Reviewed this issue:
— Batch 22 Classic Gold New American Aquavit
— Catedral Mezcal Espadin
— Forthave Genepi (Brooklyn, NY)
— Ron Serrano Destilado De Caña Oaxacan Mountain Rum
and more… Read more →
August 1, 2022
—July Eats Checklist: Six standout newcomers & new menus, from Ukrainian to Nigerian food, Detroit-style pizza to a fried chicken haven.
— An Ode to Japanese Wagyu… Sans the Steak: Gozu reviewed.
— Chinese Fine Dining Unlike Anywhere Else: Eight Tables at China Live reviewed.
— Hawai’i’s Big Island: My 2022 Eat, Drink & Stay Guide.
— Sonoma County Vegan from Three Michelin Team: Little Saint in Healdsburg reviewed.
— Rum Magazine: An rhum agricole renaissance in Hawaii at rum distilleries.
Last Month’s Eats Checklist: Six Standout Newcomers From July
Kowbird chicken wings (Photo: Courtesy of 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/july-eats-checklist-6-standout-newcomers These six newcomers (or new menus) cover the gamut, from Ukrainian dumplings to Nigerian food, Detroit-style pizza to hefty salads. Alongside this month’s full restaurant reviews — Gozu, Eight Tables at China… Read more →
Gozu in SF Is an Ode to Japanese Wagyu—Sans the Actual Steak
Starting trio of bites at Gozu (Photo: Courtesy of 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/gozu-in-sf-is-an-ode-to-japanese-wagyu-sans-the-actual-steak Imagine: soba noodles teeming in wagyu foam. Brown butter chawanmushi (savory Japanese custard) layered in fat-washed wagyu dashi. Or wagyu fat-laced salted chocolate chip cookies hot out… Read more →
San Francisco’s Eight Tables Does Chinese Fine Dining Unlike Anywhere Else in the Country
Eight Tables’ California asparagus with Kaluga caviar (Photo: Courtesy of 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/san-franciscos-eight-tables-does-chinese-fine-dining-unlike-anywhere-else-in-the-country I’ve said it since opening in 2017 and I’ll say it again: there’s no equal to Eight Tables in the country. This upscale-modern Chinese restaurant hidden… Read more →
Rum Magazine: An Agricole Renaissance in Hawaii
In Rum Magazine, I cover Hawaii’s r(rh)um agricole renaissance. First, at KoHana on the island of Oahu, pioneering and reviving Hawaii’s rich and diverse sugarcane, solely showcasing Hawaiian sugarcane in each of their r(h)ums. Then Kuleana Rum Works on Hawai’i’s Big Island, growing and producing their own agricole, as well as blending a line of global r(h)ums to showcase rum’s range with Hawaiian agricole.
This Michelin-Star Team in Sonoma County Serves Up Vegan Excellence
Little Saint’s strawberry gazpacho (Photo: Courtesy of 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/this-michelin-star-team-in-sonoma-county-serves-up-vegan-excellence Yes, it’s a vegan restaurant. And from the dynamic team behind three-Michelin-starred, The World’s 50 Best’s SingleThread, no less. Open on Earth Day, April 22, 2002, in Healdsburg’s former… Read more →
July 15, 2022
THIS ISSUE:
— Ernest: My Bold Italic #1 new restaurant of 2021, reviewed over one year in.
— Uccello Lounge Review: Live music from SF Conservatory students with food from chef legend Loretta Keller.
— My Gin Magazine Bar Guide: Ten of the best bars in Honolulu, Hawaii.
— Rum Magazine: 8 top U.S. rum bars (and they’re not just tiki bars, but have some of those, too).
— Distiller Magazine Bottle Column, June 2022: I review aperitifs/aperitivo, Scotch whisky, rum gin, tequila, mezcal, Irish whiskey, RTDs.’
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Our #1 New Restaurant of 2021, Over 1 Year In: Ernest
Ernest opened March 2021 in the lofty, two-tiered, industrial space that formerly housed Coffee Bar. One year into the pandemic — which means they were in planning mode well before — was one of the worst times to open a restaurant, especially an ambitious one. Next door to legendary Heath Ceramics, and in a neighborhood lined with nationally lauded restaurants and bars, Ernest entered seamlessly into that tier.
Now, a few visits later and over one year in, my review on Ernest today: Read more →
Rum Magazine: United States of Sugarcane — 8 U.S. Rum Bars
My first print feature in Rum Magazine where I cover 8 U.S. rum bars spreading the rum gospel across the States. Some are tiki bars, some are not, but all know their r(h)ums.