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Articles by Anna Roth
I built a full life far from home. 2020 made me move back
When Madison Michael moved to Portland, Ore., in March to be closer to her 83-year-old father, she didn’t expect it to be a permanent thing. But she brought some trappings of her San Francisco apartment with her, just in case: a great-grandfather’s luggage rack that she uses as a bar, a single-line drawing of a man in a top hat from an artist she loves. She calls the portrait Leroy. “I brought Leroy with me, and he feels like home,” she says. 2020 was supposed to be a wide-open year for Michael, 30.
It’s Tops Coffee Shop: It’s not retro, it’s real
For most of her life, Sheila Chapman has watched the world go by through the red-shuttered windows of It’s Tops on the corner of Market and Octavia in San Francisco. First the diner was her dad’s business; then it became the place where she waited tables every Saturday and summer. When their father retired, Sheila and her younger brother, Bruce, took over.
Can Better Grazing Help Dairy Farmers Cope With Drought and Climate Change?
Jon Bansen has been working on a dairy farm in Monmouth, Oregon alongside his father for nearly 30 years. When the farm switched to organic about 16 years ago, he started to pay more attention to their 650 acres of grass and forageland. Grazing has long been central to organic dairies, and since 2010 the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has required that organic dairy cows spend at least 120 days out of the year eating grass on pasture, rather than grain-based feed.
San Francisco’s Arsicault opens spacious Civic Center bakery for croissant bliss
A woman walked into Arsicault’s new Civic Center bakery on Thursday morning and looked around, confused. “Where’s the line?” she asked. This is, after all, the second location of the Inner Richmond district spot that Bon Appetit named the best bakery in the country in 2016.
The Amazing Disappearing Supermarket: Building the 21st Century Grocery Store
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By Anna Roth @annaroth Wednesday, Aug 14 2013 Illustration by Audrey Fukuman. Only a few hours ago, the strawberry was sitting on a vine at a family-owned farm in Watsonville, about 90 miles south of San Francisco. But, a day before, at a computer somewhere in the Bay Area, an icon was clicked, a quantity was entered, and the berry's fate was sealed.
By Alex Halperin Verified, Tom Molanphy Verified, Jonah Owen Lamb Verified, Channing Joseph Verified, Anna Roth Verified
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San Francisco Weekly
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Swan’s Market worker cleared of battery, harassment allegations
The last five months have been dotted with court dates for Oscar Duran, an Oakland restaurant server, and Dominica Rice-Cisneros, a prominent chef-owner of a neighboring restaurant who filed for a restraining order against him with accusations of battery and sexual harassment. Now, the issue has been resolved in court. A judge denied Rice-Cisneros’ restraining order Monday, Nov. 18, effectively putting an end to the accusations. “I feel good,” Duran said Tuesday.
North Beach’s Chubby Noodle is moving
San Francisco Asian fusion restaurant Chubby Noodle will close its North Beach location at 1310 Grant Ave. and move to a new, albeit familiar, space — the bar space around the corner at 570 Green St., where Chubby Noodle began as a pop-up nearly a decade ago. Chubby Noodle’s last service will be in mid-October, according to owner Pete Mrabe. The Green Street location was formerly Amante; more recently, it was a bar owned by Mrabe named Pete’s, which closed in June.
Huli Huli Hawaiian Grill to become Sunday Gather. The transition hasn’t exactly been smooth
One weekend in July, something happened to Huli Huli Hawaiian Grill in the Bayview. The name didn’t change, nor did the interior. But new operators arrived with an espresso machine, boba tea and Spam musubi croissants. They posted a new menu and raised the prices — and one-star Yelp reviews quickly appeared. “Obviously they’re now catering to the ‘new’ crowd,” one Yelper wrote.
