Edible San Francisco

Lauren Kiino (Cane Rosso, and the upcoming Bracina)

There are a ton of local purveyors I love (most involve cheese and salumi!) but one that stands out is Hodo Soy. Yes, the tofu place. I know it’s a bit odd coming from someone who loves her meat, but I really feel like their soy things are pretty phenomenal. I especially love their yuba, the delicate tofu skin. The texture is amazing—toothsome but at the same time delicate. I like to cut it up into noodles and stir-fry it. But I also find it irresistible just raw—the flavor is a subtle combination of nutty, sweet, and milky. And it’s very tactile—when you cut it up it feels slightly springy and moist but doesn’t tear or rip. And since it’s a handmade product made every morning, each batch is slightly different. I’ve been dreaming of a cold salad made from fresh sea lettuce, yuba, dashi vinaigrette, roasted nori, and toasted rice. That might be a dish we do at Bracina.

“Their tofu is pretty amazing as well. I find their medium tofu perfect for stir-frying. And I love to snack on it with some soy sauce, fresh ginger, and scallions. It’s kind of a revelation to have tofu that tastes like something—nutty and slightly creamy. “I discovered Hodo through Daniel Patterson—he uses it on his menu quite often. I grew up eating tofu in various forms. I have to admit it’s something I’ve always eaten but have never given much thought to before I tried Hodo products.”

Charlie Kleinman (Wexler’s)

“I am loving the shrimp I’m getting from Jimmy Galle of Gulfish—he used to be with Grimaud Farms (a duck supplier). It’s unbelievable—the shrimp are only 14 hours out of the water, and they’re big, like langoustines. The Louisiana fisherman that he gets them from is one of the few who can shrimp year round. I’m using the shrimp in this fried grit cake with smoked rouille—the dish is like a cross between shrimp and grits and bouillabaisse. I sell a lot of that dish. It’s great to see customers sucking the heads on them. The shrimp are just that good, I had to get them.”

Lisa Shaw (A16)

I feel a little bad about mentioning this one because it’s an exclusive thing to our restaurant, but Mayfield Bakery, the bakery from the Bacchus Management Group that supplies their restaurants, is amazing. I am totally in love with their bread. We get their regular and country levain, which has quinoa and buckwheat in it. It’s not just bread to serve for our customers—we use bread for a lot of things: bruschetta, the crostini for the burrata, the meatballs… we really use leftover bread a lot. It’s nice because people have really been noticing the bread lately. We also have a great relationship with Gioia—we get our burrata, mozzarella, ricotta that we use for gnocchi and pizza, and smoked mozzarella from them. They are remarkably consistent, and we tried so many. Oh, and our pastry chef Jane Tseng has switched to using TCHO chocolate for all her desserts. The response has been great. We like to support local businesses.”

Mike Selvera (Bar Crudo)

“Jimmy Goldfish from Gulfish. Well, I don’t know what his last name is, he’s Goldfish in my phone. He’s so personable. And his boat shrimp from Galveston are incredible. They are caught that morning and they come into the restaurant that night around 9 p.m. He has a whole line of fish I like, the head-on shrimp, and the snapper, which I use for the whole fish. He has the best stuff. He’s amazing. Now, did I tell you about the 20-pound squid I got in? It wasn’t from Jimmy, it’s from ABS Seafood, they’re getting them from Humboldt, but you should see the eyeball on this thing.”

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