Thoughtful Gourmet Blog

NPR recently wrote about the need for college campuses to accommodate people with food allergies. Because of changes already implemented in its dining program, Dominican University and their food service provider, Bon Appetit Management Company, appears well situated to manage any changes required to their dining program by a ruling such as this. http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/01/08/168872161/college-students-with-food-allergies-make-legal-gains “DOJ’s […]

They may have been raised on organic milk and farmers market veggies, but when students line up at Marin’s high-ed campus cafes, are they still chowing down on the same starch-heavy, overcooked food that their parents most likely remember from their college days? Not quite. While it may not mimic dining at Marin’s local, sustainable […]

Want to ease the price of wine with dinner? Exclusively for my readers, chef Soo Young Kim at Greenbrae’s Bistro Vis-a-vis is offering a winter wine deal at dinner. The detes: purchase any bottle of wine on their list to enjoy at dinner, get one of comparable value to enjoy later for only $5. Please […]

When I learned that a restaurant in Marin was serving Cambodian food, I nearly jumped out of my chair. Khmer cuisine is a rare bird around these parts. In the Bay Area, my informal tally notes five restaurants that offer the cuisine of Khmer, of which the new Tommy’s Asian Bistro and Grill in San […]

Let’s Eat Out review Celiacs are not often at a loss for words. But when traveling overseas, where the words are in another language, even the most resilient, out-spoken self-health advocate can hesitate to ask for what they need. And every celiac and allergen-sensitive eater knows that eating out without a translator can mean serious […]

Have you been apple picking lately? Got a bunch of random apples sitting on your counter, waiting to be eaten? This recipe is for you. Ugly apples, slightly bitter apples, apples with one bite taken out of them can be easily disguised by baking them. Plus, baking softens the hard edge of a strong-flavored fruit. […]

This is the unedited version of the review that was posted to the IJ earlier this week: http://www.marinij.com/lifestyles/ci_19803737 Greenbrae It is not every day that you enter a restaurant where the host is also the chef and sommelier. At Bistro Vis à vis, you will find Soo Young Kim bustling about this 30-seat restaurant and […]

Organized by color because, well, why not? Pink Pink is the new white. For salt, that is.  Peruvian and Himalayan salt is moving in on fleur de sel, sel gris and any other trendy-yet-ancient salts. Witness Moonstruck Chocolates and CC Made Caramels, among others.     Red Red velvet: Stonewall Kitchen, which produces the Barefoot Contessa […]