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SEC to high-speed traders: Make sure your technology worksAugust 3, 2012: 4:48 PM ET
SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro let it be known Friday that the market regulator has taken up the gauntlet thrown down by Knight Capital's act of errantry.
The Securities and Exchange Commission will convene a "roundtable" in the coming weeks to address the "critical issues" raised by Wednesday's high-frequency foul-up, Schapiro proclaimed in a statement.
As if that weren't enough, Schapiro has also commanded SEC staffers to speed up efforts to make sure exchanges have "specific programs" in place to ensure "the capacity and integrity" of the system.
The latest mishap is the kind of thing "that can raise concerns for investors about our nation's equity markets," she said.
But don't feel bad, Wall Street, you're still the best in the land. Schapiro called the U.S. capital markets "the most resilient, efficient, and robust in the world."
Related: Knight Capital surges 60% as trades return
Despite being the best in the world, however, the U.S. stock market is still clearly vulnerable to technological snafus.
Schapiro acknowledged that "reliance on computers is a fact of life" for basically everyone. But that does not mean we should give up and let the computers take over.
We human beings "should endeavor to reduce the likelihood of technology errors and limit their impact when they occur," said Schapiro.
Related: The Wall Street machine is broken
After all, that's why the SEC installed circuit breakers, which automatically turn stocks off when they get out of control, after the last time a trading algorithm ran amok in May 2010.
While those breakers helped limit the damage, the SEC can only do so much to stem the rising tide of technology.
In a message to the Knight Capitals of the world, Schapiro said existing rules make it clear that those who use computers to trade fast and trade often, "must check those systems to ensure they are operating properly."
Meanwhile, shares of Knight Capital (KCG) surged 60% Friday after two major online brokerage firms resumed trading with the "trusted partner," in the words of TD Ameritrade CEO Fred Tomczyk. Despite the rally in its share price, the outlook for Knight is murky at best. The brokerage firm is apparently being kept afloat through the weekend by a very short-term line of credit.


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Twenty holiday gift picks for 2011 — #8 Picture perfect giving
Here's an oh-so-easy way to slay that holiday shopping list: Customizable photo gifts.
There is, of course, the proverbial photo coffee mug, available at just about any place that processes pictures. It may seem unoriginal, but in fact these useful, thoughtful tokens are the prized possession of grannies and grampies the world over.
[media-credit name="snapfish.com" align="alignleft" width="150″][/media-credit]
And the options certainly don't end there. Personalize every gift on your list by enveloping them in photo wrapping paper adorned with a favorite pet picture. Or, memorialize a special occasion or memory by having that photo encased in a snow globe. (The Colorado company Snow Globes Central produces an especially tasteful photo snow globe.)
[media-credit name="snowglobecentral.com" align="alignleft" width="150″][/media-credit]
Or, for that extra special someone, consider transferring a fetching portrait to canvas. Snapfish.com, Zazzle.com and CanvasPop.com all get high marks for artful photo canvases.

subset: commoncrawl


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We're dedicated to bringing you the very best in beauty, so we've encouraged the experts — our team of editors — to share their daily obsessions. Read on for today's pick!
"Spray on this fragrance and you'll instantly feel as though you're on a beach soaking up the sun. Warning: it might inspire a spur-the-moment road trip to some place tropical." — Erin Flaherty, Beauty & Health Director
Bobbi Brown Beach Eau de Parfum, $67.50, at Sephora.


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Transforming Medical Transport
Parastar is a global consultancy that delivers innovative management solutions and revenue-generating options for EMS, fire departments and healthcare systems.
Our services range from EMS consultancies to billing and cost recovery to joint venture partnerships. Parastar DELIVERS THE DIFFERENCE in terms of efficiency, cost-effectiveness and customer focus to enhance YOUR brand and image.
Parastar's success began in Michigan with several major hospital systems and has spread across the US and into China, India and beyond.
Working at Parastar


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Planning for Emergencies
- depends on electricity --- to breathe, be fed, stay comfortable
- cannot be moved easily because of his medical condition or attachment to equipment
- uses a wheelchair, walker, or other device to move
- cannot survive extreme temperatures, whether hot or cold
- becomes afraid or agitated when sudden changes happen
- cannot independently get out of an emergency for physical or emotional reasons
Emergency Information Form (EIF)
Thinking Ahead
- Do you have a current care plan and list of medications from your child's physician?
- Do you have an emergency information form (EIF) filled out with your child's information?
- Do you have a two week supply of medication and supplies for your child?
- Do you have back-up systems or plans for medical equipment that require electricity?
- Have you discussed with your child's doctor what the best place is for your child in the event of a disaster?
- Are your local emergency management team and neighbors aware that you have a child with special needs and are they familiar with those needs?
- Do you have a disaster plan for your child while he is at school, day activities, church, etc?
- Does your family have a disaster plan? Have you practiced the plan?
- Do you have a disaster supply kit for your family?
- Have you designated a "meeting place" and central point of contact should your family be separated during a disaster? Have you shared the location of your meeting place with all family members and neighbors?
- Have you discussed disasters and preparation with all your children?
- Have you considered making a picture board or communication page if your child with special needs or a young child has limited understanding? (These pictures could include first response workers in uniforms/ fire gear.)
- Have you made plans for your pets?
- Have you checked your home (inside and out) for materials and items that might pose a hazard during a disaster?
- Have you located and learned how to turn on and off utilities such as gas, water, and electricity in your home?
- Do you have working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in your home?
- Does your home have necessary resources such as water hoses, fire extinguishers, generators, etc.?
- Have you developed a plan with your neighbors for how you will assist one another in case of disaster?
Disaster Supply Kit
- no electricity, phone, heat, air conditioning, computer
- no water
- no local access to prescription refills or health care products*
- no refrigeration
- separation from family
- evacuation to a shelter or elsewhere
- confinement to home
- limited health care access
- lack of transportation
- limited emergency rescue services
Medical Emergencies and Children
- What is available in the way of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) for my child at home, at school, or other places she might be? Do the EMS providers have training with children with special health care needs?
- How are decisions about emergency transport handled? What choices do I have?
- Which hospitals might receive my child on an emergency basis?
- What rules or policies apply when my child is not with me in regards to things such as health care plans, preferences, rescue medications, Do Not Resuscitate orders, and disaster assistance?
- Ask about special health risks for your child or symptoms that should be watched for.
- Discuss whether it is appropriate for your child to wear identifying medical jewelry health information.
- Ask for your doctor's help in completing an Emergency Information Form (EIF) for your child.
- Discuss who should have a copy or your child's EIF. Consider relatives your child may stay with, EMS providers (fire department, paramedics, police station), and responsible adults at school, daycare, camp, and other places your child may go.
- Review and update your child's EIF annually or more often as needed.
- Discuss with the physician about using signed consent for treatment forms (EIF). (You can get a sample form at the American College of Emergency Physicians Emergency Information Form (EIF) for Individuals with Special Health Care Needs (ACEP) ( 61 KB)).
In an Emergency
- Know who and how to call for help. Dial 9-1-1 or your local emergency services number.
- Have your child's EIF form available for the EMS response team.
- Comfort and reassure your child. Listen to your child and help him understand what is happening.
Information & Support
For Parents and Patients
Crisis: Helping Children with Special Needs (NASP)
Coping strategies for crisis affecting children with special needs; National Association of School Psychologists.
Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatments (POLST forms)
The National POLST Paradigm is an approach to advance care planning developed for patients with one or more serious advanced illnesses, with emphasis on patients' wishes about the care they receive.
Help Families with CSHCN Prepare for Emergencies
Tips for families: be informed, make a plan, build a kit, get involved and resources. Prepared by Family Voices, New Mexico.
Services for Patients & Families in Nevada (NV)
|Service Categories
|# of providers* in:
|Other states (5) (show)
|Emergency Medical Care
For services not listed above, browse our Services categories or search our database.
* number of provider listings may vary by how states categorize services, whether providers are listed by organization or individual, how services are organized in the state, and other factors; Nationwide (NW) providers are generally limited to web-based services, provider locator services, and organizations that serve children from across the nation.


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Online-Trainings &
Maximum flexibility through
digital learning solutions
Turn your career goals into a reality with advanced technical solutions that will advance your knowledge. Fast Lane offers leading technical training for some of the top technology vendors including Cisco, NetApp, Microsoft, VMware and more. We have a large number of high quality instructors that have trained students worldwide through our multiple IT training delivery methods.
Most businesses are contemplating how to leverage the latest technologies to digitalize their businesses. This digital transformation is occurring on a global basis and to support these new trends Fast Lane has developed new business enhancing services.
Authorised by top vendors in the world of IT as their Training Partner.


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- Description
- Returns
- Delivery Info
Strength: 3.7%
A copper coloured, easy drinking beer. Well balanced malt and hop flavours continue to a long, refreshing and clean finish.
Malt: Pale / Crystal / Chocolate
Hop: Fuggles / Goldings / Bobek
1 litre bottle = 1 3/4 Pints of fresh beer.
Glass bottle full of delicious fresh beer.
The beer is ready to drink, no settling time is required.
Shelf Life
These products contain fresh beer and have a short shelf life compared to bottled beer. The beer is best within 7 days of delivery, drunk as fresh as possible and within 1-2 days of opening.
To be at its best fresh beer should be stored in a cool environment somewhere around 8-12 degrees, a garage is ideal. If you'd like your beer at fridge temperature please be aware that a harmless 'chill haze' may develop, the haze will not affect the flavour of the beer but may reduce its clarity. It's also best to keep your beer out of direct sunlight.
Allergen Information
Our beers are made from ... Malted barley, hops, yeast and water. Beers may also contain oats and wheat. Our beers are not suitable for those with coeliac disease or gluten intolerance.
For further guidance please contact us on 01628 476594
Vegan Friendly?
We brew using traditional methods, one of which is adding the finings agent 'Isinglass' to help the beer clear. The isinglass is not vegan friendly, so our beer is therefore also not vegan friendly.
If for any reason you are not satisfied with your purchase, please let us know as soon as possible either by email at firstname.lastname@example.com or give us a call on 01628 476 594.
All beer will be shipped via UK Mail who deliver between Monday and Friday.
Delivery should be within 2 working days of shipping from the brewery.
If your order contains beer we send it via courier.
Courier charges are as follows...
We charge £8 for the first box and £5 per box after that.
We've tried to make sure that we use as few boxes as possible to send your order. Items that are not beer but are ordered with beer do not add to the delivery cost.
If you'd like your beer for Friday, order by midday Thursday.
We aim to ship orders of draft beer on the same day, if placed before midday, Monday to Thursday.
Orders placed for draft beer after midday Thursday or all day Friday, will be packed on the following Monday and then delivered Tuesday/Wednesday. This is to ensure your beer has the longest shelf life when delivered and is not sitting in a depot all weekend.
Bank holidays may cause extra delay in your order being delivered.
You will be sent tracking details via text or email if you have supplied that info.


