Thursday, March 30, 2006

Ruth Reichl Q&A

For those of you who missed Ruth Reichl, the good news is her talk will be broadcast on Writer's Voice Radio on KALW . When I have a date I will post it. In the meantime here are some highlights: What do you cook at home on a Tuesday night? Fast things. Spaghetti carbonara, lamb chops, potatoes, steamed fish. Gourmet Everyday recipes from the magazine. What projects do you have coming up? HBO has bought and is developing a series based on Comfort Me with Apples and Garlic and Sapphires . If not New York, what are the great food cities right now? Hong Kong, Sidney and London. What's happening in Asia is stunning. There are well-trained chefs, lots of money and an obsession with the regional cuisine of China. It seems to be percolating into Australia. Favorite restaurants in London? St. John and Moro . Favorites in New York? Telepan and Pearl Oyster Bar . What food writers do you admire? AJ Liebling, MFK Fisher, but also non-fiction writers who happen to w......

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Ruth Reichl Speaks!

Last year I had the pleasure of hearing Ruth Reichl speak as part of the City Arts and Lectures series. Her third memoir in the series, Garlic and Sapphires had just been published and in addition to reading selections from the book, Reichl shared her favorite cookbooks , told stories of reviewing restaurants in disguise, revealed what it's like running Gourmet magazine and recalled memories of living and eating in the Bay Area in the 1970's. This evening Ruth Reichl is speaking at A Clean Well-Lighted Place for Books at 7 p.m. Do show up early, her appearance last year was sold out and I'm sure it will be a packed house. If you get there before me, save me a seat! I have already gobbled up Ruth Reichl's first two memoirs, Tender at the Bone , and Comfort Me with Apples . In each of them Reichl took me into her confidence with deeply personal stories, her warm and witty style and charmed me with her wonderful food writing. Not surprisingly she's just as engag......

Sunday, March 26, 2006

Is there anything tastier than reading Pim's Thai cooking posts? Probably not. She shares secrets you're not likely to find elsewhere unless you have a direct link to Thailand. Savor her latest series which begins here , continues here and here . Cookie Crumb of I'm Mad and I Eat has taken on the most valiant effort in the kitchen, "The Ice Harvest" . Track her progress, which began on March 18th. When will it end? Ask Amana Freezerburn. Heidi at 101 Cookbooks beat me to the punch. I was going to write about The Itty Bitty Kitchen Handbook but she got to it first! Let me just add, this friendly little book has tons of strategies to help you cope and thrive in a tiny kitchen. Perfect for someone with an RV, a boat, studio apartment, you name it. While Heidi's post focused on solutions for cleaning, author Justin Spring's strategies for shopping and cooking were my favorite parts of the book. I loved his tips for doctoring cornbread mix, his toa......

Friday, March 24, 2006

Zagat Survey

It's that time again. If you register with Zagat , then rate three or more San Francisco restaurants, you will receive a free copy of their popular guidebook. The survey has been streamlined this year and it's much easier to fill out. This year you can even win $100 if your comments are witty and insightful enough. Enter the survey by April 16, 2006 . If you're not a subscriber, sign up for free, here . And go here to enter the San Francisco survey. Do it today, before you forget! Other active surveys include: New York Los Angeles Philadelphia London Though some people prefer the online edition, I like to have the guidebook around because it's a convenient way to search for restaurants by neighborhood or type of cuisine. On the other hand, it's by no means comprehensive or entirely accurate, especially when it comes to prices. The ratings are democratic in nature which may or may not be the best method of evaluation. With the Zagat, you end up with a popularity con......