All stories about "Michael Bauer"

We touched on the Visionary Chefs Series last week, and with today's five new additions (Oakes, Bertolli, Patterson, Mina, Ann Cooper), it seems Ol' Bauer is not getting a lot of love on the national level: "It's the kind of thing that's easier to see when it's the mote in someone else's eye, but Bauer ultimately does SF a disservice with this kind of parochial boosterism ... Bauer's inflation of SF chefs makes it seem as if he is writing about a much smaller town. It's cheerleading that leaves the reader with a profound sense of disembiggenment." [Chron/Gurgling Cod]

Pizza-aficionado-about-America Ed Levine follows up on Bauer's six best pizzas declaration. Levine makes known his feelings on Pauline's Pizza—"my appreciation for such things doesn't extend to a pie topped with Meyer lemon purée, goat cheese, and greens"—and Bauer explains his omission of Pizzeria Delfina thusly: "I almost included Delfina, but I wanted to get geographic diversity, too. I went back twice, and in the end I liked the wood-fired pizzas at Picco and Pizzaiolo better." [Slice, previously]

Given the occasion, The Bauer takes a moment to review all eight chefs that currently hold four stars, complete with reminders of fun factoids, like how Thomas Keller spies on his kitchen from afar via closed-circuit televisions, how David Kinch's state-of-the-art kitchen at Manresa is a hot commodity, and how Doug Keane is still a baby. And by the way, try to convince us that 08/08/08 has nothing to do with the eighth four-star just happening to arrive this week. Go ahead. [BauerBlog]

Was there any doubt that Bauer's best pizza declaration would spur outrage amongst slice enthusiasts? The Guardian gets things rolling with a fundamental gripe: "Bauer claims to have found the six best pizza places in the Bay Area, and they are all so chi-chi I can't imagine eating at any of them...No, no, no: You don't put squash or squid and aioli on a pizza. You don't put truffles on pizza, either." [SFBG]

In debunking an anonymous (and unlinked-to) online sighting, The Sneaky Bauer insists he still usually goes undetected, no matter what everyone else says: "... after 22 years in the same city, it's difficult to remain under the radar, no matter how hard I try. But as I've always said: I'm only recognized when I'm recognized. I'm still able to slip through most of the time." That is, whenever Pat Kuleto's not around. [BauerBlog]

You didn't really think Pizza Friday could actually stay away for good, did you? Plus, it appears that Ed "Listmaster Extraordinaire" Levine is starting to really grow on our Bauer, as evidenced by today's declaration of the Bay Area's six best pizzas: Gialina, Gioia, Pauline's Pizza, Pizzaiolo, Pizzeria Picco and Rosso. Next month: the eleven best chicken soups. [Chron]

Michael Bauer approaches the podium, gently taps the microphone and takes a strong, refreshing stand against health care surcharges: "It's gotten to the place that I can't hold my tongue any longer. Enough with the surcharges. Here's my proposal of how restaurants should handle the situation: Incorporate all these expenses into the menu prices." Related: we've updated our surcharge map, so do continue to submit your sightings. [BauerBlog]

In the final installment of Pizza Friday, The Bauerino gives in to popular demand and heads to Arinell. And he gets a little frisky down in the Mission: "OK, were you all joking? Did you think I'd be totally out of my element walking into the hole-in-the wall where some of the staff members looks as if they're at the tail end of a wild night on the town? ... But dang, is the pizza good." And with that, the suggestion box is officially open for the next nine-month Bauer project. Curry Thursdays? Waffle Wednesdays? Your nominations in the comments. [BauerBlog]

The Bloggin' Bauer indulges in the always-touchy subject of his anonymity, though he somewhat shirks the real issue (that most restaurants can spot him) in favor of addressing his objectivity and those critics of his who have yet to realize that you can't, in fact, see someone over email: "Call me dense, but I don't see how corresponding by email with restaurateurs and chefs makes me any less anonymous. This type of interaction only helps to inform my coverage. It has no bearing on whether I'm recognized when I go to a restaurant." So there. [BauerBlog]

Today's words of wisdom, courtesy of The Bauer: "America is eating fewer french fries, according to a recently released data from the consumer market research firm NPD Group. It doesn't hold true in my universe; I order them whenever I can." Everyone clear on that? [BauerBlog]

That Michael Bauer guy? Definitely not a fan of San Francisco's current crop of Gatekeepers: "One of the most annoying and crucial aspects of service is the way restaurants handle the front door. Why is it that high-profile restaurants nearly always put their most inexperienced person at the host stand? Generally these people are good-looking but have the charm of Mrs. Danvers. It's not a great way to kick off an evening." [BauerBlog]

Mikey B concocts a list of the ten trendy "places to dine that might reflect what's happening in the Bay Area," and already the SFGate readers are letting him have it in the comments field. On the list: Foreign Cinema, SPQR, Laiola, Cav, Michael Mina, Dosa, Slanted Door, Yank Sing, Yoshi's and, uh, Rye. While we're not quite sure it's a list of the ten trendiest restaurants per se, we suppose that for visitors, it does canvas the token "trends" that have hit the city over the last few years (e.g. wine bars, gourmet cocktails), albeit with a few question marks (Yoshi's?). [BauerBlog]

Last week, Sam Breach took exception to some curious antics between Michael Bauer and Pat Kuleto at Epic Roasthouse that involved Kuleto eating a grilled asparagus spear off Bauer's plate in mid-meal. Well, Bauer responded to Breach and she has updated her post: "Needless to say I had erroneously jumped to the conclusion that there must have been some great level of intimacy for that situation to have occurred. Apparently not so and although they each know who the other is in professional terms, Michael himself explained to me he was surprised by the bravado of Kuleto's action. Another reader pointed out to me off the blog, Michael clearly felt he had nothing to hide by writing the newsletter piece in the first place, which is another point to take consideration." [Becks & Posh]

It's no secret that most restaurant industry folk—especially the more established ones—in this town know what one Michael Bauer looks like, but as Sam Breach points out, waving it in everyone's faces might be a bit much: "My own opinion of [Epic's Sunday review] was that I didn't think it read as particularly glowing and I was subsequently surprised that Epic got as many as 3 stars from Bauer. I wonder, perhaps, if Bauer & Kuleto are friends and that swayed Bauer's judgement? Consequently, I was interested to read Bauer's Notes in today's San Francisco Chronicle Food and Wine Newsletter which I subscribe to via email. Bauer's Notes: 'When I ran into Pat Kuleto at his restaurant Epic recently, he posed that question to me as he picked up and ate one of the fat grilled spears I ordered to go with the prime rib' ... What kind of 'anonymous reviewer' has a restaurant's owner eating off his plate?" [Becks & Posh]