VinDivine - Living it Up John & Janine Style

Tipsy Pig - Marina

PRO: Decent gastropub-like place, excellent pretzel w/ cheese sauce, outdoor deck
CON: People tend to linger at seats so waits are long, rumor is bouncers are a-holes

Oink! Tipsy Pig. What a great name for a pub. We dig it. And who doesn't like pigs, especially a tipsy one? Especially at about 2AM with the beer goggles on, you Marina dudes! Boink! Yeah, I'm talkin' about you.

First, we tease, heckle, cajole, and basically downright ridicule Marina people. Why? A) 'Cuz it's fun 2) Lots of them deserve it. I mean, stereotypes happen for a reason, are we right? Word.

But second, all us haters decide on our own free will to venture into the Marina, well aware of it's potential for douchey-ness so it's not like the Marina is invading us (just please don't move to SoMa!)

So this place was named for the farmer's pigs that eat old apples fallen from trees. I guess they're fermented (first the apples, then the pigs) so after the pigs pig out, they catch a buzz. Hence, The Tipsy Pig. There ya go. Class is over.

So ya walk into this place and it's long bar on right, a sort of dining area on the left, another room (the library, with a fireplace) further back, and a nice, large outdoor area in the back. So if you decide to come here at just about any time, especially on a nice day scratch that outdoor deck or bar seat right off your list. The Pig packs 'em in.

We rolled in on a nice sunny day and scored one of the few small tables right in front, kind of in the bar slough-off area. Even though it clearly said 'reserved' the very nice hostess cleared it and sat us right away. And we didn't even have our VdV dungarees on!

They have a good beer selection - not like Toronado or Monk's Kettle, but a nice array of different types and styles of brewskis. That said, we hunkered down and went for the House Hound a tasty version of the popular Greyhound.

So what did we use the Hound to wash down? Since we were on our way to an early dinner we went light (damn we're slobs) and ordered up the Macaroni and Cheese w/ Bacon ($9) and the Pretzel with Beer Cheese Sauce ($7)

So a chef friend of ours raved about the Mac & Cheese, so we tried it. Hey, we're pizza and wing bitches, not mac & cheese bitches (yet. Give us a chance and we'll bitch about almost anything). Well, even though we're not m&c aficionados, this dish was just so-so. Hey, the serving size was pretty generous, but the taste was simply a little bland. Plus the cheese tasted a little gritty. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't anything to shout about.

Next, the Pretzel. Oh yeah, baby. How the hell did a soft pretzel rock our world like this did? Nope, no puffery beforehand. We don't do that. Not that it shouldn't be legalized. Anyway. The pretzel is a big, braided number that is nice, soft, with a little tiny bit of sweetness almost like brioche (but not) with some sea salt on top. All good. But that f'ing dipping sauce! Holy crap. Made with chedda and beer and warm and yummy. Two great tastes that go great together!

So would we come back to the Pig? We're not huge Marina fans (no?! R U kidding me?!) so it's not a typical destination for us. But if we happen to be walking down Chestnut, look in and see an open seat or two, sure we'll grab a bevvie and a pretzel. But nighttime? Nope, a little too Marina-ick (I mean -ish) for us.

VdV Rating: 2.5

Hours:
Mon-Fri 5p-2a
Sat-Sun: 10:30a-2p

The Tipsy Pig
2231 Chestnut St
San Francisco, CA 94123
(415) 292-2300

Update: A16 - Marina

PRO: Great wine list, solid menu, nice vibe, excellent service
CON: Pizza was a little disappointing

Yee haw! The pizza bitches ride again! Performing our civic duty to provide you, loyal VdVers, up-to-the-minute (ok, maybe up-to-the-week...sometimes month) pizza reviews. Anyhoo we hit one of our faves yesterday, A16 to take their pie for a ride. Bareback, kittens!

Shelley Lindgren has done a kick-ass job with this place. As we reviewed a ways back, the ambiance is great, the people are friendly and know their shit, the wine list is excellent with some great values and the menu is loaded with lots of creative and authentic Southern Italian dishes. We like A16.

So with all that, what'd we do this time around? Hello ma...we grabbed a couple seats at the bar and ordered a pie. Damn, when are you going to figure us out?! And some Burrata. And...what else at a classy Italian joint? Some Corn on the Cob, Jethro!

But first - they have an excellent Rosé Asti (bubbly) you have got to try - The Bortolomiol ($10), for a Rosé it is dry, very fine bubbles, an excellent light pink color and delicate notes of peaches and berries. A nice clean finish with good acidity, it pairs well with food or just solo. Awesome! And for $10 bones a glass a great deal to boot.

So, on to the chow. The Burrata ($11), what can I say. You either like this stuff or ya don't. We likee. A16's is a generous amount of creamy, tender cheese with just a slight tanginess to it. They dribble some killer EVOO over the top that...makes it over the top. Mmmm Mmmm. I don't think this stuff is very healthy for you though. But I don't think it's the Burrata that's gonna take me down.

The Corn on the Cob ($6). Yeah I know I know, we weren't exactly putting the chef through her paces this trip. Lay off! It's good. We'd have it again.

But we know what you're waiting for, don't we? So what'd we think of the pie? Well, we ordered the Margherita, but we're feelin' pretty frisky so added Mushrooms and Arugula ($22). That's just plain nuts! The crust here is awesome. Word. Thin (duh), and they keep it thin all the way to the edge, just getting slightly thicker around the crust. I think it's some of the best crust around. All pure, no corn meal on this puppy.

After that though the pie went a little downhill. The sauce was not very flavorful this time around. Not sure why, it wasn't watery or anything, just flat. Maybe some lame San Marzanos. And the Mozzarella, while fresh, was a little skimpy. Don't skimp, A16! You know us and our Key Ingredient Distribution.

OK, OK and you could argue maybe we just had too many different things on this pie, by adding the shrooms and the arugula. We hear all of you die-hard A16 pizza lovers:  "Maybe all those different tastes confused your shriveled taste buds, huh?"  And our response to you: Screw you. There is no way on God's Green Earth that our highly trained and road-tested taste buds can be called into question!

Wait. We couldn't end it on that note, so we ordered up the Ricotta Gnocchi in Brodo with Cherry Tomatoes, Garlic and Basil ($10 appy size). These gnocchi are Pillows Of Love, People, Pillows Of Love. Tender as all get-out, plump little numbers and the ricotta was subtle and tasty with the sauce. I mean, they rocked it. Just the right amount of garlic, fresh basil and the cherry tomatoes were super-fresh.

So the verdict? A16 still continues to rock it, but we're gonna have to keep an eye on the Pizza. Hopefully it was just a fluke of nature and they'll get it back on track. 'Cuz you know us and our pizzas, the competition is getting fierce!  

VdV Rating: 4

Hours:
Wed-Fri 11:30a-2:30p
Sun-Thus 5p-10p
Fri-Sat 5p-11p

A16
2355 Chestnut
San Francisco, CA
(415) 771-2216