Category Archives: Restaurants

A Bake Sale Not to Miss, Meet Cookbook Author Carol Field & More

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Pastry Chef Christina Tosi will be selling cookies and Crack Pie, the recipes of which are in her new cookbook.

A Chance to Buy Sweets from Momofuku Milk Bar and Absinthe

Consider this the ultimate bake sale.

Nov. 9, from noon to 3 p.m., the private dining room at Absinthe in San Francisco will be transformed into exactly that with baked goods for sale by Absinthe Group’s Executive Pastry Chef Bill Corbett and Pastry Chef Christina Tosi of New York’s Momofuku Milk Bar.

Tosi is in town to promote her new cookbook, “Momfuku Milk Bar” (Clarkson Potter). She and Corbett worked together in New York at wd~50.

Among the goodies for sale that afternoon will be Corbett’s Oatmeal Cream Pie ($3.50 each) and German Chocolate Candy Bar ($4 each), as well as Tosi’s famous Crack Pie ($5.25 per slice) and assorted cookies ($1.85 each).

She’ll also have copies of her cookbook on hand for purchase.

A portion of proceeds from the bake sale will benefit the San Francisco Food Bank.

Late that evening on Nov. 9, Tosi will be at Omnivore Books in San Francisco, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

She’ll talk about how she got into baking, and sign copies of her book.

Additionally, Nov.  10 at 6 p.m., Tosi will do a cooking demo and book signing at Williams-Sonoma on Union Square in San Francisco. Books must be purchased at the store to be signed.

Pop-Up Dinner at Coi in San Francisco

Absinthe Executive Pastry Chef Bill Corbett also will be putting in an appearance at Coi in San Francisco on Nov. 14, when he’ll be part of a group of chefs doing a pop-up dinner there that night.

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Spice Blends to Spice Things Up

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Grilled chicken coated in the Babblin' Babs "Greek" herb blend.

That’s exactly what Chef William Mueller of Babblin’ Babs Bistro in Tacoma, WA wants to help you do.

Owner of a five-year-old restaurant named for his late-Mom, Mueller just launched a line of all-natural, salt-free, sugar-free, MSG-free, gluten-free spice blends to give your everyday cooking an easy punch of flavor.

His six blends include: “Everyday,” “Greek,” “Lonestar,” “New Orleans,” “Thai” and “West Indies.”

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Chef Alan Wong Brings A Taste of Hawaii to the Bay Area & More

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Chef Alan Wong to visit from Hawaii. (Photo courtesy of the chef)

Meet Famed Hawaii Chef Alan Wong and Historian Arnold Hiura

Chef Alan Wong and historian Arnold Hiura are bringing the “Taste Hawaii Tour” to the Bay Area, Oct. 27-Nov. 2, which includes a slew of public events that celebrate the culture and food of the islands.

The James Beard Award-winning chef of Alan Wong’s Honolulu and the Pineapple Room, Wong just published his newest cookbook, “The Blue Tomato: The Inspirations Behind the Cuisine of Alan Wong” (Watermark), which is filled with more than 200 recipes. Hiura, who co-wrote Wong’s latest cookbook, also is the author of “Kau Kau: Cuisine & Culture in the Hawaiian Islands” (Watermark), which includes more than 70 recipes.

* Oct. 27 from 6 p.m. to 7 pm., the two will host a free talk and book-signing at Omnivore Books in San Francisco.

* Oct. 29, 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Wong will host a free cooking demo at the north arcade of the Ferry Building Marketplace in San Francisco.  Following that, from 12:30 p.m. to 1 p.m., Wong and Hiura will sign copies of their books.

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Chef Sachin Chopra of All Spice Talks About Celebrating Diwali

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Chef Sachin Chopra, all dressed up for the holiday, puts the finishing touches on a dessert for Diwali.

For Chef-Proprietor Sachin Chopra of All Spice in San Mateo, the celebration of Diwali always has had a special place in his heart.

After all, the joyous Festival of Lights, which starts on Oct. 26, is not only one of the most important Hindu holidays, but also marks the New Year.

It’s a time for gathering with family and friends. It’s a time to illuminate the house with candles. It’s also a major time for sweets.

As champagne is poured to signify important celebrations, sweets play a similar role in Sachin’s native India. They are readily offered to visitors in a warm gesture of welcome.

Candles are lit to commemorate the Festival of Lights.

The chef, who specializes in California cuisine with Indian and global influences, likes to create modern takes on Indian desserts at his year-old restaurant.

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A Pampering Experience at the Farmhouse Inn in Sonoma County

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Wake up to fluffy oatmeal pancakes with apples at the Farmhouse Inn.

From the moment you arrive at the bucolic Farmhouse Inn in tiny Forestville in the Russian River Valley, you know you will be in good hands.

After all, Charlotte most likely will be the first to greet you.

This is one friendly, adorable black cat you will want crossing your path. The inn’s resident pet, Charlotte, keeps pests in check on the property. But she’s also not above sneaking into your room to take a snooze.

And what rooms these are.

Eighteen rooms, cottages and suites ($345 to $745 a night) dot the property, whose centerpiece is a pale yellow 1873 restored farm house. The farmstead has been owned for the past decade by siblings, Catherine and Joe Bartolomei, whose family has farmed in Sonoma County for five generations. Recently, my husband and I were invited to be guests of the inn for an overnight stay that included dinner at the famed restaurant on the premises.

Although it blends in perfectly with the 1800s property, this barn is a new structure housing gorgeous suites.

The rustic and thoroughly chic look of the suite.

Notice the pillow on the bed that looks like a certain cat?

The room's double-sided fireplace can be enjoyed from the deck, too.

We stayed in an upstairs suite in the newly built barn at the back of the property. The suite definitely has a rustic vibe — but one attuned to Ralph Lauren.  Bright, airy and chic, the suite featured a four-poster bed adorned with a pillow decorated with a black cat in homage to Charlotte, of course. A double-sided stone gas fireplace sat across from the bed and could be enjoyed from the other side outside on the deck, too. The bathroom featured a jetted tub, separate steam shower and radiant heat floors to toast your tootsies on chilly mornings.

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