Mayor Gavin Newsom sits down for an interview with Yelp leader Jeremy Stoppelman, and in addition to the expected Yelp topics of conversation (underwear, hair therapists), Newsom dishes on his coffee haunt (Philz), dodges the best burrito question, and reveals his last meal on earth: "Well, it's sort of a pretentious one, but hell it's the last meal, I mean, who cares I won't be around to answer to it. I would get Alice Waters to prepare it. And, and I'd have her get me all the organic ingredients from around region, all our local farms, and I'd have her prepare a six-course meal. That's what I would do for my last meal." What? Alice? Pretentious? [Yelp Blog]
While food prices soar through the roof, local demigods like Alice Waters and Michael Pollan couldn't be happier, because it means that the playing field is leveled for boutique organic ingredients that are unaffordable for many people but may soon be more accessible. And your requisite Alice Waters' preaching quote: "'We're talking about health, we're talking about the planet, we're talking about the people who are supporting the land,' said Alice Waters, the restaurateur, who has more than once been accused of promoting a diet that is either unaffordable or unrealistic for a working person. Urging others to eat better (and thus more expensive) food is not elitist, she said. It is simply a matter of quality versus quantity and encouraging healthier, more satisfying choices. 'Make a sacrifice on the cellphone or the third pair of Nike shoes,' she said." [NYT]
An article in the Stanford newspaper discusses Chez Panisse and its modernity from an academic standpoint. Once you get past the ivory tower lingo, it's an interesting piece on the modern nature of Alice Waters' movement: "Slow Food could only exist as they do within the context of modernity — while they represent an objection to the modern status quo, they also rely on it as a foil to which they can be the 'other.' Their position of rejecting manufactured food exhibits a fundamental awareness of exactly what they are rejecting." Our food for thought: when/if CP and Slow Food cross over into elitist territory—as they've been accused at times—do they still play the aforementioned role of the "other"? [The Stanford Daily]
Once upon a time, no one passed up the opportunity to work at the likes of Chez Panisse, but thanks to all types of soaring costs, more and more out-of-town industry folk might be steering clear of the Bay in favor of other, developing West Coast towns: "Marco Shaw of Fife was on his way to Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Calif., and living in an overpriced, overcrowded house when the lure of Portland's remarkable culinary scene managed to outshine the chance to work at Alice Waters' legendary restaurant. He thought Portland would be a temporary detour on his way to the high altar of American cooking, but he never left town." [OregonLive]
Sadly, our time down at the South Beach Food and Wine Festival has come to an end. It was a hectic but enjoyable weekend down in Miami, the land where it's always 1998. We recapped the Burger Bash and BubbleQ, along with live-blogging the controversial—and highly entertaining—Golden Clogs. Hell, Rachael "Dunkin Donuts" Ray and Alice Waters even had lunch together. While much of the rest of the weekend was and still is a blur (mission accomplished), plenty of notable tidbits came out of the festivities. Here, then, the rest of our observations from the weekend that was:
Any guesses as to what Alice is whispering in Rachael's ear?
Earlier today, a distinguished panel of "Scientists and Stars" met over lunch to discuss the epidemic of childhood obesity, and more broadly, the general state of food in America. Headlining the event were Alice Waters, Rachael Ray and Jamie Oliver, who qualified as the "star" portion of the event. Each one of the celebs spoke briefly before opening up the floor. Alice Waters provided her standard Edible Schoolyard spiel, though we must say she gave quite the inspiring, fist-pumping speech, coming off nothing like the loopy, pear-seeker seen in the Charlie Rose interview earlier this month. The Chez Panisse matron also reiterated her desire to have a garden in the White House, and stressed the role of the next president in the food revolucion.
