From time to time, and frankly not often enough, we like to take a peek over the fence at other Menupages blogs, just to see what they're up to. This is one of those times:

Dang. We must have been hallucinating (thanks, Shuna) in an earlier version of this post that indicated that the bartender at Boston's Vlora threw a punch bowl at the cops when they tried to break up a particularly jovial party there. No, MP Boston editor Leila corrected us, he simply threw a punch. It's still a great story, though--full of mayhem. [What Happened At Vlora On New Year's Eve?]

Adam P seems to have taken advantage of a good opportunity over at MP Chicago. A celebrity chef opening two restaurants in the same neighborhood on the same day? Of course that's blog-worthy, but it takes a special kind of mind to use the word "ballsiness" in the lede. [Opening: Lao Beijing (Or Is It Lao Peking?)]

We're glad Neal posted something about that NY Times article on "extreme beer." You may see a unique post from us, as the Bay Area's very own Moylan's Tavern, in Novato, plays a big roll. Of course, all MP Philadelphia cared about was the Pennsylvania beers. Typical. [Taking Beer... To The Extreme!]

And way down south, in the state of Florida, MP South Florida celebrates the legalization of Jamon Iberco, which we had no idea was banned, or even existed for that matter. Now, however, we want to eat nothing but. The "Spanish cured ham made from a black pig that eats only acorns," as Carolina puts it, looks irresistible. [Jamón Ibérico Has Arrived!]

(Above: is this the kind of ingredient distribution they're teaching our students at San Francisco State University?)

There's a lot of interesting stuff being said in the local food blogs right now, but none of it is quite post-worthy on its own, so here's a little roundup:

Becks and Posh seems to really love Serpentine, we think. [Piss off From My Hood and Leave Serpentine for Me]

Bunrab's got some beautiful pictures up of sushi at Hime, in the Marina. [Daily Feed]

Chez Pim is doing a great job spearheading generosity among food bloggers [Menu for Hope IV]

Burritophile's Burrito Files gives us a glimpse into the nether burrito regions of the San Francisco State slabbery, ironically located in the Cesar Chavez Student Union [Burrito, Student Style]

The Line Cook has posted a list of goals for 2008, including hunting, killing, butchering and eating an animal--an admirable, if unsustainable, objective for morally honest carnivores. [Goals for 2008]

And at Alcademics, Camper has been running himself ragged trying to do our collective alcoholic homework for us. Thanks, buddy! [Two big nights, two slow days]

Start writing for Gridskipper.

Nah, just kidding, but Monday's "Bad Service Board-Game" was pretty hilariously mean. A top-six of local businesses notable for their poor service. Leslie Brenner would have a heart attack.

But the list is incomplete. Any San Franciscan who's ever left the house can tell you there are a lot more than six places where you can expect abominable service. Fortunately, the focused watch-dogs over at SFist re-posted the item with an invitation to fill in the blanks. And so readers did.

In an addendum to the Gridskipper list, SFist readers (who seem to be moody grocery shoppers) suggested such local notables as Rainbow Grocery, the Safeway on Geary and Webster and a bunch of places like skate shops, bars, etc. where service is traditionally "prickly."

One notable exception: Not one mention of a record store. Apparently that reputation of record store clerks for being snobs isn't well-earned after all. Or else no SFist commenter wants to be known as the kind of person to whom record store clerks would be snobby.

Also, no restaurants. Plenty of food markets but not a single eatery. Could it be that San Francisco boasts across-the-board pleasant wait-staff, hosts and managers? Amazing!