World’s first Michelin-starred ramen restaurant Tsuta to open San Francisco location
A Japanese chain with Michelin credentials is coming to San Francisco. The first U.S. location of Tsuta is scheduled to open in the Metreon in mid-September. Chef-owner Yuki Onishi opened the first location, a tiny nine-seat shop in Tokyo, in 2012. Four years later, it became the first ramen restaurant in the world to earn a Michelin star. Now, there are nine locations across Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, the Philippines and Taiwan.
Maureen Downey, Wine Detective: This Week's Cover Story is a Fascinating Read
Thursday, August 30, 2012 Wine Maureen Downey, Wine Detective: This Week's Cover Story is a Fascinating Read Posted By Anna Roth @annaroth on Thu, Aug 30, 2012 at 3:20 PM Michael Short You know what you should do this afternoon? Read Jesse Hirsch's awesome and in-depth SF Weekly cover story about wine forgeries and the local detective who uncovers them.
Damage From Napa Quake Could Top $1 Billion; Wineries Begin to Clean Up the Mess
Monday, August 25, 2014 Wine Damage From Napa Quake Could Top $1 Billion; Wineries Begin to Clean Up the Mess Posted By Anna Roth @annaroth on Mon, Aug 25, 2014 at 9:12 AM Napa Barrel Care, where many producers store barrels as wine ages.
Big Freedia returns to Outside Lands 2016
The crowd was just waking up Saturday afternoon at the Beignets and Bounce Brunch, a GastroMagic stage tradition in its third year at Outside Lands. But the energy of its star performer, Big Freedia, was infectious. The New Orleans bounce artist and her band led an energetic set, running through songs ranging from its “N.O. Bounce,” from 2014’s “Just Be Free,” to Beyoncé’s 2016 hit “Formation,” which Freedia is sampled on.
Tonight: Sample Girl Scout Cookie-Flavored Beer at Cevercería de MateVeza
Friday, March 15, 2013 Beer Tonight: Sample Girl Scout Cookie-Flavored Beer at Cevercería de MateVeza Posted By Anna Roth @annaroth on Fri, Mar 15, 2013 at 2:00 PM Anna Roth Girl Scout Cookie Beers at Cervecería de MateVeza. UPDATE 3/20/13 12:30 p.m.: All Girl Scout cookie beers are still available at the bar except the Samoa flavor. Enjoy! Already panicking over the close of Girl Scout Cookie Season on Sunday?
Yigit Pura Wants to Help You Make 'Sweet Alchemy' at Home
Friday, August 29, 2014 Books Yigit Pura Wants to Help You Make 'Sweet Alchemy' at Home Posted By Alix Wall @WallAlix on Fri, Aug 29, 2014 at 8:45 AM click to enlarge Yigit Pura traces his love of pastry back to licking the spoon from his mother’s crème caramel. She’d let the sugar remaining in the pot harden onto a spoon, making a lollipop of sorts, and then would give it to her son, largely to give herself some peace and quiet.
Hakkasan Ushers in Year of the Shrimp, Oops, Sheep, with Chinese New Year Menu
click to enlarge Alix Wall This gorgeous dim sum platter for two begins an eight-course extravaganza of a menu at Hakkasan, celebrating Chinese New Year. If you like your Chinese food on the high-end side, and your wish for prosperity was granted during the Year of the Horse, you may want to visit Hakkasan for its Chinese New Year signature menu that ushers in the Year of the Sheep and is available now through March 1.
Mingle with Food Producers at Bay Leaf Kitchen Harvest Dinner
Tuesday, October 14, 2014 Food for a Cause Mingle with Food Producers at Bay Leaf Kitchen Harvest Dinner Posted By Alix Wall @WallAlix on Tue, Oct 14, 2014 at 4:30 PM click to enlarge Alix Wall Anna Larsen of Siren Sea SA demonstrates how to fillet a halibut to a camper at Bay Leaf Kitchen at Eatwell Farm this summer. On Sunday, Oct. 26, those who like combining their charity with a gourmet dinner can eat well while supporting culinary education for kids.
