Situated on the corner of 18th and Florida streets, Osito is San Francisco’s only 100 p.c reside fire, fantastic-eating cafe. Possessing just celebrated its 1-yr anniversary, Chef Seth Stowaway usually takes culinary inspiration from his childhood in Texas, his neighbors, and nearby foods purveyors and farmers.
Osito,”little bear” in Spanish, references a important time period in Stowaway’s daily life.
“When I was initially acquiring sober and discovered my way into the kitchen area at Bar Agricole, my beloved porter there, Medardo, termed me ‘osito’ for the reason that of my significant beard. That was the 1st community I had in my sober life I was smoking cigarettes crack in the Tenderloin prior to that,” he explained.
On Osito’s internet site, a observe from the chef shares that “Our total journey has been a story of local community: the workforce, makers, farmers, traders and close friends whose guidance is the only rationale we built it from the odds.”
Osito emerged in the course of the pandemic, a context that prompted Stowaway to generate a location where by people today could rejoice with each other.
“I want Osito to be a place in which you can get the type of care and consideration to depth that any great-eating restaurant provides, but wherever the aim is on togetherness,” he explained. “People are intended to be in group, and to rejoice with every other. We just went by a interval where by no one bought to be together, so this feels even much more specific, post-pandemic.”
As a 15-year veteran of the Bay Area’s fantastic dining scene, Stowaway had sizeable abilities to attract upon to create a new restaurant, deciding on live hearth as his medium.
“Committing all the way to reside fire identified what was our voice heading to be and forced a a lot more precise viewpoint on palates and tools,” he stated. “I wished to place parameters and restraints on our cooking.”
Acquiring built associations with community farmers and ranchers Stowaway’s menus are constructed close to what is available—not essentially what is in market— and what his purveyors are most energized about. Modifying each 6 months, the eclectic, seasonal monthly bill of fare honors the various team of persons that operate at Osito. The workforce identifies a theme and brainstorms suggestions together on a shared Google doc.
“It’s not just my view at the table,” said Stowaway.
A the latest menu was “Game Birds 2: Forest and Festivities,” a celebration of coastal California and the holiday time, influenced by Stowaway’s business partner Jen Yu’s Korean qualifications. It includes a consommé designed with liquid from kimchi and her beloved banchan.
The space’s cozy 26-seat communal eating table and central kitchen is decked out in reclaimed Douglas fir and feels reminiscent of a Nordic ski lodge. Stowaway needed the kitchen area future to the dining room so that diners could readily interact with his team.
“I required none of the tablecloth, super-good facet of fine eating, but desired all the measures of assistance. These are buddies that are serving you,” he reported.
Requested to identify a handful of words and phrases for which he wishes his attendees to remember Osito, he reported “comfortable, loving, shocking, child-like wonder. I want persons to really feel beloved at the desk.”
Stowaway regularly hears about attendees becoming pals. Some patrons with gardens convey him their individual develop to use.
“We’re superior pals with a whole lot of dining establishments around the Mission,” reported Stowaway. “We do a whole lot of community perform with various nonprofits, and interns graduating from culinary systems to support youth or individuals coming from terrible scenarios.”
He’s thrilled to collaborate with other cooks at Osito, together with Gradual Burn off Takeover, featuring chef workforce Tiffani Ortiz and Andy Doubraval, and a “celebration of friendship” supper with Brandon Jew, who he worked with at Bar Agricole.
Possessing earned a coveted Michelin star last 12 months, Osito is looking at wait around situations raise for its communal dining experience, which contains close to 20 classes there are 9 “drop rounds,” some of which have various dishes. Costs selection from $215 to $250. Seating is offered Tuesday as a result of Saturday from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
For all those who want a extra casual, fall-in working experience, sister bar Lilliana delivers the similar intimate ambience, with imaginative cocktails and food stuff from Osito’s kitchen, future door.
