“Wonder rather than doubt is the root of all knowledge.” – Abraham Joshua Heschel My BBQ obsession is no secret. I’m delighted to be offering a VIP package for two (valued at $214) to you, my readers. It’s for the 2nd annual Bay Area BBQ Championship, an AFS fundraiser, on Saturday, 7/7, at Oakland Coliseum. Besides the A’s vs. Mariners game,… Read more →
Author: Virginia Miller
Acquerello – SF’s Fine Dining Italian Gem
ACQUERELLO, Nob Hill(1722 Sacramento St. between Van Ness & Polk, 415-567-5432) One doesn’t often hear about Acquerello in dining circles these days. But we should. Not readily visible from the street, the restaurant’s lobby opens into a glowing dining room that at first glance appears an older clientele’s respite for an elegant meal. After a recent return to this classic since… Read more →
Interviewing 5 of SF’s Veteran Bartending Greats
Seasoned doesn’t mean old. In fact, what impresses about these five is that their knowledge consistently marries youthful love for their subject and customers. Whether in years of bartending or expertise in classic cocktails and customer service, these five have long encapsulated what made San Francisco a leader in the Cocktail Renaissance of the past decade plus, not a recent… Read more →
NY State of Mind: Combining My Roots with My SF Home
Moving from Southern California to New Jersey at age 14, New York first revealed to me what a true city is. When in that NY state of mind (Billy Joel playing in the background helps), I miss its boundless energy, frank people, eclectic neighborhoods and brownstones, and, yes, East Coast-style Italian. Both in the city and Jersey suburbs where I… Read more →
Charbay’s New Whiskeys & Tequila Imports
Thanks to Napa-based Perfect Puree for a recent intimate dinner celebrating Perfect Puree neighbor Charbay Distillery’s new spirits releases at Jasper’s Corner Tap. The ever talented Kevin Diedrich (bar manager at Jasper’s) crafted three drinks using Perfect Puree’s fresh, bright purees. In typical Diedrich fashion, subtlety and balance wove together each, from a Thymely Fashioned, vivid with Charbay White Whiskey,… Read more →
Spring Weekend in LA, From Food to Cocktails
I recently returned to my old stomping grounds of So. Cal. for yet another long weekend. This time I stayed at funky, restored motel, The Farmer’s Daughter, gazing over a pool filled with giant rubber duckies, the hotel’s birds greeting me each morning in the lobby. Colorful and quirky, the hotel (with welcoming, engaging staff) is a worthwhile home base,… Read more →
June 1, 2012
“The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live.” – Flora Whittemore Literally just back from Portland and Mexico, I’m warmed by the sun (at the latter location) and the joy of travel and friendship, now returning to mountains of work and deadlines. In between trips, I was delighted to stumble across a brand new market… Read more →
Seafood Crudo Tales: Satisfying Artistry and Appetite
Fish makes me happy. Raw, grilled, seared, any which way. One new restaurant and one established favorite are glorifying the fish, and seafood in general, in many formats. LOCAL’S CORNER, Mission (2500 Bryant St. at 23rd, 415-800-7945) Local’s Corner just opened in March on a mellow corner of the Mission’s East side. The sunny space is mostly white, evoking a… Read more →
4 Cocktails with Bites, From Sausalito to Berkeley
From Berkeley to Sausalito, new restaurants to old, here are a handful of drinks to put on your warm weather, spring radar – and accompanying bites to go with. COMAL, Berkeley (2020 Shattuck Ave., between Addison & University, Berkeley, 510-926-6300) Downtown Berkeley (as opposed to the rest of Berkeley) has never overwhelmed on excellent dining options, much as I’ve combed… Read more →
Namu Gaji: A Melding of Asian Cuisines
NAMU GAJI, Mission (499 Dolores St. at 18th, 415-431-6268) Though Namu Gaji is brand new, the presence of Namu and the Lee brothers, Dennis, David and Daniel, has been felt in San Francisco for years. Since 2006, the Lee Brothers have been weaving Korean, Japanese and a mixture of Asian cuisines with California spirit in the original, now shuttered Richmond… Read more →