The snacks are restaurant quality, but somehow eating them in the Mission on the side of the road makes you feel a little spicier- a little more street. Granted, most of the danger comes from you throwing ‘bows at some fools who tried to cut you in line. Boy, don’t you get in the way of my spicy chicken wings. Yes doll, I am waiting in this line for meatballs. And if you think I’m above Heismaning that 8 year old poaching my spot in the S’mores line, think again. Mama’s here, Mama means business, and you do not want to see me hangry (hungry+ angry)… or when Gemma and I get to the front of the funnel cake line and they yell, “WE’RE OUT OF FUNNEL CAKE.” True story. Tears were shed (the S’more kid, I swear). ‘Twas bad. But let’s get to the goods, shall we?

The Persian lamb tacos from Zaré at Flytrap were our first bite. The braised lamb was heartbreakingly tender, subtly scented with cumin. Generous sprigs of dill and parsley and sliced radish were perched on top- and brought a crisp and green freshness to the hearty lamb. Normally a huge fan of corn tortillas, with this dish their tough texture was a bit toothy for the delicate lamb and the strong corn flavor actually overpowered the slightly perfumed meat. A soft, mild pita would have been a good choice.

Just around the block, we plunged into the Kasa cauliflower Kati Rolland veggie samosa. To behonest, it was a little bland. I know, I didn’t know bland Indian food existed either. More heat and salt would have made the Kati Roll’s flavor pop so you could enjoy more than just the textures- creamy curry, al dente cauliflower, and soft chapati all rolled up. Whether from sitting out too long or being fried at too low a temperature, the outside of the samosa wasn’t as crispy as it should be, bordering on doughy. But the flavors were nice, and dipping anything in garlic sauce will kick it up a notch.

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Start with house pickles: cucumber two ways, carrot, beet, fennel, sauerkraut . The cucumbers were nice and garlicy, the fennel hearts potent and made for anise lovers.

House cured lox served on an open-face Beauty’s Bagel came with the standard capers, shaved red onion, pickled cucumbers, and cream cheese. It was light and refreshing, perfect on a warm morning in the Mission. The bagels, made by the roaming bakery on site, were chewy and thick without being overly dense. Seeing new bagel-eries on the rise, I wouldn’t be surprised if Beauty’s tried to open an outpost here pretty soon. Do I smell a trend?

Their Pastrami sandwich on rye had nice smoked and spiced flavor, but as a recent twitter friend/fellow blogger warned, the meat was a bit fatty. Seeing as it’s a deli, they might want to tighten this up. Onto the bread: I’m no rye expert, but theirs, baked in-house, is super soft and delicious. Like, pillow status (for your mouth, not your head. Come on).

Now the sides: the potato salad was relatively light had just the right amount of dill to keep it fresh. The coleslaw was refreshing. Tossed right before going onto your plate, the cabbage is still crisp and hasn’t had time to pickle. I’d definitely order this with the Reuben to cut some of it’s heaviness.

The Reuben was tasty, with corned beef, Russian dressing, slaw, and Swiss melted between two slices of crispy griddled Rye. Again, the meat was pretty fatty but had nice flavor and was super tender. Seeing as I’m a condiment whore, I preferred this over the naked Pastrami.

For dessert, err, post-sando sugar-fix (why Americans don’t see this as acceptable is beyond me), we all split a piece of Babka French Toast. Side note: anyone who orders this for “breakfast” is lying to themselves. Hybrid Jewish coffee cake/bread with chocolate chips is battered in custard and fried in butter, then topped with crème fraîche and nectarines for a decadent bite of heaven. Hand to God, angels sang when I put it in my mouth. Though the most delicious thing I ate that morning (damn my sweet tooth), I think the chocolate is sort of overkill. You lose some of the tart crème fraîche and floral nectarines behind a curtain of sugar. If they swapped the chocolate for blueberries the dish would have more subtle complexity. Of course then it wouldn’t be babka, but that’s my two cents.

The Sons themselves chatted with us for a while– Evan Bloom came out of the kitchen to say hi and Leo Beckerman manned the front of the house, dread-locked and affable. We were sitting right by him and his cash box, so that gave me ample time to request he make me matzo ball soup this weekend, which I’m pretty sure he agreed to. YAY!