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The Bay Area's Top 100 restaurants
2010 should go down as the most exciting year of Bay Area dining in more than a quarter century.
That's a bold statement, but one easily supported considering some of the new places that have opened since the last Top 100 list was published a year ago.
The bar/restaurant scene has been redefined with Bar Agricole. The "pop up restaurant" craze found firm footing at Mission Chinese Food. Places such as Saison and Commonwealth have introduced a generation of chefs who don't carry all the financial baggage once required for fine dining. Corey Lee, a protege of Thomas Keller at the French Laundry, has practically reinvented fine dining at his minimalist, Asian-infused Benu.
The last year was truly a time for reinvention and reinvigoration: Michael Mina moved his top-rated eponymous restaurant in the Westin St. Francis over to the Aqua space where he got his start. He's created a menu that's very 2011, with Asian-inspired combinations; replaced Bernardaud china with handmade porcelain; and jettisoned thick tablecloths for finely polished wood tables.
Hiro Sone did much the same at his 23-year-old Terra in St. Helena. He and his wife and partner, Lissa Doumani, split the space in two and turned the other half into Bar Terra.
The comeback power of Mark Franz shouldn't be overlooked, either. His first restaurant, Farallon, was a Top 100 staple until a few years ago. He's now regrouped, and it's back on the list, along with his newer seafood restaurant, Waterbar. Finally, a restaurant with great food and a spectacular view.
Gitane missed the list last year, but has emerged stronger than ever under Bridget Batson, who grew to prominence at the now-closed Hawthorne Lane. This is a much smaller venue, but her Iberian cooking is better than ever. Ubuntu lost a little momentum when Jeremy Fox moved on, but now it's in good hands under Aaron London. Also in Napa, Patrick Kelly, former chef de cuisine at La Folie, brought Angele back to prominence.
In San Francisco, Absinthe is blossoming under Adam Keough, and David Bazirgan has revived the Fifth Floor. Over in Oakland, A Cote, a small-plates restaurant that seemed in flux a year ago, found its rudder under longtime chef Matt Colgan.
Jonathan Beard completed a major upgrade at Bistro Aix, another perennial on the list. It fell off last year because he closed for what turned out to be a nine-month remodel. Now it's better than ever.
In 2010, the casual bug hit everywhere. Michael and Lindsay Tusk followed the up-market Quince with Cotogna, which takes them closer to their roots at the original restaurant, now home to Baker & Banker. And Daniel Patterson expanded to Plum in Oakland, using the similar vegetable-based sensibility he pioneered at Coi, but at everyday prices.
Bay Area Italian cuisine matured, too, often inspired by regional fare at such places as Oenotri in Napa, and Ristobar and Zero Zero in San Francisco.
So in a year when the economy was still in recovery, the restaurants stepped up. The Top 100 includes 26 restaurants that weren't on last year's list, which meant that some very deserving restaurants had to go. A few, such as Spruce, were dropped because they're undergoing changes in the kitchen as this goes to print, but for the most part the cuts were painful. I tried to devise ways of logically expanding the list, but the Top 125 or even the Top 110 Bay Area Restaurants doesn't have the same ring.
This year, as in previous years, the selections are dominated by American and California cooking, which is probably as it should be. Chefs here continue to be very ingredient-based and have built a cuisine that reflects the region; it's a style that's hard to duplicate anywhere else. Even the Indian, Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants on the list often speak of place.
I truly hope you enjoy checking out the restaurants, and I look forward to your feedback. As usual the Top 100 will be posted on sfgate.com and insidescoopsf.com. I'll update it periodically to indicate restaurants that might be coming off because of chef changes and inconsistencies, and new places that will likely find a spot here in 2012.
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Chef David Taylor has taken the reins from Liza Shaw, but you'd never know there was a change when you taste the Campania-inspired food. You'll find classics such as trippa Napoletana and rustic main courses such as pork shoulder with mustard fruit and toasted hazelnuts. Owner Shelley Lindgren has amassed a fascinating collection of Italian wines, and the staff is helpful. In September the interior was refurbished; the noise level is more pleasant, but the place still has a lively buzz, thanks to the crowded bar and open kitchen in front focused around the wood-burning oven integral to Neapolitan pizza.
Cuisine: Italian (Campania)
Specialties: Neapolitan pizza; tuna conserva; burrata; house-cured salumi; tripe Napoletana; maccaronara pasta with tomato ragu and ricotta salata; chocolate budino tart.
Seats: 105; private room for 20
Prices: $16-$25
Noise rating:
Parking: Street, difficult
Vitals: 2355 Chestnut St. (near Divisadero Street), San Francisco; (415) 771-2216 or a16sf.com. Lunch Wednesday-Friday; dinner nightly. Wine only. Reservations and credit cards accepted.
A Cote (NEW)
Although this decade-old small-plates restaurant dropped off the list for a couple of years, a recent visit showed it is back on top. Chef Matthew Colgan keeps the constantly changing menu simple. Everything is on point, whether it's a foie gras terrine, croque monsieur or truffled boudin blanc with potato puree and Armagnac-soaked prunes. A communal table adds a lively element to the dark, moody decor. It's a great place for interesting wines and beer, with more than 40 choices.
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Specialties: Mussels in Pernod cooked in the wood oven; pommes frites; house-made sausage.
Seats: 140; private room for 50
Prices: $5-$18 (small plates)
Noise rating:
Parking: Street, sometimes difficult
Vitals: 5478 College Ave. (between Lawton Street and Taft Avenue), Oakland; (510) 655-6469 or acoterestaurant.com. Dinner nightly; until midnight on weekends. Full bar. Reservations and credit cards accepted.
Absinthe (NEW)
Chef Adam Keough, who worked for Michael Mina in Southern California, has given this 13-year-old spot a bright new outlook. The cocktails have always been great, but now the food excels, too. Keough produces such appetizers as grilled scallops with corn and fava leaves. Main courses include short ribs braised in Pinot Noir or arctic char with potato scales. Pastry chef Bill Corbett also makes impressive desserts, including a modern version of German chocolate cake. The bustling interior feels like an American brasserie, and the efficient service makes this a prime destination before or after a night at the Symphony, Ballet or Opera.
Cuisine: French
Specialties: Any cocktail; French onion soup; hamburger; oysters; Tcho chocolate pot de creme.
Seats: 120; private room: 35
Prices: $13-$30
Noise rating:
Parking: Valet $10 Tuesday-Saturday
Vitals: 398 Hayes St. (at Gough Street), San Francisco; (415) 551-1590 or absinthe.com. Lunch and dinner Tuesday-Sunday (until 2 a.m. Tuesday-Saturday). Full bar. Reservations and credit cards accepted.
Classic doesn't mean staid, as shown by this still-modern Italian gem that's been in business for 22 years. A few years ago, the restaurant underwent a much-needed redo by noted designer John Wheatman. He turned what was once a chapel into a proper cathedral for Suzette Gresham Tognetti's beautifully conceived fixed-price menu, which can be matched with owner Giancarlo Paterlini's fine collection of Italian wines. Diners select three to five courses on the regular menu or the seven-course tasting menu that includes a selection of Italian cheeses presented tableside.
Cuisine: Italian (Contemporary)
Specialties: House-made pasta with foie gras and black truffles; lobster panzerotti in spicy lobster broth; Parmesan budino; bourbon caramel semifreddo.
Seats: 45; private rooms for 8 and 20
Prices: $64-$105 (fixed price)
Noise rating:
Parking: Paid garage (across the street)
Vitals: 1722 Sacramento St. (near Polk Street), San Francisco; (415) 567-5432 or acquerello.com. Dinner Tuesday-Saturday. Beer and wine. Reservations and credit cards accepted.
Ad Hoc
Thomas Keller opened this restaurant as a temporary venture in 2006 while he was waiting to get permits to start another concept, but the place became so popular that the new project was shelved. Chef Dave Cruz offers a nightly changing four-course menu ($52) served family style. What's being offered is posted daily on the restaurant's website. Recently dinner consisted of baby iceberg lettuce with oven-dried tomatoes, brioche croutons, olives and blue cheese dressing, followed by rack of pork with cavelo nero and wild mushroom whipped potatoes. After a cheese course, dessert was cashew panna cotta with blondies and caramel sauce.
Cuisine: American
Specialties: Menu changes daily, but beef short ribs and buttermilk fried chicken make regular appearances.
Seats: 77 (plus 12 on the patio)
Prices: $52 (fixed price); a la carte available at the bar; three-course Sunday brunch, $34
Noise rating:
Parking: Free lot
Vitals: 6476 Washington St. (at Oak Circle), Yountville; (707) 944-2487 or adhocrestaurant.com. Dinner Thursday-Monday; brunch Sunday. Beer and wine. Reservations and credit cards accepted.
Inspired by the aperitivo bars in Bologna, Jon Smulewitz decided to open a salumi-centric restaurant a few blocks from his equally enticing Dopo. Early in the evening and late at night he puts out free platters of his incredible house-made salumi to go with cocktails and wine. The menu always contains at least 35 choices, all made in-house. Each is distinctive, whether it's Lucanica with roasted Gypsy peppers, or Lazio with anise seed, garlic and white wine. Well-crafted cocktails, antipasti, sandwiches and salads round out the menu. The industrial bar-like surroundings are stylish, but the din can be overwhelming.
Cuisine: Italian (aperitivo bar)
Specialties: Any of the house-made salumi; pates; any cocktail.
Seats: 50
Prices: $8-$16
Noise rating:
Parking: Street, generally easy
Vitals: 4395 Piedmont Ave. (at Pleasant Valley Avenue), Oakland; (510) 601-0305 or www.dopoadesso.com. Dinner Monday-Saturday (until midnight Monday-Wednesday, 1 a.m. Thursday-Saturday). Full bar. No reservations. Credit cards accepted.
Amber India
When Vijay Bist opened a branch of his modest Mountain View restaurant in San Francisco three years ago, he upped his game. While the original is homey, and the branch in San Jose's Santana Row is splashy, the Yerba Buena location brings it all together thanks to the cooking of Sandeep Basrur. The large multilevel space includes a cocktail lounge, and the menu includes vibrant dishes with California touches, including skewers of duck breast, tender from a yogurt marinade and served with a dill and caper dipping sauce. The original location in a Mountain View strip mall has more traditional, equally delicious fare.
Cuisine: Indian
Specialties: Butter chicken; yogurt-marinated rack of lamb; duck tikka kebab; tandoori sea bass; coffee kulfi with chocolate sauce.
Seats: 130 plus 48 in the lounge; private room for 30
Prices: $14.95-$26.95
Noise rating:
Parking: Street parking (difficult); paid lots nearby
Vitals: 25 Yerba Buena Lane (near Market Street), San Francisco, (415) 777-0500 or amber-india.com. Also at 2290 W. El Camino Real, No. 9 (near Rengstorff), Mountain View, (650) 968-7511; and 377 Santana Row, Suite 1140, San Jose, (408) 248-5400. Lunch, dinner daily. Full bar. Reservations and credit cards accepted.
Chefs are smitten with Japanese cuisine lately, but Hiro Sone has combined techniques and ingredients from his two cultures since he and his wife, Lissa Doumani, opened the restaurant in 2005. Orlando Pagan presides over the sashimi bar and open kitchen, where he prepares such items as a foie gras napoleon and barbecue eel with sansho pepper and balsamic sauce; and the signature "chawan mushi," a savory Japanese custard with lobster and eel. There are also Western combinations, including grilled pork chop with Umbrian truffle sauce. Located in the St. Regis Hotel, the airy dining room features a wall of windows hung with sheer drapes that artfully blur the urban landscape. The chic bar in the lobby offers a separate appetizer menu.
Cuisine: Contemporary American
Specialties: Any raw fish dishes; Lissa's Staff Meal (cuttlefish noodles with sea urchin); Japanese egg custard with lobster; sake-marinated black cod with shrimp dumplings.
Seats: 98; private room for 32
Prices: $34-$39
Noise rating:
Parking: Valet $15 for three hours
Vitals: 689 Mission St. (at Third Street, in the St. Regis Hotel), San Francisco; (415) 284-4040 or amerestaurant.com. Dinner nightly. Full bar. Reservations and credit cards accepted.
Angele (NEW)
While this restaurant touts French country food, new chef Patrick Kelly, formerly of La Folie, offers a citified approach. He's elevated the French menu at this 9-year-old brasserie with stunning combinations and presentations. Sure, he may serve beef Bourguignon, but his is made from short ribs with Parmesan grits, salsify and kale. He wraps guinea hen in pancetta and serves it with boudin noir, parsley root and chestnuts. Owner Bettina Rouas takes command of the dining room, a century-old boathouse with lofty ceilings and blue-paned windows overlooking the Napa River. On nice days, head to the outdoor patio.
Cuisine: French
Specialties: Crisp-skinned suckling pig; french fries; boeuf Bourguignon; banana gratin; seasonal fruit clafouti.
Seats: 85; plus 65 on patio; private room for 12
Prices: $18-$34
Noise rating:
Parking: Free lot
Vitals: 540 Main St. (at Fifth Street), Napa; (707) 252-8115 or angelerestaurant.com. Open continuously for lunch and dinner daily. Full bar. Reservations and credit cards accepted.
Located in the Richmond District, this Moroccan-inspired restaurant started modestly but each year chef-owner Mourad Lahlou adds more. He's creating some of the most exciting, innovative food in the Bay Area, using his heritage as a focal point. He's self-taught and passionate, and calls on both modern and ancient techniques. He offers an a la carte menu, but many opt for the tasting menu ($73), which might include carrot rye bread pudding with horseradish or veal pot pie with Alubia beans and cardoon. Unusual handcrafted cocktails rival the cuisine, and Melissa Chou's desserts are terrific, with innovative dishes such as beet sorbet with goat yogurt granite and pumpkin seeds.
Cuisine: Moroccan (Contemporary)
Specialties: Five-course tasting menu ($73); b'steeya, goat cheese with preserved tomato vinaigrette; couscous; meatballs; lamb shank with barley, turnips and sour cherries; any dessert.
Seats: 128; private rooms for 28 and 40
Prices: $17-$29
Noise rating:
Parking: Valet $10 Wednesday-Sunday
Vitals: 5800 Geary Blvd. (at 22nd Avenue), San Francisco; (415) 752-2222 or aziza-sf.com. Dinner Wednesday-Monday. Full bar. Reservations and credit cards accepted.
Baker & Banker
The name sounds like a brokerage, but diners can bank on great baking at this husband-and-wife-owned restaurant in the original Quince space. Jeff Banker has a global view and creates savory courses that might include a squash salad with Moroccan spices or brioche-stuffed quail with bourbon-maple glaze. Lori Baker ends the meal on a high note. She's one of the best bakers in the city, and last year the couple opened a shop on premises that sells exceptional breakfast pastries, cookies and even the signature XXX Chocolate Cake. Designer Michael Brennan's interior is a handsome, masculine-looking brasserie with caramel-colored walls and comfortable leather banquettes.
Cuisine: American
Specialties: House-smoked trout with celery root latke; soy- and mirin-braised cod with foie gras-shiitake sticky rice; dark chocolate layer cake; brown butter doughnuts.
Prices: $19.50-$28.50
Noise rating:
Parking: Valet $10
Vitals: 1701 Octavia St. (at Bush Street), San Francisco; (415) 351-2500 or bakerandbanker.com. Dinner Tuesday-Sunday. Beer and wine. Reservations and credit cards accepted.
Bar Agricole (NEW)
Restaurants have tried for decades to find the perfect mix of bar and dining, but it took this Mission restaurant to pull it off. It's the collaboration of some of the city's top bartenders - Thad Vogler, Eric Johnson, Andreas Willausch and Mark Ellenbogen on wine. Everything is made from scratch; they use five kinds of ice, depending on the cocktail. The interior has an artistic industrial feel, and a grand patio takes advantage of the warm microclimate. Under chef Brandon Jew, the food is meticulously crafted. The menu changes often but could include puntarelle with fennel, broccoli and bagna cauda; or fried fluke with olive oil and artichokes.
Cuisine: Contemporary American (urban tavern)
Specialties: Any cocktail; chopped liver on toast; fried fluke with artichokes; Meyer lemon tart.
Seats: 80, including 35 on the patio; private room for up to 40
Prices: $15-$26
Noise rating:
Parking: Valet $10
Vitals: 355 11th St. (near Harrison Street), San Francisco; (415) 355-9400 or baragricole.com. Dinner nightly. Full bar. Reservations and credit cards accepted.
Bar Jules
Looking at the small blackboard menu, Bar Jules seems like any number of charming neighborhood restaurants around the city. Once you fork into Jessica Boncutter's four appetizers or three main courses, you'll know why it's a destination. Recently she offered steamed carrots with shaved fennel and radishes in cumin dressing. Main courses included grilled pork chop with steamed cabbage on squash puree. There's no printed menu; the daily offerings are announced on two blackboards and on the restaurant's website. The L-shaped dining room is tight but stylish, with the open kitchen taking up most of the space.
Cuisine: Contemporary American
Specialties: Chalkboard menu changes nightly
Seats: 38, plus 8 seats outside
Prices: $24-$27
Noise rating:
Parking: Street, difficult
Vitals: 609 Hayes St. (near Laguna Street), San Francisco; (415) 621-5482 or barjules.com. Lunch or brunch Wednesday-Sunday; dinner Tuesday-Saturday. Beer and wine. Reservations and credit cards accepted.
Benu (NEW)
