It takes a certain kind of person to take on odds like that. Cesar Reyes and Juve Carrillo are two of them. A chemist and expert winemaker with over 25 years under his belt, Reyes makes wine in both Mexico (under his Cē Ācatl label) and Napa (under Prohibido Wines). Many of those wines are served at Carrillo’s three celebrated San Francisco restaurants, Cantina Los Mayas, Taqueria Los Mayas and Violet’s.

The two met in 2021 when Carrillo was building the wine list for his second restaurant Cantina Los Mayas, which would premier as the nation’s first exclusively Mexican wine bar just one year later. Having spent many hours with both of them—developing menus, tasting and comparing wines, and talking a good amount of trash—I’ve gotten to know them pretty well.

Reyes and Carrillo are very competitive, and both seem to require a serious challenge in order to thrive. As fellow immigrants (Reyes is from El Salvador, and Carrillo hails from Yucatán, Mexico) the two have developed the kinship of outsiders. They laugh and argue in turns, like brothers—and usually, they challenge one another to do better. Both of their careers have been on the upswing for the last few years, with Reyes vastly expanding his wine production across Mexico, and Carrillo adding a third restaurant, Violet’s, to his group. Now, after working together for nearly five years, the two are joining forces to create a brand-new wine label: Reca Wines.

Last week I met with Reyes and Carrillo in Napa for the initial barrel tastings, and got the chance to witness a little bit of history as it unfolded. The details are forthcoming, but suffice to say, the juice is very good. We tasted Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Pinot Noir and Rose, some of the usual suspects. We also tried a few that I was unfamiliar with, including a uniquely floral Tinto Cão, a native Portuguese grape from the Douro region. They were all delicious, and keep in mind, the Wine Doctor hasn’t even done his magic yet.

I should explain: as an expert chemist and wine consultant, Reyes is the man that winemakers call when they suspect their cuvée might be going sideways. In wine country, Reyes is known as the Wine Doctor, and his services are highly coveted by the best producers in the region.

What it comes down to is fine-tuning the wine on the molecular level: tweaking the proportions of water, alcohol and volatile acids to create just the aromas and flavors that the winemaker desires. It’s something that has become second nature to Reyes, and he has the chemistry background (not to mention the proprietary technology) to do it properly. That makes him a unique figure in the wine world. It also makes him an exacting winemaker.

When we first spoke about the current trend toward minimal intervention, “natural” wines, Reyes was outspoken on the topic. “When someone says their wine is minimal intervention, they’re just saying they didn’t work on the wine,” the winemaker stressed. “They just put it in a bottle, I guess? That’s lazy. There are hundreds of years of winemaking knowledge. And that’s not how you make beautiful wines.”

Reyes ought to know. The winemaker has been winning Gold and Double-Gold medals at wine competitions in Napa and Mexico for over ten years, and he’s got a reputation for delivering stellar single-varietal wines, often at by-the-glass prices. His Cē Ācatl Mexican offerings have recently been making serious inroads in San Francisco, doing particularly well in the bars of North Beach. Mexican wine seems to be having a moment in the traditionally Italian neighborhood, and frankly the timing couldn’t be better for Reyes.

Meanwhile, Reca Wines will give the winemaker a chance to pivot back to Napa, at a time when the region is undergoing an industry-wide correction. With wine consumption down, there is a glut of premium grapes on the market, sometimes at unheard-of prices. For someone like Reyes, that’s a unique opportunity to get his hands on premium juice, often from some of the most exclusive vineyards in California.

Though it’s still very early in the process, Reyes gave us an idea of what to expect from the Reca label. “Like a lot of what I make, these will all be limited production wines,” Reyes told me. “Some of the styles we’re planning will be no more than two or three barrels of production.” For the new label, Reyes is sourcing grapes from some of the most sought after vineyards in his Napa backyard, but also carefully chosen lots in Sonoma, Mendocino and Paso Robles. “We’re planning to do some unusual bottlings, and to highlight some grapes you don’t typically see out there,” he told me. “It’s really exciting.”

An acclaimed chef and an award-winning winemaker; two distinct palates, working together to create something delicious. Reca Wines are expected to be available by year's end, and rest assured I’ll be keeping you apprised in these pages. Meanwhile, you can find Reyes’ Cē Ācatl wines at these San Francisco venues:

Cantina Los Mayas
431 Balboa Street
Richmond District

Tupelo
1337 Grant Avenue
North Beach

Belle Cora
565 Green Street
North Beach

Friend Of A Friend Wine Shop
705 Columbus Avenue
North Beach

Otherwise Brewing
1402 Grant Avenue
North Beach

Things are turning, and you can feel it in the air: there’s a sense of optimism and possibility out there, a feeling that we’ve been missing for a while. And just in case you need some third-party confirmation for all of this, San Francisco was just named the happiest city in America, and one of the 50 happiest in the world.

But what about the city’s longstanding reputation as a dining Mecca, you ask? Remarkably, despite all the chaos in the F&B space since 2020, it appears to be alive and well. Just a few weeks ago, Travel & Leisure Magazine named San Francisco the culinary capital of the USA, beating out our perpetual rival, New York City.

Without a doubt, it’s an exciting time to be in San Francisco. North Beach’s Rosario Priolini made a big bet on the city’s recovery a little over two years ago when he opened Bocconcino, his very first restaurant. Priolini had been in the hospitality business for over two decades, including a long stint at Bistro Don Giovanni, one of Napa’s most well regarded Italian restaurants. But he had always wanted to create his own restaurant: to cook in the daytime, and to serve the people at night. As the charismatic chef emphasized when I interviewed him last August, “this is my dream.”

Since then Bocconcino has only gained traction, and it has become a staple in North Beach, a neighborhood long known for its Italian food. It recently broke the top 10 San Francisco Italian restaurants on Yelp, no mean feat for an eatery that isn’t yet three years old. And if Bocconcino’s kitchen keeps turning out the dazzling pastas and secondi that SF diners have come to expect, it’s a trend that’s likely to continue.

Last week I sat down with Priolini to talk about his thriving business, and the constantly transforming city that we live in. Lightly edited for length and clarity, our conversation is below.

Joe Bonadio (JB): It’s good to see you, Rosario.

Rosario Priolini (RP): Always good to see you, Joe.

JB: Tell me, how’s business? I’m guessing with all this great weather…

RP: It’s very good, yes. I can’t complain.

JB: Do you feel like you’ve been seeing a change in the city?

RP: Oh, yeah. A lot. It’s almost like before the COVID times.

JB: Nice. That's exactly what we’ve all been waiting for. You've been here for just over two years now, right?

RP: Yes. Two years and four months.

JB: Okay. Is it different now that you're a little bit more established, more a real part of the neighborhood?

RP: Oh, yeah! And not only neighborhood. The hotels are noticing us, and we get a lot of customers from the hotels now. We’ve got people coming from all different parts of the city now. Plus the neighborhood, people have been saying nice things about us. And we live in a beautiful neighborhood, people love coming here.

JB: Those views are good, man…

RP: That’s right. So it's good, it's good. Everybody is coming in now, North Beach and Telegraph Hill.

JB: So it’s steady.

RP: Yeah. Steady.

JB: Rosario, do you find your approach to the menu changes as time goes by? I’m curious, being that this is your first restaurant.

RP: No, not so much. I try to make the food better every day, but mostly I focus on making three new specials every two days. That keeps it fresh and new.

