The Name Game: your ideas!

Thank you to everyone who suggested names for my restaurant in Noe Valley that will serve seasonal, sustainable fare with Spanish flair. I've received nearly 200 suggestions so far! You all deserve a standing ovation. It's been a joy to read all the creative ideas and the reasoning behind them. You clearly have given the Name Game a lot of thought!

Tomorrow and Monday I will highlight the ones that resonated with me. Today, however, I thought I'd list all the names that you suggested. Gold star for everyone who contributed! I'm grouping them in categories by Catalan, Spanish, and Other. This is your chance to let me know which ones you especially like. Leave comments! Also, if I made any mistakes, please correct me.

Catalan

¡A Taula! (to the table)
Abraçada (hug)
Al Sol (sun)
Allioli (garlic and olive oil emulsion, classic Catalan sauce)
Anguila (eel)
Àpat (meal)
Arbequina (type of olive)
Arel (root, source)
Benestar (well-being)
Bocí (piece, small bite)
¡Bon Profit! (bon appetit)
Boqueria (market in Barcelona)
Bullinada (boiling)
Caldero (clay cooking vessel)
Cassola (pot, pan)
Català (Catalan language)
Catalana
Catalunya (Catalonia)
Collita (harvest)
Corral (farmyard)
Cuina (kitchen, cuisine)
Estació (season)
Fideuà (Catalan dish of seafood noodles)
La Franja (strip, as in western strip of Catalonia)
Fresc (fresh)
Ganivet (knife)
Granja (farm)
La Graella (grill)
La Sal (salt)
Masia (farmhouse)
Menjar i Terra (food and land)
Mercat (market)
Narri (neighborhood)
Obert (open)
Olla (cooking pot)
Pati (courtyard)
Pla (after Josep Pla, noted Catalan author)
Plaer (pleasure)
Quimet (short for Joaquim; reference to tapas bar in Barcelona)
Rebuda (welcome)
Sa Palomera (rock formation near Blanes)
Safrà (saffron)
¡Salud! (cheers)
Suquet (Catalan fish stew)
Terreny (land, field)
Taula (table)
Urbà (city)
Veinat (neighborhood)

Spanish

¡Á la Mesa! (to the table)
Ahora (now)
¡Ánimo! (take heart)
Abierto (open)
Al Sol (sun)
Alabar (praise)
Alcalde (mayor)
Alegría (joy)
Alimento (food)
Amistad (friendship)
Andalucía
Animado (cheerful, lively)
¡Aprovechar! (bon appetit)
Bar Berri (new in Basque)
Bar Verde (green)
Bizcocho (sponge)
Bocadillo (sandwich)
Buceo (dive)
Cacerola (pot, pan)
Calimento (California+food)
Campo (field)
casa pescado piquito
Cava/Bar Cava
Cazuela (clay cooking vessel)
Cerca (near)
Clara (shandy)
Compartir (to share)
¡Con Gusto! (bon appetit)
Corcho (cork)
Cortijo (farmhouse)
Cosecha (harvest)
Curro (short for Francisco)
De Cocina (from the kitchen)
de la tierra (of the earth)
Dinámico (dynamic)
El Punto (the spot)
Empresa (venture)
Enciende (ignite)
Experiencia (experience)
Flujo (flow)
Girasol (sunflower)
Gracia (grace)
Granja (farm)
Hogar (hearth)
Ibérico (type of ham)
La Concha (shell)
La Sal (salt)
Luna Sí (moon yes)
Mar (sea)
Marcona (type of almond)
Milagro (miracle)
Mosto (grape must)
Neblina (mist)
Niebla (fog)
Olivo (olive)
Olla (cooking pot)
Orgánico (organic)
Ostra (oyster)
Pata Negra (type of ham)
Paz (peace)
Pimentón (paprika)
Pintoresco (picturesque)
Pipirrana
Plancha (iron, griddle)
Plancha Catalan
Plaza de Tapas
Rinconada (on the corner)
¡Sabor! (bon appetit)
Sardina/Bar Sardina (sardine)
Sazón (seasoning)
Segadora (reaper)
Semilla (seed)
Siega (harvest time)
Simpático (nice, likable, friendly, amusing, pleasant)
Sostén (sustenance)
Suntuoso (sumptuous)
Tapas de Cocina
Tapitas (little tapas)
Tenedor (fork)
Valle (valley)
Vivar (to cheer)

Other

Aleatory (of luck or chance)
Arlene’s (after Arlene Sardine, a children’s book)
Bardine (play on sardine and bar/dine)
BE (for Brett Emerson; to be)
Bocartisan
Bretaña (faux Spanish version of Brett)
Brett’s/Brett’s Place
Brett's Barnyard
Café Local
Café Tango
Califia (mythical Amazon goddess after whom state was named)
Castropub
CloudBerry
Convivia (Italian/Slow Food term for convivial groups)
Crust
Culina (invented word)
Espelette (French Basque type of paprika)
farm/house
Field
Field Fork
Flow
Gambol (to skip about, frolic)
Gaudí Shoals (shoals refer to schools of sardines)
Getxo (Basque town near Bilbao)
GooseBerry
Halcyon (peaceful; prosperous; carefree)
Imbibe (to drink)
In Praise of Sardines
International House of Pintxos
Light
Little Fish/little fishes
Liselotte (the winning name from the Name that Sheep Contest in 2005)
Local
Mallorcafornia
Mission
Mission Olive
Mondragon (as in Mondragon cooperative experiment in Basque region)
Noe
Open
Open Kitchen
Paradisio
Pastiche
Pasture
Patxaran (Galician type of liquor made from sloe berries)
Rake
Saint Cloud
Sardine/Sardines/Bar Sardine/Sardine House
Sardinella (Latin for sardine)
Sardinia
Seya (invented word)
Sloe (berry use to make patxaran, Galician type of liquor)
SOLE (sustainable, organic, local, ethical)
Steep
Substance
The Castro Street Diner
Txakolina (Basque white wine)
Twine Spun
Viridian (dark spring green)
Wild Currant
Wild Strawberries
Zest

Comments

[Adele]

I like the sound of Anguila, but I don't know how open the general population is to the notion of eating eel.