Corey Lee, who worked eight years as a top chef at the French Laundry, last year opened a restaurant that's helping to redefine fine dining. The room is chic and minimal, with white walls, gray banquettes and black resin-like tables trimmed in light wood; it exudes the tranquility of a Japanese teahouse. Lee effortlessly mixes Asian ingredients on the fixed-price and a la carte menus. He's replicated the brittle yet elastic texture of shark's fin, using hydrocolloid to produce fine threads that float in broth filled with crab, cabbage, ham and a surprise of black truffle custard underneath. Wine pairings are superb.
Cuisine: Contemporary American
Specialties: Tasting menu; offerings change often but might include risotto with uni; Eight Treasure duck with gold leaf flakes; lamb with gingko nuts, burnett and ginger.
Seats: 66; private room for 18
Prices: $16-$32 (smaller portions); 12 course tasting-menu, $160
Noise rating:
Parking: Valet $15
Vitals: 22 Hawthorne St. (at Howard), San Francisco; (415) 685-4860 or benusf.com. Dinner Tuesday-Saturday. Beer and wine. Reservations and credit cards accepted.
Everyone is doing "street food" these days, but when Betelnut opened 17 years ago, it was cutting edge, featuring dishes from China, Thailand, Malaysia, Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, Japan and India. It remains as fresh as when it opened, thanks to chef Alexander Ong. While he can't take dishes like minced chicken in lettuce cups off the menu, he's broadened the offerings with the likes of Sri Lankan curried fish and duck's-nest noodles with spicy Sichuan glaze. Another first: He offers the involved clay pot Beggar's Chicken every night. The interior evokes the allure of a 1920s Shanghai speakeasy, with a bar cooled by palm fans and a bustling open kitchen.
Cuisine: Asian
Specialties: Minced Chicken in Lettuce Cups; firecracker shrimp; Little Dragon dumplings, Sichuan green beans, Beggar's Chicken; smoked sea bass; coconut-tapioca pudding.
Seats: 135 (with bar); private room for 36
Prices: $11.75-$21.88
Noise rating:
Parking: Street, difficult
Vitals: 2030 Union St. (near Buchanan Street), San Francisco; (415) 929-8855 or betelnutrestaurant.com. Open continuously for lunch and dinner daily, until midnight on weekends. Full bar. Reservations and credit cards accepted.
Bistro Aix (NEW)
It took more than nine months for Jonathan Beard to remodel and reopen his popular Marina restaurant. He added a wood grill, which allows him to cook whole fish, freshened up the bistro area near the bar and built out what was once a slapdash patio, preserving the 80-year-old olive tree in the middle. The room has a bright, active buzz, but padded walls keep noise in check. Beard serves some of the best Provencal food in the Bay Area, shining even on simple salads like butter lettuce with mustard vinaigrette, and spaghetti with tomatoes and basil. Don't pass up the tarte tatin with its buttery, flaky crust.
Cuisine: French/California
Specialties: House-cured salmon on potato galette; salad with warm breaded goat cheese; crisp roast chicken breast; bouillabaisse; sole meuniere; coq au Riesling; tarte tatin.
Seats: 85; private room for 50
Prices: $12-$22
Noise rating:
Parking: Street, difficult
Vitals: 3340 Steiner St. (near Chestnut Street), San Francisco; (415) 202-0100 or bistroaix.com. Dinner nightly. Beer and wine. Reservations and credit cards accepted.
Bistro Don Giovanni
Even though the dining scene in the Napa Valley has exploded since Bistro Don Giovanni opened in 1993, the restaurant is more popular today than ever. It's the clubhouse for locals - on any day you're sure to see winemakers having lunch or dinner near the inside fireplace, or in one of the two seating areas on the covered patio, which is also equipped with a warming fireplace. The grounds, which overlook vineyards, include an expansive garden and beautifully designed fountain. Pastas and pizza shine, but so does anything from the grill or wood oven.
Cuisine: Italian
Specialties: Fritto misto; beet and green bean salad; pizza; any pasta, including fettuccine alla Lina (porcini and sausage ragout); seared salmon; roast half chicken; grilled burger; Bostini trifle.
Seats: 160 (with patio); private patio for 60
Prices: $15-$38
Noise rating:
Parking: Free lot
Vitals: 4110 Howard Lane (Highway 29, near Salvador Avenue), Napa; (707) 224-3300 or bistrodongiovanni.com. Open continuously for lunch and dinner daily. Full bar. Reservations and credit cards accepted.
At its best, dining can transport us to another country for a fraction of the cost of an airplane ticket. When tapas calls, this small bar makes you feel as if you're in Spain. Gerald Hirigoyen, who owns Piperade, offers Basque-inspired small plates: prawns with crisp garlic and lemon; cod fritters with celery root remoulade; octopus carpaccio with quince and lemon oil; beef heart with sherry onion sauce; and bocadillos (sandwiches) with serrano ham or Catalan sausage. Diners can sit at the counter near the back, or along the tangerine-colored brick walls. You can even order Kalimutxo, equal parts Coca-Cola and red wine, popular in parts of Spain.
Cuisine: Spanish (Basque)
Specialties: Lamb burgers; tai snapper ceviche with key lime; prawns a la plancha; pig trotters with egg salad; house-made chorizo with braised cabbage; chilled prawns with deviled eggs; "arm of the Gypsy" with hazelnut mousse.
Seats: 50
Prices: $6-$15 (small plates)
Noise rating:
Parking: Street, difficult
Vitals: 710 Montgomery St. (at Washington Street), San Francisco; (415) 982-2622 or bocasf.com. Open continuously for breakfast, lunch and dinner Monday-Friday; dinner only Saturday. Beer and wine. No reservations. Credit cards accepted.
Michael Chiarello may be a television star, winemaker, cookbook author and shop owner, but you'll still find him in the kitchen at his 2-year-old Yountville restaurant. Unlike others who are lured away by the bright lights of television, he returned to his first love - cooking. His passion is evident on every plate, whether it's wood-grilled octopus with olive-oil-braised potatoes or house-made rigatoni with rabbit sugo. Located in what was once a winery, the dining room incorporates the exposed brick walls and timber-beam ceiling, sharp contrasts to refined Murano glass chandeliers, Donghia fabric and oversize Frette napkins. Another plus: The wine list is exceptionally well priced.
Cuisine: Italian (Calabrian)
Specialties: Shaved Brussels sprouts salad; warm pecorino custard; polenta under glass; goat-milk-braised lamb shank; smoked braised short ribs; wood-oven-roasted fish with Meyer lemon; cooked-to-order Italian doughnuts.
Seats: 130, plus 44 on the patio; private dining for 8
Prices: $17-$38
Noise rating:
Parking: Free lot
Vitals: 6525 Washington St., A9 (in V Marketplace), Yountville; (707) 945-1050 or botteganapavalley.com. Lunch Tuesday-Sunday, dinner nightly. Full bar. Reservations and credit cards accepted.
Thomas Keller has taken this popular French brasserie on the road, with branches in Las Vegas and Los Angeles, but the flagship continues to provide a coveted brasserie experience. Adam Tihany's design features mosaic-like tiled floors, a tin ceiling, Art Deco-inspired light fixtures, a zinc bar and a grand display of seafood at the raw bar. Chef Philip Tessier adheres to the classics: steak frites, tripe a la mode, boudin blanc and mussels with fries. Next door, Bouchon Bakery is a prime stop.
Cuisine: French
Specialties: Raw seafood bar; French onion soup; leg of lamb; quiche; roast chicken; profiteroles; Floating Island.
Seats: 90 (with patio)
Prices: $17.95-$35
Noise rating:
Parking: Free lot
Vitals: 6534 Washington St. (near Madison Street), Yountville; (707) 944-8037 or bouchonbistro.com. Open continuously for lunch and dinner daily until 12:30 a.m. Full bar. Reservations and credit cards accepted.
Nancy Oakes was one of the first chefs to give a fine-dining twist to American cuisine when she opened 18 years ago, and her food is just as exciting today. She and Pamela Mazzola weave multiple elements together to create complex but unified plates. Wood-oven-roasted pork chop is accompanied by potatoes with crunchy Parmesan and prosciutto croutons, sauteed chard with garlic and chile flakes, a garnish of smoked dates and kumquats, and roasted pork jus with rosemary. The interior crafted by co-owner Pat Kuleto blends industrial and Belle Epoque influences in three dining configurations: the bar, the open kitchen and an area in the back overlooking the Bay Bridge.
Cuisine: Contemporary American
Specialties: Seared foie gras; Dungeness crab salad with citrus; Monterey red abalone with mushroom "Milanese"; sea scallops with melted and pan-seared artichokes, bacon and pecans; oven-roasted meats; dessert.
Seats: 150; private room for 64
Prices: $31-$43
Noise rating:
Parking: Valet $10 at dinner; $12 at lunch
Vitals: 1 Mission St. (at Steuart Street), San Francisco; (415) 543-6084 or boulevardrestaurant.com. Lunch Monday-Friday, dinner nightly. Full bar. Reservations and credit cards accepted.
Bourbon Steak (NEW)
Bourbon Steak looks like a high-roller steak house in the Westin St. Francis space that used to house the Compass Rose and Michael Mina. With the soaring columns, rich wood and large screened windows overlooking Union Square, it feels like a grand restaurant of a bygone era. Yet Mina has created a menu that modernizes the genre. Steaks are slow-poached in butter before being seared and finished on the grill so they're crusty and juicy. Accompaniments are a step above, too. Creamed corn, for example, has a light sauce, with a smattering of tempura-fried kernels on top and a dusting of corn powder added tableside.
Cuisine: American (steak)
Specialties: Tuna tartare; butter-poached steaks; braised short ribs; truffled macaroni and cheese; duck fries with three sauces; Maine lobster pot pie.
Seats: 102 plus 43 in the bar
Prices: $18-$49
Noise rating:
Parking: Valet $13 Sunday-Thursday and $17 on weekends
Vitals: 335 Powell St. (in the Westin St. Francis Hotel), San Francisco; (415) 397-3003 or michaelmina.net. Dinner nightly. Full bar. Reservations and credit cards accepted.
Cooking over open flames has caught fire, and no one is more serious about it than Russell Moore. Most dishes on the menu are prepared this way, from a salad of grilled Belgian endive on cardoon puree to an appetizer of wood-roasted oysters with Absinthe. The nightly changing menu features several appetizers and three main courses, one meat, one fish and one vegetarian. Moore worked at Chez Panisse for 20 years, and he traces the source of all his ingredients, including the spirits. The dining room is filled with two 30-foot-long redwood tables cut from one tree, with chairs that came from an English church to create a monastic look.
Cuisine: California
Specialties: Anything cooked over an open fire, including leg of lamb and crab in season; wood-oven-baked eggs and French toast at brunch.
Seats: 84
Prices: $20-$25
Noise rating:
Parking: Street, easy
Vitals: 3917 Grand Ave. (near Sunnyslope Avenue), Oakland; (510) 547-5035 or caminorestaurant.com. Dinner Wednesday-Monday; brunch Saturday-Sunday. Full bar. Reservations and credit cards accepted.
Canteen started a trend: upscale food in downscale surroundings. When it opened seven years ago, Dennis Leary had just come off a stint at Rubicon. His reputation made the 20-seat "diner" a national darling. His menu changes weekly and includes four appetizers, main courses and desserts. He might offer smoked pheasant terrine with lentils and sauerkraut; lamb loin with truffle sauce, mashed potatoes and braised kale; and chocolate croquettes to finish. Diners sit on stools at the lime-green counter or at tables under shelves filled with Leary's favorite books.
Cuisine: American
Specialties: Weekly changing menu; pork schnitzel with bacon and poached egg; vanilla souffle always available.
Seats: 20
Prices: $19.50-$27.50
Noise rating:
Parking: Street, difficult
Vitals: 817 Sutter St. (near Jones Street), San Francisco; (415) 928-8870 or sfcanteen.com. Dinner Tuesday-Saturday. Beer and wine. Reservations and credit cards accepted.
Philippe Gardelle opened Chapeau in 1996 but moved it to a more spacious, upscale space two years ago. The look is classic and romantic; even though the tables are close together, each is set with a small bouquet of flowers or a single rose. Gardelle is among the few who still produce classic sauces and preparations, but with modern touches. He leans toward French onion soup and rich cassoulet, but there are also innovations like lavender honey and Dijon-glazed chicken served with Napa cabbage, kabocha squash and yams crowned with deep-fried tiger prawns. A la carte pricing is available, but the best deals are the fixed-price menus with loads of options.
Cuisine: French
Specialties: Wild-caught skate wing with brown butter sauce; escargot in garlic parsley butter; salade Landaise; cassoulet de Toulouse; filet mignon with sauce a la Perigourdine; profiteroles.
Seats: 50
Prices: $19.50-$28. Three-course menu, $38; four courses, $46
Noise rating:
Parking: Street, difficult
Vitals: 126 Clement St. (near Second Avenue), San Francisco; (415) 750-9787 or chapeausf.com. Dinner nightly. Full bar. Reservations and credit cards accepted.
Chez Panisse / Cafe at Chez Panisse
This year Alice Waters celebrates 40 years in a restaurant that helped change the way Americans eat. Unlike other chefs who have used their celebrity to build new restaurants, she used hers to bridge the food divide, starting gardens in schools and advocating for local and sustainable ingredients. The farm-to-table movement is ubiquitous these days, but Chez Panisse is still the source of perhaps the most pristine cooking in America. The single, nightly changing menu is served in a handsome Craftsman dining room overlooking the open kitchen. Chef duties are split between Jean-Pierre Moulle and David Tanis, each of whom works half the year. The more casual cafe upstairs offers a la carte selections and the same hand-picked ingredients.
Cuisine: California-Mediterranean
Specialties: The downstairs menu changes nightly. Cafe: pizza; goat-cheese salad; wood oven-roasted squid; any seasonal dessert.
Seats: 50 downstairs, 80 upstairs in the cafe
Prices: $60-$95 (fixed price) downstairs; main courses, $18.50-$32 upstairs.
Noise rating: downstairs; upstairs
Parking: Street, fairly easy
Vitals: 1517 Shattuck Ave. (near Cedar Street), Berkeley; (510) 548-5525 or (510) 548-5049 (cafe). chezpanisse.com. Upstairs: Lunch, dinner Monday-Saturday. Downstairs: Dinner Monday-Saturday. Beer and wine. Reservations and credit cards accepted.
In 2005 when the cocktail culture was on the rise and bistros were on the wane, Loretta Keller decided to revamp her long-lived Bizou to keep ahead of the trend. Now the sleek open interior has a mid-century look, with comfortable upholstered chairs, teak paneling, cork floors and bright splashes of color. The lounge vibe reframes Keller's classics and makes them seem modern. You can't do better than her batter-fried green beans, beef cheeks and vacherin for dessert, for example. The menu kicks off with things to share: brandade, duck liver terrine and the like. There's also great pizza and flatbread, plenty of options for vegetarians and exceptional cocktails that should make everyone happy.
Cuisine: California-Mediterranean
Specialties: Fried green beans; truffled mushroom flatbread; Coco tacos; beef cheeks with horseradish cream; wood-oven braised pork shoulder; vacherin (Swiss meringue with chocolate and coffee ice cream).
Seats: 60; 20 in the lounge
Prices: $14-$25
Noise rating:
Parking: Street, often easy at night
Vitals: 500 Brannan St. (at Fourth Street), San Francisco; (415) 543-2222 or coco500.com. Lunch Monday-Friday, dinner Monday-Saturday. Full bar. Reservations and credit cards accepted.
No other restaurant in the Bay Area encapsulates such a sense of place as Coi. The ingredients for Daniel Patterson's 11-course tasting menu are gathered on daily trips to farmers' markets; the ingredients are so artistically put together that few realize his combinations are mostly vegetable based. Patterson uses cutting-edge techniques, but never at the expense of the ingredients: He cooks beets in hay, blending them with fresh cheese, wild sprouts and flowers. He showcases a farm egg with cauliflower and nettle-dandelion salsa verde. The newly remodeled interior has a serene, Japanese vibe that dovetails with the purity of the food.
Cuisine: California
Specialties: Daily changing 11-course tasting menu that might include abalone on the plancha; slow-cooked egg with crisp chicken skin.
Seats: 49; private room for 8
Prices: $145 (fixed price)
Noise rating:
Parking: Valet $8
Vitals: 373 Broadway (near Montgomery), San Francisco; (415) 393-9000 or coirestaurant.com. Dinner Tuesday-Saturday. Beer and wine. Reservations and credit cards accepted.
Commonwealth (NEW)
The food produced by Jason Fox belies the restaurant's urban location. A decade ago his creations would have been at home at such places as Meadowood or Gary Danko - at twice the price. Instead, the surroundings are modest, with an opaque film covering the Mission-side windows and a disco ball, found in the attic, spinning in the middle of the room. Fox uses all the current tricks: He offers frothy malt vinegar mousse with house-made potato chips to every diner; he uses sodium alginate to make cheese that looks like albino egg yolks for a salad served on a slate tile. There's a six-course tasting menu, too, with $10 going to charity.
Cuisine: Progressive American
Specialties: The menu changes regularly but might include grilled chicken livers with brown rice-black pepper crackers; corn custard with sea urchin, chorizo and lobster emulsion; coconut-poached halibut with sea beans, grapes and Thai spices.
Seats: 45
Prices: $13-$16
Noise rating:
Parking: Adjacent lot
Vitals: 2224 Mission St. (at 18th Street), San Francisco; (415) 355-1500 or commonwealthsf.com. Dinner Tuesday-Sunday. Beer and wine. Reservations and credit cards accepted.
Corso Trattoria
Even if it weren't as good as it is, the chicken cooked in brown butter, a recipe owner Wendy Brucker perfected after repeated visits to Trattoria Sostanza in Florence, would be enough to put this small Berkeley restaurant on the list. Yet, everything cooked by Rodrigo Da Silva is praiseworthy, whether it's linguine with baby octopus and butter beans or arancini flecked with wild nettles, lemon zest and fried sage. Prices are reasonable - steak is the only dish more than $18 - but tables are so close together you may end up knowing your neighbors' business. Another option is to eat at the bar or kitchen counter, where you might learn Da Silva's secrets for the Florentine steak or whole grilled fish.
Cuisine: Italian (Tuscan)
