PopSugar San Francisco

10 Edible Gifts From San Francisco Culinary Stars

Julia Millay Walsh — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 14:40:00 PST

Stumped on holiday shopping? One thing many people have in common is a love of grub, so an edible gift is a foolproof option! Luckily, San Francisco is full of innovative chefs, bakers, butchers, and other culinary producers who've made it easy for us to eat their creations at home. From subscription services to beautifully jarred preserves, there are plenty of nourishing gifts to order for the holidays. Consider sending an edible gift to a friend afar to give them a taste of the city or treat a local foodie friend to a homegrown treat.

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Gift Guide: 5 New Books For SF Foodies

Anna Monette Roberts — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 09:15:00 PST

San Franciscans are always hungry for more when it comes to the food scene. This Fall, we'll be sated by a serving of new or soon-to-be released foodie reads, from local chefs' cookbooks to food-lovers' guides. Add these to your holiday wish list. Bi-Rite Market's Eat Good Food: A Grocer's Guide to Shopping, Cooking & Creating Community Through Food ($20) by Sam Mogannam, the owner of the popular Bi-Rite Market in the Mission. Sam Mogannam highlights the best products, produce, and animal protein that the market has to offer to help customers make sustainable and educated choices when they grocery shop. From market to table, the book also features 90 recipes, so you'll learn how to prepare the ingredients that he recommends. Mourad: New Moroccan ($25) by Mourad Lahlou: Michelin-starred Aziza Restaurant in the Richmond district is famed for its gourmet Moroccan fare. Chef Lahlou introduces Moroccan spices and flavors like preserved lemons and harissa and provides simple instructions for Moroccan staples like how to make the perfect couscous. The cookbook contains more than 100 sumptuous, spicy recipes to discover. See more books.

10 Pumpkin Treats to Taste in SF

Lizzie Fuhr — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 08:00:55 PDT

Just because Halloween has spirited away doesn't mean all the pumpkin goodness needs to stop. There are so many delicious ways to enjoy this festive Fall ingredient all season long. If you're a big fan of the flavor, you've got to taste these 10 pumpkin-filled foods.

Pumpkin ravioli at Ideale (1315 Grant Ave., 415-391-4129): For more than 18 years, the family at Ideale has been bringing traditional Roman flavors to the North Beach 'hood, including Chef Bruschi's raved-about pumpkin ravioli with sage.
Pumpkin seed salsa at Gracias Madre (2211 Mission St., 415-683-1346): Vegans and omnivores agree that Gracias Madre brings vegan food to the next level. The pumpkin seed salsa is an unexpected but delicious twist on traditional Mexican fare.
Pumpkin pancakes at Plow (1299 18th St., 415-821-7569): The people at Plow apparently love pumpkins, too. The pumpkin bread with mascarpone frosting may be up your alley, but the pumpkin pancakes with maple syrup are an ideal Fall brunch food.
Pumpkin bolani at East & West Afghan Foods (various locations): My relationship with pumpkin bolani was love at first bite. This flaky, pumpkin-filled bread is absolutely to die for. The Bolani people frequent farmers markets all over the Bay, and the product can also be found at Andronico's and Whole Foods.

More pumpkin deliciousness after the break.

Bamboo Asia: Eastern Flavors in the FiDi

Julia Millay Walsh — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 17:51:38 PDT

Head East for lunch. New Financial District restaurant Bamboo Asia focuses on fresh, modern meals with a trilogy of Asian cuisines: Indian, Vietnamese, and Japanese. Pinpoint your favorite destination on the map and choose a house special like chicken tikka guacamole, tuna California, or banh mi curry to order as a wrap, bowl, sushi roll, sandwich, or salad. Feeling creative (or picky)? Customize your own delicious meal in one of the five styles with your choice of proteins, veggies, sauces, and other fixin's. Any way you order it, your lunch (or dinner) will ring up at $8. With our latest offer, you can add drinks, chips, or dessert onto your meal or bring a friend and order lunch for two!

What's the Best Burrito Spot in San Francisco?

Julia Millay Walsh — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 08:00:00 PDT

Right up there with religion and politics, in San Francisco, burritos are one highly debated topic to avoid at the dinner table. But since this isn't the dinner table, and we're all grown-ups here, and though I may actually be one to shy away from controversial subjects, I think it's an important one, let's put it all out there: who makes the best burrito in town? Is it the Mission's 3 a.m. hot spot El Farolito? Chipotle's franchise and starch-heavy version? Or do you prefer ordering your foil-wrapped Mexican meal from the side of a truck? Name your favorite burrito in town below!

Source: Flickr user rollence

Naysayers Begone: 8 Things to Love About The Melt

Julia Millay Walsh — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 16:35:00 PDT

I had my first taste of the technology-focused nationwide grilled cheese concept The Melt, founded by Silicon Valley exec Jonathan Kaplan, at the Sugar Inc. five-year anniversary party back in June, before it opened in the Financial District in late August. At our special preview, I tasted two combos: the classic, sharp cheddar on potato bread with two-tomato basil soup, and the Wild Thing, aged gruyere on white wheat with creamy wild mushroom soup. Today, I got a taste of The Melt for the second time - after the just-opened hullabaloo had settled - to see how it stacked up.

Since the fast-food spot cut the ribbon, as any restaurant in this foodie town does, it's had its share of criticisms; nobody trusts an early applause, do they? Most complaints have been of the "I could make this better at home" variety: it needs a slather of butter, or where's the Kraft cheese? Another commenter in the SF interweb said something to the chagrin of: "isn't the point of grilled cheese that you're too lazy to leave the house?" Eater has also gone into in-depth analysis of the place today with its early word report, citing pros and cons across categories. All valid points.

In all reality though, no grilled cheese chain - with swanky, patented, 60-second melting machines or not - will ever live up to the nostalgia of what our mothers made for us when we couldn't cook for ourselves. So let's take that off the table. And let me remind you that you're not at home with a tablespoon of butter at hand (where you can lazily craft your GC): you're at New Montgomery and Mission streets and you're 10 minutes late to a meeting. Even if you want to whip up a Mom-style grilled cheese for a work-day lunch, you can't.

Ready to turn that frown upside down? Here are eight things that I honestly, really, truly do love about The Melt.

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5 Locally Made Must Eats From the Ghirardelli Chocolate Festival

Julia Millay Walsh — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 08:30:00 PDT

Ghirardelli Square Chocolate Festival has come and gone but not without leaving a little gift: 4,000 calories worth of yumminess. Though I consumed an embarrassing amount of chocolate delicacies this weekend, at the very least, I can tell myself I did it all for you. After thorough scouting, I bring you some of the best chocolate purveyors in the region.

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