and recommends this roster, but, I think, that is not only reason. 
Caffé Vita's clown like symbol fascinates me more and more, deeper and deeper, enchanting me whit fragrant aroma with beautifully done roasting.    

 

Blue Bottle @ Heath Ceramic

There is newly opened Blue Bottle Cafe at Heath Ceramic on 18th Street in the urban core of San Francisco.

On 18th and Florida St., newly opened Heath's retail shop has wider variety of their products, including tiles, than one at Ferry Building.  Heath Ceramic announced that on-site tail making will start by early 2013, so that visitors have more enjoyment there together with a nice cup of coffee.

Located in the middle of factories, it seems most of parking space are taken by their workers and few space available for visitors.  Blue Bottle here appears to me a worksite cafeteria for Heath and people working around.  So far, this Blue Bottle is not identifiable; however, it has high possibility to be something special.  A friend of mine is trying to apply new hand brewing method here, very unique and no one has done in SF coffee community.  This site has high possibility to be "the signature" and open a new stage for Blue Bottle's history.    

Four Barrel Coffee: Time to roast!

Just in case, if you do not know...

Four Barrel Coffee 

is 

The Coffee Roaster. 

Here is a little entertainment while waiting for a order to come.
Four Barrel has their roasting factory at the back of the cafe.  This "Bottega", if appropriate to call so, is widely open to entertain sensory cortex; olfactory perception, visual perception and auditory perception.  

There is a bar, a narrow, long, waist-high table, facing roasting machines, which may be highly attractive and adsorptive for coffee "geeks" like me.  

Opening up a coffee roasting factory is somewhat brave step to take.  
Certainly this opens to authorized people only; however, the space is filled sounds and aroma rising from roasting machines as well as  jute bags filled with green beans, which have names on.

Stay at the bar whole day watching the factory may allow us to lead the mind to imagine "SECRET" of Four Barrel coffee...maybe, after a year spending there.

Enjoy the factory while waiting and having your cup.   

    

Four Barrel Coffee

Home coming Coffee time !

As usual, there are a long line and no empty seat&table around 10am..

Well, it is very understandable.

Four barrel serves the best cafe latte among the third wavers in SF/South bay, as far as I know.  Although there are the brew bars offering various specialty coffees, often called "hand crafted coffee" now, espresso is the way to enjoy "Four barrel" the most.



Here is the best barista!
The best cup of latte satisfies you when you see him in front of espresso machine.

According to my friend, he won the first place twice in United States Barista Championship, former known as the North American Barista Competition.

Does this matter?
Actually, I would say "NO".

"How may cups do you serve a day?", we asked.
"Well, I don't know.  I cannot count.", he replays instantly.

Making hundreds of espresso drinks everyday, his skill improves cup by cup, maybe second by second.  Nothing can teach more than experience, especially meister job like this.   

Amazingly, a cup of cafe latte, actually soy latte, kept its silky foam, over an hour, to the last sip!!  Cafe Latte means "Mariage of strong, flavorful espresso with fluffy, silky foamed milk"; not espresso poured in milk.

There are hundreds of cafe's here in San Francisco Bay Area.  Many coffee lovers enjoy, some may visit to enjoy, edgy coffee drinks from various cafes/roasters such as Blue Bottle, Sightglass and do on.  If  Four barrel sounds new to you, keep this name on the top of your list. Try espresso drink when He is in front of the machine.

Beautiful Hand brew Bar by the entrance

Various beans to pick of