Specialties: Grilled whole branzino; trippa alla Florentina; pasta with braised beef and pork; chicken cooked in butter; souffle-like baked polenta; house-made gelato with limoncello.
Seats: 56
Prices: $12-$34
Noise rating:
Parking: Street, moderately difficult
Vitals: 1788 Shattuck Ave. (near Delaware Street), Berkeley; (510) 704-8004 or trattoriacorso.com. Dinner nightly. Full bar. Reservations and credit cards accepted.
Cotogna (NEW)
Michael Tusk has gone back to his rustic roots at Cotogna, the little sister of the upscale Quince. The two are connected by a back hall, so you'll see the chef; his wife, Lindsay; and wine guru David Lynch travel back and forth throughout service. Lindsay Tusk did much of the design, and the space feels like Italy anchored in San Francisco. On one side is the open kitchen with a special grill that shoots flames up the back; on the opposite side are windows overlooking Jackson Square. The menu is innovatively presented; the pastas (all exceptional) are $16; antipasti, $10; and desserts, $7. Every bottle of wine is $40 ($10 glass). Best deal: a nightly $24 three-course menu.
Cuisine: Italian
Specialties: Sformato (Italian custard); any pasta, such as lamb pappardelle cooked in the wood oven; spit-roasted pork; carrots roasted with rooftop honey and anise; fruit crostata.
Seats: 50 plus 10 at the bar
Prices: $15-$24
Noise rating:
Parking: Valet $10 at night
Vitals: 490 Pacific Ave. (near Montgomery Street), San Francisco; (415) 775-8508. Lunch and dinner continuously Monday-Saturday (until midnight Friday-Saturday). Full bar. Reservations and credit cards accepted.
Few chefs have the skill Douglas Keane shows in his stunning combinations, which incorporate French inspiration, the best California ingredients and Asian accents. Keane painstakingly wraps smoked Tasmanian ocean trout with soba noodles and serves it in oolong broth, or sears Wagyu beef and places it on a pad of lotus root with a length of bone where the marrow has been incorporated into a rich flan. All this can be found in the two fixed-price menus, with vegetarian options. Co-owner Nick Peyton, a consummate professional, orchestrates the service that befits the handsome room with glazed Venetian plastered ceiling and Italian linens. There's also an excellent bar menu with inventive appetizers and cocktails, and a first-rate wine list.
Cuisine: Contemporary American
Specialties: Thai-marinated lobster with avocado, mango and hearts of palm; truffled red wine risotto; Billi-Bi soup with tempura mussels; breads made in house.
Seats: 66; private room for 12
Prices: $102-$130 (fixed price)
Noise rating:
Parking: Street, generally easy
Vitals: 29 North St. (at Healdsburg Avenue), Healdsburg; (707) 433-3311 or cyrusrestaurant.com. Lunch Saturday (May-October); dinner Thursday-Monday. Full bar. Reservations and credit cards accepted.
It was a leap of faith, a bank loan and a credit card that lured Craig and Anne Stoll to open Delfina in 1998 in an unproven neighborhood in the Mission. The restaurant quickly acquired a national reputation, and several years ago Stoll was named best chef-Pacific by the James Beard Foundation. They've opened two pizzerias, one next door to Delfina, and later this year plan to open a Roman-inspired restaurant nearby. The food has a pure, rustic sensibility, whether it's simple spaghetti with plum tomatoes or a mixed grill of sausage with polenta. The interior has a somewhat industrial look, with hardwood floors, wood benches and a profusion of sandblasted beaker lights hanging from the ceiling.
Cuisine: Italian
Specialties: Grilled calamari with warm white beans; handmade pasta; spaghetti with tomatoes, garlic and olive oil; roast chicken; buttermilk panna cotta.
Seats: 84
Prices: $13-$26
Noise rating:
Parking: Street, difficult; paid lot nearby
Vitals: 3621 18th St. (near Guerrero Street), San Francisco; (415) 552-4055 or delfinasf.com. Dinner nightly. Beer and wine. Reservations and credit cards accepted.
The Bay Area may be overrun with pizza, but there's always room for someone like Jon Smulewitz, who produces some of the best thin-crust pies around. His talents don't stop there. The chef-owner makes incredible salumi, fresh salads and satisfying pasta. The menu also offers crudo such as local halibut with grapefruit, arugula and pine nuts. His antipasti may include sardines with citrus or pork ribs with Calabrian chiles. If available, don't pass up the mortadella or coppa. In eight years in business, Dopa has doubled in size, but it retains the look of an intimate trattoria. One of the best seats is at the counter, watching pizza being made.
Cuisine: Italian
Specialties: House-made pates and salumi; crudo (raw fish); house-made pastas; nightly changing pizza.
Seats: 49 (plus 30 outside)
Prices: $15-$16
Noise rating:
Parking: Street, difficult
Vitals: 4293 Piedmont Ave. (near Echo Avenue), Oakland; (510) 652-3676. Lunch Monday-Friday, dinner Monday-Saturday. Full bar. Reservations for parties of five or more. Credit cards accepted.
Southern Indian cooking took a decidedly upscale turn in 2008 with the opening of the Fillmore branch of this popular but smaller Valencia Street restaurant. Emily and Anjan Mitra began in the Mission in 2005, and they were so well received that when they opened a second location they doubled the seats, expanded the menu and added innovative cocktails and a well-crafted wine list. The dining room, complete with high ceilings and glittery chandeliers, has a modern sensibility. Chef Senthil Kumar incorporates bold flavors and fresh California touches into his soulful creations.
Cuisine: Indian (Southern)
Specialties: Dosa (particularly masala); jumbo prawn masala with coconut rice; samosas North and South; dahi vada (lentil dumplings); house-made kulfi (Indian ice cream).
Seats: Fillmore: 80; 34 in bar; private room for 50. Valencia: 70.
Prices: $12-$28 (four course tasting menu: $39). Valencia: $12-$17.50
Noise rating: (Fillmore); (Valencia)
Parking: Validated parking in Japan Center Garage (Fillmore). Street, difficult (Valencia)
Vitals: 1700 Fillmore St. (at Post Street), San Francisco; (415) 441-3672 or dosasf.com. Lunch Wednesday-Sunday; dinner nightly. Full bar. Reservations and credit cards accepted. Also at: 995 Valencia St. (near 21st Street), San Francisco; (415) 642-3672.
Farallon (NEW)
This 14-year-old upscale seafood restaurant has been rejuvenated under chefs Mark Franz and Ryan Simas. Diners can concentrate on smaller courses such as a white shrimp parfait, or head to a more substantial fare like seared scallops with mushroom and potato hash and black truffle coulis. Few interiors are as fantastical, with jellyfish light fixtures in the bar; a white plastered nook of a room that feels like the inside of a nautilus shell; and the painted mosaic dome in the main dining room that formerly capped the Elks Club pool. Dessert from Emily Luchetti ends the evening on a high.
Cuisine: Seafood
Specialties: Seafood platters; tuna tartare with smoked hearts of palm; lobster and sweetbread cassoulet with wild mushrooms and white beans; Champagne-poached scallops; pan-roasted black bass with red wine oxtail sauce; bittersweet chocolate mousse.
Seats: 175; three private rooms for 18, 45 and 100
Prices: $27-$34
Noise rating:
Parking: Valet $12
Vitals: 450 Post St. (near Powell Street), San Francisco; (415) 956-6969 or farallonrestaurant.com. Dinner nightly. Full bar. Reservations and credit cards accepted.
Fifth Floor (NEW)
Chef David Bazirgan has given new life to the restaurant that earned George Morrone four stars when it opened in 1999. It's been through several well-known chefs since, but Bazirgan, who most recently worked at Chez Papa Resto, has again made this hotel restaurant relevant. There's an a la carte and a fixed-price menu, along with a separate menu in the sexy bar. Bare wood tables and comfortable chairs in the dining room overlooking a rooftop garden are a casually elegant setting for his food: an uni flan with a crab fondue with the haunting buzz of Sichuan peppercorns; and sauteed dourade with blood orange-braised fennel, black olives and subtle licorice hit from a Pastis emulsion.
Cuisine: New American (with Mediterranean influences)
Specialties: Uni flan; oysters five ways; butter-poached Maine lobster; slow-cooked squab with confit leg and house-cured pancetta.
Seats: 60; plus 30 in the lounge and 25 at the bar; private room for 14
Prices: $29-$32 (six- course tasting menu, $85)
Noise rating:
Parking: Valet $8 an hour
Vitals: 12 Fourth St. (at Market), San Francisco; (415) 348-1555. Dinner Monday-Saturday. Full bar. Reservations and credit cards accepted.
Flour + Water
Getting into this immensely popular Italian restaurant can be an exercise in futility. Reservations are hard to come by, and waits for tables can be long. Yet once diners sit down to Thomas McNaughton's food, all is forgotten. The restaurant serves an ever-changing menu of delectable pastas and some of the best pizza and Italian-inspired desserts in the city. The casual interior includes some interesting details that warm up the space: rustic ceiling beams, walnut tables and stained glass from the dearly departed Myth.
Cuisine: Italian, with local influences
Specialties: Any pasta on the daily changing menu such as parsley tagliatelle with braised hen; wood-fired pizza; main courses such as seared striped bass with ceci bean puree, puntarella and olives; ricotta pound cake with lemon ice cream.
Seats: 49; private room for 12
Prices: $13-$24
Noise rating:
Parking: Street, fairly easy
Vitals: 2401 Harrison St. (at 20th Street), San Francisco; (415) 826-7000 or flourandwater.com. Dinner nightly until midnight. Beer and wine. Some reservations taken. Credit cards accepted.
Foreign Cinema
Few restaurants have as broad an appeal as Foreign Cinema. For those who want a little romance, there's a handsome quasi-industrial dining room with a fireplace surrounded by logs to stoke the flames. Then there's a separate bar, Lazlo's, for a pre-dinner drink; a covered patio where movies play as the sun goes down; and private rooms - one is even an art gallery - for those special-occasion dinners. The food is fresh farm-to-table fare crafted by chefs Gayle Pirie and John Clark, who are life as well as business, partners. It's also a great place for weekend brunch; don't overlook the house-made "pop tarts."
Cuisine: California
Specialties: Beef carpaccio; oysters on the half shell (up to 20 varieties); fried chicken (spiced with curry, paprika or sesame seeds); harissa-spiced pork chop; chocolate pot de creme; granitas.
Seats: 220; private rooms for 15, 20, 40 and 70
Prices: $18-$28
Noise rating:
Parking: Valet $10; $12 at brunch
Vitals: 2534 Mission St. (near 21st Street), San Francisco; (415) 648-7600 or foreigncinema.com. Dinner nightly; brunch Saturday and Sunday. Full bar. Reservations and credit cards accepted.
Few restaurants have made a national impact so quickly. Even though it opened in late 2009, this modest Castro restaurant was one of the finalists for the coveted James Beard Foundation Best New Restaurant award. Owner Melissa Perello, who was a Chronicle Rising Star in 2002 when she was just 25, turned from cooking high-end food at places like the Fifth Floor to her more casual neighborhood spot. It's one of the most difficult reservations in town because of the quality/value ratio. The food is spectacular, and the compact wine list contains specially blended house wines for $1 an ounce. You drink what you want and are charged accordingly.
Cuisine: California
Specialties: Menu changes nightly, but hope for chicken liver mousse; bacon beignets; chickpea fritters; bavette steak with toasted farro ragout and fava greens; lumberjack cake.
Seats: 38 plus 10 at the bar
Prices: $18-$26
Noise rating:
Parking: Street, difficult
Vitals: 3870 17th St. (at Pond Street, near Noe), San Francisco; (415) 621-3870 or frances-sf.com. Dinner Tuesday-Sunday. Beer and wine. Reservations and credit cards accepted.
French Laundry
Thomas Keller is the only chef in America with two three-star Michelin restaurants. It all started with the French Laundry, which he took over in 1994 and rebuilt to what many contend is the best restaurant in America. Ten years later, he opened Per Se in New York. Reservations for the Yountville restaurant, located in a century-old stone building with the menu-inspiring gardens across the street, are hard to come by, taken two months in advance. Those who persevere are in for a magical experience. Keller believes that when diners finish a dish, they should crave one more bite, so he teases the palate through nine courses on the $270 menu (includes service charge).
Cuisine: Contemporary American
Specialties: "Oyster and pearls" (pearl tapioca with oysters and caviar); cornets of salmon tartare; "coffee and doughnuts" (espresso mousse and doughnuts).
Seats: 64; private room for up to 10
Prices: $270 (fixed price)
Noise rating:
Parking: Free lot and street
Vitals: 6640 Washington St. (near Creek Street), Yountville; (707) 944-2380 or frenchlaundry.com. Lunch Friday-Sunday; dinner nightly. Beer and wine. Reservations accepted two months in advance. Credit cards accepted.
Gary Danko
Year after year, Zagat diners rank Gary Danko as the most popular restaurant in the Bay Area. There's a reason for this honor: The food is excellent, the prices are a value for the quality, and the service is among the best around. The restaurant features fixed-price menus of three to five courses, with diners choosing their own selections from 11 appetizers, six seafood dishes, seven meat options and nine desserts, plus flambeed bananas prepared tableside. There's also an exceptional cheese cart and superb wine list. Diners are ensconced in a sleek room filled with fresh flowers and suited waiters who are always there when you need them.
Cuisine: New American
Specialties: Glazed oysters with osetra caviar; risotto with lobster; seared foie gras with caramelized red onions; horseradish-crust salmon with dilled cucumbers; quail stuffed with foie gras; chocolate souffle with two sauces.
Seats: 65; private room for 10
Prices: $68-$102 (fixed price)
Noise rating:
Parking: Valet $11
Vitals: 800 North Point St. (at Hyde Street), San Francisco; (415) 749-2060 or garydanko.com. Dinner nightly. Full bar. Reservations and credit cards accepted.
She doesn't have what's considered the de rigueur wood-burning oven, but Sharon Ardiana turns out great pizza in her gas-fueled Blodget. The crust is crisp and slightly chewy; the toppings complement but never overwhelm. She offers 10 combinations, including one with wild nettles and pancetta, and another with butternut squash, ricotta, sage and brown butter. Excellent salads and meatballs round out the menu, along with a daily roast such as chicken breast with polenta or saba-glazed pork belly with braised cabbage. This Glen Park storefront is named after Ardiana's grandmother, and poster-size family pictures line the walls. Last year she opened a branch on Divisadero called Ragazza.
Cuisine: Pizza
Specialties: Atomica pizza (tomato, mushrooms, spicy chiles, red onions, mozzarella); potato pizza with bacon, onions, sage and Gorgonzola; meatballs; wild arugula salad; roast of the day; chocolate hazelnut dessert pizza.
Seats: 38 plus 3 seats at the counter
Prices: $12.50-$17
Noise rating:
Parking: Street, difficult
Vitals: 2842 Diamond St. (at Kern Alley), San Francisco; (415) 239-8500 or gialina.com. Dinner nightly. Beer and wine. No reservations. Credit cards accepted.
Gitane (NEW)
Few restaurants exude as romantic an aura as this Iberian spot tucked away on an alley near Union Square - it feels like Casablanca meets Paris. The dining room on the mezzanine is covered with a shiny ceiling that reflects the softly lighted room; the corner booths seemed designed for snuggling. Bridget Batson does a spectacular job with the menu, incorporating flavors from Morocco, Spain and Portugal. Her exciting and unique combinations are augmented by the best sherry list in the city.
Cuisine: Iberian
Specialties: Bacon bonbons (prunes stuffed with goat cheese); spiced chicken tagine; sauteed radishes in harissa butter; sherry.
Seats: 40 plus 20 at the bar and 32 outside
Prices: $20-$26
Noise rating:
Parking: Nearby garages
Vitals: 6 Claude Lane (near Kearny and Bush streets), San Francisco; (415) 788-6686 or gitanerestaurant.com. Dinner Tuesday-Saturday (until midnight Thursday-Saturday). Full bar. Reservations and credit cards accepted.
Opened by the Zen Center in 1979, this restaurant helped change the way Americans think about vegetarian food. With a then unknown chef, Deborah Madison, Greens didn't push its philosophy on others but merely celebrated vegetables in a beautiful setting with a great wine list. Annie Somerville has now been at the helm for more than 25 years, and her cooking still attracts hordes who come to the warehouse-like interior at Fort Mason to take in the majestic views of the Golden Gate Bridge. Many cultures inform the menu: spring rolls with grilled tofu; grilled Mexicana sandwich; butternut squash and caramelized onion pizza; and vegetable curry.
Cuisine: Vegetarian
Specialties: Menu changes daily; mesquite-grilled tofu and vegetable brochettes; various pizzas; spinach salad tossed with hot olive oil; seasonal fruit galette.
Seats: 150; private room for 50
Prices: $18-$24.50; $49 fixed-price menu on Saturday nights
Noise rating:
Parking: Paid lot
Vitals: Building A, Fort Mason Center (Marina Boulevard and Buchanan Street), San Francisco; (415) 771-6222 or greensrestaurant.com. Lunch Tuesday-Saturday; brunch Sunday; dinner nightly. Beer and wine. Reservations and credit cards accepted.
House of Prime Rib
Steak houses have proliferated in the Bay Area in the past couple of years, but for those who crave a thick slab of meat, this restaurant that has been in business since 1949 still tops the list. Owner Joe Betz meticulously maintains the restaurant, updating the series of rooms, which replicate an English men's club, each with a fireplace. A few years ago, Betz added a handsome glassed-in wine cellar in the middle of the restaurant. All the prime rib is baked in rock salt and carved tableside. Each order comes with a salad tossed tableside in a spinning salad bowl, creamed spinach, mashed or baked potato, and Yorkshire pudding.
Cuisine: American
Specialties: Prime rib, English trifle for dessert.
Seats: 178; private room for 75
Prices: $35.45-$39.85 for complete meal, including salad
Noise rating:
Parking: Valet $8
Vitals: 1906 Van Ness Ave. (near Washington Street), San Francisco; (415) 885-4605 or houseofprimerib.net. Dinner nightly. Full bar. Reservations and credit cards accepted.
If the


