And it’s not Ramen.

It’s cupcakes.  But not just any cupcakes: Hapa Cupcakes.

Richie is, to put it mildly, excited abut cupcakes. “I used to be a cupcake hater” he explained, “but I’ve really come around, and learned to see the cupcake for all of it’s amazing culinary potential. It’s a vessel that can carry anything.  ANYTHING!”

So what are the flavors we can expect from the all new “Hapa Cupcake”?

Of course, it can’t just be a straight forward cupcake.  Richie has been working on a “Ramen Stock Infused” cupcake, that captures the flavors and textures of his pork ramen stock, but contained in the form of the cupcake.  He’s been developing special “seasonal, organic, farm to table, hand-made, modernist cuisine sprinkles” that have the flavors he’s interested, innocuously hidden in sprinkle form.  I asked to see how they’re made, but he’s cagey about his secret processes.

Then he showed me his newest trick:

By torching the top of the cupcake, he can pull out all of the carmel flavors that are so important to his ramen.  ”This is way, ay easier than deep frying it” he claimed.  ”Is this the end of doing ramen” I asked?

“Of course not” he explained, although he’s not sure which business will make it for the long term.  As he investigates opening a physical location, going the route of a bakery with a ramen sideshow is certainly on the table.

You don’t see a lot of bakeries that get deliveries of pig blood.

So, want to try Richie’s Cupcakes?  He’s starting selling them at his Ferry Building stand, but you won’t find them on the menu.  If you want to try one, just ask for the secret code word “linecook’s linecakes” to get a sample.  He’s looking for feedback now, as he prepares to jump into the cupcake game full time.

For now, it’s all about getting those great ramen flavors hidden under a pillow of sweet frosting.

Update: Happy April Fools Y’all

This past weekend I attended the Craft Brewers Conference, hosted for the first time in San Francisco.  Media badge in hand, I enter the conference with a dual agenda. As a local beer and food blogger, I was excited to see how discussions on beer and food were being explored and pushed forward.  If these are the discussions on what would be happening next, I hoped to pull out trends and themes that illuminate the industry.

Then there is my other agenda: I’m starting a brewery and this was one of my first peeks behind the curtain, into the world of professionals that I aim to join.  There is a lot of beer knowledge at this conference, and I wanted to tap into it.

So, what did i find?

This conference was, well, a professional conference.  Not unlike tech related conferences I’ve experienced in the past, it was the usual maze of Hilton conference rooms, security checking badges, hectic conflicting schedules, overstimulating expo floors, and beer stations pouring free samples of craft beer from around the country.

OK, so that last one does show where the beer folks embrace the product of their industry.  But like any other conference, it overflowed with insider jargon and technical specifications.

Actually, just like other conferences I’ve been to in the past, the best sessions fell into one of two categories:  Hands on experience with specific technical expertise, and inspirational talks.

On the technical side, I attended one talk focusing on American Hops that were developed as replacements for German Hallertauer Hops. The execution of the session focused on samples.

After an overview of the varietals in question, samples of beer were dispensed through the audience.  We tried two versions of beer, each made with the real German thing, and then a second version that highlighted an American clone.  Moonlight, Sierra Nevada and New Glarus all contributed samples.  The speakers brought graphs demonstrating the the flavor characteristics of each beer, but the samples really captured the point: these american clones are their own beast, and can’t be easily used to reconstruct an existing beer.

Other session had more of an inspirational tact.  A panel featuring the minds behind Cantillon and Russian River featured stories and anecdotal evidence (more wood!) than hard and fast numbers. Samples of a five year old Cantillon were passed around (it was complex, dry and VERY musty.)   Seasoned and new brewers alike packed the main hall until it was standing room only for this session. How much was learned?  It’s hard to say, but most seemed happy to bask in the reflected glow of such talents.

A panel on food seemed to split the difference, with a mix of specific advice for constructing menus, lists of favorite pairings, and a lengthy discussion on vegetarian meal options at beer dinners. While the speakers had interesting points and perspectives (including the newly installed chef at Monk’s Kettle Adam Dulye.)  But the session would have really benefitted from food and beer pairings on hand, to demonstrate flavor combinations and contrasts, and explore specific, experiential details.

