A recent breakfast at T-28 Cafe in the Outer Sunset reminded me just how good a cup of hot, strong milk tea tastes on lazy weekend mornings. Although the richness of a well-aged pu-erh or the emerald sweetness of a spring shin-cha give me great pleasure as a tea drinker, neither have a place in [...]
Yes, I know. It’s not April 1st. I’m not that stupid. I have a calendar in front of me. It tells me today is Friday, April 13th. I just choose to pretend it is otherwise. April Fool’s Day. I’d always wondered what was especially foolish about that particular day. I thought it might have to [...]
Check, Please! Bay Area is KQED’s local series featuring regular people reviewing Bay Area restaurants. Check, Please Bay Area was nominated for two 2007 James Beard Awards (pdf) in the Television Food Show Category! Visit the Check, Please! Bay Area blog to experience the restaurants from Season 2 Episode 13: 1) Sonoma-Meritâge Martini Oyster Bar [...]
I used to think I was a tonic water snob because I was hopelessly devoted to Schwepps. There is something about Canada Dry’s cloyingly sweet, glue-like flavor that makes it vastly inferior to the one John Cleese used to pimp. However as I trudged down the endless rows of food and drink and food and [...]
Perhaps the world can be divided in two: those who love tofu and those who hate it. Frankly I don’t understand how anyone can hate something so benign. Tofu, a form of soybean curd, is mild and creamy and a tremendously versatile ingredient. I’ve made chocolate mousse with tofu, dips with tofu, entrees with tofu [...]
(Update, 9/20/2007. I’m sad to say that Mediterranean Spirit has closed.) Nearly every week, you can bet on finding me at Mediterranean Spirit — a small, family-run restaurant at Polk and Bush in San Francisco. I was first lured into Mediterranean Spirit by some exuberant reviews on Chowhound, but I continue to return because I [...]
My favorite story illustrating the inventiveness of fans making requests comes from a Violent Femmes concert. The Violent Femmes made famous a number of songs suggestive or outright sexual in nature. But then they became Born Again Christians and had a hard time loosening up at the few shows they played since this transformation. One [...]
There’s a table in my kitchen that I try not to hate. Whenever my husband boasts that it cost him all of $8 at a sidewalk sale, new friends laugh while old friends avoid my eyes. To his credit, he spent an entire day spray painting it egg-yolk yellow, so I hardly notice the scratches [...]
This year, the East (Greek and Russian Orthodox) and the West (Roman Catholic and its breakaway Protestant faiths) have booked the same banquet room, as it were, for Easter. The last time this happened was 2004. It will happen again in 2010. That date sounds marvelously futuristic. 2010. As a child, I loved Easter– it [...]
Check, Please! Bay Area is KQED’s local series featuring regular people reviewing Bay Area restaurants. Check, Please Bay Area was nominated for two 2007 James Beard Awards (pdf) in the Television Food Show Category! Visit the Check, Please! Bay Area blog to experience the restaurants from Season 2 Episode 12: 1) Jardiniere: | restaurant information [...]
“Chemically speaking, chocolate really is the world’s perfect food.” Michael Levine, nutrition researcher, as quoted in The Emperors of Chocolate: Inside the Secret World of Hershey and Mars First up, save our chocolate! Did you know the FDA is considering changing the standards for what does and doesn’t qualify as chocolate? Right now cocoa butter [...]
The nationwide group of authors who write for the Eat Local Challenge blog, along with many other Eat Local advocates around the country will be taking a unique challenge during one week in April: Can we eat local foods within the budget of an average American? We invite you to participate in this challenge, dubbed [...]
Apricots AlmondsLeeks vinaigrettegentle flavoured grainssweet fresh rice. almond blossom teagreen and blackthe cathedral inside the fig treesleaves like large handsblush stripedand blue black purple figsripe and heavythe heft of grapefruittangerine oil, when peel is pulled backscent of lemon in my handseucalyptus honeybay laurel leaves, definitive greenjuniper berries and pineconestheir nuts burrowed deep insideQuince perfumes house [...]
The invitation from Tim “Blind Muscat” Patterson was a two-part, April Fool’s proposition. First, we’d get to help him bottle a batch of rosé, a mongrel mix of this year’s Malbec, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, and Zinfandel. Then, there’d be the festive unbottling of the selfsame wine. What better way to celebrate Subterranean Cellars’ acquisition of [...]
Bay Area Bites (BAB), KQED's public media food blog, feeds you visually compelling food-related stories, news, recipes and reviews from the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. Enter your email address to receive updates each time we publish new posts.
Flax Seed: The Next Superfood For Cows And Beef?
After years of research, an animal scientist looking for ways to keep inflammation down in cattle came up with a novel approach: feed them flax. The flax in their food helps keep animals healthy and has an added benefit for those who later eat their meat: omega-3 enriched beef.
Congress: Where Food Reforms Go To Die?
As Congress gets to work on the farm bill, two common-sense, bipartisan reform measures seem to have gotten run over somewhere along the way. The first would set minimum standards for housing egg-laying chickens. The second sought to change how the U.S. provides food aid to people in foreign nations.
