Food

On this tepid news day, we came across a joyous new game to expedite your problem with alcohol. Chowhound had posted a new drinking game, which has since been removed (boo!), involving North Bay dreamboat/Food Network personality Tyler Florence. Eater, thankfully, saved it for all to enjoy. Check it: a reader said, "I have tried several different times to follow Tyler Florence Ultimate but I can't get past the fact that he uses the phrase, 'all right', at least 5 times a minute. It would make for an interesting drinking game...take a shot every time Tyler says, 'all right.'" We concur. more ›

Speaking of street food, Rec & Parks has given the OK to La Cocina (the non-profit incubator of such vendors as Estrellita's Snacks, Onigilly, and Zella's Soulful Kitchen and the organizer of last year's Street Food Festival) and Blue Bottle Coffee to operate permanent street food carts in Dolores Park and Justin Herman Plaza. According to Caleb Zigas at La Cocina, the carts should be in place by late March or early April, pending Rec & Parks Commission approval at their meeting on February 18th. [7x7, Grub Street SF] more ›

Jacques Bezuidenhout is responsible for the new cocktail program at Fifth Floor, which includes a lot of interesting twists on clean, classic cocktail fare. Today he offers us the recipe for a drink he created using Partida Reposado tequila and sherry. more ›

The Wall Street Journal today takes note of how expensive it is to staff a restaurant in San Francisco. Certainly having a living wage and health care benefits are important for servers and bussers alike, but according to restaurant consultants Full Plate Consulting, our almost-$10 minimum wage and local ordinances regarding benefits mean that restaurants here spend three times as much per employee as they do in New York or Chicago. Good news for waiters, bad (and probably old) news for chef-owners. In related news, the Chron talks today with the owners of Kasa Indian Eatery about how the credit crunch has affected their new business, and Michael Bauer checks in on the survival rate of his top 10s over the years, which turns out to be an encouraging 62%. more ›

We figured you needed a couple weeks' hiatus from drinking after the holidays and all, but SFist Drinks returns today with a cocktail from Michael McDonagh, beverage director at Fisherman's Wharf-adjacent bar/club The Parlor. The name comes from the use of G'Vine small batch gin, and McDonagh describes it thusly: more ›

Don't get us wrong, we like Bi-Rite Creamery. Really, we do. Would we stand in line for ice cream on anything but the warmest of days? Probably not, and even when it's warm we'll only do it on an off hour when the line's a mere twelve people long. And yes, their Salted Caramel is pretty damn good. But is it one of the six best "new" desserts in the entire country? That may be a stretch. But anyway, congrats guys! Alan Richman at GQ clearly loves you. [via SFoodie; Photo by nchoz on Flickr.] more ›

We love us some Leslie Sbrocco, the host of Check Please! Bay Area. She looks like someone with whom we would want to get drunk. Maybe that's because she's an award-winning author and wine expert, one who seamlessly leads the discussion between foodies on each episode of Check Please! Bay Area. more ›

Since opening in late 2007, Conduit (15th & Valencia) has been pretty well received, both for its food -- by chef Justin Deering -- and for its award-winning interior by architect Stanley Saitowitz. We especially enjoyed their cocktails and some of the cocktail-and-food pairings on offer. As Eater reports, the restaurant's now closed, falling victim to the financial woes that many restaurants have faced in the last year. As they also note, the signature design is unfortunately "so distinct that it's hard to imagine anything else in that space." more ›

Following on the heels of the Eagle being up for sale, the century-old House of Shields "could be nearing the end of its run on New Montgomery Street." Eater reports that "the historic bar's lease runs out in June and word on the street is that at this point in time, the landlord has no intention of renewing it, meaning the current team is definitely out." more ›

The artisan-ization of Dolores Park continues unabated with this groovy taco truck (note the solar panels on the roof), which wants you to sign some sort of petition to have a "demonstration fruit/vegetable/herb garden" installed in Dolores Park (free smoothies for those who help create it!), as well as create some sort of floweriness called "sustainable consciousness." more ›

Say what you will about the never-ending cupcake craze, but another venue for scoring miniaturized versions of the baked treats arrives today in the Mission. Mission Minis, who already have a North Beach kiosk at 524 Union Street (at Grant), finally opens its doors today at 22nd and Capp. As the Tablehopper reports, proprietor Brandon Arnovick will also be doing deliveries in his golf cart. more ›

Saratoga Chocolates in the shuttered Jo, located in the old Joseph Schmidt space at 3489 16th Street in the Castro, is offering truffle making and wine/chocolate classes this winter. According to Mary Ladd, Saratoga's owner, Mary Loomas, is "offering what she calls a Series 1 class in truffle making Jan. 30, 11 a.m.-2:30 (cost: $125). On Feb. 5, there's a wine and chocolate class, 7 p.m-8:30 p.m. (cost: $50)." more ›

One of the few food items that keeps us from taking the Nestea plunge off the Golden Gate Bridge, a basket of fried pickles at Bender's might be a thing of the past. (We even claimed it as the best meal of 2008!) According to Eater, Weird Fish, which operates a satellite location at the Mission bar, is moving out. No word yet as to why or whether it will come back. more ›

In yet another in a long string of victories for California winemaking (you've all heard about the famous Judgment of Paris upset in 1976, right?), three Napa Valley wines placed in the top five at the World Series of Wine in Cleveland, Ohio, with the 2005 M by Michael Mondavi coming in first. At $200, that bottle retails for less than half the price of second-place French finisher, the 2006 Chateau Lafite-Rothschild Pauillac ($500), or fifth-place finisher, the 2006 Chateau Margaux ($500). The value winners here would be third and fourth place finishers, two Cabs by Emblem Wines in Rutherford that go for $49 apiece... at least, they did until today. more ›