Author: Virginia Miller

March 23, 2020

by Virginia Miller on March 23, 2020 in Intro Letter

—The State of the Bar World is Dire: As donations and aid changes daily, info is quickly out of date, but hearing from some of our best bar owners and managers early this week, the precarious state of our beloved bar world is real… and global.
— Bay Area, It’s Time to Get Takeout/Delivery: 10 of our best in every food category from Burmese to bagels.
— The Best Tacos in San Francisco That Aren’t La Taqueria: Updated with current takeout/delivery options.
— Chasing the Funk: R(h)um lovers, drink Haitian Clairin.

The State of Our Bar Community is Dire

by Virginia Miller on March 23, 2020 in Imbiber

Published March 22, 2020, at Distiller Magazine, I wrote this piece the week prior and much has shifted each day, including the welcome regulatory relief for the state of California from the ABC last Thursday (these are law changes that should be permanent, “relieving” archaic, impractical Prohibition-esque holdovers). More on all that later. My friend Eric Grenier of Jack Daniels is compiling… Read more →

Bay Area, It’s Time to Get Takeout

by Virginia Miller on March 19, 2020 in Top Tastes

My latest article for The Bold Italic, published March 19, 2020, on numerous greats offering takeout, curbside/window pickup and delivery around the Bay Area now with my recommends on top dishes and standouts to order.

The Best Tacos in San Francisco That Aren’t La Taqueria

by Virginia Miller on March 15, 2020 in Top Tastes

My latest article for The Bold Italic, was published March 12, 2020, and written before the coronavirus nightmare: https://thebolditalic.com/the-best-tacos-in-san-francisco-that-arent-la-taqueria-bd29f5b36540. So as our cherished hole-in-the-walls and deep ethnic communities — including our long-vibrant Mexican community — are hit hardest, I post this article with a heavy heart and below share links to each in my article doing delivery/take-out now so you… Read more →

Chasing the Funk: R(h)um Lovers Latest Rum Favorite is Haitian Clairin

by Virginia Miller on March 15, 2020 in Imbiber

Published at NYC’s new Barcademy in February 2020, my article on r(h)um funk or hogo, namely Haitian clairin, including interview quotes from Calvin Babcock of Saint Benevolence in Haiti. My article here. “Funk” is a descriptor rum lovers are well acquainted with. The 18th-century term for funky rums is haut goût or hogo. Rum geeks often talk hogo or dunder, referring… Read more →

March 1, 2020

by Virginia Miller on March 1, 2020 in Intro Letter

— Best New Bay Area Restaurants & Old-School Greats of the Month: My Bob Cut column explores cuisine rarities from Guam, Eastern Europe, other standout newcomers and classic “best kept secrets.”
— 12 of the World’s Most Inspiring Bars: My latest print feature at the UK’s Cocktail Lovers magazine.
— 1760 Reborn: Changing themed tasting menus traverse the world on Polk Street (currently Tuscan; next up, Filipino).
— Jeremy Allen of MiniBar: Why this unassuming Hollywood bar (hidden inside a Best Western!) draws in music industry with its retro-yet-modern vibe and beautifully-crafted cocktails.

10 Notable SF Openings of the Month & 4 OG Greats: February 2020

by Virginia Miller on March 1, 2020 in The Latest, Top Tastes

My top four new restaurants of the month with longtimers of the same style or cuisine, then move on to six “honorable” mention new openings of the month:

— Dear Inga (OG: Mama Papa Lithuania in Alameda)
— Prubechu (OG: Yami Grill, Mountain View, & Elite Bakery, Union City)
— Bread N’ Chu (OG: Cafe Okawari)
— Yasmin (OG: Truly Mediterranean) Read more →

12 of the World’s Most Inspiring Bars

by Virginia Miller on March 1, 2020 in Wandering Traveler

My latest article for London/the UK’s lovely The Cocktail Lovers print magazine in Winter 2019-2020, Issue 34 (my article on pages 66-69). Having visited over 20,00 bars around the globe, choosing merely 12 of the greats is just a scratch on the surface. But for The Cocktail Lovers’ Inspire issue, I choose these 12, which are among the world’s most… Read more →

Bar Spotlight on Jeremy Allen of MiniBar, Hollywood

by Virginia Miller on March 1, 2020 in Wandering Traveler

The latest in my NEFT Vodka column, which spotlights California’s best bartenders and bars — including a special cocktail recipe from each bartender featuring this Austrian alpine-distilled vodka. Why Jeremy Allen’s welcoming crew at the unassuming MiniBar (hidden in a Hollywood Best Western, no less!) draws in musicians and music industry with its retro-yet-modern vibe and beautifully-crafted cocktails here. Other NEFT Spotlights:… Read more →

1760 Reborn: Changing Themed Tasting Menus Traverse the World

by Virginia Miller on February 25, 2020 in Top Tastes

1760 amuse bouche When you come from San Francisco restaurant royalty, opening your own restaurant seems inevitable. When your father is Giancarlo Paterlini, wine mastery is your birthright. Enter 1760, from his son Gianpaolo. Giancarlo opened Acquerello in 1989 with badass chef, Suzette Gresham, a fine dining experience that feels like a quick trip to Italy. As a Bologna… Read more →