All of the sessions thrived on Q&A sessions, with brewers offering questions and opinions on the topic at hand. In fact, the information sharing seemed to go quite freely, with very little concern that a brewer was giving away any “secret sauce” or trade secret that a competitor would than run away with.   The social aspects and professional networking was present everywhere.  Beer being an ideal social lubricant helps.

Of course, there were parties, after parties, and after after parties.  It seemed Friday night you couldn’t take five steps without finding a pack of brewers wandering around downtown, exploring San Francisco. Divey clubs like Azul Lounge were transformed into havens for sour beer lovers with just a few jockey boxes. A hospitality suite on the top floor of the hilton offered great views and a seemingly unlimited amount of beer.  And if you haven’t tried wandering around the Science Academy’s Aquarium display with a craft beer in hand, I highly recommend it.

Then after a night of partying, I’d drag my hungover self back downtown for another session under halogen lights in an ugly conference room and start all over again.

So, how to sum it all up?  In the end, it’s still “just” a professional conference, although that’s a label greatly helped by the free beer. I often felt like an outsider peering it – it’s a community I badly want to be a part of, but for now, am still a tourist, trying to pass myself off as one of them (my overgrown beard helps.)  Assuming the ABC eventually does approve Almanac license to sell beer, next year it may be a different story, and I’ll trade my media badge for a brewery badge.  But I suspect that won’t change the core value of these get togethers: the panels and sessions act as a jumping off point, but the real work happens late at night, over a beer, as two brewers solve each other’s technical problems, and batch a plan to brew a collaboration together.

One final note: one of my favorite sessions was a talk from Dr Charlie Bamforth from UC Davis.  Luckily for you, you don’t have to be a brewer to get a peek inside his head.  A lengthy talk he gave at Google is available online for free.  I highly recommend cracking open a beer, settling down and hearing him speak – it’s an hour well spent.

Hapa Ramen is getting in on the whole animal game for their ramen and porky side dishes and add-ins.   If it’s can’t be made into it’s own dish, or rolled up in some indulgent charcuterie project, it ends up in the stock pot.

“I’m NOT doing it for love of the whole animal, or any other romantic idea like that.  My price on pork bellies went up.” Richie of Hapa Ramen explained to be as he sawed the pig in half with a giant hacksaw.

Richie’s utilitarian attitude aside, there is something fun about breaking down a whole animal.  I even got in on the action, separating out a loin, stripping the silver skin off, and learning about the differences between a japanese and french boning knife, both of which are on hand and used in the Hapa Ramen kitchen (how is that for an on the nose representation of their cooking?)

So join me won’t you, for a photo-tour through a pig breakdown?  Vegetarians might want to look away, and carnivores might want to be sure to read this on a market day, so you can satiate you porcine cravings.

Meanwhile the Hapa Ramen linecooks, the unheralded secret weapons behind a lot of my favorite Hapa Ramen treats, worked on the head and other nasty bits:

Local: Mission Eatery wants to be much more than a restaurant. It’s a combination of a sandwich shop, bakery, cookbook library, pop-up restaurant, and cooking class space.  I’ve tried most of these iterations – the brioche at Knead is outstanding, the braised lamb sandwich is my favorite, the prix fixe dinner is an outstanding deal for what you get, and the cooking classes turn out to be fun too.  Not content with just making beer, Elianna and I have had a budding interest in cheese making. So we ventured over on a wedsday evening for a cheese making course taught by Jacob Des Voignes, the regular chef behind the sandwiches.  (Other classes are taught by outside experts.)

The classes smartly balance demoing with hands on practice, and lots of things to taste.  We started out with a cheese plate – to compare contrasting cheeses – served with a house made apricot mustardo.  Wine flowed freely, to celebrate that they had just been issued an ABC license.

Once the content got going, we covered a lot of ground in an hour and half.  We were treated to a tasting of creme fresh at various stages of fermentation.  The recipe was printed and handed out for making it at home. Why I don’t already do it strikes me as inexcusable.  It’s SO easy. Step one: mix cream and yogurt with live cultures.  Step Two: wait while it ferments.  Step Three: Eat.

Then jake demo’d how to extract vegetarian rennet from nettle leaves.

And ricotta, which Jake was making in the picture at the top of the post.  He put out both the curds and whey to taste.

Finally, we pulled mozzarella. My first attempt didn’t go so well.  I did better on another try.  This was the most interactive lesson we had, and the most fun.

