Hi Home Cooks! I have been asked by a group of friends to prepare food for a surprise party next weekend for 25 people. The catch is that the guest of honor is my sister and house mate. If geography helps set the menu, the party...

Hi Hounds – We ate at Allen and Delancy this weekend and three of us ordered wine by the glass. One guest wanted white and both myself and a friend wanted a full bodied red wine but didn’t want a bottle. We asked the...

Hi all, we are visiting SF (from NY) later in the year to celebrate my husband’s 40th birthday. I’m inviting a few west coast friends to join us for a little surprise dinner party. I would love your recommendations...

Got a gift certificate for the BR Guest restaurant group.. What to pick: Dos Caminos, Blue Water Grill, Vento, Park Avalon?? It would only be me and husband, mid-30’s foodies, for a weekend dinner.. Leaning toward Vento b/c I...

of town guests also really loved the location. The private room might be a bit big for 30, but it is worth looking. If you are willing to head up to Healdsburg, when we were shopping for locations we discovered that Madrona Manor...

It’s not exactly close to you, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the selection of Italian markets at Milano Market, which is at 3rd & 89th. Sfoglia is an excellent Italian restaurant at 92nd & Lex. - reservations...

Good tip. I’ll keep that in mind as well. I’ve made a tentative reservation at Rasika (placeholder), but I won’t be surprised if they decide on Ethiopian as something different. Thanks to all for your recs.

My husband baked me a cake at his office for Valentine’s day (it was even heart shaped). It wasn’t very good, but I loved that he did this for me. My guests have always understood that meals may not always look...

on apple slices or pear), wine is gluten free. Really, you should find it quite easy to feed your guest. If you want to bread something before cooking it, I use gluten free biscuit or pancake mix, or cornmeal. A friend even made...

prior and whom she intensely disliked during the dinner party. I was so surprised because the dinner was a buffet for about 25 and the guests could sit anywhere they liked. If she didn’t like where they were, they could...

staying in her house, let me explain that my husband and I – both of “une certaine age” - have been married before and we each have many friends from those years). Getting good information before new guests are...

A decent wine store might have some gruner veltliners imported by Terry Theise for about $11 a bottle. These are one liter bottles as opposed to 750 ml. Those wines can be surprising good. Also, look for sauvignon blanc or chenin...

Please recommend an S.F. restaurant for dinner next Saturday night with a view or near the water, preferably mid-priced. My guests are from the mid-west and will likely be astounded by our prices. As a foodie, I could care less...

Don’t know where you read that, but I remember an episode of Good Eats that said the same thing. As a matter of personal experience, when I don’t have time to defrost things in the fridge, the cold water with steady...

). This doesn’t quite work well since it’s in the middle of the table and silly me thinking people will understand. I’ve also place table mats so there’s more coverage on the table hoping guests will get...