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EAT – A day at the Fancy Food Show

marym — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 19:43:13 +0000

Every January, the Fancy Food Show rolls into San Francisco for a 3 day eating extravaganza. This trade show is put on by the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade. The show fills up both the north and south exhibition halls of the Moscone Center. It is a ginormous feast. What is a "fancy food"? Think gourmet. Jams, dips, tea, popcorn, shortbread, biscotti, olives, olive oil, cured meats, cheese, cheese and more cheese. Pasta sauces, BBQ rubs and sauces. Plus a lot of chocolate. From all over the world. Samples abound, and pacing is a must. One small bite, and ditch the rest of the sample. Out of 80,000 food and drink samples, I've distilled it down to these absolute favorites. (And no, I didn't get anywhere close to trying even 1% of that.)

EAT DRINK – Sweet wine for Thanksgiving…seriously!

marym — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 19:34:14 +0000

Thanksgiving is a time for tradition. The traditional turkey with stuffing, cranberry sauce and yams with that marshmallow topping. A safe, time-honored wine, Pinot Noir. Yawn.

This year I’m gonna shake things up a bit. I’ll be pouring a sweet wine for the main event and not just for dessert.

DRINK – Urban wine

marym — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 20:48:42 +0000

Since wine can be made anywhere these days, it’s no big surprise that Oakland, Berkeley and Alameda, CA (also known as the East Bay) are home to many urban wine brands, both established and start ups. So what if there are no vineyards in the city (that I’m aware of). At this past weekend’s Urban Wine Experience in Oakland, the local wines were showing rather well, paired with bites from local restaurants. The public event was held by the East Bay Vintner’s Alliance.

EAT – Ubuntu, better than ever

marym — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 20:32:13 +0000

One of Napa Valley’s best restaurants is Ubuntu in downtown Napa. Executive chef Jeremy Fox’s “vegetable cuisine” was a revelation. He redefined what it means to have an all vegetable-based menu, with much of the produce coming from the kitchen’s biodynamic garden fresh every day. Fox and Ubuntu received many awards and accolades. Well Fox departed earlier this year, and I think many of us were holding our collective breath about the restaurant’s future. Would it be as good with another chef? Will the vegetable menu be replaced? Will the restaurant close?

EAT – NYC Pizza

marym — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 17:00:24 +0000

If you don’t know that pizza is one of the hottest trends in the food world, then where have you been? In New York City, a place hardly lacking for good pizza pies, several artisan pizzerias recently opened. During my trip there last week, my goal was to try a slice at each. On my list: Motorino, Keste´, Co. and Pulino.