Girl Scout Cookie Cocktails Return to The Alembic Today
Tuesday, February 24, 2015 Cocktails & Spirits / Haight, Upper and Lower Girl Scout Cookie Cocktails Return to The Alembic Today Posted By Anna Roth @annaroth on Tue, Feb 24, 2015 at 8:17 AM click to enlarge Maggie Engbretson Some Like It Hot with its paired Thin Mints. No, they're not made from real Girl Scouts, not even Girl Scout Cookies, but today Upper Haight cocktail mecca The Alembic brings back its Girl Scout Cookie cocktails.
Aussie Veterinarians Go Hog Wild in Naked Calendar
But it is fun to see someone else do it: for example, the students of the James Cook University Veterinary Science Class of 2015 in Queensland, Australia, who posed nude for their fundraising calendar, Vets Uncovered. The students are trying to raise money for their graduation ball, but, in a show of the maturity gained at university, they’re also donating 10 percent of the proceeds to their region’s Black River and Districts Rural Fire Brigade.
Arsicault Bakery adjusts to life as nation’s best new bakery
A customer orders a croissant at Arsicault Bakery in S.F. A customer orders a croissant at Arsicault Bakery in S.F. Photo: Jen Fedrizzi, Special To The Chronicle Photo: Jen Fedrizzi, Special To The Chronicle A customer orders a croissant at Arsicault Bakery in S.F. A customer orders a croissant at Arsicault Bakery in S.F. Photo: Jen Fedrizzi, Special To The Chronicle Arsicault Bakery adjusts to life as nation’s best new bakery On a recent morning in the Inner Richmond, outside tiny Arsicault...
Restaurant Trades Cheap Pizza for Bad Reviews in Protest of Yelp's Business Practices
Yelp's reputation took a few hits last week after a judge ruled that the review site could change business reviews depending on how much advertising they bought . This week's not looking much better.The site's potentially unsavory business practices were too much for Botto Bistro's Davide Cerretini, who noticed when he stopped advertising on Yelp that his one-star reviews started to be more prevalent than his five-star ones.
Guerra Quality Meats and the glory of the old-school butcher shop
It’s early Saturday afternoon at the Sunset’s Guerra Quality Meats, and the 1,900-square-foot store is crowded with needy San Franciscans. With an air of apology, a middle-aged woman asks how to cook a rib roast, as if she’s embarrassed she’s never cooked one before. A man inquires about duck wings. A young couple order a half dozen deli salads, from three-bean to Caprese, to accompany the half dozen bottles of wine in their basket.
The Robin Hood of Leftovers
Making use of leftovers this time of year can be hard. Now imagine that instead of finishing your family’s extra mashed potatoes and gravy, you’re in charge of the extra food produced by a school or hospital. That’s where an organization like Rescuing Leftover Cuisine comes in.
The Ball-Shaped Bleakness of IKEA’s Gravy-Smothered Köttbullar
On the whole, Ikea’s $5.99 KÖTTBULLAR plate is pretty good for cafeteria food: The meatballs are juicy, if unnervingly uniform; the cream sauce is thick and savory; and the lingonberry preserves are a nice complement to the richness.
Opinion: From America’s war on poverty to a war on the poor
Fifty years ago, President Johnson waged an ambitious war on poverty. Today, I’m worried the government has shifted priorities. For a cadre of wealthy, privileged Americans, many at the highest levels of government, there’s a growing tendency to malign low-income communities. Dr. Ben Carson, secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, is the latest to engage in a full throttle attack on needy families.
Opinion: From America’s war on poverty to a war on the poor
Fifty years ago, President Johnson waged an ambitious war on poverty. Today, I’m worried the government has shifted priorities. For a cadre of wealthy, privileged Americans, many at the highest levels of government, there’s a growing tendency to malign low-income communities. Dr. Ben Carson, secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, is the latest to engage in a full throttle attack on needy families.
