Charleston Dining Guide: Where to Eat & Stay Now

by  on  in Wandering Traveler

Charleston’s Colonial-era architecture with colorful Caribbean influence in soothing blues, pinks and yellows is one-of-a-kind. The small, walkable city has grown greatly in notable restaurants and bars the 16 years I’ve been visiting, far beyond its size in terms of the quality-to-size ratio. Its palmetto-lined streets are like stepping back in time. The city is by turns bright and vibrant, at turns a bit Gothic and moody, reminiscent of, but very different from, Savannah and New Orleans.

Alongside my hotel recommendation, the nine eateries below stood out, not always for good reasons, but the first few are among my top food recommends now in the “Holy City.” Read more →

SF’s new Gambit Lounge: A wine bar with rare Central & Eastern European eats

by  on  in The Latest

Let’s establish two things first: there isn’t enough Central and Eastern European food around. And there is something to be said for industry vets who were part of establishing San Francisco’s dining scene back in the 1990s.

You’ll find both factors behind Gambit Lounge, a new Hayes Valley spot that quietly opened November 2022 to strong user reviews but under-the-radar buzz, in the former Noir Lounge wine bar. Gambit continues the wine bar vibes, backed by two industry vets… Read more →

Is the $100 pho worth it at Sunset’s new Gao Viet Kitchen?

by  on  in The Latest

Since 2018, Gao Viet Kitchen & Bar has been a San Mateo Vietnamese favorite with long waitlists, no reservations and a 90-minute table limit during peak times. It’s also home to arguably the most expensive bowl of pho: $100 Phozilla with the cheeky menu tagline of “Nobody should spend this much $$ on any bowl of pho.” Chef Viet Nguyen opened a San Francisco location in the Sunset District in December 2022, and I went in to see if their extensive menu was legit beyond the social media-worthy, $100 pho. Read more →

July 1, 2023

by  on  in Intro Letter

THIS ISSUE:
— Mexican Brunch to Upscale Indian Food: 7 SF restaurant standouts now.
— Cocktails to Eat By: Three standout bars with food in San Francisco, both new and establish.
— A Pizza Master Opens Her First Place in Berkeley: Pizzeria da Laura + Original Joe’s North Beach reviewed.
— Minimalist-But-Lush Fine Dining at SF’s New Kiln
— Interviewing Robert Dawson of Kō Hana Distillers, Oahu: My Distiller Magazine interview with Hawaii distiller.
— 12 Summer Sips: Wines to suit every palate. Read more →

Mexican Brunch to Upscale Indian Food: 7 SF Restaurant Standouts

by  on  in The Latest, Top Tastes

These newcomers or new menus cover the gamut, from upscale Indian to casual Mexican food. Alongside this month’s full restaurant reviews, these seven are also worth visiting, with last month’s standouts here:
—Better-Than-Nola Muffalettas at Sandy’s, Haight-Ashbury
—Non-Alcoholic Pairing with Fine Dining Creativity: Sons & Daughters
—Fab Mexican Food & Cocktails with a View: Barrio
—1940’s Supperclub Live Jazz Dream: Dawn Club
—Unexpected Modern Indian Tasting Menu: Blue Mermaid Restaurant
—Low-Gluten Pizza Alternative from Rome: Pinsa Rossa
—Hearty Mexican Food 7 Days a Week: Tacos del Barrio Read more →

A Pizza Master Opens Her First Place in Berkeley: Pizzeria da Laura + Original Joe’s North Beach

by  on  in Around the Bay, Top Tastes

My Sicilian side can tend to dominate. That intense passion for the things I love, bordering on an obsessive impulse to research, study and dig deep, includes food. This was only fueled by homecooked pastas and sauces from my Italian mama and grandfather growing up on both coasts. Add in my crucial teen years in New Jersey after we moved across the nation from SoCal and my hankering for red sauce, American-Sicilian food was solidifed in Jersey and NYC’s deep Sicilian culture.

Here, I dig into two spots, one new, one old. The new pizza destination in Berkeley turns out pies from Sicilian to NY-inspired, and the latter is an over 80-year-old San Francisco red sauce American-Italian institution always worth keeping on your dining rotation. Read more →

Interviewing Robert Dawson of Kō Hana Distillers, Oahu, Hawai’i

by  on  in Imbiber, Wandering Traveler

In the Spring 2023 print issue (Vol. 19, Issue 4) of Distiller Magazine, my interview with Robert Dawson of Kō Hana Distillers, Oahu, Hawai’i. My video in the fields with owners/founders Robert Dawson and Jason Brand the first day they were using their new John Deere harvester after years of hand-harvesting in April 2022: www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9Mg20wFth4&t=6s. ARTICLE HERE: My Distiller Magazine features… Read more →