Maybeck’s opened in 2016 in the Marina as essentially a renamed Spaghetti Bros. restaurant, going for modern “red sauce” Italian food. I still remember their spumoni ice cream. The restaurant wasn’t exactly worth crossing neighborhoods for but it was solid, and has been closed in pandemic not just for a refresh but a complete rebirth and ownership change, despite keeping the name. Read more →
Reviewed this issue:
— Batch 22 Classic Gold New American Aquavit
— Catedral Mezcal Espadin
— Forthave Genepi (Brooklyn, NY)
— Ron Serrano Destilado De Caña Oaxacan Mountain Rum
and more… Read more →
—July Eats Checklist: Six standout newcomers & new menus, from Ukrainian to Nigerian food, Detroit-style pizza to a fried chicken haven.
— An Ode to Japanese Wagyu… Sans the Steak: Gozu reviewed.
— Chinese Fine Dining Unlike Anywhere Else: Eight Tables at China Live reviewed.
— Hawai’i’s Big Island: My 2022 Eat, Drink & Stay Guide.
— Sonoma County Vegan from Three Michelin Team: Little Saint in Healdsburg reviewed.
— Rum Magazine: An rhum agricole renaissance in Hawaii at rum distilleries.
These six newcomers (or new menus) cover the gamut, from Ukrainian dumplings to Nigerian food, Detroit-style pizza to hefty salads. These newbies are worth visiting, with last month’s standouts here (as always, I’ve vetted, visited or ordered from each place reviewed): Read more →
Imagine: soba noodles teeming in wagyu foam. Brown butter chawanmushi (savory Japanese custard) layered in fat-washed wagyu dashi. Or wagyu fat-laced salted chocolate chip cookies hot out of the oven.I’m in and am guessing you are, too (unless you don’t eat beef — and if you do minimally, this is the place to do so thanks to the quality and the minimalism). These are just a few of the glories I’ve eaten at Gozu in SoMa from chef Marc Zimmerman and entrepreneur Benjamin Jorgensen since it opened November 2019. Read more →
I’ve said it since opening in 2017 and I’ll say it again: there’s no equal to Eight Tables in the country. This upscale-modern Chinese restaurant hidden upstairs inside China Live houses merely eight tables so spaced out, it was meant for a post-pandemic world… Read more →
In Rum Magazine, I cover Hawaii’s r(rh)um agricole renaissance. First, at KoHana on the island of Oahu, pioneering and reviving Hawaii’s rich and diverse sugarcane, solely showcasing Hawaiian sugarcane in each of their r(h)ums. Then Kuleana Rum Works on Hawai’i’s Big Island, growing and producing their own agricole, as well as blending a line of global r(h)ums to showcase rum’s range with Hawaiian agricole.
Yes, it’s a vegan restaurant. And from the dynamic team behind three-Michelin-starred, The World’s 50 Best’s SingleThread, no less. Open on Earth Day, April 22, 2002, in Healdsburg’s former SHED, Little Saint’s massive 10,000-square-foot space houses an all-day cafe, bar, wine and gourmet foods shop, full-on restaurant and art gallery with live music… Read more →
THIS ISSUE:
— Ernest: My Bold Italic #1 new restaurant of 2021, reviewed over one year in.
— Uccello Lounge Review: Live music from SF Conservatory students with food from chef legend Loretta Keller.
— My Gin Magazine Bar Guide: Ten of the best bars in Honolulu, Hawaii.
— Rum Magazine: 8 top U.S. rum bars (and they’re not just tiki bars, but have some of those, too).
— Distiller Magazine Bottle Column, June 2022: I review aperitifs/aperitivo, Scotch whisky, rum gin, tequila, mezcal, Irish whiskey, RTDs.’
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Ernest opened March 2021 in the lofty, two-tiered, industrial space that formerly housed Coffee Bar. One year into the pandemic — which means they were in planning mode well before — was one of the worst times to open a restaurant, especially an ambitious one. Next door to legendary Heath Ceramics, and in a neighborhood lined with nationally lauded restaurants and bars, Ernest entered seamlessly into that tier.
Now, a few visits later and over one year in, my review on Ernest today: Read more →