The Hidden Kitchen

This place is no longer in business! We found out the hard way by walking 1.5 miles from our hotel :(
Unilocal please update your info!!!

Great surprise visiting a friend and ending in this hidden kitchen. .in the back of an old classic beach condo building. …they just open a pop up concept around the sliders. .the American tapas… I was not hungry and was just going for the lunch 10.5 $ combo with two sliders fries and soda… and we end up trying the entire menu. And everything was so good… but the killer is the mac n cheese croqueta with brisket slider. The eggplant parmesan made me like a veggie dish and the banh mi slider made me travel. .for sure I have to go back before this pop up ends

The benefit of being an «anything goes» type of guy is that anything goes. So when my buddies decided to change venues at the last minute and go to The Hidden Kitchen, I just followed. What is The Hidden Kitchen anyway? Whatever it is, I’m ready for war. There is absolutely nothing that will shock me. I’ve hunt and cooked my own food. What could top that on a Thursday night in sleepy North Beach?
Nothing.
I met up with carnal #1, or #2, depending on which carnal you ask, and we walked into the Imperial House Condominium. Guest pass, don’t need one, we’re going to The Hidden Kitchen. Ah! OK. Just go straight, turn right, then left, you’ll see it at the end of the hallway. That’s what the concierge said. We repeated the instructions to ourselves and proceeded to immediately get lost, and panic. Luckily the concierge was within shouting distance, so I turned around and screamed «this right?», to what he responded, with equal amounts of stamina and correct etiquette, «no, the next right».
As promised, the end of the hallway delivered The Hidden Kitchen. We went inside to a large bar area and some tables. The TV screens were set to a sports channel. To the back, a curtain separated the restaurant from another room, used for who-​knows-​what. Despite the quirkiness, the space was cozy and inviting. We sat down and chilled, like two bottles of the most expensive champagne. More friends came in, the most exclusive craft beer was delivered, only to be followed by the food. We had mac n cheese with braised brisket, hot dogs with pulled pork, hot dogs with brisket shavings, potato skins, and other hors d’oeuvres typical of a gourmet sports bar, which was the theme of the night since it was game seven of the NBA Finals.
As the story goes, the SA Spurs could not come back after loosing game six of the NBA Finals, and the Miami Heat won its third title. Me, I had just tasted the only mac n cheese that I would actually order on my own freewill. This mac n cheese was like a cake. Also, I enjoyed the brisket, a dish that I never really liked. The kitchen had sent out some deliciousness and, amid the excitement of the victory, the chef was high fiving everyone, the few patrons present were jumping arm in arm celebrating the champioship. Needless to say, the pots and pans flooded the small space.
Turns out the guy in the white chef outfit was chef Michael Jacobs. Not only is he the guy with the cold ice stare, but he is none other than the chef for the Miami Heat team. I found out all this after the fact, which made my experience richer. The Hidden Kitchen had a hidden celebrity chef!
I can only give chef Jacobs props on the best mac n cheese I have ever had. I always laugh because people talk about mac n cheese like if it was coq au vin or steak au poivre, but now I get it. Thanks for the hospitality chef. I can’t wait to pop up one of these nights to enjoy the regular menu, and hopefully, some mac n cheese.