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 →
Smoke hangs like haze over harvested fields, The wild gander leads his flock through the cool night, Ya-honk! he says, and sounds it down to me like an invitation: The pert may suppose it meaningless, but I listen closer, I find its purpose and place up there toward the November sky. – Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass, 1855, I Celebrate… Read more →
DUCCA 50 3rd St (between Mission & Market) In the Westin Hotel San Francisco, CA 94105 415-977-0271 www.duccasf.com I start off with a caveat: I have only been to Ducca for lunch. I’ve heard the buzz: dinner can be noisy with the bar’s volume permeating the restaurant and the patio is not always ideal depending on weather. That being said,… Read more →
The October issue of San Francisco Magazine dubbed West Portal the “Noe West” of San Francisco. I do not see the similarity other than a high family quotient, finding my home of Noe more charming and intimate (biased, I know). But I adore West Portal for other reasons: its somewhat dated, suburban main street circa 1970s, “lost in time” feel.… Read more →
THE SPOTTED PIG Neighborhood: Manhattan/West Village314 W 11th Street(between Greenwich St & Hudson St)New York, NY 10014(212) 620-0393www.thespottedpig.com I visited The Spotted Pig back in the Spring, before their chef, April Bloomfield, was given a coveted Best New Chef award in the July issue of “Food and Wine” magazine. The hype around this West Village “British Gastropub” has become somewhat… Read more →