"I think that any successful restaurant operation, whether it’s one restaurant and one community or a global marketplace, requires the physical contributions of all different types of persons to drive the business forward."
NOVELTY: Boozy SnowCones
Just in time for summer, barman Reza Esmaili and Stag Dining Group’s traveling saloon Derby Cocktail have rolled some super fun and easy-sipping snowcone cocktails at Off the Grid (Marina) every Friday. Our favorite: the Brown Derby, 
made with bourbon, grapefruit, and honey...
For Reza Esmaili, all the shaker sorcery and orgeat syrup in the world is for naught if a customer at his bar feels adrift.
"Humbling yourself for your guests' pleasure is something that was instilled in me from a very young age," he says...
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The cocktail menu at Conduit, designed by bar manager (and recently elected President of the U.S. Bartending Guild) Reza Esmaili, tends toward seasonally appropriate and well-balanced flavors that pair well with food...
At Zaré at Fly Trap (606 Folsom), there are many reminiscences on growing up in Iran (since chef/owner Hoss Zaré and cocktail director Reza Esmaili both did). One especially addictive and dangerous one is the Minted Memory...
Smuggler's Cove bartender Reza Esmaili is a fan of the Firelit, and coffee in cocktails generally.
"I use it for aromatics, I use it to add astringency from the tannins, and I use it to add texture to cocktails," he says. Esmaili developed a drink using Firelit befitting the Cove's tiki nature. "It's kind of a refreshing, breakfast, picker-upper-style cocktail done in a tiki manner."...