A controversial bill limiting new restaurant openings in North Beach passed the SF Board of Supervisors yesterday and is on its way to the mayor's desk.

Board President and District 3 supervisor Aaron Peskin said the bill, which he authored, would pave the way for more neighborhood services such as hardware stores, laundromats, and Copy Centrals. The North Beach Chamber of Commerce opposed it, however, saying it would hinder business development in the neighborhood.

And the mayor? Hasn't decided. From the San Francisco Chronicle:

Newsom's spokesman said the mayor is talking to neighborhood groups before deciding whether to veto the measure.

"He's looking at the concerns and weighing the pros and cons before he makes a decision," spokesman Nathan Ballard said.

Supervisor Sean Elsbernd proposed an amendment to extend the timeline to 36 months.

“There are some sites in North Beach, if they went vacant, I think it would be a travesty if they were no longer restaurants,” Elsbernd said.

Supes move to limit North Beach hot spots [SF Chronicle]
Supes OK ban on new bars, restaurants in North Beach [SF Examiner]

The head of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association, which sued the City of San Francisco to halt an ordinance mandating employer-sponsored healthcare, said today that his group would appeal the decision.

Yesterday, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the city law requiring businesses with more than 20 employees to either provide a certain level of healthcare, or buy into a city health program. Kevin Westlye, the executive director of the GGRA, told MenuPages today that the group would appeal the decision one of two ways: They can appeal to the greater Ninth Circuit court, hoping to overturn yesterday's decision by three judges, or they can go directly to the United States Supreme Court. Westlye said they would likely appeal en banc to the Ninth Circuit.

Westlye said today that the ordinance would place too big a burden on restaurant owners in the coming years, and would force some out of business. “Our members looked at this basically as a survival issue,” he said. Under the ordinance, many restaurant owners would be forced to double, and possibly triple, the amount they currently pay to cover their employees, Westlye said. "Restaurants are a thin-margin business... Ultimately, this will cost jobs, and it will cause some restaurants to close," he said.

A spokesperson for San Francisco City Attorney Denis Herrera was not immediately available, but in an online statement, Herrera said he was "gratified" by the decision. “Unlike a more sweeping tax or fee, ‘Healthy San Francisco’ gives the vast majority of eligible employers credit for the health care coverage they already provide to their workers. At the same time, it gives those employers who don’t offer health coverage the flexibility to either add the benefit or pay a reasonable amount to enable the City to provide coverage.”

The Association has 10 days in which to file an en banc appeal with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Court upholds legality of San Fran health care plan [SF Gate]
Appeals Court Upholds SF Healthcare Mandate [MenuPages SF]

Boy howdy, the Golden Gate Restaurant Association is going to be pissed . News just broke that California's 9th Circuit Court Of Appeals upheld the San Francisco law requiring businesses with more than 20 employees to provide health coverage for their workers.

The GGRA, you remember, sued the city to prevent the law, known as Healthy San Francisco, from going into effect, and the case got all the way up to the federal court of appeals for the region, but circuit judges Alfred T. Goodwin, Stephen Reinhardt, and William A. Fletcher thought different.

No word yet on whether the GGRA will try to take the case any further. We left Kevin Westlye a message, so we'll let you know what he says.

Court upholds legality of SF health care plan [SF Gate]
9th Circuit Court of Appeals Opinion (pdf) [Official Site]

You have to love a sentence that starts out, "Our new favorite taco-truck defense blog..." That's how SFist introduced what is now our new favorite taco-truck defense blog, Burrito Justice, specifically their coverage of the ongoing flap over the Tonayense taco truck at 19th and Harrison. Seems a parents' group from John O'Connell High School of Technology, which also calls that corner home, wants the truck to scoot.

Now, any burrito-fluent Missionite can tell you that Taqueria Tonayense is more or less a waste of time, and that it truly earns its keep in whatever support role it plays for the small fleet of trucks that bear its name. One of the longest-standing of that fleet is the truck at Mission and 20th, which used to provide this reporter with dinner pretty regularly, so beware of bias.

Anyway, it seems there's been some friction between the truck and the parents, but fortunately for us, Burrito Justice has weighed in with a verdict (which we assume is legally binding):

Apparently the proximity of the taco truck to O’Connell High creates two classes of students, have (tacos) and have-not (tacos), and somehow puts the school lunch program in jeopardy.

Burrito Justice’s Verdict? DENIED:

* The truck was there before the school.
* Only seniors can go off campus for lunch
* The principal himself goes to the truck for lunch
* According to the City Star, NO students went to the taco truck.

Tonayense Troubles?
Taqueria Tonayense [Burritoeater]
El Tonayense Taco Truck School’d! [Burrito Justice]

[Photo: Via Burritoeater]

Everyone has a favorite food service (free mint after your meal, online table reservations) and here’s ours:

Specialty's Warm CookieAlert™.

We think it may be the best use of modern technology and email reminders ever.

An email address and a few clicks will get you customized alerts when hot cookies come out of the Specialty’s ovens. You can select the locations and cookie varieties you care about and you get an email letting you know they’re ready. And if you don't want to register for the email alerts, you can also check out the fun GPS-type map that shows a blinking cookie on the Warm Cookie Radar.

Here’s a screenshot of the Warm Cookie Radar map:

Here’s the email we got yesterday:

Dear Alexis

Your personalized Warm CookieAlert™ has found these warm cookies for you...

