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Favorite Bay Area Cafes & Coffee Roasters
Update September 2020: If you think the coffee / cafe scene is a moving target you would be right. When I published this list a few years ago, included were so many now-closed cafes including an awesome industrial cafe at a coffee roaster Uncommon Grounds and Farley in Emeryville. Blue Bottle had not yet been acquired by Nestle. During the COVID-19 pandemic, of course cafes are only for take-out. This has dramatically reduced or eliminated laptop thefts!?! Without further ado, here are some great spots for coffee around the Bay Area: I still have not quite hit upon a job that would entail going to a new cafe every day…
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Taste Talk: California Cuisine & How It’s Evolved at San Francisco Cooking School on Oct. 2
“California Cuisine” is the real thing – a regional culinary POV and movement which is driven by a philosophy of cooking with locally sourced seasonal ingredients. As we all know, it sprouted from Alice Waters and Co.’s culinary revolution hatched in the 1970’s. Today’s cooks (and chefs) are not only inspired (or limited) by French country cooking, but by cuisines from all over the world. This evolution is the topic for a great conversation about where California Cuisine is today, preseented by San Francisco Cooking School and their new “Taste Talk” series for food professionals and anyone interested in the topic. We’ll be there listening in (and asking questions) from…
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Lucky Rice Cooks Up in SF on Sept. 6
I’ve heard great things about Lucky Rice in other cities, and been wondering when they’d finally come to SF. Our friend Amy Sherman at Cooking with Amy alerted us to the arrival next Friday. As a Japanese-American girl who is always hungry for new dishes to eat (and cook), I’m particularly excited to try the lip smacking Asian-inspired eats on the menu — will I see you there? / Laiko A few dishes & drinks we are hoping to try: Koi Soi: Issan Beef Tartare, HAWKER FARE, James Syhabout Dashi Cherry Tomatoes, Sake Kasu Lardo, Bonito, HOPSCOTCH RESTAURANT AND BAR, Kyle Itani Avocado Panna Cotta with Banana Tapioca and Crisp Lime Meringue, THE…
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Best Food Shops in the Bay
Every year, (for 16 years if you can believe it!), I’ve visited all the best new food shops in the Bay and penned the “Bites by the Bay” column including my favorite picks for “Specialty Food” magazine. Locals know (as do the Fancy Food Show visitors), that we have a vibrant and influential culinary retail scene. Over the past few years, the shear number of new spots have been so numerous, it’s been brutal to pare down to nine or ten worthy contenders. Some of the notables spots I’ve featured over the years include Birite market (when it first opened in 1997), Tomales Bay Foods, the Ferry Building Marketplace, Blue…
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Craft Brewery Tours, Tastings & Classes in San Francisco – Updated with New Breweries Opening this Fall
We’re in a golden age for craft beer in San Francisco Bay Area –and many of our established and new brewers are leading the way to inspire a national passion for artisan craft beers – be they kegged, bottled, growlered or casked. There’s so many ways to learn about beer around here — so get out and take a tour, visit one of the 25+ new breweries opening this fall, take a class or get a home brewing kit. We’d love to know if you have any favorite breweries or classes, or tours you think Epicurators should know about. Cheers! / Laiko NEW BREWERIES Eater SF mapped out the 27…
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Macarons at Bouchon Bakery – When in Wine Country…
The two-person-deep line at Bouchon Bakery steadily streamed through the door one recent foggy-then-sunny morning in Yountville: It’s the almond chocolate croissants. The bread. No, it’s the macarons. Say yes to all…and make Bouchon Bakery your destination for epicuring bliss. Who eats 25,000 macarons every month? After an incredible Sunday brunch at Bouchon Bistro, Laiko and I were lucky to get a peek behind the scenes at the bakery courtesy of Manager Krzysztof Pawlik. He explained that in this very contained space, the relatively small bakery team makes about 25,000 large macarons per month (they’re about the size of a moon pie). And they’re all made by hand (so far…
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SF Bay Area Food Event Picks – Summer 2013
FOOD EVENT PICKS FOR SUMMER 2013 Check Facebook for last minute picks and check back here for ongoing finds! Wed. July 31, Sacramento – Eat Local, Bee Local: A Panel about Protecting Local Honey Bees Passionate about bees and the colony collapse crisis? Join this panel discussion with local experts at the Urban Hive to discuss increased bee deaths, city ordinances and beekeeping in Sacramento, then take what you learn home to your communities! Wed. July 31, San Francisco – Franny’s Crostini Extravaganza and Book Signing at Tartine Afterhours – FREE EVENT Join Franny Stephens and Andrew Feinberg of FRANNY’S BROOKLYN to celebrate the release of their cookbook, Franny’s: Simple Seasonal Italian. Inspired…
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U-Pick Farms in Brentwood from End of May thru Sept
By Carrie Sullivan, our East Bay Epicurator I start looking forward to fruit-picking season in the fall – about 8 months before any of the fruit I love is ready! Call me obsessed. My favorite go-to area is Brentwood, located about 50 miles east of Oakland and Berkeley in East Contra Costa County. While I don’t exactly relish the drive to Brentwood, I have certainly found ways of making it more pleasurable, like taking the scenic back roads when I have the time, or making a day of it with at least one friend who shares my enthusiasm for fresh-picked (hand-picked and hand-chosen) fruit. Brentwood has seen some pretty massive…
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Epicuring’s List of Annual Food & Wine Events & Festivals
Behold, our long over due list of Annual Food & Wine Events & Festivals in California. We found 126 (!), which means every weekend there are at least 2 things to do to around the state. If you see any of your favorites missing from the list, please let us know at happy at epicuring dot com.
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SF’s Weekly Farmer’s Markets Locations & Schedule
Courtesy of SF Weekly and our friend Sean Timberlake, here’s the full list and calendar of SF Farmer’s Markets & Schedules. Where do you frequent?