All told, the classes are a fun way to spend an evening.  At $40s, they’re not too expensive, and are a great way to learn more about a particular culinary craft without committing to much more in equipment. We didn’t do anything I hadn’t tried at home before, but I got the idea we were the exception, not the rule – most of the crowd seemed to be seeing this for the first time – and was game to try everything. I learned more than I knew before, and had fun in the process. All that remains is answering the question, which lab to do next?

My bowl was rich and flavorful, with well textured fresh noodles and a perfectly cooked sous vide egg that clung to the noodles after the yolk streamed out into the broth.   My informal survey of ramen slurppers revealed a happy crowd.   Checking every batch of noodles individually for doneness is time well spent.

Why is Ritchie smiling?  Because it’s his last batch of noodles.

And while he’s the muscle in  the kitchen, it’s a team effort. Congrats to Ritchie, Kitty, Sky and the whole Hapa Ramen team on their first ferry building service!

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Ferry Building…

On Thursday nights on Clara street, you can smell a wisp of malt aroma drifting through SOMA.  Follow the aroma down a thin alley street, by garage doors and parked cars, and you’ll find an open garage as the source.  Poke inside and you’ll find  Patrick Horn of Pacific Brewing Laboratories and Bryan Hermannsson of Clara St Brewing adding hops and pouring pints for welcome guests.

Welcome to the Clara Street Brewing Collective.

Born out of a love of brewing, this expanded, kinda-sorta open to the public private homebrew event join Elizabeth Street Brewing as a halfway point between making beers in your kitchen, and actually opening a licensed brewery.  The beers are free (it’s illegal to sell homebrew to public) and a empty malt extract plastic bucket is placed out to invite donations (all of which gets put right back into the cost of brewing.)

There is a refreshing purity to what they’re doing. The enthusiasm is infectious, and without the normal restrictions of brewpubs, you’re welcome to walk around, sipping your pale ale (that’s what was on tap last week – expect something next Thursday,) asking questions, even helping out.  Want to throw in the next hop addition?  Just ask and the task is yours. No one ever volunteers to help sterilize.

Their small gatherings seem to attract all type – from fellow homebrewers, curious neighbors, to lovers of things homemade and free.   The back way is covered in chalkboard paint, and details the status of each brew, and it’s state in the process.  Typical of homebrewers, it’s a mix of classic styles, and wild variations.

By the end of the evening, the keg is nearly dry, ten gallons of IPA have been brewed, and the curious imbibers are finishing up their pints.  The yeast is pitched, and the bar and brewery closes down until next week.

Want to join in?  See the Pacific Brewing Laboratories page for details about their upcoming events.

Shortly there after, I was contacted by a television network, and invited to make a demo tape of me, interacting with people and food.  With little to no planning, expertise, or even microphones, I set off at the Alemany Farmer’s Market to make a movie.  After a few false starts with other vendors, I ran into Dontaye and his piles of smoked pig, and knew I had found my subject.   So, we filmed the video, eat mightily, and I went off to edit it (poorly.)  I never did hear back from the world of TV, but that’s probably for the best.  I was left with this video.

Good Foods Catering seems to be having something of a moment right now – what with winning awards from SF Weekly, taking the top spot at SF Food Wars, and praise from vegan-loving Mission Mission.  The Ball family seems to be suddenly on everyone’s radar.  So enjoy this mouthwatering look at their operation, just please excuse the 2AM public access production standards and camera shy host.

And spoiler alert – there’s a puppy at the end.

One bright spot in this sea of yellow is Baja Brewing, in the little seaside town of San Jose del Cabo. Nestled amongst tourist art and jewelry stores is a small brew pub, producing craft beers in the new American tradition.

We bellied up the bar and started with a sampler flight.

My favorites from the day’s offerings – an IPA (hops!?!) and the black scorpion –  a schwarzbier-style black lager.

We were also given a tour of the brewery by brewmaster Jordan Gardenhire.  An American expat, he loves what he gets to do.  Brewing in Mexico presents different challenges than brewing in America.  He explained that brewing ingredients are more scarce  - everything has to be imported – and equipment must be trucked down from California, fighting of coyotes along the way.  They’ve also had to work hard on the education side of serving craft beer, explaining their flavorful product to the locals – who have taken quite a liking too it.

