Monthly Archives: August 2012

Michael Mina Happenings & Tomato Dinners

Posted on by 8 comments

The signature tuna tartare at Michael Mina restaurant. (Photo courtesy of the restaurant

Surprising New Chef at Michael Mina Restaurant, Plus a Bar Treat

Ron Siegel, who was on the opening team at the French Laundry in Yountville and the first American ever to defeat an “Iron Chef” on the original Japanese cult cooking show, is the new head chef at Michael Mina restaurant in San Francisco.

For Siegel, who has spent nearly a decade at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in San Francisco, it’s a home-coming of sorts.

Chef Mina first hired Siegel as a line cook in 1991 at Aqua, the restaurant that used to operate on the same spot where Mina’s eponymous flagship now is.

In the ensuing years, Siegel, a Palo Alto High School grad, worked at Daniel in New York, then became head chef at Masa’s in San Francisco, Charles Nob Hill in San Francisco, and both the Dining Room and its new incarnation, Parallel 37, at the Ritz-Carlton.

Chef Ron Siegel will be the new chef of Michael Mina restaurant. (Photo by Carolyn Jung)

“Michael has been a mentor since the early days of my career and it is an honor for me to join the Michael Mina San Francisco team, cooking alongside him,” said Siegel, in a statement.

Siegel will start in September.

Meantime, Michael Mina restaurant wants to entice visitors to its swank bar by offering its famous tuna tartare for a special price of $10 (regularly $19).

Read more

A Taste of Old and New at Madrona Manor in Healdsburg

Posted on by 7 comments

What a way to start the meal, but with an egg that tastes smoky and a leaf that tastes like an oyster.

You wouldn’t normally expect to find trendy, liquid nitrogen-molecular gastronomy cooking going on inside an 1881-era Victorian mansion.

But at Madrona Manor in Healdsburg, that’s just what you’ll enjoy at the acclaimed Michelin one-star restaurant on the premises of this 22-room historic inn nestled in the hills above the Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma County.

Recently, I was invited to be a guest of the inn, which is charmingly decorated with period antiques and art pieces, including hand-painted wooden dolls and a framed Victorian lace wedding gown. The rooms feature fireplaces and claw-foot tubs. Homemade chocolate chip cookies are left by the bedside to welcome you.

The historic Madrona Manor.

Executive Chef Jesse Mallgren has cooked alongside some of the biggest names in the industry, including Jeremiah Tower and Gary Danko.

He draws inspiration from local ingredients, including the 3/4-acre organic garden on the premises, where he harvests tomatoes, herbs, greens and fruit that show up in many dishes on the menu.

Read more

Introducing the Updated Version of Food Gal’s Bay Area Dining App & A Giveaway

Posted on by 18 comments

Introducing my new, improved app.

Drum roll, please.

Just as I am my own person, I’m also my own app now.

If you remember back to February, I proudly launched my “Food Gal’s Ultimate Guide to Bay Area Dining” for iPhones.

Back then, it was under the umbrella of the new venture, the “Know What” network of apps for favorite bars, food, hikes, museums and more. So, you had to buy the “Know What Essentials”  app first, before you could add on more specific modules, such as my own.

Now, with the blessing and help of the team behind Escape Apps, which created the “Know What” network, you can bypass that step and just buy my app alone for $1.99.

My app has been updated to  feature more than 75 restaurants, bakeries and wine bars to check out in the Bay Area — from the tony to the hole-in-the-wall.

Read more

Gail Simmons’ Plum Tart

Posted on by 18 comments

Whenever I’ve interviewed anyone who has been a contestant on “Top Chef” or any of its spin-offs, they’ve invariably described judge Gail Simmons in the exact same way:

A total sweetheart.

So, it’s only fitting then to take a moment to enjoy a sweet tart from a sweetheart.

This simple yet spectacular dessert is from Simmons’ memoir, “Talking With My Mouth Full” (Hyperion), of which I received a review copy.

The book is a fast, delightful read about how this Canadian grew up to be one of the most recognized people in food TV. Like so many of us, she had no clue what she wanted to do after graduating from college. Fortunately, a family friend, suggested she make a list of what she enjoyed doing, in hopes that would give her some direction. Simmons sat down with pen and paper, and wrote down exactly four words: Eat. Write. Travel. Cook.

And how.

Now, as a judge on “Top Chef” and host of “Top Chef: Just Desserts,” not to mention being special projects director at Food & Wine magazine, she’s more than carved out a career that encompasses all of those passions.

But the path was far from easy.

Read more

A Fashionable Foodie Time & A Food Gal Giveaway

Posted on by 3 comments

What could be better after a day of shopping at Santana Row than popping into Citrus restaurant for some fresh, warm donuts?

If you’ve strolled around San Jose’s Santana Row, you know it’s a mecca for designer boutiques and happening restaurants.

And what could be better than shopping at your leisure for an afternoon, then resting your weary feet and arms afterward at a swank table set with wine and food?

Fashionable foodies can enjoy both those pastimes at Santana Row’s “Fall Fashion in the Park” on Sept. 8. Two runway shows will take place, at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Sept. 8, showcasing autumn and winter looks for men and women from Santana Row retailers.

A wine and hors d’oeuvre reception will precede the fashion show, which also will feature a private shopping boutique and post-show bash.

Meet Whitney Thompson, winner of “America’s Next Top Model,” who will lead a fashionista “walk-off” competition.

General admission tickets are $40 each. VIP tickets, which include reserved front-row seating, complimentary champagne and valet parking, are $60 each.

The event is a benefit for the Junior League of San Jose and the Menlo Park-Atherton Education Foundation.

Contest: One lucky Food Gal reader will win a pair of general admission tickets to the 3 p.m. fashion show at Santana Row. Entries, limited to those who can make it to Santana Row that afternoon of Sept. 8, will be accepted through midnight PST Aug. 25. Winner will be announced Aug. 27.

How to win?

Read more

« Older Entries Recent Entries »