Chalos — AL’s Deli— Gioia Pizzeria— Daily Driver— Chalos— Cafe Owakari— Palermo II Delicatessen— Grem’s Good Dog— Wilkommen Article here: www.wheretraveler.com/san-francisco/eat/8-affordable-new-openings These 8 newcomers are all order-at-the-counter, casual meals — with excellent food. After all, excellence can be (and in SF is often) low-key. AL’s Deli, Mission AL’s Deli just opened July 17th from chef Aaron London of Michelin-starred AL’s Place… Read more →
In my latest Time Out column, I cover these 3 notable newcomers of the month — all of them qualifying as affordable, fast casual eating — article here: Read more →
While my birthtown of Oklahoma City is where my parents returned and dozens of my relatives live, my parents briefly lived in Tulsa in their younger years — and we returned for a nostalgic road trip this spring. Driving a portion of Route 66 on the short hour and a half drive between the cities, we passed industrial plants, farms,… Read more →
The notable restaurant openings of April were Hitachino Beer & Wagyu (soft opening in March, officially open in April), Mestiza Taqueria (at the end of March), Black Jet Baking Company and Kagawa-Ya Udon Noodle Co. in SF. Kagawa-Ya is fun, fast-casual Sanuki-style udon (from Japan’s Kagawa Prefecture, an area known for having hundreds of udon houses with a distinctive square shape… Read more →
Every month I cover the top new openings out of all restaurants and bars that have opened that month in the Bay Area (as I visit almost all of them — recent months here). Often these are mid-range or affordable, but sometimes a new opening is a “cheap eats” kind of gem but not necessarily one of the top 2-5… Read more →
My article was first published here on our national Table8 blog where I am national editor. The key openings of April are: Mister Jiu’s, ‘aina, Wes Burger, Wildhawk, Horsefeather, The Lodge on Haight, Bar San Pancho, Barbary Coast Gastropub. The Lodge is great for affordable, order-at-the-counter eats in the Lower Haight and I’ll save ‘aina for May since it just… Read more →
Though SF has been a pioneering dining city for decades longer than the 15 years I’ve lived here — and I’ve been schooled on what food can be since the moment I moved here — 2016 started off with an almost ridiculously excellent eating month. More than half of these restaurants either opened January or in recent months, while a… Read more →
It’s been another month of excellent food from the 10 plus meals I eat out a week, ever hunting for the best. Prime example: I’m as in love with Chubby Noodle as ever — from its early days in the back of Amante (when I dubbed it one of the top openings of 2011), to its rowdy, packed Marina restaurant… Read more →
As I await the opening of the likes of NINEBARK in Napa (a preview that yielded stellar tastes from chef Matthew Lightner formerly of 2 Michelin-starred Atera in NYC, Mugaritz in Spain and Noma in Copenhagen), I’ve also enjoyed healthy, high tech, cheap eats at the new eatsa. Here are my top 10 September dishes and new openings, some from… Read more →
August was quite a month for notable new openings from Oakland to SF, including restaurants like The Keystone in the Mosser Hotel (my Zagat feature on the opening here). I also visited months-old spots, like the solid-though-not-overwhelming Buttermilk Southern Kitchen, or savored old school torta comfort (a steal with massive tortas) at Tortas Boos Voni. On the cheap eats front,… Read more →