But being in Baja also presents new opportunities.  An adventurous home brewer at heart, he’s free to experiment with new, indigenous fermentables.  Such as in his cactus heffe (sadly, not on tap when we visited)

Overall, Baja Brewing was a breath of fresh (hop scented) air.  Plus – they have pretty decent wood oven pizza, featuring a thin crust, studded with two row malt around the edges.

After weeks of planning, hours of tasting, and an unknowable number of phone calls to brewers confirming their beer would be there, the “Mostly Barrel Aged Beer Dinner” went off without a hitch.  As usual, Scala’s Bistro and The Sir Francis Drake pulled of this huge feat without breaking a sweat.

“Enough preamble, get to the food porn!” you’re saying.  I hear ya.  I’ve got a lot of pictures, so pour yourself a big beer, get comfy, and let’s jump right into the good stuff, shall we?

I poked my head into the kitchen before things got going.  Pastry Chef Tim Nugent‘s team was getting the housemade pretzels ready, and topping them with volcanic salt.  These were then paired up with a beer mustard, made from Sierra Nevada’s Old Ale (more on that beer later.)

You know you’ve got a good dinner on your hands, when the staff is taking pictures of their own handiwork.

Meanwhile, the savory team was scooping out canelles of a chicken liver mouse  - which Eli later declared, tastes like grandma’s recipe.

Beers were chilling.  We started with the beers pretty cold to make service easier.  By time they reached the table, most beers were being served only “cool” – so that all of the delicate nuances of the barrels came through.  Cold beer tastes like nothing. If you want it to stay that way, serve it cold.  Otherwise, bring it up a few degrees to reveal all the hard work the brewer has put into their brew.

Vina, our rockstar private dining coordinator reviewed our menu with the wait staff.

Upstairs, it turns out people were ready to go.  By time we “opened” the doors at 6:30, most everyone was already there.

We kicked off the night with some exceptionally good and rare beers. Shmaltz Brewing offered up a taste of their Coney Island Mermaid Pilsner.  In their typical style, it was slightly twisted and amped up by the addition of rye and extra hops for aroma. Valley Brewing poured a spectator sour, made with pomegranates and lots of lacto with a bretty, farmhouse finish.  The “Bill Brandbic” was made in honor of Bill Brand – who is sorely missed, and surly would have loved his namesake “Calambic.”

Besides the pretzels, we also enjoyed some additional passed apps:

White bean puree with white anchovies.

Goat cheese crustinis.

Chicken Liver Mousse.

One of the real highlights of collaborating with local brewers is having them on hand to talk about the process of making their beer.  Here’s Steve, explaining his love of fermenting pomegranate juice.

First up at the table was an amuse bouche: Ggolden beet & malt soup with hoppy creme fresh.

Next up were pours of Firestone Walker’s Lil Opal aged in Viognier Barrels. A light, crisp beer, the barrels added a hint of tobacco and a nice touch of oak.  To go with it: Yellow Tail King Fish: Fresno Chilies, Ginger, Basil, Rice Crackling.

Having such a delicate beer allowed us to present a equally delicate course.  In this case, it highlighted amazingly fresh and buttery fish.

Next up Dogfish Head Chateau Jiahu.  This sweet, sake influenced beer  was an ideal pairing for crab, which really benefitted from the boost in sweetness.  Plus, in the right light, this is one pretty beer.

The pairing: Crab Toast: Miso Beer Dressing, Celery Root Remoulade, Meyer Lemon, Chervil.  The carmel notes of the toast were a great match for the beer.  Plus the miso brought out the association with sake in the beer.

Next: Lamb Merguez Crepinette: Harissa, Preserved Lemon, Sun Choke, Star Route Farms Winter Greens, Brewer’s Malt Blend Crackers.  We paired this with Speakeasy Brewer’s Reserve Old Godfather Barleywine.  This special barleywine has a amazing nose on it, with lots of apricot and fruit. To stand up to this beer, we used lamb with a pungent harissa sauce to cut through the beer.

We also served the dish with a malt cracker.  The malt was sourced at Speakeasy, and was special blended by their brewer to mimic the malt of the pairing beer.  I love having a full bakery at our disposal.

Our last savor course of the eventing: Housemade Duck Liver Ravioli with 15 yr Old Balsamic, Duck Chicharrones, Brown Butter, Beer Braised Carrots.

