This Issue:
– Top 6 Cocktails of the Month: From an all sherry cocktail menu to clarified elegance, here’s the best of what I’ve been tasting lately.
– Top 10 Houston Bars
– 10 Top Places to Eat in Houston
— Top 5 Whiskies at Whiskyfest SF 2015
Top 6 Cocktails of the Month
From mid-October to mid-November, here are 6 standout cocktails and new menus I’ve been tasting around the Bay Area. 1. 15 Romolo’s Miraculous Milk Punch With in-house sherry expert Ian Adams and an impressive collection of over 500 spirits, 15 Romolo has been one of SF’s greatest bars for over a decade. Their sherry collection is one of their strengths and… Read more →
Top 10 Houston Bars
There is a vibrant range of quality bars in Houston (my top 10 Houston food recommends here), a city whose drink scene is on the rise, whether the cocktail bar that finally ushered in the cocktail renaissance here in 2009, Anvil, to the city’s strongest Italian amaro selection and cocktails at Coltivare. Some spots didn’t quite work for me: the… Read more →
10 Top Places to Eat in Houston
With its hot and heavy air, Houston is redolent of Gulf spirit that at moments recalls New Orleans, albeit without all that romance, music and beauty. But that Gulf influence peeks out in some of the scenic neighborhoods where I appreciated homes lined with front porches and palm trees. Houston is the most international of the Texas cities and it… Read more →
Top 5 Whiskies at Whiskyfest SF 2015
My 7th year attending Whiskyfest San Francisco (also held in Chicago and NYC annually) and like any other year, the event held many revisits of favorite whiskies (here are last year’s standouts), from Scotland, Japan, Ireland, Canada and the US in the massive underground ballrooms of the SF Marriott Marquis. Between re-tasting greats like Aberlour’s A’bunadh and Hibiki’s gorgeous 21… Read more →
November 1, 2015
This issue:
– Top 10 Dishes of the Month: The best of SF now, from downright stellar pig’s ears to raw trout tostadas.
– 10 Best Places to Drink in Austin: 7 cocktail havens, new and established, and 3 legendary dives and honky tonks.
– Austin Food Hype: Digging in for the best (and the overhyped) in BBQ, restaurants and ice cream at 14 top spots.
— 6 Top Austin Coffee Shops
Top 10 Dishes & New Openings: October 2015
It’s been another month of excellent food from the 10 plus meals I eat out a week, ever hunting for the best. Prime example: I’m as in love with Chubby Noodle as ever — from its early days in the back of Amante (when I dubbed it one of the top openings of 2011), to its rowdy, packed Marina restaurant… Read more →
10 Best Places to Drink in Austin
Last issue we talked Dallas, which is full of food and drink surprises these days… Austin gets all the love in national press, and among many I know. As music is the first love of my life, Austin certainly gains points there (although New Orleans remains the ultimate music city in my book). But I found all three Texas cities… Read more →
Austin Food Hype: 14 Greats (And Not-So-Greats)
Last issue we talked Dallas, which is full of food and drink surprises these days… Austin gets all the love in the national press, and among many I know. As music is the first love of my life, Austin certainly gains points there (although New Orleans remains the ultimate music city in my book). But I found all three Texas… Read more →
6 Top Austin Coffee Shops
Last issue we talked Dallas and its many food and drink surprises these days… This issue I dig deep in Austin — food (restaurants, tacos, BBQ, ice cream) and cocktails/bars. All that intense research, part of a two week road trip across the state, means I required morning fuel for days of tasting and exploring. Here are the six Austin… Read more →