Soif’s soft reboot leads to expanded menu, plus the ‘thinking woman’s ketchup’
The soft opening date came and went, but Soif chef Mark Denham and his sous chef Mike Raskin were calmly shelling a pile of pea-green favas last week and trading grill gossip in the sleekly expanded Soif kitchen. The new menu shows us what Denham has in store for us this summer. Warm local asparagus with fried farm egg and pecorino. King salmon with mint yogurt. Roasted sweet and sour beets with fennel pollen. And on into robust ribeyes, burgers, and mixed grills of lamb from Rocky Mountain Wooly Weeders’ flock in Napa. Wine director John Locke is keen on the new Soif burger which promises “rich high-quality flavor,” says chef Denham.
“These cows enjoyed an organic diet their entire lives. Incredible dairy. The quality of meat takes on a whole new character when it is raised to adulthood.”
Though meats are making a new bold statement on the expanded Soif dinner menu, there are splendid options: a carrot confit dish presented with carrot top pesto, hazelnuts and goat’s milk feta, as well as seared Atlantic scallops with sweet pea risotto, nettles and preserved Meyer lemon. Denham admits that his newly enlarged kitchen allows him to break down whole lambs and do whatever he wants with steaks, chops, meatballs, and sausage.
“We’re in on the whole lamb program shared with Manresa. I really enjoy butchering, start to finish, all the preparations,” Denham says with a big grin. “With so much of savory cooking, it’s essentially alchemy. But with butchering,” he contends, “it has to be exact.”
Denham’s skills, honed at places like Chez Panisse, Postrio and Manresa before he entered the wine-bar inner sanctum, will enjoy new stretch thanks to the computer-controlled hood, the plancha, gas grill and deep fryer. Embracing the main dining area are the newly expanded retail shop—expect surprises here—and the glamorous bar area which will romance aficionados with sleek copper-topped bar, wine cocktails, and even craft beer on tap.
“Bill Schultz did all the construction,” owner Patrice Boyle says, running her hand along the polished copper. “Our practice is to make unusual things,” wine manager John Locke assures. Be prepared to be wowed by the Soif expansion. soifwine.com
Chutney You Need!
Is tomato chutney the thinking woman’s ketchup? Or does it simply “identify” as ketchup? Perhaps we’ll never know. Myth has it that ketchup made its way West from China by way of India, and became tomatofied in the 17th century, after Cortez brought the tomato back to Europe along with some other loot. Origins aside, tomato chutney is a sexy substitute for ketchup as we discovered all over again last week. Feeling reckless, we substituted Sukhi’s Tomato Chutney for its tamer, gentler cousin ketchup (the organic variety made by Heinz) on our non-traditional dinner of bratwurst, artisanal sauerkraut, and braised lamb’s quarters lettuce. Fabulous! Thick and tangy, this was grown-up “ketchup,” exploding with intense tomato flavor that had been amped up with vinegar, raisins, and wild onion seeds. Tomato chutney—a fixture now in our pantry along with hot mango chutney and tamarind chutney—is also divine atop breakfast eggs, or as a partner to pork chops or broiled chicken. I’m certain it would be astonishing on top of vanilla ice cream, though I have not made this experiment myself. Some have said it was this tomato chutney that powered Steph Curry’s performance during the NBA championship game. Sukhi’s Tomato Chutney can be found for under $5 at New Leaf and other enlightened grocery stores.
PHOTO: The new polished-copper bar at Soif, which is now open after its remodel. CHIP SCHEUER
