The Renaissance Man surprised me recently with a quiet weekend away in Santa Cruz and unexpected meal off the slow, winding roads of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Though Santa Cruz is far from my favorite town, its laid back feel and beaches work for a quick getaway from SF, and its gourmet pleasures peak with ice cream and coffee. Ice… Read more →
“No matter how developed you are in any other area of your life, no matter what you say you believe, no matter how sophisticated or enlightened you think you are, how you eat tells all.” – Geneen Roth Believe it or not, I am heading overseas again to Scotland, though just freshly returned from Bordeaux two weeks ago! I will… Read more →
Top Tastes is not a list of all-time favorites, rather the best tastes of the last two weeks (since my last newsletter), often from new openings. 3 NEWCOMERS: Modern Tavern, Burgers, Tapas These three new places just opened; these early dishes jump out. PARK TAVERN, North Beach (1652 Stockton Street, 415-989-7300) Staring out at Washington Square Park and city views… Read more →
Dublin surprises me. I expect the charm of a European city, particularly that certain appeal the Irish hold, but there’s indescribably more. Despite gray days and even incessant rain one day in Summer (plus one glorious, clear night), I fell under Dublin’s eclectic, literary spell cast by Joyce, Shaw, Yeats, and the many figures who came from or made their… Read more →
TEQUILA DON JULIO 70 ANJEO CLARO Don Julio 70 Añejo Claro is the 70th anniversary release created by Don Julio González himself. Yes, he is a person, who retired in 2002 but still creates anniversary recipes each decade (the last was his soft, elegant 1942 tequila released for their 60th anniversary). At 80 proof, Añejo Claro sounds gimmicky at first:… Read more →
Another year, another WhiskyFest. I’ve been attending a number of years now, ever relishing an opportunity to try unexplored whiskies, refresh my taste memory on others, and connect with whisk(e)y industry folk and distillers here from Kentucky to Scotland. A number of options listed as VIP tastes (more than ever this year) were not, in fact, available at all. Some… Read more →
“Paris, San Francisco, Tehran, all claim a part of me… I thought about how the kitchens where I was shaped belong to all these places, and yet none claim to be the center. I’ll always negotiate that in-between culture… I’ll always rely on the longing for these places, and I’ll always be learning to move between them without falling through… Read more →
Top Tastes is not a list of all-time favorites, rather the best tastes of the last two weeks (since my last newsletter), often from new openings. Bar Agricole Matures Bar Agricole, SoMa (355 11th Street between Folsom and Harrison, 415-355-9400) Bar Agricole has won numerous awards for its unique, forward-thinking design, and a long list of accolades for food and… Read more →
Carlos Camarena, master distiller of El Tesoro tequila (along with Charbay, Tapatio, Ocho, Excellia and more) is a powerhouse. Not only does he mastermind an insane number of tequilas, but he is passionate about traditional, small production, hands-on methods, pure ingredients, no shortcuts… yet he never sounds like a PR pitch. His sincerity authenticates his words: “In every bottle you will… Read more →
My brother and sister-in-law recently moved to Denver which means I’ll be there more often. I hadn’t been back in 5 years and was pleasantly surprised at how the dining scene has unfolded compared to my last trip. I have a long list of recommends and suspect you, too, might find Denver an unexpectedly solid food town. Denver Food LINGER,… Read more →