1. Amphora Nueva olive oil boutique opened for business in the shadow of Berkeley’s Claremont Hotel, the Chronicle reports. Run by the Bradley family, which has been in the olive oil business since 1928, the attractive space is lined with stainless steel containers ready to dispense the green-gold nectar. They have black gold as well — in the form of 18-year-old balsamic vinegars, selling for upwards of $200. Ouch.
2. Speaking of golden elixirs, SFist is digging Blackbird’s barrel-aged Bonnie and Clyde — a magic potion of whiskey, chamomile liqueur, vermouth, and apple bitters. A typical drink is usually left to mellow for a minute or so before getting its shake and pour. This one sits in a used bourbon barrel for a month before serving, resulting in a drink that’s criminally smooth.
3. Some things seem all the sweeter when they’re illegal, as is the case with bacon-wrapped hot dogs in the Mission. As SF Weekly reports, vendor Lucero Munoz Arellano forewent her small outdoor cart for a fancy truck with all the required permits. The result? “They didn’t smell them,” she says. By “they” we presume she means drunken would-be hot dog buyers. Her sales went down by about a third. The solution? Munoz now parks her old cart in front of the fancy truck. Problem solved.
4. The Daily Meal’s list of 50 most powerful food folk in America was released this week, and a few Californians made the cut — Thomas Keller and Alice Waters, natch, as well as Guy Fieri. But oddly enough, the most powerful local food person on the list was Steve Jobs, because of the way Apple has changed the way we live and talk about food. Of course, Apple had its own shakeup of sorts this week when COO Tim Cook took over managing the day-to-day as Jobs goes on medical leave.
5. Panchitas 3, the desert wasteland of a Salvadoran restaurant in the Mission, closed its doors for “renovations” late last week, and then reopened a few days later with no visible improvements. After the tomfoolery that led the pop-up Ken Ken Ramen to leave the Panchitas 3 last year, EaterSF suspects something fishy may be going on.
6. Walnut Creek is currently in an uproar over the recent antics of drunken revelers down Main Street. A few punches have been thrown; some planters have been peed in. Goodness gracious. They’re thinking of staggering the closing hours of local bars to keep down those ruffians.
7. In last Friday’s first ever Good Food Awards, the Oscars of the artisanal food world, our local food talent put in a strong showing, with 19 of the 71 awards going to hometown favorites such as Cowgirl Creamery for its Red Hawk cheese and Blue Bottle for its Kemgin coffee. See the list of local winners at SF Weekly.
8. The Chronicle recently reported a study that found higher than normal levels of mercury in tuna and swordfish sold at 41 Bay Area grocery stores and sushi restaurants. The levels are high enough for the federal government to pull them off the shelves. No maguro for you, children.
9. Grubstreet had the first look inside the much buzzed about Atelier Crenn, set to open Friday. It looks Chanel-chic with a California air, judging by the pictures. The menu is balls-out (peacock, anyone?) and a boutique farm will be growing especially for them.
10. People are cheese-thirsty for Food Wars: Return of the Mac Battle Royale with Cheese on February 12. Food Wars chose 16 teams for the battle, and tickets for the gladiatorial bout sold out in ten minutes yesterday. The teams will bare the cheese of their soul, and the audience of two hundred, judges all, will bare its teeth.
