Dont worry, we didn’t forget to post a video. The Food Dude is adding something to the website, a “monthly” newsletter! Enjoy the first installment on gazpacho.
It’s summer time, organic tomatoes are crowding the aisles of Rainbow, Safeway, and Whole Foods. Oh, you thought it was tomato season? Nope, it’s GAZPACHO SEASON at Bi-Rite Market in SF.
Now, I can hear you saying, “Food Dude, you’re promoting Bi-Rite now? They don’t need your help, do they?”
Of course not. They’ve got a thriving store, they’ve got the Bi-Rite Creamery that has lines 20 people deep even when it’s 55 degrees outside. (When it gets to 75 degrees the line increases to 50 people deep.) AND, they’ve got a second store scheduled to open on Divisadero in February of 2013. So all my Western Addition peeps, lower Haight denizens, and Fillmore folk can stop crowding out the parking spaces in my neighborhood.
No, Bi-Rite doesn’t need any extra help from The Food Dude, but you, my friend, you need their Gazpacho.
I don’t know if it’s on the list of 100 Foods to eat in SF before you die, but it should be.
I don’t know if it made it onto that “Layover in SF” episode with Bourdain, but it should have.
This is unlike ANY Gazpacho you have ever tasted in your life, and once you try it, you may not be able to go back. I am writing about because it is simply that damn good. When I taste it, my eyes roll back in my head, like Homer Simpson eating a Donut.
This may be the one dish that you can serve to ANYONE. It’s raw, it’s dairy-free, it’s wheat-free, it’s vegan. Here’s the word from Sam “The Butcher” Mogannam (Sultan of the Bi-Rite empire) himself:
No dairy or bread. Just tomatoes, cukes, onions and olive / oil. The recipe is in my book, “eat good food.”
I guess I gotta believe him, but when you taste this stuff you will swear that they must’ve added parmesan cheese, or bread crumbs, SOMETHING to give it this amazingly creamy consistency.
I suppose it all has to do with their technique, their method; it’s “emulsified” maybe? This is not a chunky gazpacho, like salsa cruda, this is more of a blended/pureed gazpacho. But, trust me, even if you grew up eating the chunky variety, one taste of this and you’ll never look back. This is creamy tomato nectar of the gods, but somehow dairy-free, wheat-free, all vegan.
Ask for it by its official name, “Sergio’s Gazpacho.” Tell them the Food Dude sent you. They’ll probably look at you funny.
Bi-Rite Market
3639 18th Street (betw Dolores and Guerrero)
New branch opening in February of 2013 on Divisadero near Hayes (Depending on your budget, it’s either across the street from Popeye’s, or next door to Nopa)
Enjoy! Thanks for reading, and spread the word.
Cheers!!
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