JB: You've become known for your unusual pasta dishes. My question is, being a pretty active home chef, where do you find the inspiration to cook something new every day?

RP: Where do I get the inspiration? I think a lot about the specials—a lot. You know, making new combinations. I think of the period from ’85 to ’95, and remember a beautiful plate from then, you know, and try to make something like that…

JB: Why ’85 to ’95?

RP: It was a time when the food was more Toscano, more consistent, you know? And with my specials, I work to make them like that, but for this time, for now. And for me, innovation is often like a fusion between the old school and new school, and I try to make it something special. It’s a lot of working. Try, try, try, and when I'm sure the plate is good, I put it on the floor.

JB: And it’s typically something that nobody else is doing.

RP: Well you know, this is my passion. I spend all my time thinking about a dish. I think and I think, and when it's ready in my mind, I make it.

JB: As a diner here in the city, what do you consider to be the ultimate night out? What kind of experience do you look for when you dine out?

RP: You know, I try to not go to Italian restaurants too often. And with my family, I like to go Asian sometimes. You know, Chinese food, Korean. I mean, sometimes Italian, but not too often. I like to mix it up, to have something else.

JB: I’m the same way. Do you ever find that different types of cuisine give you inspiration for your food?

RP: No, no, no. This is Italian, so it's totally different. But I will say, I do like it when I go to a quality restaurant and I can see the chef working, and the plates are precise. With any cuisine. Because if it’s good food, there’s no discrimination.

JB: You know, that's a perfect answer. Thank you, Rosario.

Bocconcino
516 Green Street
San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 932-6189
bocconcinosf.com

In fact, Mexico would likely have been a wine powerhouse decades ago if it weren’t for a few historic setbacks. King Philip II of Spain dealt the first blow, banning all wine production in its Mexican colony at the end of the 16th century. Fearing competition for Spain’s own producers, Philip ordered all vineyards destroyed–with an exception given to the Catholic Church, which was still permitted its sacramental wine. In the early 1800’s, a newly independent Mexico’s attempts to expand its wine industry were thwarted first by plagues of phylloxera, and later by the revolution of 1910, which obliterated most of the nation’s vineyards.

Happily, the last 15 years have been far more propitious for Mexican wines. By bringing in untraditional grapes like Chenin Blanc and Nebbiolo and applying modern winemaking techniques, Mexico has transformed itself from a niche brandy producer into a premium wine exporter, home to over 400 wineries. Today winemakers from all over the world are working in Mexico, cultivating over 100 different types of grapes. And it’s not only in Valle de Guadalupe: Mexican wines are now coming out of Coahuila, Querétaro, Chihuahua and elsewhere.

Having worked with the owners of San Francisco’s celebrated Cantina Los Mayas to publish the U.S.’ first 100% Mexican wine list, I have tasted more than my fair share of Mexican wines over the past six years. And some of the best (and best value) bottlings that I’ve sampled have come from the hands of winemaker Cesar Reyes. Salvadoran by birth, Reyes regularly produces wine in both Mexico (under the Cē Ācatl label) and Napa (under Prohibido Wines). Cantina Los Mayas has been serving his Mexican bottlings since its very first days, and they’ve gotten consistently better with each vintage.

Recently, Reyes’ newest Mexican offerings have been making inroads into bars and shops here in Oh-So-Italian North Beach. Popular spots like Belle Cora and Tupelo have been serving his Cē Ācatl Pinot Noir, Cabernet and Grenache by the glass–and Reyes recently brought an armful of new wines back from Mexico. He’s got a Durif from Coahuila (that’s what much of the world calls Petite Sirah) that truly must be tasted to believe. He’s also got a new Rose of Pinot Noir and a tasty Cabernet Franc, both hailing from Valle de Guadalupe. And that’s just for starters.

Reyes’ catalogue is becoming expansive, and he clearly has no intention of slowing his pace. I recently sat down with the busy winemaker for a brief chat; edited for length and clarity, our interview is below.

Joe Bonadio (JB): What’s happening Cesar? It’s good to see you.

Cesar Reyes (CR): A lot! There’s a lot going on. There are new wines coming in, new regions, new places in Mexico that we have been exploring. The industry is really developing.

JB: You're a Salvadoran winemaker, but you make wine in Mexico and Napa Valley.

CR: Yes. I used to say that I make wine from B.C. to B.C.–from Baja California to British Columbia. And lately I’ve been traveling and discovering, and we’ve begun making wine in many different areas of Mexico. There are 17 states producing wine in Mexico, and we are making wine in four of them. So I'm pretty happy about it.

JB: Which four?

CR: Baja California, Coahuila, Sonora and Chihuahua.

JB: As I've noted before, I've never worked with a winemaker who regularly makes wines in Mexico and here in California. What is it that makes you unique? Why do you think you're the one who ends up in this position?

CR: Well, first of all, as you know I'm a viticultural management guy. So I naturally pay a lot of attention to the land, because that’s where everything starts. And each variety of grape has to be properly represented when you make it into wine. For that reason I usually avoid blends–because single variety wines reflect the terroir more clearly.

JB: I notice that you typically lean toward varietal wines.

CR: I do, I like single variety wines. It’s my belief that there's a lot of work put into the field, into the vineyard. And you know, that work should show in a bottle of wine. So for me, when you add something at the end–like blending a Cabernet with a Petite Sirah, for instance–you can lose some of that work. You risk everything you’ve done in the field all year, trying to achieve the best grapes that you can possibly grow, so those grapes can become the best possible wine.

JB: It definitely shows in what you’ve been making. You're kind of on a tear right now, making more and better wine all the time. Tell our readers what you just brought us back from your recent trip to Mexico.

CR: So I just brought in Durif–that’s Petite Sirah, from Coahuila. I’ve also got a great new Cabernet Franc from Valle de Guadalupe, and I brought in a Cabernet Sauvignon from Hermosillo, in the state of Sonora. I also just started bringing in another Cabernet Sauvignon from Chihuahua, which is cool, because now people will be able to taste my Cabernet Sauvignon from three distinct areas of Mexico: Chihuahua, Hermosillo and Valle de Guadalupe.

I also made an exception and came up with a new blend, just because I thought it might be something fun. It’s something I call Sarape. That’s the Spanish word for the traditional Mexican blankets with the blended colors, something you can see reflected in the design of the label. It’s 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Grenache. That's the only red blend I have, and I think young people that are just starting to drink wine and looking for something different are going to love it.

JB: So that's a slightly lighter red?

CR: Yes, it's a lighter red. It’s very fruit forward, and the nose is amazing–that comes from the Grenache. It’s really a unique wine. I wanted something more fruity, more aromatic, and think it came out pretty good.

JB: Agreed. The new Durif is also sort of a pleasant surprise. I’ve always been a huge fan of Petite Sirah. It’s one of the densest, inkiest grapes, and I love wines like that. How would you describe this bottling?

CR: Actually this Durif comes from a very old vineyard, so the vines are over 50 years old. So it's not as aggressive as you might expect; it's very soft, and has a lot of subtle aromas. This is a very particular wine; it shows a little bit of clove, a little bit of black pepper, some savory elements. It’s very approachable, very enjoyable.

JB: And like basically all your wines, it’s priced for BTG—by the glass.

CR: Yeah, very good for BTG.

