Gragnano

Una Pizza Napoletana in San Francisco's SOMA district basically serves 2 things:  pizza and drinks (wine, beer, soda, coffee).  So no cocktails for me for dinner that day.  I promptly arrived at the opening time of 5pm because I wanted to make sure I got a seat right away.  The slightly chilled gragnano sparkling red wine paired well with my Ilaria pizza (smoked Buffalo mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, arugula, extra virgin olive oil and sea salt).  I've seen more lambrusco on wine menus than gragnano.  I like gragnano's subtle fizz, deep ruby red color and refreshing taste.  So this was a nice change of pace for me from the usual cocktail.  By the time I left an hour later, there were no more tables available and 2 parties waiting to be seated.  

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Pescapolitana at Farina

It's rare that I don't have a busy Sunday.  So when I found myself with no plans during lunch time I headed straight to Farina in San Francisco's Mission district. They no longer serve my favorite mimosa there which was a combination of prosecco and passion fruit puree. They have replaced it with a Peach Bellini on their Classic Cocktail menu. I would have normally ordered the Bellini, but wasn't in the mood for the prosecco.  So I decided on the The Pescapolitana.  It's is a refreshing Modern Italian Cocktail with Stoli Vodka, fresh peach puree, and fresh lemon.  The tartness of the lemon smoothes out any sweetness from the peach puree.

Although there have been many changes at Farina since it first opened, their bar and brunch menu has always been consistently good.  I was also pleasantly surprised to see some of my dinner favorites now in their brunch menu (Foccacia di Recco and Prosciutto di San Daniele, burrata e foccina) too.  What a perfect Sunday brunch on a sunny Fall day!

Restaurant Specifics
Full Bar
Dinner 7 nights a week and Sunday brunch
www.farina-foods.com

Other drinks from Farina:
Scorpione
Basil Supreme
Proibito

 

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Peaches and Herb

Peaches & Herb at 25 Lusk in San Francisco's SOMA district seduces you from the first sip to the last.  This tantalizing cocktail is strong with simple underlying tones of each of the ingredients.  Before you know it, this cocktail pops sweet melodies in your mind with famous grouse whisky, white peach, lemon, simple syrup, angostura bitters, fresh herbs (oregano), and talisker spritz.  My friend described the drink as "...it reminds me of Atlanta, just proper with a little bit of naughty."  I immediately started thinking about the R&B songs that the duo Peaches and Herb sang.  What a great trip down memory lane with "Reunited" and "Shake Your Groove Thing".  Be warned, although this drink is available at the restaurant, restaurant bar and lounge, on busy weekends, this drink is not available at the lounge.

Restaurant Specifics
Full Bar
Dinner 7 nights a week, Sunday brunch
http://www.25lusk.com/

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Diego Riviera's Mistress No. 2

I specifically went to 25 Lusk in San Francisco's SOMA district to have this cocktail.  First it was the name, then the tequila and finally the rest of the ingredients that tempted me to 25 Lusk.  The "pueblo viejo blanco tequila, elderflower syrup, fruitlab jasmine liquer, lemon, prosecco, ancho tincture" ingredients creates neither a savory nor sweet cocktail.  Diego Riviera's Mistress No. 2 is a well balanced "Wow" libation with a hint of heat.  For those of you thinking what's a tincture?  It's an alcohol extract, in this case processed with ancho chiles.  Tinctures have been used for centuries in herbal medicine.  I can see why this drink is considered Mistress No. 2.

Restaurant Specifics
Full Bar
Dinner 7 nights a week
http://www.25lusk.com/index.html

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