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Maven creatively pairs cocktails with food

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Dinner and cocktails at Maven

The bar culture has touched every aspect of dining from the  exalted to the humble.

Three years ago, Manresa added a bar and started stirring up cocktails. La Folie took over the space next door to its Polk Street restaurant and created a lounge. On the other end, places like Trick Dog, which is known for its cocktails, hit it out of the park when it comes to the food offerings.

No place combines food and cocktails as precisely as Maven, which has been in the pairing game since it opened in 2011. Owners Kate Bolton, the bar manager; Jay Bordeleau and chef Isaac Miller have taken it either further. Now the four appetizers and four main courses are each paired with a cocktail. There’s also a mix-and-match list of seven other cocktails and the same number of shared plates, including an excellent version of Kennebec fries ($6), lightly dusted with juniper salt and served with a green olive aioli. There’s also arancini ($8) —  crisp fried rice balls — that sit on a pool of Meyer lemon aioli.

On a recent Top 100 revisit, I was impressed with the care that had been taken in matching. P.E.I mussels  ($11)  were given a touch of spice  from Korean chile pepper and a licorice note from  absinthe, which helped the dish pair with a version of Corpse Reviver ($11) made with gin, cocchi, ginger, lemon and coriander. A tricky combination of ham and oysters ($13) was enhanced with a smoky cocktail called Lost in Translation ($12) with reposado, rye, barbecue agave, gran classico and a touch of sparkling wine. It seemed like a strange amalgamation, but it completed what was on the plate.

For a hefty main course of marrow-braised beef ($25) with cabbage, red wine sauce and horseradish cream, Bolton and Miller offered a cool version of Irish coffee called Murphy’s Law ($11). It was made with Jameson Irish whiskey, porter redux, chicory and a float of hops-flavored whipped cream.

It showed how far the craft has come. Maven is at the forefront.


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