Peter Chastain News Today

Strategically-placed menu items Here’s a little psychology trick that restaurateurs use. When we’re given something to read, our eye naturally keys in on the upper-middle section (just north of the center of the page). So, smart chefs list the items they want to sell most in this prime section of the menu. This could be because the dish is high-margin, or a chef’s favorite (perhaps because it’s high margin!), or both. In a two-page, book-style menu, high-margin items are likely in the t...

An Asian-American Cocktail Bar with a Lisa Frank Aesthetic Reopens Also, Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton go crabbing Share this story . • Cocktail bar/dessert spot/Instagram dream Viridian opened in February 2020, right before the world shut down due to the pandemic. But now that the Bay Area is slowly reopening, so shall the technicolor Uptown Oakland establishment. On Wednesday, April 7, Viridian opens with a new executive chef, George Meza (formerly of Onsen) and new executive pastry chef ...

Inside Scoop SF By Emily Luchetti on January 18, 2012 at 4:55 PM Looking out the window of the Ahwahnee dining room I just got back from Yosemite’s Annual Chefs Holidays. Held throughout the month of January the resort offers eight three-day seminars/culinary demonstrations and a Gala Dinner. I have been lucky enough to be included half a dozen times over the last 15 years. It’s a fun event for a couple of reasons. Yosemite is a magnificent national park but going in the su...