Whether a gorgeous new bar with heartwarming food, new —and older— bars launching new menus, or one of The World’s 50 Best Discovery Bars reborn after a devastating fire, these five are worth drinking (and eating) at now. Read more →
Merchant Roots’ Themed Tasting Menu Releases Your Inner Child
In the back of the cozy Merchant Roots wine shop, chef Ryan Shelton launched his first themed tasting menu in January 2019. I’ve raved about these wildly changing, eight-seat dinners ever since. You could call each playful, whimsical, creative, even intellectual, always blessedly delicious.
Yet still too few of you know about it or have dined there. Certainly, it’s Michelin-worthy. But in a spirited, mischievous, smart way, unlike anywhere else. Read more →
Pasta Heaven: Newly Reborn Flour + Water
From 2009 to today, chefs/partners Thomas McNaughton & Ryan Pollnow’s beloved Flour+Water just reopened, remodeled and reborn with new space and menus. And it’s on a whole new level. Read more →
Distiller Magazine: Interviews with Redbird Bar Manager Tobin Shea & The Spirit Guild Distiller Miller Duvall
In the Winter 2021-2022 print issue (Issue 19) of Distiller Magazine:
—My interview with Redbird bar manager Tobin Shea
—My interview with The Spirit Guild owner/distiller Miller Duvall Read more →
March 15, 2022
This Issue:
— Old School Steakhouse Keeps Classic SF Spirit Alive: Harris’ Restaurant.
— 8 Places to Eat & Drink Now: East Bay Edition.
— Los Angeles Travel: Spring 2022 Coffee, Snacks & Drinks Guide.
— Buzzy New Rooftop Spot Transports to Peru: KAIY? Rooftop.
— Beer Restaurant of the Future: Fort Point Valencia Reopens.
— Distiller Magazine: LA Top 10 Bars 2022.
Los Angeles Travel: Spring 2022 Restaurant & Food Guide
My fall 2021 return to Los Angeles, the region I partly grew up in and spent over 12 years of my youth and, later, young adulthood living in was a busy one. I visited over 35 places, from cafes and coffee roasters, to restaurants and eateries — like pre-pandemic times. While the bar scene was clearly struggling on the service end even more than restaurants were, restaurants were coming back to life.
Here’s the good, the bad and the damn delicious: Read more →
Reinventing Rare Classic Gin Cocktails at Bars in San Francisco, Hong Kong & London
This issue I cover three bartenders and global bars, featuring their cocktail recipes inspired by more unsung classic gin cocktails…
+ My opinion column on the state of gin and cocktail bars in the U.S. now: How Will We Drink in 2022?
Los Angeles Travel: Spring 2022 Coffee, Snacks & Drinks Guide
My fall 2021 return to Los Angeles, the region I partly grew up in and spent over 12 years of my youth and, later, young adulthood living in was a busy one. I visited over 35 places, from cafes and coffee roasters, to restaurants and eateries — like pre-pandemic times. While the bar scene was clearly struggling on the service end even more than restaurants were, restaurants were coming back to life.
Here’s the good, the bad and the damn delicious: Read more →
Old School Steakhouse Keeps Classic SF Spirit Alive: Harris’ Restaurant
An old school temple to steak, San Francisco’s Harris’ Restaurant keeps classic steakhouse, martini and live jazz spirit alive: Read more →
8 Places to Eat & Drink Now, East Bay Edition
Six new restaurants/eateries, plus one pre-pandemic gem and two bar stops, all draw me to the East Bay. Digging in also meant some disappointments, including solid but not destination-worthy cocktails at charming Palmetto, or overwrought cocktails that sound exciting but don’t deliver at The Miranda. But each of these eight has one (or a few) winning aspects: Read more →