LOLO, Mission (974 Valencia Street, between 20th & 21st, 415-643-5656) Loló, with its whimsical, colorful decor and unusual interpretations of Mexican food, has been one of my underrated dining favorites since it opened six years ago. In all honesty, I miss the two-roomed intimacy of its original 22nd Street location. But since they moved just a couple blocks to their… Read more →
LA URBANA, Western Addition (661 Divisadero Street at Grove, 415-440-4500) After a preview a few months back and a visit to Mexico City exploring some of the city’s stellar restaurants (read about it here), I was excited to see La Urbana open in Western Addition this September. Having already dined there three times in the roughly five weeks it has… Read more →
Late summer and harvest season have brought me to Sonoma and Napa for numerous excursions. Fall is my favorite season and time of year in Wine Country as vineyard leaves transform from green to blazing reds, yellows and oranges. Here are a few fall ideas – unusual tours and quality Mexican food (plus mezcal and tequila, when you need a… Read more →
MEXICAN TALES: 5 New Mexican Spots Article & Photos by Virginia Miller Mexican food of all regions and categories is not only commonplace in California, it’s essential to our culture, intertwined as we are with our Mexican heritage. One can find Mexican food of every stripe across this massive state, whether San Francisco’s vibrant Mission District taquerias, the farming communities… Read more →
Burgers come in degrees: layered with expensive accoutrements, whole egg, foie gras, and the like… or simple, without pretense. I crave a burger in all degrees, whether upscale, knife and fork versions, or down and dirty. On the cheap, two burgers incite salivation in memory alone. One is at a brand new SoMa dive that also serves winning tacos, the… Read more →
Top Tastes is not a list of all-time favorites, rather it’s about the best tastes of the last two weeks (since my last newsletter), often from new openings. MID-RANGE NOJO, Hayes Valley (231 Franklin Street at Linden, 415-896-4587, Sun-Mon/Wed-Thu 5-10pm, Fri-Sat 5-11pm) – Amazingly realized in its opening weeks, Nojo stands out in the glut of izakaya openings we’ve been… Read more →
Top Tastes, rather than a list of all-time favorites (another thing altogether), are among the best eats since my last newsletter, often from new openings. Many don’t make the cut, being a revisit previously written about or simply not as stand-out as dishes mentioned. MID-RANGE RESTAURANTS COMMONWEALTH, Mission – I’ve been a fan of Mission St. Food (Mission Burger and… Read more →
Top Tastes is my usual run-down of tastes over the past two weeks. Rather than being a list of all-time favorites (another thing altogether), it’s highlights since my last newsletter, often from new openings. Many don’t make the cut, being a revisit I’ve written about before or simply not as stand-out as dishes mentioned. SAVORY – MEAT • There’s a… Read more →
(Upon discovering champagne): “Come quickly! For I am drinking in the stars.”– Dom Perignon Let’s go ahead and give the whole spread at Pican’s Kentucky Derby Party in Oakland a nod. Hard-pressed to pick from the all-you-can-eat (and drink – Mint Juleps) menu: it might be Louisiana Crawfish Toasts, signature Buttermilk Fried Chicken (in wing form), super-smoky Ham Biscuits with… Read more →
Eating is highly subjective, and the man who accepts say-so in youth will wind up in bad and overtouted restaurants in middle age, ordering what the maitre d’hotel suggests.”– A.J. Liebling, “Between Meals: An Appetite for Paris”, 1962 I can barely keep up with all the amazing tastes this month. So, narrowing it down… BREAKFAST • Nothing like Chicken &… Read more →