Idyllic New Neighborhood Oyster Bar: Popi’s Oysterette

Original article here: https://medium.com/@virginiamiller_29308/idyllic-new-neighborhood-oyster-bar-popis-oysterette-521f0ea162bb_________________________________ San Francisco’s history is interlaced deeply with seafood. Dungeness crab. Local halibut. Anchovies. Tomales Bay oysters. It’s in our blood and roots. SF’s style of seafood oyster bars are its own. Popi’s Oysterette, just opened in the Marina from chef/partner Melissa Perfit, a former “Top Chef” contestant who cooked at my beloved Bar Crudo since back… Read more →

May 1, 2023

THIS ISSUE:
— The New, Dark, Moody, Lush, Unique Aphotic Restaurant: Wildly sustainable seafood and house-distilled cocktails in one of the most exciting new openings of the year thus far.
— April Eats: 8 SF & Oakland spots winning with cocktails AND food.
— Eating & Drinking Around Raleigh-Durham: My 12-stop North Carolina restaurant and bar guide.
— Rare Isaan Thai Platters Hidden Off A FiDi Alley: The new Hed VeryThai reviewed.
— DISTILLER Bottle Column: This issue I review rum, shochu, gin, Scotch whisky, mezcal, RTDs (ready-to-drink canned/bottled drinks), port, bourbon whiskey. Read more →

“Hed VeryThai” review: Rare Isaan Thai platters hidden off a FiDi alley

Hed VeryThai “Shrimp Set.” Photo by Virginia Miller. COME SEE OUR NEW HOME — The Bold Italic has a new home online, and this story has moved! Read it here: https://www.thebolditalic.com/hed-verythai-rare-isaan-thai-platters-hidden-off-a-fidi-alley Since spending two months in Thailand working in orphanages around the country way back as a youth in 1999, the “Land of Smiles” and overwhelming heat has had a piece… Read more →

April Eats: 8 SF & Oakland Spots Winning with Cocktails AND Food

8 SF & Oakland Spots Winning with Cocktails AND Food Heartwood’s Juice Joint with Argonaut brandy, Fino sherry, papaya shrub, garam masala tincture. Photo by Virginia Miller. These new spots or new menus cover the gamut, from Filipino-Mexican to Peruvian. Alongside my full restaurant reviews this month — for Aphotic, Daytrip Oakland, Coho Mill Valley, Palo Alto’s Naschmarkt and Ethel’s Fancy, Juniper and Starter… Read more →

Dive Into Ocean Depths With Wildly Sustainable Seafood & House Distilled Cocktails at New Aphotic

Aphotic spot prawns and Tsar Nicoulai caviar. Photo by Virginia Miller. I won’t forget my first visit to Palette soon after opening in 2019 when chef Peter Hemsley grilled up rare, local coonstripe shrimp just caught that morning, buttery-fresh and revelatory… like eating our divine local spot prawns for the first time. With a cooking background ranging from Paris and New… Read more →

April 15, 2023

THIS ISSUE:
— Juniper & Starter Bakery: Two new bakeries already set to stand among the Bay’s best.
— Coho: In sleepy Mill Valley, a surprisingly quality land-to-sea newcomer.
— St. Louis Dining Guide: 13 Places to Eat & Drink Now.
— Staycation Palo Alto: A Spanish-themed hotel & two newer restaurants.
— DISTILLER Bottle Column: This issue I review rum, sherry, gin, non-alcoholic wines, Australian whiskies, soju, ciders, American single malt and vodka. Read more →