The San Francisco Bad Service Board Game [Gridskipper]

Gridskipper's Bad Service Board Game [SFist]

•The Green Chile Kitchen & Market gets it all right. [Bay Area Bites]
•Would that these delicacies from the State Fair of Texas could come to this fair city! [GrubGirl]
•Vegan panna cotta? What will they think of next? [Chez Pim]
•Eater SF thinks that Andrew Knowlton isn't the only Next Iron Chef cast member who looks like he belongs on The Hills. [Eater SF]

•Words cannot fully describe our desire to eat this bacon and egg risotto. [An Obsession With Food]
•Tourist-filled as it may be, there is damn fine ice cream to be had in Ghiradelli Square. [Bay Area Bites]
•Do you think the Cheese School of San Francisco gives homework? Because we would not procrastinate on that at all. [GrubGirl]
•Mmmm, fish tacos... [Jatbar]
•Who wouldn't love a ceviche bar? [Between Meals]
•Alice Waters prefers simple food to molecular gastronomy, which is sort of a burn on Grant Atchez. [Eater SF]

•How to get a burrito in the depths of Orange County! [Burritophile]
•How to slice a mushroom! [GrubGirl]
•Food for thought: should waiters serve women first? [Between Meals]
•Original Joe's had a bad weekend. [SFist]
•Food for thought, part two: How many signs does one restaurant need? [Eater SF]

•There's nothing wrong with a great small bite. [Bay Area Bites]
•We can think of no finer way to commemorate the end of a year than with a burrito (or three) [Burritophile]
•A delightful Thai dinner from Sai Jai Thai. [GrubGirl]
•Banned on Chowhound: everything. [Eater SF]

•Good news: there's a new frozen yogurt and cereal option in town. [Bay Area Bites]
•Bad news: Chipotle is trying to muscle Burrito Guy out of business. [Burritophile]
•Good news: OMG, there's Mexican Coke at Costco. [Confessions of a Restaurant Whore]
•Good news for consumers, bad news for diet authors: eating in restaurants can be perfectly healthy. [Between Meals]
•Good news for those who are sick of the aquarium: the soon-to-open Waterbar will feature not one, not two, not even three, but four 150-200 gallon fish tanks. [Eater SF]

•Word to the wise: try the dessert panino at SPQR. [Bay Area Bites]
•While you're at SPQR, you should probably order several pastasas well. [Confessions of a Restaurant Whore]
•If anyone wanted to show up at MP headquarters right now with some toast and a jar of Nam Prik Pao, we wouldn't be sad. [Chez Pim]
•Beware! Restaurant gift certificates can expire! [GrubGirl]
•Why isn't the line for Out the Door well, out the door? [Eater SF]

•Non-family style Vietnamese food may not be authentic, but damn if it doesn't look delicious. [Bay Area Bites]
•Aw. This is the cutest plug we've seen in quite some time. [Chez Pim]
•Which restaurants are actually putting the "farm-to-table" philosophy into practice? Spruce, for starters. [Between Meals]
•What, exactly, does Haterade taste like? [Eater SF]

•Mexico DF provides San Francisco with some damn fine sit down Mexican food. [Bay Area Bites]
•Drunken college students and good food abound at Midtown Taqueria. [Burritophile]
•Looking for bargain congee? Try Hing Lung Restaurant . [Grub Girl]
•Michael Bauer blogs about restaurant bloggers. How meta. [Between Meals]

•Summer is over, which is sad news indeed. [Bay Area Bites]
•Don't be too sad, though, because the newly crisp weather is a perfect excuse to make consomme. [An Obsession With Food]
•Cafe Gratitude's owner responds to an unpleasant incident from last week. [Becks & Posh]
•Guys, there are apparently some awesome burritos in Mountain View. [Burritophile]
•There are still sushi bargains to be had in San Francisco! [Grub Girl]
•What can you do when you're served awful wine at a restaurant? Talk to the sommelier. [Between Meals]

•Morissey says: meat is murder and you can't eat it around him. [SFist]
• We're pretty sure the Mozzer also believes that eggs are murder, but that shouldn't stop you from raising a chicken. [Curbed SF]
•We sure wouldn't mind a dark and stormy and some lomo embuchado right about now. [Gastronomie]
•Our lust for the Old Mandarin Islamic menu just increased threefold. [GrubGirl]

•The doughnuts of the Pacific Northwest sure sound mighty tasty. [Bay Area Bites]
•What's so American about the American edition of The River Cottage Meat Book? Apparently, not much. [An Obsession With Food]
•Cafe Gratitude didn't quite live up to its mission recently. [Becks & Posh]
•A fistfight in the kitchen does not make for a great night at a restaurant. [Buon Appetito!]
•Why is a burrito eating competition taking place in Maine? [Burritophile]

