Under the Covers with Ryan Tate

Bay Area Blogger of the Week # 61



If Marcia is the Queen of Scoops in the Bay Area, then Ryan Tate must surely be the King. Ever since The Chronicle's Food Section's "Inside Scoop" column went down hill after the departure of its writer Amanda Berne, I have been looking to other sources for a more rounded view of local restaurant news.

Between Tablehopper and Tate's blog, Covers, which is in the business of writing about local restaurants and hotels, I've found a good balance. Since Tate writes about this stuff for a living, his blog has a drier less-gossipy approach. I'll let him tell it in his own words...

"I am a staff reporter at the San Francisco Business Times, a weekly newspaper where I cover hospitality and East Bay real estate.
At the Business Times, we aggressively pursue exclusive "scoops" through in-the-field reporting and extensive face-to-face networking.My reporting focuses on San Francisco's world-leading restaurants and hotels, which are fast becoming global businesses complete with celebrity chefs and owners. I also investigate political and business stories in the fast-growing cities on the eastern side of the San Francisco bay, including Oakland and Emeryville."

He's well worth the read. You are bound to find out some things that perhaps I already knew but maybe you didn't. Or let Ryan remind you about exciting things you'd read last year, but had completely forgotten all about. Or have him initiate a bout of depression with reports like this. If that's the direction San Francisco is heading in, I may as well move back to London. Whatever he's writing about, if you like to be one step ahead of the gossip, add his blog to your RSS reader right away.



PS - Do we have room for another San Francisco-based Dining and Gossip Blog? NYC-based Eater seems to think so. If you are a witty writer with your finger on the pulse of the local restaurant scene, who has always fancied yourself as a local food blogger but hasn't quite gotten round to it yet, Eater is looking for an editor to write and manage their forthcoming title, Eater SF. The job comes with some kind of salary and, I imagine, some kind of ready-made audience too. I'll be interested to see what develops from this since generally, unlike the Food Bloggers in New York who can come across as competitive and gossipy, Food Bloggers in the Bay Area seem gentler and more community driven. Which reminds me, I must wrap up this post shortly to attend the food blogger volunteer day at the San Francisco Food Bank...

Other Resources & Further Reading

I have split my google calendar (links can found on my blog roll) into two parts:

The first is a Food Events Calendar where I record details of any food events that catch my eye, like the 1st Annual Artisan Cheese Festival I picked up a flyer for this morning at the Ferry Building. Just because something is listed on this calendar, it doesn't necessarily mean I am going to attend the event.

The second is Sam's Personal Food Diary which is probably of interest only to weirdos who like to pry into other peoples' eating habits. OK, you're not weird, it's natural curiosity. Right now I use this calendar to make quick notes about restaurants I have visited and the food I have eaten there, and to list recipes I have tried out. When I am in a good place (January) I also note my daily food intake and if I remember (today!), I keep a note of my food spends because I want to find out more about the cost of my food.

Google's Calendar defaults to 'week' mode but I recommend 'month' mode for easier viewing. You can change the default under 'settings'.

Thanks to my friend Del who just emailed me to let me know her mother had contacted her with the news I just had a mention in French newspaper Le Figaro. C'est excitent!
Here is the quote she sent me:

"Sam,blogueuse culinaire basée a San Francisco,a trouvé un compromis.Sous chaque table chroniquée,elle indique le nombre de visites faites dans l'établissement"

Archives
2006 | A classic Fijian Dish - Kokoda
2005 | Music in My Kitchen


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Under the Covers with Ryan Tate