Got this request from a friend this morning:

Recommendations for casual, affordable lunch place in SF when getting off the bridge from OAK

Any thoughts—

Affordable
Casual
Where you can bring a female business associate
First meeting to explore working together

What's your recommendation? Have a need for an 8/7 lunch.

I responded:

Some suggestions:

Mochica — Peruvian, have not been for lunch but have been very impressed by a few dinners. Nice but casual vibe. Smallish place so shouldn't get too loud. Many entrées under $20. If get off bridge as 5th/Harrison exit, it's 1/2 ahead on Harrison on left.

Menu: http://www.mochicasf.com/menu

Map: http://bit.ly/en0U3


Umbria — Italian, my favorite spag & meatballs in city. Have not been for lunch but several good dinners. Pizza also good but not SF's best. Outdoor seating if it's a nice day. Many pastas and entrées under $20. Overall, probably a bit less expensive than Mochica. If get off bridge at Fremont exit, turn left on Fremont, left at first intersection onto Howard, resto on right at second intersection, corner of 2nd and Howard.

Menu: http://ristoranteumbria.com/menus.php

Map: http://bit.ly/3JpWU


Mehfil — If your guest is a bit more adventurous, this is Mackie's and my new favorite nice Indian (as opposed ...<< MORE >>

[NOTE: If you're new to my FOOD, INC. $11 Dinner for Four Challenge, I recommend you read Ground Rules and Day One Meal, as background before reading this entry.]


Mackie's shopping skills continue to shame me. On a recent outing to Safeway, she found a killer bargain on chicken drumsticks. So, for day five's dinner we're again going with her menu: Shake N Bake chicken legs (we'll use the Safeway equivalent for the coating), with Brussels sprouts and brown rice (we have lots of brown rice left from a few nights ago). Everybody drinks milk. We're getting some money saved so we might be able to afford coffee for the adults before the week's out.

Mackie spotted a 20-pack of Safeway chicken drumsticks for $0.99/lb., marked down from $1.99/lb, for a total of $5.73. She examined the package and pronounced the contents fit to eat. Again, she's fussy so I'll take her word any day. Add a 5.5 oz. box of Safeway chicken coating mix, $2.59 Club Card price, and we have our protein with ample seasoning. The mix is for 16 pieces be we'll stretch it bit to cover 20. It's ultra-high in sodium so stretching is a good thing.

Brussels ...<< MORE >>

Andrew Freeman, president of an eponymous hospitality PR firm in San Francisco, self-pimped on Twitter, saying:

Check out Tango Diva's newest cover man - Andrew Freeman!! http://www.tangodiva.com/

…and…

RT TangoDivacom Visiting SF? Our resident ultimate insider Andrew Freeman knows all the best places! http://tinyurl.com/p3r8rs

He may regret this little bit of self-promotion ‘cuz I’m about to pillory him mercilessly. (OK, let's be real, Mr. Freeman probably doesn't give a rat's behind about my opinion of his opinions.) Seems to me he’s less an ultimate insider than an ultimate poseur.

Let’s deconstruct the answers he gave to Tango Diva, shall we? Since Mackie doesn’t allow me to flirt, we’ll skip straight to question #2.

2. Where is your favorite table for two?

As a hospitality and restaurant consultant, I am, of course, partial to my clients. However, I'm lucky to work with some of the best spots to eat and drink in the city. I'd suggest the Fifth Floor at the Hotel Palomar, Sent Sovi in Saratoga or Carneros in Napa. The new Hotel Shattuck Plaza just opened in Berkeley, and they'll soon be featuring their brand new restaurant, FIVE. ...<< MORE >>

UPDATED: July 20, 2009

When Mackie and I lived on Russian Hill, I ate way too many meals and drank way too many margaritas at the Bell Tower.  Rarely have I seen a business so succinctly and accurately summarized by its tagline, “A Neighborhood Bar Serving Great Food from Noon to Midnight.” I love the place and named it one of my Ten Most Underrated Restaurants. in San Francisco.

As much as I love San Francisco restaurants, there is one glaring hole. The state of barbeque in the City, to put it mildly, sucks. Memphis Minnie's, upon which some palate-challenged individuals have heaped enormous praise, sucks. Ditto Big Nate's, as much as I feel badly about scorning a Bay Area hoops legend. Ditto Ironwood although I should cut them a some slack because when Mackie and I ate there, they’d just been inundated by a bunch of Yelpers after a good review and were out of about everything. Q was a major disappointment because, despite the name, it wasn't a barbeque joint. I tried their ribs and they sucked.  I love just about everything at and about Brickhouse but don’t recommend their ribs. Hard ...<< MORE >>

[NOTE: If you're new to my FOOD, INC. $11 Dinner for Four Challenge, I recommend you read Ground Rules and Day One Meal, as background before reading this entry.]