JB: So far your products have been doing very well in North Beach: they're pouring your wine right now at Belle Cora on Green Street, and on Grant Avenue at Tupelo. You’ve also got a handful of your wines on the shelf at Friend Of A Friend, which is the hottest new wine shop in North Beach, arguably San Francisco. So far, so good.

CR: Yeah, I'm pretty happy about it.

JB: And I think we’re just getting started.

CR: Yeah, it's a big opportunity to be here in North Beach. You know, yesterday we also got a couple of our Cē Ācatl wines into a shop in Downtown Napa called Back Room Wines, which is great. I'm really happy to be on the shelf next to all the high-end bottles in Napa Valley.

JB: Right in the middle of downtown Napa, and they’re offering Mexican wine. That’s amazing!

CR: Yes, we're the first Mexican label they’ve ever carried.

JB: That’s great, man. And like I said, this is just the beginning—people need to snap out of their 20 year old attitudes about Mexican wine, because the product coming out of Mexico these days is delicious.

CR: It is, and I think you’re right—it's time to give Mexican wine a little bit more respect. It seems like we have been almost dormant for the last hundred years, but as you know we were the first ones to make wine on the North American continent. Even today, the oldest North American winery is in Mexico. So it really is about time people start getting to know Mexican wine.

JB: I couldn’t agree more, Cesar. Thanks again for taking the time.

CR: Thank you, it was a pleasure.

You can find Cē Ācatl Mexican wines at the below San Francisco venues, with more to come soon:

Belle Cora
565 Green Street, SF 94133

Tupelo
1337 Grant Avenue, SF 94133

Cantina Los Mayas
431 Balboa Street, SF 94118

Friend Of A Friend
705 Columbus Avenue, SF 94133

But the big story is playing out on a quiet street in the Inner Richmond. In July of 2022, Cantina Los Mayas opened their doors across the street from Cinderella Bakery on Balboa Street. The third restaurant from the group behind rock-solid Taqueria Los Mayas on Clement Street, the Cantina would be an entirely different animal. With an elevated menu of dishes from the Yucatán, complemented by the country's first completely Mexican wine list, Cantina Los Mayas hit the ground running. Thanks to an early nod from the San Francisco Chronicle, they opened to news cameras in the dining room, a rare blessing when you open without a sign in a sleepy neighborhood.

Cantina Los Mayas has only continued to improve, and since opening they've become the most highly rated upscale Bay Area Mexican restaurant on both Google and Yelp. Oddly, the Cantina has gotten scant local press in the past couple of years––but last month, the restaurant received an unexpected honor. In a national Yahoo survey conducted by Foodies.com, Cantina Los Mayas was named the best Mexican restaurant in California.

Take a moment to reflect on that: there are nearly 20,000 restaurants that serve Mexican food in California. I also think most people would argue that California has the best Mexican food in the United States. It speaks volumes that despite all of that fierce competition, the team at Cantina Los Mayas came out on top. This isn't the kind of thing that happens without a lot of inspiration, and tons of hard work.

Much of the credit goes to stoic Chef Marco Mendoza-Correon, who continues to raise his game in the kitchen week after week. From his pitch-perfect, silky mole to the piquant smoked pepper sauce that elevates his Chamorro de Borrego––lamb shank slow-roasted in banana leaves––his sauces are nonpareil. People also absolutely froth over Marco's Branzino Frito, and his Molcajete Mixto, a battalion of scallop, shrimp, octopus, carne asada, chicharrons, queso panela and nopales mushrooms (!!) is no less than a showstopper. Served with a side of steaming fresh tortillas, it's ideal for sharing with a few hungry friends.

And let's not forget the wine: Cantina Los Mayas' wine list is 100% Mexican, with well over 80 offerings from wine regions all over Mexico, including Valle de Guadalupe, Coahuila, San Luis Potosi and Guanajuato. As the first restaurant in the US to publish an exclusively Mexican wine list back in 2022, the Cantina spearheaded a national trend: although only some Mexican wines are natural wines and/or minimal intervention wines, younger drinkers also see them as an alternative to the wines their parents might have enjoyed. And let's face it, the quality of Mexican wines is drastically higher than it was a decade ago––and they're getting better every year.

This all might sound a little on the fancier side, but when I spoke with co-owner Juve Carrillo, he emphasized the approachability of the place. "A lot of people might think Cantina Los Mayas is just for special occasions, or things like that," he told me. "But I have regular customers who will sit at the bar and get a bowl of pozole, or maybe a little ceviche and a beer, and they're gone.

"This is a small, kind of intimate neighborhood––and we want to be a neighborhood restaurant," Carrillo continued. "We want to take care of the people here, and as much as we want everyone in the city to come, we try hard to do that."

Cantina Los Mayas

431 Balboa Street

San Francisco, CA 94118

cantinalosmayas.com

As you might imagine, North Beach is a pretty good place to find sausage. But one thing you can't find in this neighborhood is a preparation that has become a rarity in recent years: seafood sausage. That is, until now: starting this month, Sotto Mare's very own house-made seafood sausage hits the menu.

Over the last eighteen years, Sotto Mare has been serving the freshest, most well-prepared
seafood in the city. They also sell all of their fresh seafood out the door, and they've been functioning as the neighborhood's best fish market since the day they opened. So it should come as no surprise that they chose to tackle this recipe. Longtime owner Richie Azzolino is the holder of many secret recipes: the formula for his Cioppino, the most popular in San Francisco, originally came from his Nonna's kitchen.

Now, it's not every day that Sotto Mare makes even the smallest change to its menu. So earlier this week, I sat down with Rich to talk about all the latest at his remarkable restaurant. Lightly edited for clarity, our conversation is below.

Joe Bonadio (JB): So Richie, Sotto Mare is officially 18 years old.

Rich Azzolino (RA): Yep, tomorrow we turn 18.

JB: You're finally legal! How's it feel to be at the helm of one of San Francisco's restaurant institutions?

RA: Well you know, it was a dream that we had, to create a restaurant like they have in Italy. I grew up in the restaurant business, and my dad was very successful. And to be as successful as we are here at Sotto Mare....it's satisfying. My wife and I, my family and my crew that works here, we're all one big family. And I think that's why we're successful.

JB: You can definitely feel that when you're here.

RA: We respect everybody, and we work hard to put out the best food we can. Sometimes I think we don't even realize how well-known we really are. Everybody tells us we're an institution, and I guess after 18 years, we qualify. And we're looking forward to being here for as long as we possibly can.

JB: You know the neighborhood wouldn't have it any other way.

RA: Well, I'm hoping that my daughter and my son take over. But my wife and I will never go away! Hell, even if the kids took over, I'm sure we'd be out here two days a week just to say hello to everybody. I don't know if I could live without them.

I love this place--it's my house, and I welcome everybody into our house as partof the family. That's just how it is when you come to eat here at Sotto Mare.

JB: That's how it feels, too. That's one of the reasons that I always love to come here, because I feel like I'm going to see my family.

RA: I love that.

JB: So Rich, needless to say we've been through a lot over this past five years. And there are a lot of positive signs at this point, but the city's comeback has been pretty slow. What are your thoughts on it?

RA: Well first of all, we're here in North Beach, and I think we're doing better than most parts of the city. Maybe that's because North Beach was a great neighborhood to begin with. Not only are we in the greatest city of the world, this is the greatest little district anywhere. There's nothing else like it. And it's the people that work and live here who are behind that success.

JB: A lot of people don't realize that your whole family was born and raised in this neighborhood.

