“There’s no time like now, there’s no time like this time.” – Sam Phillips song, No Time Like Now on Push Any Button Amazing how swiftly January has already kicked into gear. This constant 70’s weather in SF is providing daily joys of sun, brilliant sunsets, beach walks, and welcome clarity. Alongside fellow food writers, I recap the year in… Read more →
10 Top Seattle Bars + Interviews with Andrew Friedman at Liberty Bar & Kirby Kallas-Lewis at OOLA Spirits
My Fall-Winter 2013 feature for Distiller Magazine on Seattle, with a 9-page print spread, my photos and three articles: More of my Seattle food and drink recommends here. ______________________________________Past issues (top 10 bars, local distiller and bar manager interviews in each city): Save Save Save Read more →
TBD Glows With Open Flame Cooking: 5 Best Dishes Now
TBD, SoMa (1077 Mission Street between 6th & 7th, 415-431-1826) Yes, TBD is my top new San Francisco restaurant opening of 2013. AQ Chef Mark Liberman – here with Sous Chef Alex Phaneuf – has don it again with imaginative dishes that comfort without copying anyone. They forge flavor trails, inciting anticipation for what might arrive next. In a setting… Read more →
TRICK DOG’s New Zodiac Menu
TRICK DOG, 3010 20th Street at Florida, 415-471-2999 The Bon Vivants’ (Josh Harris, Scott Baird, Jason Henton) Trick Dog has been the hottest bar opening in San Francisco of 2013, and one of the big openings of the year anywhere in the cocktail world. Though it certainly made my “best of” list of 2013, the constant stream of crowds make it… Read more →
Foreign Cinema’s New Bar Program
FOREIGN CINEMA, Mission (2534 Mission St. between 21st & 22nd Streets, 415-648-7600) Foreign Cinema will always hold a special place in my heart. Not only was it one of the hottest restaurants in town back in 2001 when I moved to San Francisco (as a lifelong film buff, I also love the theme and movies playing on the wall), but… Read more →
Exploring 16 Manhattan Cocktail Bars
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. Despite only a couple lovely days out of a ten-day visit in late May through early June (the rest were either pouring rain or… Read more →
January 1, 2014
“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 →