And the winner for Best Happy Hour in Oakland goes to... Adesso. Secret's out. [Bay Area Bites]
In yet another show aimed at men who grill cook, Chris Cosentino's unaired television show, called Chef Unleashed, looks like an honest (yet violent) viewing experience. Inside Scoop's Paolo Lucchesi explains: "In a nutshell, the concept is showing people where their food comes from. For the pilot episode, Cosentino and co. went to Broken Arrow Ranch in Texas Hill Country — 'the go-to guys for wild game in the US' — to hunt deer. In the video above, Cosentino shoots a deer on the open terrain, learns how to skin it, and then cooks a feast — with all of its parts, including a version of Incanto’s venison heart tartare." For his second episode, Cosentino will show viewers how to make a light-as-air and figure-friendly millefeuille. No, not really. Can you imagine? That would be rad. [Inside Scoop]
A thoughtful and touching tribute to the late, great Shirley Fong-Torres. [Chron]
Kneecap-shatteringly affected and male-centric food app/magazine Lucky Peach isn't as peachy (chortle) as one might think. No kidding. [Grub]
Another food writer joins the comfy confines of Bay Area food scribbling. W. Blake Gray, already noted for a wine blog, will take John Birdsall's place at SF Weekly's SFoodie blog. While he start things off with interweb buzz wordiness -- "I'm looking forward to getting hyperlocal in covering the San Francisco food scene, which is a major reason I moved here in the first place," he writes -- his award-winning turns and SF Chronicle background should prove him yet another invaluable resource in the local gastronomic scene. (Unless of course he really does look forward to getting hyperlocal, he's more than welcome to take an investigative look at the three shelves of Hot Pockets at our corner store to find out where the mold-free ones are hidden. Because it's a total crapshoot for us. Very frustrating and, at times, disgusting. Speaking of which, have any of you tasted the new Hot Pocket Snackers? We're apprehensive. Is the dough-to-filling ratio lopsided? Should we think eggroll, not corn dog? The other way around? Please advise.) He starts his new gig on Thursday. Welcome aboard, W.! [SFoodie]
Gin is on the rise. [Alcademics]
And finally, did you know good, cheap restaurants exist in the Outer Sunset? Hand to God. [7x7]