The Name Game: 8 more name choices!

Based on the preliminary round of voting, Olallie is still the front runner, with bocarte putting in a strong showing for second (If you haven't yet voted, please do so now). Many people, myself included, are hopeful that we can still do better. From my point of view, there is one question to ask of each new name contestant: is it better than Olallie?

Nicole, a reader I've not met, left an insightful comment yesterday that sums up and reframes our task:

"Olallie, which I like very much, is the name you chose with your right, intuitive brain. It was a visceral reaction. The other names have often been clever, but more left brained and analytical, and haven't come close to expressing the warmth, fun, and connection to the earth that Olallie does. It's a name, for me, that really stirs up a desire for culinary adventure."

She's absolutely correct. Olallie was purely an intuitive choice. It came from my right brain. None of the other six choices thus far came from that same zip code within my gray matter. Perhaps that's the reason they have, with the exception of bocarte, mostly fallen flat.

We all have different brains and different cognitive styles. Some of us are more left brained, some more right brained. I fall squarely in the right brain camp. So for a restaurant name to reflect who I am and what my cooking is all about, it's going to have to appeal to that intuitive side.

With that in mind, I thought it would be a good idea to dig through my old name lists from the right brain's perspective. Many of the strengths of the right brain — intuition, emotions, creativity, art, music — are often, rightly or wrongly, labeled feminine qualities. As I looked over my lists, I searched for names that speak to that feminine side. I sought names that tickle the ear drums in the melodious way that Olallie does. I chose names that caused that same visceral reaction I had when I first thought of Olallie. My final criteria was names that have personal meanings to me.

I'm going to try something different this time. I'm listing 6 of the 8 new names without any explanation or meaning (the other 2 are in English). See if any of the words appeal to your intuitive side without knowing what they mean. I provide the meanings and pronunciation of the 6 after the jump, plus I introduce the other 2 names.

Araucana

Barcino

Julivert

Siurana

Somni

Triana

Now that you've looked at the names from a purely aesthetic point of view, here are the stories and meanings behind them.  Here are some questions you may want to consider: Do any of the names leap out at you and sound like a good name for a sustainable neighborhood restaurant that serves seasonal fare with Spanish flair? Do any of them cause a visceral reaction that sparks your imagination, stirs your emotions, or whets your appetite? Do any of them, as Nicole put it, stir up a desire for culinary adventure? Are any of them potentially better than Olallie?

Araucana ("ah-ra-kah-na;" type of chicken that lays my favorite blue green eggs with rich orange yolks; the eggs are highly prized by shoppers at our local Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market; this was a favorite name of mine pre-Olallie; left brain adds that it starts with the letter A, so high position in Open Table reservation website)

Barcino ("bar-see-no;" ancient Roman name for Barcelona; contains word "bar;" my favorite museum in Barcelona is the City History Museum with its underground labyrinth of Roman ruins, including stone storage vats for wine, olive oil, and anchovy-based garum)

Emerson (my last name)

Julivert ("zhu-lee-vert;" Catalan for "parsley," a simple herb taken for granted here but very popular in Spanish cooking; I use it often in simple olive oil-based sauces pounded in my mortar and pestle; in Catalan j is pronounced the sexy French way, as in je t'aime)

Siurana ("see-oo-raw-nah;" top olive oil appellation in Catalonia where my favorite arbequina olives grow; some of my earliest blog posts chronicled my weeklong visit there tasting olive oil and Priorat wines)

Somni ("soam-nee;" Catalan for "dream;" opening this restaurant has been my dream for a decade)

Table of Contents (connection to my love of writing and reading; my restaurant is located across street from Cover to Cover, Noe Valley's beloved bookstore; more left brained, but I thought I'd throw it into the mix)

Triana ("tree-ah-na;" favorite neighborhood along river in Sevilla where there are many tapas bars; it's where I ate the dish of sardinas a la plancha  that inspired this blog's name and was my first post; Bar Triana is an option)

Let me know what you think by voting in the poll and leaving comments! I've set up the poll below to accept multiple choices. If you're not crazy about any of these names or if you don't think any of them are better than Olallie, mark "I don't like any of these." Thanks!

We'll take tomorrow off to give people a chance to catch up on yesterday's and today's polls. Then we'll explore your list of nearly 200 suggestions!

Comments

[matt]

You can't throw out those amazing names with personal histories and expect me to choose, can you? Man it's so unfair, and now my mind is daydreaming of Cataluña and damnit if the exchange rate wasn't so bad I'd be back there in a heartbeat.

Choices, choices!

[Anita]

I still think Emerson is lovely. (The name, not the guy. Well, him too, but that's not this comment :) ) It's easy to remember, spell, and pronounce. It's the safe-good choice.

Triana, though, has more of what I think you're going for: A story you can tell about it's connection to Spain and your food inspiration. It's also easy to spell, easy to pronounce, and a pretty sounding word. It reminds me of the soft, feminine, three-syllable names like Delfina and Gialina (and Olallie, to a lesser degree) work so well in people's imaginations. It also manages to sound Spanish without evoking Mexico.

I think you've got a real winner there. It's the first suggestion that didn't make me sad to 'lose' Olallie.

[Judith]

I've checked 3 - Araucana, because it was the visceral reaction you asked for- love the chickens.
Emerson, because it's just a nice sounding word. And Triana, because without knowing anything about it, it gave me a warm, Mediterranean feeling. The name I really liked was Garum, after reading this (http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Ithaca/8337/c_garum.html). But I'm the one who liked Castropoda, so you'd better ignore me!