Eater’s Guide to Memorial Day Eating and Drinking
The official summer kickoff is here, even though San Francisco summers are more hat-and-scarf than shorts-and-sandals. Either way, put on some weather-appropriate clothing and stake out some summer fun, from eating oysters in Marin to drinking wine in Napa and Sonoma to driving down the coast to Monterey. Staying in town? Treat it like a staycation and explore the city. Load up on fried chicken, take the kids out for hot dogs, or just drink beer on a patio somewhere.
Halloween on the Farm: 8 DIY Costume Ideas
Anyone can throw on an old flannel shirt and overalls and pretend they’re a scarecrow, but that’s about as creative as cutting two holes in a sheet and calling yourself a ghost. It’s not too late to put together your own fabulous farm-themed costume. From John Deere tractors and hay bales to adorable lambs and chicks, we’ve rounded up some of the best DIY farm costumes the Internet has to offer. (Click on each title to see the original costume source.) Take one cardboard box.
Photos: Demolition of Candlestick Park Begins
Wednesday, February 4, 2015 FYI / Local News Photos: Demolition of Candlestick Park Begins Posted By Ida Mojadad on Wed, Feb 4, 2015 at 3:30 PM click to enlarge More than 56 years after construction broke ground at Candlestick Park, workers this week began tearing away to make way for a mall. Demolition launched Monday and in the next couple weeks, more equipment will arrive to continue work for an estimated two months, crews said.
San Francisco's wildest burritos: Beyond the California-Mexican Mission style
It certainly looks like a Mission burrito: a tight cylinder with heft encased in foil that would be folly to unpeel all the way. It tastes like a burrito, each bite a perfect medley of ingredients, with flecks of grilled meat mingling with pinto beans, rice and pico de gallo inside a stretchy flour tortilla. It’s good at lunch; it would be better at 1 a.m. as a savory line of defense from the coming morning.
‘They don’t know us’: At Sama Uyghur Cuisine, three immigrants recreate their native foods
When Pattar Dilmurat left Dubai, where he lived for five years selling fragrances and makeup, he told his wife he would be back in a year. So far, it has been two. Dilmurat, Akbar Amat and Aikelamu Ainiwaer own Sama Uyghur Cuisine in Union City, and are the only members of their families in the United States. Amat’s parents and younger sister are in China. Dilmurat’s 3-year-old son lives in Xinjiang Province with his father-in-law.
Take a chance on Lucky Chances’ 24-hour Cafe Colma
Cafe Colma is just steps away from the card tables inside the Lucky... The security guard sweeps by our table at 2 a.m. and takes away our mostly empty bottle of cheap sparkling wine without a word. We hadn’t realized it was that late, but we’re not mad, just amused, as the security guard’s multitasking has become a recurring theme (we’ve also seen him act as host, buser and waiter).
It’s called ‘heartbreak’ because the pain is physical, not just emotional
The pain started on the way down the mountain, a dull ache in my chest that became more acute as the miles accumulated. The morning had been a blur of hungover goodbyes as a three-day camping wedding of close friends came to an end in Northern California. It wasn’t until I was in the quiet safety of a friend’s car that I allowed myself to feel the effects of my conversation with my date the night before. He had told me he wasn’t interested in trying a relationship.
Is ‘Master of None’ the New ‘Sex and the City’?
The finance bros have arrived. With their button-down shirts and conversations about investment strategy, they seem different than the arty, laid-back crowd that usually hangs out at the Four Horsemen, the natural wine bar on Grand Street. The Brooklyn bar’s part-owner, LCD Soundsystem frontman James Murphy, has always given the place an extra sheen of coolness, but it seems to be attracting a new demographic these days, at least on Friday and Saturday nights.
