“A writer is someone who pays attention to the world – a writer is a professional observer.” – Susan Sontag I’m off to Oregon for a sake and izakaya press trip, but meanwhile have been savoring the continued radiant weather at home with walks in the park, front stoop drinks with neighbors, and gazing out at the ocean with The… Read more →
By the Slice: 8 New Bay Area Pizza Spots
As if the Neapolitan, artisanal, wood-fired pizza wave of the past decade weren’t enough, pizza openings continue to come on fast and furious. A recent interview I read with a New Yorker said they couldn’t live on the West Coast because they’d have to miss pizza. Having grown up in NJ (near NYC) and California both, and as a frequent… Read more →
Rarities: 50 Year Old Scotch & 1950 Cognac
When you get the rare chance to try 50 year old Scotch or Cognac, you do. When it’s a tasting with drink industry legends like James Espey, who is behind the creation of iconic brands like Bailey’s Irish Cream, Malibu Rum and even Johnnie Walker Blue, it’s an imperative. I enjoyed a rousing lunch at Hakkasan this week with James… Read more →
Exploring Austria: Fairytale-Esque Salzburg
Salzburg impressed me during my first visit in 1999 where the romance of its spires, churches, river, mountains and rolling, green hillsides was an influence since childhood, thanks to that film locals love to dislike, The Sound of Music. As with my visit in ’99, going on a SoM tour was a highlight of my visit (there are many to… Read more →
Rarities: Two American Whiskies with Stitzel-Weller & Old Bernheim Ties
As common as they are, “limited” whisk(e)y releases may seem like a lot of hype. But American whiskey fans (such as myself) perked up when we heard about Diageo‘s Orphan Barrel Whiskey Distilling Co. This new line of rare, essentially foraged or found whiskies, just launched with their first whiskies. 20 year Barterhouse and 26 year Old Blowhard bourbons were… Read more →
Exploring Austria: Innsbruck
Innsbruck is the capital city of the Austrian state of Tyrol (Tirol) in western Austria. The city is famous for its scenic setting along the Sill River, sandwiched between dramatic mountains (2000-3000 meters/7000-9000 feet), and for being the site of the 1964 and 1976 Winter Olympics. It was a city I’d meant to visit during my first visit to Austria… Read more →
St. George’s New Nola Coffee Liqueur
I adore New Orleans. I adore coffee. And I adore St. George Spirits. So I was (naturally) pleased to hear St. George was releasing Nola Coffee Liqueur. On its way to stores and bars as we “speak”, this new coffee liqueur starts local with cold-brewed Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffee beans roasted by Jewel Box Coffee Roasters, an up-and-comer in Oakland, just… Read more →
Tribute to a San Francisco Legend: Goodbye, Joe’s Cable Car
Pulling into the Joe’s Cable Car parking lot 15 minutes to its 11am opening time, I made it just before a steady stream of cars, news crews, even a firetruck full of fireman, filled the legendary diner for their last Joe’s burger. On its final day of business, March 16 – after 49 years run by the same wonderful, 75-year-old… Read more →
March 1, 2014
“I worry about the prospect of collective amnesia. While access to information has never been so universal as it is now… the total sum of knowledge of anything beyond the present seems to be dwindling among those people who came of age with the Internet. Anything beyond 1945, if then, is a messy, remote landscape; the centuries melt into each… Read more →
5 Great SF Restaurants Now
In the midst of the latest, hottest, buzzed about new openings, the greats get forgotten. Whether it’s old school classics like seafood at Tadich Grill, or arguably the best souffles in the US at Cafe Jacqueline, where Jacqueline has dedicated decades to churning out perfect souffles every night, many of our greats keep their steady following yet stay under the… Read more →