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. I’ve been busy with visiting family and dear friends so am returning to favorites, like Chez… Read more →
Top Tastes
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. Besides visiting newcomers Fondue Cowboy and Spice Kit (great for those working nearby for fresh Ssam,… Read more →
Slow Food’s Golden Glass Wine Event; Taylor’s Tonics; Cocktails at Rickhouse, Aziza, Serpentine & More
Cocktails RICKHOUSE, Financial District – It’s been a rewarding Summer thus far for Rickhouse and its talented bar manager, Erick Castro. First, Castro won one of two mixologist of the year awards at StarChefs Rising Stars (see On the Town), then Rickhouse was nominated for three awards (more than any other SF bar) in an international nominees list for Tales… Read more →
Dining Gems of Queens & Brooklyn
QUEENS It’s always like coming home to my lifelong best friend in Queens, and now that my dear cousin lives in Brooklyn, I was able to take in some of the affordable eats in these boroughs in my couple days stay after a full week in Manhattan (see my other NY articles)… all excellent. Queens really does have some of… Read more →
Elizabeth Falkner Dessert Menu at Bubble Lounge
Elizabeth Falkner is easily one of the widely acknowledged pastry greats in the US and chef of two SF restaurants, including Citizen Cake, which is moving to Fillmore Street, hopefully open by the beginning of July. Bubbly lover Falkner has created something sweet at Bubble Lounge, eager to take on creating desserts meant to pair with champagne/sparkling wine. She trained… Read more →
StarChefs Rising Stars Revue — June 16, 2010
**Photos thanks to Susannah Chen of YumSugar (www.yumsugar.com)** Ghirardelli Square minus the tourists. A warm early Summer evening. VIP hour overlooking the Bay on a patio replete with fireplace, lounge chairs, champagne, Petrossian white sturgeon caviar on chips with creme fraiche and onion relish. Chefs, mixologists, sommeliers, industry folk, food and drink writers milling about. Not too crowded, well laid… Read more →
June 15, 2010
“I believe that the great American burger is a thing of beauty, its simple charms noble, pristine. The basic recipe… is, to my mind, un-improvable by man or God.” – Anthony Bourdain, “Medium Raw” As I sip Ritual Coffee prepared with Italian family flair from Potrero Hill’s charming new corner cafe, Caffe La Stazione (I’m delighted they plan to soon… Read more →
Top Tastes: Grilled Cheese, Ice Cream, Jersey Pizza, Italian & Chinese Bao
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. CHEAP EATS American Grilled Cheese Kitchen, South Park – It’s brand new, funky cute, with playful… Read more →
2 Standout New Bars: Comstock Saloon & Burritt Room
(From my print article in the Spring SCENE issue of the SF Bay Guardian): These two new bars debuted at the end of May, quietly ushering in what I hope might be a new “trend”: mellow, sophisticated bars creating expertly-crafted cocktails, both classic and contemporary… without attitude, exclusivity, and, dare I say it (?), mobs of douchey crowds turning an… Read more →
4 New NYC Bars: East Village, Flatiron, Midtown
My May New York adventures brought me to some of the city’s newer treasures I’ve been desiring to partake in… a couple of them literally just opened weeks before, others open about a year. Brand New CIENFUEGOS (upstairs through Carteles sandwich shop), East Village – Open barely a month when I visited, this intriguing new rum bar is through a… Read more →