Though there’s never a reason not to have ice cream/gelato in my book, a great (if secondary) alternative is frozen yogurt. Not regular frozen yogurt, which I’ve always found bland and boring comparatively, but the ever-trendy tart, plain “froyo” (hate the term), healthy with cultures and probiotics… a guilt-free dessert. Southern California’s widespread Pinkberry chain may have started it all, but many SF… Read more →
Farmer’s Market (since 1934) Monday-Friday, 9 am-9 pm Saturday, 9 am-8 pm Sunday, 10 am-7 pm Some merchant hours vary 6333 West 3rd Street (and Fairfax) Los Angeles, CA 90036 (323) 933-9211 www.farmersmarketla.com The original Los Angeles Farmer’s Market started in 1934 with actual farmers selling produce from the back of their trucks in a dirt lot. Now it’s a… Read more →
“Nothing is more memorable than a smell. One scent can be unexpected, momentary and fleeting, yet conjure up a childhood summer beside a lake in the mountains…” – Diane Ackerman Another recent heat wave… though suffocating in my apartment (understand, SF buildings are not equipped for heat – often no air-conditioning as we don’t usually need it), I had the… Read more →
BREAKFAST Fresh-baked daily, Coffee Cake from Dennis Leary’s (of Canteen) sweet new countertop breakfast/lunch take-out spot, The Sentinel (37 New Montgomery at Stevenson; 415-284-9960) Lavender Country Bread French Toast with bananas at Bar Tartine “Take two” on French Toast (with homemade crème fraiche and fresh berries) at Sausalito’s new Le Garage SAVORY Texas Style (sliced) Brisket at brand new Bluegrass Bar & Grill in Glen Ellen (Sonoma) Beer Braised… Read more →
I’m a fanatic of all things shellfish, especially crustaceans. It doesn’t get better than fresh, sweet crabmeat! Summer is not crab season in these parts but it’s one of my favorite times to eat crab with a refreshing rose, sparkling wine or minty lemonade. There are amazing whole roasted crabs at classic spots like Thanh Long or oyster king, Hog Island Oyster… Read more →
Savannah, otherwise dubbed “crazy pirate town” by the Renaissance Man, is a strange little city that lives fresh in my memory, with surrounding islands and mixture of drab modern with graceful, old architecture. It’s intimate, not cosmopolitan or diverse like bigger cities, but haunting and navigable. After the colorful beauty and museum-like preservation of Charleston, I expected similar from Savannah… Read more →
“Spring being a tough act to follow, God created June.” – Al Bernstein I got through May’s SF heat wave (90 degree plus – happens maybe three times a year here), a little sunburned, with happy memories of warm nights at favorite neighborhood spots, on a friends’ deck overlooking the city skyline, or star-gazing on my roof with a great… Read more →
FOOD Indian Pumpkin (there’s also Chicken Pumpkin) Enchilada with jack & cheddar cheese, curry sauce, yoghurt and tamarind drizzle at Avatars in Sausalito (it’s not on the menu, but trust me and ask for it!) Crawfish in spicy Cajun hot sauce with lime, pepper & salt at CoCo’s Crawfish (messy work to get a little meat, but a unique taste experience) in the… Read more →
Ethiopian is a comforting, homey cuisine: spicy, filling and best when made fresh by a loving hand. Though there are a number of decent Ethiopian spots in San Francisco, and more broadly, the East Bay, many blend into each other as fairly average (like Lower Haight’s Axum Café, Café Ethiopia in the Mission, or Western Addition’s quirky dive bar, Club Waziema). Here… Read more →
I’ve begun planning lunches around this Summer’s Noontime Concerts happening every Tuesday, June 3rd-August 26th. This is one of those unique SF experiences providing a chance for quiet reflection during your lunch hour through classical music. Sharing in a tradition that also occurs in New York, London and Chicago, Noontime Concerts states that they’re “part of an international network of churches, museums and… Read more →