ZIRYAB, Alamo Square/Western Addition (528 Divisadero Street between Fell & Hayes Streets, 415-522-0800) Though open for seven years, Ziryab, Divisadero’s Middle Eastern hangout boasting an enclosed front patio, reopened this week from owner Salim Nasser with a brand new bar, liquor license and new food menu. Having the privilege of watching bar manager Zachary Taylor grow up in the Bay… Read more →
These two Nob Hill newcomers satisfy my longing for a little romance inherent in a great glass of wine, gourmet-yet-heartfelt cooking, and intimate environs. Make a date with a lover or a close friend at these idyllic neighborhood bistros. COCOTTE, Nob Hill (1521 Hyde St. at Jackson, 415-292-4415) Hyde Street Bistro was one of those blessedly non-trendy restaurants, a traditional… Read more →
At Tales of the Cocktail (2013 highlights covered here), one can easily taste hundreds of spirits in a week (not that one should). Most of what I find in tasting rooms and at events I’ve already had before, but there’s the occasional new release or product that might not have been released nationally. Here are two standout newcomers – and… Read more →
MIKKELLER BAR, Tenderloin (34 Mason St. between Turk and Market, 415-984-0279) In the heart of the Tenderloin and a couple short blocks from Union Square, Mikkeller Bar has soft-opened, a boon for beer aficionados and fans of the beloved Copenhagen brewery. But this bar and restaurant is not a replica of Mikkeller Bar in Copenhagen. Opened by Chuck Stilphen, founder… Read more →
With America’s Cup in full swing, Team New Zealand represents with a pop-up restaurant, and visiting New Zealand chefs, one who shared NZ specialties during SF Chefs. As part of the forward-thinking design of America’s Cup Park, Waiheke Island Yacht Club is a New Zealand pop-up restaurant in historic Pier 29, open through December. Walking into the pier structure, there’s… Read more →
“Love takes off masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within.” – James Baldwin In my beloved New Orleans for Tales of the Cocktail during the sultry heat of summer on the Gulf, I savor the joys of home as I immerse in the glories of the South. Here’s my latest at Spoonwiz and Liquor.com… Read more →
THE PALACE, Outer Mission (3047 Mission St. between 26th and Capp, 415-666-5218) Think spruced-up dive, a corner restaurant long housing Palace Family Steak House, where Mission and 26th Streets meet Cesar Chavez. It’s now called simply The Palace. Here Chef Manny Torres Gimenez and wife/General Manager Katarina showcase Gimenez’ five-course tasting menu for a reasonable $50, or a small a… Read more →
AQUITAINE, Financial District (175 Sutter St. between Lick Place & Kearny St., 415-402-5290) We lost San Francisco’s great, historic spirits shop, John Walker & Co. But the former storefront has been reinvented in what could have been just another wine bar. One-month-old newcomer, Aquitaine, is a stand-out wine bar and restaurant, transporting me straight to Europe. Opened by Michelin-starred chef extraordinaire, Laurent… Read more →
While any quality spirit should be enjoyed all year round, rum carries the island breezes of summer in its cane sugar and/or molasses nectar. In honor of rum and summer, here are seven rum cocktails currently on menus around town… each one capturing the celebratory simplicity of the long days of summer. —— ALEMBIC’s 30-Day Notice ($11) Alembic’s 30-Day Notice,… Read more →
Driving north up Highway 1 along the Sonoma Coast to Jenner feels worlds away from San Francisco or even “typical” Wine Country towns. Though I’ve lived in the Bay Area over 12 years, weekending and day-tripping in remote towns all over, I had not driven this stretch of coast further north from Bodega Bay, well south of Mendocino. As with… Read more →