Got gas?

We do! But not enough... As we develop the restaurant space, there are several important utilities that must be up to code and in adequate supply to support the energy and plumbing needs of a medium to large sized restaurant. Nearly every business needs electricity and water, but not many need gas. Fortunately, most existing buildings in San Francisco use gas for heat, so many spaces are equipped with a gas meter and lines in. However, the gas needs for a restaurant with a full kitchen far exceed that of most gas heaters.

After speaking with PG&E, they informed me the the important upgrade is a larger gas meter, which allows a business to pump larger amounts of gas for their needs. The magic number that determines how large of a meter is necessary is the total "Gas Load", usually measured in thousands of BTU's (British Thermal Units) per hour (abbreviated "Kbtu/hr"). Gas Load is easy enough to determine, if you know what equipment you plan to install. Most manufacturers supply a spec sheet for each piece of equipment that indicates important numbers such as energy use, exact dimensions, accessory options, etc. Here's a good example from Montague, one of the more popular (and high-end) commercial equipment makers: http://www.montaguecompany.com/PDFs/MON0013.PDF

The model we chose requires 70,000 btu/hr, or 70 Kbtu/hr. By adding up the Gas Load for each appliance in our hot line, we get to roughly 457 Kbtu/hr. Chances are we will need a larger gas meter, but we will find out when PG&E visits next week!

More on Electricity and Water next time....

Neighborhood Love

Today further confirmed my impression that making friends and allies with your neighbors is crucial and pays dividends. After several days of smelling the delicious odors wafting over from next door, I finally made an effort to take Daniel Velasco up on his offer to come by for an expresso at the new location of De La Paz coffee roasters. Daniel is an incredibly dedicated coffee maker that works with a small team to roast whole sale coffee that is distributed to retailers as large as Whole Foods and as small as Mojo, a tiny cafe on Divisadero St. that epitomizes what the hipster generation of San Francisco is all about: quality, sustainable ingredients in a low-key, pretension-free atmosphere (with ample parking for your fixed gear bike).

Daniel and I chatted about the coffee making process as he expertly made a cappuccino: First "pulling" a test of espresso for that particular batch of beans (roasted a few hours ago) to ensure proper toast; painstakingly measuring and weighing the ground beans for a second time (carefully ground to be consistent and the appropriate size for this particular drink); locking the beans in to be forced through the (very expensive looking) espresso machine; and expertly steaming the milk ("which many baristas over-heat to the point of burning the milk sugars and eliminating the natural sweetness"). The result was a beautifully made but simple drink, finished with the flourish of an expert--a beautiful, frothy heart.

I don't drink coffee... but this was delicious. Warm, creamy, toasty, smooth, rich, and not even a hint of that bitter after taste that is usually a sign of mediocre espresso.

Already looking forward to doing business with Daniel and De La Paz. His energy and commitment to the craft are enviable and he is a great example of someone who loves his work and does it with a passion. If we do use De La Paz for as our coffee supplier, we will certainly be going local and have the freshest beans in town-- they are literally our next door neighbors.

Meeting the Neighbors

From the beginning of this endeavor, a major part of our restaurant business plan was to help build and develop a struggling neighborhood in San Francisco. As I've mentioned before, the neighborhood we've chosen has had a long history of misguided development: Many of the buildings in a three-block radius are vacant and have fallen into disrepair. 6th and Market (just 2 blocks away) is considered the epicenter of the area targeted by the City for aggressive redevelopment, a home for the homeless, drug dealers and peep show. For many, this is an understandable deterrent to move into the neighborhood. However, for some visionaries it is an opportunity; An opportunity to engage the community in a personal way and to help a poorly served neighborhood recover from decades of downturn. Adam Mesnick at Deli Board is this type of visionary. He embraces the eclectic residents of Mid-Market and has carved out a niche for himself in the local lunch scene: BEST SANDWICHES, ever.

I met Adam yesterday. it was a sunny morning that I spent inside, cleaning up the remnants of drywall from our recently-demolished former tenant's office kitchen. I walked around the corner to Deli Board and was promptly greeted by a perky order-taker that highly recommended the classic Reuben ("I woke up and was pretty hungover and have been looking forward to a Reuben all day myself"). I had been emailing with Adam and asked if he was in. A few minutes later he appeared, smiling all the way, still wiping his hands of sandwich fix-ins. We chatted briefly about how great it would be to help clean up the neighborhood, what it takes to make a great sandwich (a lot of hard work) and the trials and tribulations of making food in San Francisco (so many permits!). During our five minute chat, 6-7 regular customers came by to pick up sandwiches. Adam knew each one by name and, in most cases, knew their favorite order. In a grassroots sort of way, this type of personal, honest business relationship between individuals is what helps neighborhoods come together and communities grow.

I am thrilled to have Adam and Deli Board as neighbors and hope to meet more people like him as we put down roots in Mid-Market.

Oh yeah, the reuben was fantastic! Get one, today.