Amy’s Drive Thru: Finally, vegetarians get a fast-food fix
Plant people dressed like Amy's Drive Thru workers inside of an old pick up truck in Rohnert Park, Ca. Plant people dressed like Amy's Drive Thru workers inside of an old pick up truck in Rohnert Park, Ca. Kaila Crawford holds the classic combo of a burger, fries and shake at Amy’s Drive Thru, a vegetarian restaurant with vegan options in Rohnert Park.
Eat Up: Yemen Kitchen serves up a taste of home for Yemeni expats
Men come in and out of Yemen Kitchen all day long. Cab drivers. Contractors. Shop owners. Most are Yemeni expats, and they joke around in Arabic with owner Abdul Al Rammah as they drink sweet, strong tea and wait for the food of a country that they can’t return to because of civil war. “Our people feel like they’re home,” Al Rammah says of his tiny, three-table restaurant, which opened in the Tenderloin in June. “They feel like their mom is cooking.
Geneva Steak: Portal to a bygone San Francisco
By Anna Roth Updated 3:41 pm PDT, Tuesday, September 8, 2015 Juan Cruz sets down a steak dinner and a freshly cooked chicken at Geneva Steak House. Juan Cruz sets down a steak dinner and a freshly cooked chicken at Geneva Steak House. Photo: Jen Fedrizzi, Special To The Chronicle Photo: Jen Fedrizzi, Special To The Chronicle Image 1 of / 23 Caption Close Image 1 of 23 Juan Cruz sets down a steak dinner and a freshly cooked chicken at Geneva Steak House.
Tartine Manufactory lives up to the hype
Tartine makes delicious things. This is more fact than opinion. The crusty country loaves coming out of the bakery at 18th and Guerrero are some of the best in the United States; the cakes and pastries are consistently flaky, buttery, creamy, nearly perfect. I’m not saying I moved to San Francisco on the strength of Tartine’s morning bun and ham-and-cheese croissant alone, but certainly having regular access to both was a strong inducement.
St. Francis Fountain remains an indelible part of San Francisco
The St. Francis Fountain on the corner of 24th and York streets in... It’s been swirling around for a while now, the persistent rumor that St. Francis Fountain may be closing. The rumor has poignancy because it would be a loss for 24th Street, where the Mission’s beloved diner, candy shop and soda counter has been a working-class breakfast fixture for nearly 100 years.
Mensho ramen is San Francisco’s new gold standard
In case you were wondering if there’s still a line at Mensho Tokyo, the 8-month-old ramen shop in the Tenderloin, the answer is yes. There’s a line when it opens at 5 p.m., and there’s an equally long line at 9:30 p.m. Neither line has been, in my experience, the two-hour affair that diners experienced during the first days of business, and the staff is adept at moving diners in and out pretty quickly. Still, something to keep in mind if you or someone you love is the impatient type.
A changing menu: Subtle science of how words make a meal
When chef Thomas McNaughton thinks about what went wrong in the first four years of his recently revamped Mission restaurant, Central Kitchen, alliums are high on the list. Central Kitchen is the follow-up to his hugely successful northern Italian spot, Flour + Water, but it never quite caught on with diners or critics. It’s not like the alliums themselves — the plant genus that includes onions, ramps, leeks and chives — were to blame for the restaurant’s lackluster reception.
Tai Chi Jianbing brings Chinese crepes to San Francisco
If I were a betting woman, I’d put money on jianbing becoming the next big food trend. The eggy northern Chinese crepe has recently taken New York by storm and is now making inroads in the Bay Area. You can find them in a few places around San Francisco, the East Bay and the Peninsula, but some of the best and most consistent can be found at a pop-up called Tai Chi Jianbing, where Cheng Hu is making organic versions of the street food he grew up with.
Karen Leibowitz and Anthony Myint Are Fighting Climate Change with The Perennial
Running a restaurant is a hard work, but for Karen Leibowitz and Anthony Myint, the restaurant is just the beginning. With their new downtown San Francisco spot, The Perennial, and the nonprofit they've founded alongside it, the couple is looking to create more than just a successful eatery. They want to use their restaurant as a platform to combat climate change. It's a lofty goal, but then, Myint, 38, and Leibowitz, 39, have a better chance of pulling it off than most.
