“Three hundred small pleasures make people happier than one magnificent one.” – Daniel Gilbert, Harvard Professor I have to let you know of some important changes this month… ones I’m excited to share with you. First, I just started writing a weekly online food/drink column for the San Francisco Bay Guardian newspaper – subscribe to it by RSS feed or bookmark the… Read more →
Top Tastes
“We… became aware that we have higher quality conversations at restaurants than at home. It’s as though we rise to the occasion by selecting worthwhile, less mundane subjects to discuss when eating out…” – Mimi Sheraton, “Eating My Words: An Appetite for Life” SAVORY – VEGETARIAN Since Inner Richmond’s classic Clementine was taken over last year by chef of the… Read more →
Dive Bar Southern Joys at Broken Record
BROKEN RECORD 1166 Geneva Avenue (between Edinburgh and Naples Streets) San Francisco, CA 94112 415-963-1713 http://brokenrecordsf.com If you can’t hang with dive bars or aren’t willing to venture into the far reaches of the Excelsior, Broken Record may stay off your radar. But you’d be the one missing out. Parking is easy, so why not? Go, and you may, like… Read more →
Imbiber
RETRO BARS, Part Two It’s no secret I’m sold on all things retro. Besides calling me Renaissance Woman, some friends say I was born in the wrong time. I shoulda been a 1940’s/1950’s siren… at least in my dreams. I’ll take the freedom and independence of today, though in an ideal world (and I do try!), I’d fuse the modern… Read more →
Talking Pastrami, Cocktails, Coffee, Ice Cream & BBQ in LA
Having lived in Orange County/LA area a good portion of my life (with family still there), I head down South regularly, exploring LA haunts as much as I can, struggling much more in OC to find high-caliber food and drink but always on the hunt. My recent visit provided yet more experiences worth sharing… DRINK Seven Grand – This is… Read more →
February 2009
The year is off to delectable start with gratifying new openings (check out my Top Tastes section), two articles I wrote published in the SF Bay Guardian’s “Hard Times Handbook” cover story, and the Fancy Food Show at the Moscone Center (held in SF and NYC). On Fancy Food: Imagine, if you will, over 80,000 food and beverage artisans from around the world,… Read more →
Top Tastes: Of Breakfast, Cheesesteaks, BBQ, Ice Cream, Beer, Coffee & Cocktails
BREAKFAST Since the Meetinghouse closed years ago, I’ve been a sad girl – not only because it was a supreme SF brunch spot, but because Joanna Karlinsky’s biscuits are about the best I’ve ever put in my mouth (and that includes my visits to the South!) Thank you, Joanna, for bringing your buttery biscuits to us at one more location besides the… Read more →
Imbiber
“Fussy and particular, the yuppie… simply would not, could not, bring anything but an imported beer to his lips, or the rarest of single-malt Scotches. In cocktails as in food, he insisted on authenticity, integrity of ingredients, and top quality all the way around. For this let us give thanks, even if snobbery and status seeking often lay behind the… Read more →
Exploring New Orleans’ Treme & Fauborg Neighborhoods
New Orleans, city that enchants me. Even in its gritty crime and scarred, beating heart, it is radiant, full of history, color and hope. I have many places to write about here… too many for even multiple articles. But I’ll share some from time to time, hoping you’ll go and explore like a local. Here are favorites from Treme and… Read more →
January 2009
Happy New Year! I crave new beginnings and love the feel of a “clean slate” each year (even if imagined), to drum up new goals, dream new dreams, and be open to new adventures. 2008 was full of discovery as well as intimacy with those I love. I’m ready for more… Every month, I share Top Tastes, favorite new dishes,… Read more →