On Saturday, I had the privilege of indulging in one of the most anticipated events in the San Francisco food scene – SFChefs 2010. This was the 2nd annual culinary event celebrating food, wine, and spirits. This event celebrated the unique flavor, diversity and bounty of Northern California.
Inside the Grand Tasting Tent at SF Chefs
There was a great mix of people present including local chefs from over 25 renowned restaurants, 30 winemakers, 10 distillers, brewers, media, luminaries, authors, vintners, mixologists, culinary experts, local farmers, and ranchers. And it was all for a good cause as SFChefs supports the Golden Gate Restaurant Association Scholarship Foundation, granting scholarships to students entering culinary and hospitality programs.
The chefs hard at work preparing decadent bites
The various SFChefs events included food demos, classes, seminars, luncheons, happy hours, after-parties, cooking competitions, mini tastings, and, of course, grand tastings. I attended the Saturday Grand Tasting, aka the Urban Garden Party, held in Union Square.
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Here are some of the exciting highlights of the day.
I decided to kick off the day with dessert. This bite was a lovely little cheesecake cup by Campton Place (below). It was a light and creamy take on cheesecake and its crust was buttery and delicious.
Cheesecake Cups, Campton Place
Prawns in Melon Mousse, Campton Place
One of my favorite dishes of the day is below. It was a delicious white gazpacho with rock shrimp pimenton by The Ahwahnee. The beautiful green color came from cucumber skins. Great flavors!
White Gazpacho Rock Shrimp Pimenton, The Ahwahnee
These next two bites I enjoyed so much that I decided to dine at their restaurant, Grand Cafe, on Saturday evening. The first dish was a gougère (like a savory profiterole) stuffed with artichoke mousse & truffle and topped with an heirloom tomato. It was so delicious. The second bite was the classic French macaron which was crusty and sweet and left me wanting more.
Artichoke Mousse & Truffle Gougère , Grand Cafe
Macarons by Grand Cafe
As an aside – I will jump to Saturday night quickly. My friend and I decided we did in fact want more of that macaron and headed over to Grand Cafe. It was a convenient walk right from our Union Square hotel. From the beginning, the staff was friendly and accommodating. They remembered us from the SFChefs earlier in the day and thanked us for choosing to dine with them. Chef Michael Koenig checked on us over the course of our meal to ensure it was to our liking. I must say the food at Grand Cafe really is amazing. I ordered the Saint Jacques au Riz Noir which was scallops, black risotto, asparagus, fava beans, and English peas in sauce vierge. It had such great flavors and it was my first time eating black risotto. The risotto itself was so good I would eat it alone. For dessert, we continued to feast.
We sampled caramel fudge, more of the amazing crispy French macarons we tried earlier in the day, a profiterole filled with vanilla ice cream and drizzled with a caramel and raspberry sauce, AND (yes, and) a Grand Banana Cream Pie, which was bananas & crème diplomat in a flakey graham crust. There are few things I love more than caramelized bananas and ice cream.To say the least, I was in heaven and will certainly be re-visiting Grand Cafe, next time with my French critic-hubbie 
On with SFChefs Grand Tasting . . .
Shrimp Thai Salad with Mango in Chili Lime Dressing, Luques Restaurant & Bar
This next bite was a wonderfully tasty bruschetta by Chef Ryan Scott.
Pickled Cherry Tomato Bruschetta Broccoli Rabe Pistou & Goat Cheese, Ryan Scott 2 Go
And the drinks begin. I started with a light watermelon sangria with mint that was made with fresh fruit and a fortified white wine. It was really fantastic.
Watermelon Sangria with Mint, Hendrick's
Hendrick’s made another cocktail that was equally refreshing and a perfect summer drink for entertaining. I managed to grab their recipe. Here it is:
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Blueberry Buck by Hendrick’s
2 parts Hendrick’s gin
1/2 part lemon juice
12 blueberries
3 parts ginger beer
1 mint sprig
In a mixing glass combine beautiful gin, lemon juice and blueberries. Muddle, ice and shake well. Strain into a long glass over fresh ice and top with ginger beer. Garnish with a mint sprig.
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Dungeness Crab Cakes with Saffron Aioli
Roasted Corn Ravioli with Pork Loin & Basil Oil, Rose Pistola
Then, I headed over to the demo stage where Tony Abou-Ganim, The Modern Mixologist, gave a very entertaining cocktail demonstration on how to make the perfect margarita.
Mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim
Next up was a tangy and unique bite that was really unique in flavor. It was a cucumber gazpacho with green grapes and vanilla oil by Chef Hubert Keller of Fleur de Lys.
White Gazpacho with Cucumber & Green Grapes Scented with Vanilla Oil, Fleur de Lys
After that, we sampled some fresh bites from Risto Bar. The first bite was a delicious cape gooseberry dipped in maraschino fondant and valrhona chocolate couverture. Second, we sampled the lemoncello cream baba rum with candied pistashios and mandarins. This bite brought me back to Italy. You just need a taste but it was so unique and delicious.
We ended the Grand Tasting by heading over to POM Wonderful’s Double Bubble Lounge for pomegranate cocktails. They were refreshing and delish!
POM Wonderful’s Double Bubble Lounge
Here I am enjoying a POM summer cocktail. Cheers!
