In a recent article in the New York Times by San Francisco-based tech reporter Nellie Bowles, she writes, “Human contact is becoming a luxury good. As more screens appear in the lives of the poor, screens are disappearing from the lives of the rich. The richer you are, the more you spend to be offscreen.”
I read the article on my phone as my husband and I drove up to Healdsburg to meet some friends, and we talked about how more food establishments have begun to replace cashiers and other front-of-house workers with tablets.
Mirroring Bowles’ comparison of screens to fast food, the tablet-as-mediator is endemic in fast food, from Taco Bell to Shake Shack, but it’s also how many of us order delivery, use the bathroom in a cafe, get on waiting lists and reserve tables. It’s so hard to escape tech, I thought as we rolled up to Single Thread for lunch.
The tasting menu restaurant, which received three Michelin stars last year, inadvertently contributed a great deal to our ongoing conversation. Over the course of our two-and-a-half-hour meal, the staff came up to talk to us a lot — about the food and the overarching narrative of the dishes, certainly, but also about silly things that didn’t have anything to do with food or drinks.
When I mentioned how cute the local dog park looked, the service director pulled up his pant leg to show us that he, along with the rest of the staff, was wearing cat-themed socks that day. Later, he came by and put two molded plastic dog figurines — a Pembroke Welsh corgi and a Saint Bernard puppy — on our table. (Let’s be real: I was about ready to revive the star system just for that move.) The conversation was allowed to be non-transactional, personal and free-flowing — ironically because I was paying a lot to have it.
For your information, a meal for two at Single Thread costs $716.93, with a health surcharge and tax applied. The bill came hand-written and fastened to a bespoke pincushion. The humanness of the experience seemed an integral part of its perceived value.
A quick announcement: I will be talking with Ruth Reichl about food criticism, her new book and many other things at the Osher Marin JCC TONIGHT at 7:30 p.m.! Come hang out and buy a copy of her book, “Save Me the Plums.”
Best Song I Heard in a Restaurant
It was a little jarring to hear the full call-in intro in a dining room, but “Robi Rob's Boriqua Anthem” by C + C Music Factory (best known for their eternal jam, “Everybody Dance Now”) ended up being an extremely appropriate choice for a frenetic and joyous dinner service at Francisca’s in the Mission. The breakdown that starts at 4:42 is so intense. Me encanta!
Photo of the week
As stated in this week’s review, the griddle-cooked sliced potatoes at Albany’s Wojia Hunan Cuisine is my favorite dish on the restaurant’s 100-plus-item menu. The plating is so unique that I specifically requested a photo of it for the article.
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What I’m reading
• I love stories about tamale vendors who make it big, and Janelle Bitker’s piece on an upcoming Fruitvale restaurant, La Guerrera’s Kitchen, fits the bill. After 15 years in the business, the mother-daughter team will be selling tamales and specialities from the Mexican state of Guerrero from inside of the Aloha Club.
• How accessible do restaurants tend to be for disabled people? Washington City Paper’s food editor, Laura Hayes asks disabled foodies and activists in D.C. how they navigate the local restaurant scene when so many establishments are so inhospitable for them. At the end, she has a wonderful list of actionable best practices for hospitality professionals that I highly recommend reading.
• For more on the cute dog front, check out Tara Duggan’s piece on truffle dogs in Placerville. The centuries-old Lagotto Romagnolo breed was made for truffle hunting — and they even look like the mushrooms!
Bite Curious is a weekly newsletter from The Chronicle’s restaurant critic, Soleil Ho, delivered to inboxes on Monday mornings. Follow along on Twitter: @Hooleil
https://www.sfchronicle.com/restaurants/article/How-much-are-we-willing-to-pay-for-human-13749108.php 2019-04-08 11:00:00Z
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