Sora Soba Dining. Photo by Virginia Miller. Japan has long been my top two favorite countries in the world… the other being my beloved Italia. Thankfully, I live in a city home to the first Japantown in the Western world since the 1800s. With literally hundreds of Japanese restaurants in the Bay Area alone — and California being home to… Read more →
Shotski’s Alpine Lodge Permanent Vacation cocktail. Photo by Virginia Miller. Six San Francisco cocktail bars or restaurants serving cocktails — and good vibes — that should be more well known than they are. But lucky for us, these are “just between you and me” (wink, wink). Olde Fashioned. Photo by Virginia Miller. What a Neighborhood Cocktail Bar Should Be: Olde… Read more →
Hamburguesa Bar. Photo by Virginia Miller. These 10 new(ish) restaurants — plus two bonus takeout/delivery spots — offer affordable, sometimes fun and delicious casual eats. These 12 cover the gamut: burger bar, Korean-Japanese katsu and udon, Yucatacen Mexican, hoagies, vegan Filipino, Chinese, Middle-Eastern, Indian and Tunisian-influenced wraps. Coffee shop tip: my favorite new neighborhood cafe is Yardsale Equipment Company in… Read more →
Saam crudo. Photo by Virginia Miller. My first trip out of the country over 25 years ago was the two months I spent in Thailand, followed by a month in Vietnam. Barely out of my teens, it was an intense trip in orphanages and hospitals around the country, in tough conditions (mostly sans bed or bath), but with the privilege… Read more →
Vicinity’s Half Moon Bay course. Photo by Virginia Miller. For 25 years, I’ve been exploring and writing about the Bay Area’s Peninsula — including but not minimized to Silicon Valley. San Mateo County can exhibit suburban malaise and mediocrity when it comes to restaurant standards, especially compared to the dense, world-class glories of nearby San Francisco. But this is also… Read more →
Chotto Matte. Photo by Virginia Miller. Brunch is one of the weekend’s most sacred rituals. Here are seven notable brunch experiences, from retro 1970s diner to modern Indian or Peruvian (my last brunch feature here). As always, I’ve personally vetted and visited each: Goldenette milkshake. Photo by Virginia Miller. Retro 70s-Style Diner: Goldenette, Nob HillSad as I was to see… Read more →
It has been quite a year for Sons & Daughters already. In these initial months of 2026, they’ve garnered a rare spot in the second annual North America’s 50 Best Restaurants awards, a returning two Michelin stars and a James Beard finalist nomination for Best Chef California for Harrison Cheney. In November 2025, S&D moved from its tiny original space — now housing already-Michelin-starred modern Filipino Restaurant Naides — to San Francisco’s Mission District in the gorgeous, wood-walled space that was home to Michelin-starred Osito… Read more →
Maria Isabel’s sea urchin tamalito. Photo by Virginia Miller. Talented husband-wife chef duos are a special dynamic and business-life partnership common across the restaurant industry. In San Francisco alone, powerhouse couples run some of the best small restaurant groups in the city, like Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski (State Bird Provisions, The Progress, Anchovy Bar), Michael and Lindsay Tusk (Quince,… Read more →
Mendocino coast by moonlight from Inn at Newport Ranch. Photo by Virginia Miller. The term “thin place” is an ancient one, referring to places where heaven and earth come close or the veil between life now and the afterlife is especially delicate and permeable . On California’s breathtaking Mendocino Coast, easily some of the most dramatic, mystical coastline in the world,… Read more →
Restaurant Naides bread and chicken gizzard liver mousse course. Photo by Virginia Miller. Filipino fine dining is on the rise but is still far from mainstream. Chicago’s Michelin-starred, James Beard-winning Kasama and husband-wife chefs, Tim Flores and Genie Kwon, elevated the cuisine of the Philippines, playing with it in inspired ways (my review). As has chef Francis Ang in San… Read more →