• Much as we’ve noted the new mini-Japantown sprouting on 18th Street between Dolores and Mission, Mission Local is now noting the same. [Mission Local]
• We are lucky to have so many great food establishments clustered together here in S.F. (see above), and the Bold Italic proposes some ‘Eat the Block’ tours, like hitting three Bernal businesses — Paulie’s Pickling, Deli Pub, and Liberty Café — all in one go. [Bold Italic]
• Is kombucha really that healthy for you? The research, such as it is, is pretty inconclusive. [HuffPo]
• Restaurant chains like Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse are refocusing their energy on beverages. Cocktail-culture trickle down? [NRN]
• Life for people with food allergies is getting easier and easier, thanks to increased awareness. Meanwhile, life for everyone else is getting harder: no peanuts? [WSJ]
• Snacking has become a breakfast-time pursuit, or so food manufacturers would have you think. [WP]
• Italy’s latest wine region is red-hot: The area around Sicily’s Mount Etna volcano. [NYT]
