These three newer and one longtime restaurant confirm a French renaissance is underway… Read more →
Category: The Latest
9 Standout Restaurants of the Month
Reviewed in this article:
— Modern Lebanese and Levantine Pop-up at Buddy: Ilna
— New Neighborhood Spot Ideal for Groups & Families: Fifty Vara
— Cocktails & Bites with Seafaring Touch: Bar Maritime
— Persian Mexican Lounge: Movida
— Japanese Hot Pot Lunch Go-To: Potto
— SF Chron’s #3 Keeps On Wow-ing: Rich Table
— Two Top Female Chefs Keep This 32-Year-Old Shining: Boulevard
— Killing It With Bold Veggie Dishes: The Progress
— The Farm-to-Table Legend Since 1971: Chez Panisse Read more →
SF Bay Area March Top Eats
Reviewed in this article:
—Modern Afghani Gamechanger: Jaji, Oakland
—Next-Level Sports Bar (and I’m Not into sports): Splash
—Ferry Building’s Latest Delights: Lunette, El Porteno, Ocean Malasadas
—Honduran-Yucatecan Heartwarmer: Catrachita Yucateca
—Glitzy Korean Steakhouse: AB Steak
—New Vegetarian Dishes Delight: Tiya
—14 & (Still) Fabulous: State Bird Provisions
—Tiny Cajun & Creole Go-to on The Hill: Po’Boy’s Kitchen Read more →
February Eats: 6 Standouts of the Month
Reviewed in this article:
—Intimate Michelin Star Spot Turns Two Years Old: Anomaly
—Better Than Ever Austrian Treasure: Leopold’s
—Peruvian Brunchin’ with Live Music: Altamirano
—Donuts, Donuts, Donuts: George’s Donuts & Merriment,
—A New Creperie: Bistro La Chaumière
—Ping Pong & Games with Solid Food: SPIN San Francisco Read more →
French with a view: the new Bon Délire on the Embarcadero
Bon Délire debuted in October 2024 along the Embarcadero from restaurateur Kais Bouzidi, who owns Sens and Barcha. Whereas his Middle Eastern and Mediterranean restaurants are directly correlated to his North African roots and Tunisian father, this newcomer nods to his childhood on tiny Ile Saint-Louis, the island where Notre-Dame Cathedral sits in the middle of Paris. It also nods to his French mother, who ran a creperie. Read more →
Pizza with a view: Che Fico at Thrive City
A tough reservation to snag ever since it opened in 2018 in San Francisco’s Western Addition neighborhood, Che Fico remains a destination for chef David Nayfeld’s inspired pastas and unique take on pizzas with sourdough crust done in certified Neapolitan style.
I wrote of the restaurant being reborn in pandemic, then in November 2023, their gorgeous Menlo Park location opened, along with Che Fico Mercato, a market, wine shop and gelateria. Now there is a fourth entrant — and third restaurant — in the growing Che Fico family. Nayfeld and Matt Brewer of Back Home Hospitality opened Che Fico Pizzeria in Thrive City October last year; part of a growing web of new restaurants surrounding the Chase Center. Read more →
From Gozu to The Wild: A Michelin-worthy evolution in SF dining
Change is hard, especially when a beloved restaurant, Gozu, morphs into something entirely new: The Wild, starting September 2024. Read more →
From Peruvian to Pizza… November Eats: 7 Standouts of the Month
These newcomers or new menus cover the gamut, from Peruvian to pizza. Alongside my latest restaurant reviews, these seven are also worth visiting: Read more →
Prelude brings modern southern comfort to the Jay hotel
Published October 11, 2024, in my Medium column: For a lifetime I’ve been in love with American Southern food. Its ranges and its comforts, from Low Country to Creole or Cajun, and don’t even get me started on barbecue. Over two decades, I’ve taken countless road trips and repeat visits across the South to study its cuisines and its music. So it… Read more →
Sobakatsu, a legit closet-sized noodle shop opens in Japantown
Japan is a land that perfects each native dish with restaurants entirely devoted to one item, from comforting okonomiyaki to delicately fried tempura. And often at a handful of seats in a tiny space. Enter Sobakatsu, a closet-sized restaurant with a max of 11 seats, no reservations and a sole focus on cold and hot soba, Japan’s silky, thin buckwheat noodles that are friendly to all gluten-free-ers. Read more →