• Fancy plates in restaurants are fun to look at, but can often be impractical. Just try cutting a whole-leaf Caesar salad in a deep-sided bowl. [Between Meals]

• Bloggers love the puns, and when a McDonald's employee put extra, extra salt on a policeman's burger, the comedy pyramid just flourished. [The Grinder]

• Chefs and fashion collide at Toast of the Town. Hey, it's for charity. [Bay Area Bites]

• An inside peek at the Potrero Hill Whole Foods. [Curbed SF]

• Congrats to the Restaurant Whore, who just finished her first book. Hooray food bloggers. [Confessions of a Restaurant Whore]

• Another event for a good cause is Wine By The Bay 2007, which benefits CUESA and Friends of the Children. Click through to the SFist link for more info. [SFist]

• Zagat reveals some cheap eating destinations for undergrads. Because poor college students go to Zagat-rated restaurants. [Zagat Buzz]

• BAB takes us to the candy shop. [Bay Area Bites]

• Vodka wars! Vodka wars! [Serious Eats]

• Michael Bauer discusses restaurant design flaws. Here's one that we get annoyed with: the three-seat bar. Like, other than aesthetics, what's the point? [Between Meals]

• The winning design for the Transbay Terminal Building is .... [SFist]

• Michael Bauer hearts our local "tourist goods." And why shouldn't he? San Francisco sourdough > New York bagels. [Between Meals]

• To what restaurants should you take visitors? Choose from iconic restaurant, regular destinations and current favorites. [Bay Area Bites]

• So how exactly does a restaurant run out of water? [Diner's Journal]

• ♫ Free bird on the free bird freeway ♫ [The Grinder]

• Food bloggers took plenty of gourmet (almost) food to Burning Man. Also, Burning Man is not a "big, drug-addled, fur-covered rave." Wait, what? [Gastronomie]

• Chris Cosentino's blog seems to have been reawakened. The Incanto chef just had to find his muse his Beatrice a gourmet pig head. Here's hoping this is the genesis of frequent autumnal postings. [Offal Good]

• Alice Waters warmly remembers the late Alfred Peet, the man responsible for bringing gourmet coffee to the Bay and Chez Panisse. [Curbed SF]

• Cyrus is easily one of the best restaurants in the greater Bay Area and an early favorite to catch a Michelin star (or two) in the next go-around. It also showcases a "birthday bong" for select diners. Really. [Between Meals]

• CHOW's Cocktail Square Off will take place on September 25th. Expect an Iron Chef-like competition. Mario won't be there, but there may be drunk people nonetheless. [Jalapeno Girl]

• "Yellow haricots verts." [Hedonia]

• This weekend marks the inaugural Gastronomy by the Bay conference at San Francisco's Ferry Building. Food big wigs will be discussing all the usual hot topics, from organic produce to food blogs. [Zagat Buzz]

• Fried chicken at Chez Panisse? Now we've seen everything! [Between Meals]

• Scotch eggs, explained. [Becks & Posh]

• AHT offers some grilling tips for your holiday weekend festivities. [A Hamburger Today]

• Here's more than you ever wanted to know about calling men and women fat. For instance, men are "portly" while women are "plump." Conclusion: the University of California Press is spending their money very well. [The Grinder]

• Opening and operating a restaurant in San Francisco is hard. Very hard. [Bay Area Bites]

• Pres a Vi has another encouraging review to put in its portfolio. [Daily Feed]

• Hard Knox Cafe: still a great name for a soul food joint, still holding down the Dogpatch and still delicious. [GrubGirl]

• The finest Middle Eastern restaurants in San Francisco. Marrakech is on the list but Tajine isn't? Curious, no? [Gridskipper SF]

• The New Yorker's annual food issue hits this week. [An Obsession With Food]

• Giants fans have a new watering hole and dining option in the area: Pete's Tavern. Coming soon to a MenuPages near you. (Hopefully this one) [Zagat Buzz]

