I ran into Mother/Empress Exec Chef Michael Thiemann on the street Thursday afternoon and asked for an update on Empress Tavern. These are the tidbits I gathered from him during a conversation that only lasted a city block.

• On Empress Tavern: "Kitchen's done. Bar's Done," said Thiemann. The management's in place and the staff has been hired, but a couple architectural finishes and staff training remain. Should be open in 3 to 5 weeks.
• On all the Sacramento Chefs Being Invited to Pebble Beach Food & Wine festival: "It's like all the Kings getting invited to the all star game," said Thiemann, after I told him that I enjoyed his recent appearance on Capitol Public Radio.

Separately, he announced on Instagram Thursday that he would be holding a popup to preview Empress Tavern at Old Ironsides, the same venue he used to highlight the cuisine of Mother prior to its opening:

 

Empress "Sisig mixed plate" popup coming up at the one and only.

A photo posted by Michael Thiemann (@chefthiemann) on Apr 16, 2015 at 12:27pm PDT

According to Wikipedia, Sisig "is a Kapampagan term which means "to snack on something sour". It usually refers to fruits, often unripe or half-ripe, sometimes dipped in salt and vinegar. It also refers to a method of preparing fish and meat, especially pork, which is marinated in a sour liquid such as lemon juice or vinegar, then seasoned with salt, pepper and other spices." Kapampagan is one of the major languages of the Philippines.

Stay tuned for more info on the popup and the eventual opening of Empress Tavern, located at the Crest Theater.

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