The Chowhound's Guide to the San Francisco Bay Area [Mass Market Paperback]

Chowhound (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 26, 2005

With more than 740,000 visitors a month, Chowhound.com has become a favorite source of information for those who want to take their dining experiences off the beaten path. So why should San Francisco eaters limit their choices to the same old locales found in most restaurant guides? As fun to read as it is comprehensive, The Chowhound’s Guide to the San Francisco Bay Area is all about finding the perfect bite for every occasion, focusing on the undiscovered gems that will generate tomorrow’s buzz. From the best Chinatown noodle shops and secret tamale ladies to sumptuous sushi meccas and sensational stock-up stops for a romantic Sonoma picnic, this is the richest treasure trove of San Francisco restaurants, cafes, take-out counters, delis, farmer’s markets, and food carts ever compiled.

On the web: http://www.chowhound.com

Editorial Reviews

Review

If you’ve heard of even a quarter of the places they mention, you’re way ahead of the curve. -- Jonathan Gold, Gourmet magazine

From the Back Cover

Praise for Chowhound.com

"Thousands of food lovers swap tips on everything from which Queens street cart sells the best India dosas to how to get a reservation at Napa Valley's The French Laundry."
--Newsweek

"The best web restaurant site"
--US News and World Report

"The anti-Zagat's, for people who like food a little spicier."
--Matt Groening, creator of "The Simpsons"

"My mecca was Chowhound.com...The Chowhound community has more passion for and knowledge about food than any other on the Internet."
--Forbes Magazine

"If eating has become the first great cultural experience of the 21st century, chowhound.com is now the grand salon"
--Los Angeles Magazine

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (April 26, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0143034413
• ISBN-13: 978-0143034414
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.8 x 8.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,386,828 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The guide isn't just very good, it's brilliant., April 28, 2005

By 

Krys - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Chowhound's Guide to the San Francisco Bay Area (Mass Market Paperback)

Whether you are a tourist who wants to eat like the locals or a Bay Area native, this book has the most compact yet comprehensive list of ideas for delicious dining in a unique, humorous and easy-to-read format.

As a long time Bay Area resident, I found myself using it immediately

Things I love about the book

-It's lightweight, so I can carry it my purse
-There are tips about places I frequent that I didn't know about
-Great cross indexing. It's very easy to use.
-It doesn't have the same tired general knowledge tips
-Really amazing that not only is SF and immediate areas covered, but that the entire Bay Area is nicely represented.

It also captures the essence of Chowhound of having fun while finding something wonderful to eat.

I've traveled quite a bit and bought many guide books. This is one of the best and most useful books I own.

21 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Lost in Translation: A balanced, Shillless Review, May 23, 2005

By 

Sam (San Francisco, CA, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Chowhound's Guide to the San Francisco Bay Area (Mass Market Paperback)

Jim Leff, Chowhound's creator, includes a long disclaimer in this book's introduction. "Don't trust this book", he says. He even describes all of the food tips themselves as "iffy". This is one point on which I agree with him and it leads me to wonder if this book has much use or value at all to the casual user. If it's iffy, why buy it?
The format of the book, a guide to eating good food in the San Francisco Bay Area, is a visual mess and difficult to navigate, just like the Chowhound.com website itself. I did discover some real gems of information like Melanie Wong's important message about duck juice but it was hard work finding them and more often than not I was just confused.
The book contains discrepancies, anomalies, inaccurate information and strange choices. But I think the major problems are the bad layout and the fact that the entries are extrememly dated. Everything moves so fast in the world of food.
Aside from the most loyal of Chowhounders and obsessed good-food-foragers, I think the more general public just won't 'get' the cluttered, muddled confused format. I don't think people will be prepared to make the investment (time or money) needed to find the good bits amongst the chaos when they can find out the same kind of info online easily where it will be much more current and freely available.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This Guide Book Needs a Guide Book..., May 23, 2005

By 

Meat Street - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Chowhound's Guide to the San Francisco Bay Area (Mass Market Paperback)

Oh boy, I've never been so misguided by a guide book in my life, and believe me, I own lots and lots of guide books. This thing is already outdated. A few restaurants have been out of business since the books publishing (not Chowhound's fault), key restaurants have been left out or miscategorized and the format of the book is like a Mr. Magoo tour of SF. What gives? I was really excited about this book. I love Chowhound.com but I can't with good conscience recommend this ten car pileup of a guide book. The only reason to buy it is to help out Chowhound...but honestly, just donate money to them. I can't believe that I'm saying this but I'd rather use a Zagat. Oh well.