Gastronomy Blog by Cathy Chaplin

06 Apr 2016

Test Drive: Sun Basket Meal Kit Delivery

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One of the biggest trends in food at the moment is home meal delivery. Whether it’s ready-to-eat restaurant delivery services like Postmates and UberEATS, cook-to-eat services like Blue Apron and Sun Basket, or in between heat-to-eat services like Munchery and Maple, these businesses are striking a chord with everyone from working parents needing an assist to younger folks obsessed with convenience.

While I’ve employed ready-to-eat and heat-to-eat services on occasion, as well as good old fashion CSAs, cook-to-eat services never appealed to me because I love the thrill of finding recipes and have a husband who doesn’t mind grocery shopping.

When Sun Basket reached out to see if I’d take their meal kits for a test drive, I couldn’t resist out of pure curiosity. Beyond seeing if I would enjoy the service, I wondered if it was actually more convenient than thumbing through cookbooks and grocery shopping. (more…)

Restaurant Review

04 Apr 2016

{swoon} Jeni’s x Four & Twenty Blackbirds Pop-up

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I’m always down for a good collaboration (See: Nike x J. Crew), so when Brooklyn’s Four & Twenty Blackbirds popped up at Los Feliz’s Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams this past weekend, I had to swoop in for a taste. The verdict: Pie a la mode never tasted so good.

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Restaurant Review

30 Mar 2016

State Bird Provisions – San Francisco

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State Bird Provisions came across my radar back in 2012 when Bon Appetit named it the Best New Restaurant in America. Owned and operated by chefs Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski, the restaurant is most notable for serving inventive small plates on dim sum-style carts and trays.

While State Bird’s service model sounded a little gimmicky, I was intrigued enough by the menu to make reservations while in San Francisco for a digital conference last fall.

Even though it’s been a minute since the restaurant was lauded by Bon Appetit, reserving a table at a decent hour is still quite competitive. A little good press goes a long way.

The food started rolling by as soon as my dining companions and I settled in. In true dim sum fashion, hash marks were added to our “bill” as we selected various items from the carts and trays. (more…)