101 New Montgomery Street, San Francisco, CA
4:16pm Cookie - Semi Sweet
4:16pm Cookie - Milk Chocolate

Seriously, this is great if you work near a Specialty’s and you’re sitting at your desk in need of an excuse to leave the office every day. We get major points with the co-workers for being able to deliver hot cookies without fail whenever we take a coffee break.

Specialty's Cafe and Bakery [MenuPages]
Specialty's Cafe and Bakeryl [Official Site]

[Photo of Specialty's cookie via Transparent Reality/Flickr]

So Starbucks announced that it was closing 600 stores this week, an announcement that we’re sure caused many San Franciscans to raise a glass and acknowledge that the world isn’t such a bad place after all.

They haven't yet revealed all of the stores that will be closing and we haven’t seen any “Going Out of Business” signs in in the Starbucks windows we’ve passed here in the city, but we’re hoping this means we also won’t see as many “Starbucks Coming Soon” signs either.

Earlier this year the Inner Richmond was fighting the opening of a new Starbucks kiosk in the remodeled Safeway at 7th and Cabrillo. A great deal of the protesting was led by small business owners and Inner Richmond residents who like their living space as corporate-free as possible. Previous Velo Rouge Cafe owner, Megan Lynch, kept a copy of the Richmond Against Starbucks petition at the Velo Rouge cash register and successfully helped collect enough signatures to come out victorious, which is particularly poignant considering she also helped squash another Starbucks opening (5th Avenue and Geary) summer 2007.

Starbucks’ Chief Financial Officer Pete Bocian reported that “between 25 and 30 percent of a Starbucks shop's revenue is cannibalized when a new store opens nearby” to which we say, “Duh.” Seriously Starbucks, opening a store 200 yards away from an existing Starbucks that was opened on the opposite corner of another Starbucks is one of those idiotic business strategies that we just can’t believe large corporations still fall victim to. You’re competing with yourself at that point, why would you do that?

But we’re happy that greed seems to be taking its toll on the Starbucks saturated coffee market because that means lovely, independent coffee shops like Velo Rouge can not only keep a going, but hopefully start to come out ahead.

In related news, we got a small (not a Tall) cup of drip this morning from a large corporate coffee seller who shall not be named and after one sip of what tasted like hot water we promptly went to the The Sentinel where Holly, friendly barista and order apprentice, made everything right.

Velo Rouge Cafe [Menupages]
Velo Rouge Cafe [Official Site]
The Sentinel [Menupages]
Starbucks [Official Site]

[Photo via hillary h/Flickr]

Looks like everyone's favorite socially conscious pop-culture referencing ice cream company is heading our way to join in the Olympic torch protests.

Word comes via Slashfood that Ben and Jerry's is sending a caravan of activist ice-cream-makers out to San Francisco to register protest as the torch passes through its only U.S. destination.

All sorts of people have made all sorts of noise about San Francisco's hosting the torch, based on all sorts of human rights abuses in and related to China. In this case, Ben and Jerry's specifically is calling on the host of August's summer games to do something about killings in Darfur. From the Associated Press:

The convoy, which left Wednesday, consists of three vehicles sporting replicas of the Olympic torch and mobile billboards calling on China to "extinguish the flames of genocide in Darfur."

Wonder if employees at local stores get the day off to protest? The torch is scheduled to hit town on April 9.

Ben and Jerry's is staging a political protest convoy to San Francisco [Slashfood]
Ben and Jerry's Cross-Country Caravan Targets China [AP]
SFist Olympic torch coverage [SFist]
Photo from Vermont Public Radio

• Far more energy goes into food production than food transport [CNN]
• Non-horrible Canada does food aid by the ton, not by the dollar [Leader-Post]
• Manila to fast food chains: serve half-portions of rice, please [Reuters]
• 3rd year in a row of bumper grape crop boosts Oregon wine industry [Tribune]
• Sbux, briefly a music tastemaker, now mainstream profit whore again [NYTimes]
• ZOMG, corn flake shaped like Illinois for sale on eBay (now $182.50) [AP]

• India farmer suicides peaking despite food prices and country's prosperity [Reuters]
• Pepsi aiming its new no-cal carbonated fruity "Tava" at the "reborn digital" [NYTimes]
• Frightened parents switching in droves from chemical-y plastic to glass bottles [AP]
• Five food additives that ought to scare the crap out of you! Or not really [Newsweek]
• Chinese really hammering home their contention that Olympic food will be safe [ChinaDaily]
• FAO identifies three dozen "crisis" countries facing food shortage crunches [WaPo]
• Never fear: Clooney and pals donate cash to keep Darfur food heli-delivery aloft [AFP]

• Biofuels "2.0," i.e. cellulosic ethanol, to ease food crop demand [FoodNav]
• Can you grow fruit trees in your urban backyard? Sure, why not [NYTimes]
• Beef recall co. CEO somewhat unrepentant under Congressional scrutiny [Tribune]
• FDA discloses dozens of spinach sanitary violations it ignored [WaPo]
• CT school punishes, unpunishes star 8th grader for buying candy [AP]
• USDA kind of dicking Guam over on food stamps for admin. reasons [PNC]

• Kroger, nation's largest grocery chain, stymied by food inflation [Tribune]
• Viral videos the new gold standard for animal rights activists [NYTimes]
• Did you know: high alcohol beers illegal through much of the South? [LATimes]
• The newest thing in wines is pairing to your taste bud profile [WaPo]
• Vietnam, bereft of McD's & Sbux, charts its own fast food course [WSJ]

• McDonald's sales up 12% over last February (paging Dr. Leap Day?) [Tribune]
• Nestle, smelling profits, to open Swiss chocolate research center [Bloomberg]
• Bandits now plundering half of WFP food deliveries in Darfur [AFP]
• Gorton's fish fillets recalled as pills found in ths sticks! [USAToday]
• We don't really know diddly-squat about the nanotech we're eating [The Age]
• 4oz wine and beer samples in supermarkets? Wa. state says, "sure"! [AP]

It's not what you think. Asian Boy brand dried ginger, imported by BCN, inc. of South Plainfield, NJ is being recalled because it contains undeclared sulfites.

