“You are what you settle for.” – Janis Joplin’s final interview Happy new year! I am beyond grateful for the rich tastes, adventures and relationships of last year, wishing you more discovery, restoration and connection in 2014. Alongside fellow food writers, I recap the year in dining at Eater.com, from best new restaurants to 2014 predictions. Read more: my latest reviews at… Read more →
Best Restaurants of 2013: SF, US & The World
Another year, another 600+ restaurants… or that’s how many I kept track of via spreadsheet – there’s even more in actuality (YES, this is my annual average). While I’ve long been a global traveler, 2013 was the most full yet: I visited over 25 cities in 10 different countries, so weeding through best tastes is more complicated than ever. 2013… Read more →
Best Bars in SF, the US & the World – 2013
Another year, another few hundred bar menus tasted and perused around the globe. This year was the most full yet: I visited over 25 cities in 10 different countries. Which means weeding through best tastes is even more complicated. Given the vast range, I have three 2013 lists (more for best in food/dining here): 12 Best New Bars in San… Read more →
Top Tastes: Michelin-Starred Dining in SF at Saison & Campton Place
We live in one of the great culinary cities of the world – and certainly the US – graced with many a Michelin-starred restaurant from Napa to the South Bay. While I have dined at 30 of the 38 Michelin-starred restaurants in the Bay Area, and many more around the world, I’ve recently had a heavy dose of restaurants graced… Read more →
NOVELA’s New Cocktail Menu, Including Punch Flights on Draft
NOVELA, SoMa (662 Mission St. between New Montgomery and Annie Streets, 415-896-6500) Watch out: Lead Bartenders Christina Cabrera and Suzanne Miller’s new menu for 2013’s literary drinking lounge newcomer, Novela, signifies a cocktail duo to watch. While Alex Smith continues on as General Manager and talented Dillon Lockwood (formerly of Ice Cream Bar) oversees the unique punch on draft menu… Read more →
Eating My Way Through 9 Manhattan Neighborhoods
Back in my beloved New York, home of my teenage years. Until just a few years ago, it was the place I’d come home to for the holidays when my parents still lived in New Jersey. I miss the more constant visits of my past even as I still return to visit my lifelong best friend, dear friends and colleagues.… Read more →
December 15, 2013
“[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 →