Breaking away
SPQR, The Spinnaker, Poggio, Yountville, plant shops, MORE
WORK • Wednesday Routine
Life cycle
MATTHEW ACCARRINO • athlete & chef • Mattina & SPQR
Neighborhood you live and work in: Pacific Heights
It’s Wednesday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
Hopefully serene! Both restaurants are open for dinner only on Wednesday, so hopefully I’m out at my other endeavor: cycling, getting a good long training ride in before work.
What’s on the agenda for today?
Working on rolling out more piadina topping options at Mattina — it’s a flatbread of sorts with Italian history, though we make it our own. Right now we use it for our ‘Ladies’ night’ menu on Tuesdays at Mattina with a spritz for just $22. We also use this format for our weekday lunch menu on Thursdays and Fridays with a salad and dessert for $26, so, good deals!
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
Planning to take the cable car over to the Embarcadero, and then take a ferry to Sausalito to meet some friends for drinks and calamari at The Spinnaker, and pizza at Poggio. It’s a fun way to mix up a night out and get some great views of SF.
How about a little leisure or culture?
All spring long, I enjoy participating in mixed-surface bike races in the Grasshopper Adventure Series. The latest was up in Monte Rio where we raced over a 90-mile course and I cooked lunch for all 300 racers after (grain and vegetable salads, pesto pasta, and meatballs). A fun day! If you are into awesome bike rides, these are great events with a solid community feel and there are some who just ride and make it an epic day as opposed to ‘racing,’ so try one out!
Any weekend getaways?
Recently made it up to Napa for the weekend and stayed at Stanly Ranch, an incredible property featuring Bear, an innovative (but fun) onsite restaurant. We took a trip up the road to Stateline Road Smokehouse and visited friends at Hill Family Estate. Then a bike ride up to Yountville with a stop by Kollar Chocolates for some CA-inspired treats with unique filling flavors like wild fennel, red wine, and pine.
What was your last great vacation?
I took a trip to Chicago recently. It’d been a few years! It was fun to stay at the Peninsula Hotel (a classic luxe-but-approachable stay) and get a drink at the CloudBar at 360, way up high in the Hancock Tower. I also met friends for dinner at Lyra (Greek restaurant at Fulton Market), and dined at the bar at Nic & Junior’s, a tucked-away but sleek restaurant with some South American accents and a great happy hour.
What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?
My new Ventum racing bike. I spend a dozen hours or more on it a week!
What bar do you always recommend?
Drinks with friends at Bar Iris.
Where are you donating your time or money?
King Ridge Foundation, which supports at-risk and vulnerable youth via charitable donations to the Levi’s GranFondo bike race.
WORK LINKS: Silicon Valley Bank units rebranded under First Citizens • Success comes when you stop trying to be a workplace star • Trading work for grad school is harder than it used to be • Has Silicon Valley forgotten what normal people want? • Should your board appoint a bot?
GOODS & SERVICES • The Nines
Plant shops
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Sloat Garden Center (multiple locations), SF’s workhorse nursery, most unique varieties at the Outer Sunset flagship