Amidst the lush browns of Spruce‘s elegant, candlelit back dining room, I took part in a unique, intimate dinner hosted by Plymouth Gin on April 14th in honor of St. George’s Day. A small group of writers enjoyed an hours-long, five-course dinner from skilled Spruce chef, Mark Sullivan, paired with five stunning cocktails from their mixologist, Brandon Clements (plus classic… Read more →
It was my first time attending this annual event, Passport to Dry Creek (April 24-25), where locals come out en masse for themed parties, music, wine and food at each participating winery, closed to event attendees (here’s details about the event: $70 one day/$120 for two). In a brief summary of the weekend, it’s not so much about the wine.… Read more →
The last beer dinner I attended at Monk’s Kettle was a media-only event showcasing Sam Adams’ Utopias (and then some), but this is a regular series at Monk’s: five course, beer-paired feasts paired with either the brewmaster or a rep from the featured distillery walking you through each beer. The next one is May 5th with none other than Allagash… Read more →
The annual SF Chocolate Salon (held this year on March 20) is a spread-out sea of chocolate purveyors, plus a small few choco spirits, wines, and cheese thrown in for good measure, in massive Fort Mason. There were few new discoveries for me, and some were just plain awful, plus the disorganized will call check-in made for a frustrating start.… Read more →
February 23rd was a night of island breezes and mai tais despite the pouring rain outside in Burlingame’s striking Sub-Zero & Wolf Showroom. Three of Hawaii’s biggest chefs, Roy Yamaguchi (yes, that Roy of Roy’s restaurants), Alan Wong and D.K. Kodama, plus a mixologist, wine-maker, products (like sweet and spicy Kilauea hot sauce), all came over from the islands,… Read more →
FANCY FOOD at Moscone Center, 1/16-19 Fancy Food is the largest showcase of specialty foods in North America, held annually in NYC and SF, and walking through literally thousands of products from around the world (not to mention tasting them) is massively overwhelming and exciting. It’s a place for industry folk to discover and buy new product, and, in my… Read more →
10/24 Loretto Dinner with Phoenix Supper Club Meet at a corner disclosed when making a reservation to Phoenix Supper Club‘s Loretto dinner. A limo awaits with champagne and about 10 other guests all guessing where you’ll be dining. October 24, the first Loretto dinner, brought us to historical Haas-Lilienthal House/Museum, where we were ushered to candlelit tables and entertained by… Read more →
Though renowned artisan chocolatier, Recchiuti, just ended their fabulous tasting series, pairing chocolate with everything from spirits to mushrooms to bread, there will be more ahead so I urge you to sign up on their email list to be notified when they do. I went to my first ‘class’, Beer and Chocolate, not sure what to expect: a tasting, discussion,… Read more →
In Conversation with Chef Melissa Axelrod Melissa Axelrod, of Melissa Claire’s Kitchen, a chef with a background at none other than Delfina and Fringale, now works with other chefs and beer and wine experts to create a series of meals rich in range and taste. I took in a night in Melissa Claire’s Kitchen at cozy Velo Rouge Cafe on… Read more →
EAT REAL FESTIVAL – August 28-30 Street food in the Bay Area is exploding this past year and we’ve had a few recent events to commemorate, none bigger than Oakland’s Eat Real Fest. Much has been written about the event this week, but I’ll just share a few highlights via photo. It was a dance of taste from one vendor… Read more →