For Supreme Court, Monsanto’s Win Was More About Patents Than Seeds
The high court ruled unanimously that when farmers use patented seed for more than one planting in violation of their licensing agreements, they are liable for damages.
Try A Do-It-Yourself Mother’s Day
Rather than waiting for someone to give you a treat, why not make one of your favorites for yourself? Something you can snack on all week when no one’s around. Or, better yet, something you don’t have to share. Food writer T. Susan Chang recommends slow-roasted pecans, salty-sweet matzo candy and more.
A Fresh Pod Cast: Savoring Spring’s Green Peas
Emerald green and tender, yet with a gentle crunch, garden peas can be so delightful when fresh — and so disappointing when not. Try them now in their seasonal prime in these recipes for chilled soup, a citrusy spread and a traditional rice dish.
Spring has sprung! And it’s time to bask in the garden, celebrating the sweet greens of spring with Fava-Bean Crostini topped with mint and Pecorino Romano cheese.
Hunan Home’s Restaurant, Radius, Guerilla Café: Check, Please! Bay Area reviews
Restaurants reviewed: Hunan Home’s Restaurant (San Francisco), Radius Restaurant and Café (San Francisco) and Guerilla Café (Berkeley).
Chris Hadfield: Space Chef In Chief
The Canadian astronaut didn’t just tweet and sing his heart out during his five months as commander of the International Space Station. He also took time out to show the world what it’s like to eat up there.
Bocanova, Willi’s Wine Bar, The Rotunda of Neiman Marcus: Check, Please! Bay Area reviews
Check, Please! Bay Area reviews these restaurants: Bocanova (Oakland), Willi’s Wine Bar (Santa Rosa), The Rotunda of Neiman Marcus (San Francisco).
Celebrate the Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Market 20th Birthday Bash with CUESA
In honor of its 20th anniversary, Bay Area Bites looks back on how the Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Market has become a San Francisco institution for chefs, home cooks, and curious eaters from around the world.
Exploratorium Elevates Museum Eating Experience
Chef Loretta Keller, the force behind the Exploratorium’s new culinary options, talks bee jet lag, living foods, and seawater cocktails with BAB’s Sarah Henry.
Grits, Fried Chicken and Gospel Brunch – Chef David Lawrence Discusses Life at “1300 on Fillmore”
Mary Ladd interviews Chef David Lawrence about his restaurant “1300 on Fillmore” which is known for fabulous grits, fried chicken and a lively Sunday Gospel brunch.
Hunan Home’s Restaurant, Radius, Guerilla Café: Check, Please! Bay Area reviews
Restaurants reviewed: Hunan Home’s Restaurant (San Francisco), Radius Restaurant and Café (San Francisco) and Guerilla Café (Berkeley).
First Impression: Healdsburg SHED
What would a wine country locavore’s paradise look like? Stephanie Rosenbaum talks to Cindy Daniel, owner of Healdsburg’s new SHED, a 21st-century grange, store, and sustainable-living center.
Bocanova, Willi’s Wine Bar, The Rotunda of Neiman Marcus: Check, Please! Bay Area reviews
Check, Please! Bay Area reviews these restaurants: Bocanova (Oakland), Willi’s Wine Bar (Santa Rosa), The Rotunda of Neiman Marcus (San Francisco).
Pompei’s Grotto, Lillie Mae’s House of Soul Food, SPQR: Check, Please! Bay Area reviews
The fourth episode of Season 8 features these restaurants: Pompei’s Grotto (San Francisco), Lillie Mae’s House of Soul Food (Santa Clara) and SPQR (San Francisco). Leslie Sbrocco shares wine tips about Napa Valley wines.
Michael Pollan talks about his new book ‘Cooked’
As in his previous books, Michael Pollan argues in “Cooked” that relying on processed food disrupts our link to the natural world and weakens our interpersonal relationships. But this time he takes a more hands-on approach, doing apprenticeships with a variety of culinary masters who teach him the fine points of fermentation, the benefits of bacteria, and other secrets of honest cuisine. He joins KQED’s Forum in the studio.
KQED’s Forum: Mark Bittman on Part-Time Veganism
Mark Bittman talks about his new book, and how a full-time meat lover adapted to part-time veganism.
Art as Food as Art: Caitlin Freeman and her “Modern Art Desserts”
Cailtlin Freeman’s new book details the drama and recipes behind her self-made dream job: responding to SFMOMA’s art through food.
Are the benefits of genetically engineered foods worth the risks? Check out this half-hour special from QUEST Northern California that explores the pros and cons of genetically engineered crops and what the future holds for research and regulations.
Baby & Toddler On The Go: fresh, homemade foods for a busy life (VIDEO)
A precociously independent toddler packs a healthy homemade lunch and heads off to snack in Bernal Height’s Holly Park in San Francisco. This video is a promo for Kim Laidlaw’s new book: Baby & Toddler On The Go: fresh, homemade foods for a busy life.
Deaf Foodies Savor Gourmet Ghetto Tasting Tour in Sign Language
A dozen Deaf Foodies relish the tastes and history of Berkeley’s Gourmet Ghetto in a 3 hour tasting tour presented completely in American Sign Language (ASL) by food writer (and ASL interpreter) Anna Mindess through Edible Excursions.
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