The OC dining wasteland that was one of the homes of my youth — a place I lived a total of 12 years of my life — is still not remotely in league with even the dining scenes of the US’ great mid-size cities. But better eats continue to pop up and increase around the massive county, which is an… Read more →
—Top 11 Cocktails of the Month: From SF to the East Bay, 11 summer standouts.
—Exploring Tsukiji Fish Market with a Sushi Chef: Visiting the famed fish market with sushi chef Ken Tominaga — a photo journey.
—Visiting Suntory Yamazaki Distillery in Japan: The distillery that started it all.
—S. Pellegrino Presents The Grand Gelinaz! Shuffle: Spain’s famed Mugaritz chef cooks at SF’s Coi for one night, along with 37 chefs doing a similar restaurant swap around the world.
From mid-June to mid-July, here are the standout cocktails and new menus I’ve been tasting around the Bay Area, including a number of favorites pulled from my July 6 Zagat article on top summer cocktails. 1. Saison’s Milk Punch – and Gardens of Plymouth [From my July 6 Zagat Summer Cocktails article]: With pricey tasting menus and a fantastic (hidden)… Read more →
The world’s largest and most revered fish market is one of those “musts” during a visit to Tokyo. But to go with a Japanese-born sushi chef is a whole other experience, one I am grateful to have had. The Renaissance Man and I were privileged to share our morning exploration through Tsukiji Fish Market with Chef Ken Tominaga and his… Read more →
For lovers of Japanese whisky — akin to and birthed from Scotch and Scotland but entirely Japanese in its sense of balance and harmony — Yamazaki is a special whisky. Privileged as I have been to taste many variations and special casks of Yamazaki over the years, including the acclaimed 1984 and Sherry Cask bottlings, and being the whisky that… Read more →
If you save up your funds to dine at Pellegrino’s World’s Best or Michelin-starred restaurants as you travel — or at home if you’re privileged to live in a city where you’re surrounded by them — S.Pellegrino Presents THE GRAND GELINAZ! SHUFFLE is a one-night-only event you geek out about. This year, it took place on July 9th. 37 international… Read more →
This issue:
– Top 10 Dishes & Openings of the Month: Look for a new red sauce haven, red beet naan, lobster fricassee and a new hidden Japanese/sushi meal to rival the best in Japan.
– Top 6 Tokyo Meals: In one of the world’s best food cities, here just a few of the unreal glories (and 3 of the best meals of my life).
– Tofino Wines: The new wine bar/shop (with great bites and sherry selection) to make me rethink wine bars.
– Aspen Food & Wine Classic: Highlights from food to wine, parties and seminars to new products.
Here are my top 10 June dishes and new openings, some newcomers, some established spots. 1. Saison’s Special Nigiri Menu Joshua Skenes’ Saison is known the world over for endless accolades and some of the priciest meals in the nation. Now, there is a restaurant-within-a-restaurant, a hidden dining room that is a collaboration between Skenes and Chef Jiro Lin. Lin… Read more →
Tokyo: not since Rome, my favorite international city outside the US, has a city captured me so wholly, immediately and fully. To arrive the first night was to plot, with the Renaissance Man, when we could return. Japan is a game changer, even for the seasoned traveler. More difficult and closed to outsiders — especially for a city with the… Read more →
Partners Mark Nevin and April Sack opened Tofino Wines this March, which made our 10 Hottest Bars Now list for its unique setting, strong wine selection and notable emphasis as wine hangout/bar as much as it is a retail wine merchant. Alongside an ever-changing, stellar by-the-glass wine list and bottle selection, sherry lovers will delight in the growing sherry section… Read more →