Category Archives: Restaurants

Food Gal Giveaway — BlackboardEats Memberships

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Your chance to win a membership to access dining deals. (Image courtesy of BlackboardEats)

When perusing restaurant reviews, do you find yourself smacking your lips, eager to try the dishes described in such tantalizing detail?

Now, BlackboardEats makes it not only easy to do so, but friendlier on the wallet, too.

The new Web site and e-newsletter features restaurant reviews written by professionals, including the ever-popular Marcia Gagliardi at Tablehopper. Reviewers pay for their meals; they are not comped by restaurants.

Each review sent to subscribers via email is accompanied by a promotional offer such as 30 percent off your tab or a $30 prix fixe meal. When you see an offer that tempts, you have 24 hours to log into the site to receive a special passcode to access that specific offer. Once you do, you have 30 days to use it at the specific restaurant.

Recent restaurants featured include Etoile at Domain Chandon in Yountville, SPQR in San Francisco, and Baker & Banker in San Francisco.

The Food Gal will be giving away three annual memberships (valued at $20 each) to BlackboardEats so that you can check out the deals yourself.

Contest: Because BlackboardEats operates right now only in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York City, entries should be limited to those who live in those areas. Enter now through midnight PST Feb. 19. The three winners will be announced on Feb. 21.

How to win?

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For a Heartfelt Time

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For the optimist on Valentine's Day. (Photo courtesy of SusieCakes)

For Valentine’s Day, SusieCakes has got you covered, no matter if you’re head over heels in love or not.

For those that are, there’s the “Susie Loves Me” gift box of conversation heart sugar cookies, sweetheart sandwich cookies, a Sugar & Spice cupcake and a Red Hot Red Velvet cupcake.

And for the pessimist...(Photo courtesy of SusieCakes)For those for whom Valentine’s Day is more bah-humbug, there’s the “Susie Loves Me Not” gift box with cookies amusingly decorated with “Love Me Not” written on them, as well as “It’s Not Me, It’s You” conversation heart cookies, a black sweetheart sandwich cookie, cupcakes inscribed with “Serial Dater” and “Breakup Queen,” and a “Broken Heart Brownie.”

Both gift boxes are available Valentine’s Day for $25 each at SusieCakes locations in San Francisco and Marin.

San Francisco’s Baker & Banker Bakery is getting into the mood with special Valentine’s Day treats and special-order cakes.

Among the tempting offerings for Feb. 14 are strawberry champagne cupcakes (champagne-soaked yellow cake with strawberry frosting; $3.50 each); hand-written “Hostess” cupcakes with salted caramel ($3.50 each); conversation heart cakes (Devil’s food cake with Grand Marnier ganache; $50 for 6-inch; $80 for 10-inch); and champagne cake truffles ($5.50 for four).

Adorable conversation heart cakes. (Photo courtesy of Baker & Banker)

For a bottle of wine with a heartfelt message, look no further than 2007 Linda’s Hillside Vineyard Cabarnet Sauvignon from Napa’s Darms Lane Vineyard.

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Meet Alice Medrich in Brisbane and Enjoy Pisco Sours in San Francisco

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Alice Medrich's ginger cookies. (Photo courtesy of Artisan Books)

A Cookie of a Time with Alice Medrich

The Bay Area’s award-winning cookbook author and pastry expert Alice Medrich will be hosting a cooking demo at the Purcell Murray Culinary Showroom and Amphitheater in Brisbane, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 5.

Medrich will be demonstrating delectable cookie recipes from her eighth and newest book, “Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy: Melt in Your Mouth Cookie Recipes” (Artisan). Learn how to make the cookies of your dreams at this fun event.

Admission price is $35 per person. Copies of Medrich’s book also will be available for purchase that day. For reservations, call (415) 330-5557.

Cookbook author and baker extraordinaire Alice Medrich. (Photo courtesy of Artisan Books)

Celebrate Pisco Sour Day at La Mar Restaurant

Who knew there was an actual “Pisco Sour Day”?

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Newbie Restaurateur Opens Inshou in San Mateo

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Yakitori at Inshou in San Mateo.

I don’t really know Ray Wu, but I’m pulling for him.

You see, against the better judgment of his parents, who thought his economics degree from the University of California at Berkeley could be put to better use, he opened a restaurant about 50 days ago — his first.

Now, when he isn’t at his day job as manager of Marina Food market in Cupertino, Wu is at Inshou in San Mateo, where he greets customers and helps out in the kitchen alongside his head chef.

This new Japanese-small plates, neighborhood establishment has been his dream ever since he started working in restaurants as a dishwasher years ago.

Of course, an economics major would probably know this isn’t the best economy in which to open a restaurant. But when you have a dream, it’s hard to deny it.

Wu invited me in as his guest last week to try out his fare.

As with any dream, there were moments of wonderful clarity with the food, but also a few hazy ones, where a stronger focus was needed.

Wu and his team aim to please, welcoming customers warmly in the bright restaurant with its artsy back-lit sculptural white wall.

Tiny, crisp rice balls coat these crunchy shrimp.

We shared an assortment of dishes, starting with the “cracking shrimp” ($8.50), which were lightly battered with tiny rice balls that turned crisp and golden when deep-fried. Alongside was a cold, creamy curry sauce to dip them in.

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New Bar Bites and Lunar New Year Events

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Tender meatballs at Farmstead Restaurant. (Photo courtesy of the restaurant)

New Bar Hours & Noshes at St. Helena’s Farmstead Restaurant

If you’re famished after all that wine-tasting in the Napa Valley, pull up a stool at Farmstead Restaurant at Long Meadow Ranch in St. Helena, which has added extended bar hours on Friday and Saturday evenings, as well as some new tasty noshes.

Sunday through Thursday, the bar is open until 10 p.m. But on Friday and Saturday nights, you can chill out there until 12 a.m.

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