Original Joe’s North Beach crab cocktail. Photo by Virginia Miller. My Sicilian side can tend to dominate. That intense passion for the things I love, bordering on an obsessive impulse to research, study and dig deep, includes food. This was only fueled by homecooked pastas and sauces from my Italian mama and grandfather growing up on both coasts. Add in my… Read more →
Mattina’s ravioli. Photo by 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/a-new-all-day-cafe-that-doubles-as-idyllic-neighborhood-restaurant-mattina SPQR opened back in 2007, but it wasn’t until Matthew Accarrino came on board as chef in 2009 that it quickly became a top pasta restaurant in the nation — and one of multiple… Read more →
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 →
These newcomers or new menus cover the gamut, from elevated German beer hall fare to Sichuan Chinese. Alongside this month’s full restaurant reviews, these six are also worth visiting, with last month’s standouts here (as always, I’ve personally vetted, visited or ordered from each place reviewed): Read more →
I’ve been dining at Joe’s sister, Original Joe’s Westlake, under prior owners for the last two decades. Bruno Scatena opened Joe’s of Westlake in 1956, which was eventually run by his daughter, Melinda Scatena, who worked there since she was 14 years old, selling it as she ran into health problems. My husband, Dan “The Renaissance Man,” and I adored it in those years and it was perpetually packed as if it were the hottest new restaurant. Read more →
January Eats Checklist: 4 Standouts of the Month Merchant Roots’ The Olive (Branching) course (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/january-eats-checklist-5-standouts-of-the-month These newcomers or new menus cover the gamut, from a nature-rich tribute to California’s majestic trees in edible form, to healthy,… Read more →
Bar Sprezzatura’s mortadella pizza (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/chic-new-italian-cocktail-food-haven-hidden-in-the-fidi-bar-sprezzatura Us San Franciscans don’t normally hang out downtown and since pandemic, even less so. As the neighborhoods (which make up the majority of the city) we spend most of our… Read more →
Delfina’s truffle gnocchi (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/san-franciscos-delfina-reborn-as-it-was-meant-to-be What a difference nearly 25 years makes! Closed since March 2020, Mission District longtimer Delfina just reopened October 26, 2022, completely remodeled, refreshed, and, I’d say, reborn. I know I’ve dubbed… Read more →
When Roma native Gianluca Legrottaglie opened Montesacro in SoMa in 2015, it was the first proper Roman pinseria in the nation, complete with pinsaiolis (akin to a pizzaiolo) from Rome. Not familiar with pinsa? It’s an ancient Roman-style pizza, oval-shaped, happily crispy and airy simultaneously and made from a more easily digestible fermented soy, rice and wheat flour blend. Montesacro’s thoughtfully-made recipe remains the best I’ve had anywhere.
… in June 2022, San Francisco gained their second Montesacro in the Marina. Read more →
These newcomers or new menus cover the gamut, from Greek mezé to dim sum. Alongside this month’s full restaurant reviews, these seven are also worth visiting, with last month’s standouts here (as always, I’ve vetted, visited or ordered from each place reviewed): Read more →