472 days ago - Every Tuesday, master chef Angelo Auriana flies up from Los Angeles to cook a surprise $45 prix fixe dinner at Emporio Rulli Gran Caffe on Chestnut Street. The ever-changing, unannounced, one-day-a-week menu is his whim and an opportunity to taste his refined, playful, swooningly luscious Northern Italian cooking at a great price. Dinner at Valentino in Santa Monica where he heads the kitchen costs twice the amount.
493 days ago - Andy and Julia Griffin of Mariquita Farm walked into Evvia, a wildly busy modern Greek restaurant, early one Thursday afternoon. I happened to be with them. Mariquita delivers truckloads of produce two times a week to Evvia. When the chefs spotted their suppliers in the dining room, they rushed over. I tell you this, dear reader, to illustrate how much Evvia values its farmers and also as a disclaimer. We were treated like members of the restaurant family.
507 days ago - Let’s face it. Live baseball — with its $8 premium beers and $110 premium ticket prices — has become an entertainment investment. The Giants’ food concessionaires, Center Plate and Bon Appétit, have risen to the challenge and dreamed up a world of choices to entice fans to make eating and drinking a major part of the experience. Given the current performance of The City’s team, this new pastime at the ball park may not be off base.
577 days ago - Examiner food critic Patricia Unterman checks in with her latest report from her culinary adventures around the world. TODAY: New Orleans.