MEDIA ALERT

SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER FEATURES
THE CAFES OF SAN FRANCISCO

SAN FRANCISCO -- August 21 2002 -- The excitement continues around the first publication to exclusively celebrate the United States oldest official cafe culture, San Francisco. Debby Morse, noted columnist for one of San Francisco's two largest daily newspapers, the San Francisco Examiner, features the new book, "THE CAFES OF SAN FRANCISCO: A Guide to the Sights, Sounds & Tastes of America's Original Cafe Society," in her August 21st summer book roundup.

Because San Francisco's summer weather actually begins at the end of August, as opposed to the traditional May commencement of summer experienced by the rest of the Northern Hemisphere, the noted journalist provides her review of summer books now. In this group of book reviews, Morse writes:

"This roundup of San Francisco cafes (including a smattering of boites from nearby counties) ... enlisted the aid of some big names in putting together this pretty book. Mayor Willie Brown, Francis Ford Coppola, Will Durst and Michael Smuin are among the unlikely luminaries given kudos for the collective effort.

But the meat of "The Cafes of San Francisco" (TCB Cafe Publishing, $15.95, 192 pages) is its lists of local cafes, assorted by genre -- people watching, waterfront, live music, etc. -- and by neighborhood. What, exactly, qualifies the various joints for inclusion in this book is apparently just the author's whim -- that, and the fact that all the places apparently serve coffee. The entries range from straight coffee houses to patisseries to lunch places to full-on restaurants -- oh, and quite a few of them have the word "cafe" in their name.

My first instinct was to thumb through the pages to see how many of the spots I've already been to myself. Quite a few, as it turns out (Vesuvio Caffe, Cafe Flore, South Park Cafe -- the usual suspects), but there are just as many more that now beckon through nice color photography and spirited descriptions: the elegant Caffe Trinity on Market, dog-friendly The Grove on Chestnut, La Boulangerie de Polk, even the Presidio's Warming Hut.

Bonuses here are occasional interviews, excerpts from literature and random musings throughout, and the near-dozen recipes for delicacies and savories at the back of the book."

The San Francisco Examiner review also includes photographs of the San Francisco cafe-brasserie, Absinthe, as well as the recipe from the book for Absinthe's addictively delicious Mojito-like beverage, the Ginger Rogers.

The cafes of San Francisco are historic and cultural treasures of not only San Francisco and California, but of the United States as well. THE CAFES OF SAN FRANCISCO celebrates these treasures in living color.


FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
TCB-Cafe Publishing, San Francisco
S. Green, 415/263-6800
Email: contact@cafeandre.com
Web: http://www.cafeandre.com

MORE ABOUT TCB-CAFE PUBLISHING
TCB-Cafe Publishing focuses on issues and works in photography, culture, art, design, humor, romance, business, travel, and social criticism. TCB-Cafe's recent releases include the award winning photo-essay, "Green Eyes, the Greenest Fields," and the hilarious how-to relationship guide, "Everything I Know about Dating I Learned in Business School," profiled on National Public Radio. TCB-Café Publishing's newest release is "The Cafes of San Francisco."

THE CAFES OF SAN FRANCISCO is a guide to the cosmopolitan San Francisco Bay Area through its unique cafes. It includes over 300 full-color photographs, 48 in-depth profiles, a directory of more than 340 cafes, plus cafe stories, thoughts, and recipes from cafe lovers including: Mayor Willie L. Brown Jr., Francis Ford Coppola, Chef Joey Altman/BAY CAFE TV, Barbara Graves/THE REPUBLIC OF TEA, Colman Andrews/SAVEUR, John Mariani/ESQUIRE, Chris Rubin/TRAVEL + LEISURE, Comedian Will Durst, Chef Gary Rulli, Beat poet ruth weiss, Spencer Christian/ABC-TV, John Marks/SFCVB, Michel Richard/ALLIANCE FRANCAISE, Michael Kraus & Dan Storper/PUTUMAYO WORLD MUSIC, Michael Smuin/SMUIN BALLET, Joan Osburn/CAFE SOCIETY, Cartoonist Phil Frank/SF CHRONICLE, Jaime Cortez/GALERIA DE LA RAZA, Merla Zellerbach/NOB HILL GAZETTE, Kristi DeCaminada/SAN FRANCISCO BALLET, Deborah Berman/SAN FRANCISCO CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC, David Latimer/CUPS & REZ MAGAZINE, and Consul General of Italy Francesco Sciortino. The official publication date is August 2002