• Hot dog pizza? Shrimp roll pizza? Only in Korea. So far. [Slice]

• Bunrabs made some delicious-looking quince paste, reminding us of our favorite quince quote from Rosie Perez. Name that movie: "What's a quince? It's a food Billy that starts with the letter Q, and I got seven more! I can't believe you lost the goddamn money!" [Bunrabs]

• Here's all the information for what will probably be one of San Francisco's top culinary events of the year: “Women Chefs of San Francisco Celebrating 20 Years of James Beard.” [Jalapeno Girl]

• Even though "Ratatouille" may have struggled at the box office, it was a hit among the critics and food industry alike. Plus, it sparked a new trend: kids and food. [The Grinder]

• A tea gadget worth buying. [Chez Pim]

• Hotel dining: you can't stop it, you can only hope to contain it. [Between Meals]

• Which Napa winery has "the most pleasing aesthetics"? [2cents]

• San Francisco's finest "Irish Pubs for Heavy Drinking." [Gridskipper SF]

• Some buzz about the Amateur Gourmet's upcoming book. Yay bloggers! [Amateur Gourmet]

• That elusive Korean BBQ truck that the Chowhounds were looking for? Bunrabs found it. [Daily Feed]

• Taylor's Automatic Refresher in Helena is getting a lot of votes as one of the best burgers in the entire country. [A Hamburger Today]

• Contests are always fun, especially those that involve words like "Chocolate Adventure Recipes." [Bay Area Bites]

• This week's sign of the apocalypse: an Italian nutritionist has created an "anti-wrinkle" pizza. [Slice]

• One of the main downfalls of food blogs is their penchant for releasing reviews after a mere single visit. On the other hand, newspaper reviewers often go at least three times. [Amateur Gourmet]

• This week in the Eatsdropper: "Your tag-li-a-tell" [Hedonia]

• You now have a new reason to get your Kerouac-lovin' self back to Big Sur. [Zagat Buzz]

• Least. Vegan Sandwich. Ever. [Hedonia]

• Sam's back and is sharing the single-best cooking tip we've heard in the last ... seven weeks. [Becks & Posh]

• Does anyone actually care that some restaurants are super-loud? [Between Meals]

• Here's the scoop on "Gourmet Next Door," the new show starring Amy Finley, the winner of "The Next Food Network Star." [The Grinder]

• An ode to the mother of all cooking shows, Julia Child. [Bay Area Bites]

• On the Americanization and San Franciscanization of Asian food, by Michael Bauer. [Between Meals]

• Macarons, Macaroons. Macarons, Macaroons. [Gridskipper SF]

• File this in the "Huh?" Category: "...now there’s news that [Gwyneth] Paltrow will be cohosting a cooking show with Mario Batali." Rumor has it that the PBS program will feature the lithe Paltrow and rotund Batali on a culinary tour of Spain. Oh my. [The Grinder]

• The king of Cow Hollow returns. Brasserie Vache will be back in November. [Zagat Buzz]

• The big bowl of braised beef at Bar Bambino beckons. [Daily Feed]

• Cooky folk abound in New York. [Eater]

• Food blog fight! Food blog fight! Los Angeles, still apparently stinging from Michael Bauer's opinion-laced article about their restaurants, found some faults with Bauer's definition of "esoteric ingredients." Your move, Signore Bauer. [The Grinder]

• Meanwhile, on the original glossary-like post on the Bauer Blog, no one really cares, despite a commenter's attempt to create a ruckus. (And we have to side with the non-plussed crowd, aka San Francisco.) [Between Meals]

• The 20th Anniversary shindig at Toronado was quite the specialty beer-laced party. Bonus: they will continue to serve the anniversary ales until they run out, so we recommend stopping by this week. [SFist]

• Lol Tun Restaurant in the Mission: mediocre tacos, subpar burritos but ample, ample amounts of heroin. And by ample, we mean $170,000 worth. Heavens. [SFist]

• Raw milk has been in the news a lot lately, hasn't it? [Chez Pim]

