As a couple hundred thousand people descended on Golden Gate Park for three days of some of the world’s biggest musicians at Outside Lands, San Francisco is truly represented by food, wine and beer that shames what typically passes for “festival” food and drink. Raising the bar for all festivals, James Beard restaurants serve celebrated appetizers from their restaurants, artful,… Read more →
THE reason mezcal has become popular and widely available in the US can be traced back to one man: Ron Cooper, who founded Del Maguey, a brilliant line of mezcal producers from a wide range of Mexican villages. I have long been a fan of the entire line, and, in fact, it took years before I found mezcals even worth… Read more →
As with any part of the Bay Area, the South Bay offers plenty of culinary riches. It may be Silicon Valley, the ‘burbs, numerous towns rather than a metropolitan city, but exploring Indian food from Mountain View to Santa Clara or international hole-in-the-walls in San Mateo can gleefully feel like eating through another country. Here’s three restaurants where food and… Read more →
Denver is one of the more underrated dining scenes in the country, accompanied by lauded craft beer and distilling booms in the state. With frequent visits there last couple years, I already claim a long list of favorites. This Spring, I spent another nine days in Breckenridge and Denver for ADI’s (American Distilling Institute) Craft Spirits Conference, packing in many… Read more →
“It is something within us that doesn’t let us sleep, that doesn’t let us rest, that won’t stop pounding deep inside…” – Julia Esquivel, poem “They Have Threatened Us with Resurrection” It’s an action-packed August with summer festivals (SF Chefs, Outside Lands) in full swing. Likewise, it’s a full issue with plenty of stories and edible recommendations to share. Read… Read more →
Another year, another Tales. Tales of the Cocktail was another mad frenzy of a week in oppressive heat (though not as bad as in past years), drinking while getting educated on drink with thousands of people around New Orleans. Any reason to return to my beloved New Orleans (which I’ve written about extensively) is a worthy one. Best moments this… Read more →
ZIRYAB, Alamo Square/Western Addition (528 Divisadero Street between Fell & Hayes Streets, 415-522-0800) Though open for seven years, Ziryab, Divisadero’s Middle Eastern hangout boasting an enclosed front patio, reopened this week from owner Salim Nasser with a brand new bar, liquor license and new food menu. Having the privilege of watching bar manager Zachary Taylor grow up in the Bay… Read more →
These two Nob Hill newcomers satisfy my longing for a little romance inherent in a great glass of wine, gourmet-yet-heartfelt cooking, and intimate environs. Make a date with a lover or a close friend at these idyllic neighborhood bistros. COCOTTE, Nob Hill (1521 Hyde St. at Jackson, 415-292-4415) Hyde Street Bistro was one of those blessedly non-trendy restaurants, a traditional… Read more →
At Tales of the Cocktail (2013 highlights covered here), one can easily taste hundreds of spirits in a week (not that one should). Most of what I find in tasting rooms and at events I’ve already had before, but there’s the occasional new release or product that might not have been released nationally. Here are two standout newcomers – and… Read more →
MIKKELLER BAR, Tenderloin (34 Mason St. between Turk and Market, 415-984-0279) In the heart of the Tenderloin and a couple short blocks from Union Square, Mikkeller Bar has soft-opened, a boon for beer aficionados and fans of the beloved Copenhagen brewery. But this bar and restaurant is not a replica of Mikkeller Bar in Copenhagen. Opened by Chuck Stilphen, founder… Read more →