Category Archives: Enticing Events

Meet the Food Gal at Macy’s San Francisco

Posted on by 18 comments


I liken this to a boxer braving his first bout in — of all places — Madison Square Garden.

But that’s what yours truly will be doing at 2 p.m. June 11, when I do my first cooking demo ever: At Macy’s. Union Square. In the heart of San Francisco.

Gulp.

Yes, the gleaming kitchen in the Cellar at Macy’s, which has hosted some of the best chefs in the country, will be the setting for my debut cooking demo.

I’ve been training hard for it, putting in extra hours at the stove at home, and doing Jumping Jacks in front of the cutting board. I hope you’ll come out to cheer me on at this free event. Or even bring some smelling salts in case I pass out.

Read more

Il Cane Rosso — A Tiny Spot That Delivers Big

Posted on by 11 comments

The staff at Il Cane Rosso inside San Francisco’s Ferry Building like to joke that they don’t have a real kitchen or dining room.

But what they’re able to create inside this tiny space that was once a takeout rotisserie is fairly miraculous. Cane Rosso’s open-face, warm egg salad sandwich with anchovy garlic butter is legendary. And its regular $25 three-course dinners have earned loyal fans.

Chef Lauren Kiino, who named the place after her three-legged rescue dog, Cody, opened the restaurant in 2009 in partnership with Chef Daniel Patterson of Coi in San Francisco. When that business relationship fizzled this year, Kiino took complete control of Cane Rosso.

A restaurant named after a chef's rescue dog.

The friendly staff and tiny kitchen.

She’s also been scouting locations in the Bay Area and Los Angeles to open another restaurant. Meantime, Cane Rosso has started doing a series of pop-up restaurants, in which the cooks borrow another establishment for a night to do a special prix fixe dinner. May 19 and May 20, they’ll be hosting one seating each night at 7 p.m. in honor of Mariquita Farm in Watsonville, which supplies a lot of Cane Rosso’s produce. Farm owner Andy Griffin will be on hand each night to talk about his farm as Kiino cooks up such dishes as crispy pork belly with Mariquita Farm roasted nettle and fregola salad. Crates of freshly picked strawberries will be available for purchase, too. The dinner, to be held at Coffee Bar in San Francisco, will feature four courses for $40, plus an additional $15 for wine pairings. To reserve a seat, email: info@canerossosf.com.

June 5 , Kiino will take over the Slow Club in San Francisco, for seatings at 6 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. The $55 three-course prix fixe (which includes cocktail pairings) will feature slow-cooked spring lamb with chicories and black olives. For reservations, email: info@canerossosf.com.

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of being invited as a guest of Cane Rosso to its first wine dinner. The dinner spotlighted Romililly Wines of the Russian River Valley, which was started in 2006 by brothers, Aaron and Jesse Inman. The duo leases land from their uncle, Joe Briggs, who started August Briggs winery in Calistoga, which makes a fabulous Pinot Meunier, which I fell in love with a few years ago.

The name, Romililly, is an amalgamation of the three siblings’ middle names, Jesse (Ro)bert, Aaron (Mi)chael and sister Susan Lilly, who’s still too young to drink legally. The dinner was a chance to taste the creations of newbie winemakers, including an earthy, leathery, rich 2009 Romililly Piinot Noir made from 40-year-old vines.

Read more

Porky Fun and a Food Gal Giveaway

Posted on by 27 comments

Win some porky goodness and a cookbook autographed by Chef Richard Blais.(Image courtesy of the National Pork Board)

You know it as the “other white meat” and the current darling ingredient of so many chefs, including “Top Chef All-Stars” champ Richard Blais.

Yes, pork.

After all, you’ve got to love a beast that gives you everything from bacon, ham and prosciutto to lard, chicharrones, ribs and juicy loin.

To get you in an even more porky good mood, I’m giving one lucky Food Gal reader the all the fixings for a spectacular piggy feast.

