Dining adventures in SF: Bernal Supper Club

Strawberry on crostini with balsamic glaze

One of the best things about San Francisco is that it is a culinary mecca. It's a place where talented chefs thrive & where devout foodies can get their fix any day of the week. I have had the pleasure of dining at one of these amazing places on two occasions. The place is the Bernal Supper Club @ The Corner. The Corner is a restaurant where local chefs come in on a nightly basis and take over the kitchen to make their own inspired fare. I was there on a Monday night to enjoy the delectable talents of Tony Ferarri, Jonathon Sutton & Miles Carnahan. They call themselves the Bernal Supper Club, and they are surely a group of talented chefs going places. You are first greeted by the delightful hostesses that make you feel welcome the moment you step in. You are asked where in the restaurant you would like to sit; I have had the enjoyment of sitting upstairs & downstairs on the stools by the open window. Upstairs you get a view of the whole restaurant, it's somewhat more intimate & you can even peek into the kitchen. Downstairs feels a bit more casual & you get to people watch the passer byers on lively Mission street while you enjoy your meal; either way you can't go wrong. There are also individual tables downstairs & outdoor seating. Once you are comfortable, you are approached by your waitress & asked if you would like anything to drink other than still water. They have a great wine list, I myself enjoy the Italian Pinot Grigio- light, fruity, refreshing & goes well with most of the items on the menu. My girlfriend enjoys the Lodi Zin or Cab, rich, bold reds that pair well with the daily red meat option. On my first occasion I was greeted by one of the hostesses with a little cup of fresh olives. She told me they were from her farm & that Tony used her fresh pressed olive oil. How quaint is that! You feel like your dining at some rustic, small family establishment in the rich terrain of Italy somewhere. Not what you would expect in a metropolitan city like San Francisco. But that's why I love it here :). So now that we've sat & have our wine, it's time for the fun part. On my first visit my girlfriend & I had a beet & goat cheese salad to start with, shared the pasta & fish entrees & we indulgent girls shared both desserts. On my second visit my friend & I had the meatball appetizer, the fish & meat entrees & dessert. Everything was home made & delicious, from the pasta to the rolled meat balls to the ciabatta bread they served them with. The stand out dish on the first visit for me was the scrumptious Steelhead Trout with millet & grapes. It was tender, buttery & the millet was cooked to perfection so that it just burst in your mouth. The flavor combination of the fish, grain & fruit was orgasmic. I salivate just thinking about it. I literally dreamed of that fish the rest of the week & all other meals paled in comparison. Don't get me wrong, every plate was cleaned, just perhaps not with the same rigor used with the trout. The second visit, again, everything was delectable. But I must say the hangar steak with spinach puree and beets was to die for. I'm not even a consistent red meat consumer, but I sheepishly admit I wanted to lick the plate! I would never have thought to combine pureed spinach & red meat, but these guys did, & they did it triumphantly! It was just such a deliciously savory entree, though my dear friend was polite enough not to mention it, I probably ate more than my fair share. But don't you worry, she got more of the yellowtail jack paired with the lemon puree, which she found to be absolutely marvelous. The dessert we had was also fabulous; it was like a cross between lemon custard & strawberry short cake. Sweet & tangy perfection! So now that I've made your mouth water, I should let you know the very best part of this dining experience: the ambiance & the people behind Bernal Supper Club. From the numerous seating options, to the candle lit tables & twinkling lights that adorn the kitchen, to the high ceilings & large open windows , to the amazing staff that makes you feel at home. All this makes the restaurant feel comfortable & inviting; you feel as if you are among friends and family. The warm atmosphere just envelopes you the moment you walk in. Chefs Tony & Jonathon even leave the kitchen to greet guests at the tables & ask them how they enjoyed their meals. How many restaurants do you know that do that? They have a wonderful way of making you feel connected by this shared dining experience. I loved the obvious personal pride & ownership that the chefs of BSC possess. They believe in their food concept & as a result, you believe in it as well. Go to Bernal Supper Club, I promise you won't be disappointed. Heck, you might even find yourself wanting to go back every Monday, like I do. Maybe I'll see you there!

http://bernalsupperclub.com/

Nonna's Meatballs, Tomato Sauce, Grana, Herbs

Yellowtail Jack, Artichoke Barigoule, Tomato, Lemon Puree

Hangar Steak, Spinach Puree, Beets, Pearl Onion, Horseradish

Lemon Ricotta Cake, Plum Puree, Creme Fraishe, Strawberry

And the Fog Lifts....

Oh sunny days in San Francisco, how I love thee. I've said it before & I'll say it again, this city simply can't be beat on days like today. Sun drenched skin happy to be exposed in sun dresses & shorts; parks packed to the rim with happy day revelers ready for their doses of Vitamin D; outdoor cafes who sit empty inside but are over filled with people enjoying the outdoor seating; impromptu picnics formulating on every patch of green; everyone leaving the heavy overcoats & layers at home (but bringing the advised light sweater, because after all you never know with San Francisco ;) ). Days like this are rare here, and you can tell how us Native San Franciscans try to take full advantage of them. There's a different energy to the city on days like this; it comes alive, it vibrates. Almost like a folded blossom once greeted by daylight, the city unfolds. I have often pondered living somewhere warmer, being from Central America I guess it just runs in my blood. But on days like this, it's hard to imagine anyplace more magnificent. We have culture here in San Francisco. We have various arts, independent cinema, a bountiful array of museums, an amazing music scene, gorgeous parks, a buzzing downtown, are the epicenter of the newest multimedia, have become a culinary tour de force and such a melting pot of people and cultures you sometimes feel your at the international wing of the airport. Unfortunately most of the time, all this magnificence is covered by a heavy fog or at least a light mist, but on days like today, the city shines it's brightest. I love you sunny, San Francisco!

Breathing Inspiration

How does one achieve their dreams without actively pursuing them? If one wants to be a photographer, one takes pictures; a marathon runner, one runs; a pilot, one flies planes; a chef, one cooks. You do what you love & you do it with such passion & rigor, it makes you feel alive. I want to be a writer, nay, I am a writer-- have been all my life-- & so I shall write. I may never be a famous novelist or screen writer, but I love writing so much, I will do it for the sheer joy of it. I feel like I've been waiting to be inspired, either by a magical trip to some far off land or a life-changing moment of meeting the love of my life while standing in a grocery line. But true inspiration comes from the everyday, the experiences we have in the daily lives we lead. I know I've

found it in the everyday; all I have to do is take note & continue to share it. If you look close enough you'll see that those life-changing moments happen all the time. This, taking the first steps to becoming an active writer again, feels like one of mine.