BERKELEY • Gather – Yes, it’s local, sustainable, organic (even the spirits, wine and beer). Though that’s happily typical in the Bay Area, I venture to say that Gather, open only since December, already operates like a hardly “typical”, fully-realized restaurant. In a large, rounded corner room, the bustling, open space is in full view of the kitchen, a muted… Read more →
As far as I’m concerned, there’s room for it all. I crave artistic, mind-blowing experimentation as much as I hunger for pure, simple comfort food. We excel in the latter in San Francisco but I don’t see enough of the former. There’s Coi and Daniel Patterson bringing us fine dining in ways we won’t see it done anywhere else. But… Read more →
Top Tastes, rather than a list of all-time favorites (another thing altogether), is highlights of the best things I’ve been eating 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 • has a new chef de cuisine, Sophiane Benaouda, from… Read more →
Top Tastes is my usual run-down of favorites. Rather than 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 written about before or simply not as stand-out as dishes mentioned. MID-RANGE RESTAURANTS At the start of a new year, I visited some… Read more →
DOLLIE MARIE’S 1602 South El Camino RealSan Mateo, CA 94402650-638-9238www.dolliemaries.com I can never get enough of that unique-to-the-US cuisine: Southern cooking. Enter Dollie Marie’s, delightful, boisterous Chef Gator’s latest, whose restaurants I’ve had the pleasure of eating at through the years (and sadly saw close), from Noe Valley’s Alcatraces to Gator’s in downtown San Mateo. When you add in white… Read more →
“A cocktail hath the soul of wit, it is brief. It is a jest, a bon-mot, happy thought, a gibe, a word of sympathy, a tear, an inspiration, a short prayer. ” – Sportsman/travel writer, Francis Francis in Nineteenth Century COCKTAILS • Neyah White at Nopa can always be counted on to create a superior cocktail… Nopa’s sherry cocktails are… Read more →
Top Tastes is my usual run-down of tastes over the past two weeks. Rather than 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 written about before or simply not as stand-out as dishes mentioned. SAVORY – MEAT • Berkeley’s Brazil Cafe feels… Read more →
Thanks to my classic film-obsessed Mother, one of my favorite pastimes is watching old movies. I may not know as much as my Mom does about all things classic film, but I do have an in-depth appreciation & knowledge of film in general, and the classics in particular. I feel lucky to be able to partake in the incomparable line-up… Read more →
Less than 30 minutes drive from the city, Half Moon Bay has long been a charming excursion offering stunning Pacific vistas along Highway 1 and an idyllic small town both on Main Street and in the canyon. I love wading through tide pools and seeing seals (go at low tide or you won’t see a thing!) at nearby Fitzgerald Marine Preserve… Read more →