Gastronomy 101

Oh gosh, you probably want to hear about the rest of my San Francisco trip, don't you? Well, Saturday dawned ... hopeful. It was still dry, but menacingly gray. We woke up and did what we always do when we are in San Francisco on a Saturday morning. We got our butts down to the Ferry Building for Farmer's Market. We started off with breakfast from Rose Pistola: Egg sandwich + potatoes. And some Blue Bottle coffee: Completely worth the zillion year wait to get it. There's something extremely satisfying about getting a hearty breakfast and sitting outside on a log on a cold morning to eat it. It felt like camping, without having to do the actual camping part, which is a big plus. We ate it all: By the time we were done, there might have been one or two drops of water falling from the sky. We decided to deny that it was happening and visit the Farmer's Market. I purchased a strawberry and rose geranium conserve from June Taylor , and we stopped to watch Elizabeth Falkner ...

It's just a simple fact that I have to go to San Francisco at least once a year. Bad things happen if I don't. So .... while normally I am not ultra-enthused to have a husband in a cult, a few weekends ago, it actually came in handy. In a cult, you say? Yes, it is a sad truth. My husband is a cult member and there is nothing I can do about it. He was indoctrinated long ago under the guise of academia by a zealous and dogmatic group that call themselves "The USC Trojans." As alluring as I am, I still must come in second to the cult meetings that take place in local sports arenas. Even when the cult meetings are held in other cities or even states, they are televised and so cult members must stay glued to the sofa, because if they turn their eyes away from the cult rituals for even one second; if they forget to chant/yell the magic words at the television; if they forget to call each other every two seconds during the game to curse the evil referees that seek to stifle ...

Edward Espe Brown, chef and author, and Evan Kleinman, chef and radio personality, will be present at the Los Angeles premiere of "How to Cook Your Life." The film is playing at the Laemmle Sunset 5. After the 7:30 showing, Edward and Evan will do a Q&A session for the audience, and then Edward will stay to introduce the 9:55 showing. "How to Cook Your Life" is a documentary about Brown, who describes himself as a "Zen chef." In the film, he and his students try to apply the principals of Buddhism to cooking. An alternate title might be "Zen and the Art of Food Preparation." Tickets are available at: http://www.laemmle.com/viewmovi e.php?mid=3391

I'm just going to say to start out, that if I had known the perks of writing about food, I would have pursued it long ago. Instead I spent my fledgling career years working in and writing about the music business. In the music business, the publicists know that the music fans are all dying to be there anyway, they see no need to make you feel special. Getting the free ticket is all you can expect, and I once had to practically smack a dude just to get a plus one. But when there's food involved, customer service is all a part of the package. They don't just give you a free book, they wine and dine you as well. I decided to go to the Michelin Guide launch party last night at Les Deux because I figured it would be the only time I'd see the inside of the place. I'm about ten years too old and twenty-eight times too un-famewhory to set foot in the vicinity on a regular night. I know from the comments on Eater LA that some people were underwhelmed by the party. I'm n...

Well, it's now set in stone! After the results dribbled out early this weekend, Michelin wisely decided to just go ahead and announce all the results first thing this morning. The star results do match what was leaked over the weekend. The L.A. Guide is released for sale on Wednesday. It will cost $14.95. The Las Vegas guide comes out Friday and is $12.95. The Los Angeles guides contain 263 restaurants and 27 hotels in hotel, while the Las Vegas guide features 127 restaurants and 30 hotels. So we beat our gaudy neighbor to the east in quantity even if they showed us up with a three-star destination. The complete star listings for each city are available at www.michelinguide.com . The criteria used in awarding stars is: product quality, preparation and flavors, personality of cuisine, value for money, and consistency. The stars themselves are rated: * "A very good restaurant in its category" ** "Excellent cooking, worth a detour" *** "Exceptional cuisine, w...

Dang, this is really irritating that I'm posting this right now. First of all. I'm a rules-following kind of girl. Like Liz Lemon, I don't like it when people cut in line, or tell you they're saving a seat when they're not, or who otherwise won't wait patiently like everyone else. But it happens, and I guess I have to deal with it. Michelin said they were announcing the stars Monday, so I was waiting patiently until Monday. But some looky-loos just had to get the jump and they did some hanky-panky with Michelin's website, and so we all have to start talking about it now. My prudeness aside, the number one reason this is annoying is that I am on a weekender in San Francisco trying to spend my time in restaurants that are legitimately enjoying their stars, doing pear tastings at the farmer's market, watching Elizabeth Falkner bust out some demolition desserts, and amusing my friend as she waitresses at her pub, and now I have to get on the computer and wri...

Los Angeles gets its very own Michelin Guide next week! Very soon we will be able to find out which of those restaurants we can't afford are actually worth it (according to some French dudes). It will actually be very interesting to see how Los Angeles fares, since we're not exactly an esteemed eating destination on the world stage, even though some of my very favorite restaurants and chefs are right here in this very city. The big question will be - does any restaurant in LA get the coveted three star rating? Only one restaurant in the Bay Area (French Laundry) received that honor. There are some contenders, but it's going to be tough to meet the standard. I am rooting for Providence, but it may not have had enough to time to build itself to that level yet. The restaurants who received stars will be announced on Monday, Nov. 12 at noon. I will put up the list as soon as I get it, although you will probably be able to find it on all the LA food blogs. That night, a receptio...