Food

Patrick Heig reveals this year's list of the best new pubs in which to blackout. Smuggler's Cove, Rick House, Triple Crown (messy), Bloodhound (mixed crowd), and Blackbird (gays) all make the list. The top spot is a good one, but you'll have to read the original post to find out what it is, if only for the fact that it replaced one of the last remaining fecal flakes of the dot-com techno lounge era. more ›

It's as simple as that. more ›

After weeks of heated voting, Eater has awarded Aziza's Louis Maldonado the honor of being the hottest chef in the Bay Area. We can behind that. Or, preferably, in front of it. more ›

Similar to what Luna Park offered a week or so ago, the Mission's district's Pan-Latin cuisine has a pretty nifty deal going on right now. "Just book a reservation with us thru our website and we'll gift you certificates for the check amount," Charanga's site explains. "So, if your tab is $50, you get $50 in GIFT CERTIFICATES. $100? We'll do the same! Every day thru Dec. 23rd, ALL reservations, ALL amounts, ALL tabs." more ›

Newly installed bar manager at Absinthe, Carlos Yturria (formerly of Range, Bacar and Rye), has come up with several specialty cocktails for the board in his first weeks on duty. Our favorite is this wintry take on a whiskey sour, which includes one of the best and most unsung cocktail fruits of the season, the kumquat. more ›

In all honesty, we had no idea what sugar plums were until after watching Alton Brown's Good Eats Christmas special the other night. We'd heard of sugar plums in lore -- psychedelically dancing in the heads of children in the "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," and in fairy form in Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker -- but we didn't know that the old timey Christmas treat was, in fact, just a dragée of dried fruits, spices, honey and sugar rolled into a ball. (They're sweet, decorative, and keep you regular. Genius.) more ›

Alice Waters appeared on LA radio station KCRW today as part of their Guest DJ Project. Her play list? Only the finest, most artisan songs, of course. Nina Simone's "I Want a Little Sugar in My Bowl" Radiohead's "Reckoner" ("so rich and so magical," Waters exclaims), David Byrne's "Independence Day," Jefferson Airplane's "Volunteers," and Youssou N'Dour's "Tan Bi" rock Waters' world in a way Taylor Swift simply can't. She explains why at KCRW.com. (via Eater) more ›

Although the frosting-to-cake ratio is nothing short of cloying, you can pick up a cupcake this afternoon at Justin Herman Plaza. Sprinkles (@sprinklesmobile), a cupcake van, is right next to the funky water sculpture in downtown San Francisco, across from the Ferry Building. So, have at it, sweet teeth of SF. more ›

Want to serve something different yet timely for your holiday dinner? How about a juicy, medium-rare-on-the-rare-side slice of Rudolph's ass? or shoulder? or leg? Head over to Bi-Rite where you can buy reindeer meat. more ›

If you've got the means, or if you're going to be up in Napa and need a special-occasion date place between now and December 19th, look no further than the 12 Days of Christmas events at Meadowood in St. Helena. Guest chefs from around the country join resident chef (and Eater's Hottest Chef contest front-runner) Christopher Kostow in Meadowood's kitchen each night to create a special menu to be paired with wines from a local vineyard. We had the pleasure of joining them for Day 4, featuring Los Angeles chefs/Food Network stars Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo of Animal, serving up a protein-rich, five-course meal alongside Schramsberg Vineyards sparkling wines -- and one Cabernet from Schramsberg's still wine label, J. Davies. The meal was totally worth the trek up there, and we'd also recommend -- as a special holiday splurge -- booking a room at Meadowood's onsite resort so you can avoid the drive home until the next morning. See a few shots of the food porn from Day 4 here. more ›

When we crave a delicious and showy version of a Hot Toddy during these (by SF standards) Arctic winter months, we think back on a version we had once at Range, where they would warm your choice of either bourbon or rum by lighting it aflame and pouring the flaming liquid back and forth between pewter mugs. A mixture of citrus and spices got added to the warm liquor, and the shit was downright delicious. more ›

General Mills announced it will reduce the amount of sugar in its children's cereals starting next year. They didn't give specifics as to how, but Lucky Charms, Trix, Cocoa Puffs and other brands will head into single-digits for grams per serving. "The reduction ... doesn't represent perfection but it represents improvement," said Kelly Brownell, ,the director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University. Alas, the fat kid inside us just died a little. (Amy Crocker) more ›

The trio still standing on Bravo's Top Chef comprises The Brothers Voltaggio (brusque, tattooed, envelope-pushing Michael and staid, straight-laced, classically trained Bryan) and beardy Kevin from Atlanta, who has proven that simple food with Southern influences can compete against more innovative, haute cuisine. Tonight they go head to head in one final, Healdsburg-based challenge, with Douglas Keane of Cyrus serving as guest judge. more ›

In September, Kathryn Hill of Apartment Therapy's "The Kitchn" brought to you a DIY Pumpkin Spice Latte, which was strikingly similar to Starbucks' famous autumnal treat. more ›

Martin Cate, Tiki historian and former proprietor of Forbidden Island in Alameda, opens his newest venture Smuggler's Cove (650 Gough Street) to the public this evening. A couple weeks back we ran one of the 80 recipes for (mostly) rum-based drinks he'll be featuring on the menu, and late last week we got to sample several and get a peek at the place. Seriously folks, it's damn cute, water feature and all, with two bars and a small upstairs mezzanine, and packed to the gills with objects from Tiki bars' past, including three small shrines along the main wall to Trader Vic's, Skipper Kent's, and Don the Beachcomber. more ›

SF Chronicle's Jon Bonné released the Top 100 Wines list for 2009. This year's angle was that more wines under $30 made the list. Which, of course, is fantastic news here at SFist HQ, where the wine flows freely. more ›

Grab some milk, a sleeve of Oreos, and start observing kids, because today is National Cookie Day. (Eee!) Its name, according to Wikipedia, comes the Dutch word koekje or koekie meaning "little cake." From snickerdoodles and peanut butter cookies to Chips Ahoys and fortune cookies, they're all pretty much a delightful treat, perfecting for a light dessert of manic binge eating. more ›

With Xmas swiftly approaching, we could all use a drink. And in our quest for seasonal libations, SFist brings you this holiday spin on sangria from H. Joseph Ehrmann at Elixir. In his own words: more ›

On Saturday and Sunday be sure to grab a bowl of ramen while window shopping in Hayes Valley. Shirohige Ramen-Ya, a ramen truck, will be at the corner of Laguna and Hayes (across the street from Suppenküche) selling savory joy to passersby. more ›

Having made about a hundred and nine trips to wine country, we're definitely over the big name, flashy, tchotchke- and gift-laden tasting rooms serving up merely drinkable wine at high-end prices. Give us a shitshack or a shed and some amazing wine and we're happy. more ›

by Rachel Brodsky Mmm crabs. No not those crabs. I'm talking about the good kind! And, as most of you in the Bay Area now already, Maryland isn't the only place you can procure a fine plate of 'em. Being adjacent to the Bay and all, San Francisco is one of the best destinations in the country for many different types of seafood. In fact, this Saturday marks the start of Dungeness Crab season (which technically began in November, but we hear the catch is the strongest from December to Februa more ›