San Francisco Chronicle Food & Home - Spoken Edition

Interior of the Snug in Pacific Heights. After more than a year of planning, The Snug (2301 Fillmore St.), Pacific Heights’ shiny, new bar opens tonight with hopes of becoming the neighborhood’s go-to spot for beer, cocktails, and food from a chef with fine dining credentials. The industry vets behind the project include chef Brian Shin (whose resume includes Alinea and Benu), Jacob Racusin (Alembic), Zach Schwab and Shane Matthews.

Check out the slideshow to see some of our favorite cheap eats in the Bay Area. Check out the slideshow to see some of our favorite cheap eats in the Bay Area. Pascal Rigo heads outside La Boulangerie de San Francisco for his next meeting in the city, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2015, in San Francisco, Calif. Pascal Rigo heads outside La Boulangerie de San Francisco for his next meeting in the city, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2015, in San Francisco, Calif.

In his Between Meals column, Chronicle restaurant critic Michael Bauer writes about the restaurants he visits each week as he searches for the next Top 100 Restaurants. His main dining reviews, written after three or more visits, appear in the Sunday Food + Wine section.The restaurant scene on the Monterey Peninsula can be a little sleepy. There are lots of good choices, but few could compete in a one-on-one matchup of what you’d find in San Francisco.

In the weeks after the wine country fires, the Bay Area restaurant community has stepped up repeatedly to offer assistance for those in need. Everyone has wanted to help, which has led to many benefits, and small. All of them have been heartfelt. There is something about a disaster that brings people together. A benefit held Tuesday, The Grateful Table, was particularly moving because all 500 participants sat at one long outdoor table that stretched down the line dividing Napa and Sonoma counties.

For Thanksgiving tradition is tradition, and at the Food & Wine section, we have favorites that we just can't do without. They're time-tested classics for our Best Ways to roast turkey (we still love brining and air-drying), and prepare gravy, mashed potatoes, pie and more.You'll also find all of them, plus dozens of other recipes we've developed over the years, online at www.sfgate.

The star of the Villon menu is the duck ($120), surrounded by bowls of Brussels sprouts, sunchokes and other items. The star of the Villon menu is the duck ($120), surrounded by bowls of Brussels sprouts, sunchokes and other items. The area around the Proper Hotel and its restaurant Villon is an urban checkerboard: New bike shops and bars stand next to boarded and graffiti-covered storefronts.

Berkeley’s beloved Cheese Board is hoping to literally corner the market with its latest expansion.According to Cathy Goldsmith of the Cheese Board Collective, the shop will take over the Berkeley Produce Center space at 1500 Shattuck Avenue. The timing is still fluid, Goldsmith says, considering the transition will start the market’s owner Sam Hort retires.“It’s exciting time for us right now,” Goldsmith says.

From a meal delivery service to a thriving catering business, from an Off the Grid stand to a Financial District takeout spot, Bini’s Kitchen owner Binita Pradhan has built up quite a momo-making momentum. Now she is barreling forward once again into a larger, second location in SoMa.Pradhan recently signed a lease for a restaurant at the corner of Sixth Street and Howard Street, in the ground floor of a 66-unit affordable-housing complex that opened earlier this year.

Brigitte’s Apple TartMakes two 9½-inch tartsMelted butter or pan spray for greasing the tart pansAll-purpose flour as needed2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed according to package directions (see Note)8 to 10 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice½ cup apricot jam4 tablespoons granulated sugarInstructions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

When you don’t want Thai or Korean but both: E & O off Union Square Trends are an interesting phenomenon. Most are fleeting even if they come to define an era: the pillbox hat of the 1960s, the bell-bottom jeans of the 1970s, and the shoulder pads of the 1980s. A few trends, however, stick around to become classic, fitting into the culture so easily few of us know exactly how they began. Food is a little different.

The Mission Street entrance to RN74 in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, September 18, 2017. The famed restaurant will serve its final meal on October 7th to make way for Ayesha Curry's new restaurant, ... more The Mission Street entrance to RN74 in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, September 18, 2017. The famed restaurant will serve its final meal on October 7th to make way for Ayesha Curry's new restaurant, International Smoke.

Leek & Goat Cheese Tart With Cabernet OnionsMakes two 11½-by-8-inch rectangular tarts6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided4 large leeks, white and pale green portion, diced (about 5 cups)Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste4 medium yellow onions, peeled and cut into ½-inch thick rings3 cups Cabernet SauvignonMelted butter or pan spray for greasing the tart panAll-purpose flour as needed2 sheets puff pastry dough, defrosted according to package instructions1 cup whole milk1 cup heavy whipping cream4 large eggs2 large egg yolks1 cup...

When it comes to Thanksgiving, Zoe Johns has no hard and fast rules. Except one.“I always welcome (guests) with a drink, preferably a glass of wine,” says Johns.Johns, a former product developer and director of catalog marketing for Pottery Barn, joined her family’s Oakville winery, Turnbull Wine Cellars, in 2013 for a brand overhaul that included a revamp of its tasting room experience.

I’m often in Wine Country, taking test runs at the new restaurants that continue to make the region exceptionally rich for the diner. But there are some places that not only score high for food and ambience but also capture — if not help create — the Wine Country spirit. Below are some places I return to again and again, as if returning home. — Michael Bauer, mbauer@sfchronicle.

Makes one 9-inch tart The crust 1½ cups all-purpose flour½ teaspoon kosher salt10 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces1/3 cup ice-cold water The tart 1 delicata squash, peeled, halved lengthwise and seeded10 small shallots, peeled and trimmed2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oilKosher salt and freshly ground black pepper1 cup crème fraiche1 cup heavy cream3 eggs1 teaspoon kosher salt2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper¼ pound blue cheese (I like Bay...