Partners Mark Nevin and April Sack opened Tofino Wines this March, which made our 10 Hottest Bars Now list for its unique setting, strong wine selection and notable emphasis as wine hangout/bar as much as it is a retail wine merchant. Alongside an ever-changing, stellar by-the-glass wine list and bottle selection, sherry lovers will delight in the growing sherry section… Read more →
From mid-May to mid-June, here are the standout cocktails and new menus I’ve been tasting around the Bay Area. 1 & 2. Lazy Bear’s Stalk Market & Young Blood Ticketed-only Lazy Bear is one of the most exciting restaurant openings of the past year, reaching its one year anniversary this September. It’s exciting to see how its cocktail menu has… Read more →
Hong Kong’s coffee scene was a welcome surprise. While the third wave coffee having swept most cities of note around the globe — especially any with a strong food scene — it is not always the case that these coffee renaissances are anywhere near as strong as what has been a decades-long staple of (and has in fact come from)… Read more →
Published at Food Republic on June 11, 2015: ARTICLE: www.foodrepublic.com/2015/04/22/st-george-spirits-is-americas-craftiest-distillery Read more →
Almost daily, I’m tasting a wide range of spirits, wines and beers, whether at restaurants, bars, distilleries, wineries, breweries or as samples crossing my desk. This Spring, here are my top 10 wines tasted. 1. O. Lemasson Pineau D’Aunis “Poivre et Sel” at Tofino Wines O. Lemasson Pineau D’Aunis Poivre et Sel — translating to “pepper and salt” ($14 by… Read more →
From mid-April to mid-May, here are the standout cocktails and new menus I’ve been tasting around the Bay Area. 1. Alembic’s SF Confidential A newcomer on the menu at the excellent-for-a-decade Alembic is bar manager Larry Piaskowy’s new SF Confidential ($13), on the chalkboard. What makes it special is the harmony and balance of the ingredients and its easy drinkability.… Read more →
Almost daily, I’m tasting a wide range of spirits, wines and beers, whether at restaurants and bars, distilleries, wineries or breweries or as samples crossing my desk. For March, here are recently-released spirits standouts. WhistlePig Old World Series: Sauternes, Madeira, Port ($117.99) WhistlePig’s Old World Series was just released, showcasing WhistlePig Rye aged in three different types of wine casks… Read more →
From mid-March to mid-April, here are the standout cocktails and new menus I’ve been tasting around the Bay Area. 1. BDK’s Shiso It’s always good news when Kevin Diedrich is back manning a bar. At brand new BDK (my Zagat feature on the restaurant here), his two pages of cocktails ($11 each) are named after a single leading ingredient or… Read more →
Another Whiskies of the World (WoW) on the San Francisco Belle docked in the Bay, held on March 28 (last year and years prior here). Although it is one of the big whisk(e)y events in the country (also in San Jose, Atlanta and Austin), it remains more approachable than bigger whisk(e)y events, more like a big party than a corporate… Read more →
From mid-February to mid-March, here are the standout cocktails and new menus I’ve been tasting around the Bay Area. 1. Chino’s BK or KS Where to start with the incomparable Danny Louie’s 5 new drinks at Chino? He’s rolling out these new cocktails ($11-$12) over the next two weeks, his first big menu change since Chino opened. In a winning… Read more →