“If you get the inside right, the outside will fall into place.” – Eckhart Tolle Returning from snowy Louisville, KY, I spent a packed eight days visiting with distillers and staff (like Harlen Wheatley at Buffalo Trace, Larry Kass at Heaven Hill, Drew Kulsveen at Willett, and a number of small, craft distillers) and exploring the latest in Louisville bars… Read more →
Top Tastes: Turkish on Fillmore
TROYA, Part Deux: Turkish on Fillmore Photos and article by Virginia Miller Call it Cal-Med, Mediterranean or Turkish, there’s plenty of the former, less of the latter in the Bay Area. In terms of Turkish eateries, you can count them. For over a decade, A La Turca has been my hole-in-the-wall stop for affordable Turkish eats, including warm, cheesy pides… Read more →
Around the Bay: A Day in NAPA in Three Meals
With work (happily) permeating every trip and journey, my most restful weekends tend to be close to home. When I’ve been countless times, I needn’t dig and explore, but just relax and breathe in my surroundings. In recent Napa weekends, there are, as ever, fresh discoveries to share with you. Breakfast: The Thomas 813 Main Street at Third, Napa, 707-226-7821… Read more →
February 15, 2013
“Everything contains some silence… An hour of city holds maybe a minute of these remnants of a time when silence reigned, compact and dangerous as a shark. Sometimes a bit of a tail or fin can still be sensed in parks.” – “Sharks’ Teeth” poem by Kay Ryan Bracing the cold of Chicago for memorable food, drink and times with… Read more →
Regional Journeys in Spain and Italy in SF & Oakland
Nothing replaces experiencing a place directly, but regional dinners are one way of traveling vicariously. Occasionally, it’s more than a meal, as with a January 23 dinner at Oakland’s Latin American haven, Bocanova, which hosts monthly Rick’s Supper Club highlighting South American cuisine. As we dined on wild shrimp and lobster ceviche in passion fruit sauce or smoky, steamed mussels… Read more →
COCKTAILS & BITES: Mezcal Coffee, G&Ts & Crudo, Artful Salads & Cilantro Daiquiris
In my endless treks ’round the city for the best partnerships of drink and food, here are a few notable current menu offerings: COMSTOCK SALOON, North Beach (155 Columbus Ave. at Pacific, 415-617-0071) www.comstocksaloon.com Easily one of our city’s great bars, Comstock Saloon maintains historical reverence to SF’s Barbary Coast days without being stuffy. Old World decor, live jazz and… Read more →
Chinese Scene at the New Hakkasan & M.Y. China
Style-over-substance at popular restaurants grew old in my Los Angeles days. A pretty package matters little if food isn’t excellent. In SF, we tend towards the other direction. Thank goodness for places like Gitane, Bix, Foreign Cinema, which manage both – a little style is welcome. With the entry of two new, upscale Chinese restaurants, we get style aplenty. One,… Read more →
OKC Goes Hipster?
OKC is far from hipster, which, granted, has its pluses. Years behind national food and drink trends, they’ve only recently opened their first third wave coffee haven (Elemental Coffee, a true coffee oasis with sleek cafe and roasting facility), a proper cocktail bar (the bar at Ludivine – see below), a couple hipster food outposts and further from Oklahoma City,… Read more →
February 1, 2013
“Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.” – Simon Weil A lovely January it’s been with balmy, warm days and dear friends and family visiting from near and far. I’m readying for the Chicago cold in a few days, though delighted to return for more Chi-town treasures, the latest being from my Fall visit. Check out my Perfect… Read more →
Southpaw Brings BBQ Home in SF
SOUTHPAW BBQ, Mission (2170 Mission St. between 17th and 18th, 415-934-9300) Road tripping through the South for music and BBQ remains one of my most memorable trips ever: driving through four states, studying sauces and smokers, singing along to Loretta and Conway, George and Tammy, Dolly and Porter, Johnny and June, as the countryside passes by. As I’ve bemoaned before,… Read more →