What a difference nearly 25 years makes! Closed since March 2020, Mission District longtimer Delfina just reopened October 26, 2022, completely remodeled, refreshed, and, I’d say, reborn. I know I’ve dubbed some restaurants as “better than ever before,” and in Delfina’s case, it’s truly true. Read more →
From sparkling celebratory wines and Champagnes to crisp wintery whites, bracing reds to non-alcoholic wines, I’ve got 15 bottles to suit a range of palates, meals or occasions as we dive into the holidays and usher in a new year. Read more →
Alongside cocktails at new restaurants, these seven bars are worth visiting now and into the new year…and some currently offer special holiday decor & drinks: Read more →
Thin places — where heaven and earth come closer or the veil between the here and the otherworld is especially thin — is beloved lore for thousands of years. On California’s breathtaking Mendocino Coast, easily some of the most beautiful and mystical coastline in the world, the couple thousand acres of private coast and redwood forest that is home to The Inn at Newport Ranch since owner Will Jackson bought the land in the 1980s is just such a thin place. Read more →
Mourad Lahlou’s Mourad is the best upscale modern Moroccan restaurant I’ve been to in the U.S. Mourad’s visionary Cal-Moroccan cuisine, a more upscale sibling to his long-beloved, more casual Aziza, has been a trailblazer in that category since he opened it in San Francisco’s Richmond District in 2001.
Just after I wrote this review, California Michelin stars were announced earlier this week, and I am puzzled as to why Mourad would lose its Michelin star of multiple years, especially given the tighter-than-ever service, drink pairings and dishes I experienced there last week. When not one but three dishes leave a deep impression, that already is well above the average. I’ll explain. Read more →
When Roma native Gianluca Legrottaglie opened Montesacro in SoMa in 2015, it was the first proper Roman pinseria in the nation, complete with pinsaiolis (akin to a pizzaiolo) from Rome. Not familiar with pinsa? It’s an ancient Roman-style pizza, oval-shaped, happily crispy and airy simultaneously and made from a more easily digestible fermented soy, rice and wheat flour blend. Montesacro’s thoughtfully-made recipe remains the best I’ve had anywhere.
… in June 2022, San Francisco gained their second Montesacro in the Marina. Read more →
Reviewed this issue:
— Tattersall Coconut Aquavit
— Fast Penny Spirits Amaricano Amari
— Kopke 50 Year White & Tawny Port
— Tanteo Tequila Navidad
— Humboldt Distillery Organic Apple Brandy
— Glenmorangie: A Tale of the Forest
— The Better Man Distilling Co.’s Apple-Forward Gin
… and more Read more →
THIS ISSUE:
— November Eats Checklist: 7 standout restaurants & newcomers of the month.
— Seoul Guide: Where to dine & stay in Korea’s capital city.
— Malaysian Buzz in Sleepy Outer Noe: The new Damansara.
— Rosemary & Pine: Playful neighborhood comfort from Michelin-starred team.
— Distiller Magazine Honolulu: Interview with Pint+Jigger and Harry’s Hardware Emporium bar manager Dave Newman. Read more →
These newcomers or new menus cover the gamut, from Greek mezé to dim sum. Alongside this month’s full restaurant reviews, these seven are also worth visiting, with last month’s standouts here (as always, I’ve vetted, visited or ordered from each place reviewed): Read more →
In deep dives tasting my way around Singapore, to my love for dear departed places like Indonesian great Warung Siska (chef Siska Silitonga, please come back!), I am crazy about the unique cuisines of this island-heavy corner of Southeast Asia. This includes Malaysia, which deeply informs much of Singaporean cuisine as its very close neighbor and sister. Together, they’re known for incredible dishes like kaya toast or laksa soup (although there are styles of laksa in Indonesia and southern Thailand as well). So I was certainly delighted when I heard chef Tracy Goh found an outer Noe Valley brick-and-mortar space for her Malaysian pop-up, Damansara, opened October 19, 2022. Read more →