Since 1900, the world’s most respected authority for restaurant and hotel reviews has been the legendary, the definitive and the anonymously written Michelin Guide. Three stars and your eatery or inn are said to have “exceptional cuisine and worth the journey” as an international symbol of culinary excellence. Two stars and you’re “excellent cooking and…
Sumatran Red Short Ribs. Rosemary Polenta Pound Cake. Bostini Cream Pie. Thai Chicken Salad. Insalata del Campo. Perfect Popovers. And Vietnamese Shaking Beef Salad. These are just a sampling of the “Food 20: The Best Recipes from Two Decades of the Chronicle Food Section” compiled by Michael Bauer and his 17-person food writing staff at…
A recent trend is growing. Carslberg, whose brewery I’ve visited in Denmark, is now producing a regional beer called Karmi in Poland. With a low alcohol content of 0.1%, this near-beer is targeted to women, much like light beers and wine coolers have been for years. Its packaging is feminine and clean, but what’s unusual…
Here’s a great promotion sponsored by S. Pellegrino Sparkling Natural Mineral Water. From today through September 29, you can enjoy gourmet, three-course prix-fixe meals in San francisco’s finest restaurants. Pay just $20 for Lunches and $35 for Dinners during the Fifth Annual Dine Out San Francisco. The menus will also include a complimentary bottle of…
I’m blessed to live about 20 minutes from Viansa Winery in heralded Sonoma county. Located amid rolling hills reminiscent of Tuscany, this winery touts a huge Italian Marketplace that celebrates the marriage of fine wine and gourmet food. One of my favorites here is the Dark Chocolate Dolcetti, a rich chocolate syrup blended with Cabernet…
It was bound to happen. First, you could buy music in stores. Then you bought music online. Now, in an iFood terminal at Stockholm’s way upscale Nordiska Kompaniet’s food hall, you can actually download audio recipes onto your iPod, then buy the ingredients right there. The store describes the process thusly (in Swedish): 1) Docka…
My friend America told me that the groovily fashionable Lingba Lounge just opened last night on Potrero Hill after an extensive remodeling. New photos of this restaurant and lounge are not yet on the Web site, but I’m told by a reliable source that it now looks just like a tropical oasis in the heart…
This is truly scary stuff. Twenty-one states have now reported illnesses due to eating bacteria-ridden spinach. Now, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration has warned against eating any bagged spinach, including fresh spinach, because one company produces both. Nationally, at least 111 people have become ill with one death caused by the consumption of spinach…
Canada Dry isn’t exactly dry. Neither are these Dry Sodas, though this new Seattle company does offer four flavors of what it calls “culinary” soda created specifically for food pairings. These caffeine free sodas are: • Lightly sweetened with cane sugar, • Only 50-70 calories each, • Flavored with natural fruit and herb extracts, •…
Most US cities have a restaurant or two offering Philadelphia Cheese Steaks. But if you want the real deal in the city that invented it, you’ve got to try Pat’s King of Steak’s and Geno’s Steaks. They’re located across from each other in South Philly and are supposed to be the best The City of…
Oregon has always been on the cutting edge environment- ally. Now drivers in this progressive state can fuel up on renewable energy at the state’s first alternative fueling station. This eco pit stop was built by Sequential Biofuels, an Oregon company with offices in Portland and Eugene. And get this! They recycled Kettle Foods’ cooking…
It’s not every day that you get something free. But today is that kind of day at The Cannery at Del Monte Square, one of the historic gathering places near Fisherman’s Wharf, overlooking San Francisco Bay. The San Francisco Tomato and Olive Oil Festival runs today from noon to 4pm — with free admission —…