Dishing Dirt
Eco-artist Laura Parker blurs the boundaries between art and cuisine with an irresistible installation called Taste of Place, which makes a strong case for the unique terroir of a region as a mineral flavor. (more…)
A There in Oakland
Hot Discovery: the East Bay’s Pizzaiolo, where Tai and I recently had killer pizza as good as in Rome – the kind with the thin, delectable crusts, and sensitive, deeply delicious toppings. Mine had ricotta and wild nettles – Tai’s was a classic Margherita with red sauce and buffalo mozzarella. Exceptional! Both $15 and 16 inches across. But, surprisingly, so were our generous and addictive salads. (more…)
Patron No-Nos
There’s one in every crowd: The loudmouth, I mean. The person whose voice can clear a room. It is rude beyond belief that people will sit down in a public place – in this case a restaurant – and proceed to hold every other diner hostage (more…)
A Little New Year’s Resolution
George Eliot is famously quoted as having said “It’s never too late to be who you might have been.†And if the Victorian writer didn’t actually say it, someone surely did. Exiting the state of denial for one brief moment — humor me — most of us will admit to having fervantly hoped that such a possibility could be true. (more…)
About Town
Babes in Boots: I joined every liberal in the county worth her Birkenstocks for a festive roast of outgoing Supervisor Mardi Wormhoudt up at The Attic. It was a terrific spread laid out by the cozy upstairs eatery, and the populi loved it. Here’s Mardi showing off her new boots to fellow foot fetishist Karla Hutton. (more…)
Attention Servers!
More No-Nos: Please don’t swoop down on my table the minute we’ve sat down and ask, “Would you like something to drink?†Chances are we would, but how can we possibly know until we’ve had a minute to look at the wine list? (more…)
Inside the Flame
A book of sensory adventure: The rituals, passions and discoveries of an engaged life.