San Francisco’s Ritz-Carlton Goes From Staid to Hip with Parallel 37
It used to be a place you’d never venture on a whim. No, the Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton, high atop San Francisco’s blue-blood Nob Hill, was reserved for special times, when you got dressed to the...
View ArticleLights, Camera, Action — and Chef Bradley Ogden
The chef who co-founded Lark Creek Restaurant Group in the Bay Area and made farm-to-table cooking his mantra long before it was fashionable, has returned to the Bay Area after being gone for eight...
View ArticleFighting for Foie Gras
I’m not usually met with protesters when I go out to dinner. But such was the case last Thursday night at the “FU Foie Gras” dinner at Lafitte in San Francisco, where 10 peaceful protesters held up...
View ArticleA Most Eggs-Cellent Farm
When you’re the son of rock legend Neil Young, it might be expected if you rested comfortably on your father’s laurels. When you’re his son and born with cerebral palsy, which has left you...
View ArticleThe Lettuce That’s Taking the Bay Area By Storm
No matter where you dine in the Bay Area, you’d be hard pressed to find a menu that did not have this particular lettuce gracing it. Whether served cold and crisp in a salad or braised or grilled in a...
View ArticleThe Newest in Urban Farming at Ecopia in Campbell
Look closely at that bowl of beautiful, baby salad greens. If only you could reach out and grab a few leaves to taste, you’d be amazed at their sweetness, pepperiness and all-around intensity of...
View ArticleIntroducing the Updated Version of Food Gal’s Bay Area Dining App & A Giveaway
Drum roll, please. Just as I am my own person, I’m also my own app now. If you remember back to February, I proudly launched my “Food Gal’s Ultimate Guide to Bay Area Dining” for iPhones. Back then,...
View ArticleSecret Ingredient Brownies & A Food Gal Podcast
Monday night, as the featured speaker at the Sunnyvale Public Library, I thought I’d have some fun with the audience members. After all, if you’re going to talk about food writing, people are bound to...
View ArticleWilliam May, the Famous Doorman at the San Francisco Fairmont
Most people only notice service when it’s bad. Because when it’s good, every need is anticipated so you never have to ask for anything. William May prides himself on that kind of outstanding service....
View ArticleWorld’s Youngest Master Sommelier
Last year at age 28, Roland Micu passed the last of four rigorous exams to become the youngest certified Master Sommelier in the world. To get a sense of the weight of that accomplishment, consider...
View ArticleHear the Food Gal on KQED’s Forum
If you missed yesterday’s “Restaurant Roundup” on the airwaves of KQED’s “Forum” program, you missed out. But not to despair. You can catch the nearly hour-long podcast to hear what yours truly, along...
View ArticleThe New Edible Silicon Valley
Haven’t you scratched your head over the fact that there was an Edible San Francisco, Edible Marin, Edible Monterey Bay and so many others — yet no Edible Silicon Valley magazine? Wonder no more. Now,...
View ArticleBelcampo Ushers in A New Age of Sustainable Food
Belcampo Meat Co. in Larkspur may look like the latest trendy, farm-to-table butcher shop stocked with pedigreed meat for sale at sky-high prices. But it’s so much more than that. It’s part of a...
View ArticleBig News from the Food Gal
See those cookbooks up there? Soon, there will be a San Francisco-centered one, too. And I’m thrilled to announce that I’ll be writing it. Yes, my first cookbook ever. “San Francisco Chef’s Table”...
View ArticleSan Francisco’s Coqueta — A Tantalizing Triumph
Swoon. If I knew the Spanish word for that enraptured feeling, I’d be saying it. Because that’s exactly how the new Coqueta restaurant on Pier 5 makes you feel with its Spanish flair. It’s not only...
View ArticleA Hunky Halibut
When I placed this dish of “Halibut and Spinach with Orange-Pine Nut Vinaigrette” in front of my husband one Saturday night, he exclaimed: “Wow! Fancy!” It does look pretty impressive, I must admit....
View ArticleFrom Haute Cuisine to Coastal Farm Cuisine — Meet Chef Amy Glaze
She’s cooked on the line at some of the most demanding and exacting restaurants in the world, including Guy Savoy in Paris and Le Bernardin in New York. Now, Chef Amy Glaze is back in the Bay Area,...
View ArticleYour Chance to Win A Copy of My “San Francisco Chef’s Table” Cookbook
After doing so many giveaways on this blog, I’d be remiss not to do one for my own new cookbook, “San Francisco Chef’s Table” (Lyons Press), wouldn’t I? So, here’s your chance to win a copy of the book...
View ArticleCalifornia’s Only Grower of Real Wasabi
If you think that pasty blob of green garnishing your sushi platter is wasabi, think again. The real-deal rhizome is as rare as it is pricey. That’s why what you generally find on most sushi plates...
View ArticleFive Top Bakeries To Get Acquainted with in San Francisco
Lovely fragrant honey permeates the 10 ethereal layers of honey cake and honey buttercream stacked high at 20th Century Cafe in San Francisco. Not surprisingly, it’s the top-selling treat there....
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