Patricia Chang Photography

Mark Bittman's new book is just about eating sensibly.

Let's get one thing straight: Mark Bittman is not a vegan. The first thing he does, sitting down to breakfast at a beautifully curated vegan feast while on tour to promote his mostly-vegan eating manifesto, is demand some dairy.

"What do you say we send this whole vegan thing to hell and get some milk around here?" he says. On cue, dainty milk pitchers arrive, and Bittman's coffee gets a hearty dose.

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Persian food isn't all kebabs and hummus. That's the essential takeaway from Louisa Shafia's new cookbook, The New Persian Kitchen, in which she sheds new light on the foods of her Iranian family's heritage. Unlike most countries in the Middle East, Shafia explains, Iran has a temperate climate with year-round snow-capped mountains, and hundreds of years ago figured out how to use the snow to irrigate the desert to grow fresh fruits and vegetables (the word "paradise" is actually a Persian word referring to walled gardens in the desert), so the cuisine is full of fresh produce and flavors. Shafia will be in town for the next month doing various dinners and events, and we sat down with her to learn more about her view of Persian cuisine.

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Photo courtesy of IACP

In Crust We Trust

Thomas Keller watchers, get ready: next weekend, San Francisco will be the home to the International Association of Culinary Professional's (IACP) 35th annual conference that has a regional theme of "Dirt to Digital: Real Food in a Virtual World." Keller, Joyce Goldstein, Bruce Aidells and Andrew Knowlton of Bon Appétit are on the schedule, along with many other food world heavy hitters. IACP is a professional organization for folks of all stripes who work full time with food -- members include chefs, food stylists, TV personalities, cooking school teachers, caterers, scribes & editors, publicists and marketers, along with reps from food producers, suppliers, manufacturers and appliance makers (be on the lookout for swag!)

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Cover design by Daniel Urban-Brown.

Right after she'd finished co-editing her first book, Mama PhD, Caroline Grant, the editor of Literary Mama.com, got an email from her friend Lisa Harper. Harper had an idea for another book she wanted Grant to work on with her -- one about food. Grant probably would have liked a little break before jumping back into another manuscript, but she agreed to meet Harper at the Children's Playground in Golden Gate Park) each bringing their two children (all under six) to discuss the idea.

"We talked about how so much of our conversation about food is about food rules -- what we should be eating and what's healthy," Grant said. "It creates a lot of anxiety, and we were talking about how we could have a much more compelling conversation if we talk about what food means in our family."

See also: Scavenger Hunt and $3 Cookbooks at the Library's Big Book Sale
Talking Life, Work, and Herring With Mark Russ Federman of Russ and Daughters

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Friends of the San Francisco Public Library's big book sale at Fort Mason.

Looking for some vintage James Beard cookbooks or to read and learn the rules of hospitality from restaurant guru Danny Meyer? Consider stocking up on cookbooks at the upcoming 49th Annual Big Book Sale, which benefits San Francisco's public libraries and is held at the Festival Pavilion of Fort Mason. Book nerds of all stripes have been known to swoon when faced with an entire warehouse of deeply discounted books, organized and stacked in fine fashion.

Friends of the San Francisco Public Library Literary Director Byron Spooner promises that for this sale, there will be eight to ten thousand cookbooks. The bargain prices of $3 or less only add to the temptation (we dare you to walk away from an egg cookery book in primo condition!)

See also: Score Bargain Cookbooks at the Library's Big Book Sale

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Russ and Daughters is one of those iconic New York food spots that has cultural capital well outside the five boroughs. From its uber-humble beginnings as a herring pushcart in 1907, the "appetizing store" has become a Jewish food juggernaut, shipping millions of fish around the world, gaining the die-hard loyalty of foodies ranging from Anthony Bourdain to Calvin Trillin, and making a guest appearance this season on Louie.

Mark Russ Federman, author of the new memoir Russ and Daughters: The House That Herring Built, recently hosted a brunch at the JCCSF. The event sold out well in advance, a testament to the dearth of appetizing stores in the Bay Area. SFoodie caught up with Federman, a "born schmoozer," for a lengthy discussion of smoked fish, perceptions of ethnic food, and gentrification.

See also: Q&A with Evan Bloom of Wise Sons Jewish Deli
Beauty's Bagel Shop Begins Baking Montreal-Style Bagels

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Blue Bottle/SFMOMA

The new Rothko-inspired toast at Blue Bottle in SFMOMA.

The artsy Blue Bottle cafe in SFMOMA has rolled out a line of new desserts inspired by works in the museum's permanent collection. The rooftop cafe started with a Mondrian cake and has since offered rotating specials geared toward the museum's ever-rotating shows, but in celebration of the current "Selected Histories: 20th-Century Art From the SFMOMA Collection," the pastry team is offering sweet responses to old standards.

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At SFMOMA, These Works of Art Can Give You a Sugar Rush
Blue Bottle's New Book Features More Than Coffee

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Atisha Paulson/Random House

Eddie Huang appears at Omnivore Books on Feb. 4.

We first encountered New York chef and restaurateur Eddie Huang a few years ago when he fired the metaphorical warning shots that eventually made the San Francisco food truck Chairman Bao bow down. A lawyer himself, Huang had already been using the name for a signature item at his Baohaus and knew he didn't have to sit idly by while this newcomer gained fame for the name.

When we met him in Manhattan in late 2010, Huang -- who had also clocked hours as a standup comedian -- gave us some alternate name suggestions to bring back home to the S.F. truck. He thought that that it could be rechristened after some other great leader in Chinese history, like Long Duk Dong Bao. Or Connie Chung Bao. Not a huge surprise from someone known to call himself Magic Dong Huang.

Chairman Bao is now the Chairman Truck and Eddie Huang is now an author with the publication of his memoir, Fresh Off The Boat, with a VICE web series of the same name. Huang is about to make his third-ever trip to San Francisco, but this time he comes in peace. He'll be interviewed by fellow author Adam Mansbach at 6 p.m. on Feb. 4 at Omnivore Books (3885A Cesar Chavez).

We know the digits for the Magic Dong, so we gave Huang a call.

See also: Eddie Huang's Awesome New Video Series Takes on the Bay Area

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Here is a "so-called hospitality" title worthy of space in your (compact, apartment) library. A new saucy book from Jacob Tomsky has tasty ties to the Bay Area, and serves up a chance to know what really happens in the crazy world of hotels.

Tomsky dishes the dirt on how to get a sweet (suite?) hotel upgrade and much more in his memoir, Heads in Beds. Ever wondered why the water tastes a little funny out of a hotel glass? Oakland native Tomsky promises it may be from hints of Pledge, used to keep glassware oh-so-tidy and shiny.

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- 18 Reasons Makes Space for New Members in Food Lit Club
- Tyler Florence on His New Cookbook and What to Make Right Now
- Revisiting My Side of the Mountain in the Locavore Era

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Selected books from upcoming sessions of 18 Reasons' Food Lit Club.

18 Reasons hosts a monthly Food Lit Club where members talk about culinary books as well as magazine articles. Moderator Heather Knape sends out discussion questions and topics in advance, and there's typically the appointing of someone for snack duty or a call for potluck contributions so you don't end up reading about food on an empty tummy.

See Also:
- The Best Little Cookbook Store in San Francisco

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