Whilst discussing the Labor Day extravaganza that will be Slow Food Nation with Mayor PlumpJack, Alice Waters also shared her thoughts on magical Swiss apples (like a modern-day P.B. Shelley) as well as ignorant television personalities named Charlie: "Waters, who is a surprisingly quiet, behind-the-podium speaker, waxed poetic about the apple tart she'd had at the top of a snowy mountain in Switzerland ... and talked about her recent appearance on Charlie Rose where 'she tried to understand what he knows about food.' (The take-away? 'He needs to be educated!')." [Bits + Bites]
For some reason, no local food personality polarizes people quite like the first lady of local organica, Ms. Alice Waters. While no one doubts her status as a influential revolutionary in the gastronomic sphere, many worship her as a bohemian goddess and others see her as a glorified elitist. The truth probably lies somewhere in between, but in the wake of the Charlie Rose interview, both sides have arrived in spades in the Rose show comment fields for our amusement and yours. Some dismiss Alice as a "dippy lady" who gives an awkward interview, others question if she even took a trip to the local market to look for elusive February pears, and simply, many applaud her for her work. Our favorite, as it stands, is the following poetic composition about the "dear soul" left by one "Eileen":
yes! yes! yes! so wonderful to see alice waters :: dear soul :: and charlie's bewilderment at the powerful integrity of her message :: education, agriculture, cultural values :: health and happiness :: the children, the future :: and your health too charlie :: a lovely evening :: may it grow :: slow and slow :: breathe :: mangia mangia ! xo
Last night, none other than Alice Waters appeared on Charlie Rose. Looking especially regal in the interview, Waters not only gives the usual rundown of her agenda—Slow Food, Edible Schoolyards, her book, how great Gavin Newsom is—but also has some candid moments (despite that odd accent of hers; has anyone else wondered about this?). In addition to providing a delightful mise-en-scene of pears and radishes, she admits that she hasn't cooked at Chez Panisse in 24 years, criticizes New York for not having adequate pears, fondles said inadequate pears throughout the interview, and at the end, is endearingly mortified when Rose reveals the gifts she brought to him. Our favorite quotes from the interview:
It's Friday afternoon, and that means it's time to look back on the week that was at our sister site and friendly neighborhood blog, Curbed SF.
1) Despite the wide-ranging appeal of Ponce de Leon, a Spanish exploration museum lost out to Gap founder Don Fisher's plans for the Contemporary Art Museum of the Presidio (CAMP) as the Presidio's new development. 2) At Octavia/Market, cyclists would rather not get run over by cars anymore. 3) Lots of cash is exchanging hands in Hunters Point, as Lennar, a Miami-based developer is trying to make the HP relevant. 4) Probably the best distraction of the afternoon is FundRaiser 2008, the HuffPo's brilliant database of campaign donors, though you don't exactly need it to figure out which candidate Alice Waters supports.
Sodini's and the North Beach Strip [Photo: Flickr/skyseame]
NORTH BEACH—As if the legal issues surrounding Red Mango and Julius' Castle weren't enough, now there's yet another batch of controversy in the neighborhood. Via Curbed, we have word that an alcohol ban for all new businesses is on the table at tomorrow's Board of Supes Dept. of Planning meeting: "This means no liquor licenses (already under strict restrictions), but it also means no beer and wine sales (as they widen control, and set a dangerous precedence), period ... In the case of North Beach, a neighborhood zoned for night life, that means the city is stuck with its current selection of bars, and restaurants, and landlords are stuck waiting for yogurt chains ... oh wait." [Curbed SF]
