From one of the key cities that birthed cocktails to the world in the 1800s, San Francisco has no end of hundreds of stellar bars with stellar food. We welcome a new one from a beloved industry bartender and standout new menus at two bars we already love, all three with quality food, too. Read more →
From sparkling summer crushers to thoughtful natural wines, I’ve got 12 bottles to suit a wide range of palates, meals or occasions, including standout non-alcoholic wines. For more, my last wine recommendations and last summer’s 12. Read more →
THIS ISSUE:
— May Eats Checklist: 6 restaurant and eatery standouts of the month, from Greek food to banh mi, fermented Japanese foods to modern Filipino.
— Two New Restaurants You Don’t Know, but Should: Pizza and global small plates with natural wines and vinyl at cozy Back to Back. And Xica, a modern Mexican restaurant in an airy, large space overlooking a fountain-lined square with order-at-the-counter casualness.
— San Francisco’s Inaugural AAPI Cocktail Week.
— Distiller Bottle Column: This issue I review rum, sotol, gin, Scotch whisky, Cognac, RTDs juice mixers, American single malt, and more.
— Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience 2023: Top tastes and events over this leading Sonoma County food and drink event. Read more →
Reviewed this issue:
— Rhum J.M Terroir Volcanique Rum
— Los Magos Barrel-Aged Sotol, WhistlePig Edition #1
— Bertha’s Revenge Small Batch Irish Gin
— The Yuzu Co. Cold-Pressed Yuzu Juice
— Mortlach Midnight Malt 30 Year Scotch Whisky
— Miixt Vodka Kombucha Refresher
— Merlet XO Cognac
— Santa Fe Spirits Colkegan Unsmoked Single Malt Whiskey
… and more Read more →
These newcomers or new menus cover the gamut, from elevated Greek food to Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches. Alongside this month’s full restaurant reviews, these six are also worth visiting, with last month’s standouts here. As always, I’ve personally vetted, visited or ordered from each place reviewed: Read more →
One restaurant, a buzzy pizza-meets-global-plates and natural wine spot on Nob Hill; the other, a sunny Mexican newcomer on peaceful Levi Plaza. They may have slipped your notice, but don’t let them. They may not be getting a lot of press, but they’re two delightful new San Francisco neighborhood restaurants. Read more →
From May 8–11, 2023, our own Kevin Diedrich, owner of PCH (Pacific Cocktail Haven) and Kona’s Street Market — named American Bartender of the Year and PCH the Best American Cocktail Bar at Tales of the Cocktail in 2020 — quietly and quickly launched the inaugural SF AAPI Cocktail Week, an event that will be bigger next year with more… Read more →
In the small downtown of Healdsburg, Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience (HWFE) just hosted its second year, May 18–21, 2023, featuring a range of events highlighting some of Sonoma County’s best food and wines. From a region that grows some of the best produce in the nation, local produce is highlighted in the food, while the Queen grape is showcased at every turn — plus a few cocktails, too.
Here were the standout tastes and events this weekend: Read more →
THIS ISSUE:
— Popi’s Oysterette: An idyllic new, all-day neighborhood SF-style oyster bar.
— Mattina: A new all-day cafe that doubles as idyllic neighborhood Cal-Italian restaurant.
— East Meets West: Old world wines paired with Japanese food at two Michelin-starred restaurants in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Read more →
SPQR opened back in 2007, but it wasn’t until Matthew Accarrino came on board as chef in 2009 that it quickly became a top pasta restaurant in the nation — and one of multiple Italy-worthy pasta destinations in San Francisco.
So it was good news, indeed, to hear Accarrino and team were opening their first casual restaurant and all-day cafe, Mattina, on April 1, just around the corner from SPQR in Charles Phan’s former Out the Door space. Think coffee, house pastries and biscuit sandwiches all day, and a full lunch menu, soon to be available at dinner. Read more →