Socola Chocolatier: Be My Valentine

Socola Chocolatier: Be My Valentine

One look at Socola Chocolatier’s whimsical mascot, a flying white alpaca named Harriet, and you just know that this won’t be your typical gourmet chocolate.
This Valentine’s Day, when the market crowds over with clichà© tokens of love, surprise your (guy, girl, self) with something witty, something sexy, something Socola.

Best of Winter Fancy Food Show 2009: Cheese Please

Best of Winter Fancy Food Show 2009: Cheese Please

Cheese is definitely my most-craved food. Life just wouldn’t be worth living without it.
It’s a good thing I wasn’t on the one-cube diet during the Winter Fancy Food Show (San Francisco) 2009, because there was an abundance of amazing cheese to sample.

The Perfect Man-Treat for Superbowl Sunday: Atomic Buffalo Turds

The Perfect Man-Treat for Superbowl Sunday: Atomic Buffalo Turds

The name alone makes these worth making. These sausage-cream-cheese-stuffed bacon-wrapped jalapenos are the perfect man-treat for game day.

Hard Knox Café: Down Home Southern Comfort

Hard Knox Café: Down Home Southern Comfort

What keeps the steady flow of people through the door of Hard Knox? Value. And some Bomb Ass Fried Chicken. Take a big bite through the satisfyingly crispy skin and sink your teeth into some seriously juicy, tender meat. The seasoning is right on, and the golden crust is pumped up with garlicky goodness.

Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: Chinese New Year Dinner–A Lucky Feast

Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: Chinese New Year Dinner–A Lucky Feast

Gong Hay Fat Choy! Get ready for a New Year feast:
1) Lychee Bellinis (lychee = close family ties)
2) Jiao Zi (dumplings = prosperity)
3) Scallion Pancakes
4) Mini BBQ Spare Ribs (red for good luck!)
5) My Mom’s Lo Mein (noodles = a long life)
6) Whole White Chicken with Ginger & Scallion (white chicken = happiness & purity, and family as well if it’s served whole)
7) Mushrooms and Black Moss Seaweed (Moss Seaweed = prosperity)
8) Ginger and Scallion Steamed Whole Fish (whole fish = an abundance of good luck)
9) Caramel Oranges (oranges = wealth)
11) Tray of Togetherness (sweets = good luck)

Best of Fancy Food Show 2009: Chocolate Edition

Best of Fancy Food Show 2009: Chocolate Edition

After coming dangerously close to death by chocolate at the NASFT Winter Fancy Food Show 2009 (life is good, ain’t it?), I was faced with the daunting challenge of selecting my favorite chocolates sampled from the dozens of amazing, artisanal, handcrafted, made with love morsels.

Snack on Barack: Crazy Cookies

Snack on Barack: Crazy Cookies

In honor of this most exciting day, I present to you Obama & Biden, the cookies! With a tip off from Foodzie (thanks guys!), I came across a fun little company called Parker’s Crazy Cookies at the NASFT 34th Winter Fancy Food Show 2009.

President Obama: Hope, Unity, and Resolve

President Obama: Hope, Unity, and Resolve

“On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord. On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.”

Fancy Food Show, San Francisco

Fancy Food Show, San Francisco

The 34th Winter Fancy Food Show 2009 presented by The National Association for the Specialty Food Trade (NASFT) at Moscone Center, San Francisco - a three day show is the largest marketplace for specialty foods and beverages on the West Coast, with 250,000 products showcased by 1,250 exhibitors.

Scallion Pancakes: If Yan Can Cook, So Can YOUUU!

Scallion Pancakes: If Yan Can Cook, So Can YOUUU!

I adore these Scallion Pancakes often served as an appetizer in Shanghainese restaurants, but I never thought I could actually make them myself. Until now! This recipe for “Mandarin Scallion Pancakes” from Martin Yan’s Chinatown Cooking is wonderful.