In which I'm crowned 'King' by a royal subject

Regular readers know just how much I like reading cheeky Brits, so it's especially nice when one likes reading me, too.

Sam at Becks & Posh, an ex Londoner by her own admission, certainly qualifies as cheeky. She's so cheeky, she even sings about her beloved city, a brilliant food blog innovation others will surely copy. (I like when she says "a nuclear era.")

In another cheeky masterstroke, she bragged about enjoying a "menage a trois" with a certain ex Chronicle food columnist, promised pictures, and when the big post went online the next day, it turned out she was referring to a trio of citrus, tarragon, avocado. I have to admit, the photo spread likely got a lot of mouths watering, especially the pork belly and the pear and Roquefort number.

Now she's telling everyone to visit "Under the Covers with Ryan Tate." Now, that's just going to scare aware potential readers, Sam. Though I do admit hotel bedsheets are part of the whole double entendre, we try not go under them too often, some of the gossip that crosses my notebook notwithstanding (Macallan 18 or a 2005 Burgundy being the price of details on that). And if I do take readers under there, rest assured there's probably going to be a yummy chef of some sort in there, not me.

Just as I could never resist Tyler Brule's impossible columnistic charm, however, I can't help but be flattered at being Bay Area Blogger of the Week, even if I'm number 61 in line for the honor, and "dry "and all that.

After all, "if Marcia (Gagliardi) is the Queen of Scoops in the Bay Area, then Ryan Tate must surely be thing King."

Very kind words. Thanks!

And lots of new readers. Welcome!

To establish my "scoop" bonafides, I point new readers to my introductory post, where I run through some of my past Business Times restaurant scoops, and to a new label I have created, "scoop," for Covers posts where I am actually breaking news or pointing to a Business Times story where I break news.

The front page of Covers will always mix said scoops with lots of linking out to other people like Sam, Amy (who also very generously linked to me early on), Alder, Carter, Marcia and the many many other food bloggers I read on a daily basis, not to mention print media, and my own opining on news that's already out there, whether from myself or others. If that's not for you, just read the scoops-only version of the site!

In the meantime, I'm thinking of renaming Covers "Covers: The blog so nice, Sam blessed it twice!"