“… how brief the time is on a summer afternoon when the sun is warm on your neck and the world might as well be a dog sleeping on a porch, or a child for whom an afternoon is endless, endless. Time: thick honey, and no one is saying good-bye.” – July Notebook: The Birds, poem by Robert Hass Entering… Read more →
Author: Virginia Miller
Russian Home Cooking in the Outer Richmond
RUSSIAN HOME COOKING Article & Photos by Virginia Miller RED TAVERN, Outer Richmond (2229 Clement St. between 23rd & 24th Avenues, 415-666-3420) Childhood memories are richly intertwined with one of my dear girlhood friends in Southern California, a Russian whose mother and grandmother cooked meals that still haunt me. Sleeping over at her house turned into an event when her mother… Read more →
Exploring Pisco in Cocktail Bars Around Lima
My spring travels in Peru with Campo de Encanto Pisco allowed me to richly deepen my pisco knowledge, from hands-on work in pisco production and blending, to witnessing broader uses of pisco in cocktails on Lima menus. I come from a city that has full-on pisco bars, a rarity in the US. Yet despite the range of pisco cocktails in SF,… Read more →
Making Pisco in PERU With Encanto
San Francisco has a rich pisco history and a long love affair with the evocative, clear grape brandy of Peru and Chile. Being the first US city where pisco was popularized in the 1800’s, it’s no surprise that San Francisco has seen a few pisco-heavy bars open over the past decade (Pisco Latin Lounge, Cantina, La Mar Cebicheria, etc…), just… Read more →
Weekending in Sacramento (What to Eat & Where to Stay)
Sac Town, our California Gold Country capital… known for its politics, surrounded by the boundless produce of inland California which us city dwellers richly benefit from. It’s a town I stop to dine in on the way to or from Tahoe but have only stayed the weekend in a couple times, despite its close proximity to San Francisco. Here’s my… Read more →
Drinking in Sac Town: Cocktails, Wine, Beer, Spirits, Coffee
Sacramento… Sac Town, our California Gold Country capital, known for its politics, surrounded by the boundless produce of inland California which us city dwellers richly benefit from. It’s a town I stop to dine in on the way to or from Tahoe but have only stayed the weekend in a couple times, despite its close proximity to San Francisco. A… Read more →
September 15, 2013
“I believe in the forest, and in the meadow, and in the night in which the corn grows.” – Henry David Thoreau Spending the last couple weekends on nearby excursions, first on the ever-magical grounds of Jordan Winery in Sonoma County to preview their just-launched farm, food, wine tours, then currently in Sacramento catching up on the latest in food… Read more →
Dining in LIMA, PERU
Peruvian cuisine first captivated me over a decade ago. As with many, ceviche was the starting point, but it was raw, sashimi-esque tiradito, fish doused in bright lime or passion fruit, that hooked me. I drew parallels to Japanese sushi with South American spirit. San Francisco has long had strong Peruvian ties, from being the first place in the US… Read more →
Sneak Peek of BERGERAC with Russell Davis
BERGERAC, SoMa (316 11th Street between Folsom and Harrison, 415-255-9440) Tonight I had an early sneak peek (and taste) of the cocktail menu at Bergerac, opening this Saturday, September 21, in SoMa. The brand new bar/restaurant space is inspired by the legendary Villa Nellcote mansion on the Côte d’Azur in France, where the Rolling Stones recorded Exile on Main St.… Read more →
Sri Lankan Dreams
1601 BAR & KITCHEN, SoMa (1601 Howard St. at 12th, 415-552-1601) In my book, extra points go to one attempting something different or filling in a vacant gap. Of course, it has to taste great, too. 1601 Bar & Kitchen succeeds on all fronts. Chef-owner Brian Fernando brings the flavors of his Sri Lankan heritage (his father is from Sri… Read more →