SOMA—There will, however, be alcohol at Town Hall's fourth annual Mardi Gras celebration, taking place on February 5th. The affair comes with a $75 price tag; benefits will go to Alice Waters' Edible Schoolyard project in New Orleans, which is nice. More info at the official site. [EaterWire Inbox]
A year after she stopped offering bottled water at Chez Panisse, Alice Waters is getting credit for revolutionizing the beverage industry and taking down the evil bottled water empire, despite the (unmentioned) fact that Chez Panisse followed the trend set by the likes of Incanto, Nopa and Poggio. [Bloomberg]
MB knows how to get the locals riled up, as he takes a cue from Bourdain and brings up the age-old question of whether Chez Panisse is overrated: "I can understand both points of view. The food served here is straightforward. In many regards, it's not a "real" restaurant because it serves only one menu a night ... What sets Chez Panisse apart—still—is the quality of the ingredients." The argument is nothing new, but it's always fun to see the Waters zealots pop up in the comments. [Between Meals]
BERKELEY—Now that Anthony Paone has abandoned chef duties at T-Rex to concentrate fully on sister restaurant Sea Salt, changes are a-coming: "Sea Salt is now experiencing a long-contemplated menu makeover: Paone is pouring his newly undivided energy into moving beyond the restaurant's seafood-only policy to add meat to the mix ... Paone told us certain diners had always asked for stuff without gills, and the decision to add turf to the menu's traditional surf had been long in coming." [Contra Costa Times]
BERNAL HEIGHTS—None other than Ms. Alice Waters will be at Red Hill Books tomorrow night at 7:30, and she's going to talk to everyone: "She will read from her new book, The Art of Simple Food, have a conversation with everyone in attendance and sign books. Staff from Chez Panisse will be on hand with samples from three recipes ... If you purchase a copy of the book now, we will reserve a seat in your name." [Backpage]
The saga surrounding Alice Waters' involvement in the controversial Ameya Preserve housing project continues. Two weeks ago, the Wall Street Journal reported that Waters—who supports the purchase of the development's $2.3 million homes in a town where the average pricetag is $150K to the point that she'll cook a gourmet meal for anyone who buys a new house—chalked up her involvement to a substantial ($500,000) donation to the Slow Food Nation by the Ameya Preserve. Today, the WSJ issued a correction saying that most of the money didn't actually go to Slow Food:
Wade Dokken, a developer of the Ameya Preserve housing development in Paradise Valley, Mont., paid $100,000 to Slow Food Nation, a nonprofit organization founded by San Francisco Bay area restaurateur Alice Waters in exchange for her help in guiding plans for a cooking school on the property. Mr. Dokken would pay an additional $400,000 directly to Ms. Waters and not Slow Food Nation for additional consulting services under terms of an unsigned contract. Based on erroneous information provided by Mr. Dokken and Ms. Waters, a Nov. 16 Weekend Journal article on new "politically correct" developments incorrectly said that Mr. Dokken pledged $500,000 to Slow Food Nation in exchange for Ms. Waters's participation.
The reason these revelations continue to be a source of disappointment is because Waters is our local heroine of sorts. Sure, most big-name chefs go corporate in some form at some point, but the reason Chez Panisse is special—especially here in the Bay—is precisely because it isn't mired in the muck of money. From local farmers to local diners, Waters represents (present tense) the essence of an egalitarian community; to sell out for a housing development in Montana of all places—and an elitist one at that—is just, well, sad.
· Corrections & Amplifications [WSJ]
· Politically Correct Developments [WSJ]
· Alice Waters Knows How to Return a Favor [~ESF~]
· Alice Waters' Involvement in Montana Housing Development: Slightly Confusing [~ESF~]
No, charbroilers aren't dangerous in the Original Joe's way.
