“… the sun started to set and we lit the paper bag luminaria, which burned soft glowing amber, punctuating the meadow and the night, and the lamb was crisp-skinned and sticky from slow roasting, and the root beer was frigid and it caught, like an emotion, in the back of my throat.“ – Gabrielle Hamilton, “Blood, Bones & Butter” In… Read more →
Author: Virginia Miller
12 LA Greats: Hot Spots, Old School Classics, Mexican, Peruvian, Chocolate & Snacks
My January jaunt to LA yielded a number of discoveries from mediocre to delightful – here’s a rundown: Latest & Hottest A-FRAME, Culver City – I hit A-Frame, Roy Choi’s (of Kogi Korean taco truck fame) latest restaurant, just a few weeks after it opened. How could I not love the converted IHOP with a-frame shape and outdoor patio punctuated… Read more →
BBQ in Hunter’s Point & Japanese Izakaya in the Mission
Top Tastes is not a list of all-time favorites (another thing altogether). Instead, I write about the best eats since my last newsletter, often from new openings. MID-RANGE NOMBE, Mission – I was sad to see Nick Balla leave Nombe for another place I love, Bar Tartine. Not because I’m not excited about the Eastern European slant he’s bringing there,… Read more →
With Weaver’s Master Coffee Roaster in San Rafael
Weaver’s Coffee: if you aren’t drinking it, you should be. Based in San Rafael, Weaver’s has a chill, little shop serving and selling their coffee and teas. The shop fronts their roasting facility and offices, which I had the privilege of touring recently. John Weaver, master roaster and founder, was Peet’s master roaster for over 20 years, working directly with… Read more →
Two Intriguing New Food Memoirs From Grant Achatz & Gabrielle Hamilton
Just released in early March, here are two new reads I’d recommend not only for foodies but for fans of absorbing, well-crafted memoir. Life, On the Line – Grant Achatz & Nick Kokonas When Alinea’s chef genius Grant Achatz writes a memoir, it’s destined to get buzz amongst foodies. When this visionary chef was diagnosed with stage four tongue cancer,… Read more →
Betelnut’s Secret Malaysian Menu: March 8-May 8
Foodies, take note. If you like offal, Malaysian food, or adventurous eating, there’s a “secret” offal menu through Blackboard Eats (the offer was available on March 8th only) that runs until May 8th. It has been awhile since I visited Betelnut, though I used to frequent it in my early years of living in SF. Chef Alex Ong has been… Read more →
March 1, 2011
“When I was young and the urge to be someplace else was on me, I was assured by mature people that maturity would cure this itch… Now that I am fifty-eight perhaps senility will do the job. Nothing has worked… The sound of a jet, an engine warming up, even the clopping shod of hooves on the pavement brings on… Read more →
Cocktail Treasures at The Hideout, Beretta, Gitane, Fifth Floor & Burritt Room
There continues to be a proliferation of memorable cocktails around town this Winter… THE HIDEOUT, Mission – I regretfully write about The Hideout at all – though it has been written up a couple times, it has, by-and-large, remained well under the radar. I hate to contribute to any increase of crowds but wanted to share of its joys. Open… Read more →
Top Tastes
Top Tastes is not a list of all-time favorites (another thing altogether). Instead, I write about the best eats since my last newsletter, often from new openings. MID-RANGE BAR BAMBINO, Mission – I recall the days when Bar Bambino was one of the few Italian charcuterie restaurants around. When I heard they were shifting to a Germanic focus, particularly on… Read more →
GIN for a Winter’s Night: Taste-Testing 6 Gins
A favored experiment: gather a few industry and non-industry friends, taste a specific spirit side-by-side, sample it in the same cocktail recipe, and compare notes. Gin seemed appropriate for a rainy Winter’s night. While gin is fabulous all year ’round, there’s something about its bracing herbal and citrus qualities that evoke Winter, particularly in Northern California where crisp air and… Read more →