The Produce Man offers tips for ripening Hass avocados.  

The fine beer world is a mazy place. Great brews appear, they draw fans, they can even achieve cult status. But they can also break your heart when they disappear, or worse, when they're changed beyond belief by an army of cost-cutting bean counters and focus-group gurus.  

Open six months, Burma Superstar in Oakland's Temescal District will save ethnic food lovers from having to cross the Bay Bridge to indulge in tea leaf salad and other cult favorites.