about
me:
I don’t forage in the traditional sense, I do my foraging in restaurants. There are so many delicious spots to explore in the Bay Area, and I do a fair amount of it out in the far reaches of the East Bay. Join me as I explore menus, searching out specialties and fabled dishes and share them here with you. Occasionally I post my favorite recipes, but mostly I’m out there eating and taking photos along the way.
The information that I post up may resemble restaurant reviews, but I’m really not a critic; I am an enthusiast and tend to focus on things that I liked about a restaurant or meal. All of these meals are paid for with my own dime, and shhhhh, I admit that I occasionally resort to consulting the unreliable oracle called Yelp to research recommended dishes…
photography:
I have an avid interest in photography. If you haven’t already read this fantastic post on Jaden’s Steamy Kitchen, you should. It is an excellent resource on home lighting techniques that has proven to be revelatory for me. I bought a single Lowel EGO light and keep it in my kitchen for taking pics of food, which I do very rarely I might add…
My main cameras right now are :
iphone 4S, it is indispensable for uploading to Facebook, Instagram, Dealishes and Twitter.
Panasonic Lumix G2, it’s not a DSLR, but accepts interchangeable micro four thirds lenses. My favorite lens for food photography is the Leica 45 mm. It takes beautiful pictures but has some serious limitations… like I generally have to be around 2-3 feet back from the plate for a super closeup shot! I am saving up in my piggy bank for the superfast Voigtlander .95 lens.
Lytro lightfield camera that I posted about here. It’s small and fits in my purse, so I have that with me almost always. I love the variable depth of field and find myself clicking on the bokeh in non-Lytro photos with no results.
I often eat at restaurants at night, most of whom have dim mood lighting, so sometimes I use the flashlight feature on my phone for additional illumination. So, yeah, that crazy person using her phone as a flashlight at the table across the room last night at the restaurant you dined at? That was probably me…
I used to use the Sony Cybershot DSC-W300 all the time because it’s small and fast, but three cameras is my limit!
{ 23 comments… read them below or add one }
you should try Sushiya at 40th and Broadway. it is a wonderful sushi place, my favorite. it’s across from mama’s royal cafe. go from 5-7pm and its happy hour. that is my suggestion. thanks
-ari
ooh, thanks for the rec! i will check it out
You are killin’ me with all these Asian food reviews!! To rub it in you even have PICTURES!!!! … All I get here in Alaska are $10/bowl of nasty Pho and nuthin’ but Korean food. Kimchi’ed out…
Awwww, sorry Petey. You know I am obsessed with food, so you could think of it as vicarious thrills…
Nice job, Sandy! I’m amazed at how much pride you take in your food reviews and photos. I wanted to take your moniker but felt it would be cheap. I’ve chosen to go by Food Slut but not sure if I can match your expertise…
Hope things are going well for you out in the Bay area…
I just found your blog and I am struck by the quality of your photos. They are remarkably excellent. I wonder what kind of camera and settings you use?
Hi Bruce, thanks for the compliment! I use 2 point and click digicams. I take a Fuji F20 everywhere because it is pretty small and takes really nice low-light pictures especially in restaurants. I have a Panasonic LX-1 that is somewhat larger but takes better pictures (thanks to the gorgeous Leica lens), except for low-light situations. Since most of my pictures are food pictures taken indoors, I end up using the Fuji more.
Your blog is impressive and inspiring. Rock on! jr, sf foodie
I chuckled as I read your “about me” as I am much the same-camera in hand at all meals. We love to cook, eat, drink wine, travel where the food and drink are excellent. Just returned from yet another trip to Thailand (Hua Hin and BKK this time) plus a marvelous trip to Siem Reap and Phnom Pinh-ate our way through the country-yummmm!
Now planning the next trip – this summer to Serbia and back to Montenegro which we love and a hop over to Dubrovnik again. Just can’t get enough of the the Balkans-love the people-food and drink and the sights are awesome too.