CITY-WIDE—Taking the cake in today's ridiculous restaurant news, an anti-smog group of crazies say beef (yes, beef) emits too much air pollution when charbroiled. To counter the threat, they are proposing a law that would force restaurants to install $60,000 worth of equipment that would limit the pollution caused by beef in particular, since it is more dangerous than fish or poultry (really). Our favorite quote from the article: "Charbroiler pollution is small compared to diesel cars, the group said." Well, now that that's clear... [CC Times]
CHINA BASIN—It's your last chance to enter our sister site's inaugural Curban Planning Challenge. The deal is that the creative person who comes up with the best mixed use plan for SWL 337, better known to us layfolk as the 16-acre parking lot to the south of the ballpark. Earlier today, Curbed released a sample idea involving some well-known restaurant names: "Why not transform SWL 337 into its very own biosphere? It could totally save the environment and be a mixed-use project: Alice Waters and Cafe Gratitude can collaborate on an on-site restaurant/ spa/ meditation center." Added bonus: we hear Alice totally backs controversial projects, for a price (hint: a half-million dollars worked last time). [Curbed SF]
While in praise of sardines continues its search for a name of Brett Emerson's future Noe Valley restaurant—the candidates so far are Ca'l Brett, foc i fum, imby, Bocarte, Catalina, Castropoda and Olallie; for the love of god, help him—San Francisco-based hospitality giant Joie de Vivre (Cortez, Millennium et al.) has now put together a similar contest regarding Santa Cruz's former Dream Inn. The winner of the contest will earn a weekend stay, complimentary breakfast (!!!) and dinner for four at the hotel. To get the creative juices churning, JdV has shared five concepts from which to start:
Over the years we have found that selecting five words that would reflect the personality of the hotel, the personality of the local community and the personality or aspirations of the hotels guests really helps. That said, the five descriptive words for the Santa Cruz Hotel are:
* Young at Heart
* Worldly
* Eclectic
* Organic
* Dreamy
Have news, gossip or general concerns fit for EaterWire? We like tips.
SOMA—After shuttering in late September for repairs and renovations, Howard Street's Buca di Beppo will reportedly reopen in the "later half of November 2007." The good news is that it's been a while since we've seen a restaurant on Yelp that actually has less than three stars, so that was enjoyable. The bad news is that we remain thoroughly confused as to how a chain like Buca di Beppo can survive in San Francisco outside of the Wharf. [EaterWire Inbox]
THE CASTRO—From La Tablehopper comes a bit of news concerning The Lookout, the semi-revamped at 16th and Market: "...the former Metro Cafe found a name: ~THE LOOKOUT~. Its new owner is Chris Hastings, formerly of Catch, just up the street." Reports are that most things remain the same, from the crowd to the decor. [TH]
Earlier this week, we discussed a possible reason for Alice Waters' questionable involvement in a Montana housing project—which interestingly enough, has not yet been addressed by the her camp. Since then, the comments field at Tigers & Strawberries has pretty much exploded, and a surprising majority of the sentiment has been anti-Waters. To wit:
The problem that I have with Alice Waters is not that I think she's elitist, it's that it seems as though everything she says is infused with a mild air of eau de sanctimony. (She also reminds me of those people who drive you up a wall because they're so beatific.) It' not something I could easily explain, but reading the NYT piece and the Salon article, I wanted to scream. It's not a question of her message, it's just something about her that just rubs me the wrong way.
In the wake of last week's perplexing revelations that Alice Waters has aligned herself with a controversial, "elitist" Montana housing project comes a possible explanation for the Chez Panisse founder's involvement. To recap, Waters came under fire on The Ethicurean because the new gated community—in which her new culinary school will open—is promising a private gourmet meal by Waters with the purchase of a $2.3 million home. Mind you, the average price tag for a home in the small Montana community is $150,000.
I think I may have figured out how she got involved with the Ameya Preserve project, though ... back in May on Michael Bauer' blog, Between Meals, there was a post announcing Alice Waters' involvement in Carlo Petrini's 2008 Slow Food Nation expo in San Francisco. The event promises to be fascinating, and full of food and fun and all that good stuff, but what I found most interesting was the mention, down near the end of the post, that the first major donation to Slow Food Nation was "a $500,000 gift from the Ameya Preserve in Montana, which is an 11,000-acre plot of sustainable land."
