Clark Wolf's Rants, Raves, Diatribes...and a few other Thoughts

A Look Back at Ten Years of Covering SF's Food Evolution at 7x7

Trends come and gone, predictions both true and false, plus scandals and quotes from one editor's decade on the front lines of 7x7's food section. 

2001
09.01 Jardinière chef Traci Des Jardins and Larry Bain (now of Let's be Frank) team up to start a new socially conscious program at Jardinière, which includes teaching English as a second language to staff, paying a living wage, and (drum roll) composting. "It took dozens of phone calls, but we finally reached someone at Sunset Scavenger," Bain says. "We're composting and recycling 90 percent of the kitchen garbage."

11.01 Once, when I was in culinary school in New York, I asked a Petrossian Caviar rep if it wouldn't be more sustainable to remove the eggs from a sturgeon via C-section rather than kill the huge, prehistoric fish. He looked at me like I was a crazy West Coast activist. By 2001, Beluga sturgeon are endangered. Sustainable, farmed caviar—which is extracted via C-section—is in. For 7x7, I drive out to Sacramento to visit the very unglamorous Sterling Caviar sturgeon farm made up of big, stinky fish tanks.

2003
07.03 Obsessed with my love-hate relationship with Amanda Hesser's Mr. Latte column in The New York Times Magazine, I interview her. In person, she turns out to be very uncontroversial and as slight as "a wafer-thin-mint." (She still is today, even after having twins and testing all the recipes in her amazing Essential New York Times Cookbook.) She tells me she loves Capricious cheese, Miette lemon cookies, and dates. Then there's my favorite quote of the year from an interview with NY restaurant consultant Clark Wolf in regard to Jeremiah Tower's tell-all book, California Dish: "I mean, attacking Marion Cunningham? Fannie Farmer? I guess Grandma Moses was dead."

Full article here

Dining out replacing Labor Day weekend travel



San Francisco -- With folks feeling a bit queasy about the uncertain state of the economy, it's hardly a surprise to learn that they have less of an appetite for travel this Labor Day weekend. But while Californians may have little stomach for high gas prices or crowded and costly flights, they're still hungering for some holiday fun, and appear to be replacing holiday road trips with dining out.

"All trends in the industry are showing even more people eating out the last couple of months," said Frank Klein, a national restaurant consultant in Palo Alto. "It's going to hit a good peak for Labor Day, which is sometimes a slow period for restaurants, especially in the Bay Area."

An annual travel survey by AAA of Northern California shows the number of Californians planning to travel more than 50 miles from home over the three-day weekend is down 2.6 percent over last year.

"California travelers are reacting to the most recent economic downturns, and that is having a significant effect on discretionary spending," said Cynthia Harris, AAA spokeswoman. "Nonetheless, with a pent-up desire to get away for the last holiday of the season, we could see an increase in last-minute weekend travel."

But many travelers will stick close to home, visiting with friends and relatives - and dining out, according to the survey. Other popular activities include sightseeing, visiting historic sites and biking.

"People are taking day trips, holding parties in their backyards, going out to dinner with groups of friends," said Clark Wolf, a national restaurant consultant in Sonoma County and New York.

Labor Day, in addition to honoring the American worker, has always been associated with food, Wolf said - including picnics and harvest festivals. Restaurants featuring seasonal foods will be most popular, he said. Klein said many people will simply gravitate toward their favorite restaurants, though many will seek out good old traditional American cuisine.

"Comfort food," he said, including grilled and rotisserie-cooked dishes.

Full article here