The porky prize package. (Image courtesy of the National Pork Board)

Contest: One person will win a “Be Inspired with Pork Kit,” which is being provided to the Food Gal by the folks at the National Pork Board. It includes an 11-inch square grill pan; a 16-jar revolving spice rack; a pig-shaped wood cutting board; a digital thermometer; a copy of the cookbook, “How to Cook Like a Top Chef” (Chronicle Books), autographed by Blais; and a gift card to a local retailer to purchase some tasty pork to cook up.

Entries for the contest, open only to those in the contiguous 48 U.S. states, will be accepted through midnight PST May 21. Winner will be announced May 23.

How to win?

Read more

New Sustainable Sushi Restaurant, Food Bloggers Bake Sale, Guy Fieri & More

Posted on by 9 comments

The interior of the new Ki in San Francisco. (Photo courtesy of the restaurant)

San Francisco Welcomes a Second Sustainable Sushi Restaurant

At the new Ki in San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood, you can enjoy your sushi without any guilt.

That’s because the new izakaya-style restaurant is dedicated to serving food that’s local, seasonal and sustainable. Owner Paul Hemming, a DJ, art gallery owner and record store owner, has teamed with Casson Trenor, author of “Sustainable Sushi: A Guide to Saving the Oceans One Bite at A Time” (North Atlantic Books). Trenor also helped launch Tataki Sushi & Sake Bar in San Francisco, the Bay Area’s first sustainable sushi restaurant.

Executive Chef Brian Beach, formerly executive chef of Infusion Lounge in San Francisco, sources many of his ingredients from within 150 miles of the restaurant. At Ki, you won’t find bluefin tuna, hamachi or eel — all of which are over-fished. Instead, the spotlight is on sardines, local albacore tuna, artic char, and other sustainable seafood. Dishes ($6 to $17) include kasuzuke, a seasonal fish cured in sake lees and cooked on a cedar plank; and karaage, sous-vide fried chicken served with pickled chile-usukuchi sauce.

Sushi Chef Isamu Kanai, formerly executive chef of Deep Sushi in San Francisco, turns out specialties such as scallop carpaccio served on a chilled Himalayan salt plate with grilled cherry tomatoes, red shiso pesto and baby mizuna; and “Fish ‘n’ Chips,” a specialty roll with tempura striped bass and pickled slaw topped with crushed potato chips.

Enjoy an extensive selection of sakes, served by the 4-ounce or 8-ounce pour or by the bottle.

San Francisco Food Bloggers Bake Sale

Foodies all over the nation will be baking up a storm for the second annual National Food Bloggers Bake Sale on May 14 to benefit Share Our Strength, a national organization working to eradicate child hunger.

Read more

Cool New Water Bottle and Food Gal Giveaway

Posted on by 27 comments

Win a new Groove water bottle with built-in filtration system. (Image courtesy of Camelbak)Camelbak, maker of those nifty water packs for biking and hiking, wants you to get into the Groove.

A new portable filtration water bottle to be exact.

The Camelbak Groove is a reusable water bottle that comes with its own carbon filter built into the drinking straw. Fill the bottle with tap water, and as you sip, the water is filtered before it hits your mouth.The straw has a bite valve — the same one apparently used by NASA astronauts in space — that locks into place when not in use, so you don’t have to worry about spills or leaks.

It’s great to stash in your car or to keep at your desk. Or tote one in your purse or briefcase. No more spending money on disposable water bottles or worrying about recycling them.

The 20-ounce bottle is made of BPA-free plastic and comes in four colors. It sells for $25. Replacement carbon filters (each of which should last for up to 60 gallons) cost $10 for a two-pack.

The Grooves are available online at the Camelbak Web site or at stores such as Target.

Contest: I’m happy to be able to give away one Camelback Groove to each of five lucky Food Gal readers. Entries, limited to those in the continental United States, will be accepted through midnight PST May 14. Winners will be announced May 16.

How to win?

Read more

« Older Entries Recent Entries »