text: presslab 44 Posted April 12, 2012 (edited) I figured I'd start a thread on my conversion. The car is an '88 GL-10 wagon with 4EAT. The engine is a '94 JDM GC8 WRX. The engine (and 5MT which I plan to use in another car) and harness came from eBay, $1800 shipped. The engine was in pretty good shape, although there were a few issues: Dented oil pan. Not a problem, I was able to look in the drain plug hole and the pickup had plenty of room. Missing intake "resonator". I bought the Apexi metal intake tube meant for a EJ22T. Broken header coolant tank. I bought a used metal one from eBay for a 2002 WRX. I needed to plug the lower hole and put a new pipe nipple on the other side, and make the necessary brackets to hold it. Bad coil pack. It didn't look cracked, but caused a huge intermittent misfire. A new one for a SVX worked great. Bad ECU coolant temp sensor. Cold start was terrible, replacing this fixed the cold start problem. I still have a very small problem starting when warm. Bad uppipe. The uppipe flex joint was shot, maybe from sitting on the exhaust from the boat ride. A cheap-o eBay uppipe worked okay. I chose the SJR adapter plate rather than swap the 4EAT bellhousing. This worked out fine and saved me some work. It was easy enough to redrill the flex plate, although there is a hardened steel backup plate that required grinding. The SJR plate is nice, my only complaint is that the locating holes for the dowels are not very precise. Stripping the harness was pretty easy. I made a new pluggable connector with 15 pins to interface the new harness with the old one. I had to run a few additional wires for the 4EAT, but no big deal. The radiator fans were a bit tricky, I used a Corolla relay box and wired up two Spal 11" fans behind the radiator to run low & high speed. The A/C cut relay was previously wired before the ECU A/C input, and I needed to rewire it so it was after the ECU A/C input. The digidash tachometer needed a slight resistor mod to get it to work. Coolant lines were not bad either. The hardest part was making hardlines that ran above the radiator for the bleed and the overflow to the header tank. The rad cap on the actual radiator has the lower seal removed. This allows air to bleed back into the header tank. The lower rad hose I used a couple large copper elbows to bend it around to match the stock 2-row radiator. For the top rad hose I used a chunk of the old hose as a reducer. The ECU was (un)fortunately already chipped, running 18 PSI. Hmm looks like this engine has seen some abuse. Oh well, compression test is excellent and it runs good. Because the ECU was chipped, it had a daughterboard installed so I could use jellybean EPROMS. That's good, because both the chip and the stock ECU ROM were way too advanced for our (relatively) crappy 91 R+M/2 octane fuel. I was able to remap the ECU timing and I also added a few other things like CEL on knock, overtemp cutout, launch control, etc. These mods are courtesy of pmugabi, and they work fantastic. Thanks Paul! I didn't end up using Paul's maps, because apparently the fuel in Uganda is worse than ours. But I came up with something that works really well and I've got it at 16 PSI of boost. It seems pretty happy like this. The power steering lines were unfortunatly cut, but I was able to splice my high pressure one on with a steel compression fitting. The return line was easy, just a hose clamp. I already had 3" catback exhaust, and I run the USDM WRX dual cat downpipe. Trying to keep the polar bears alive, ya know. This bolted up pretty good, I had to tweak the midpipe a bit but it's all pretty clean. The engine mount on the EJ is a different angle from EA. I ordered some aluminum wedges from Paul in OZ. No grinding needed on the crossmember. The pitch mount was bent, cut, and rewelded. I spent a fair amount of time just on the intercooler. It's a 2002 WRX one. I didn't want to hack the body up too much so I had to get creative with the hoses. Some silicone elbows, and a new plate to mount on the BPV, and things shaped up pretty good. The charcoal canister was easy, I just hooked up the small line to the hose on the butterfly, and the large line went to the tank. The other fittings on the canister were capped. The throttle cable wasn't long enough, so I ordered one for a Loyale and it fit. It could be a bit longer though... I needed to space off the bracket. My fuel pump was already upgraded, but I decided to play it safe and installed a Walbro GSL392. The input fitting was 12mm and the outlet was a 14mm banjo fitting, with an 8mm banjo barb on the end of it. This is because the pump needs a right angle right out of it. I think that's about it. I hope this helps some else with their conversion questions. Any more questions feel free to ask. I'll put the photos here: https://picasaweb.google.com/102828233271702668239/EJ20G?authkey=Gv1sRgCKes2fW5yuzRlQE#5730347818515918994 Edited April 12, 2012 by presslab Share this post Link to post Share on other sites


