Typically eating at two more or places a day, I dine at far more places than I can write about. Often, there are high points but not enough to warrant a full review or in the case of a casual hole-in-the-wall, there might be a noteworthy dish but not a list of reasons to visit. From time to time, it… Read more →
We obsess about every kind of food in the Bay Area, but the knish (pronunciation: k?-n?sh) hasn’t gotten enough respect. This doughy, flaky potato snack has its roots in Eastern Europe and Jewish cultures, knish being a Yiddish word, translating to dumpling or “a kind of bun.” This dumpling-like bun is set for revival, with a nod to what just… Read more →
Style-over-substance at popular restaurants grew old in my Los Angeles days. A pretty package matters little if food isn’t excellent. In SF, we tend towards the other direction. Thank goodness for places like Gitane, Bix, Foreign Cinema, which manage both – a little style is welcome. With the entry of two new, upscale Chinese restaurants, we get style aplenty. One,… Read more →
Capo’s, 641 Vallejo Street, 415.986.8998, cash only Tony’s Pizza Napoletana reigns for my best all-around pizza experience because of its range of impeccable pies, from New York to Neapolitan. I’m no stranger to these categories, consuming countless pizzas in my many travels in Italy and years living in a New Jersey suburb of NYC – not to mention living in… Read more →
San Francisco doesn’t lack for comfort food. The wave of gastropubs and gourmet comfort food of the past decade has insured most neighborhoods aren’t without elevated burgers and grown-up childhood favorites. Two new restaurants in SoMa and the Mission opened in September with very different menus but both with comfort at the forefront. COMPANY, Mission (1000 Guerrero at 22nd, 415-374-7479)… Read more →
GREEK COMFORT in West Portal Article & Photos by Virginia Miller OREXI, West Portal (243 W. Portal Ave. at 14th Ave., 415-664-6739) West Portal has long warmed my heart. Maybe it’s the removed setting, tucked away over the hill from Twin Peaks where the MUNI K and T lines end. Or it’s a sense of stepping back in time to… Read more →
Sushi bars proliferate around SF with two more brand new spots on Russian Hill and in the Mission. ELEPHANT SUSHI, Russian Hill (1916 Hyde St., between Green St. & Delgado Pl., 415-440-1905) Think of Elephant Sushi as on “island time” (read: chilled out) and you’ll enjoy your experience all the more. Reminiscent of early days at the original Sushi Bistro… Read more →
RICH TABLE, Hayes Valley (199 Gough St. at Oak, 415-355-9085) Not since State Bird Provisions and AQ opened towards the end of 2011 have I been as excited about a new opening. Evan and Sarah Rich’s new Rich Table presents itself as the whole package, kinks and all, even in the first month. With efficient, informed service, reasonably priced wine… Read more →
TURKISH GEM in the FiDi Photos and article by Virginia Miller With the Guardian’s recent move to the Financial District, I’ve frequented downtown haunts, returning to old favorites, discovering new gems. Humble, tiny spaces like La Fusion, delight with Peruvian-influenced Nuevo Latino dishes, including rotisserie chicken and warm bread salad, vivid ceviches, cinnamon-clove inflected sangria, and fried empanadas dipped in… Read more →
A fledgling new restaurant is a work in progress, an evolution. Often visiting restaurants in opening week, I’ll return 3-4 weeks later, noticing a marked improvement in rhythm and flow, if not a dramatic change in food – often first food impressions prove to be consistent. Returning 2, 3, 4 months into a restaurant’s life, if things are heading the… Read more →