The Vin Vivant
February 2, 2015
Umami Mart Guide to SF Beer Week 2015
It’s time to raise a pint or three! SF Beer Week begins on Friday, February 6, and this is the ultimate guide for the true beer aficionado. This isn’t for people who say they like beer and proceed to order what may as well be carbonated grain-flavored water. This is a special time for folks who […]
August 25, 2014
Ten Top Turkish Eats
Somewhere over the Atlantic, I wondered — do the Turks just call it coffee and delight? Chris and I were winging our way to Turkey for our long-awaited honeymoon, a trip we planned while nibbling on dolmas rolled by our dear friend Özlem; poring over Silvena Rowe’s stunning cookbook Purple Citrus and Sweet Perfume; and […]
April 25, 2014
The Vin Vivant: Spin the Bottle
My #1 tip for how to learn more about wine: spin the bottle around and look at the back label. See the name of the importer? If you liked the wine, you’ll probably like the importer. Find more wines brought into the U.S. (or whatever country you’re in) by the name on the back, and […]
March 14, 2014
The Vin Vivant: Celebrating Pi Day With Bstilla
My first encounter with phyllo roll — Wow. Cinnamon-spiced chicken with raisins, chickpeas and almonds were listed to describe Chicken Cilicia, my favorite on La Méditeranée‘s four-roll platter. My taste buds wondered what I’d been doing all my life before I discovered that poultry, nuts and baking spices compose a stellar trio. It would take […]
February 17, 2014
The Vin Vivant: Appetite for Detoxification
I am incredibly lucky to be able to eat whatever I want when I want — I don’t have any known food allergies, I can find pretty much any ingredient within biking radius of my home and I live in the Bay Area, home to a wealth of stellar, international dining opportunities. However, sometimes my […]
January 27, 2014
The Vin Vivant: Tripel Happiness with Loh Bak Goh
All day to do as I pleased, all night to gorge on cheese: this was my MLK weekend mantra. It was the start of the Winter Fancy Food Show at the Moscone Center, so Chris was away meeting luminaries of the gourmet world while I puttered about at home, varying my errands with cooking projects […]
December 31, 2013
The Vin Vivant: Fat Belly, Tiny Bubbles
When Old Man Winter’s icy digit stops mercury from rising, I am reminded of a traveler I met in Argentina, a Canadian middle-school teacher who once ran sled dogs. It was so cold in Saskatchewan that when he and the dogs returned to their cabin after a day of skittering across the tundra, he dropped […]