A morning excursion across the Bay Bridge provides many pleasures… here are merely a couple of my favorite non-restaurant food stops in Oaktown: Bakesale Betty 5098 Telegraph Avenue (at 51st Street) Oakland, CA 94609 510-985-1213 www.bakesalebetty.us Hours Monday: 7am-3pm Tuesday-Saturday: 7am-7pm Yes, we San Franciscans have a wealth of bakery options, including near legendary Tartine, which I am thrilled to… Read more →
Dining pleasures are boundless in this stunning country… cheese and chocolate may be the items that come to the uninformed mind, but if you dine at a noteworthy restaurant in most Swiss cities or villages, you’ll also experience savory meats, the freshest of lake fish, generous vegetables, and always… clean, fresh cooking. LUCERNE After two visits, Lucerne remains my favorite… Read more →
“To read a poem in January is as lovely as to go for a walk in June.” – Jean-Paul Sartre Happy New Year! How grateful I am for newness, fresh possibility, a chance to look forward, to act, even in a small way, differently than before… one step closer to our dreams. This month in The Latest, savor 1300 on Fillmore with… Read more →
Old Movies at the Castro Theatre San Francisco’s historic Castro Theatre may not be as awe-inspiring as Oakland’s Paramount Theatre (which seems to have sadly stopped its monthly film classics screenings since earlier last year)… but it is still San Francisco’s shining jewel of movie palaces since 1922, harkening back to the old days with classic (and new) films accompanied by live… Read more →
1300 on Fillmore 1300 Fillmore Street (at the corner of Eddy) San Francisco, CA 94115 415-771-7100 www.1300fillmore.com Hours: Monday-Sunday: 5-11pm Lounge: 5am-1am The South enchants me. Even as its beliefs and mentality feel far removed from the essence of me, I cannot help but be profoundly drawn to its music and food as if it has long been a part… Read more →
Switzerland is incomparably glorious land and after a second visit, I only want more. What surprises is that the food, hardly noticed next to reigning European cuisines, French and Italian, holds such fresh, satisfying foods well beyond the cheese and chocolate they are rightly known for. I was amazed by fresh seafood, rich desserts… better food than I had expected… Read more →
Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childhood days, recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth, and transport the traveler back to his own fireside and quiet home! – Charles Dickens Friends ~ December, the final month of the year, holds a special place in my heart. Though it can be… Read more →
Japantown Food & Film Night (or afternoon) I have a special spot in my heart for SF’s Japantown. A rarity in the US, it’s a vibrant Japanese neighborhood with a dated but authentic mall, markets, restaurants and shops. I love seeing a film at the Kabuki, eating authentic Japanese fare or wandering shops selling items as random as extensive Anime… Read more →
Custom Burger Lounge 121 7th St (between Mission & Howard) In the Best Western Americania San Francisco, CA 94102 415-252-2634 www.jdvhotels.com/dining/ sanfrancisco_custom Hours: Sunday-Thursday 7am-10pm Friday-Saturday 7am-11pm Custom Lounge Sunday-Thursday 12pm-12am Friday-Saturday 12pm-1am The gourmet burger craze is in full swing in San Francisco with new spots slated to open throughout the new year (like Best-O-Burger in the Financial District… Read more →
Lake Como is one of many idyllic regions of my dear Italy. Yes, it’s another lake in a region filled with lakes, but one with cliffs rising sharp, softly carpeted with green, out of shimmering blue, offering a majestic yet intimate connection of water and hillside. I recently stayed in a most magnificent villa on the lake, on a cliff… Read more →