Tag: Italian

10 SF Restaurants Remaining (Quietly) Great

by  on  in San Francisco Bay Area

Reviewed in this article:
—Modern Indian Creativity from Veggies to Meat: Tiya
—At Five Years Ernest Remains One of SF’s Unsung Greats
—Two Michelin Magic: Saison
—Delicately Playful Dessert Tasting Menu: Nisei
—The U.S.’ Great Modern Guamanian Restaurant: Prubechu
—North African/Tunisian Treasure Turns 10: Barcha
—91-Year-Old Pizza & Pasta Legend: Tommaso’s
—Two Michelin Heights at 8-Year-Old Birdsong
—Asian Rooftop Delights: Good Good Culture Club
—Upscale Thai Offers a Steal of a Lunch: Hed11 Read more →

Italy (Still) Rules in SF, Part 2

by  on  in San Francisco Bay Area, The Latest, Top Tastes

Flour+Water crudo. Photos by Virginia Miller.. With a little under 40,000 Italian population in San Francisco alone, we’re home to one of the stronger Italian demographics in California. Our rich Italian immigrant history since the 1800s (no surprise) has left a permanent mark on our food and drink, from our wine regions and grape varieties, to Italian-immigrant-created local dishes like… Read more →

Italy (Still) Rules in SF

by  on  in San Francisco Bay Area, The Latest, Top Tastes

SPQR corn panna cotta. Photo by Virginia Miller. With a little under 40,000 Italian population in San Francisco alone, we’re home to one of the stronger Italian demographics in California. Our rich Italian immigrant history since the 1800s (no surprise) has left a permanent mark on our food and drink, from our wine regions and grape varieties, to Italian-immigrant-created local… Read more →

Where to Eat Now: SF Peninsula Rising, Pt. 1

by  on  in Around the Bay, San Francisco Bay Area

Eos & Nyx mezze/dips. Photo by Virginia Miller. For 24 years, I’ve been exploring and writing about the Bay Area’s Peninsula — including but not minimized to the moniker Silicon Valley. San Mateo County can suffer from suburban malaise and mediocrity when it comes to restaurant standards, especially compared to the dense, world-class glories of nearby San Francisco. But this… Read more →

Where to Eat Now: 7 Heartwarming Restaurants

by  on  in San Francisco Bay Area, The Latest, Top Tastes

Five are new-er, two are celebrating two or twenty years, from killer Laotian food or Italian comfort to Tatarstan Russian food. These seven are worth visiting. Last month’s standouts here. As always, I’ve personally vetted and visited each: Mattina canederli. Photo by Virginia Miller. Cal-Italian, All-Day Neighborhood Joys: Mattina, Pacific HeightsSince 2007, SPQR is one of the nation’s great pasta… Read more →

New Che Fico Pizzeria proves game food can be fun & gourmand

by  on  in The Latest

Che Fico Pizzeria’s vodka sauce pizza. Photo by Virginia Miller. A tough reservation to snag ever since it opened in 2018 in San Francisco’s Western Addition neighborhood, Che Fico remains a destination for chef David Nayfeld’s inspired pastas and unique take on pizzas with sourdough crust done in certified Neapolitan style. I wrote of the restaurant being reborn in pandemic, then… Read more →

New Mexican & Italian duo from the Duggan family of legendary Original Joe’s packs them in

by  on  in The Latest

Elena’s Mexican chile con queso. Photo by Virginia Miller. As many in San Francisco struggle with half-empty restaurants and continued post-pandemic fallout of higher costs, staffing issues and the BS, scapegoat “doom loop,” a local restaurant group have recently opened two restaurants packed at an almost rabid level since opening. Are these cutting-edge boundary-pushers? No. They’re traditional American-Mexican and Italian formulas.Third-generation… Read more →

Neighborhood Gems & Newcomers: 5 SF Restaurants Standouts of the Month

by  on  in Top Tastes

Causwells. Photo by Virginia Miller. These newcomers or new menus cover the gamut, from classic French to a neighborhood comfort food and cocktail classic that just turned ten. Alongside my latest restaurant reviews — TIYA (modern Indian), Hed11 (Thai), 10 top brunches, KoThai (modern Thai Korean), Alora (Mediterranean) — these five are also worth visiting, with last month’s standouts here. As always, I’ve personally vetted… Read more →

Colombian, Italian, Xian Chinese, Nikkei Peruvian & More: 10 SF Restaurants Standouts of the Month

by  on  in Top Tastes

KAIYO Restaurant & Bar’s nigiri. Photo by Virginia Miller. These newcomers or new menus cover the gamut, from modern Colombian to an Italian tavola calda/osteria. Alongside my latest restaurant reviews — Alora (Mediterranean), Sonoma County eats, five fine dining standouts — these ten are also worth visiting, with last month’s standouts here. As always, I’ve personally vetted and visited each: Prospect’s whipped feta garlic dip.… Read more →

10 SF Bay Area Top Brunches Now

by  on  in Top Tastes

Pippal’s Taj Mahal cocktail. Photo by Virginia Miller. San Francisco has no end of brunch options, which can reach religious fervor here with long waits for no-reservations brunch spots. Here are 10 restaurants that (mostly) take reservations, across a range of cuisines and price levels. Angler lobster buns. Photo by Virginia Miller. Pampering at Saison’s more casual One Michelin sister: AnglerIt’s the… Read more →