The kitchen at Beard Award-winning State Bird Provisions. [Photo: shinzui/Flickr]
BAY AREA—Local chefs cleaned up at the James Beard Awards, the food world's biggest night: State Bird Provisions took home Best New Restaurant, Mission Chinese Food's Danny Bowien was named Rising Star Chef, Merry Edwards won for Best Wine Professional, Christopher Kostow of the Restaurant at Meadowood was named Best Chef: West, and Cecilia Chiang and Michael Mina got lifetime-achievement honors.
BAY AREA—Chronicle food critic Michael Bauer released his annual Top 100 restaurants list this week, with 21 spots removed to make way for newer ones. The full list is behind a paywall, but here are the new restaurants and the ones that got bumped.
BAY AREA—Three tragic fires struck area restaurants this week: Oakland's Merritt Restaurant & Bakery was gutted on Wednesday, then today brought smaller fires at Forbes Island and Little Baobab.
SAN FRANCISCO—We teamed up with Racked to find great places for you to shop and eat with your mom on Mother's Day.
THE EMBARCADERO—We had breakfast with New York Times columnist, legendary cookbook author, and vegan before 6 p.m. Mark Bittman on Tuesday; here are our notes from the experience.
OUTER SUNSET—Outside Lands may still be a few months away, but we've got all the intel on this year's food and drink vendors.
SOMA—New spots opening this week include SOMA bar Southside Spirit House and two spots in Berkeley: comfort-food purveyors Next Door and Japanese spot Tomo's.
SAN FRANCISCO—Speaking of Danny Bowien, the newly-minted Rising Star Chef is planning a second SF restaurant, which will be Asian but not Chinese.
SOMA—New cocktail bar Novela has a killer bartender duo behind the drinks and a knockout design; we got a plywood preview. Meanwhile, sad news at SF Cocktail Week, which has been cancelled for 2013.