May 31, 2007 at 9:23 pm
· Filed under Eating Out, Tech
Check out video interviews with top Bay Area chefs and food writers talking about their favorite San Francisco dining spots. I felt some validation watching Thomas Keller, one of my food idols, coo over my personal SF favorite, Quince. And, I had never though of trying Campton Place for brunch!
As a side note: I actually found this site through a banner ad served by DoubleClick on Tastyr San Francisco Restaurant Reviews, a site I landed on from a comment about recommendations on a TechCrunch post. This is the first time I can remember clicking on a banner ad in ages. It’s not that I don’t like ads — I actually really appreciate the goods ones, they are just few and far between. American Express has done a pretty decent job with their My Card, My Life campaign, though I’m not sure how much the print ads or this Local Dish site contribute to my use of my Amex card. What this find does demonstrate is the value of real content in advertising and of matching little sites like Tastyr with truly relevant ads.
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May 28, 2007 at 9:50 pm
· Filed under Eating Out
In getting to know new people, especially at work, the conversation usually includes where we’ve worked in the past. The fact that I used to work for an organic rainforest sorbet and gelato company (”ice cream,” for short) usually meets some surprise. I suppose the food industry and tech aren’t the most obvious career path bedfellows, but the mentality and skills of the entrepreneur translate well to starting or growing any small business. Apparently I’m not alone in this perspective: Chris made a similar observation about the common challenges facing entrepreneurs in response to an excellent column by Mr. David Chang of New York City’s Momofuku Noodle Bar and (the new) Momofuku Ssam Bar.
On a side note, we stopped by Momofuku Noodle Bar on arriving in NYC a few weeks ago. Chuck has been raving about it for ages, and he is note alone. We just beat the crowd at 5:30. We were blown away and still can’t stop talking about the pork buns. I just keep adding underlines to that piece of paper where I first wrote “meat is good.”
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May 28, 2007 at 9:17 pm
· Filed under Eating Out, Miscellany
I’m sorry it has been so long since I have posted. It’s not for want of interesting food and wine experiences. Life has just gotten in the way of blogging of late… Some of the highlights from the last few months include:
- Noteworthy meals in London (Origin, Mela…)
- Two phenomenal tasting menus at Quince (it remains one of my Bay Area favorites)
- An excellent birthday dinner at Manresa that included a garden “salad” unlike anything I’ve ever had
- A first-time visit to “Two” (the reinterpretation of Hawthorne Lane) that, despite a few pleasantly surprising dishes that mostly came from the pasta and pizza section of the menu, didn’t leave us rushing for a return visit; the wines brought by our companions at that meal, on the other hand, still have us drooling
- A serendipitous cancellation at The French Laundry…
In other news:
- I’ve upped the ante on last year’s six tomato plants with ten now crammed into my relatively small vegetable bed this year, albeit it might much mightier Texas Tomato Cages. All three on the shadiest end are already huge; one at the opposite end is doing quite well; the rest in the middle are still a bit stumpy. Odd…
- And last but not least: Thursday was my last day at Yahoo!. It was a difficult decision and a sad goodbye for now. However, I am thrilled to be joining, starting tomorrow, a very cool startup called Aggregate Knowledge. More to come…
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