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 →
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 Bay Area Holiday Dining Survival Guide 2014 Bay Area Food & Drink Trends Cocktails RN74 from… Read more →
Many wines cross my desk or are tasted at numerous restaurants and bars I visit almost night… For December, here are 5 wines that stood out in the last 4 weeks, whether by the bottle or tasted at a local restaurant/bar. 1. 2012 Margalleau Vouvray Sec Chenin Blanc ($16) Recently at Gitane, I fell for the mineral, citrus notes of… 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. Wine 3 new SF wine bars you should know Cocktails Hapa Ramen opens its first brick-and-mortar – with cocktails –… Read more →
Many spirits cross my desk — or are tasted at numerous bars or distilleries — in any given month. For November, here are international spirits — mezcal, a cacao spirit, an agave spirit and a single malt whiskey — that stood out or offer something different. Mezcal Amaras ($49.99) Amaras, also known as Mezcal Amores in Mexico, is a mezcal… Read more →