Bone-broth cocktails, anyone? That’s exactly what you’ll find at Belcampo Meat Co.’s San Francisco restaurant and butcher shop selling meats from their visionary farm. Their first drink menu launched Thursday, March 12, created by cocktail greats Jon Gasparini and Greg Lindgren, who opened Rye on the Road, Rye and 15 Romolo.
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 February, here are just-released spirits standouts — February beer highlights are here and wine here. St. George’s New Vodkas ($24.99) Yes, St. George Spirits sold the Hangar One brand a couple years… Read more →
SF Beer Week has grown dramatically in the few short years since it launched in 2009. I’ve been attending since the beginning (except a couple years when I was out of the country on a press trip) and the growth each year is noticeable. With over 600 events around the Bay Area over one week, it’s overwhelming for anyone, even… 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. In the month of February, here are my top 5 wines tasted — February beer highlights are here and spirits here. 1. 2010 Vigneto Saetti Rosato dell’Emilia The hands-on, family production of 2010 Vigneto… Read more →
Of the wide number of cocktails I taste in a month, here are 10 January-early February standouts from restaurants, bars and events around the Bay Area. 1. Hawker Fare’s Witch Doctor Chef James Syhabout (of Michelin-starred Commis in Oakland) just opened Hawker Fare SF a couple weeks ago. Though I was disappointed in the food at Oakland’s Hawker Fare since… Read more →
My new coffee destination/cafe of the month is on Market Street near the Montgomery BART station, easily accessible to Union Square and Financial District/SoMa crowds alike. Mazarine serves coffee from a couple purveyors to please the coffee geek and quality bites for lunch and breakfast. Here is an article I wrote about the cafe at Zagat on January 21, 2015:… Read more →
Most days, 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 January, here are 3 wine standouts, a spirits highlight and a notable mead. WINES of the MONTH – 2013 Azienda Agricola COS Frappato from Sicily: On Shelly Lindgren‘s impeccable Italian wine list… Read more →
Recently, I received no less than three new Añejo or Extra Añejos imports from Mexico. “Añejo” means aged in Spanish and this tequila category is essentially the clear spirit one starts with as a blanco tequila, but aged a minimum of one year (and less than three years) in oak barrels. Extra Añejo is a newer category that means the tequila… Read more →
From my numerous articles a week as Zagat Editor, I summarize and link to some of this coverage here – you can follow along on Twitter @ZagatSF, where I post daily, or on my own @ThePerfectSpot via Twitter or Facebook. Special Features & Year-in-Review My Year in Dining & Drink article Cocktails The 14 Top New Cocktail Bars of the… Read more →
Many spirits cross my desk — or are tasted at numerous bars or distilleries — in any given month. For December, here are 3 international spirits — vermouth, rum and Scotch— that stood out or offer something different. BroVo Vermouths ($18) I’ve been having fun with BroVo’s brand new line of vermouths — and was already a fan of their… Read more →