Paris… adored by millions but a struggle for me since my first visit in 1999. With high girlhood, romantic dreamer expectations, I FELT the idea of Paris in my bones. But in my first weeks there, this was no Années Folles, or artistic 1920s heyday I dreamed of. Beautiful, yes. But it felt cold, caustic, arrogant and unflinching. Certainly cynical.… Read more →
I cover 5 standout upscale restaurants, many of The World’s 50 Best/Michelin-starred level, who are doing special or more casual takeout and delivery in pandemic times. Some offer cheese and champagne tastings, or nigiri sushi feasts or upscale but “real deal” BBQ. Each is stellar and ideal for those celebratory moments that still keep coming in our lives even while sheltering in — or when we need a pampering splurge:
Published at Haute Living Magazine, the November-December 2019 issue includes my feature on Wine Country Inns — from Mendocino to Sonoma Counties — that offer exceptional, world class dining and grow their own produce in their gardens or farms: SingleThread in Healdsburg, Harbor House Inn in Elk, Boonville Hotel in Boonville. Online here. MY HAUTE LIVING ARTICLES— A visionary San… Read more →
Brunch is near religion in San Francisco and there are literally a few hundred places where you can have an exceptional breakfast. From breakfast tacos to champagne and caviar service, high to low, here are 7 of our favorite brunch spots now: Read more →
Crudo at Madcap in San Anselmo Published by Where Traveler (my other Where articles here) in July 2019, my article on four pricier Michelin-starred restaurants offering more affordable dining options and three mid-range restaurants with unexpected fine dining-esque tasting menus. To tasting menu or not to tasting menu? AFFORDABLE WAYS TO DO SPLURGY RESTAURANTS (Skip The Tasting Menu)—Late Night Perfection: Lazy Bear Den—Weeknight… Read more →
Gibson’s fish heads & bones drying over open flame They run the gamut from the back of an SF cafe/wine shop offering dinners around themes involving custom plateware, to a single seating communal table for upscale Korean food in Palo Alto. Article here: www.wheretraveler.com/san-francisco/eat/unusual-fine-dining-1 These five unique Bay Area restaurants offer an unusual fine dining experience, whether in whimsical-yet-decadent menus,… Read more →
In my latest Time Out column, my top openings of the month join other standout newcomers for a top 15 on where to eat now (article here). Merchant Roots’ Fire course in the Elements dinner: a delicious dry-aged ribeye, sunchoke coals, red wine reduction, horseradish cream and leek ash And in recent years, more and more people are having these days.… Read more →
In my latest feature at Montecristo Magazine (my last article on New Orleans here), I talk about my visit last month to the great Noma in Copenhagen: review here. My review of the “new Noma” (an entire complex now ) occurs the very week they launched their first vegetarian-only menu, the second in their new three-season line-up. Noma 2.0 Read more →
With more 3 Michelin-starred restaurants than New York City (a city with 10 times the population and nearly 7 times the size), San Francisco has been a giant and a pioneer in food and drink for decades, excelling in every sub-category beyond cities many times their size and jumpstarting farm-to-table, wine, craft beer and spirits movements literally decades ago. The… Read more →
Published on February 6, 2018, at WineAccess, my restaurant review — and exciting tastings of aged Portuguese white wines — in Lisbon, Portugal, at two Michelin-starred Belcanto. There’s also a nod to (and insider recommendation for) San Jose Portuguese great, the Michelin-starred Adega: https://discover.wineaccess.com/belcanto Read more →