Spring imparts new life and lush green after Winter rains. It also ushers in a glut of Spring cocktail menus emphasizing the best produce of the season and new trends. Bottled Cocktail Line-up Bottled cocktails are sprouting up everywhere, including just-opened (on April 12), 1950’s era speakeasy, Local Edition, from the Bourbon & Branch crew. There is no carbonation here,… Read more →
Edinburgh is a haunted, romantic city of greys and browns, greens and the blue of the sea. I had not been back to Edinburgh and Glasgow in a decade so my trip this past fall was welcome on the heels of a visit to the breathtaking Scottish Highlands and Speyside. Returning to Edinburgh, it was obvious dining and cocktail scenes… Read more →
In the spirit of my new SF cheap eats article last issue (and recent Guardian column), here are two noteworthy new cheap eats joints East and South: Berkeley and Palo Alto. ASIAN BOX, Palo Alto (855 El Camino Real, 650-391-9305) Asian Box is a newer take-out shop (with one narrow communal table inside and a couple tables outside) in a… Read more →
My first Pebble Beach Food & Wine this April 12-15, 2012. Despite chilly breezes post-rainfall and those outrageously high ticket prices ($500 is a cheap dinner ticket), it was a bustling, fun-filled weekend of food and far more wine, much of it high quality, celebrity chefs, after (and after-after) parties, copious amounts of caviar, champagne and white Burgundy sipped overlooking… Read more →
“What harbor can receive you more securely than a great library?” – Italo Calvino, If On A Winter’s Night a Traveler Just back from a vivid, taste-filled weekend at Pebble Beach Food & Wine (more on that next issue), I anticipate a sunny spring week ahead. Top Tastes – The Hunt for Authentic Bay Area BBQ: It’s tough finding BBQ… Read more →
Here is my print/full version of this article which ran in the Bay Guardian on April 17, 2012. Growing up in East, West and Middle America, I unexpectedly have a profound affinity to the music and food of the South. Traveling numerous Southern states, my love accelerates. Florida conch and stone crab please, as do Tex Mex and Texas brisket.… Read more →
LOCAL EDITION, Downtown (691 Market St. at 3rd, 415-795-1375) Bourbon & Branch, Wilson & Wilson, Rickhouse… I’ve frequented (and written about) each since they opened. Though some tire of the speakeasy concept, Bourbon & Branch led that trend, remaining one of the more transporting places to drink anywhere. I value Future Bars (Destination Bars) emphasis on setting and will always… Read more →
GOURMET CHEAP EATS: From Piroshkis to Pizza Photos & article by Virginia Miller Trekking around the Bay for what is not at all elusive – excellent food – is ever a pleasure. Finding it on the cheap? Options are endless. Sandwiches stand as one of the easiest ways to fill up for less, making the continued glut of sandwich openings… Read more →
Photos and article by Virginia Miller Scotland and scotch are enchanted. Sipping a balanced Highland or peat-heavy Islay scotch takes you to places boggy, misty and wild… rather like the Scottish Highlands themselves. In the Fall, I made an unforgettable journey to Speyside, in northeast Scotland, as a guest of the Macallan, one of the most revered, elegant Scotches. I… Read more →
“Two very young people, the sort who’ll stay very young until they suddenly find themselves old.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald, Tales of the Jazz Age (“The Lees of Happiness”) The rains of March have given way to a sunny, pristine April Fool’s Day as I send out recent explorations and findings. Around the Bay – Magical Restaurant 1833: It’s worth… Read more →