The FDA announced in February that a sample of the 7 oz. containers of Vietnamese dried ginger may contain 27.3 mg. of sulfites per serving. This really only matters if you're sensitive to sulfites (in which case, you're in for a headache and a half). If not, feel free to stick some more of that Asian Boy in your mouth.

You can probably find him at Hiep Thanh or Red Sea markets, or one of the myriad Chinese/pan-Asian grocery emporiums around town.

New BCN Trading Inc. Issues Allergy Alert on Undeclared Sulfites in Asian Boy Sweet Ginger [FDA press release]
Sulfites [Wikipedia]

Oops! Almost missed this: The San Francisco Chronicle reported yesterday that some brands of alfalfa sprouts have been recalled due to possible salmonella contamination:

Several illnesses have been reported across the state, including one in Contra Costa County and two in San Francisco. Two manufacturers voluntarily recalled their products from grocery stories and wholesale distributors, officials said.

Some alfalfa sprouts recalled due to Salmonella bacteria [SF Chronicle]

Remember that ordinance Supervisor Tom Ammiano proposed a few weeks ago, requiring restaurant chains to list nutrition information on their menus? Well, it's on the way to becoming law after it was approved in committee yesterday.

The legislation is expected to pass the Board of Supervisors and get the mayor's signature. Of course the Golden Gate Restaurant Association hates it, but not with the vitriol you'd expect. From the Chron:

"We want flexibility and uniformity," said Lara Diaz Dunbar, a senior vice president for the California Restaurant Association. "If San Francisco does one thing and San Mateo does another, that would be burdensome for business."

Requiring chains to have the information available on request? I think I'm okay with that. But when hotel bars have to list cocktail calories on their drink menus I have a feeling I'll opt to imbibe in other locations where I can get a drink without a garnish of guilt.

S.F. expected pass law on nutrition disclosure [SF Chronicle]
Caloric Cocktails [Alcademics]

[Above: Not a slave to caffeine or Cylons]

Don't forget, readers: This afternoon is the three-hour national nightmare of a near-total Starbucks blackout. Get your afternoon/afte-work lattes before 5:30 p.m., folks or you'll be forced to go to one of the other hundreds of cafes in San Francisco until 8:30 p.m., when SB re-opens. Just in case you need a list of alternatives, Menupages has you covered.

The closure, you'll recall, is to allow for a massive retraining that "will provide a renewed focus on espresso standards that will help ensure the exceptional quality of every beverage," according to the company website. Good Hunting.

Starbucks Demonstrates Unprecedented Level of Commitment to Partner (Employee) Coffee Education and Training [Company Website]
San Francisco Cofeeshops [Menupages]

Following up on this story from yesterday about a man who opened fire on servers at Joe's Crab Shack after they tried to get him to, gasp, pay his bill: It's scary, yes. But what might be considered scarier by some is the fact that the discussion it sparked in the SF Gate comments was not one of how to curb crime in San Francisco, but rather a comparison of the finer points of dining at Sizzler.

For the record, there are no Sizzlers in San Francisco, but they exist in Albany, Hayward, Newark, San Leandro, Colma Burlingame, Daly City, Redwood City, Mountain View, San Jose, Santa Clara and Morgan Hill. Phew. Road trip, anyone?

Man held after diners eat, run and shoot [SF Chronicle]
Joe's Crab Shack [MenuPages]
Joe's Crab Shack [Official Site]
Sizzler [Official Site]

You know how KALW is always reading the school lunch menus in its morning broadcast? Well, we didn't hear this, but it's definitely possible that last week they may have aired a bit of Morning Edition about that massive beef recall that hugely affected public schools, then heard a menu that included a beef item. If that gave you pause, the San Francisco Unified School District would like you to un-freeze. School district spokeswoman Gentle Blythe said today that the recall didn't affect San Francisco.

"SFUSD has not received any beef that was processed at Westland. That is true for the entire school year in 2008. When the recall came into being, we had nothing in stock, we had not served anything as of 2008. Any beef that has been on the menu since 2008 is not beef that was processed there."

In case you're curious, check out the SFUSD Website for the next couple months' menus.

Chicken Again? [The Grinder]
'Marketplace' Report: Massive Beef Recall [NPR]
Student Nutrition Services [SFUSD]

Outgoing Sens pastry chef and Eggbeater blogger Shuna Lydon has posted her final dessert menu on her blog. It includes a lot of chocolaty/fruity/eggy things and makes us very hungry.

According to Eater SF, a member of the Sens team, Shelly Fields, will take Lydon's place. Lydon's departure has caused some amount of buzz that Sens might be in trouble, because, according to Eater SF,

The pastry chef is often the first to go when restaurants begin to cut costs, but in many ways, Lydon—a veteran of biggies like Gramercy Tavern, Citizen Cake, Bouchon, the French Laundry, etc—was the main attraction, so we'd say it's safe to begin casting nervous glances toward Sens.

