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 →
When Michelin-starred State Bird Provisions opened in December 2012, I reviewed it at the SF Bay Guardian, saying, “Jazz is the soundtrack of the streets of Lower Fillmore. From its storied days as the ‘Harlem of the West,’ to the current seat of… blues/jazz venues, the subtly gritty streets echo with its soulful past. I would venture to say Fillmore newcomer State Bird Provisions is an ideal jazz companion. There’s no musical connection. But the spirit of jazz is present in their playful, dim sum-style presentation… and in the way… Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski, evolve the menu almost daily… Plates flow out on carts or trays like an experimental jazz riff, but never feel rootless.”
10 years (and a few months) later, jazz fanatic that I am, still feeling those improvisational chops, even as the team has evolved. Review here: Read more →
What happens when one of the nation’s greatest pastry chefs opens a restaurant with a chef from a two Michelin restaurant at the height of pandemic in 2020? Apparently, magic. Lots and lots of heartache on their part, but for us, sheer magic. Read more →
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 →
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 →
In the back of the cozy Merchant Roots wine shop, chef Ryan Shelton launched his first themed tasting menu in January 2019. I’ve raved about these wildly changing, eight-seat dinners ever since. You could call each playful, whimsical, creative, even intellectual, always blessedly delicious.
Yet still too few of you know about it or have dined there. Certainly, it’s Michelin-worthy. But in a spirited, mischievous, smart way, unlike anywhere else. Read more →
From the crew behind beloved Liholiho Yacht Club comes another original, one-of-a-kind restaurant centered around tropical rooftop escape vibes and core values that drive all they do.
We already know what happens when chef David Barzelay and the team of two Michelin-starred Lazy Bear open a more casual spot. Bar-centric with stellar bar food True Laurel is one of the best bars in the nation, thanks to the inspired, one-of-a-kind cocktails of owner Nicolas (Nic) Torres (also behind the new Buddy bar). As of December 8, 2021, Barzelay and partner Matthew Kirk (former sous chef of Lazy Bear) opened Automat, just north of the Panhandle in the former Green Chile Kitchen space. Read more →
A major new fine dining, 100% live fire cooking restaurant two years in the works just opened from chef Seth Stowaway. Read more →
Published January 7, 2022, in my The Bold Italic column and weekly restaurant reviews: 10 years old this month, I revisit one of the world’s best restaurants (and The World’s 50 Best Restaurants), Atelier Crenn.