Boba Guys new Hayes Valley flagship looks way beyond SF
Boba Guys new Hayes Valley flagship looks way beyond SF The Boba Guys aren’t the first to try to make tea the next big thing. But they may have a real shot at it. Through hip branding, quality ingredients, judicious real estate choices and Instagrammable off-the-menu drinks, the Boba Guys — Bin Chen, 33, and Andrew Chau, 34 — have created a cult following for their bubble tea.
Kokio Republic builds food-truck business on Korean fried chicken
Bay Area truck food is a genre unto itself. Often deep-fried or otherwise bad for you, often with supercharged flavors and crazy ingredient mashups, dishes from a truck can feel as if they’re only fit for the drunk, stoned, indulgent or ravenous. You may fit into one or more of those categories occasionally, and if so the fried chicken and kimchi balls from Kokio Republic are there to handily meet your needs.
Swan’s Market showcases the community of Old Oakland
Swan’s Market showcases the community of Old Oakland Unless you’re in Baja, a great fish taco is hard to find. Often they’re over-fried, or the fish is dry, or the tortilla is cold or they suffer from a dozen other small errors that remind you that you’re not on a beach in Mexico, you’re in the foggy throes of a Bay Area summer. The antidote to both the fog and a bad fish taco can be found at Cosecha Cafe, a stand inside Old Oakland’s buzzing food hall, Swan’s Market.
Swan’s Market showcases the community of Old Oakland
Swan’s Market showcases the community of Old Oakland Unless you’re in Baja, a great fish taco is hard to find. Often they’re over-fried, or the fish is dry, or the tortilla is cold or they suffer from a dozen other small errors that remind you that you’re not on a beach in Mexico, you’re in the foggy throes of a Bay Area summer. The antidote to both the fog and a bad fish taco can be found at Cosecha Cafe, a stand inside Old Oakland’s buzzing food hall, Swan’s Market.
It's Going to Rain ... Again and Again and Again | The Snitch | San Francisco | San Francisco News and Events | SF Weekly
Apologies if you're already tired of the rain, but you better get used to it. Because more showers are coming.An inch or more of rain could pour down on San Francisco as early as this afternoon; the wet weather is not expected to taper off until the overnight hours, according to Mark Strudley, a hydrologist over at the National Weather Service. We might get a brief break tomorrow which is shaping up to be nothing more than a few sprinkles that will linger from Friday night.
Celebrity Instagram Appreciation Corner: Tom Hanks
Most celebrity Instagram accounts are boring, featuring Photoshopped selfies, obviously staged “private moments,” and way too much promotional material. Not every celebrity’s, however. Here at KQED Pop, Anna Roth celebrates the oddball Instagram accounts that are clearly run by the celebs themselves … perhaps even against the best advice of their publicists. Let’s all take a moment to admire the steady hand guiding Tom Hanks.
Arsicault Bakery adjusts to life as nation’s best new bakery
On a recent morning in the Inner Richmond, outside tiny Arsicault Bakery, a line stretched down the block. Word traveled through the crowd, telephone-style, that it had run out of croissants, and one man expressed doubt that he’d get any pastries at all. It was 10 a.m. Owner Armando Lacayo eventually came out to confirm this, looking a little worn.
Welcome to the agrihood: Farm-to-tableau living in Davis
Welcome to the agrihood: Farm-to-tableau living in Davis A girl runs through a wheat field, her long blonde hair streaming behind her. A happy couple shops for apricots at the farmers’ market. A line of kids eats corn on a front porch, smiling cutely as the camera pans over them. Throughout it all, a voice-over espouses the virtues of local eating, sustainability and environmental stewardship. “This is not a nostalgic dream, it’s the immediate future,” the voice intones.
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