Brunch: check. Pop-up fun: check. Jewish food: it’s about time. Thanks for a good meal, guys. It was a great way to start Saturday. Call me when the matzo balls are ready.

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Walking into the small, narrow space at SPQR on Fillmore, the sun was bright and shining at 5:30pm. We were immediately graced with a glass of bubbly which, in my opinion, is the only way to start a 4 hour 10 course meal.

As a teaser, Chef Matt Accarrino sent us out something I can only describe as squid fried à la pork-rind. It was light and airy, we theorized breaded in tapioca flour, served with black garlic aioli.

Our first course was chicken liver pâté topped with balsamic gelée and rhubarb marmelata, served in a mason jar with garlic and olive oil grilled bread. I’m not a huge fan of chicken liver pâté, but the tart acid in the gelée and marmelata balanced out the heavy liver nicely.

The second course was a beautiful mélange of crudo yellowtail, smoked almonds, bergamot, pickled jalapenos, citrus, and mint. The smokiness of the almonds paired magically with the clean crisp flavors of the mint and bergamot and complimented the fresh fish perfectly. I could easily eat this every day and be happy about it. Plus it was so aesthetically pleasing.

Next we had carrots done three ways. One was pickled– fresh, crunchy, slightly spicy. Another was what I would describe as a carrot ball that tasted a lot like stovetop stuffing– and I mean that in the tastiest way possible (although it was slightly on the dry side). The last way was a carrot poached in an herbal broth heavily perfumed with thyme. It was plated on a black slate slab and was topped with shaved lardo and some very interesting cheese “snow” that disintegrated upon tongue contact.

The fourth course was probably the best preparation of artichoke I’ve ever had: slow cooked carciofi (artichoke) stuffed with stracciatella (the inside most buttery part of buratta) served with thyme-poached cherry tomatoes and a quenelle of sundried tomato marmelata. Thin, crispy fried artichoke hearts added a nice crunch and elderflowers graced the dish as an edible garnish. It was seriously like tasting vegetarian heaven. Making a slice into the tender, herbaceous artichoke , the buttery, rich stracciatella oozes into your mouth and you swear there has never been an artichoke like that in your life. That plus the sweet, earthy sundried tomato marmelata was a combination so harmonious it was like they started singing If I Fall by The Beatles inside my mouth. It was all slow motion, cheesy running, love song playing montages in my head with each fork full.

Next was the veal and fontina stuffed agnolotti in a browned butter sage cream topped with shaved parmigiano. The flavors were nice, but the textures were all off. The pasta itself was either too al dente or was too cold upon serving. The cheese was shaved too thickly– it was pretty granular and didn’t marry with the texture of the pasta. Maybe this too wouldn’t have been a problem if the dish were warmer.

The smoked fettuccini with bacon, sea urchin, and a fried quail egg (a play on carbonara), was a beautiful marriage of smoke and fat. It can be very easy to overpower flavors with smoke, especially since there are two smoked elements in this dish, but it was so subtly done that it was delicate, not overwhelming. Adding the buttery uni and runny yolk made for a full-bodied, elegant flavor.

The quail we ordered was a tiny little tasty guy. Served with sour-cherry sage stuffing (where do they stuff a quail?!) and burnt orange sauce on a bed of turnips and carrots, it was cooked to perfection: fork tender inside with crispy skin. The stuffing was everything I wanted in a stuffing– flavorful with the herbaceous sage and fruit, texturally interesting with nuts, and most of all moist.

For dessert, the pistachio cake with honey marscapone cream and poached rhubarb was heaven. The cake itself wasn’t too sweet, so it was nice when paired with the sweet marscapone which was insanely rich and satisfying. The rhubarb was tart and fresh and crisp. Granola added a nice crunch.

Mr. & Mrs. Miscellaneous is a bomb diggity ice creamery in the dogpatch that I had not yet had the pleasure of trying. Their cookies & cream gelatto was gorgeous and luscious. I’ll be making the trek down there to try more flavors ASAP.

We cleansed our palates with a fresh lemon vanilla granita. The flavor of the lemon was so potent it tasted like they used essential oil from the rind. It was a refreshing way to end a big meal.

Then you must finish with an espresso. And a long walk. Rinse and repeat (with exercise, fatties).

Thanks to everyone at SPQR for an awesome meal. And Congrats, Chef, on winning Cochon 555 tonight!

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