food

Why just hang around a crowded tasting room when you can saddle up and explore a voluptuous vineyard on horseback? Wine Country Trail Rides are available 3 times a day at the rolling 1300-acre Chalk Hill Estate. You can ride a sport horse if you’re qualified. Otherwise the program is open to riders of all […]

If, as Oscar Wilde wrote, you can resist anything but temptation be advised to stop by Kollar Chocolates  on your way to or from a Valentine’s Day meal in Napa. This Yountville store is the Tiffany’s of chocolate with truffles like Grand Marnier and Fennel Pollen, Red Wine and Esplette, plus a selection of barks […]

If you’ve seen enough lion dancing to last a lifetime there’s still compelling reasons to hit the Lunar New Year Celebration from 11 to 3 this Saturday at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center. I ‘m not talking about the crafts, music, dumplings and dancing but a demonstration by Chef Jimmy Zhang of the jaw-dropping, ancient […]

Get through the current monsoons pretending we’re in storm-tossed Brittany and head to Sur La Table to learn the ropes of preparing a classic French winter meal. At various times and store locations, sign up for a class preparing Lyonnaise Onion Soup Gratinee, Warm Winter Greens and Haricot Vert Salad with Hazelnuts and Chevre, Bistro Steak […]

Despite the hazards of balancing an appetizer and a glass of rioja in your hands, the popularity of dining Spanish style does not seem to abate. In Napa on January 21 from 4-t8 Julia Logue-Riordan with be leading a class on tapas and pintxos (bar snacks). The astonishing list of recipes that night includes Gildas […]

Our town does not shut down for Christmas. A lot of organizations here still observe the separation of church and state. A partial list of activities available to us on Dec.25 includes the SF Zoo, the Academy of Sciences, the SF Botanical Garden, Presidio Bowl, the Union Square Ice Skating Rink and, unsurprisingly, the Contemporary […]

Not everyone flees south to the sun this season. Some of us appreciate a chilly, fog swept day on the coast with storms making their way from Canada. I cannot think of a better place to enjoy pure winter than Muir Beach’s Pelican Inn. Set in a pine grove it is an uncanny replica of […]

On a chilly winter night with your faux fire lighting up your fireplace, dinner should be as rich and hearty as you can make it. From the caterers at SF’s Parties That Cook here’s a knock-out recipe for molasses cured pork chops with caramelized pears and persimmons. How many calories? Don’t ask.