My Last Dessert Menu ~ [Eggbeater]
EaterWire AM Edition: Fifth Floor Returns, Sens Gets New Pastry Chef [Eater SF]

Remember that hearing a few weeks ago where the Planning Commission batted around legislation that would restrict liquor licenses in two neighborhoods? Well, welcome to the sequel:This time it's citywide, and about off-sales. A new measure approved by the Board of Supes' Rules Committee would severely limit the opening of new liquor, wine and beer-selling stores. From the Examiner:

Proposed by Supervisor Gerardo Sandoval, the measure would prohibit new liquor stores from opening up within about two blocks (500 feet) of other liquor stores, schools and children’s recreation centers.

There are nearly 900 businesses permitted to sell liquor for off-site consumption in San Francisco, about 450 more, Sandoval said, than allowed under a 1998 state law that caps permits at one per 1,250 city residents

“Are we sure we want to forever ban any new wine shops in Fisherman’s Wharf through a ballot initiative?” [Mayor's Office of Economic and Workforce Development deputy director Rich] Hillis said.

Supervisor looks to limit liquor licenses [Examiner]
North Beach Booze Ban? [MPSF]
Resolution urging Albertsons not to close Oceanview Village location [Board of Supes]

Several versions of the Business Times, including San Jose and Sacramento, carried the story today that Starbucks is cutting about 600 jobs. New-ish CEO Howard Schultz said the company would lay off 220 employees and leave 380 more jobs unfilled after they are vacated.

"Unfortunately, we have not been organized in a manner that allowed us to have a laser focus on the customer," Schultz wrote.

There are 10 Starbucks locations in San Francisco, and a whole bunch more in the greater Bay Area. It has not been announced where the cuts will take place.

Starbucks realigning, cutting 600 jobs [Silcon Valley/San Jose Business Journal]
Starbucks [Main Site]

Today we got the first soundoff from Richie over at the blog Line Cook, after he joined the team at the highly regarded Nopa. Things sound good for him, and there are some lovely pictures up on the blog.

It'll be interesting to have a perspective from within the kitchen at this particular restaurant, since those in the know practically fall over themselves to praise it. Witness Jordan Mackay's recent stroke job regarding the bar. Not that it and other lavish praise is not well deserved. Nopa has a good thing going with its fresh, local ingredients, careful process and apparent respect for the community. We look forward to hearing from Richie on the other side of the line.

Awesometown (Nopa, San Francisco)
Nopa [MenuPages]
Nopa [Official Site]

Here's a news item that will eventually make waves in the local food-blog scene: Shuna Lydon is reportedly leaving Sens. The star pastry chef and creator/writer of the blog Eggbeater was asked to resign, according to Eater SF, as a cost-cutting move. From Eater SF:

The pastry chef is often the first to go when restaurants begin to cut costs, but in many ways, Lydon—a veteran of biggies like Gramercy Tavern, Citizen Cake, Bouchon, the French Laundry, etc—was the main attraction, so we'd say it's safe to begin casting nervous glances toward Sens.

For her part, Lydon hasn't so far explicitly mentioned anything about the decision on Eggbeater, where she seems to be dealing with larger issues, including a sick friend. Jesus, what a rough week. Condolences.

EaterWire AM Edition: Sens Loses Shuna Lydon
Eggbeater [Homepage]

Looks like there's more to the story of the giant beef recall spurred by a Chino slaughterhouse and packing plant that killed and packed so-called "downer" cows in violation of federal safety standards.

The AP is reporting that police arrested one man Saturday for animal cruelty and illegally moving non-ambulatory animals. A second is wanted on three misdemeanor charges.

Hallmark/Westland pen manager Daniel Ugarte Navarro, 49, was arrested at his house in Pomona. His subordinate, Luis Sanchez, 32, of Chino, remains at large. From the AP, as published by SF Gate:

Both men were fired after the Humane Society of the United States released undercover video showing crippled and sick animals at the slaughterhouse being shoved with forklifts.

Prosecutors are continuing to investigate the slaughterhouse for possible labor violations, Ploghaus said.

Officials with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which announced the recall Sunday of some 143 million pounds of beef products dating to Feb. 1, 2006, were also investigating.

So it's not just a case of animal cruelty and unsafe food production, it's potentially a labor issue, too? The two go together, as you've no doubt read: Chino will be ours! Chino will be ours!

Massive Beef Recall [MPSF]
Chino meatpacking worker arrested in recall case [SF Gate]

Unfortunately for the folks over at A Hamburger Today, the USDA issued a massive beef recall yesterday that will likely put a whole bunch of Americans off their steaks, burgers and fast food mystery meat for a while.

The recall of 143 million pounds of raw and frozen beef produced by the Chino-based Hallmark slaughterhouse and Westland meat packing company is one of the biggest in history. The beef is being recalled after the Humane society of the United States released video footage Jan. 30 showing cows that were too weak to walk being hit, prodded and manually shoved or dragged by forklift into the slaughterhouse.

Meat producers are prohibited from slaughtering and butchering non-ambulatory or "downer" cows because the condition can be a sign of disease. The Humane Society claims it has evidence of at least four such cows being slaughtered and packaged by Hallmark/Westland. Much of the meat was shipped to U.S. public schools as part of a contract with the School Lunch Program.

The Society posted the video on its website, along with a statement that reads, "this unacceptable cruelty potentially puts the food supply at risk—at least 12 of the 15 identified cases of mad cow disease in North America to date have reportedly been downers." Officials initially said they didn't have evidence to support a recall, but yesterday reversed that position and issued the recall order.

Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer stated yesterday,

I am dismayed at the in-humane handling of cattle that has resulted in the violation of food safety regulations at the Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company. It is extremely unlikely that these animals were at risk for BSE [bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or "mad cow disease"] because of the multiple safeguards; however, this action is necessary because plant procedures violated USDA regulations.

In a Feb. 3 statement, Westland Meat Co. president Steve Mendell indicated that the violations were the work of two rogue employees:

Words cannot accurately express how shocked and horrified I was at the depictions contained on the video that was taken by an individual who worked at our facility from October 3 thru November 14, 2007. We have taken swift action regarding the two employees identified on the video and have already implemented aggressive measures to ensure all employees follow our humane handling policies and procedures. We are also cooperating with the USDA investigators on the allegations of inhumane handling treatment which is a serious breech of our company’s policies and training.

Because it can be difficult to determine which meat in the food supply comes from which cows, the recall may become more wide-ranging. The Los Angeles Times cited Humane Society President Wayne Pacelle as saying the recall may top a billion pounds.

USDA officials indicated the meat currently on supermarket shelves is likely not to have come from the Holland/Westland operation. From the LA Times:

Because Hallmark/Westland suspended operations in early February, it is unlikely that any of its fresh meat is still being sold. "That has a very [short] shelf life and refrigerator life, so the great majority has probably been consumed," Richard Raymond, the USDA's undersecretary for food safety, told reporters.

Hallmark/Westland meat was also sold to restaurant chains, including In-N-Out Burger and Jack in the Box, but both of those companies said they stopped using it early this month after the first reports of problems at the plant.

But public schools have reportedly taken beef of the menu for the time being, and MPSF will likely be ordering the chicken for the next few weeks. The video that started it all is posted below, but be careful. The images are VERY disturbing.

Huge beef recall issued [LA Times]
Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer statement [USDA]
Westland Meat statement [Company website]
Watch the video that led to the beef recall. Then take action! [Humane Society]

Oh dear. It seems Annie's Naturals salad dressing is in the doghouse in a minor way. According to the FDA, the Napa company has recalled 686 cases of 8-oz. bottles of the stuff because it may contain soy, which was not on the label, and which can cause health problems for those who are allergic.

It's a voluntary recall, and so far nobody has been reported as sick or otherwise affected by the mislabeling. Here's some FDA details in case you're worried:

Affected product was shipped to grocery and natural food stores in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Washington, between December 20, 2007 and February 6, 2008.

Consumers can most easily identify impacted product by looking at the product labels – the front label says Shiitake & Sesame Vinaigrette, but the back label and ingredient statement say Low Fat Honey Mustard Vinaigrette. Only dressings with UPC # 0-92325-33319-2 with a Best By Date of 02/20/09/1/E and 02/20/09/2/E are affected.

Organic Shiitake & Sesame Vinaigrette, 16 oz. bottles of Shiitake & Sesame Vinaigrette, and other Annie's Naturals products are not affected by this recall.

Apparently the mix-up happened when the company accidentally co-mingled two sets of labels. Oops (whispered)

Annie's Naturals Issues Voluntary Nationwide Allergy Alert on Undeclared Soy in 8 fl oz. All-Natural Shiitake & Sesame Vinaigrette [FDA press release]
food recall:17 states affected by mislabeled salad dressing [Circle of Food]

The results are in, folks. San Francisco is the ninth fittest city in the U.S. Colorado springs topped the annual Men's Fitness list of the most trim cities, while Las Vegas topped the "fattest" list.

We've slipped a little bit from our rank as seventh fittest in the nation in 2007. Fortunately for those who like consistency, however, Las Vegas has stayed no. 1 fattest. Good job!

The Tulsa World reprinted the list after Oaklahoma City was named the nation's eighth fattest. Here it is:

The Fittest Cities in America:

1. Colorado Springs
2. Minneapolis
3. Albuquerque, N.M.
4. Denver
5. Portland, Ore.
6. Virginia Beach, Va.
7. Seattle
8. Honolulu
9. San Francisco
10. Milwaukee

The Fattest Cities in America:

1. Las Vegas
2. Arlington, Texas
3. San Antonio
4. Fort Worth, Texas
5. El Paso, Texas
6. Dallas
7. Miami
8. Oklahoma City
9. Mesa, Ariz.
10. Houston

If you want to know more about how Men's Health comes up with its results, well, you'll have to buy the magazine. They're definitely not giving that story away online.

Men's Fitness magazine ranks OKC among fattest cities [Tulsa World]
America's Fittest Cities 2007 [Men's Fitness]

">

A formerly dismissed lawsuit calling for grocery stores to disclose the use of coloring chemicals in farm-raised salmon will become active again after the California Supreme Court today ruled that state laws apply to the labeling dispute.

From the <em>San Francisco Chronicle:

Salmon raised in fish farms are naturally grayish but take on the orange hue of their free-swimming kin after consuming the chemicals canthaxanthin and astaxanthin. Those substances are also part of wild salmon's natural diet, and the plaintiffs are not claiming that they are harmful to humans.

But the suits contended that the stores induced some customers to pay higher prices for salmon and led others to buy fish they normally would have shunned because of the artificial coloring.

The suit names Trader Joes, Albertsons, Whole Foods and Safeway among the defendants. Those stores and others in California will likely sell a higher percentage of farm-raised salmon this year than in previous years after monitoring agencies found both Coho and king salmon numbers to have dropped precipitously over the last year.