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The CMC BC Region is centrally located in downtown Vancouver in an elegant two-storey, street-level space. The CMC BC Region offers a free circulating library, organizes events and workshops, and provides many other services to the musical and artistic community of BC. The CMC BC Region produces Centrepulse, a weekly e-newsletter containing a wealth of information about Canadian music, and maintains a popular blog.
The CMC BC Region is home to the BC Creative Hub, a virtual and real-life initiative that helps the CMC BC Region expand its role as an active member of the arts community by offering a platform for collaboration, engagement and exploration of Canadian contemporary music.
Through outreach, workshops, performances and more, the CMC BC Region is committed to making its Canadian music collections more accessible to everyone.
Canadian Music Centre - British Columbia Region
837 Davie Street
Vancouver, BC
Tel: 604.734.4622
Email: email@example.com
Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.


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Everyone has heard about Tempur-Pedic mattresses. The famous Tempur-Pedic mattress is known for its design in the way that it curves and shapes around the sleeper's body. Tempur Pedic Foam Mattress in Alberton the brand carries different models and designs for different preferences. A lot of research has been put into these mattresses to ensure the quality and effectiveness of a great mattress. Because of the advanced research and design of the mattress, Tempurpedic Cost Queen the pricing on them can be much higher than most people expect to pay for a mattress. The key to being able to afford a Tempur-Pedic mattress is to look for a Tempur-Pedic mattress sale.
Sales allow consumers to purchase these mattresses for lower than retail prices. This also makes it so people that wouldn't otherwise be able to afford it can afford a mattress that is comfortable and state of the art. The first step I would take in looking for a Tempur-Pedic mattress sale is by collecting store ads as they come in the mail. Furniture and mattress stores often mail out flyers and catalogues of their store items and display current or upcoming sales. These catalogues can prepare you to know about the sale and to also price shop based on the different store ads you receive.
Tempurpedic Mattress Sale - Where To Find It
The first step in finding the most comfortable price for you for your mattress is by visiting a store and ensuring this is the mattress for you. You should also see which of the types of Tempur-Pedic mattresses you prefer, as well if you are interested in any of the extras they offer. Once you have decided to purchase this mattress, you should be prepared to wait for the best sale to come around. Do you research online, Tempurpedic King Price and then purchase the newspapers with the stores ads in them. Do some comparisons and when the best deal comes around – be sure to jump on it.
Tempur Pedic Foam Mattress in Alberton ?
One factor that makes a tempurpedic mattress good is its density. It has higher density compared to others which makes it a good quality. So, how does higher density contributes to better quality?
Since a mattress has higher density, then its foam has more body. More body can provide better support and more cushion. You can move freely on it since it matches with your body. As you move, it regains slowly its original shape. Therefore, no part of it becomes higher or lower.
However, a mattress with a higher density is more expensive. Since the foam is filled with enough cells, not air, it is more difficult to make. Therefore, it is more expensive since more effort is used in making it.
Since a tempurpedic has higher density, then it is more expensive. However, its good quality can outcast any money spent in buying it. Once you had try using it and once you had experienced the good things about it, you will forget in an instance your expense on it.
Beds: Where is the Best Place to Find one?
As we love to have a comfortable place to sleep so do the animals. So there are various types of beds for the pets to give them a comfortable sleep. Most of us have the dog as a pet. For the pets we specially have these beds designed for their fullest comfort. This type of beds mainly includes the outdoors beds, luxury beds, and puppy beds. For the various types of dogs there are various types of beds like the large dog beds and the small dog beds. Whereas when we look out for a bed for a cat then there are various types of beds depending upon the breed and the size of the cat. Comfort and luxury: The beds not only provide comfort but also look great due to the material used. Some of the pet beds are made up of the micro velvet nylon. The specialty of this is that it is washable. Due to the flexibility of the pet bed it can be used in traveling. The other advantages of these beds are that the machine can wash it and the covers are also removable and replaceable. Pet beds are available in various colors. Material used for the pet beds: The material used is not just for comfort but for style also. There are various types and sizes of these pet beds. Some of the pet beds are rectangular in shape. The material used for the pet bed is polyfiber, which is washable and removable. There are various sizes of the beds right from small to extra large. Some pet beds are round in shape for the protection of the animal. These beds are used specially when the animal is small in size or by age. The thick inner cushion provides with the fullest comfort to the animal. Other varieties of pet beds: The other varieties of pet beds mainly include the ones with the shape of a doughnut while others are reversible. The reversible beds have an advantage that both sides can use them. The inner cushion is removable and it can be washed easily. Some of these pet beds have an additional advantage of a crate pad. Bed for cats: The beds for cats are mainly required so that they are shielded from the winter and protected from the floor, which is cold. Most of the cat beds are made specially considering the window or the porch. To make the cats more comfortable the beds have a system of heating. This controls the temperature of the bed and the cats are protected from cold. Other advantages of the Pet beds: The pet beds give the animals their own space and the house has a more organized look. These beds can be bought online also. ZZZZZZ


