I'll see you in Hell's Kitchen

The recession and high unemployment have been especially hard on restaurants. Dining out has topped many people’s lists of personal budget cuts.

Things have gotten so bad that the top prize on the next “Top Chef” will be a $11-per-hour part-time job in the kitchen at Sunnyvale Acres Assisted Living Center in Tempe, Ariz.

And he’s kinda cute, too: His self-mocking and skepticism of authority make George Clooney the movie star of our times, writes the San Francisco Chronicle’s Mick LaSalle.

The nation’s women mocked that assessment, expressing skepticism that any of Clooney’s many qualities trumps his No. 1 asset: his good looks.

If you take a walk, they’ll tax your feet: Seeking to plug a massive budget deficit, state officials are studying a boatload of tax increases.

The new taxes could include ones on soda pop and bottled water — but not on energy drinks and coffee. Lawmakers don’t want to drive up the cost of the stuff that keeps state government running.

— Mark Carlson, Herald staff