February 4, 2011
All photos by Yoko Kumano unless otherwise specified. On a warm, sunny day in San Francisco, 23 guests and I had the distinct pleasure of visiting Sutton Cellars Winery for an afternoon Vermouth Class, where we learned about its history, evolution, production methods, and different taste profiles and components. The man behind the podium (er, […]
February 1, 2011
February is upon us, and for those of us in the Bay Area it brings Strong Beer! If you have not heard, February is Strong Beer Month in San Francisco, a time when two of the local microbreweries Magnolia and 21st Amendment each feature six strong beers (all over 8% ABV). When you drink all […]
January 26, 2011
My neighbourhood is changing rapidly these days– for the better. The whole block used to be really sad, shopping-wise. A nasty old bakery with day-old bread, Christian-sects’ offices, and three different Thai “massage” parlours (last year a war broke out between them, and the hookers smashed each other’s glass windows with bricks every night, what […]
January 24, 2011
Sylvan Mishima Brackett is the mastermind behind Peko Peko, a Japanese catering service in the Bay Area. After working as Alice Waters’ assistant for SIX YEARS (dude must have the patience of a Zen master. Just kidding, love you Alice!), he apprenticed in a soba shop in Saitama, Japan, then came back to the Bay […]
January 19, 2011
It’s a blah blah world here in Skankynavia. Bad economy, rising unemployment, snow storms, ice rain, foggy days without sunrise or sunset. It’s even more depressing than watching Depression Cooking With Clara. As previously written, studies have shown that over 40% of Scandinavians feel affected moodwise when the winter kicks in, as our days are […]
January 18, 2011
CH and I just got married, and we traveled around Southeast Asia for our honeymoon. It was an epic trip, for two weeks, and I’ll be writing about the highlights. Luang Prabang, the former capital of Laos, was our last stop. Luang Prabang and its sleepy old quarter, located on a peninsula wedged between the […]
January 13, 2011
While my husband is away in Tokyo this week, I dig myself deeper everyday into a dark hole of despair and yearning. With emails from him like “I am going to Bar Tender in the day then Sasagin and Saburo in the night,” missing him is eclipsed by missing the food in Tokyo. To torture […]
January 11, 2011
Updated 1/28, 9am PST: THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT! Stay tuned for February’s Umamiventure! Updated 1/28, 9am PST: THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT! Stay tuned for February’s Umamiventure! When I first read about Carl Sutton’s vermouth in the NY Times last year, I was immediately intrigued. Now, we’re in the Bay Area, where the wine […]
I drove up the well hidden path framed by carefully manicured greenery and pulled into valet (only to ask, “is there street parking close by?â€), and a rush of old Hollywood imagery washed over me. Frames from The Way We Were and Shampoo fluttered about as I fell into a movie star k-hole. After some […]
January 7, 2011
2010 was an excellent year for beer! Here are my top five beer experiences of the year. Avec Les Bons Voeux (Brasserie Dupont) Avec Les Bons is French for, “With best wishes.” This beer is a Saison (or Farmhouse Ale), but brewed for consumption in the winter, rather than spring when Saisons are typically enjoyed. […]