State high court OKs consumer suits over artificially colored salmon [SF Chronicle]

The Marina may get a new crop of restaurants and take-out joints over the next year, according to a story in the Examiner. City codes currently prevent new eateries from opening in the six-block stretch of Union Street between Van Ness Avenue and Steiner Street, but the San Francisco Planning Commission voted Thursday to loosen that restriction.

From the Examiner:

In an effort to reinvigorate the corridor’s economy, commissioners voted Thursday to allow up to five new eateries to serve food and alcohol between Steiner Street and Van Ness Avenue, where new restaurants have been barred since the late 1980s. The change will take effect if it’s endorsed by the Board of Supervisors.

Over the past two decades, the number of fast-food and take-out stores in the strip fell from 19 to 12, according to a city report, while the number of full-service restaurants dipped from 31 to 27, leaving roughly one eatery every 30 yards.

The move to allow for the new openings met with some opposition from neighbors.

“On Friday and Saturday nights, parking is impossible, and additional restaurants ain’t going to make it any better,” neighbor Jack Branning told commissioners. “We don’t need more restaurants — we just need better restaurants.”

The new codes will have to gain approval by the Board of Supervisors before they are put into effect, but even with the legal hindrance removed, the question faces those considering opening new restaurants in the neighborhood: With the new city-mandated health-care requirement, strong opposition to chain stores and a built-in neighborhood NIMBYism that almost guarantees a fight over any new liquor licenses, why would you want to?

New eateries may pop up on Union Street [Examiner]

Like everybody else in town, we held our breaths over the last couple days, waiting to see if the two skiers lost in the Sierra wilderness would be found safely. It was an uncomfortably familiar scene for us as for many in the Bay Area, echoing another missing person case that didn't go so well.

But yesterday, the two men were found safe and just a little chilly, and it turns out one of them is a sous-chef at Marina restaurant A16. Christopher Gerwig, 32, and his buddy Patrick Frost, 35, a sales accountant with the San Jose Sharks, traveled something like 10 miles and spent two nights in the wilderness, surviving on energy bars and melted snow. The San Francisco Chronicle has a pretty good account of their saga.

We get the feeling Gerwig will be glad to see the kitchen back at A 16, even if things are in a bit of a state of flux within the Appleman Empire.

Congratulations, you two. We're glad you're safe.

Weatherbound skiers show they're no snow fools [SF Chronicle]
A16 [Menupages]

Above: Medium McDonald's French fries

This should be fun: Thursday's San Francisco Board of Supervisors' Rules Committee will kick around a Tom Ammiano proposition to force chain restaurants to list nutrition information on their menus here in San Francisco.

According to the agenda for Thursday's meeting, the proposed ordinance would,

(1) require chain restaurants to provide, per standard menu item, the total number of calories on menu boards and food tags, and the total amount of calories, saturated fat, carbohydrates and sodium on menus; and (2) revise existing requirements for providing nutritional information on alternative disclosure media.

Both the San Francisco Chronicle and Eater SF characterize the pro-health, anti-chain move as politically safe, but that doesn't mean there isn't at least a modicum of controversy. Namely, why would the law only apply to chain restaurants?

From the Chronicle:

Fairness arguments do not always carry the day at City Hall, but it must be noted that Chevys customers will be staring at the waistline impact of ordering grilled steak tacos (972 calories, 16 fat grams, 2,040 milligrams of sodium) while patrons at the vast majority of San Francisco's restaurants will continue to consume fat-richened, salt-laden dishes in ignorant bliss.

The question hasn't been adequately answered, but Ammiano told the Chronicle that he'd like to meet with restaurant owners to "come up with a proposal that can 'avoid a big brouhaha.'"

No word yet as to whether that meeting has taken place. Sunday's story indicated that it hadn't. The hearing starts at 10 a.m. Thursday in room 263 of City Hall.

What's not on the menu [SF Chronicle]
IndustryWire: Calorie Counting Comes to Town [Eater SF]
Rules Committee Agenda [SF Gov]

Many attendees of a Chamber of Commerce dinner in Redwood Shores walked away with food poisoning after the hotel at which they were dining apparently violated health codes. From the Examiner:

Laboratory tests revealed Thursday that 62 people attending a Redwood City-San Mateo County Chamber of Commerce event at Hotel Sofitel on Jan. 24 were infected with the highly contagious virus, said San Mateo County Director of Environmental Health Dean Peterson. About 200 people attended the annual dinner and awards reception banquet.

Health officials said those who fell ill contracted the virus through either the salmon or chicken, which was served as the evening’s main course. Nobody who chose the vegetarian entrée fell sick, Peterson said.

Inspectors found evidence that the Sofitel’s staff was re-using dirty towels to wipe down tables, food being kept too hot or too cold and a dishwasher who was touching clean dishes directly after touching dirty dishes, said Peterson, who added that hotel management immediately corrected the violations.

Gross. It seems pretty easy to transmit this particular infection, which causes vomiting, diarrhea, fever and abdominal pain. Even though almost all restaurants make a huge effort to ensure nothing like that ever happens, it's always that one, isolated story, like this one, that makes you go, "ewww."

It's too bad that happened to a bunch of people in charge of furthering business interests in San Mateo County. We have a feeling the Hotel Sofitel isn't going to be winning any chamber of commerce awards this year.

Diners contract norovirus at hotel [Examiner]

The San Francisco Chronicle reported today that the collapse of the Sacramento River salmon population will likely lead to sharp restrictions on this year's fishing season and higher prices at the market. Meanwhile, SFist brings news from the Marin Independent Journal that the endangered Coho failed to appear at all in Muir Woods.