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Ovando Palace
Plaza de Santa María
10003 Cáceres (Extremadura)
- 自治区: Extremadura
- 省 / 岛: Cáceres
Renaissance palace reformed in the 18th century
Renaissance palace reformed in the 18th century. The entrance is a half moon arch.
House or Palace of the Ovando built in 1519, Renaissance, although reformed in the 18th century. One example of palace architecture of Cáceres during the 15th and 16th centuries. It was supposed to have had two towers, one on each side of the main facade however one of them was never finished. In the tower that was finished there is a window decorated with an arch. The bars of the windows of the facade, and above all, the entrance with half-moon arch are worthy of mention.
- 建筑: Palace
- 艺术时期: Renaissance
- 历史时期: 16th century


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Contact Us
Providing you with exceptional service is our priority. You can contact our Customer Service Specialists by phone, mail or email.WRITE
Fiskars Living Canada, Inc., 1330 Campus Parkway, Wall, NJ 07753 USA
Attn: Canada.RoyalAlbert.com Internet Inquiries CALL
Monday-Friday, 8:45am-4:45pm EST EMAIL
Using the form below. All email inquiries are answered in the order they are received. If your matter requires immediate attention, we suggest you call one of our Customer Service Specialists at the number listed above.
NOTE: The form below is only meant for customer inquiries in Canada . If you are outside Canada , please check our list of global website links on our About Us page to find your specific country/regional site.


