potrero view

August 2009

Retailer Offers Neighborhood Gourmands a New Place to Visit

By Jim Van Buskirk

From the street it’s hard to discern much about the newly arrived Horatius, which is fills the cavernous space at 350 Kansas Street, formerly occupied by Khyber Pass furniture store. The bifurcated blue and purple shield adorned with an H doesn’t reveal the ambitious range of offerings to be found inside: “a market gallery, bistro, wine bar and event venue featuring distinctive food, wine, home and garden products,” according to the retailer’s website.  “The name is inspired by the classical Roman poet Horatius…and the name of the founder, Horacio Gomes.”

Gomes grew up in Venezuela, the first son of a Portuguese supermarket businessman.  He moved to the United States in 1980, and received his bachelor and masters degrees in advertising and marketing from the University of San Francisco. After founding the first Hispanic advertising agency in San Francisco, HeadQuarters Advertising, he became President of the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies in 2001.  He will be moving his agency into the adjacent space at 360 Kansas.

According to the personable bistro manager, Chris Vittorino, Horatius’ goal is to fit in to the neighborhood, as a sort of Ferry Building south. The bistro’s Mediterranean-inspired menu has a Portuguese slant, with a Californian lightness and sensibility. Chef Antelmo Faria, previously of La Salette restaurant in Sonoma, combines his Portuguese heritage, memories of family meals in the Azores, classical restaurant training and Portuguese heritage to reinterpret classic bistro fare.

Horatius offers a dinner menu, including such dishes as mussels with spicy linguiça in a vinho verde-lobster broth, a panini-style sandwich of grilled piri-piri chicken and sweet onion marmalade, and pan-roasted local halibut, served with saffron orzo salad and salsa verde. The bistro also provides extensive catering menus that may be tailored for home, corporate or private events. 

Culinary classes are scheduled to begin before Thanksgiving; Bay Area chefs and culinary personalities will teach in the demonstration kitchen on Monday, while Faria will hold court on Tuesday evenings.  Classes will focus on food and wine pairings, cheesemaking, sustainable food sources, and other topics.

Horatius also offers dinnerware from Italy and Peru, as well as ceramic containers. Among the home and body items are unique host/hostess gifts, such as gardens in a pail, pot or a bag; imported gourmet items like corn pasta, fisherman salt, or Italian tuna packed in oil; imported and local teas, coffees, chocolates; and an eclectic array of olive oils and vinegars, cheeses and breads, wines and beers.  Friday’s Finds features the Chef’s Special, a cheese and charcuterie plate, and four two-ounce tastings of rare and difficult-to-find wines for a set price. Recent guest vintners have included Phil Staehle of Enkidu and Ryan Zepaltas of Zepaltas Wines. Also planned is a wine club, which will offer quarterly shipments of  carefully selected West Coast and international wines.

In no way priced as a Food Co., roughly half of the stories items are available for less than $20, including three of the eight wines on offer, a full lunch with a glass of wine, or a potted plant.

Horatius is open Monday through Saturday. The bistro offers coffee, espresso drinks and light breakfasts at 7 a.m.. Seated lunch is available from 11 a.m. through 3 p.m., and prepared salads and sandwiches are available throughout the day.

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