DH is commuting to Houston-poor boy and is missing our great foodie spots here, and the family weekend feasts. He even missed the spit roasted piggy last weekend.
Hi there! I ran across your blog and I love your work! I’d love to feature some of it in our upcoming iPhone app, a guide to the best signature dishes across the country.
Please let me know what is possible.
Thanks,
Jessica
Hi,
I am reaching out to you as a fellow food enthusiast and fan of your blog. I genuinely appreciate the perspective on food you provide for your readers in the Bay Area.
As part of the outreach team for Full Circle, an organic produce and artisan grocery delivery service that delivers to Washington, Idaho, Alaska and soon, northern California, I am contacting you with an offer to participate in our sneak peek promotion ahead of our expansion into the Bay Area starting in April
The sneak peek promotion will include $200 worth of service from Full Circle. Depending on the box size you order and the amount of additional groceries you purchase, this should afford you about 4 weeks of free food delivered to you from Full Circle – a great way to try out our program and enjoy a whole lot of local farm fresh fruits, veggies and other groceries while you’re at it!
If you are interested in participating, please reply to me (sarahb@fullcircle.com) and provide your zip code so we can verify delivery service in your area. The promotion will begin the week of March 12th and I will provide all the sign up information and promo codes then. After you’re signed up, you will have access to your personalized member account where you will be able to completely customize your order on a weekly basis, shop for other groceries in our Green Grocery section and enjoy the complete Full Circle service at your leisure.
There is no commitment involved and you are not required to make additional purchases after your promotional period ends. We simply hope that your participation will inspire you to cook, photograph and write about the food and your experience. We do not require any reviews but hope you will want to share your observations with your readers.
If you are interested in participating (and I hope you are!) please reply to me by March 5th. I look forward to hearing from you.
Best,
Sarah
Hi, I visited your site and would like to connect regarding nSphere syndicating your content. We are interested in syndicating your content into our network. There’s no cost for this, we ask you to place a module on your site that reads your content and syndicates it into our network of millions of users. You only need to place a simple JavaScript code on your site. I have the code, but I would like to speak or email with you first.
This module acts as search tool for your users as well. Can you email me, call me, or send me your number and a good day/time to connect please?
Thank you in advance.
Matthew Mantyla | nSphere
Director of Media Integration
T: 617 933 7530
F: 617 344 8363
mmantyla@nsphere.net
Hi there,
We recently came upon a photo that you took at Bocanova restaurant in Oakland and we’d love to be able to submit it for a cookbook, as they are looking for the specific photo of the scallop dish. It turns out that your’s is much nicer than the one we have on file. If this interests you, please let me know your full name and if you are OK with the photo credit. The name of the book is Smash Mouth’s Recipes from the Road. Many thanks for your time and consideration. Kind Regards,
Erica
Hi Foodhoe!
I absolutely love your blog and would love to feature you as a blogger for our users. Please contact me asap! Falon@livestar.com
Thanks!
Falon
Restaurant Cuvee Napa is hosting the next amazing Cochon Heritage Fire event THIS SATURDAY in a grassy field overlooking the Napa River just behind the River Terrace Inn. It’s an all-you-can-eat-and-drink extravaganza featuring 15 of the best grillmasters from around the country. Discounted tickets are available ONLY through Cuvee, so feel free to send out my email address and the restaurant phone number of 707-224-2330. Tickets can be purchased all the way up to and during the event, which runs from 3-6pm. And I’d like to invite you and a friend to be my guests at the event!
Hi,
My name is Connor and I am working for a new recommendations startup that is recruiting bloggers with great taste to provide early reviews for our product. Since our last contact, Livestar has completely transformed itself– we would love for you to join us.
I was browsing through your reviews and thought you might be a great fit. We currently have an iPhone app which we would like you to download and contribute your reviews to. In return, you would presented as a Featured Tastemaker in our app.
If you’re interested please email me at connor (at) livestar (dot) com and we can provide more details.
