To meet Sung Park of Kothai is to meet a true restaurateur. This humble but light-filled restaurant in the Inner Sunset belies the creativity on a menu where Korea-meets-Thailand in San Francisco skin. Park is not just a first-generation SF native, but has lived in the Sunset district his entire life, and in the Inner Sunset roughly 36 years. Read more →
Their swoon-worthy fried chicken and uni boxes were a lifeline in pandemic, and their pivot since reopening to modern Korean tasting menu format has swiftly earned them a Michelin star in December 2022. But what is the reinvented SSAL like in its remodeled, more refined, soothing space? First off, it’s more fine dining, though still relaxed and intimate, a restaurant that would easily fit in with the Michelin-starred restaurants I dined at recently in Seoul, S. Korea. Read more →
Whether you’re going out with your own kids, friends with kids or taking out local niece and nephews as I do, you don’t want to compromise what you eat. And you shouldn’t ever have to in San Francisco.
There is no end to the wealth of food education one can casually participate in with children while eating heartwarming, fun meals. Covering a range of cuisines from Korean to Cajun — across neighborhoods — here are eight places you may not initially think of as kid-friendly: Read more →
You may think you know Korean barbecue. Unless you’re Korean, live in the U.S.’ heaviest Korean communities, namely across California, Honolulu and New York, or have dug into Korean BBQ in Seoul, you likely have just scratched the surface of the category’s range. Read more →
These five newcomers (or new menus) cover the gamut, from Korean hot pot to Roman-style pizza. Here is what is standing out at each, alongside this month’s full restaurant reviews. And for the kids (and kid in you), hit up brand new Ghirardelli Chocolate Experience Store, tributing Ghirardelli’s 170th anniversary with much more seating options (read: no lines for locals) and chocolate-making viewing, in-house sundaes, ice cream and chocolate drinks (as always, I’ve vetted, visited or ordered from each place reviewed): Read more →
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 →
Opening a more upscale, untried concept on a block that already holds three Michelin-starred restaurants — State Bird Provisions, The Progress and Avery — is ambitious, to say the least. When it is one that needs tightening up, as brand new Bansang does, it’s even riskier. But in its initial soft opening month of May (opening the tail end of April 2022), Bansang’s promise is all on the plate. Read more →
These six spots cover the gamut, from “real deal” New Orleans to Korean fried chicken. Here’s why these six are worth eating at/from now: Read more →
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 →
From kosher Israeli takeout to a new Korean grocer, these five new restaurants are worth dining at now”