#166 | Cheetah Crossiants & Adult Slumber Parties
Plus: your name on the Summer Bash list if you want it
Greetings, I’m catching my breath. The summer issue is officially in the wild, and watching people pick it up at these stockist gems felt like releasing butterflies. I’m now in that sweet spot where the work is done but the feedback hasn’t rolled in yet. Pure potential energy.
Meanwhile, the city continues to cook. Here’s what’s been catching my attention between distribution deliveries:
🐆 Wild pastries—One65 (165 O’Farrell) just dropped a cheetah-print croissant that’s making me reconsider what I thought I knew about brunch aesthetics. Dark chocolate and candied orange tucked inside what looks like edible couture. It launched last weekend and I’m obsessed.
🎉 Foodwise goes full summer mode—Speaking of things worth planning around: Foodwise is throwing their Summer Bash this Sunday at the Ferry Building with 20+ local food vendors, and I've got a secret weapon for you.
Use code EDIBLESF for $15 off—you’re basically being paid to eat.
The vendor lineup is insane and reads like a fantasy dinner party guest list. 7 Adams is bringing charcoal tarts with minced prawn. Shuggie's doing their trash-to-treasure thing with fried green tomatoes and trout roe. Friends & Family has a ma la bay shrimp salad that'll short-circuit your taste buds. Tarts de Feybesse combining corn and grilled strawberries (trust the process). Mangosay is closing it out with mango mousse that tastes like a vacation.
7️⃣ The Magnificent Seven—Remember when I mentioned 7 Adams was leaning into their numerological destiny? I surrendered to their $127 seven-course 7x7 tasting menu, and that first course alone—asparagus cream with Osetra caviar flanked by an oyster—justified every penny. It's the kind of opening move that inspires confidence in whatever comes next.
Image courtesy of Leah Chen
DO:
Block out about three hours—it was a lengthy tasting journey
Try their house-canned mocktails, they were fun-sized
Surrender to the ruby streak salad—it’ll convert even the staunchest morel skeptics
DON’T:
Let the name fool you: ”The Kitchen Sink” dessert is a composed textural masterpiece disguised as chaos
Sleep on their signature milk bread served with cultured butter—it’s Japanese style perfection that deserves its own moment of silence
FIELD NOTES FROM THE FRONTLINES
🎸Unplugged after 40 years—The Phoenix Hotel announced its closing January 1, 2026 after nearly 40 years of rock-and-roll debauchery meets continental breakfast. If you’ve never had a drink at their poolside Chambers Eat + Drink, you've got until year's end to experience where Kurt Cobain, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and every touring band worth their salt held court. The Tenderloin is losing a landmark, and rooms are booking fast at $122/night. Cheaper than most Tenderloin studios, with infinitely better stories.
🛏️Bedtime stories, but make it MICHELIN—Merchant Roots (1148 Mission Street) is throwing adult slumber parties with a 14-course menu launching July 22 that promises molecular gastronomy and pillow fights. Pack your PJs, this is genius fever dream territory, and I’m sold.
🍶Spotted on foot—My local afternoon walk uncovered this liquor license notice, which is obviously shareworthy. Den Sake Brewery is coming to San Francisco to take over an old pooch parlor (2827 Mariposa Street). The Oakland-based brewery that’s been elevating Bay Area sake culture is finally crossing the bridge.
No word yet on whether they're bringing their tasting room vibes or going full production facility, but that "wine grower" license type has me hoping for both. Plus, their sake makes incredible cooking wine—my teriyaki sauces have never been the same.
WHAT I MADE THIS WEEK
I’ve been testing recipes to boost my creativity, and I fell in love with this gorgeously simple summer gem by @emthenutritionist. Courgette ribbons, salmon, chickpeas, and enough herbs to make it look like I raided a garden. I doubled the zucchini since it’s now in season and tripled the mint because restraint isn’t my strongest suit.
Best part is that it’s one of those recipes that looks fine dining fancy, but only takes 20 minutes to complete. Perfect for when you want to feel accomplished without actually accomplishing much.
ONE LAST THING
If you haven't grabbed the summer issue yet throughout the city, our mailed subscription service now works. Inside: that AI-looking cocktail popsicle recipe that actually works, a peppery bánh mì that'll ruin you for all other sandwiches, plus our full culture calendar of events through August.
Also, drop me ideas for our fall (abundance) and winter (staycation) issues—I’m collecting them.
Until then, keep eating deliberately.
—Melody
Would love my name on the summer bash list!