From the IJ:

"No coho have come up Redwood Creek so far this year," said Steve Hampton, of the state Department of Fish and Game, at a meeting Tuesday night in Mill Valley to discuss the effects of the spill on Marin.

"They should be up by now," he said. "It has been a low year for coho up and down the coast, but Redwood Creek is the only zero."

The Redwood Creek coho salmon run comes from the Pacific Ocean and through Muir Beach, where the fish congregate waiting for seasonal rains to break a berm at the beach. They can then travel up the creek and spawn. Visitors can usually see the spectacle at Muir Woods, but not this winter.

That's bad news for an endangered species. The Chinook or King salmon are what we usually eat, and they've been running pretty low, as the AP and now the Chron have reported.

From the Chron:

"The low returns are particularly distressing since this stock has consistently been the healthy 'workhorse' for salmon fisheries off California and most of Oregon," the [Pacific Fisheries Management] Council's executive director, Donald McIsaac, said in a statement Tuesday.

Bad news, friends. Here's what a fishing industry rep had to say:

"We've known that the numbers were going to come in low, but we didn't know they would be this low," said Zeke Grader, executive director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations, which represents commercial fishermen.

"This could end up closing us," Grader said. "Part of what we're trying to do is put a fish on the table that people can afford."

Apparently a big part of the decline has to do with polluted and diverted inland rivers and a lack of fresh water for the fish.

"Dams along the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers are holding back water, and the flows are usually less than what the salmon need," [Bay Institute scientist Tina] Swanson said. The low flows of freshwater to the bay can also raise overall water temperatures beyond what is healthy for juvenile salmon, she said. In the delta, the water pumps suck up salmon and other fish. The pumping system moves the juvenile salmon into large, open areas of the delta, where they are prey for bigger fish.

Bottom line: If you want to eat local salmon this year, be ready to pay for it. But maybe you shouldn't. Maybe, just maybe, it's time to give salmon and other seafood populations a rest for a little while. Think about it.

Missing coho in Redwood Creek may be latest fallout of oil spill
Salmon arriving in record low numbers [SF Chronicle]
SFist Photo: Where Have All the Salmon Gone?
Salmon Press Packet [Pacific Fisheries Management Council]
Background: Salmon [Pacific Fisheries Management Council]

More information on that sharp decline in the 2007 salmon run up the Sacramento River. Basically, last year was the weakest spawning year in recent memory. For the first time in 15 years, the salmon population failed to meet spawning goals set by the Pacific Fishery Management Council. From the council's press release:

Last week, the Council’s Salmon Technical Team (STT) met to tabulate salmon returns and catches. Two areas of bad news emerged. First, in 2007 the adult spawning escapement for Sacramento River fall Chinook failed to meet the escapement goal (122,000‐180,000 adults) for the first time in 15 years. Sacramento River fall Chinook are the largest component of Central Valley Chinook. (The escapement goal, or conservation objective, is the optimal number of adult fish returning to spawn in order to maximize the production of the stock).

Second, the count of “jacks” in the Central Valley fall Chinook return this past fall was a record low. Only 2,000 jacks returned, compared to a long‐term average of about 40,000 and the previous record low of 10,000. Jacks are immature fish that return to the rivers at age two (unlike adult fish, which return at age three or four). Their numbers are used to forecast future returns. This suggests that 2008 abundance will probably also be weak. Last week scientists questioned whether returns in 2008 could meet the conservation objective even without any commercial or ecreational salmon fishing where these fish are found. If returns do not meet the conservation objective, an emergency rule from National Marine Fisheries Service may be required to allow any fisheries.

According to the council, the economic impact will be severe, as the numbers are similar to the 2006 Klamath River decline that led to an abbreviated salmon season. Cross your fingers, people.

Salmon Press Packet [Pacific Fishery Management council]

We hate to admit this, but it may be time to start eating less seafood. First tuna wants to kill you, now Salmon is running perilously low. It may be time to massively back off the oceans for a few years and let them re-stock themselves.

According to the Associated Press (via SF Gate),

The number of chinook salmon returning to California's Central Valley has reached a near-record low, pointing to an "unprecedented collapse" that could lead to severe restrictions on West Coast salmon fishing this year, according to federal fishery regulators.

After a total shutdown in 2006 and a weak salmon season in 2007, not to mention that trouble with this year's Dungeness season, West Coast fishing fleets as well as salmon consumers were likely putting a lot of stock in this year's season, which opens in May.

The population dropped more than 88 percent from its all-time high five years ago, according to an internal memo sent to members of the Pacific Fishery Management Council and obtained by The Associated Press... Only about 90,000 returning adult salmon were counted in the Central Valley in 2007, the second lowest number on record, the memo said. The population was at 277,000 in 2006 and 804,000 five years ago.

Dang, dude.

We called the council to ask what the effect might be on the local fishing and seafood economy. Namely, will we be paying out the nose for salmon this year, if there is any available at all? They said they were issuing a press release tomorrow, and that they'd answer questions then. Stay tuned...

Calif. Salmon Population Declines [SF Gate]
Pacific Fishery Management Council [Homepage]
Summary of 2008 California Ocean Salmon Seasons [California Department of Fish and Game]

A couple of the issues we've been covering seem to be coming to nice conclusions, or at least stopping points, which we like to see on a Friday.