RA: That's right, both my wife and I were born and raised right here--about three blocks from where the restaurant is today. We're both 73 years old, and we haven't left. We're like Safeway carts: we hit the yellow line, and our knees lock up and they won't let us out!

But it's been terrific. When I sit out in front, it's like a club. So many people come by to say hello, and we'll have a little glass of wine. People who've been our friends since childhood, or since high school, all the way to friends that we've made here. Retired firemen, policemen. And they always say, Richie, when are you gonna retire? I tell them the same thing every time: I retired a long time ago, way before you guys. Now I'm just having fun, and hopefully making a couple dollars.

JB: Looking around at all these people, I would say that's probably the case. (Laughter)

RA: But I have to say, the state of the restaurant business in San Francisco is sort of dismal. Every day I pick up the paper and there's another restaurant closing. Michelin-rated restaurant, been here for 20 years, now they're closing. Especially in the financial district, it isn't nearly as populated as it used to be. It's hurt a lot of the restaurants, and any businesses having to do with food or retail.

It's going to be up to the new mayor to change that, and hopefully he's on the right track to rejuvenate things, and get some better press out there. I think we're a clean city, and while we have problems, it's mostly in the same neighborhood where we've had problems for the last hundred years.

JB: The Tenderloin.

RA: The Tenderloin. And it's concentrated there--if you go anywhere else in the city, you don't know anything about it. We've got to get the news people to start showing all the other districts of the city, and stop focusing on the few bad spots. It's been cleaned up a little bit, and they'll be cleaning it up more. Because we really need to get the conventions back to Moscone Center, and get some help to all those restaurants down there, and across the city.

JB: Rich, you've said before that your job here is to keep the quality high, and to make it easy for the people in your kitchen and on the floor.

RA: Because that makes your customers happy, so that everybody in the place is happy all the time. You keep spirits up!

JB: For that reason, you've rarely changed the menu in the past. But I understand you're going to be bringing something new onto the menu.

RA: Yeah, we're gonna do something new--but it's not going to be challenging for the kitchen. It's gonna be right in their wheelhouse, in fact. We're going to be making fresh house-made seafood sausages.

JB: Great. Tell us about the dish.

RA: The sausages will be stuffed with the freshest white fish, shrimp, clams, maybe some crab. We've been tweaking the recipe, and it's going to be a real seafood sausage. They'll be done on the griddle, and served with a lemon butter caper sauce, or another sauce if you want. It's something that I've had the recipe for for some time, and I'm finally getting around to it.

JB: I've never heard of it. Where'd you get this idea?

RA: Well, I was gifted this recipe, from the Alioto family actually. Nunzio Alioto in particular was a great friend who ran Alioto's #8 with his cousin Joey, also a great guy. They're all retired now. Nunzio came to me one day and said Richie, do me one favor. Can you keep the seafood sausages going? So I said, show me how to do it.

JB: That's cool. When was the last time the Aliotos were making those?

RA: Oh, that was pre-covid. No one is making them anymore, so Sotto Mare will be the only place you can get them. And they're delicious.

JB: Personally, I can't wait. And you have something else in store.

RA: Yes. Something people have been asking for forever: we're going to add a Caesar salad.

JB: Wow. You've never served a Caesar here before?

RA: Not until now. We're going to do it with my personal Caesar dressing, which is a little more tangy than most. You're going to be able to get it with or without anchovies and add crab, shrimp or smoked salmon if you like.

JB: I love a good Caesar's salad, so I look forward to that. Richie, thank you again for taking the time.

RA: My pleasure!

Sotto Mare

552 Green Street

San Francisco, CA 94133

(415) 398-3181

sottomaresf.com

Buoyed by the ambitious cooking of Marco Mendoza Correon, the new restaurant made a proper splash, landing square on the front page of San Francisco Chronicle's food section just three days before opening their doors. It was an auspicious start, to say the least. The Cantina quickly built a following among discerning locals, and before long the restaurant was regularly landing on 'Best of SF' lists. Just over three years later, the restaurant has established itself as the Bay Area's most well-rated upscale Mexican restaurant, no mean feat in a market estimated to have well over 1,200.

Having worked with Carrillo since he opened his very first taqueria in 2016 (the humble, now long-departed Panuchos), I was enlisted to help with the Cantina wine list nearly six years ago. Out of necessity, it became my job to track down the producers, find their distributors, arrange the tastings--and keep lots and lots of notes. Working shoulder to shoulder with Juve and his partners Vince Lam and Morgan Anderson over the course of two and a half years, we tasted and compared literally hundreds of wines. And slowly, the mighty Cantina Los Mayas wine list took shape.

While we were typically dealing with distributor's reps who offered a portfolio of producers, with the winemakers remaining behind the scenes, there was one exception. The owner of Cē Ācatl Wines in Mexico's Valle de Guadalupe, Cesar Reyes was the first producer of Mexican wines to cross the Cantina's threshold. And Reyes not only showed up in person, we loved his wines, and they've been on our list since day one.

As I would soon discover, the winemaker also comes with a pretty good story. You see, Reyes (who originally hails from El Salvador) not only makes wine all over Mexico, he's the only producer I know who also makes wine in Napa--and very good wine, in fact. His Prohibido label makes excellent Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir, wines that have earned him gold and double gold medals at California wine competitions for nearly a decade. Favoring single-varietal wines over blends, Reyes is exacting when it comes to the winemaking process, often aging his wines for years before release to achieve the best results; Cē Ācatl currently offers a 2017 Grenache, very unusual for that grape.

And that's just for starters. The guy is also an expert chemist and wine consultant: he's the one vintners call when they've got a problem with their wine, one they cannot solve. It's a rare talent--a very particular set of skills, you might say--that has rescued many an imperiled cuvée. As you might imagine, this has endeared Reyes to the winemaking community, and many of Napa's best producers have him on speed dial. "They call me the Wine Doctor," Reyes once said to me.

The wine business has slowed down in Napa over the past few years, a shift that has given Reyes the chance to expand his Mexican portfolio. He's now making wines from areas outside Valle de Guadalupe, and much like Mexican wines in general, Reyes' product has continued to improve year over year.

Case in point: the only varietal we've never been able to source out of Mexico for Cantina Los Mayas is Pinot Noir. It's true: after almost six years of tasting, we never found a single Mexican pinot we liked enough to buy. Happily, the Wine Doctor has been hard at work, and in September we finally had the chance to taste Reyes' 2018 Cē Ācatl Pinot Noir, vinified in the state of Coahuila.

Bingo! The wine was soft and subtly perfumed, with just enough backbone to stand up to Juve and Marco's bold cuisine. At long last, Cantina Los Mayas had a proper Mexican Pinot Noir.

I enjoyed Reyes' new wines so much that I recently started tasting them around North Beach. (Having been in the neighborhood for a while, it's easy to get an audience, especially when you've got an armful of wine bottles.) My friend Lacie Thayer, General Manager at both Tupelo and Belle Cora, was the first to taste the pinot noir--and it quickly got her attention.

One afternoon in early October, we got together at Tupelo: Cesar came into the city, and by chance, Teague Kernan, co-owner of both Tupelo and Belle Cora, was able to join us. We tasted through the wines, and let's just say it went about as well as it could have. Kernan, who also owns a bar in Sayulita, Mexico, was happy to support an independent Mexican winemaker--and more importantly, they loved the wines. They immediately put the Pinot Noir on their list, along with the Cabernet, the Grenache and two of Reyes' Prohibido dessert wines--now available at Tupelo. And to my delight, they also added the Cē Ācatl cabernet to the list at Belle Cora, which has long been my second home in North Beach.