To pair, we offered Sierra Nevada Brewing’s Old Ale.  This Scotch Ale and Russian Imperial Stout blend spent some time in a Bourbon Barrel.  The addition of the stout gave it a great mouth feel, and a nice, long chocolate finish.

People seemed to be having a good time.  These barrel aged beers have a bit of a kick.

Everybody loves Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream:

Ah, Cheese.  What’s the point of doing a beer dinner, if you aren’t going to have a cheese course?  We started with the beer – I worked with Brian (below) and my team of beer palates to built a great, pinot noir inspired stout blend.  We used a base of Pinot Barrel Stout, them added Bretty Blond for some edge, and a touch of port barrel with blueberries stout for a nice vinous finish.

To pair, Chef Jen selected Tomme de Montagne, a beer washed cow milk cheese with enough funk to stand up to the beer. For an extra savory edge, the cheese with served with a bit of olive tapenade.

Finally, we had reached the first of two desserts.  We started with Triple Rock IMAX Double IPA, served brilliantly fresh.

Rodger joking introduced it as the “light” beer of the evening. We served this hop bomb with crepes with blood oranges and kumquats.  The two citrus fruit provided a foil for the DIPA, and brought out the citrus aroma and bitterness of the blood orange.  A malt syrup provided the much needed balance.

Finally, we had arrived at the big finish for the night: Fifty Fifty Brewing’s 2009 Eclipse Stout Barrel Flight.  Todd explained how they aged in a variety of barrels - Jack Daniels Barrel, Elijah Craig Barrel, Heaven Hill Rye Barrel – and that they normally blend at this point.  However, this year, the beers we so distinctive, they decided to offer them as different versions.

To pair, a flight of chocolates – with chocolate marshmallow, salted carmel, and a piece of bitter dark chocolate.

Finally, five hours later, we were done, and very very full.

I want to give a huge thanks to the staff of Scala’s – who both in the kitchen and on the floor, delivered a great meal to the brewers and lovers of fine food and beer.

And to those who attended: how was your meal?  Leave feedback in the comments below!

The people have spoken, and they are saying: more beer ice cream.

Jake, Sean and the rest of the team at Humphry Slocombe have made some great ice cream, but they didn’t do it alone.  The local brewing community really got behind this experiment in frozen goodness, and provided the base beers for all of the flavors.

Kicking in the good stuff are: Dogfish Head, Speakeasy, Bison, Fifty Fifty, Valley Brew, Triple Rock, Drakes, Shmaltz, 21A,  Firestone Walker, Beach Chalet, Thirsty Bear, Lagunitas, Uncommon Brewers, Blue Frog, Trumer, Shiner, Bridgeport, Moonlight, Iron Springs, Eel River, Bear Republic, Sierra Nevada, and Magnolia.

Umm, yea.  It’s a lot of beer.

I am also very proud to be presenting my first show of beer photography!

All of the prints are available for a limited printing run for $40 each.  They’re 11 by 14 inches, and printed on matte photostock.  The perfect valentine’s day gift for your hop head lover.  They’ll be available for pickup at Humphry Slocombe after ordering – so no shipping.  Peruse the photos and purchase here.

Some of my favorite flavors to pass through the cold case have been: 21A Monk’s Blood with Figs, FiftyFity Eclipse Bourbon Stout, Magnolia Old Thunder Pussy and most recently, Lagunitas Hop Stoopid with Bacon (really.)

Can’t make it down to the Mission?  Don’t worry, Magnolia has got your back. Rather than take the MUNI 33 across town, Magnolia collaboration ice creams are available at BOTH Humphry Slocombe, and Magnolia Brewpub.  Since all of Magnolia’s beers are draft only, it took a lot of growlers to make this ice cream.

To keep up with the demand, the kitchen at Humphry Slocombe is working around the clock. When I stopped by this afternoon, Max was just putting together a fresh batch of Speakeasy Prohibition Ale Ice Cream.  Each batch is flavored and seasoned to taste.  It’s the same attention to each batch that makes many of these beers such great culinary launchpads.

The line was out the door.  The favorite seems to be the four scoop flight for 4.50.  Only available for SF Beer Week.

Not sure what to get?  Ask Emily for a taste. (Fun fact – in order to keep up with tastes, the 100+ metal spoons are washed three times a day. That’s a lot of saved plastic/potatoware)