Category: Intro Letter

“When it comes to food, sounds, too, can be aphrodisiac… the hissing sound of an onion browning in oil, the syncopated rhythm of a knife mincing vegetables, the burble of the boiling pot into which unfortunate shellfish will fall in an instant, the crrrack of of nuts being shelled, the patient song of the mortar grinding seeds; the liquid notes… Read more →

“The primary requisite for writing well about food is a good appetite. Without this, it is impossible to accumulate… enough experience of eating to have anything worth setting down. Each day brings only two opportunities for field work, and they are not to be wasted minimizing the intake of cholesterol.” – A.J. Liebling, “Between Meals: An Appetite for Paris” “Other… Read more →

“Three hundred small pleasures make people happier than one magnificent one.” – Daniel Gilbert, Harvard Professor I have to let you know of some important changes this month… ones I’m excited to share with you. First, I just started writing a weekly online food/drink column for the San Francisco Bay Guardian newspaper – subscribe to it by RSS feed or bookmark the… Read more →

The year is off to delectable start with gratifying new openings (check out my Top Tastes section), two articles I wrote published in the SF Bay Guardian’s “Hard Times Handbook” cover story, and the Fancy Food Show at the Moscone Center (held in SF and NYC). On Fancy Food: Imagine, if you will, over 80,000 food and beverage artisans from around the world,… Read more →

Happy New Year! I crave new beginnings and love the feel of a “clean slate” each year (even if imagined), to drum up new goals, dream new dreams, and be open to new adventures. 2008 was full of discovery as well as intimacy with those I love. I’m ready for more… Every month, I share Top Tastes, favorite new dishes,… Read more →

“This is the violet hour, the hour of hush and wonder, when the affections glow and valor is reborn, when the shadows deepend along the edge of the forest and we believe that, if we watch carefully, at any moment we may see the unicorn.” – Bernard DeVoto, The Hour The year has so swiftly reached an end… hard to… Read more →

“Variety’s the very spice of life,That gives all its flavor.”– William Cowper As you can see from this month’s Top Tastes (favorite new dishes, drinks and bites), it’s been a rich month of new San Francisco restaurant openings, travel and plenty to get excited about. My excitement grows as I anticipate upcoming trips to New Orleans and Miami… a slew of culinary adventures… Read more →

“I am tempted to believe that smell and taste are, in fact, but a single composite sense, whose laboratory is the mouth its chimney the nose.” – Brillat-Savarin Despite economic woes, it’s been a month of great eats, food events and new restaurant openings in San Francisco. I’m looking forward to more slated for October. I share my favorite dishes… Read more →

(After describing a long, multi-course meal)… “The magic would have happened, and we’d sit for a long time with our elbows on the table, talking easily, hearing and seeing more than we had for some time because of the way we’d tasted more.” – M.F.K. Fisher (from “Shall it Be…Eating or Dining?”, 1944) Fall is ushered in with September… my… Read more →

“Like a welcome summer rain, humor may suddenly cleanse and cool the earth, the air around you.” – Langston Hughes Summer races on with a slew of weddings, Summer festivals, Sonoma day trips, visiting friends, good books and lazy days. Every month, I share Top Tastes: favorite new dishes, drinks and bites from my culinary explorations. This month, in The Latest, I rate… Read more →