MEXICAN TALES: 5 New Mexican Spots Article & Photos by Virginia Miller Mexican food of all regions and categories is not only commonplace in California, it’s essential to our culture, intertwined as we are with our Mexican heritage. One can find Mexican food of every stripe across this massive state, whether San Francisco’s vibrant Mission District taquerias, the farming communities… Read more →
Burgers come in degrees: layered with expensive accoutrements, whole egg, foie gras, and the like… or simple, without pretense. I crave a burger in all degrees, whether upscale, knife and fork versions, or down and dirty. On the cheap, two burgers incite salivation in memory alone. One is at a brand new SoMa dive that also serves winning tacos, the… Read more →
TROYA, Part Deux: Turkish on Fillmore Photos and article by Virginia Miller Call it Cal-Med, Mediterranean or Turkish, there’s plenty of the former, less of the latter in the Bay Area. In terms of Turkish eateries, you can count them. For over a decade, A La Turca has been my hole-in-the-wall stop for affordable Turkish eats, including warm, cheesy pides… Read more →
Nothing replaces experiencing a place directly, but regional dinners are one way of traveling vicariously. Occasionally, it’s more than a meal, as with a January 23 dinner at Oakland’s Latin American haven, Bocanova, which hosts monthly Rick’s Supper Club highlighting South American cuisine. As we dined on wild shrimp and lobster ceviche in passion fruit sauce or smoky, steamed mussels… Read more →
SOUTHPAW BBQ, Mission (2170 Mission St. between 17th and 18th, 415-934-9300) Road tripping through the South for music and BBQ remains one of my most memorable trips ever: driving through four states, studying sauces and smokers, singing along to Loretta and Conway, George and Tammy, Dolly and Porter, Johnny and June, as the countryside passes by. As I’ve bemoaned before,… Read more →
Authentic Asian cuisine of every category is one of California and the Bay Area’s strengths, with constant new openings from hole-in-the-walls to hipster hotspots. Busy dining at a slew of Asian newcomers, like the Richmond’s mellow Daigo Sushi, or Szechuan outpost Chili House, these three restaurants stand out for one (or a few) reasons. MUGUBOKA, Inner Richmond (401 Balboa St. at… Read more →
Earthy, savory desserts call out to me. Despite diminishing tolerance for excessive sugar, ice cream/gelato remains my biggest weakness, and I’m as appreciative of baked goods and balanced, unique desserts as I ever was. There are a slew of new and noteworthy Bay Area sweets noteworthy sweets – and a couple older spots worth revisiting. MISO SESAME RICE CRISPIES and… Read more →
2012 gave birth to a number of new openings I hope will be around for years to come. As ever, my goal is to include cheaper spots alongside mid-range or upscale openings, considering range and uniqueness. It being December, we cannot strictly cover the calendar year, so with each choice open at least two months, the opening date range goes… Read more →
Two unrelated seafood restaurants have quietly undergone chef and menu changes in the last year. Less than impressed with both when they debuted, they’ve taken a turn for the better. There’s a low-key Mission seafood outpost with a vegan emphasis, Weird Fish, now Dante’s Weird Fish, and a Financial District restaurant catering to the FiDi set, Georges, with upscale-casual seafood.… Read more →
Clearly we can’t get enough chocolate. As chocolatiers continue to proliferate around the country, we are blessed with an endless wealth of fine chocolate to choose from. Tirelessly sampling chocolates from every possible corner of the world, including every city and country I travel in, there are standouts from numerous angles, some perfecting a certain truffle, others a pure bean-to-bar… Read more →