It's no secret that Alice Waters is the closest thing the Bay Area—nay, the food world—has to a goddess, but a rather troubling article on The Ethicurean reveals that Waters has (quite strongly) aligned herself with a gated community development in Montana called the Ameya Preserve:
Here’s where Alice Waters comes into the picture. All of the current advertising for the Ameya Preserve — including the 2007 Neiman Marcus Christmas Catalog — trumpets her involvement. Alice may or may not be an elitist in person, but she has aligned herself with a developer and a project that is openly and unabashedly elitist.
The Christmas Catalog promises that Alice herself will cook your dinner if you buy a 10-acre site. The price tag: $2.3 million, in an area where the average home price is around $150,000 and the median income hovers just below $40,000.
Waters may have been attracted to the project because she'll be opening a culinary school there and the Ameya Preserve touts itself as a green project with a local farm. But as the article points out, the $2.3 million-homeowners won't be doing the farming themselves; zoo-like "resident farmers" will. The nearby town is up in arms about the new deluge of "second homes," saying it will divide a community (as gated communities do by definition, we suppose). In the end, the elitist development appears to goes against the community-building for which Waters has always stood, thus leading to the obvious question: why is she involved? Is there anything less "Chez Panissey" than a celebrity chef specially cooking a meal for someone who buys a $2.3 million estate in a town of $150,000 homes?
· Why is Alice Waters involved with the Ameya Preserve in Montana? [The Ethicurean]
Anyone with thoughts, explanations or theories is encouraged to share, either in the comments field or via email.
Even though she may boast an iPhone, Alice Waters always emanates a love of tradition and the old-fashioned. Yet, when the Sun-Times asked her opinion on the Chicago molecular gastronomy superstar restaurants, she knocked them as a part of the larger problem governing America's food. Rather harshly, we might add:
Waters dismisses the vogue for "molecular gastronomy," the high-tech, cutting-edge culinary efforts of such restaurants as Moto, Alinea and Avenues that have given Chicago international gastronomic stature. "Looking at food as entertainment, that's how we got into this mess."
"I want to look at food as tasting and looking and being so I can recognize it. We have to look at it as nourishment, as something precious," she says. "We must feed every child in this delicious way."
Those are astringent words for some of the most acclaimed restaurants in the country. Surprising? Perhaps not entirely, but assuming she's been to the restaurants in question, we can't help but wonder her opinions on the actual meal. In fact, can you imagine a better study in contrasts than having dinner next to Alice Waters at Alinea? It would be like bringing William Shakespeare to a screening of The Godfather. Or something.
· Waters shares 'Food' philosophy [Sun-Times]
In case you haven't heard, Alice Waters is in Middle America. Readers who got through the lengthy piece on her (mis)adventures in the midwest—where she's not nearly the celebrity she is here—were treated to a fun fact in the article's last section: she has an iPhone. [Chron]
Sign of the times: Alice Waters was a guest on The View. Bigger sign of the times: Alice Waters—arguably the most influential person in the American food industry—was the third guest on The View, right after Elmo and Tracy Morgan. [The Amateur Gourmet]
For some reason, no local food personality polarizes people quite like the first lady of local organica, Ms. Alice Waters. While no one doubts her status as a influential revolutionary in the gastronomic sphere, many worship her as a bohemian goddess and others see her as a glorified elitist. The truth probably lies somewhere in between, but in the wake of 
BERKELEY—Now that Anthony Paone has abandoned chef duties at T-Rex to concentrate fully on sister restaurant Sea Salt, changes are a-coming: "Sea Salt is now experiencing a long-contemplated menu makeover: Paone is pouring his newly undivided energy into moving beyond the restaurant's seafood-only policy to add meat to the mix ... Paone told us certain diners had always asked for stuff without gills, and the decision to add turf to the menu's traditional surf had been long in coming." [
The saga surrounding Alice Waters' 
SOMA—After shuttering in late September for repairs and renovations, Howard Street's Buca di Beppo will reportedly reopen in the "later half of November 2007." The good news is that it's been a while since we've seen a restaurant on 
Earlier this week, we discussed a 
