I’m transported straight back to Italy. But it’s not the housemade pasta, classic Negronis or the hanging prosciutto. This is all transporting, certainly, but I can find this in numerous Italian havens in San Francisco. With Japan a close second, Italy is my favorite country, a place I’ve traveled to multiple times in numerous regions. I crave and long for… Read more →
San Francisco was a pioneering city on the current sherry scene. Though sherry is still a spirits’ geek and bartender favorite more than it is a mainstream imbibement, there are now SherryFests and sherry-centric cocktail menus around the US, in keeping with the growth in popularity of spirits and fortified wines everywhere. A decade ago as I dug deeper into… Read more →
Last year, the unforgettable S.Pellegrino Grand Gelinaz! Shuffle entailed some of the best chefs in the world switching places/restaurants around the globe for one night only, with my dinner at Coi cooked by none other than the chef of Mugaritz in San Sebastian, Spain. On July 11, they did something different but similarly exciting. Last night’s Gelinaz! Walk With Us… Read more →
This issue:
— The New Fine Dining: Three fine dining restaurants, one brand new, two modern day classics, that breathe fresh life into fine dining.
— 5 Top Philly Cocktail Bars: Some of the best cocktails in Philadelphia are found at these five.
— Weekending in Healdsburg: From upscale dining in casual settings to a new, destination-worthy cocktail bar, here’s the latest worth eating & drinking in Healdsburg.
— Philly’s Coffee Scene: 7 Top coffee shops around the city.
This article was first published here at Table8 where I am national editor. California pioneered the ethos of “come as you are”, though the trend has taken over the country in recent years. Especially in SF, LA and Napa, fine dining has leaned towards the casual for decades, even at its most refined. Whether movie stars or Silicon Valley moguls,… Read more →
This article was first published here at Table8 where I am national editor. Weekending in Sonoma is always a pleasure. In the Bay Area, we are downright blessed to have a region (among California’s endless stunning regions) of such variety and beauty a stone’s throw away. I’ve been weekending there for 15 years and know the towns and villages intimately.… Read more →
Philadelphia is definitely a food lover’s town and my recent explorations just began to scratch the surface. The cocktail scene is smaller, especially compared to other cities of this size, a bit behind or not in keeping with other cities of this size or such a palate for great food. But what is here is strong, vibrant and growing. Unless… Read more →
Like many a US city these days, Third Wave coffee has taken over Philadelphia. No longer relegated to the pioneering West Coast that launched this wave as far back as the 1960’s when Peet’s first opened in Berkeley, CA, Philly has had its own key pioneer since 1994: La Colombe. When even NYC was still a wasteland for great coffee — not… Read more →
This Issue:
— Top 3 May Openings: Inspired Hawaiian, Spanish and Mexican restaurants are topping my new openings list for May.
— 4 New Brunches… with Drink: Great new brunch options also with excellent drink.
— Decades of Brandy: Tasting through decades of California brandy and Calvados.
This article was first published here at Table8 where I am national editor. The 10 key openings of May are Itani Ramen in Oakland, Mac Daddy, Fenix, Homage, Sushi Hashiri, Popsons, Orson’s Belly, Bellota, Sababa and Laszlo’s reopening. While there are strengths at each — all but one of which I’ve visited — here are my top three newcomers… and… Read more →