When I spoke with Reyes, he was thrilled to see this new audience opening up for his wines. "It's great to see people enjoying these wines for the first time, especially in a place like North Beach," the winemaker told me. "Mexican wines in an old Italian neighborhood....I like it."

Rest assured, I'll be back here soon to report on Reyes' progress with Cē Ācatl and Prohibido. In the meanwhile, you can now find his delicious wines at the venues below. See you in the neighborhood!

Cantina Los Mayas
431 Balboa Street
Richmond District

Tupelo
1337 Grant Avenue
North Beach

Belle Cora
565 Green Street
North Beach

With the advent of the SF Pizza, Bagel & Beer Festival, which just celebrated its third year in July, North Beach added another epic outdoor event to its already busy calendar. On the day of the festival, roughly 4,000 hungry attendees filled the streets surrounding Washington Square Park for an afternoon of fresh bagels, craft beer and more pizza than I've ever seen in one place. It was by any measure a massive party, and one of the best days that North Beach has seen in a very long time. And as sprawling as the event was, it basically ran like clockwork.

Of course, that's anything but a coincidence. Festivals like this require a staggering amount of planning, along with no small measure of experience. Happily, from its inception this festival has been helmed by two of the most capable people in the neighborhood: the San Francisco Italian Athletic Club's Nick Figone, and Tony Gemignani, owner of the Tony's Pizzeria Napoletana restaurant group. Between the two of them, Figone and Gemignani have the sort of connections and know-how that make the impossible possible, and indeed, it’s hard to imagine anyone else pulling it off.

Chief Operating Officer for the SFIAC since 2016, Figone has been a busy boy since day one, presiding over an ever-crowded event schedule of festivals, stag dinners and sponsored parties. Much like Gemignani, Figone is a fund-raising champion. He also stewarded the SFIAC through the gauntlet of Covid, using the downtime to complete a major renovation for the club's Stockton Street headquarters.

Now that San Francisco is finally getting back to normal, the club is busier than ever, and the SFIAC’s staff is growing to meet the workload. In July, the SFIAC Foundation (the non-profit arm of the organization) brought on Jill Micheli as a full-time staff member. In her new role, Micheli is spearheading marketing and special events for the foundation—which as you’ll see, is something she knows quite a bit about. She and I sat down last week to discuss her new role at the club, and lightly edited for clarity and length, our conversation is below.

Joe Bonadio (JB): Hi, Jill. Welcome.

Jill Micheli (JM): Hi, Joe.

JB: As you know, I've been talking to Nick for the last few years, and reporting from time to time on happenings here at the Italian Athletic Club. And with your new role at the org, he though it would be a great idea to talk with you this time around.

JM: Great, thank you.

JB: So tell me a little bit about yourself, Jill. Where are you from?

JM: Well, I'm fourth generation San Franciscan Italian.

JB: Wow.

JM: Yeah, both sides of my family came over, and are of Italian descent. Both sets of my great grandparents lived and worked in San Francisco, so North Beach and the Italian Athletic Club were always a big part of my family history.

JB: What is your work background?

JM: I was in technology, legal tech, and digital accessibility for 20 years. And then I made a switch into special events and fundraising at Riordan High School, and had the opportunity to join the San Francisco Italian Athletic Foundation Board. I really enjoyed that, and then there was an opportunity for me to come over here full time.

JB: How long were you on the board?

JM: About a year.

JB: Sort of a quick ramp-up for you.

JM: It was.

JB: You must know what you're doing, Jill.

JM: A little bit...

JB: (Laughter) So the SFIAC is a very important organization for North Beach. When it comes to activating this really important spot, Washington Square Park, that so many people consider to be the heart of the city, there isn't a more important organization. They're the engine for this little corner of the city, along with our fantastic restaurants and bars here. So it must be exciting to be jumping into this role.

JM: Yes, it's been a thrill for me. It utilizes a lot of my different skills, from sales and marketing to operations, fundraising and special events.

JB: Tell me what your role entails.

JM: I am working with the foundation, primarily on the annual appeal. Our subsidiary is CIAO, the Coalition of Italian American Organizations. It's a business network that promotes all things Italian. We have a collaborative Italian event calendar, and we work to promote Italian and Italian-American businesses and organizations through our network. Then also I'll be working on the foundation side to help elevate a lot of the events. For instance, we just finished the Pizza, Bagel & Beer Festival, and we had right around 4,000 people.

JB: What an event! Just a barnburner.

JM: It was. We had over 50 pizzerias, 20 breweries, and over 150 volunteers. And we're looking to expand it.

JB: I just met with Tony [Gemignani] this morning, and he was sharing some of his ideas for expanding the whole thing next year, which is really exciting. That festival is my favorite day of the year here in the neighborhood. To me, it's like the new North Beach Festival.

JM: Yeah, I agree. So it was really exciting just to be a part of that.

JB: So tell me about the annual appeal.

JM: On October first we'll be launching our annual appeal. This is when we ask the members as well as the general public to help support a cause for the foundation. This year we are choosing to not only raise general funds for capital improvements within North Beach just to keep it beautiful, but to raise funds specifically to light up Saints Peter and Paul Church permanently. Right now just the steeples are lit up, and we're going to raise funds to light up the entire front of the church year-round. We currently light it up twice a year, two weekends in October and two weekends in December.

JB: So is it a matter of an equipment upgrade?

JM: Yes, so it's primarily equipment, and to help pay for some of the electricity costs. But primarily it's to raise money for the equipment.

JB: Instagram is going to be so happy!

JM: I know, it's going to be the most Instagrammable monument in North Beach, maybe all of San Francisco.

JB: Well that’s only proper. I think that’s one of the reasons people like it so much over here: our forebears were really good about commemorating the history of the place. North Beach is rich in monuments.

JM: It is, and we want this area to be a beautiful destination for both tourists and locals to come year-round.

JB: And that does take some doing.

JM: Yes, it takes a lot of work.

JB: How long have you been in this new role, Jill?

JM: Since June first.

JB: So you've had a few months. Tell me about your experience thus far. Have there been any surprises?

JM: Well, I came in drinking from the fire hose with the Pizza Festival! But I have a strong background in special events and event planning, so I just jumped in. I had my task, and I was able to recruit over 150 volunteers to help for this event.

JB: That's impressive. With the second entrance, we needed a lot more people.

JM: Yes, it definitely helped.

JB: Getting a little bit more space, I think, is going to be the next challenge.

JM: Yeah, I think so, too.

JB: But Tony and Nick are all over it.

JM: Yes, and we passed all of our post-event inspections from the garbage company in the city, to make sure we can keep holding the event. We came in well above expectations in terms of cleanup and keeping the park beautiful.

JB: That's important. If there's going to be a next year, you have to take care of this year.

JM: Exactly. Another one of the exciting things about the volunteer aspect of it this year, was I had quite a few high school students come out to volunteer. And they had a small but pivotal role primarily at the entrances. But they're all excited to come back next year and volunteer, to have a bigger role and bring their friends. I think that says a lot that you have high school kids interested in volunteering for something like this.

JB: Well, you know the kids want to come. And they might not have the $90.

JM: Yes, so it's exciting for them. Yeah, we so many great volunteers this year.

JB: So what do the kids do? Are they checking IDs?

JM: They were checking IDs, they were doing wristbands, they were scanning tickets. They were our runners back and forth between the two entrances for whatever we needed. Bringing water to the other volunteers, and some of the volunteers were doing garbage cleanup. They actually got really into it, making sure things were clean and tidy. So primarily helping out at the entrances and cleanup.

JB: And both are really important. Obviously the entrances, because no one wants to stand in a long line. But the garbage, I mean, it's amazing how quickly it can get out of control.

JM: Oh, we know, we know.

JB: To be fair, some people are just slobs. I'll just put this right here—meanwhile there's a trash can right over there.

JM: Yeah, there were a lot of half-drunk beers all over this place.

JB: But what are you gonna do? It’s a party.

JM: I know. But again, it was exciting to have a lot of the students involved.

JB: So like you put it before, drinking from the fire hose—you stepped right into deep planning for the festival.

JM: Right, I did.

JB: A little bit of a hazing. But I guess there’s no better way to learn that much in three or four months.

JM: Right, right. You can't really learn those things. You have to just do them.

JB: And perhaps fail.

JM: We did not fail this time, happily. I had a lot of experience at Riordan doing similar things, particularly around a few special events that had never been done before. So I have a good background in planning, implementing, and making events like this better and better.

JB: And Nick certainly needs somebody like that, with the calendar you guys have. He’s gotta have a good crew.

JM: That’s true.

JB: So Jill, do you live here in The Beach?

JM: I live in San Bruno, right next to YouTube.

JB: Oh, by their HQ?

JM: Yeah, down by the airport. But all my family grew up here in the city. My great-grandparents grew up on Greenwich Street. I had an aunt that grew up on Green Street, and then other family out in the Sunset.

JB: So we have another great event coming up this weekend.

JM: Yes, the Italian Heritage Festival & Parade is coming up this Sunday.

JB: That's another real fun event.

JM: Yeah, that's an amazing day. It’s going to be busy this year: we sold out of all of the outside tables in record time. This year we also have tables on the inside, as well as bleacher seating.

JB: That’s always such a fun event. It’s almost like all the outdoor tables presaged the parklets you see everywhere now.

JM: Yes, that’s just going to be a great day.

JB: Jill, you’ve been a part of this community for a long time, coming to the neighborhood and attending the very events you’re now organizing. What’s it like to be on the other side of an organization you have so much history with?

JM: Well, North Beach is such a special place, I'm just happy to be a part of it. And to help keep all the revitalization going.

JB: It’s amazing to me the pivotal role this neighborhood has played in the recovery of the city. When the chips were down, we were the ones who brought it all back. It came down to North Beach. So this neighborhood is something we've all really got to take care of, and to protect. And you guys are such a big part of that.

JM: Thank you, Joe. It's a great organization to be a part of, and it’s been a pleasure to see people enjoying the Italian Athletic Club during member events, and especially the public events. And we’re going to continue our work with the church and other monuments. We’ll be working to get more signage, making sure there's more crosswalks painted, and that even more light poles have the Italian colors on them. North Beach is a great neighborhood, and we just want to keep this area vibrant and fun.

JB: Jill, congratulations on the new position. And thanks again for taking the time.

To support the essential work of the SFIAC Foundation and donate for their annual appeal, click here.

My response didn't matter, because within moments there would be a bowl of noodles of some sort in front of me. "Mangia." I learned so many lessons at that table, and one of them is that for someone like my grandmother, food and love were the same thing.

Today, nearly a half-century later, my life still revolves around food. I write about restaurants, cook every day, and obsess over recipes like other people do over their children. Because of my website I'm constantly being asked for recommendations, and I'm always happy to oblige, having a ready list of favorites here in North Beach. And while we've definitely got the best pizza and Italian seafood in town (Ciao, Tony's and Sotto Mare), many times I've sent people to other neighborhoods for pasta, to my chagrin.

With the opening of Bocconcino on Green Street last May, Chef/Owner Rosario Priolini has solved that problem. Sitting just across the little alley from Sodini's, the little restaurant is quietly becoming one of the best restaurants in the city––and a lot of it comes down to the pasta.

Of course, it also helps that I've known Rosario for over 15 years. Before heading back to Italy for an extended stay, he worked front of house for the busy Pellegrini restaurant on Columbus Avenue; the place is just a block from my apartment, meaning I would see him a couple of times a day, and this was for years. We never got to know one another that well back then, but Rosario was always there with a smile and a hearty buon giorno!, and I considered him a friend.

So when he reappeared in North Beach at the beginning of last year, he was a welcome sight. And when I found out he was opening a restaurant, it was immediately at the top of my list to check out.

When I first visited last Fall, my date and I devoured the starters, especially the octopus, which was recommended by a friend. It had a nice char, was dressed with a light sauce, and was redolent of the oven and fresh herbs. The clear star of the show, however, was the chef's Tortelloni alla Panna. This dish was a true eye-opener: larger than tortellini, the housemade pasta had just the right bite, and was perfectly sauced. As I cleaned that sauce off my plate with the last of my bread, I decided it was official: I had a new favorite pasta place.

Bocconcino has been open coming up on two years, and the reviews so far are excellent. The crowds have found this place–and if my meal on Saturday was any indication, the food is only getting better. Last week, I had the chance to chat with Rosario for a few minutes at his new restaurant. Lightly edited for length and clarity, our interview is below.

Joe Bonadio: So Rosario, how long have we known each other?

Rosario Priolini: I think since 2007. So 17 years?

JB: That's not even a year after I moved here from New York City. I would see you two or three times every day in front of Pellegrini. But then you were gone for awhile...

RP: I was at a different restaurant, and then I finished in Napa Valley, where I built my knowledge of California wine. The restaurant was called Bistro Don Giovanni, one of the best in Napa.

JB: So you left North Beach for a number of years.

RP: Six years. I always wanted to come back, but it took time because it was difficult to find the right location.

JB: And also, things in the city were...

RP: Not too good. When I started, everybody said Hey, are you crazy? Why don't you go to Napa? Why don't you go to the East Bay? Why do you want to go to San Francisco?

JB: Because San Francisco was all screwed up... (Laughter)

RP: Right, I know. But here it’s the best....there is nothing better.

JB: You wanted to come back to North Beach.

RP: Si.

JB: I understand that. I've been here for a long time, and I get it.

RP: I missed North Beach. It's like you coming from New York--if they put you in Napa or the East Bay, you'd die. You need the energy.

JB: So let's back up a little bit. Where are you from originally?

RP: I come from Lucca, from Tuscany....but I'm not from Tuscany. I was born in Sicily. My mother is from Tuscany, my father was Sicilian. When my father passed away I was young, and we moved back to Tuscany. Nobody can understand where I come from. But all my family is from Tuscany.

JB: You're half Sicilian?

RP: Yes.

JB: You've got all the good stuff! (Laughter)

RP: Si, si!

JB: So how old were you when you came to the United States?

RP: 34, 35 years old. But that was the second time. I was here before that, up in the Russian River.

JB: So you were here, but went back to Italy?

RP: Yeah. Then from Italy I went to London, Thailand, Barcelona, then back to Italy again. Then after that, I decided to move back here.

JB: Wow, you were all over the place.

RP: I was. And in addition to working in restaurants, I was a jewelry maker. I was one of the best ring makers. I worked for Versace, Damiani....for twenty years.

