The Madrigal’s smoked trout dip. Photo by Virginia Miller. From one of the key cities that birthed cocktails to the world in the 1800s, San Francisco has no end of hundreds of stellar bars with stellar food. We welcome a new one from a beloved industry bartender and standout new menus at two bars we already love, all three with quality… Read more →
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 →
Cavana’s rooftop bar facing north east (Photo Credit: 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/latin-vibes-tunes-cocktails-food-with-stunning-sf-views-at-new-rooftop-bar-cavaña Rooftop bars are proliferating in San Francisco these days, whether the 2017 opening of Charmaine’s at the San Francisco Proper, or 2022’s Rise Over Run at the Line… Read more →
For the Record’s California Soul cocktail (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/these-two-sf-female-bartenders-serve-cocktails-with-perspective-you-can-taste A few elements must align to come into one’s own voice and it’s never a one-time deal but an ongoing evolution. Maturity, experience and time are the… Read more →
This issue of Gin Magazine, my Bar Guide to 10 top bars in Hawaii’s biggest city, Honolulu, on the island of Oahu.
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 →
These six newer spots include two Brazilian go-tos, a winning bottle shop and arcade/game bar with food (as always, I’ve vetted, visited or ordered from every restaurant reviewed here):
FRIDAY FIVE 5 SF Bars (That Have Excellent Food) to Visit Now Linden Room’s Johin-cocktail (Photo Credit: Virginia Miller) Each of these five bars are ideal for a holiday sip as they are for imbibing year round (and most serve quality eats, too). Per usual: I’ve vetted, visited, or ordered from each of these spots reviewed. 5 Gloomy Hikes to Take in… Read more →
In the Summer 2021 print issue of Distiller Magazine: My article on 10 of Louisville’s best bars below (online here) Louisville and Kentucky’s distilling and drink evolution (linked to here) My interview with bar manager/owner Olivia Rose Griffin of the Limbo and Riot Cafe below (online here) My interview with Jeptha Creed distiller Joyce Nethery below (online here) BARS FEATURED:—Meta, Butchertown… Read more →
In the Winter 2020-2021 print issue of Distiller Magazine:
My article on 10 of the world’s best bars and how they are surviving and recreating in pandemic