That Sandoval/Peskin ordinance seeking the two Alcohol Control Districts got middling support from the SF Planning Commission. As you no doubt recall, the ordinance would prevent new liquor licenses from being granted along a stretch of Mission Street from Silver to the Daly City border, as well as in the North Beach Commercial District.

According to planner and board laiason Tara Sullivan-Lenane, the board supported the Excelsior ACD but came to no conclusion on the North Beach issue.

"They supported the excelsior one, but for North Beach, the language will read… that they encourage the supervisor to reach out to the neighborhood and the business community—there was a feeling that there was a lack of that—and to try and craft this legislation to be more successful," Lenane said.

The ordinance has a few more stops, including the Entertainment and Small Business Commissions, before it goes to the full board, and a source within Peskin's office indicated yesterday that it will likely be loosened up a little by then.

The much-anticipated Blue Bottle Coffee is open and serving in Mint Plaza, with much to-do in the local Internets. SFist ran a great piece on the cafe's $20,000 "Jules Vern-ish" coffee maker. Eater SF has got some photos up of opening day. And SFoodie is just generally cheering the place on.

Also, Eater SF brings word from the Golden Gate Restaurant Association that the trade group won't pursue an appeal against the city's employer-sponsored health-care initiative.

[tk planning commission]

$20,000 Coffee at Blue Bottle Cafe [SFist]
Live From Mint Plaza: Blue Bottle Cafe Arrives
Blue Bottle in Mint Plaza finally open! [SFoodie]
EaterWire: GGRA Won't Appeal, Plus Bollyhood News! [Eater SF]
GGRA Statement on Employer Mandated Health Care [GGRA Website]

Supervisor Aaron Peskin's move to ban new liquor licenses in North Beach may end up loosening considerably after today's San Francisco Planning Commission hearing, but at least one critic says the suggested concessions aren't enough.

The ordinance up for review today would ban all new on and off-sales of alcohol in the North Beach Commercial District. That means that no new bars, liquor stores or restaurants that sell alcohol would be able to open for at least five years. It would also prohibit the transfer of licenses within the neighborhood and would automatically revoke the license of any business that closed for more than 30 days.

However, Peskin's office indicated today that the supervisor would accept recommendations by the San Francisco Planning Department to loosen the restrictions. In a report, the department made three major recommendations to change the ordinance:

Instead of an outright ban, planners recommended a cap on the number of licenses. That means no additional alcohol-selling establishments could be opened, but that if one closed, another could open. The planning department also recommended that licenses be transferable within the neighborhood, and that the 30-day clause on considering a business abandoned be lengthened to 18 months.

A source within Peskin's office indicated the supervisor was open to those suggestions. The concern, according to Peskin's office, is not necessarily controlling drunken behavior in the neighborhood, but controlling the types of businesses that open there, affecting the character of the neighborhood. The supervisor is seeking a way to make the neighborhood more friendly to service-oriented businesses like hardware stores and other retail.

But North Beach Chamber of Commerce head Marsha Garland said that even if the proposed changes to the ordinance go into effect, she would still oppose it.

"With the impact of online shopping, retail’s never going to be the same again. You cannot force a shoe store into a shop when the landlords are charging restaurant prices. It doesn’t work that way," Garland said today. "They’re not paying any attention to the reality. You’ve got to let the market determine what goes into the space."

You can watch the Planning Commission meeting on SFGTV, starting at 1:30 this afternoon.

Limiting booze in North Beach? Are you drunk? [Fault Lines]
Full text of ordinance PDF [SF Board of Supervisors]
CurbedWire: Peskin to Ban Alcohol, Screw With Zoning Map [Curbed SF]
Planning Commission Agenda, Jan. 24, 2008 [SF Planning]
San Francisco Zoning Map [SFgov]

Who saw this one coming? Supervisors Aaron Peskin and Gerardo Sandoval have been quietly working on an ordinance to ban new alcohol selling establishments in both North Beach and the Excelsior district. This seems a little extreme in one of the city's most nightlife-heavy districts, but there it is.

The proposed ordinance, due to go before the San Francisco Planning Commission today, would not only prohibit new alcohol sales within the North Beach Commercial District, it would extend the control to 1/4 mile from the district's border. That includes Chinatown, the Embarcadero and the Marina.

According to the text of the ordinance,

A concentration of alcoholic beverage establishments in a neighborhood disrupts the desired mix of land uses that contribute to a livable neighborhood and discourages more desirable and needed commercial uses in the area. A concentration of establishments selling alcoholic beverages in an area may therefore contribute to the deterioration of the neighborhood and to the concomitant devaluation of property and destruction of community values and quality of life.

In addition to implementing a North Beach ban, the ordinance also establishes a so-called Alcohol Restricted Use District in the Excelsior, along Mission Street from Silver Avenue to the Daly City border.

The hearing is set to begin at 1:30 p.m. today. The proposed alcohol ban is item no. 15. We'll be bringing you more news on the issue as it progresses. Meanwhile, you can take a look at the ordinance yourself below, as well as a post on the topic from Curbed SF.

Full text of ordinance PDF [SF Board of Supervisors]
CurbedWire: Peskin to Ban Alcohol, Screw With Zoning Map [Curbed SF]
Planning Commission Agenda, Jan. 24, 2008 [SF Planning]
San Francisco Zoning Map [SFgov]

Well, this New York Times article is quite disturbing. Seems the tuna used in most of 20 New York sushi restaurants sampled contains so much mercury that, "a regular diet of six pieces a week would exceed the levels considered acceptable by the Environmental Protection Agency." Yikes.