JB: So that was your line of work? The money was probably good.

RP: No, not really. There's more money in restaurants, a lot more. So I kept my job cooking, and I worked on my knowledge of wine.

JB: Have you always wanted to have a restaurant?

RP: Yes. It was my dream.

JB: And here we are at Bocconcino, having a glass of wine in your incredibly charming dining room. For a guy opening his first restaurant, you really came up with a doozy. How long have you been open?

RP: On August 28th, it will be two years.

JB: So are you going to have a party?

RP: No, I don't believe in parties...

JB: Every night's a party?

RP: Right!

JB: So how would you describe what you're doing here at the restaurant?

RP: Bocconcino....is not fancy. It's like an idea: I wake up in the morning, and I decide the special. I try to make all the things that people don't make anymore. Now I need to have more discretion, because before I put my specials on the board out on the street, and other restaurants copied them. I try to make the plate that nonna made, but updated for today.

JB: So you're making things that you can't find at other Italian restaurants.

RP: Si. My special is always something that is difficult to find.

Another thing we do here once a month, is Nonno's lunch. You know the movie set in New York, Nonna's? But I changed it to Nonno's. One special lunch, 30-35 people only.

JB: So you bring in other chefs?

RP: Yes. Like in the movie, how he opens up a restaurant and brings in grandmothers to cook? But I bring in grandfathers. This was my third time, and I already have to turn people away. I can't make this kind of food for 100 people!

JB: So it's a very special lunch. That sounds fantastic.

R: We've done baccalà, and osso buco. This month we did wild boar.

JB: Wow. If I do a nice job on the article, can I get a seat at the next Nonno's lunch?

RP: Of course, I cannot say no. (Laughter)

JB: You know, when you first opened up, I came in with my friend Rain. Sat right over there, and we had such a fine meal. I had heard good things, but I didn't really know what to expect.

Watch the video

RP: When I opened, it was so scary. It was all my friends here, so that when you walked by you'd see people inside. And now I have to tell people that I don't have room for them.

JB: Well, your reputation is very good. All you have to do is take one look at your reviews.

RP: It needs to be better.

JB: And that's why the place is as good as it is, because you have that attitude. Everyone I've known that really stands out in this business has the same attitude: Make it better every day.

RP: That's right, make it better. For me, having a restaurant is like having an aquarium. If you don't put in a new fish every day, the aquarium will be empty. If you reach the point where you don't care anymore, and lose the appetite for what you're doing, the ability to give love....because working in a restaurant, you need to give love to your customers. Love goes into the food, and into your welcome.

JB: I was here the other night, and I was really marveling at the vibe that you project in the room. Everyone was having a great time, and you were the center of the room. You're back there cooking, half the time you're the one who puts the plate of food in front of the customer. You're back there behind the bar, again just projecting that energy. What’s it like to finally be doing this for yourself, for your own place, rather than someone else's?

RP: When I worked for other restaurants, I did it the same, with a lot of love. But with this one, it's....it's different. It's like my little bambino, it's my family. It's everything.

JB: Does it give you more energy?

RP: It's making me more happy. Because at the other restaurants I was just serving. And now I'm cooking! I cook in the morning, and I serve in the evening. For me it's the best, and it's making me complete.

JB: Thank you, Rosario.

Bocconcino
516 Green Street
San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 932-6189
bocconcinosf.com

I was working remotely for a New York firm, so it took a while for me to make friends. But I kept at it, worked hard during the day and went out most nights. They say most of us spend our lives looking to recreate the home that we left behind as children, and I suppose that's what I was doing.

One place that made all the difference for me in the beginning was a little wine bar called Delluva, which opened up on Green Street just a month or two after I arrived. It was at that wine bar that I would meet most of my new San Francisco friends, including Nils Marthinsen–one of the best of the lot, and the subject of this article.

Nils would end up buying that same bar a few years later, and lo and behold, I still hang out there today. Of course, these days its called Belle Cora–and somehow, this week will mark the place's tenth anniversary. Since it's a good story (and because it's an anniversary we share, as you'll see), I sat down with Nils to talk about the milestone. Lightly edited for length and clarity, our interview is below.

Joe Bonadio (JB): How are you, man?

Nils Marthinsen (NM): I'm doing well man. I feel good and I'm happy to sit down with you again after 10 years.

JB: I know, it's kind of crazy right?

NM: It is crazy.

JB: We're sitting right now in front of Belle Cora, which has been your place for that past ten years. And I guess the best way to start the story is this: I first met you inside, about 30 feet away from here. Right in front of the bar, back when it was Delluva.

NM: Before it was even this bar, yeah.

JB: What was that, 2009?

NM: I've lived in the neighborhood since 2008, 2009. So yeah, that's about right.

JB: We got to be friends right away.

NM: Yes, we did.

JB: Now jump forward to 2015, just six, seven years later. Do you remember, before you bought the place, when you and Teague came to me, and Tom and Carolyn and a few of the other Delluva regulars–to ask us if you bought the place, if we'd still come?

NM: Oh yeah, that's right. I had forgotten that. In my mind, it was a fait accompli. Yeah, we were testing the waters. We bought the place in 2014, and we built it out and opened up in July of 2015.

So yeah, it would have been then that we talked to you guys. That was just the due diligence you've got to do before you open the space, to gauge what kind of goodwill is going to carry over, and what kind of clientele you can expect. And we were lucky to keep you guys.

JB: Well, there was never really a doubt. Meanwhile, at the same time you're building out this bar, I'm busy building my website, and starting Joe Content.

NM: Yeah, and we were your first client.

JB: That's right!

NM: And we've been kind of in lockstep ever since then.

JB: You were my first test client. I'm not going to mention in this interview how much you paid me, because I think we'd both be a little embarrassed.

NM: But we made it through it!

JB: Yes, we did. I was writing about the neighborhood, about the history of North Beach and our place in the city. Your blog is still there. And we've always shared that affinity for history, and that love for San Francisco and its past.

Okay, then we jump forward to 2019, and things in North Beach are getting a little bit dicey. If you recall, well ahead of COVID, it wasn't looking too good around here.

NM: Yeah, the neighborhood was looking crummy. It had been in a slow decline, and we were seeing a lot of attrition. Bars were closing, and regulars, characters, bartenders....people were kind of dropping off for one reason or another. But we always had faith that things worked cyclically, and that we could come back out of it. Which is crazy, because that's what happened with COVID.

You know, when COVID first happened, I was at a base level of resignation: thinking it's just too hard to keep this little wine bar alive.

JB: I remember that last get-together right before the citywide shutdown. It did feel a bit like a wake.

NM: Yes. And it was interesting, because at that point there are no assumptions and it gives you a chance to start almost fresh. And after that we just took one step after another. First, I didn't want to sell the business with a cellar full of wine during the pandemic. So we opened the window, and we were selling all bottles at 50 percent off.

JB: I've had friends who spend a lot of time in Italy say that when they came back to San Francisco after the change, it reminded them of being there.

NM: And a lot of people don't realize, North Beach was the first neighborhood to do parklets. My business partner Teague was the one that orchestrated the first round of parklets in North Beach. He did a deal with a semi-pro baseball team somewhere in California, whether it was San Jose or Sacramento, I forget. But we bought this AstroTurf that's still here at Belle Cora now. There were 12 different bars that got on board, and we got 17 rolls of the stuff.

