“I was raised among books, making invisible friends in pages that seemed cast from dust and whose smell I carry on my hands to this day… I felt myself surrounded by millions of abandoned pages, by worlds and souls without an owner sinking in an ocean of darkness, while the world that throbbed outside the library seemed to be losing… Read more →
Top Tastes
Top Tastes is my usual run-down of tastes over the past two weeks. Rather than a list of all-time favorites (another thing altogether), it’s highlights since my last newsletter, often from new openings. Many don’t make the cut, being a revisit written about before or simply not as stand-out as dishes mentioned. SAVORY – SEAFOOD • For me, dinner at… Read more →
Beer & Chocolate with Michael Recchiuti and Dave McLean
Though renowned artisan chocolatier, Recchiuti, just ended their fabulous tasting series, pairing chocolate with everything from spirits to mushrooms to bread, there will be more ahead so I urge you to sign up on their email list to be notified when they do. I went to my first ‘class’, Beer and Chocolate, not sure what to expect: a tasting, discussion,… Read more →
Spanish & Portuguese Wines at Contigo; Cocktails at Bourbon & Branch, 15 Romolo & Seasons Bar
WINE • Contigo is a fine source for experimenting with Spanish and Portuguese wines, which the staff know well. Though a crisp, white Bodegas As Laxas from Rias Baixas ($9 glass; $23 carafe; $42 bottle) certainly paired well with my meal, the one I’d hunt down is recently added Vina Valoria Crianza, a 2004 white from Rioja (10 glass; $25… Read more →
October 1, 2009
“I was… an ex-newspaper reporter who had found God in the details of uni sushi and truffled fettucine. ” – Gael Greene, “Insaitable” I’m moving… into my first house, or rather, in true city fashion, condo. It’s a beautiful 1890’s Victorian house in the Haight, completely redone. Though not large, my unit is lovely. By next issue, I’ll be just… Read more →
Top Tastes: A Range of Cheap Eats, My Favorite Under-the-Radar Asian Fusion Brunch & More
Top Tastes is my usual run-down of tastes over the past two weeks. Rather than a list of all-time favorites (another thing altogether), it’s highlights since my last newsletter, often from new openings. Many don’t make the cut, being a revisit written about before or simply not as stand-out as dishes mentioned. SAVORY – MEAT • B Star has done… Read more →
Chicago’s South Loop, Chinatown & Greektown
“Hog butcher for the world, Tool maker, stacker of wheat, Player with railroads and the nation’s freight handler; Stormy, husky, brawling, City of big shoulders.” – Carl Sandburg, “Chicago,” 1916 Back to Chicago, where my husband once briefly lived, my first visit in nearly a decade. Certainly much has changed, yet the city remains much as I remember it: gritty,… Read more →
Jannah: One of SF’s Great Middle Eastern Gems
JANNAH 1775 Fulton Street (at Masonic)San Francisco, CA 94117415-567-4400 Jannah is an affordable Middle Eastern restaurant, serving excitingly uncommon dishes. I credit chef Yahya Salih, who I greatly missed from YaYa days and am delighted to see back in SF. I’ve written about Jannah since its July opening in my Bay Guardian Appetite column, and our Best of the Bay… Read more →
September 15, 2009
“Some diners find the concept of an unknown menu to be frightening… I’ve seen the stricken look on their faces. But to me, a restaurant with no menu, headed by a chef I trusted, would be ideal. in such a utopia, guest could specify death allergies, hunger level, and time constraints, but then would unfurl their napkin and surrender.” –… Read more →
Top Tastes
Top Tastes is my usual run-down of tastes over the past two weeks. Rather than a list of all-time favorites (another thing altogether), it’s highlights since my last newsletter, often from new openings. Many don’t make the cut, being a revisit written about before or simply not as stand-out as dishes mentioned. Finally got to try all of Kung… Read more →