For the foodie and drink hounds among you, here are a few recent book releases to delight and enlighten. FOR THE WINO Secrets of the Sommeliers by Rajat Parr and Jordan Mackay – Secrets of the Sommeliers, a new book from local SF treasures (sommelier extraordinaire Rajat Parr and drink writer Jordan Mackay) is the best wine book to come… Read more →
On a beautifully moody, rainy weekend this November, I trekked up to brand new Branches in the gorgeous farmland and vineyards of Ukiah that were aflame with red, orange and yellow leaves this time of year. Branches is a chophouse/restaurant, bustling fireside pub, bakery and butcher all rolled into one large space. Unusual for these parts, it was already mobbed… Read more →
“Give me books, fruit, French wine and fine weather and a little music out of doors, played by someone I do not know.” – John Keats After a rousing week in Guadalajara and Tequila, Mexico, then a welcome respite on the quiet North Shore of Lake Tahoe, I have done little local eating the past couple weeks. But there remains… Read more →
Top Tastes, rather than a list of all-time favorites (another thing altogether), are among the best eats since my last newsletter, often from new openings. Many don’t make the cut, being a revisit previously written about or simply not as stand-out as dishes mentioned. Though I was in Mexico half of the last two weeks, I was able to eat… Read more →
In my travels last week through the magical land of Tequila, Mexico, I tasted, yes, ridiculous amounts of tequila from a wide range of distillers, but also at various restaurants and bars. After watching tequila being made and sampling it in its homeland, I gained a deeper appreciation than I already had for the agave spirit. Here are three superb… Read more →
COCKTAILS Fall cocktails abound on menus around town but leave it to the artful hands behind the bar at Alembic to create a savory pumpkin drink (pumpkin being my most beloved taste of Fall). Their Pumpkin V. 3.14 ($11) is made with Old Pogue bourbon, Old World Spirits walnut liqueur (which I recently wrote about in the Guardian’s FEAST food… Read more →
The gritty air and poverty in Guadalajara faces you as soon as you take a cab from the airport to downtown. But this first glimpse is hardly the make-up of the place. As dusk falls and you wander Plaza Tapatia, an enchanting 17-acre walkway that goes on for blocks in the Centro Historico (historic center) behind the largest and most… Read more →
“For the world is in a bad state, but everything will become still worse unless each of us does his best.” – Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning As mentioned last issue, instead of the usual 1st (and 15th) of the month arrival of my newsletter, it’s a couple days early as I’m off to Guadalajara and Tequila, Mexico,… Read more →
When drink historian and Esquire columnist David Wondrich speaks about drink, you listen… or read, as the case may be. His latest book Punch, which releases on 11/2, is the first of its kind on the glories and history of the punch bowl. I had the privilege of speaking with Dave over the phone from his home in NY. He… Read more →
There’s mezcal… and there’s Del Maguey. You may have heard me talk about Del Maguey mezcals and the line’s founder, Ron Cooper, in the past. A session with the gentle yet passionate Ron (like his mezcal seminar at 2010 Tales of the Cocktail) is forever memorable. Even the way he describes fermentation stays with you: “[Fermentation is like] wild creatures… Read more →