Umamiventures are organized monthly, traveling far and wide to find good, cheap grub off the beaten path.
Umamiventure
October 2, 2012
Upcoming Event: Umamiventure #33: Hive Tour with East Bay Urban Bees
Umamiventures are BACK! The last field trip was at the TCHO factory back in March 2011, remember? Wow, it has been WAY TOO LONG.
For years I have been trying to organize an event with a honey producer, and the time has finally come! We’re proud to announce a special tour with East Bay Urban Bees on Sat 10/13.
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March 22, 2011
Umamiventure #32: TCHO Chocolate Factory (SF)
Photos by Travis LoDolce.
The history of chocolate-making in the Bay Area runs deep. Ghiradelli, Scharffen Berger, and Guittard are some of the big names in chocolate that started here, and the community of smaller, more artisinal chocolatiers continues to grow. Clearly, San Francisco is a place for chocolate-lovers; and for the die-hards, a thriving city to start a chocolate company.
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February 23, 2011
SOLD OUT! Heads Up – Umamiventure #32: TCHO Chocolate Factory (SF)
My first introduction to TCHO chocolates was in 2007, working in New York City. My friend Fumiko, who worked closely with Silicon Valley techie innovators, handed me a bar and told me that it was the next big thing in chocolate.
She was right.
Started by the founders of Wired magazine, TCHO is the only chocolate factory in San Francisco, located right on Pier 17.
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February 4, 2011
Umamiventure #31: Sutton Cellars Vermouth Lab (SF)
All photos by Yoko Kumano unless otherwise specified.
On a warm, sunny day in San Francisco, 23 guests and I had the distinct pleasure of visiting Sutton Cellars Winery for an afternoon Vermouth Class, where we learned about its history, evolution, production methods, and different taste profiles and components. The man behind the podium (er, wine shipping crate), was Carl Sutton.
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January 11, 2011
SOLD OUT!: Umamiventure #31: Sutton Cellars Vermouth Lab (SF)
Updated 1/28, 9am PST:
THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT!
Stay tuned for February’s Umamiventure!
Updated 1/28, 9am PST:
THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT!
Stay tuned for February’s Umamiventure!
When I first read about Carl Sutton’s vermouth in the NY Times last year, I was immediately intrigued. Now, we’re in the Bay Area, where the wine flows like the salmon of Capistrano, and everyone has an opinion about [insert vintage] [insert winery] [insert varietal].
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December 7, 2010
Umamiventure #30: Four Barrel Coffee Cupping (SF)
Umamiventure #30 was indeed a memorable affair, and much more than what any of us expected. It was a night of Serious Coffee Schooling– from the bean picking process, to roasting, to tasting– all courtesy of Four Barrel Coffee in San Francisco.
Since opening in 2008, Four Barrel has become a front runner in the specialty coffee scene here in the Bay Area, and is now on the menus of some of the most reputable restaurants (Slanted Door, Foreign Cinema, Bar Tartine, and on).
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November 10, 2010
SOLD OUT – Heads Up! Umamiventure #30: Four Barrel Coffee Cupping (SF)
Update (Thurs. 11/11, 12pm PST): EVENT SOLD OUT!!!
+++
Wow THIRTY Umamiventures, can you believe? Pretty damn awesome, considering the very first one was in 2007, on a trek out to Flushing, Queens for quite possibly the best dim sum in New York City.
I’m living in the Bay Area now, and still organizing these events monthly. We’re thirty deep! Umamiventures have become so integral to this blog– it’s such a wonderful way to meet ya’ll in REAL LIFE!
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October 26, 2010
Umamiventure #29: Bitters Tasting with A.B. Smeby Bittering Co. (NYC)
Photos by Erin Gleeson.
On a balmy, quiet Sunday afternoon in Brooklyn, we had the distinct pleasure of sitting down with Louis Smeby, founder of A.B. Smeby Bittering Co., for a tasting of his extensive line of bitters. When we all settled down in Quarter Bar‘s charming back yard, there was one glaring question on our minds: What exactly ARE bitters?
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September 20, 2010
Heads Up – Umamiventure #29: A Bitter Cocktail Hour with Louis Smeby (NYC)
Bitters, bitters, bitters. I remember my first encounter with a bottle of Angostura was at The Royal Oak in Williamsburg about four years ago. I asked the bartender, “What the hell is that?” as he added a few drops into a mixing glass. He then tirelessly tried to explain to me what it was, but I absolutely did not follow.
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September 17, 2010
Umamiventure #28: San Tung Restaurant (SF)
Sometimes, I pick a place for an Umamiventure just to regroup with friends, their friends, and loyal Umamimart readers. That’s what these trips are for, afterall: to meet + eat. Choosing a place, however, it is never an easy task– the restaurant must be delicious, relatively cheap (ideally $20 per person) and can handle a large group. There are a plethora of restaurants out there that satisfy two out of three of these traits, but finding a spot that can check off all three?
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