Author Archives: Melissa Gordon


March 22, 2017

Te Aprecio: Beth, The Knockout

by Melissa Gordon

The Knockout. You may be familiar with this bar if you’re a fan of Barry Jenkins, as it made a cameo in 2008’s Medicine For Melancholy. Or perhaps you’ve attended such dance parties such as Oldies Night, Booty Basement, or Smithfits. Meet Beth. Longtime friend and my favorite advocate for San Francisco. Join her on Tuesday evenings […]

March 15, 2017

Te Aprecio: Liz, The Phone Booth

by Melissa Gordon

Do you want to go where everyone knows your name? The Phone Booth is a well-loved neighborhood dive found at 25th and South Van Ness in the Mission. It’s a place I affectionately referred to as my living room, because it was where I could watch a Warriors game and listen to Rihanna at the same time. Meet Liz. […]

April 23, 2014

Event Recap: Umami Mart SF Official Launch Party!

by Melissa Gordon

In November, we snuck in to San Francisco and popped-up in The Perish Trust for the holidays. But it’s now April, spring is in bloom, and we’re still here! We’ll actually be staying in San Francisco until the new year, so on April 10th, we had a little party to celebrate our semi-perminant-pop-up. In this […]

February 26, 2014

Event Recap: Japan Beer Fest 2014

by Melissa Gordon

San Francisco Beer Week 2014 took place February 6th-16th, celebrating the Bay Area craft-beer scene with events, dinners, talks, and good times. We hosted Japan Beer Fest  with The Trappist, a stellar beer bar located around the corner from Umami Mart in Oakland. showcasing ten craft brews from Japan, and the day’s specialty, Pastramen. It was a humid and […]

November 20, 2013

Snack Break: Kingdom of Dumpling (SF)

by Melissa Gordon

Nestled deep in the OG fabric of San Francisco, Kingdom of Dumpling is the quintessential down to earth dumpling spot. I originally discovered this place a few years ago after a visit to my dentist, whose office is on Noriega Street in the Sunset district. After a routine cleaning, I stuck around to explore the neighborhood […]

November 13, 2013

Event Recap: Umami in Spice with Oaktown Spice Shop

by Melissa Gordon

U M A M I: What is it? What does it taste like? Is it Japanese cartoon character? We get a lot of inquiries about the definition and concepts of umami at our Oakland shop, so we decided to team up with John over at Oaktown Spice Shop to host an event called “Umami in Spice”, […]

October 17, 2013

Snack Break: Rockin’ Out to the Harvest Moon at Namu Farm Chuseok

by Melissa Gordon

If any of you are lucky enough to have a friend who is a farmer in Northern California, you know what I mean when I say that they are the rockstars around these parts — the Beyoncé’s of the food game. Meet my friend Kristyn as she holds a Mexican gherkin, a tiny cucumber berry […]

August 23, 2013

Wrapper’s Delight: The Onigiri Edition

by Melissa Gordon

Not many snacks require instructions, but you’ll be left hungry if you don’t play by the rules when eating an onigiri (rice ball). A traditional Japanese snack, onigiri is made of salted rice, loaded with a savory center, and wrapped in a seaweed jacket. The seaweed is usually wrapped in plastic, so that it doesn’t get soggy in the market, and […]