• In the video below, Domino's presents the Oreo Pizza and the Oreo Pizza Mustache. See, you get the mustache because there are just so many Oreos on the pizza. And you thought Domino's was gross! [Slashfood]

• BAB heads to The Old Clam House for some seafood, fresh and en fuego. [Bay Area Bites]

• Both the food and design at Farina have received quite the praise from local architects. [Curbed SF]

• They know what you want: the best people-watching destinations in San Francisco. [Gridskipper SF]

• Piperade inspires a delicious-looking quinoa salad. [Hedonia]

• Knowing what those Italian words on a menu mean is well important, isn't it? Ma certo. [Between Meals]

• Remember how we reported earlier that Gavin Newsom is banning bottled water from municipal buildings? Yeah, the bottled water industry isn't thrilled about that. Insert your "Zoolander" jokes here. [SFist]

• Brick is just the latest restaurant to switch from small plates to, um, normal-sized ones. [Between Meals]

• San Francisco dive bars! We see how some of these places are considered dives, but a real dive bar makes the first-time visitor feel one thing and one thing only: discomfort. [Gridskipper SF]

• Have you ever wondered just how much and how often menu prices change? [Diner's Journal]

• The "Top Chef 3" finale is being taped right now ... in Aspen, of all places. [Eater LA]

• Here's one item to scratch from your list of ideas on how to get that 8pm at Myth. [Between Meals]

• Bottled water has been banned from municipal locations. Look for filtered systems all over town soon. [Curbed SF]

• We kinda love the idea of "figs in a blanket." [Bunrabs]

• Holy Killer Tomato Tasting Menu Batman! [Zagat Buzz]

• Do not talk to Pim about Thai green curry paste. [Chez Pim]

*not really evil

• Anyone who's anyone knows that wifi cafes are only for yuppies. All the cool kids go to wifi bars. [Gridskipper SF]

• Napa Valley: SOLD! [The Grinder]

• Trader Joe's ventures into Asian slur territory. [Becks & Posh]

• Good champagne and food can be had in the Financial District at The Bubble Lounge. As an added incentive, a certain former mayor has also been rumored to partake in imbibing there. Former! [SFist]

[Video of British people walking on desserts via The Grinder]

Know of a blog that should be on our blogroll? Share it!

• A confession: one of our favorite food blog weekly "events" is the "Eatsdropper" feature at Hedonia. Notable from this week's overheard conversation is the following market exchange: Girlfriend, tasked with getting the largest free-range roaster, after being shown a gigantic 8-1/2 pound bird: "Do you have anything bigger than this?" Meat counter guy (deadpan): "Yeah, they're called turkeys." [Hedonia]

• From The Four Seasons to Per Se, even most upscale restaurants have bountiful tales of drunken debauchery. [Eater]

• SoMa's Bacar has gotten a nice little facelift, including a wine salon. [Zagat Buzz]

• That is certainly one super market. [Cooking with Amy]

• So, about those USDA regulations that say raw almonds have to be "either steam treated or doused in carcinogenic motorcycle fuel" ... [The Grinder]

• The San Francisco Drunken Dining Guide, brought to by Gridskipper. On the list (among others): Pizza Orgasmica, El Farolito and Grubstake. Not on the list: Taqueria San Jose and the always fine Mel's Drive-In, but all in all, a pretty darn good list. [Gridskipper SF]

• Many North Beach goers have found a Nua favorite wine bar/restaurant. [Bay Area Bites]

• Now he's done it. Bauer's take on the LA dining scene has (predictably) sparked some controversy. [Eater LA, Between Meals]

• Happy National Cheesecake Day! [The Grinder]

• A new book details an actor's relentless pursuit of top-notch wine and food in a new Italian life. Sounds like a must-read for both food enthusiasts and "L.A. Law" fans. Either way. [Jalapeno Girl]

• Manresa, arguably the second best restaurant in California, has been cooking bugs and moths ... for its biodynamic garden. [Chez Pim]

• There's a new website (www.bringsome.com) that helps expats find those precious, precious items that can be found in abundance at home (wherever that may be) but not in their current country. For example, there's one user by the name of mikenstn that wants a carton of Virginia Slims quite badly. [Gridskipper]

