When Foodbuzz announced Visa Signature's Community Table event, I didn't hesitate to register for one of 20 spots at dinner. The setting was EPIC Roasthouse, part of the Kuleto dining empire, and a restaurant fairly new to the Embarcadero.
I walked onto the outdoor balcony with a glass of Sharffenberger rose in hand and was welcomed by a stunning view of the sun setting on the Bay Bridge. A couple crab cake bites in, I introduced myself to fellow Foodbuzz featured publisher, Danielle Tsi, of Bon Vivant. Danielle's effervescent personality was charming and I really enjoyed learning about her leap from full-time tech PR worker bee to full-time food blogger! If you love food porn like I do, then you need to see Danielle's gorgeous food photography. The next blogger I met was Mark Winitz of Chefectomy. Mark had us laughing non-stop throughout dinner, and you should really check out his thoughtful blog.
Around 7:30PM, we sat down for dinner. The amuse bouche was a butter bean soup served in a dainty teacup with a lime slice (I swear it tasted like Filipino sinagang, a tamarind-broth). Next, was an iceberg lettuce with bleu cheese dressing (it was okay). We had a choice of salmon, pork chop or steak and crab cake for an entree. Without hesitation, I ordered the pork chop, accompanied by a delicate asparagus flan and baby mushrooms. It was delicious and pretty. My camera phone didn't do it justice.
I watched Julie & Julia last month and I had really identified with Julie's neurotics around blogging -- who's reading me, what should I write about today, can I even write today? This was my first networking event with other food bloggers, and my fellow food bloggers shared similar anxieties...and joy! I was secretly comforted to learn I wasn't the only one taking photos of my food.
The jovial group of bloggers I dined with included Melissa of Size 6, Stephanie (a recent NYC transplant) of Lick My Spoon, Jo of Taking Over the World One Bite at a Time and Silvia of Citron et Vanille. Our conversation revolved around episodes of No Reservations, cultural eating traditions and faux pas, our blogging highs and lows, and the difference between the NYC and SF food scenes. Oh, and whether Tyler Florence is hotter than Hubert Keller. (Tyler, hands down!)
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1 comments:
What a great summary of the evening, I still have to get round to doing mine! It was definitely lovely to meet you and the rest of the Featured Publishers - do shout-out if you're going to be in the area and want to check out the dining scene :)
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