Thanks,
Connor
Hi Foodhoe, We have a new app that we would like you to try and maybe, review. It is about San Francisco food and culture by neighborhood. Let me know if you are interested. prj145 at gmail dot come.
Hey,
I’ve noticed you share a lot of great content about your food adventures around the Bay Area. I’m working for a new start-up called HeyLets and we’re trying to get people excited about doing what you do. We want our users to rediscover their city through mini-recommendations from people with similar interests and hopefully pay it forward. I was wondering, would you be interested in sharing some of your positive experiences in your community with us? We’d love to hear what you have to say and help you promote your blog.
Drop me a line if you’re interested in more info: adam@heylets.com
Thanks for your time and keep up the good work!
-Adam
Hi, My name is Alexey Kuvaytsev and I am contacting you regarding you professional field of expertise – food media.
First I would like to say that your blog is so cool. It is very interesting and creative project. After reading a couple of articles and food reviews I was impressed by your style and approach
to share information. I like your way of going away from cliches and formats. Currently I live in SF and work with my team in food tech start-up and would like to get you feedback on our idea.
Here’s a brief summary of our idea:
Cookstream.tv
is an new online interactive cooking experience. Our platform brings together foodies with professional chefs and gives them the opportunity to cook together through online live cooking classes.
This is a great opportunity for food lovers to learn how to cook from a professional in the comfort of their home at a time that is convenient for them. For professional chefs our platform gives a way of establishing credibility and their brand on the web, market themselves to new customers, as well as monetize existing ones through sale of online cooking classes. We also see it as a way of driving more people to their existing businesses (restaurants, catering services, etc).
Please let me know what you think.
Regards,
Alexey
408 605 6017
akuvaytsev@gmail.com
Hi there,
The Menuism team would like to invite you to participate in an exclusive food blogger survey!
Your response will be featured in a blog post alongside other top bloggers in San Francisco, giving you free exposure to a broad audience. As an added bonus, the article may get selected for republication through our Huffington Post account.
Details are included in the survey link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dDBwcHh2Z2JqT2RCZmEyb0Z6TzJNekE6MQ
Thanks for your time!
Marisa Miyasaki
Menuism.com
I would like to pass along a little East Bay info that Salvatore Ristorante will be opening for lunch:
Due to the overwhelming support of our loyal and dedicated guests, we have decided to open for lunch starting March 5th, 2013 for four days a week; Tuesday through Friday.
Our diverse lunch menu features Grilled chicken and Portabello mushroom paninis, delicious Carbonara pasta and much more.
Also proceeds from the first week will be going to ARF to help all those cute animals in need.
Hey there!
I just stumbled across your blog on Local Eats- I’m a newbie SF food blogger and they recently featured me on their site as well, yeee!
Anyway, I love your blog & I’d love to be featured on your food bloggers list! If you have a second, feel free to check out my blog about dining in SF and let me know what you think.
Thanks so much,
Chelsea M.
http://chowdownbythebay.blogspot.com/
hello, my company bay roots is a start up hemp seed food company, just moved off of the Hawaiin island maui to expand our production, and source our ingredients in northern California. I am interested in reaching the people who visit foodhoe for my indiegogo campaign that we just launched April 28th. What would it take to be featured on your blog?
Link: igg.me/at/bayroots
A little about what we make: We use the hemp seed, along with other organic ingredients to bring to the dinner plate a really special veggie burger, we call it a hemp burger. It has 18g of plant based protein in it, and is not yet produced by any other food companies or sold in stores. We as a couple and as business partners made the jump across the pond from maui to our new residence in orinda California to bring these hemp burgers to the west coast communities, and to bring the nutritional benefits of hemp into the american diet.
I think your readers will enjoy the story behind our entrepreneurial journey, and may even discover our hemp burger is something they’d like to try for themselves in the sanfransisco Bay Area.
bayroots.com
http://www.facebook.com/bayrootshemp
-alexa 425 478 8219
206 799 1774