[Kalyn]

Wow, that's a lot of name suggestions.

[acidspit]

I think definitely still go with a Catalan name, as opposed to Spanish of English. I know it's not an official poll yet, but I'm leaning towards Arel, Estacio, La Sal, and Olla. I was thinking in terms of pronunciation, you shouldn't have something that's too inflected in the Catalan tongue or obviously ethnic sounding. While ethnic sounding may be good to advertise what kind of cuisine you'll be serving, there might be a few diners who, skimming through a restaurant quickly, might dismiss your restaurant for its type of cuisine. Although, I guess it could work the other way too. Perhaps it's too early for me to be dissecting the theory of naming a restaurant. Definitely a one-word restaurant name though.

[Rachel]

Here are the ones I like:

a tuala
arel
benestar
catalunya
cuina
tuala
marcona
sardinella

I think I like it if it ends in an 'a'

[Anita D]

These are the ones I liked:

Caldero
Ganivet (I guess I must like the sound of the end of this word, like Julivert)
Obert (see comment above)
Cerca
Cortijo (this one makes me think of a yummy cheese, even though cheese would make me sick, it sounds so good)
Marcona (who doesn't like these almonds??)
Neblina (romantic)
BE
In Praise of Sardines

[sam]

I like BE

then you can always just BE yourself, especially useful if you change your mind one day and fancy being less catalanese. (is that a word?)

[Jenny Rebecca]

I LOVE Convivia for what it implies - lingering a long evening over great food and great conversation.

Sure wish we lived in San Francisco...

[Diane]

I like boci, taula, and sardinella. I still like the ones from the last post better though than most of these (lobbying for barcino and triana)...

And I think although it's nice to take suggestions, the one that MUST land in the end is one that comes from your heart.

[Towse]

Wow. Very creative. So I cut and paste the ENTIRE list and just zapped all those that didn't grab me and put comments on those and on some that I thought needed comments

'dese I like:

Fresc (fresh) - I like this. One word. No translation really needed.

¡Á la Mesa! (to the table)
-- growing up, I heard, "'tan [estan] a mesa". "Tanamesa" would work for me.

Cava/Bar Cava

Curro (short for Francisco) - I still like this one. (It's mine, after all.) Perhaps BAR CURRO.

Granja (farm) - like this.

Niebla (fog) - still like this. Fog is something our town is know for and the word sounds like "nibble" sorta kinda.

Siega (harvest time) - nice image

In Praise of Sardines

===============

These have competitors with similar names or some other issue.

Alegría (joy) - Alegrias (2018 Lombard St @ Webster) still exists, doesn't it?

Amistad (friendship) - I would always think of the 1839 mutiny aboard the slave ship AMISTAD

Bocadillo (sandwich) - Bocadillos (710 Montgomery @ Washington)

Cerca (near) - confusion with Circa (2001 Chestnut St)

Luna Sí (moon yes) - pronounced "lunacy" ... too clever by half. (It's mine. I can say so. ...)

Paz (peace) - is La Paz still over at 1028 Potrero Ave?

Rinconada (on the corner) - not on a corner, alas. I like "Rinconada"

Café Local - Local is soon to open at 330 First Street.

International House of Pintxos - this is Very Cute. You might find sue papers in your mailbox though.

Local - see Cafe Local note above.

Mondragon (as in Mondragon cooperative experiment in Basque region) - I have an affinity for dragons, being born in one of the dragon years. I don't remember seeing this mentioned, although I thought I'd read every single note! This probably wouldn't be one of the best choices though, alas. The name is lovely but it doesn't seem to reflect the casual, seasonal, sustainable California fare with Spanish flair mandate. I'm reminded of the Pendragon Bakery that used to live down on Laguna and Gough ... which reminds me, I haven't eaten at Essencia, which took its place.

You have worked SO HARD on this. I can't believe all the yes-but on-the-other-hand whirling conversation to come up with the name. My bet? After all this, you'll stick with OLLALIE (gee, I hope I spelled that right. :-)

[Towse]

I'm reminded of the Pendragon Bakery that used to live down on Laguna and Gough ... which reminds me, I haven't eaten at Essencia, which took its place.

Hayes and Gough.

Doh.

[Chilebrown]

Urbà, get rid of the thingy over the a and you have a winner!

[grundoon]

Hmm... two of my favorites (both variations on your own candidates) seem not to have made the slate:

- bocartisan
- catalana

I've noted all along there's been a great deal of focus on a Catalan link in the name and, though I've given it time, this aspect has never quite settled in comfortably for me -- your cuisine is broader than that; it's merely one, albeit a large one, of your influences.

Of the ones which did make the cut,

- obert,
- ipos (the acronym rather than the full) and
- sardinella

also resonate well with me. I suppose I'm okay with SOLE too, though the sense of warmth, personality and 'Brettness' I immediately get from these others is lacking.

[Catherine]

You're so cool to open this up! I really admire you for it!

I like:

Benestar
Estacio
Bar Berri
Empresa
Experiencia
Girasol

I also think some play on your name ('cos its a good one) would be cool. I also like a sea theme but Mar on it's own doesn't resonate.

Best of luck to you and thanks again for being so open on this issue!

Cheers,
Catherine

[samin]

i like:
marcona,
mercat,
sardinia.