Filed under: Parties , Dinner , Hors D'oeuvres , West Coast , Restaurants , America

Filed under: Wine , West Coast , Cheese , Newspapers , America From the mouths of the experts, the San Francisco Chronicle has some tips on how to order wine in a restaurant . The article also has each sommelier's two choices for one bottle under $35 and one bottle over $35.

The Bay Area is beginning to see more cafes and shops in which coffeemakers are forgoing machines and brewing individual cups of coffee for each customer. Forget about the Barista writing your name on a paper cup -- this kind of brewing, single cup filter drip , is really personal.   The technique is simple. Roasted beans are ground to just slightly coarser than an espresso grind. The coffee is placed in a filter on top of a cup, the hot water is poured slowly over the grounds. It takes a bit longer, and it certainly requires more effort on the part of the brewer, but apparently, the freshness is worth it.

Filed under: Coffee , West Coast , Vegetarian , Vegan , Grains , Vegetables , Dairy , Nuts/seeds , Beef , Chocolate , Fish , Poultry , Cheese , Fruit , Stores & Shopping , America , Shellfish , Meat

Filed under: West Coast , Restaurants , On the Blogs Michael Bauer, the San Francisco Chronicle's food and wine editor, as well as their restaurant critic, has just launched a blog, following in the footsteps of the New York Times' Frank Bruni and his blog . Bauer's blog is called Between Meals  and has been up and running for about 1 week now. So far, he has included a list of the ten noisiest restaurants in the Bay Area  (Town Hall and A16 are the worst offenders), following up on posts about the rising noise levels in eateries. The best part of the blog, though, is the FAQ , where Bauer answers reader-submitted questions about his life, the review process and about what makes him qualified to be a restaurant critic.

Filed under: Wine , West Coast , Farming , Fruit , America Yesterday, the Chronicle food section focused on organic foods . Today, their wine section does the same, looking at organic wines and why they are so difficult to find . Many vineyards grow certified organic grapes, but the wines themselves are not organic. The reason? The USDA prohibits added sulfites in organic wines.

Filed under: Lunch , Breakfast , Hors D'oeuvres , Snacks , West Coast , Restaurants , Vegetarian , Grains , Vegetables , Nuts/seeds , Poultry , Far East , Pork , Frying , Steaming , Raves & Reviews , Condiments , America , Spices

Filed under: Dinner , West Coast , Restaurants , Cocktails , America , Spirits Over the weekend, I posted a picture of Monkey enjoying a Mandarin and soda during Happy Hour at a downtown LA restaurant and bar that's heavy on steaks, and asked you to guess where he was. No no no, it's not the Standard ! Monkey wasn't on the guest list for the rooftop bar. Monkey was across the street at... Nick & Stef's Steakhouse of Joachim Splichal's  Patina Group .

Filed under: Lunch , Breakfast , Hors D'oeuvres , West Coast , Restaurants , Grains , Vegetables , Beef , Fish , Poultry , Pork , Steaming , Raves & Reviews , America , Shellfish , Meat

Filed under: Snacks , West Coast , Grains , Raves & Reviews , Newspapers The San Francisco Chronicle did a taste test of 9 store brands of prepopped, bagged popcorn that they found around the Bay Area. While microwave popcorn doesn't really take that long to make, the bagged stuff offers even more convenience and instant gratification. Not to mention the fact that opening a bag of it will not leave your kitchen smelling like popcorn for the next 24 hours. The Chronicle's criteria? They looked for flavor and appearance, but the most important quality for the popcorn to have was crunch. If it wasn't crispy, it wasn't worth eating, and not all the brands stacked up. Their top two picks were Whole Foods 365 Organic and O Organics, which is the Safeway store brand. Following the top brands were Erin's (from Andronico's market), Bearitos Lite (from Rainbow) and Trader Joe's. The other four finishers? Let's just say that if the taste tester didn't want them, neither do you.