• This isn't food-related, but it's internet-related and drink-related. Yesterday, some of you web-surfer folk may have noticed that some of your favorite websites (Yelp, Technorati, Craigslist, Typepad et al.) were down for a period of time. At the time, it was assumed that the problem was related to yesterday's power outages in the Financial District (the affected sites all use datacenter 365 Main). Well, the truth is that it's because a drunk person "went beserk and f***ed up a lot of stuff." No, really. [Valleywag]

• Michael Bauer's take on Grant Achatz. [Between Meals]

• Sam from Becks & Posh presents a guide for showing foreign visitors San Francisco's best dining and drinking destinations. It's like the food bible for tourists. [Becks & Posh]

• By looking to pass a bill that increases corn subsidies, Nancy Pelosi is experiencing the wrath of food activists. Don't mess with them, Nancy. They're scary. [The Grinder]

• As usual, Zagat's got the first look inside a new restaurant. This time, Cow Hollow's Palmetto. [Zagat Buzz]

• Nothing says delicious like oven cleaner in your ballpark french fries. Yum! [With Leather]

• Very sad news from Chicago: Alinea's Grant Achatz, easily one of the best chefs in the country, has been diagnosed with cancer. Here's wishing him a speedy recovery. [Diner's Journal]

• G'skip provides a list of destinations in the Mission that are sure to seal the deal. Now we're not sure that the Mission is the best neighborhood for business dining, but ... oh. [Gridskipper SF]

• A food blogger gets an (excellent) article published in the Chron. The blogsphere is confused as to whether or not they should direct snarkiness toward it. [SFist]

• When the timing between courses is all messed up, who is really at fault in the restaurant? [Between Meals]

• Even McDonald's gets priced out of some cities. [Grub St]

• Gluten-free cooking can be tricky, but there are plenty of options out there. [Bay Area Bites]

• Food Pornography 101, from one of the people behind the computer graphics from "Ratatouille." [Becks & Posh]

• Forget iPhones, the new in-demand items are ... shopping bags? [Chez Pim]

• The guide to Sam Spade's San Francisco. [Gridskipper SF]

• It's official: Bocadillos is a must-try. [Between Meals]

• Fort Mason was chocolate-y this weekend. [SFist]

• In today's shocking news of the day, a food critic feels airline food could use some improvements. [Diner's Journal]

• The Restaurant Whore found a new favorite website. Sadly it's not ours. You might be interested in it nonetheless. [Confessions of a Restaurant Whore]

• UC Davis is working on turning sheep into walking lawnmowers. No, really. [The Grinder]

• Michael Bauer thinks there might be an East Coast food bias. [Between Meals]

• The early verdict on District Wine Bar is ... [Zagat Buzz]

• That Whole Foods CEO has quite the non-anonymous mouth. [Becks & Posh]

• Speaking of which, the Potrero Whole Foods is getting closer and closer. [Metroblogging SF]

• MenuGate is back in New York! [Eater]

Oh, and don't forget about Sunday's AIDS Walk!

• What does "Ratatouille" have to do with Jewish assimilation? Funny you should ask. [The Amateur Gourmet]

• There was a huge celebrity wedding in Europe this past weekend. Yes, that's right! Wolfgang Puck got hitched! [Eater LA]

• Gratuity tax, explained. [Between Meals]

• "99 bottles of beer from around the world on the wall, 99 bottles of beer from around the world ..." [Slashfood]

• Very few things are more entertaining than urban legends, and there are scores of food-related ones out there. Among the best: Red Bull gives you tumors, worms in Big Macs, no chicken in KFC, and the granddaddy of all food-related urban legends: Mikey exploded from Pop Rocks and Coke. [The Grinder]

• Stop the presses! Hide your babies! The yogurt wars are coming to San Francisco! [Curbed SF]

• Now that American produce has eclipsed its Euro counterparts, David Lebovitz asks the big question: is American food better than French food? [David Lebovitz]

• While in Sin City, Sam visited one of the best people-watching lunch spots in the country. [Becks & Posh]

• In case you were wondering, Range is still delicious. [Between Meals]

Know a food blog that should on our blogroll? Email us.

