at the sign of The Pink Pig

Published every Monday morning: an online magazine of eating, drinking, arts and the city.

Tastes Of Quince

[Pigging by Wilfrid:  November 23, 2009]

I had only one evening free for restaurant dining on my recent San Francisco trip, and the consensus of local opinion directed me to Quince, recently re-located to a quiet side street in what I still think of as the Barbary Coast neighborhood.

It's just a step from Chinatown, in any case, and the glow from the large windows makes it easy to find.

Gourmates' New York Debut

[Free stuff by Wilfrid:  November 23, 2009]

Ekin Yasin made such nice comments about the Pink Pig, that I could hardly resist her invitation to attend the first New York meet-up hosted by Gourmates.

In any case, empanadas were involved.  My thanks to the gentleman who held the plate for the photo, as there was nowhere to put it down.

Some Foodbuzzers: The Last Of SF

 [A Pig at Large by Wilfrid:  November 23, 2009]

I just wanted to wrap up on the subject of the Foodbuzz blogging shindig in SF by linking to just some of the characters I met.

Impossible to link to everyone, but if you want to contemplate the ocean of online food writing out there, dive in here.

Tim Burton: MOMA Follows The Money

[New York Peasant by Wilfrid:  November 23, 2009]

I left the crushed reception for the Tim Burton show at MOMA with a greater appreciation of him as an artist, and impressed by the volume as well as the inventiveness of his work.  So what's the problem?

The Road To Turkey Day: Ten Years Ago

[Pink Pig Time Machine by Wilfrid:  November 23, 2009]

I suppose it's a venison time of year, and this week ten years ago I prepared a nice saddle with a red wine sauce and chestnuts and baked sweet potatoes.  A 1990 Nuits-St-Georges "Les Vaucrains" was surely a decent accompaniment.

Snacking: The Permanent Brunch Burger

[Snacking by Wilfrid: November 21, 2009]

Here's one in the eye for all those who believe burgers today should be smashed flat on the grill.

The Permanent Brunch burger is getting taller.  Indeed, if I liked their onion rings...

Meyer's Maialino: Knockout

[Pigging by Wilfrid:  November 16, 2009]

Danny Meyer's new Roman trattoria in the former Wakiya space at the Gramercy Hotel is excellent, and I am going to tell you exactly why.

I dined there late on day three: too soon to review a restaurant?  Sure, but in this case the food, wine and service didn't miss a beat.

November Already: Ten Years Ago

[Pink Pig Time Machine by Wilfrid:  November 16, 2009]

A bit of catching up to do with the dusty old memoir.  We had just squeezed past Hallowe'en 1999, as I recall, and it looks like the following week or two saw some casual dining around town.

More Foodbuzzing: A Final Feast

[A Pig at Large by Wilfrid:  November 14,2009]

I knew we weren't really lost, but I thought it would have done no harm to pause for refreshment and regrouping at a bar called the Bonanza in an otherwise pitch-black back street south of San Francisco central.

After all, the bar advertised a lingerie show, and I have always been interested in fashion.  But no.

More Foodbuzzing: Olive Oil For Breakfast?

[A Pig at Large by Wilfrid:  November 13, 2009]

Olive oil for breakfast?  Why not?

Okay, maybe not the best idea, but you see it had been a late night.  I had fallen into conversation at the bar of Vesuvio with a lifetime resident of North Beach who, it turned out...

More Foodbuzzing: SF Street Food

[A Pig at Large:  November 12, 2009]

So there I was, just over a week ago, pleasantly buzzing on Iron Horse fizz, and set to move from the opening drinks at the Foodbuzz convention across the street to the Ferry Building where a series of the city's best street vendors were laying out supper.

Yes, the first thing one found was cold beer and a menu.  Then, a little further along the passageway at the front of the building...

Dateline San Francisco: Get Your Foodbuzz On

[A Pig at Large:  November 10, 2009]

Did Foodbuzz hold a food blogging convention, someone just asked me?  Oh yes they did, and I was one of some two hundred and fifty attendees.

I think Midtown Lunch and I formed the entire New York delegation, exemplifying quality rather than quantity.  The west coast was well represented, but so was Texas, and there were writers present from Alaska and Australia too.