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On this page you will find upcoming events and links to other important information. We hope that you join us for an evening at the Performance Series, take a special interest course, stop by an artist reception or attend an athletic event. We have lots of activities on campus that are open to the public!
The Pryor Art Gallery brings multi-disciplinary fine art exhibits that are curated to engage students, faculty, artists and community at-large. Exhibits range from national juried touring exhibits to featuring local artists and artisans. The Gallery is free and open to the public.
Columbia State brings a wide array of concerts, plays and performances to the Cherry Theater through the partnership with First Farmers Bank. We invite you to explore this season's lineup.
Looking to get ahead in your career or perhaps even change careers? Columbia State has many flexible course options to meet your needs. Whether you are interested in taking a full course load, or just a class, Columbia State can help you reach your educational goals. Check out our resources for Adult Learners and see how you can find success at Columbia State.
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1665 Hampshire Pike, Columbia TN 38401 | 931-540-2722
Content © 1996-2013 Columbia State - All Rights Reserved. Columbia State Community
College, a Tennessee Board of Regents institution,
is an equal opportunity, affirmative action


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'Tis the season for pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread and even pumpkin-flavored coffee. I love all of the above, but sometimes I relegate all of our squash to sweet treats, and that is a shame because winter squash — such as pumpkin, butternut squash and acorn squash — can be delicious served savory. The sweetness of winter squash lends itself well to sweet treats, but it also provides a wonderful backdrop to be balanced out with more savory ingredients.
I have been searching for some good recipes for inspiration, and I thought that the following sound wonderful (I also share a couple of my own, simple recipes too.)
With rice: Creamy Crock-pot Pumpkin Risotto. To quote the cook behind this recipe, "This risotto is creamy, rich and comforting without any dairy at all. It's quite unbelievable that this is not only gluten-free, but it is also vegan. The roast pumpkin and the pumpkin puree and not only provide a beautiful rich autumn-inspired hue to the dish, but a delicious hearty flavor. If you aren't vegan and/or dairy-free this would also be quite delicious with a good chicken stock and some Parmigiano-Reggiano at the end, though I can say with confidence neither are needed or missed." For a recipe without the use of a slow-cooker, check out this awesome recipe for risotto using winter squash from a friend.
With pasta: Creamy Pumpkin Pasta with Parmesan and Sage. "This pumpkin pasta screams fall." Yes, indeed! And it is a simple dish to throw together on a school night. Win-win in my mind. For a dairy-free version, this recipe for Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce has been a popular recipe since I shared it in the early days of my food blogging.
In a burger: Southwestern Pumpkin Burger. This is a cool idea — make burgers out of flavorful Southwest flavors like cumin, garlic and chili powder, with the sweetness of pumpkin to balance it out.
For breakfast: Pumpkin, Pancetta and Potato Hash. This simple dish has promise of being well-balanced with salty, sweet and savory. You can use whatever type of squash you want.
In a soup: Autumn Beef Stew: I love adding squash to beef stew in the fall. It adds a delicious, sweet element.
For the kid in all of us: Delicata Squash "Fries". Because everything is better in "fry" form. These baked "fries" were a favorite of my first daughter when she was a toddler. Joel and I have always enjoyed them too.


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Nathan Lane Looks Forward to Playing Hickey in 'Iceman' at BAM Next Year
Nathan Lane's fans may be looking forward to his appearance in a one-night-only Carnegie Hall concert of "Guys and Dolls" on April 3, but the actor is anticipating another role that he will reprise in Brooklyn a year from now.
Lane, who gained fame in Broadway musicals and comedies, including the 2001 hit "The Producers" and the 2005 revival of "The Odd Couple," will play the challenging role of Theodore Hickman, or "Hickey," in "The Iceman Cometh" at BAM in February and March 2015.
He played that role in the Eugene O'Neill drama at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago in 2012 with a cast that included Brian Dennehy. "It turned out to be the greatest theatrical experience of my life," he said.


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Report: Principal admits pushing student, denies name calling
Janesville police release report regarding incident involving Milton principal
JANESVILLE, Wis. — A Janesville police report about the principal at Harmony Elementary School includes testimony from witnesses who said she pushed a 7-year-old special needs student against a wall.
Jeanne Smith is on paid administrative leave from the Milton School District after the Feb. 18 incident.
Janesville police said two aides reported to district administration that there was some physical restraint on Smith's part that they weren't sure was appropriate. Officers investigated the report and determined there was not probable cause to charge Smith with a crime.
The report said on the date of the incident, the boy became disruptive in the classroom and two aides took him to a seclusion room near the principal's office. They said they removed the boy's shoes to prevent him from kicking the door.
The aides told police Smith said, "I'm going to antagonize him," before going into the room and making him sit down against a wall with his legs crossed. They said she stepped on one of his ankles to keep from getting kicked.
One of the witnesses told police they heard Smith yell comments similar to, "You're a rotten kid," and "I don't care." She also heard the boy yell, "You're hurting me."
They told police Smith then left the room when a parent arrived in the office and the situation calmed down.
Smith admitted to grabbing the boy's ankles and pushing him into a corner but denied calling him "rotten." She said she might have used the word "antagonize," but didn't specifically recall saying she was going to antagonize him.
A detective didn't find any evidence of injuries to the boy.
The report states Smith was put on leave within a day of the incident and that she had submitted a resignation before the incident and is expected to resign at the end of the year.
The boy's father, Josh Hooker, said he moved his family to the Milton School District after hearing how well they handled children with autism. He said his son is high functioning, but occasionally has meltdowns in class.
"It's been a wonderful experience up until this point," Hooker said.
District administrator Tim Schigur said the school board accepted Smith's resignation letter Jan. 27 as she plans to retire at the end of this year. She is on administrative leave until the district's investigation is complete.


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AccreditationThe National Pathology Accreditation Advisory Council (NPAAC) is responsible for developing and maintaining the accreditation standards that pathology laboratories must meet to be eligible for Medicare. The Accreditation section of Pathology under Medicare contains a range of information about pathology accreditation including:
- current accreditation standards
- best practice guidelines
- ongoing NPAAC communiqu�s
- NPAAC membership
- NPAAC documents for public consultation.
Pathology Services Table (PST)The PST lists the pathology tests for which Medicare benefits are payable and the fees and conditions associated with their use. See Category 6, MBS Online.
Quality Use of Pathology Program (QUPP)The Quality Use of Pathology Program (QUPP) is a national grants program that promotes innovative approaches to improving the delivery of pathology services.
Legislation relating to pathology and diagnostic imagingThe Health Insurance Act 1973 underpins the provision of pathology services in Australia. This Act includes the Health Insurance Regulations 1975 and the Health Insurance (Pathology Services Table) Regulations both of which are also contained in the updated Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS).
Strengthening Compliance - Pathology Approved Collection CentresAs part of the 2017 Budget the Government announced its commitment to strengthening compliance under the Prohibited Practices Provisions of the Health Insurance Act 1973 (the Act) as they relate to Approved Collection Centres (ACCs).
Changes to the laws prohibiting inappropriate commercial relationships between requesters and providers of pathology services came into effect on 1 March 2008.
Rent or other benefits may, in certain circumstances, breach the prohibited practices provisions of the Health Insurance Act 1973. Those provisions prohibit the offer or acceptance of benefits that would be reasonably likely to induce a requester of pathology services to request those services from a provider.
Inappropriate PracticeIndications of suspected inappropriate practices may include:
- extremes in rent paid
- inducements associated with rental agreements
- inducements offered to providers of pathology services or requestors of these services
- vacant or unused rented space for the use of pathology services within 60 days of the lease agreement.
- submitting an online Health provider related tip-off form
- emailing email@example.com
- calling the Provider Benefits Integrity Hotline 1800 314 808
Pathology FAQThe Pathology Frequently Asked Questions provides plain English explanations of how the pathology system works while helping consumers to plan for pathology service fees, gaps and benefits.
ContactsFor information about eligibility, claims and services please contact the Department of Human Services.
|Contact method
|Patient telephone
|Provider telephone
|Web site
|Department of Human Services
|Other web site
|MBS Online


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Software maker Adobe Systems and chip designer ARM will collaborate to bring better Web services to ARM-powered devices including cellphones from most of the world's biggest handset makers.
U.S.-based Adobe, which makes tools for the Internet's most popular video software and made possible the rise of sites such as Google's YouTube, will optimize its Flash Player 10 and Adobe AIR for mobile phones based on ARM processors.
New ranges of cellphones led by Apple's iPhone have stimulated consumers' appetite for Web browsing, game-playing and movie-watching on the go but pages are often hard to access and work far less well than on a desktop computer.
ARM's marketing chief Ian Drew said: "It's all about bringing the Internet experience everywhere."
Most of the world's biggest handset makers, including Nokia and Samsung as well as Apple and BlackBerry maker Research in Motion, have processors designed by UK-based ARM at their core.
The two companies said in a statement on Monday a series of ARM-based processors for cellphones, set-top boxes and other devices adapted for Adobe's Flash 10 and AIR should be available in the second half of 2009.
The collaboration, part of Adobe's Open Screen Project, was endorsed in the statement by several chipmakers including Texas Instruments, Nvidia and Freescale.
This article was originally published on 11-17-2008
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Designed by Walter Wege for Berthold in 1931. A lighter Script-Signal and heavier Block-Signal were added in 1932. Lettergieterij Amsterdam had it as Sirene (3 weights), Jezynskiego as Faksymile (2 weights, before 1940), E. Reggiani as Stilo, Grimoldi as Serie Velox (2 weights). [Lane/Lommen, Reichardt] Typefounders of Chicago had the heavy weight as Punch. In 1934, Berthold added a Deutsch-Signal with German Kurrentschrift letterforms. Only the original style is available in digital format (but appears to be taken off the market).
Two forms of 'r' were offered, in roman and cursive forms, along with other alternates.