"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...
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."...