Top Tastes is not a list of all-time favorites (another thing altogether). Instead, I write about the best eats since my last newsletter, often from new openings. MID-RANGE NOMBE, Mission – I was sad to see Nick Balla leave Nombe for another place I love, Bar Tartine. Not because I’m not excited about the Eastern European slant he’s bringing there,… Read more →
Weaver’s Coffee: if you aren’t drinking it, you should be. Based in San Rafael, Weaver’s has a chill, little shop serving and selling their coffee and teas. The shop fronts their roasting facility and offices, which I had the privilege of touring recently. John Weaver, master roaster and founder, was Peet’s master roaster for over 20 years, working directly with… Read more →
Just released in early March, here are two new reads I’d recommend not only for foodies but for fans of absorbing, well-crafted memoir. Life, On the Line – Grant Achatz & Nick Kokonas When Alinea’s chef genius Grant Achatz writes a memoir, it’s destined to get buzz amongst foodies. When this visionary chef was diagnosed with stage four tongue cancer,… Read more →
Foodies, take note. If you like offal, Malaysian food, or adventurous eating, there’s a “secret” offal menu through Blackboard Eats (the offer was available on March 8th only) that runs until May 8th. It has been awhile since I visited Betelnut, though I used to frequent it in my early years of living in SF. Chef Alex Ong has been… Read more →
“When I was young and the urge to be someplace else was on me, I was assured by mature people that maturity would cure this itch… Now that I am fifty-eight perhaps senility will do the job. Nothing has worked… The sound of a jet, an engine warming up, even the clopping shod of hooves on the pavement brings on… Read more →
There continues to be a proliferation of memorable cocktails around town this Winter… THE HIDEOUT, Mission – I regretfully write about The Hideout at all – though it has been written up a couple times, it has, by-and-large, remained well under the radar. I hate to contribute to any increase of crowds but wanted to share of its joys. Open… Read more →
Top Tastes is not a list of all-time favorites (another thing altogether). Instead, I write about the best eats since my last newsletter, often from new openings. MID-RANGE BAR BAMBINO, Mission – I recall the days when Bar Bambino was one of the few Italian charcuterie restaurants around. When I heard they were shifting to a Germanic focus, particularly on… Read more →
A favored experiment: gather a few industry and non-industry friends, taste a specific spirit side-by-side, sample it in the same cocktail recipe, and compare notes. Gin seemed appropriate for a rainy Winter’s night. While gin is fabulous all year ’round, there’s something about its bracing herbal and citrus qualities that evoke Winter, particularly in Northern California where crisp air and… Read more →
Not to be confused with downtown LA’s Library Bar (a pleasantly casual, book-lined hang-out, though not memorable on the drink front), the Library Bar, hidden in the back of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel‘s lobby, makes about the best cocktails I’ve ever had in LA (alongside the New York classicism of The Varnish and molecular creativity of The Bazaar). And that… Read more →
This year’s SF Beer Week was the biggest yet. February 11th’s Opening Gala was mobbed even at VIP hour (big increase from last year), while tastes of new releases like Russian River’s Pliny the Younger, ran out in mere minutes. It’s hard to appreciate the over-crowding, but at least there’s a week full of events to spread things out. Maybe… Read more →