Mendocino remains one of our most magical NorCal getaways. The craggy coast, majestic redwood forests, the Victorian village of Mendocino itself — a weekend in Mendo, as locals call it, is always a relaxing proposition. The pace slows down, and the spirit of the hippies who popularized the town in the ’60s and ’70s remains, while dramatic vistas from forests, farmlands and hills to the rugged shore and deep blue sea all refresh from city life and a long work week.
Almost daily, I’m tasting a wide range of spirits, wines and beers, whether at restaurants and bars, distilleries, wineries or breweries or as samples crossing my desk. For March, here are recently-released spirits standouts. WhistlePig Old World Series: Sauternes, Madeira, Port ($117.99) WhistlePig’s Old World Series was just released, showcasing WhistlePig Rye aged in three different types of wine casks… Read more →
This issue:
– My Top 8 Cocktails of the Month: Journey through amaro pours to shiso cocktails.
– 12 Exceptional Tokyo Bars: This city like no other boasts incomparable bars and the rarest selections of whiskies by-affordable-pour in the world.
From mid-March to mid-April, here are the standout cocktails and new menus I’ve been tasting around the Bay Area. 1. BDK’s Shiso It’s always good news when Kevin Diedrich is back manning a bar. At brand new BDK (my Zagat feature on the restaurant here), his two pages of cocktails ($11 each) are named after a single leading ingredient or… Read more →
This article I wrote for Food Republic, originally published on February 18, 2015. The article and all photos below are all by Virginia Miller. I also wrote extensively about a range of Japanese whiskies, bars and distilleries in a print feature article in the December 2014 issue of Whisky Magazine UK. You might have heard about the hand-carved ice. Suited… Read more →
– My Top 10 Dishes & New Openings of March.
– New Standouts: Three of my latest go-tos in Turkish, Mexican and vegan food.
– Around the Bay: Weekend in Sebastopol.
– Top 5 Whiskies of Whiskies of the World 2015.
March has been another intense run of new openings, whether the hot new BDK Restaurant & Bar from a Top Chef alum and Chicago chef (more on Kevin Diedrich’s top notch cocktail program at BDK in my next issue), or unusual finds like the new hidden sushi bar, Takoba, upstairs at John Colins bar [click on restaurant names for my… Read more →
Here are three newcomers I’m loving, whether for a quick lunch or take-out, each with some notable dishes. KITCHEN ISTANBUL, Inner Richmond Just open in December 2014 in the former Troya space (the Fillmore Troya location is thankfully still going strong), Kitchen Istanbul is my new, go-to Turkish spot, ideal for eat-in or take-out. As with my longtime Iraqi favorite,… Read more →
Sebastopol is a laid-back town famed for Gravenstein apples and wineries. Over the years, many of the apple orchards have been replanted with vineyards, but there are a few left, with a growing number of artisanal hard cider producers preserving and showcasing the area’s apple wealth (see our recent feature on Devoto Cider), with an annual Apple Blossom Festival in… Read more →
Another Whiskies of the World (WoW) on the San Francisco Belle docked in the Bay, held on March 28 (last year and years prior here). Although it is one of the big whisk(e)y events in the country (also in San Jose, Atlanta and Austin), it remains more approachable than bigger whisk(e)y events, more like a big party than a corporate… Read more →