These newcomers or new menus cover the gamut, from heartwarming Jamaican food to another worthy Italian seafood haven in North Beach. Alongside this month’s full restaurant reviews, these five are also worth visiting. Read more →
Tag: Comfort Food
September Eats Checklist: 6 Standouts of the Month
Though I’ve eaten everywhere this month from Adriano Paganini/Back of the House group’s latest, Rad Radish, to the new Arepas Latin Cuisine and Fiddle Fig Cafe in North Beach, these six newcomers (or new menus) stood out in September, covering the gamut, from Brittany-style French crêpes to NY slice pizza. Alongside this month’s full restaurant reviews, I share what’s worth tasting at each, with last month’s standouts here (as always, I’ve vetted, visited and/or ordered from each place reviewed): Read more →
Hayes Valley’s Buzzy New Neighborhood Hang: Hazie’s
On August 11, 2022, the former Stacks space in Hayes Valley came to life again as Hazie’s from Hat Trick Hospitality team (The Brixton, Rambler). The name is rough, even a bit cheesy, but the space is dramatically reborn via ROY Hospitality Design: uncovered windows and open space make it look far bigger than before. A curved, sweeping bar, colorful artwork in nooks and plenty of spots for couples and groups, make it feel like the large neighborhood hangout Hayes Valley was missing. Gazing over Patricia’s Green, it takes in the bustle outside, feeling like a party inside at peak hours. Read more →
Live Music from Conservatory Students with Food from Chef Legend Loretta Keller: Uccello Lounge
Chef Loretta Keller is a San Francisco treasure since she opened Bizou in 1993, which became the long-beloved COCO500 in 2005… I’ve dined at all her ventures multiple times over the last 21 years, so delighted I was to see her return… to open Uccello Lounge on the ground floor of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s (SFCM) new Bowes Center. Read more →
Two Female Bartenders With A Perspective You Can Taste in the Glass: For the Record & Members Only
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 oft-discounted but key factors to holistic integration for those pursuing it. However, other crucial pieces include timing and the right platform/s from which to express one’s voice…
Normally, this Friday review is devoted to restaurants: and both these new bars serve food, so we’ll get into that. But this week, it’s more about drink menus on par with great food and about two women coming into their voice on their current menus: Read more →
May Eats Checklist: Korean BBQ to Mexican Brunch
These six newcomers (or new menus) cover the gamut, from the ultimate Korean barbecue to Mexican brunch in your PJs, if you wish. Alongside this month’s full restaurant reviews — Shuggie’s Trash Pie + Natural Wine, Bansang, Cole Valley Tavern, The Madrigal — these six are worth visiting (as always, I’ve vetted, visited and ordered from each place reviewed): Read more →
Ideal New Neighborhood Hang —Cole Valley Tavern— Serves 99 Flake, Heartwarming Food & Cocktails
Legendary Kezar Bar & Restaurant has been a Cole Valley staple since 1989, but even after revamps, couldn’t quite hang on. The good news is it’s staying neighborhood-owned with local Jim Angelus of nearby Bacon Bacon reopening it as Cole Valley Tavern (he became a partner in Kezar back in 2018). It’s packed every night since opening late April 2022, carrying on the tradition but with an upgrade: convivial, welcoming yet with heightened comfort food and cocktails. Read more →
Retro-Chic Lounge with Secret Cocktails & Stellar Food: The Madrigal
You’d be tempted to call The Madrigal an upscale cocktail lounge with elevated bar food, ideal for pre-and post-show imbibing near the San Francisco Symphony, Opera, Ballet, Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, and SF Jazz. And it is. But it’s much more. Debuting on Van Ness Avenue in December 2021 from Hi Neighbor Hospitality (Trestle, The Vault Steakhouse, The Vault Garden), The Madrigal feels like what the space should have always been. Read more →
Beer Restaurant of the Future: Fort Point Valencia Reopens
After shuttering amid the peak of the pandemic, Fort Point Valencia opened its doors again in February, with renewed vision as a unique, modern kind of brewpub or beer-centric restaurant. Review here:
Reimagined a Decade Since Opening, Bluestem Brasserie Is a Slice of Comfort in Downtown SF
A reborn, 10 year-old, downtown restaurant that continues to offer homey comfort, over-the-top desserts, and now, a remodel, a new market and an addictive, all-day snack.