They dropped it off with a flatbed truck, and when it arrived, they said all right: Take it off. We didn't realize that each roll weighed 800 to 1,000 pounds. So we had 8 or 10 of us moving each roll off the truck. Because so many bars had this AstroTurf, we were all saying Green Street is green again.

And we did all this before there was any sort of legislation or permitting. It was sort of beg for forgiveness rather than ask for permission, and it really put North Beach back on the upswing. Like I said before, things are cyclical, and that brought the cycle around for us. Other neighborhoods seemed to wait and see if this COVID restriction thing was a fad, or if it was going to go away. And we kind of just came out guns blazing. I think that really helped put North Beach back on a positive trajectory.

JB: Everybody came back to North Beach. All of a sudden, it was the place to be again.

NM: Yeah. Since then, they've figured out the code and the legislation, and we've adapted and followed all those codes and rules. But it really was a spark that reignited a lot of business in the neighborhood. It definitely changed the face of the neighborhood.

JB: North Beach has always been a quaint and lovely place, so why wouldn't we be outside? Outside is our best side.

NM: Absolutely. We're so lucky here with the great willow trees that we've got, and being able to do live music on the street. The live music helped a lot too, and I think it helps a lot of the businesses around us, because the music kind of permeates the whole area. People sitting outside at the other businesses can still listen in. Sometimes they'll walk over from across the street to tip the band.

North Beach is known for its live music and its innovation, and its heart, really. It's so great to see that heartbeat going strong.

JB: Thanks, Nils. And congratulations again.

NM: Thank you, Joe.

—

If anything, Nils understates the extent to which the parklet addition–and the subsequent purchase of a full liquor license–changed the outlook for Belle Cora, and for what the place offered to the community. On one hand, the extra outdoor space converted what were unsightly parking spots into an idyllic performance space. With the change, the shaded area under the willow trees came into its own as the perfect spot to relax and listen to live music.

On the other, the step up to full liquor changed the demographic at Belle Cora. While you still see kids who definitely should be carded coming in, there are also plenty of parents with their adult children–and others with their little ones, some still in carriages. And of course, this being North Beach, lots and lots of dogs. Belle Cora has become the place for everyone.

After speaking with Nils, I had the chance to speak with his partner Teague Kernan for just a moment at his other bar, Tupelo. I asked him: What does it take to make it to ten years?

"Running a bar in San Francisco, or anywhere, is a never ending job. You always have to be diligently working to improve your place," the veteran barman told me. "And you've got to understand the changes in your neighborhood, and the city....and the world.

"It's exhausting. Anybody in this industry knows how difficult it is to even make it three years. So I'm super proud of Nils, and of everything we've accomplished there," Kernan said. "But the work's not done. We still have to get up earlier than we should to stay alive. But we love the work, so we do it."

Meanwhile, be sure not to miss the party this Saturday. Teague will be playing live starting right at 2:00 pm, and in a great treat for longtime regulars, San Franpsycho will be live printing custom Belle Cora t-shirts from 4:00-6:00 pm. Don't miss it!

Congratulations to both Nils and Teague on this impressive milestone.
Now....on to the party. Details are below–and I'll see you there!

Belle Cora's Tenth Anniversary
565 Green Street
Saturday, July 26th
2:00 PM - Close

Now a similar struggle is playing out in our neighborhood, and it has to do with something we're all too familiar with: bar crawls. You might not realize it, but many of the companies that sponsor these ubiquitous drinking events aren't based in San Francisco–or even California, for that matter. That means the money these crawls are making doesn't stay in our community, and in a tight market like this one, that means pain for our small bar owners.

Teague Kernan, who co-owns both Tupelo and Belle Cora here in North Beach, is taking steps to remedy this situation–and he's got an event coming up this Saturday from 3:00-9:00 PM. This week Teague took a few minutes to give me the details, and edited for length and clarity, our interview is below.

Joe Bonadio (JB): Thanks for taking the time, Teague.

Teague Kernan (TK): My pleasure.

JB: We've always been about as hyperlocal as you can get here in North Beach. So it's really cool what you guys are doing. Tell me a little bit about it.

TK: Well, bar crawls in general have always been, for the most part, additive to bars in terms of increased visibility. They bring new customers in, ideally bringing them in at times when we're not necessarily at or near capacity. So they're helpful to the bottom line. However, recently we've seen an influx of pub crawl or bar crawl companies that aren't based in San Francisco. These are companies from New York, people from Florida. There's one out of Chicago.

Their business model is to use social media to promote, with minimal interaction with the actual brick-and-mortar businesses that are involved. And they're driving people to these bar crawls based on the promise of discounted drinks–which means less revenue for bars, but it's still better than not having customers.

JB: Especially when it's slow.

TK: Right. So bars have been signing up with these companies left and right. The problem is most of these events are occurring on times when we're already busy, sometimes at capacity or close to it. The Saturday before 4th of July, the Saturday before St. Patrick's Day, New Year's Eve, times like that. And when you're slammed like that, the last thing you need is people coming in and getting $3 drinks. And a lot of them are requiring fixed drink pricing, and guaranteeing that to their customers.

The bars have been compliant up to this point, but I did a pricing model recently based on the way these things work. It turns out that if we continue to do this, it actually becomes negative in terms of revenue. Because as these bar crawl companies continue to grow, our bars will be filled with predominantly people who are there for discounted drinks. They're signing up for them. So on our busiest days, like St. Patrick's Day, for instance, we'll be jammed with people that are only paying $4 or $5 for their cocktails.

JB: You've got to push back.

TK: Yeah, and if you're going to resist, this is the time to resist. We're at that precipice where if these companies continue to grow, and we don't give bar owners in the neighborhood another option...

So that's what we're doing. It's called North Beach Bar Crawls, and it's effectively a conglomerate made up of all the bars that become involved.10% of our gross ticket sales go to a local charity, and then after our costs–marketing, printing, wristbands, social media–the rest of the proceeds are split 50/50 between the company and all the participating bars. We're trying to keep more of the money from these events in North Beach, so that bar owners can continue to operate our businesses profitably.

JB: I think we've seen enough of the Amazon and UberEats-type parasitic business models.

TK: I mean, speaking of that, Starbucks had a really effective business model where they would open up right next to the local coffee shop. They had enough revenue on the back end, so all they had to do was get 40% of that local shop's business–then they'd be out of business, and Starbucks would have100% of that market share. If you look at middle America, in some of the smaller towns, if there's a Walmart within 20 miles, there's no local pharmacy anymore. There's no local grocery store anymore.

North Beach is one of the few neighborhoods that understood this a long time ago. It's important to not let these outside entities come in here and just pull money out of the neighborhood. And most of these people, they're not giving back. They're not working hard. They're not trying to build community here.

JB: I couldn't agree more. I like what you're doing, Teague, and I'll help out in any way I can.

TK: Thanks Joe.

NORTH BEACH PRIDE CRAWL
Saturday, June 21st
3:00-9:00

10 North Beach bars will participate in the event: Belle Cora, Boardroom, Columbus Cafe, Gino & Carlo, Legacy, Next Door, Otherwise Brewing, Savoy Tivoli, The Showdown and Tupelo. Each bar will offer a $5 beer, a $7 shot, and an $8 cocktail.

Tickets are $20, and discounted early bird tickets are available for $16 through 5:00 PM on June 18th. Buy tickets at NorthBeachBarCrawls.com until 2:00 pm the day of the event, or at check-in.