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Michael Bauer’s last review: 4 stars to Michael Mina, at the...
Early on in the six-course, fixed-price dinner at the reimagined Michael Mina, the suited waiter opened a square box like a treasure chest, revealing a dozen containers heaped with spices that seductively assaulted the nostrils. There were pink peppercorn berries, bright yellow saffron powder, ...
Democrats their own worst enemy in Kavanaugh fight
I’m not sure they had a shot at winning, now or ever — but Democrats seriously dropped the ball in their fight to stop the Senate confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court. For starters, Sen. Dianne Feinstein should have handed that letter Christine Blasey Ford wrote, ...
Tourist Trap Day: Seeing the sights visitors flock to — but...
Sitting at the bar at the Cliff House on Wednesday morning, clutching a coffee cup in one hand and a warm popover in the other, I looked out the huge windows to see pelicans flying over the ocean and had one overriding thought. I’m getting paid for this? Yes, it’s a tough job, but in ...
Making the world safe for children: Local fundraisers support...
Today around the globe, in the shadows of multiple wars crossing borders, some 50 million children have been forced from their homes. UNICEF — the United Nation’s Children’s Fund — is a key safety net, on site in more than 190 countries. The organization delivers aid for these young ...
Reflections on a frenetic news week
By the time West Coast journalists reached their offices Monday morning, there was no doubt this was going to be a huge news week. Reports were rocketing out of Washington that President Trump was about to fire Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, which would have significant implications ...
San Francisco chef Nick Balla plans food-waste-focused restaurant
The San Francisco online grocer Good Eggs wanted to give chef Nick Balla 550 pounds of extra dandelion greens, and he couldn’t say no. “It was a Prius worth of dandelion,” says the chef, who turned the giant shipment of peppery greens into a version of saag, a braised Indian vegetable ...
For Halloween, it’s a question of who’s offending whom?
Hit the decks, it’s October, and not only is Halloween coming, but so is sensitivity to costumes. We at The Chronicle have received word from a labor and employment attorney “available to discuss what’s appropriate and what’s not when planning Halloween customs” — I think ...
Cal, Stanford unbeaten no more
Reality arrived on the Bay Area’s college-football landscape Saturday, with all the subtlety of a lightning bolt. For Cal and Stanford, this week’s practices will be about reflection and regret. Nobody expected either team to go undefeated, and each had some inspirational moments in the ...
Christine Blasey Ford — another woman ignored
American women are getting the message as the spectacle of the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation process continues in Washington: Women are to be ignored. We will not be ignored. We’re watching. And acting. This time, it is the voice of Christine Blasey Ford, the Palo Alto University ...
A’s Bob Melvin makes impossible job look easy
A moment of silence, please, for a piece of conventional wisdom that quietly has met its end. The dearly departed? The concept that being the manager of the A’s is an impossible job. As the A’s head into their first postseason in four years and Bob Melvin is poised for what should be ...
It looks simple, but it’s not. Complexity of Transbay...
San Francisco’s new transit center has a clean, unified look, with a rippling white form that rests atop clusters of diagonal columns. In reality, it’s three buildings in one that stretch for 1,500 feet and twice span major roadways. Those spans are supported by just four massive beams. ...
College Park golfer Hailey Salomone happily heads to Pebble Beach
Hailey Salomone awoke crazy-early one morning in late July. She gathered with her family to watch on Golf Channel as the junior participants in this week’s PGA Tour Champions event at Pebble Beach were unveiled. Salomone, now a senior at College Park High in Pleasant Hill, struggled to stay ...
Dale Carnegie might as well have been talking about Tom Cruise
Dear Mick LaSalle: I didn’t know you were polling. I HATE Tom Cruise! All that Scientology BS. After I saw the series about how awful Scientology is, I would never, EVER give my money to Tom in ticket revenue. He is dead to me. Ellen Gonella, Los Altos Dear Ellen Gonella: ...
Exploring the details and inspiration of Foreign Cinema’s...
Foreign Cinema is a consensus pick for one of the Most Beautiful Restaurants in San Francisco . The Mission District restaurant, run by chef-owners Gayle Pirie and John Clark for nearly two decades now, is housed in a singular location, a winding amalgamation of spaces that is impossible to ...
