“[There were] orange groves – hundreds of miles of them, alternating with avocados, pears, persimmons, walnuts, peaches, cotton and fields of lettuce and artichokes as large as English ducal estates… Then of course there’s the sea coast – barren in the southern part of the state where the land is almost a desert… green further north, where you can have… Read more →
Why We Need 1760
1760, Russian Hill (1760 Polk Street at Washington, 415-359-1212) As is typical with any new restaurant opening, friends, colleagues and strangers ask for my take on a place… and in the case of 1760, the new restaurant from the owners of Acquerello, every single one of them has breathed a sigh of relief when I say I like it. “Oh,… Read more →
Dogpatch Cocktail Destination & Jerky Bar
THIRD RAIL, Dogpatch (628 20th Street at Third Street) The desolate streets of Dogpatch have continued to come alive with food and drink destinations over recent years. Not long after Dogpatch Saloon re-opened as ideal neighborhood bar with quality cocktails, Third Rail, long in the works from Range owner/chef Phil West and bar manager Jeff Lyon, just opened December 12th. The… Read more →
Top Tastes: Five Best Dishes Now – Curry, Waffles, Fried Chicken Waffle Sandwich, Duck Pate, Ice Cream Sandwich
Breakfast through dessert, here are five of the best dishes at new eateries and restaurants around San Francisco: WAFFLES at LINEA CAFFE, Mission (3417 18th St. at San Carlos) Look for the tiny, wood-walled shop behind Duc Loi, a bustling Asian grocery in the Mission, with sidewalk table seating only. You’ll find micro-batch roasted coffee from Andrew Barnett, founder of… Read more →
In the Netherlands with Bols Genever
In the Netherlands with BOLS GENEVER Photos & Article by Virginia Miller Getting lost amid the canals and museums of Amsterdam is mesmerizing. This May, I took a memorable journey to the Netherlands with legendary Bols Genever, genever (pronounced “jeh-NAY-ver”) being the precursor to gin (read my Amsterdam food/dining recommends and best cocktail havens and dive bars here). Confusion still… Read more →
Wandering Traveler: In Bruges
In BRUGES Photos & Article by Virginia Miller The romance of Bruges cannot be overstated. I was delightfully surprised to arrive in the small, intimate city of narrow cobblestone roads and horse drawn carriages to be one of the more romantic cities I’ve visited (and I’ve been to 25 cities around the globe just this year alone): partly due to… Read more →
December 1, 2013
“If I dismiss the ordinary – waiting for the special, the extreme, the extraordinary to happen – I may just miss my life… To allow ourselves to spend afternoons watching dancers rehearse, or sit on a stone wall and watch the sunset, or spend the whole weekend rereading Chekhov stories—to know that we are doing what we’re supposed to be… Read more →
Dining in Amsterdam
Dining in AMSTERDAM Photos & Article by Virginia Miller Getting lost amid the canals and museums of Amsterdam is mesmerizing. While the hash house, hippie-spirited, eclectic streets near the train station make for fascinating people watching (forgive the rant: I won’t even get into the Red Light District, being a passionate advocate against human trafficking, as the ever-growing sex trade… Read more →
Venetian Escape in the Castro
Whenever I visited the intimate, humble Pesce on Polk Street over the past decade plus, I was consistently impressed with the impeccable seafood and Venetian focus. It evoked an escape to Venice, Italy (minus the unmatchable, magical setting), for its blessed ritual of snacking: cicchétti, or hot and cold bites preferably taken with drink. Having just returned to Venice for… Read more →
WINTER CHEER: 4 Cocktails to Drink Now at Tosca, TBD, Hakkasan, Hog & Rocks
From a beer-laced float, to a South Asian punch, here are four of San Francisco’s best cocktails now: TOSCA’s “HOUSE CAPPUCCINO” I was afraid. Very afraid. Though iconic Tosca Cafe was my beloved haven for San Francisco history and Italian singers on the jukebox, its takeover from NY crew and Chef April Bloomfield had me more than a little concerned… Read more →