I discovered something important preparing day four’s meal – let the woman of the house do the shopping. She’ll be much more economical and efficient.

A couple of nights ago, Mackie came home from our usual Safeway at 16th and Potrero. She declared, “I have a meal for your family.” London broil, 3 1/2 lbs. of Safeway Ranchers Reserve, for $5.56, down from $13.38. She examined the meat and said it looked fine, said she eat it herself. She’s very fussy about meat so I’ll take that one to the bank. Fresh green beans, $0.99/lb., down from $2.49. Went for 1 1/2 lbs. for $1.50. Five ears of fresh, white corn, $2.00. All Club Card prices. Everybody drinks milk. This is a very hearty meal and has two fresh veggies, so we'll pass on fresh fruit for dessert to save some money.

Mackie's "shopping" took less than 10 minutes and was conducted on July 8, 2009. The price for the salt is based on my notes for the day two meal, ...<< MORE >>

[NOTE: If you're new to my FOOD, INC. $11 Dinner for Four Challenge, I recommend you read Ground Rules and Day One Meal, as background before reading this entry.]


On the menu for day three's dinner is red beans and rice with chorizo. Thanks to @ChefReinvented, @mango_lime and @oysterculture for suggesting different variations along this theme. Children and adults drink milk. Sorry, grownups, STILL don't have enough ducats to buy coffee for you.

For this meal, I "shopped" at the Val 16 Mart on 16th and Valencia on July 3, 2009 as well as the 16th and Potrero Safeway on July 7, 2009. I checked out Val 16 Mart because @oysterculture suggested a corner market might have better prices than Safeway. I had mixed results — will give details later.

As with the frittata, I had no clue how to make red beans and rice so I turned to the Internet. After rejecting a number of possibilities that didn't pass muster one reason or another, I chose a Puerto Rican recipe from SparkRecipes. Our family is Latino of unspecified nationality so I believe that this will be more culturally appropriate than ...<< MORE >>

I know what you're thinking. Grumpy's really going out on a limb here because he doesn't know squat about home cooking.

Normally, you'd be right. Not in this case. I can roast a mean chicken, thanks to spacemai bringing Zuni's recipe to my attention.

I was satisfied to think that this was the greatest roast chicken recipe in the world until ...<< MORE >>

[NOTE: If you're new to my FOOD, INC. $11 Dinner for Four Challenge, I recommend you read my prior post, Ground Rules and Day One Meal, as background before reading this entry.]


On the menu for day two's dinner is a spinach frittata followed by honeydew melon for dessert. Children and adults drink milk. Sorry, grownups, still don't have enough ducats to buy coffee for you. For this meal, I "shopped" at the 16th and Potrero and the Church Street Station Safeway's on July 1, 2009. Yes, two different stores. The Potrero Safeway didn't have everything I needed so I had to schlep on over to Church and Market. I'm beginning to think that Heather (see yesterday's comments) is right — time may be a bigger issue than money with this challenge.

Thanks to @podchef for suggesting the frittata (again, see yesterday's comments). I'd been thinking of doing something with eggs as they're cheap protein but wasn't sure what dish to make with them. A frittata is a great egg-based main. The only problem with the idea is that I had no idea how to make a frittata. So, I had to do something almost as embarrassing ...<< MORE >>

I just had to open my big, fat mouth. Or, more accurately, wiggle my big, fat fingers. Immediately, three tweeters chimed in. "What a great challenge!" "Thanks! We look forward to it!" "Great idea! I will read that." It was the point of no return. If I didn't come through, shame would follow me forever.

Perhaps the most poignant vignette in FOOD, INC. shows a Latino family of four eating fast food, ostensibly because they cannot afford both the father's diabetes medication ($500 per month, according to the film's director, Robert Kenner) and decent food. The family is show shopping in a supermarket, rejecting purchases of fresh fruit because it's too expensive.

During a #foodinc Twitter chat, I asked Kenner how much the family spent on the fast food meal shown in the movie. (Aside: My recollection of the film was that they ate at Burger King. Other viewers/reviewers have stated McDonald's.) His answer: $11. That's when I stepped in it. I said, "I'll take it as my challenge is to come up with a healthier dinner for 4 with an $11 budget. Will blog when done."

Here's why I said what I said: ...<< MORE >>

"No battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy."

Grumpy Glutton's corollary to this axiom states, "No roadtrip plan ever survives contact with the weather."

I had it all mapped out. I was gonna hit two, maybe three if I pushed it, of TexasMonthly's top five Texas BBQ joints. Early dinner at City Market in Luling. Drive up the road and spend the night in Lockhart. BBQ for breakfast at Smitty's Market. TexasMonthly says they open at 7:00 A.M. so who am I to argue. And, if I got greedy, hang around town for an early lunch at Kreuz Market before hitting the road again. I mean, what could possibly be better than 'que for three meals in a row???

Unfortunately, thunderstorms intervened.