[art]

Nope. None of these names stir up any desire for culinary adventure. It's all about the O.

[Sabah]

So I googled brett and anchovies, the wrong fish, of course. But your blog was still the first google search result!

I can't believe you went to El Bulli, did you get in off the lottery? lucky goose.

my vote was for barcino, but i like olallie too.

[Erin]

Triana is the name of one of my most favorite wines - brings back great memories!

[Diane]

These are ALL better than round one! My favorite by far of all the ones to date is Triana (or Bar Triana). Easy to write and pronounce. Very warm and friendly sounding. A bit Mediteranian in feel. Very nice.

The only on I don't love of the new contendors is Somni. Sounds a bit too much like somnolent, which is not what you are going for I don't think...

[sam]

I like Triana a lot too. And Emmerson. But they evoke different pictures in the mind. Emmerson is cool and trendy, dark woods, sleek and modern, enigmatic. Triana is bustling and laid back, eclectic, less stylish but comfortable, neighbourly and friendly. Not sure I would include a Bar beforehand though. I liked Barcino until I read it was pronounced with a 'see' not a 'chee'.

On an extremely personal note I also like the word Triana because it sounds almost Cornish and I am extremely fond of Cornish names. (There is a beautiful beach in Cornwall called Treyarnon, for example)

[EB]

I have to say that Triana sounds like a warm and comforting place. I have no academic explanation as to why it gives me that feeling. But there you go.

[emily]

While Triana is nice, Barcino is the one that stood out right away for me. I like the ties to Barcelona, and the inclusion of "bar" makes it sound like the right mix of neighborhood hangout and nice restaurant. It sounds hip enough for Noe Valley and not overly pretentious.

The only downside is that we all like the feminine-sounding names. You could make it Barcina, which would also have the second half of the Spanish word for "kitchen," but it wouldn't be the pure translation of "Barcelona" anymore.

[ee.]

Olallie remains my favorite although these names are far better than the last. My second vote goes to Barcino.

[Jane]

Re: Triana, do you think people might get confused with Triana vs. Traina? As in the blueblood old-money SF dynasty the Trainas.

[Tracy]

Thanks for mentioning us Brett! You've just earned yourself a 10% discount.

[catherine]

Barcino and Triana both do it for me. they both gave me immediate visions of food, wine and a good time!

[Anita]

Barcino also rhymes with 'vecino', so there's the neighborhood angle. But I do think you'll have a pronunciation issue, if that troubles you.

I still like Triana best. Well, best other than Ollalie. ;)

[Anita D]

Okay, I am always in the minority here... but, that's not completely surprising, I guess! I absolutely was very and completely drawn to Julivert. It might be mistaken for a french style place, but it just drew me in. Parsley or no, it rolls off the tongue and I just love it. As sardines are a forgotten item (in the US mostly) so is parsley.

Whatever happened to the suggestion of "In Praise of Sardines"?

[linda]

somni, it sounds like a relaxing spa, and has no cacaphonic or offensive sounds to it. but i agree with going with your right brain in making decisions!

[brett]

So far it's looking like Triana, Barcino, and Emerson are the consensus favorites. Interesting. I'm a little worried about Barcino, because I think, as a few of you have pointed out, people will potentially mispronounce the C the Italian way as a "ch." Why they would do that in a state where Spanish is spoken by half the population is beyond me, but it's the reality. I have my theories (hint: rhymes with spacism). Triana's pretty nice. I just wish it were Catalan, but perhaps I'm getting too nitpicky.

I'm glad to see a few nods for Julivert. I think it's the sexiest word for parsley in any language. Compare: Spanish=perejil, French=persil, Italian=prezzemolo (OK, I admit that's pretty cool), Portuguese=salsa (weird, huh). I love Anita D's comparison of parsley to sardines. That's totally what I was thinking! I love celebrating the culinary underdogs. Other cool Catalan words for herbs are farigola for thyme and romani for rosemary. Awesome, no? These latter two grow wild all over Catalonia as scrub brush and are collectively known as la garriga (fans of Kermit Lynch wines will recognize the French word for the same thing: garrigue).

[Adele]

Bar Triana, definitely. Easy to spell, easy to pronounce, and it has a good story behind it.

[Melissa]

I voted for Triana, Barcino and Julivert. Although they all conjure up something slightly different for me, they're all comfortable, welcoming words that convey a whiff of the Mediterranean exoticism your kitchen is going to be famous for.

[sam]

I am actually really coming round to Julivert.
I think it would be a name people remember because it is also intriguing - to find out what it means. It's unexpected - but in a good way.
Can I change my vote. Because everyone likes Triana so much I am starting to find it rather pedestrian.

[I-Chant]

Julivert and Triana both have very romantic sounds and seem to fit your themes well. I like the "vert" in Julivert can also speak to the green/sustainable connection! Either would be great names for restaurants.

[Mrs. L]

I can't decide. I think this means you have to open up nine restaurants....

[Mrs. L]

I can't decide. I think this means you have to open up nine restaurants....

[nopisto]

Forget about Triana, it is very local and IMHO suggests an andalusian style fried fish restaurant. If I find a restaurant with this name abroad from Spain I would be specting pescaito frito and jabugo ham, otherwise I would go nuts.