Dominic Ainza

HayaHon Begins Izakaya Popup at Former Mercury Lounge, Now Called SPACE 1582

​Mark Hayashida has covered a lot of culinary territory since graduating from college: cooking Classic French-inspired cuisine at the LA Ritz-Carlton, working on the sushi bar at the San Jose branch of Blowfish, cooking at Google, helping open Skool in Potrero Hill. Three weeks ago, he and partner ... More >>

Mercury Lounge to Close at the End of the Month

​SFoodie received a sad email yesterday afternoon from Dominic Ainza, chef of Mercury Lounge. The SoMa restaurant and lounge is going to close, he wrote, at the end of the month. "It was definitely the economy," he explained, and also speculated the explosion of food trucks contributed to the rest ... More >>

KapaMEALya Dining Group Celebrates the Past and Future of Filipino Food

besighyawn/FlickrKapaMEALya gathers to eat everything from traditional adobo to Dominic Ainza's sisig nachos.​A cold, clear sinigang made with tomato water, heirloom tomatoes, and radishes. Grilled shortrib with crispy onions and green garlic. Adobo chicken "lollipops." These are some of the nuevo ... More >>

Feasting on Filipino Fusion at Mercury Lounge

Jun BelenMercury Lounge's Dominc Ainza turned embutido, Filipino-style meatloaf, into a variation on Spam musubi.​Last night, Mercury Lounge chef Dominic Ainza showcased Filipino food like SFoodie's never seen before. Think kare-kare dumplings, pinakbet pizza, and tocino truffles ― purists m ... More >>

Dishcrawl Hosts Filipino Food Party at Mercury Lounge

​Ten-Course Filipino Dishcrawl at Mercury Lounge Where: Mercury Lounge, 1582 Folsom (at 12th St.) When: Sun., Jan. 30, 5 p.m. Cost: $45 for ten courses (possibly more), wine pairing, and cooking demo The rundown: Taste the energy swirling around the Filipino food movement via Dishcrawl, th ... More >>

Mercury Lounge presents tasty pan-Asian fare before bringing the noise

Early Bird Special: Mercury Lounge

Jen Siska The honey-walnut prawns at Mercury Lounge. An early taste of SF Weekly's Wednesday food review.  A bridge-and-tunnel bar in SOMA is probably the last place you'd expect to taste well-made food, but that's just what SF Weekly food critic found this week at Mercury Lounge (1582 F ... More >>