• SFist helps out the world and themselves at Mission Pie. [SFist]

• The Oakland outpost of Levende is getting high marks already. [Gastronomie]

• Burritoeater headed to a much-improved Taqueria San Francisco and had this to say about the burrito there: "the whole exceeded the sum of the parts, and at our favorite corner table on a sunny summer evening, everything seemed pretty alright for awhile." [Burritoeater]

• If a burrito at Mariachi's Taqueria comes with tofu, jasmine rice and Thai spice, is it still a burrito? Uh, no. [Burritophile]

• So, what exactly is a biodynamic wine? [Bay Area Bites]

[Photo courtesy: what about the plastic animals?]

• Do you want to be a food snob? Are you aching for the proper vocabulary to describe a particularly jammy red wine? Do you find yourself aimlessly nodding and smiling when your more sophisticated pretentious co-worker uses the word "lusty" to describe a salad from Mixt Greens? Look no futher than David Kamp's "The Food Snob's Dictionary." [Grub St]

• The Italians, never a people to bicker about inconsequential matters, are having a civil war about garlic. Former PM Silvio Berlusconi hates the stuff: “He considers garlic very dangerous for the environment, his personal environment." Bravo Italia. [The Grinder]

• It was only a matter of time: choco-maps. [Gridskipper]

• Decanting, deconstructed. [An Obsession With Food]

• Tasty free range burgers abound in the East Bay. There's a "we didn't know burgers could walk" joke in here somewhere. [SFist]

Know of a Bay Area food blog that should be on our blogroll? Send us an electronic letter.

• Durian tastes like butterscotch. What are we missing here? [The Grinder]

• Everyone and their mom is becoming a blogger: McDonald's hires "Mom bloggers." [Slashfood ]

• There's a lobster war going on in New York. Nothing's more entertaining than chef feuds. Nothing. [Gawker]

• Sorry Rob Zombie, the World's Sexiest Vegetarian is ... [Stereohyped]

• Here's the meat on the looming San Francisco burger craze; at least three will open soon. [Zagat Buzz]

• A new blog has magically appeared on Chowhound, and it's already showing love for Perbacco. [Tasting Notes]

• Tired of plain, tired apricot jam? Try jam made from endangered apricots! It goes great as a garnish for giant panda ribs. [SFist]

• Eating 60 hot dogs in 10 minutes is not good for your jaw. [Deadspin]

• Finally, RIP Rod Beck. A true Giant in the Bay Area. It's never fair when people like Rod Beck die.

• On the value of smell, when it comes to wine. [An Obsession With Food]

• On the uptight service at The French Laundry. [Bay Area Bites]

• On duck testicles at Incanto. [Daily Feed]

• On the (Faulknerian) opening night of a restaurant. [Gastronomie]

• On smoking chefs. [Between Meals]

• This week's sign of the apocalypse: eWine Match allows you to text an ingredient or dish to an easy-to-remember number (411511) and it will tell you what wines match. It works pretty well. Or so we've heard. [SFist]

• Hey ... so ... about those carcinogenic almonds you're eating ... [The Grinder]

• Restaurant critics can be unpopular amongst restaurateurs. [Between Meals]

• Who likes tiki bars? Eh? [Gridskipper SF]

• Michael Bauer lists his favorite dishes of all-time. [Between Meals]

• Does it get any better than a bacon picnic in the park, with a little bit of fruit? [Bay Area Bites]

• It's always nice when you can take some time off to write a food book. [Confessions of a Restaurant Whore]

• Technology is well important, isn't it? [Becks & Posh]

• Add small plates revolutionary Chez Nous to this morning's list of closings. [Zagat Buzz]

• Now you can make your own custom wine at Crushpad. We'd explain more, but we don't really get it. [SFist]

• Someone has been stealing Pim's content and she is pissed (rightly so, we might add). [Chez Pim]

• Absinthe has legally come to the shores of America. [Grub St]