Peninsula home cooks strive for success selling goods on Facebook Marketplace
Have you ever ordered food or drinks via social media? I’ve sold a few instruments and other items on Facebook Marketplace over the years, but before Food Editor Adrienne Mitchel mentioned it to me, I hadn’t really thought about the fact that folks are also buying and selling edible goods that way. I spoke with a few Peninsula home bakers who use the platform to help get their products out there and checked in on the county rules about selling homemade food online.
And although Adrienne is away for a couple of weeks, she shared her recent experience eating at Tai Er’s new Santa Clara location before she left as part of this week’s newsletter.
Stay tasty,
Karla
Inside Facebook Marketplace’s thriving – and largely unregulated – food business
We spoke with several Peninsula bakers about their experiences using the platform to sell their homemade food.
Stanford to host Food4Thought Festival, Reposado expands to San Mateo and a heritage orchard has a new caretaker
- The Food4Thought Festival, a conference focused on sustainable and equitable food systems, is coming to Stanford.
- Reposado brings Mexican fine dining to downtown San Mateo.
- Asian fusion restaurant 101 Eatery recently opened in South San Francisco.
- Thai Chicken-N-Rice recently opened in downtown Sunnyvale.
- Meet the new orchardist of Los Altos’ heritage apricot orchard.
- Shake Shack is opening in Mountain View on Thursday, just over a week after debuting its new Sunnyvale location.
- Recreational salmon fishing opens Saturday south of Pigeon Point.
Sauerkraut fish at Tai Er
Suan cai yu is making a name for itself in the Silicon Valley dining scene. International chains such as Fish With Yu and Tai Er are rapidly expanding, specializing in a dish that wasn’t too common locally just a few years ago.
Tai Er opened in Valley Fair mall March 26, and I decided to finally give the Sichuan restaurant a try.
Every dish I tried was excellent. The sesame sauce noodles were light and refreshing, with crunchy vegetables, fresh herbs and a peanut sauce infused with mouth-numbing peppercorns ($15). The Sichuan spicy wontons had a nice sweet-and-salty balance, but were surprisingly not spicy at all ($10).
I absolutely loved the Chongqing spicy crispy chicken, which was super addictive with the crispy exterior and tender interior, loaded with garlic and the perfect spice level (just don’t eat the chilis – it gets way too spicy! $28). The wok-seared black pepper beef was tender, with no gristle or tendons, and super flavorful with a punch of garlic, ginger and black pepper ($28). The truffle vegetarian fried rice had a nice mushroom flavor and a wonderful chewy texture ($22).
Tai Er’s signature dish, the sauerkraut fish, was sour, savory and spicy, with a bold punch of Sichuan peppercorns ($39). I ordered it mild and thought it was a pleasant spice level. Keep in mind the portion is massive – in my opinion, it feeds four.
Do not skip dessert: The fried mochi cubes were warm, crispy and chewy, balanced with cold, creamy ice cream ($9). The toasted soybean added a roasted caramelized flavor that kept me digging back in.
Tai Er, 2855 Stevens Creek Blvd., Unit A268, Santa Clara; 408-528-2222, Instagram: @taier_na and @taier_bayarea. Open Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
To watch my review, follow @peninsulafoodist on Instagram.
Feast and Floral opens wine bar, marketplace and catering kitchen in Redwood City
Find charcuterie plates, ‘California clean’ wines and other treats at new Marsh Manor location
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