Woman who stole SF Sen. Scott Wiener’s phone in trouble again
LaSonya Wells , whose arrest on kidnapping charges for stealing a prominent local politician’s cell phone raised questions about race and fairness in San Francisco’s judicial system, is back in jail. Once again for robbery. And at the same location. Wells was convicted last year of ...
DNA ancestry testing’s musical pitch hits a sour note
Direct-to-consumer genetic ancestry tests, like those offered by 23andMe and Ancestry.com , have always had a whiff of snake oil about them. For years, the tests have been plagued by privacy problems , accuracy concerns and, most recently, the alarming news that some companies will ...
A day in the life of Mount Tamalpais in 5 minutes
Mount Tamalpais in Marin County is not impressive as mountains go. It’s no Mount Rainier, the centerpiece of the Pacific Northwest, no Mount Shasta, “as lonely as God and as white as the winter moon,” as the poet Joaquin Miller called it. The east peak of Tamalpais is only 2,571 feet ...
Winning with low payroll, A’s an exception to the rule
I have dusted off my couch and heated up my popcorn machine in anticipation of Wednesday’s titanic wild-card clash, A’s andYankees in New York. I don’t root for teams, but I do root for good stories, and the A’s are the best story in baseball. As former A’s executive MC Hammer would ...
At last, more choices for Bay Area home buyers
If it seems like more “For Sale” signs are popping up in your neighborhood, you’re not imagining things. In most parts of the Bay Area, more people put their homes on the market in August than they did last August, and this month is on pace to be the biggest September for new listings ...
Warriors are back in town: Exclusive video from media day
When the Warriors return from summer vacation, it’s national news. That’s what happens when your team goes to the NBA Finals four straight years, winning three titles en route. This season’s vintage of Golden State basketball promises to be another winner. The team brings back four ...
For homegrown A’s Matt Olson and Chad Pinder, playoffs are...
Chad Pinder was reminiscing about his minor-league career when asked about the Texas League MVP he won in 2015. His first thought was of teammate Matt Olson. “I can’t count how many times he saved me at first base,” said Pinder, who played shortstop that year. Pinder and Olson played ...
State Parks’ streamed video shows sunken Tahoe shipwreck
An eight-minute video posted on the State Parks Facebook page over the weekend shows a 100-foot barge on the bottom of Emerald Bay at Lake Tahoe. It is the public’s first look at a new underwater trail at Emerald Bay State Park that leads to two barges and 12 recreational boats. It was ...
Kavanaugh hearings stir up memories of bullying and harassment
I can still hear their triumphant snickers. As Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s thuggish behavior comes to light, memories of my bullies have plagued me. I know I’m not alone. In high school French class, we had to film our performances of “Le Petit Chaperon Rouge,” or ...
A first responder’s thoughts on the life he couldn’t save
Don’t usually talk much about the day job. But two weeks ago, I walked to a meeting in the South of Market neighborhood, in uniform, and therefore recognizable as a peace officer. 12:06: As I crossed a street, a man waved at me. I saw a silver sedan with a crater for a window. Far to my left ...
Aging well can be very rewarding
I have a good friend who is turning 70 this year. He is a prime physical specimen, looking and acting far younger than his years, so I would like to officially nominate him for induction into the Aging Hall of Fame. I’m sure there are some who haven’t heard of this esteemed organization. ...
YouTube food star eats (a lot), shoots and leaves
Ray Laquindanum wields a collapsible-tripod selfie stick the way a conductor wields a baton. Outside 1608 Bistro, the new Filipino-American brunch spot on Nob Hill he’s vlogging about for his eponymous YouTube channel, up goes the camera at full extension so he can film himself introducing ...
So, you got an eviction notice and have a few weeks to find an...
Welcome to another episode of the top-rated game show, “Who Can Really Afford to Rent in the Bay Area?” I’m your host, It Beats the Heck Out of Me. In the last episode , the audience got to play the role of a distressed renter attempting to survive in a city where a landlord would ...