From the category archives:

california

Alemany Farmer’s Market, San Francisco

Text and Photos by Denise Woodward and Lenny Ferreira
While I make coffee in the morning, I like to open our kitchen door to let in the warmth of the sun or the coolness of the winter rain. Today, I could smell the remaining footprints of our last winter rains mixed with the scent of springtime

Looking for a San Francisco Farmer’s Market

Text and Photos by Denise Woodward and Lenny Ferreira
One of our foodie goals for 2010 is to have a better idea of where our food originates. We are about 85% there. In the same breathe, we’d like to make sure that we’re eating as local as possible, plus or minus those guilty pleasures (French

Grilled Fig & Arugula Salad at The Girl & The Fig

The Girl & The Fig does many many things well. Besides charcuterie platters, cheese plates and even pumpkin cheesecake, this delightful dish is their signature salad. The photo depicts a sweet pile of arugula, pecans, goat cheese and figs mid-course. The husband and I had already devoured half of it, but it still looked so

Pumpkin Cheesecake at The Girl & The Fig

Despite the warm temperatures and bright sun out here in California, the red-colored grapevine leaves and strong breezes suggest Fall is here. And so does this luscious pumpkin cheesecake we indulged in at The Girl & The Fig a couple nights ago.
Since I don’t have the recipe, I’ll try to describe everything happening on this

Parmasan Truffle Oil Fries at Healdsburg Bar and Grill

Last week, my pal Dan and I were debating the merits of truffle oil. Truffle oil, a substance that has very little actual truffle in it, has popped up on menus all over the taste spectrum, whether fancy fine dining or, as in this case, every day bar and grill food. We both agreed that

Tuna Tartare at Willie’s Seafood and Raw Bar

Raw tuna, jalapenos, cashews, ginger, coconut milk and yucca chips. Add a pile of sweet micro-greens and you have a popular dish at a Healdsburg spot called Willie’s Seafood and Raw Bar. I was skeptical on two fronts.
First, I live in New England where I have daily access to the freshest fish in the world.

Chicken Paillard at Bistro Ralph

We made very few food plans for wine country USA this time around. On our honeymoon three years ago, we hit all the fancy spots like Terra and The French Laundry. On this trip, we wanted to let locals guide us. Sure, we booked tables at a few prime spots in up and down the

Summer Tomatoes in Wine Country

When we left New England yesterday, the chill in the air suggested Fall had settled in and soon apples, pumpkins and gourds would flood local markets and tabletops, begging to be thrown into stews, casseroles and pies, anything to comfort us as the temperatures drop.
We decided to wise up this year and extend the warm