Now, lest you think I'm some wimpy lamelock who lets a little rain spoil his parade, it wasn't the precip that worried me. It was the flooding. Houston was partially submerged and the road to Luling and Lockhart went through Houston. Time for plan B, a re-routing northward.

Fortunately, TexasMonthly provided an excellent resource for choosing a new route, map showing their top 50 barbeque joints plus ...<< MORE >>

Food safety advocates have had a field day with a new study funded by IBM claiming, "Less than 20% of consumers trust food they buy is safe and healthy." The Consumerist is all over it. Fooducate is all over it. As is Progressive Grocer. And Treehugger. And The Reluctant Eater. And Oldways. And Grist.

Some sites that cite the study note that IBM has a profit motive at stake. Some conveniently omit that little detail. None question if IBM's profit motive biased the study's results. And, none questioned if the timing of the study's release is an attempt by IBM to influence the Congressional debate on H.R. 2749, the Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009.

The irony (which is a nice way of saying hypocrisy) is glaring. If a Big Ag-funded study reveals results friendly to Big Ag, the food safety mob launches ad hominem attacks regarding the research organization and/or funding sources with a vengeance. The Union of Concerned Scientists trashing (see p. 19) of data from an industry group, the Animal Health Institute, showing that only 35% of antimicrobial ...<< MORE >>

Newsflash from SFoodie!!! Dog and gobs are coming:

Ryan Farr told SFoodie that the opening menu when his stall [at the Ferry Building Thursday farmers' market] launches on July 9 will include his "golden dog." ... [D]essert [will include] gobbles (mini cake sandwiches inspired by a traditional Pennsylvania staple) from S.F. street-food purveyor Gobba Gobba Hey.

I've sampled both the dogs and the gobs. Both get a big thumbs up from me. Ditto Mackie.

Farr made an appearance grilling his dogs outside of Elixir this past Sunday. I gotta say, I got a real kick of out a guy who worked as a chef in a Michelin-starred kitchen cooking dogs on a grill made out of a beer keg. Too cool for words!

I also got a kick out his hot dog. Meaty, not too fatty, nice tooth resistance, a little spicy. That's one mighty fine wiener. Mackie concurred. While Farr has a concoction that he calls "Dogzilla" that is topped with kimchi, chicharrones and secret sauce, I opted for my usual preference of catsup, onions and Tabasco (Ryan, next time around, please grate a little Cheddar for me) while Mackie chose the ...<< MORE >>

Perhaps even more often than the 1,500 food mile canard, the claim that 5,000 people in the U.S. die each year from foodborne illnesses has been repeated again and again in the food activist community. The CDC says it. The WHO says it. Wikipedia says it. FOOD, INC. says it. The Center for Foodborne Illness Research and Prevention says it. ...<< MORE >>

Some quick, capsule reviews/updates on places on or just off of Brannan Street near my loft, more or less geographically ordered with 7th Street at the top and 3rd Street at the bottom.

Mars Bar. Good place to drink. Great patio. Not impressed with food. Free Wi-Fi available intermittently in front room. No security code or TOS screen. Have not been able to access Wi-Fi in back room or on patio.

Susie’s Café. Cheap eats all-star. OK iced team. See previous review for more information. One pleasant development while I was in Florida at the beginning of the year is that Susie has returned to the stove after a car crash last year left her out of commission for too long a time. Wi-Fi? Are you freakin' kidding me???

Bechelli's Flower Market Café. An underrated favorite. Good iced tea. See Ten Most Underrated Restaurants, item #4 for mini-review. Note that, due to the economy, dinner service is now limited to Friday and Saturday nights. At dinner, have the lamb or linguine with clams. Free Wi-Fi. No security code or TOS screen.

COCO500. Personal favorite despite being annoyed with their recent ...<< MORE >>

From http://blog.monsantoblog.com/2009/06/08/food-inc-monsanto-did-not-decline-to-participate/

I was anxious to see the film [FOOD, INC.] because it included my company, Monsanto. But, I was also very interested because I took the initial call from one of the film’s L.A.-based producers, Elise Pearlstein, asking my company to be a participant a number of months ago.

When I got the call, I asked a number of questions: “Who would be in it? Who would present the opposing view? Who was funding the film? Would the film present balance and fairness or present one side of the story?”

Over the course of a few weeks, Elise and I talked and e-mailed several times, but I never felt I had those key questions answered. Despite this, we invited Elise and a crew to a trade show to learn more about Monsanto, agriculture and talk with farmers. They opted not to come to the show.

By this time, as my dad would say, I had an inkling something wasn’t right. Given the one-sided view I watched play out on the silver screen that night, I would say my intuition proved right.  But, bottom line, we didn’t decline to participate.

From http://twitter.com/RobertKenner/status/2241116304

we found out about tradeshow Monsanto didn't agree ...<< MORE >>