My review of chef Mourad Lahlou’s Aziza, the restaurant that took Moroccan food in the U.S. to new heights since 2001.
Author: Virginia Miller
Chisai Sushi Club Is for Nigiri Fanatics & Novices Alike
My review of Chisai Sushi Club, with chef Erik Aplin and team taking over the long-beloved original Ichi Sushi space.
Distiller Magazine: SF Interviews with Wildhawk’s Christian “Suzu” Suzuki & Marguerite Regan + Seven Stills Distiller Tim Obert
My interviews with Wildhawk bar managers Christian “Suzu” Suzuki & Marguerite Regan ++ Seven Stills owner/distiller Tim Obert:
Uma Casa: SF’s Only & Most Authentic Portuguese Restaurant
My review of Uma Casa in Noe Valley, chef Antelmo “Telmo” Faria’s true slice of Portugal in San Francisco (with the other two rare and special Portuguese restaurants in the Bay Area mentioned).
October 15, 2021
— Estiatorio Ornos: My full review of brand new hyperlocal Greek escape to Mykonos from Michael Mina.
— Turntable at Lord Stanley: My full review of a Michelin-starred restaurant reborn, offering a rotating showcase for global chefs with a powerhouse fall lineup of mostly female chefs from Argentina.
— Harvest Season Staycations, Sebastopol Edition: Where to eat, dine and drink in this hip Sonoma County town.
— DISTILLER Bottle Column: My drink reviews of the month cover grappa, Japanese sake vermouth, Scotch, mezcal, rum, sake, old tom gin, gin, Japanese whisky, RTDs (canned cocktails), kombucha and bourbon.
SF’s Estiatorio Ornos Is a New Hyperlocal Escape to Mykonos from Michael Mina
Published October 8, 2021, in my The Bold Italic column and weekly restaurant reviews, my review of Michael Mina’s new colorful escape to Mykonos, Greece, in his former Michael Mina Restaurant (and Aqua) space.
Top 5 Hit List of the Month: Restaurant Newcomers + Better-Than-Ever Favorites
Published October 7, 2021 at The Bold Italic: From two notable newcomers to three tried-and-true greats (one just reopening, one just gaining its first Michelin star) plus one bonus new bar, these are five top places to eat, feast and support now?.
DISTILLER Bottle Column: September 2021
At Distiller Magazine, my bottle column covers trends and reviews international spirits and RTDs, with taste ratings for my top 12 bottles of the month here:
Turntable at Lord Stanley: A Rotating Showcase for Top Global Chefs
My review of Michelin-starred Lord Stanley’s reinvention as Turntable at Lord Stanley, showcasing award-winning and up-and-coming global chefs. In this initial fall run of Argentinean chefs, most of them are female, all making waves in South America.
Harvest Season Staycations: Support Our Beloved Wine Countries, Sebastopol Edition
Sebastopol is historically famed as a plum and apple-growing region, home to Gravenstein apples and good-as-it-gets plums.
As with everywhere in Sonoma County, wine grapes are now the dominant agriculture, but a few dear souls keep the apple and stone fruit orchards alive (where to go apple picking in town), alongside produce farms like Two Belly Acre Farm (more on that below). Cider producers, farms and the impressive Barlow complex dominate the small Sonoma town. Here are five+ standouts for food, drink and a hotel stay in (and near) Sebastopol: