san francisco

I've always envied the chairman and all the judges on Iron Chef America. After all, who doesn't want to sit down to live entertainment and not one, but two, incredible dinners made by star chefs?

Naturally, when I was recently approached to judge the Macy's Mystery Basket Battle in San Francisco, I couldn't say no. The event featured two local celebrity chefs, Staffan Terje from Perbacco and Hoss Zaré from Zaré at Fly Trap, facing off in a 45-minute battle to create at least one dish that incorporated the following six ingredients: kabocha, mint, fennel, cocoa powder, anchovies, and animal crackers.

The event wouldn't have been complete without a live audience of about 50 and a judging panel (which included myself, Masterchef finalist Alejandra Schrader, blogger Carolyn Jung of Food Gal, and SF City Dish founder Kevin Blum). But judging a competition wasn't anything like I thought it would be. Read more for some surprising postcompetition observations.

It's hard to keep a restaurant that's been open over a decade perennially packed, but Craig Stoll makes it look easy. The chef-owner's flagship restaurant, Delfina, has been open for 13 years, yet remains one of San Francisco's top dining destinations. Stoll and his wife, Annie, have a new Roman restaurant, Locanda, as well as two locations of the absurdly popular Pizzeria Delfina, which was named one of the 25 best pizzas in America.

I talked to the James Beard Award winner about what keeps his restaurants interesting, upcoming projects, and the controversial state of fine dining today.

YumSugar: Delfina's been open for 13 years. How do you continue to move forward?
Craig Stoll: It's just hard work. What we need right now, in order for our restaurants to continue to thrive and grow, is talent. We have a brand-new chef coming in here; you're the first to know. Matt Gandin, our chef de cuisine who's been with us nine years, is leaving; he doesn't know where he's going, but he wants to pursue his own thing, possibly Mexican food. Dylan Montano is coming in; I'm super excited for this. He's been the chef at Manzanita, Traci Des Jardins's restaurant in Lake Tahoe, and has worked at Quince.

Keep reading after the jump to learn about what Craig Stoll has planned next.

Before Summer is over, why not enjoy a piece of meat at its purest? I'm talking about a perfectly grilled steak! Grilling steak may seem like a no-brainer: you season it and throw it on the barbie, but with a little extra care you can take your steak-making skills to a whole new level. I asked Chef Mark Richardson, of Seasons, the restaurant at The Four Seasons in San Francisco, to show us how it's done. His technique and tips for juicy pink medium rare steak after the jump.

Tired of the same ol' lunch? Between the Bread offers some fodder for brown-bag inspiration with her review of one San Francisco restaurant's preserved tuna and piquillo sandwich.

On several leisurely weekend afternoons, I've found myself at Bar Jules in Hayes Valley for lunch, and I'm never disappointed. I love the handful-and-a-half of simple brunch and lunch items; I love how the chalkboard menu changes daily but not too drastically; and I adore the cheery, comforting blue and mustard walls. I even love the bathroom decor.

The restaurant's unique tuna sandwich, revisited, when you keep reading.