March 25, 2011
MUSICAL LINE-UP (Update Tues. 3/29, 11:50am PST) Tommy Guerrero Gadget (Function 8 ) TophOne (RedWine DJs) DJ Orb Gabuã¡ã‚ƒã‚“ (Amoeba Records) +++ The night of March 10, here in Oakland California, was like any other night. I finished my shift early, was home by 10pm, slipped into my pjs and grabbed a beer from the […]
March 22, 2011
Photos by Travis LoDolce. The history of chocolate-making in the Bay Area runs deep. Ghiradelli, Scharffen Berger, and Guittard are some of the big names in chocolate that started here, and the community of smaller, more artisinal chocolatiers continues to grow. Clearly, San Francisco is a place for chocolate-lovers; and for the die-hards, a thriving […]
March 11, 2011
“Where the hell are we? Did we miss it?” I ask as we drive further and further away from the city center. Geary Boulevard is still bustling, but we’re way past Japantown now, and the storefront signs are getting harder to read. Besides, why would a restaurant like Kappou Gomi be all the way out […]
February 19, 2011
Let’s end February with a heavily hungover BANG! and guzzle down as much as we can, while we can, of San Francisco’s Strong Beer Month. Please join the Bay Area Umamimart crew (Yoko, CJ + myself) on Sunday 2/27 at 3pm, as we will be posted at Magnolia Pub for some epic beers. I am […]
February 11, 2011
As you might expect after seeing my last post on Strong Beer Month, I went on quite a bender last week and tried out all six strong beers at Magnolia and five out of six at 21st Amendment. Last night, I had the final hole punched (the Lord and Master, from 21st Amendment) in my Strong Beer […]
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 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 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 […]
December 7, 2010
Umamiventure #30 was indeed a memorable affair, and much more than what any of us expected. It was a night of Serious Coffee Schooling– from the bean picking process, to roasting, to tasting– all courtesy of Four Barrel Coffee in San Francisco. Since opening in 2008, Four Barrel has become a front runner in the […]