By Emma Krasov. Photography by Yuri Krasov
Famous and infamous for being in turn gorgeous and ugly, hardy and feeble, sophisticated and silly, wonderful and corrupt, the City of San Francisco, California, caters to all tastes, especially in the matters of earthly delights. The gastronomic icons of the City by the Bay range from whimsical haut cuisine enclaves to hole-in-the-wall setups to which young techies line up for hours not to miss a tasty morsel going viral on social media channels.
Top of the Mark Bar and Lounge
At the pinnacle of our local culinary structure there are time-honored establishments, like Top of the Mark—a historic bar and lounge on the 19th-floor of InterContinental Mark Hopkins Hotel—with panoramic views of the city, frequent celebrity sightings, signature cocktails, and live music on Saturdays.
Located at the highest point of the city’s most affluent and beautifully landscaped Nob Hill neighborhood, Top of the Mark was founded in May 1939, so it celebrates its remarkable 85th anniversary this month. The hotel’s General Manager Michael Pace spoke at the special celebration last week, invoking the events and happenings at the lounge from its jazz age dancing parties and World War II teary farewells to the never-ending festivities of our day.
Come here to marvel at peach-colored sunsets over our world-renown landmarks—the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, TransAmerica Pyramid, and Salesforce Tower while enjoying classic martinis, savory bites, and a festive atmosphere endemic to this amazing place.
Learn more at https://www.ihg.com/intercontinental/hotels/us/en/san-francisco/sfoha/hoteldetail/top-of-the-mark
DACHA Kitchen & Bar
A Russian-sounding DACHA Kitchen & Bar in the Lower Nob Hill is extremely young—only six months in existence, and already enjoying quite a remarkable popularity. Co-founded by the spouses Suki and Katya Skye and Chef Katya Pervushina, with Suki Skye’s dreamy interior design, DACHA (meaning “summer house”) exudes warmth, hospitality, and that effervescent notion of mischief that’s relevant to all things summer.
The brunch menu at DACHA Kitchen & Bar is brimming with Eastern European delights, like pan-fried Latkes with Red Caviar, Pickles & Sour Cream and Syrniki Brulee (cottage cheese pancakes with custard cream, sour cream and homemade raspberry jam) in addition to traditional Blinchiki (crepes), Piroshki, fried eggs, and toasts of different kinds, all paired with creative cocktails. Try Monarch (gin, mezcal, honey, lemon, celery bitters, thyme) from the Citrus Driven part of the cocktail list, or Sapphire (black currant infused gin, crème de cassis, absinthe, lime, vanilla, angostura lavender bitters, thyme, soda water) from the Seasonal chapter.
On a recent Sunday, the restaurant premiered a highly entertaining Drag Brunch with three gorgeous San Francisco queens—Katya Smirnoff-Skyy, Eclectica Michelle, and Natalie Ray. The fiery trio mesmerized the brunching public with song and dance (Katya Smirnoff-Skyy possesses an amazing singing voice, and performs live!); over-the-top, yet elegant outfits; and bold, shiny jewelry, very fitting for the top-level performers and their undisputed mastery.
While the Sunday Drag Brunch marked the first event of this kind at DACHA, there’s a monthly Drag Bingo that’s happening every third Thursday, so you still have an opportunity to enjoy an engaging performance while playing a game and consuming some glorious food.
The restaurant’s diverse team includes creative people from different countries and backgrounds, some of them from the former Soviet republics—Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, and this reporter’s native Ukraine (which just melts my heart).
In DACHA owners’ words, “DACHA Projects embodies the ethos of ‘Feeding with love. Leading with peace…’ DACHA is committed to inclusivity and community, striving to create a sanctuary where everyone feels embraced and empowered to be their authentic selves. Join us at DACHA, where every visit feels like coming home.”
Learn more about DACHA at www.dachaprojects.com. More about the upcoming events at www.dachaprojects.com/events.
(M)EAT CARNIVAL and La Brea Bakery
For the wild beasts in us, there’s (M)EAT CARNIVAL, a monthly outdoor popup of meat-eaters’ paradise, put together by the best chefs of the San Francisco Bay Area.
What started in 2016 in Israel as a culinary vision of two friends—part workshop, part feast, part entertainment— by the time it reached California, became an energetic cult gathering of devout carnivore—growing larger and wilder with every season.
“Food is our way to feel and be excited, sometimes to tell a story, and occasionally to heal the pain. We worked hard to pack everything we love into each dish we create,” says the event’s website.
For the 2024 series of meat grilling, baking, frying, and smoking events, La Brea Bakery, a premier producer of artisan breads, supplied a variety of baked goods to pair with beef ribs, lamb shanks, halibut crudo, hummus and tzatziki dips, hot shakshuka, and sabich sandwiches of pita stuffed with fried eggplants, hard boiled eggs, chopped salad, parsley, and amba and tahini sauces.
An enthusiastic and hard-working culinary team led by Chef Itamar Abromovitch of Blossom Catering, based in Napa, prepares more than two dozen different dishes right in front of the attending crowd at the individual chefs’ stations, and serves juicy, fat-dripping, on- and off-the-bone chunks of meat upon La Brea Bakery cutting boards, without the distraction of plates, napkins, or tableware!
“The Chefs have brought so much ingenuity and creativity to this event, it’s unbelievable,” says Brie Buenning, director of marketing with La Brea Bakery. “They have created the most unexpected and unique ways of delighting adventurous and curious food lovers.”
Each of the M(EAT) CARNIVAL popup events showcases the different chefs’ interpretations of Mediterranean-American cuisine cooked over a live fire.
“We smoke and grill La Brea Bakery’s artisan breads to accompany many of the dishes presented at the CARNIVAL,” said Chef Abromovitch. “The breads are the perfect foundation for our house-made flavorful dishes.”
You eat with your fingers, on your feet, picking pieces and tidbits here and there, walking around in an open space that’s gradually becoming dark, lit by the roaring fire of the grills, as (M)EAT CARNIVAL’s affairs always start shortly before sunset.
The event organizers want you to focus on the primal, delicious food, not on your table manners or the ubiquitous small talk. There are many water stations installed throughout the area, and at the entrance you receive a hand towel for your frequent handwashing.
Tickets include all sampling you can physically have, a couple of open wine bars, live musical entertainment, and a gigantic Otis Spunkmeyer cookie for a sweet finale.
Learn more at https://meat-carnival.com/. Look up all the upcoming events for June-October at https://meat-carnival.com/upcoming-events/.
Real Travel Adventures 