Like a top-drawer Folger's Crystals switcheroo, Benu executive chef Corey Lee, the former chef de cuisine at The French Laundry, developed a fake shark-fin soup that's fooling even the most rabid fans of the taboo brew. Cecilia Chang, the lady credited with introducing Northern Chinese cooking to America, couldn't even tell the difference. "She had no idea it was faux," Lee said. more ›

Artist Luke Chueh revealed a bold statement last week at the "Getting BIG 36 Sharky Show" at the Toy Tokyo Underground Gallery in New York City. Chueh's telling 36"-tall fiberglass piece titled "Sharky Fin Soup" makes a pretty good case about the plight of sharks being harvested for their titular soup. The work featured a shark and a severed fin sitting in a bowl of blood -- i..e., shark fin soup. a popular soup of Chinese cuisine served during very special occasions. It was sold for an undisclosed amount. more ›

Al Yeganeh, the man who inspired the "Soup Nazi" on Seinfeld, is coming to San Francisco. Well, his chain of soup store will come here, anyway. "The Wharf outpost of The Original SoupMan will be the chain’s first West Coast location, and is anticipated to debut around late May," reports Paolo Lucchesi of Inside Scoop. "All the famous soups will be there (Seinfeld geeks will remember that Jambalaya, Lobster Bisque, Crab Bisque, and Mulligatawny all got noted on the show), and since it’s San Francisco, there will be an added bonus of Cioppino." [Inside Scoop] more ›

by Joe Payne Following in the vein of simple sidewalk hot plates and astute gourmet food carts, the Soup Lady at El Rio (every Thursday and Tuesday night) has brought an inventive and surprisingly filling take to the after-ten-drunk-food-economy. more ›

hen we last wrote about the San Jose Sharks, we were wondering where the hell captain Patrick Marleau's game went. It looks like he found it around the trade deadline (more on that below), and has been on a pretty decent stretch since then. As have the Sharks. more ›

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We are going to eat SO MUCH food next week, aren't we? That is to say, isn't everyone? This royal-we business makes it hard to communicate sometimes. Does the Queen have this problem? Anyway, yes, everyone will eat lots of food next Thursday, because if they don't that means they hate America. That goes for poor people, too. Doubly so. more ›

After about two years of subscribing to the daily menu email of the ever-more-pricey San Francisco Soup Company, we finally won ourselves a free cup of soup. more ›

Adding to the estimable Alternative Press Expo coverage by Jeremy comes a little more APE coverage, albeit a teensy bit late. (Hey, its been a busy week!) Among our favs of the day were local art collective Germart and of course, Ker-Bloom, which we blogged about here . more ›

Sid Luscious and the Pants play at 11 p.m. at Kimo's on Polk Street, which is dangerously (is it just us?) close to Bob's Donuts, one of SF's best. Get all maximum new wave, like OMG! 1351 Polk Street, SF. Telephone: 415-885-4535, more ›

Soup's on! Something in Season made some appealing lentil soup, with sausage, pictured here. Tomato and wilted greens round it out. Gluten free folks will be happy to know the recipe is just that. more ›

After the first two games of the season, Niners fans are all giddy and glowing about things. They have the same look on their face one has when one finally hooks up with their obsessive infatuation and starts dreaming up whole relationships/trysts in their heads. But the problem with all this giddiness is that, well, said infatuation was also really, really, really drunk and pissed off because their obsessive infatuation blew them off. And no, we're not projecting. At all. What we mean is that while the Niners are 1-1 and played well even in their loss, their two opponents in those games were not exactly the top of the line in NFL teams. The Cardinals are the Cardinals, perpetually doomed to doormatness, and the Rams appear to be still trying to find their way in a post-Martz world. more ›

In explaining how he came about the Shangri-La Diet, UC Berkeley Professor Seth Roberts tells a story about how, in Paris, the soda he drank tasted so different from the usual that it inhibited his appetite, causing him to lose weight. We don't know much about dieting, we don't care much for the Shangri-la diet, and honestly, we won't trust much someone unable to find coke in Paris, it's available at every corner. Nevertheless, if there is a lesson in the anecdote, it is thusly: if you want to lose weight, go eat at Inka. more ›

Last week's winner, the East Bay Express: They didn't make the drop at our usual pick-up spot today, so we're stuck with the web version (which is always so much less satisfying). Bottom Feeder addresses SFist Jon's concerns about Pombo's vulnerability and the Shirek post office! Maybe SFist Jon should also start looking into the Alameda County supervisors' race, which is Bottom Feeder's third topic. Vote no on 80! Like we have any idea what any of these propositions even are yet! (80 = power plants). Don Perata's private investigator. Oakland's favorite Idol, LaToya. And getting baked at the Chabot Center planetarium (the music of Moby is featured). The SF Weekly: Hee hee! PUNI says Google buys SF! And renames Gavin G-New! Hee! And MUNI's renamed G-Cruiser! Hee hee! A totally fascinating story about this attorney who busts cults, grew up in a upper-crust family with a closeted father, and annoys San Anselmo residents with his large left-wing signs. Movie critic doesn't like 24 Hours on Craigslist. Make it stop, we can't bear the Meredith Brody. Soup in Noe Valley. Clap Your Hands Say Pitchfork. Cover article: hip-hop blogs. And -- yoikes -- check out Savage Love's collection of letters about the man who thinks he might have been raped. The Guardian and the pick of the week after the jump! (Sorry, we had Metro distribution problems again.) more ›