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November 21, 2018
This industry is basically the MacGyver of eliminating food waste.
ChefNicolaus Balla
San Francisco
About Nicolaus Balla
Nicolaus Balla is the chef/co-owner of Duna, an eastern-european inspired restaurant. He opened two successful restaurants in the Bay Area. He is known to use local produce to making anything and everything by hand. He wass born in Michigan but spent some of his childhood in New York, moved to Hungary for part of high school, went to culinary school, and then traveled extensively in Japan while learning to make hand-crafted ingredient.
Accolades
- Nominee for Best Chef: WestJames Beard Foundation
- Chef to WatchEsquire magazine
- Three StarsSan Francisco Chronicle
- Bib GourmandMichelin Guide
- Co-authorBar Tartine: Techniques and Recipes
- ChefsFeed WinnerOne of the Best Things to Eat in SF
Featured Content
Watch
1:30
September 21, 2015
We're told not to sweat the small stuff, but the small stuff, especially in cooking, is the whole point. ChefsFeed Contributing Chefs Nick Balla and Cortney Burns (Bar Tartine) know this better than most—but even the most intricate labors of love can be achieved with less labor. We hooked them up with the folks at Sansaire to put its line of sous vide products to the test in and out of the pro kitchen. Here's a look at what went down. The results? ChefsFeed approved.
Watch
10:42
September 9, 2015
Some people say that what Chef Nick Balla is doing at Bar Tartine in San Francisco is crazy. It ain’t crazy, it’s just layered with the restaurant's unparalleled DIY foods program, his unlikely marriage of Japanese and Hungarian cuisines, and his youth spent playing in a band. Roots takes a deep biographical look into the world's most influential chefs to reveal their inspirations. Ancestry.com style except not really.
Where I Go Out
Alaskan king crab
$$, Chinese, Reservations, Richmond Annex
"The whole crab may be cooked in plum wine; it is sweet and amazingly delicious. I don't usually order lobster or whole crab in a restaurant, but this experience however is not to be missed."
Cabbage rolls
$$, Outdoor Seating, Modern, Breakfast, New American, Embarcadero
"When Amaryll and Lori put cabbage rolls on the constantly changing menu, it is worth changing all plans to have some. Amaryll is Hungarian and makes cabbage rolls better than all of your mothers."
Salad
$$, Pizza, Glen Park
"Gialina is the perfect neighborhood restaurant. The salads can be ordered in a huge size (a salad should be a meal, not just a couple of bites). The salads at Gialina are always delicious, satiating, and made with great ingredients."
Spicy pig ear w/ red oil
$$, Chinese, Inner Richmond
"Go to Spices I or II in the Richmond District and order everything in the appetizer section. The chili oil pig ear is a great small salad with scallions, crunchy ears, and spicy oil."
Hot & spicy Phoenix chicken wings
$$, Wine Bar, Modern, American, Pub, Sports Bar, Bar, Mission Dolores
"Good wings are rare in SF. The Phoenix always seems to have good pub food. The buffalo wings are as messy, tangy, and tender as they should be."
Chocolate cookies
$$, Outdoor Seating, Café, Bakery, Breakfast, Mission Dolores
"Who would you share our chocolate cookies with?
#TartineBakery"
