Thank goodness for Dorie Greenspan. What else is there to say? When you’re feeling down and out, in swoops Dorie with a batch of cookies to make everything seem a little brighter. Her new cookbook, Dorie’s Cookies, comes at a perfect time when I’m looking. It’s the book equivalent of a big warm hug. By […]...
{San Francisco}:Eat Drink SF 2016
After a summer of food and wine events, it’s always exhilarating to go out with a bang. Eat Drink SF, a weekend-long festival of food, wine, and spirits from around the Bay Area, was a delicious way to close out August. Over 160 Bay Area restaurants, along with over 70 bars, wineries, and distilleries served […]...
Vanilla and Chocolate Choctal Ice Cream Review
Taste tests are one of my favorite things to do: the scientist in me loves comparing and contrasting, quantifying the differences between similar items, finding my personal choice that I like best. Choctal Ice Cream thus appealed to me instantly. All of their ice creams are made with single origin varieties of vanilla beans or […]...
{South Bay} Brunch at Verge Restaurant in Los Gatos
I have an especial weakness for brunch; it probably comes from a childhood of dim sum weekends. Fortunately the Bay Area seems to be filled with plenty of like-minded people as it’s a mecca of brunch options ranging from old school to modern, across a range of cuisines. Last weekend I was invited to visit […]...
{Peninsula}: Sofitel Bay 223 Restaurant
San Francisco is well known as a culinary destination, but there are plenty of gems spread throughout the rest of the Bay Area. I recently found one at the Sofitel San Francisco Bay hotel, about half an hour down the Peninsula in Redwood Shores. I was invited to try the menu at the hotel’s Sofitel Bay 223 […]...
Theo Chocolate Stout Cake with Mint Whipped Cream
In the never-ending quest for the perfect chocolate cake, I realized that I’ve never tried a very popular variant, the chocolate stout cake. I’m not much of a beer drinker, which is why I’ve passed by this cake many times, but with St. Patrick’s Day coming up, I thought what better time to revisit my […]...
Anita Chu, also known as pastrygirl, is a baker, writer, and photographer with a passion for pastry. She trained at Tante Marie's Cooking School and is the author of Field Guide to Cookies, Field Guide to Candy, and Lollipop Love. Anita lives in San Francisco with her husband, daughter, and dog Max. 
