MAVERICK, Mission (3316 17th St. between Mission and Valencia, 415-863-3061) Opened in 2005, by modern day restaurant standards, Maverick is a longtimer. I’d posit at its 7th anniversary (July 13), it’s better than ever with new executive chef Emmanuel Eng brought on last year by owners Scott Youkilis and Michael Pierce (GM, Wine Director). In contrast to its more casual, younger sister Hog… Read more →
FIVE PLAYFUL SUMMER DISHES Here’s five dishes that made a recent impression, from meaty, current-day classics in Oakland, at a bar brunch, and along Market Street, to fresh new joys in Palo Alto and SF – each bringing a little sunshine to the table. 15 ROMOLO – Fried Chicken Bacon Breakfast Biscuit Sandwich Brunch at one of the city’s best… Read more →
Here is my print/full version of this article which ran in the Bay Guardian on April 17, 2012. Growing up in East, West and Middle America, I unexpectedly have a profound affinity to the music and food of the South. Traveling numerous Southern states, my love accelerates. Florida conch and stone crab please, as do Tex Mex and Texas brisket.… Read more →
Southern food has a profound hold on me. No, I am not a Southerner. Having grown up in the Midwest, and mostly East and West coasts, it seems to be the major US region my family didn’t move to. Yet few cuisines the world over elicit in me such yearning and comfort. Whether road tripping through numerous states in the… Read more →
Top Tastes is not a list of all-time favorites (another thing altogether). Instead, I write about the best eats since my last newsletter, often from new openings. MID-RANGE NOMBE, Mission – I was sad to see Nick Balla leave Nombe for another place I love, Bar Tartine. Not because I’m not excited about the Eastern European slant he’s bringing there,… 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. EXPENSIVE RESTAURANTS THERMIDOR, SoMa – The Mad Men craze is a natural for me as that… Read more →
Even when times are tight, we’ve got to eat. There have been a slew of revisits, cheap eats and comfort food keeping me going lately, like Town Hall’s new BBQ-out-back lunch (ribs, sausages, po boys), ever lovable Phat Philly cheesesteaks, maki at Sushi Zen, Belgian waffles at Civic Center Farmer’s Market, always heroic sandwiches at Morty’s (jury duty had to… Read more →
SAVORY – VEGETARIAN • There are a number of Burmese gems in SF (see last month’s Top Tastes), but I’ve been getting my lunch lately at a little alley Burmese restaurant that’s quite tasty: Yellow Pa Taut. Traditional Tea Leaf or Ginger Salad ($9.95 each) are treated well here (ask for the Ginger Salad without dried shrimps if you’re a… 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 →
BROKEN RECORD 1166 Geneva Avenue (between Edinburgh and Naples Streets) San Francisco, CA 94112 415-963-1713 http://brokenrecordsf.com If you can’t hang with dive bars or aren’t willing to venture into the far reaches of the Excelsior, Broken Record may stay off your radar. But you’d be the one missing out. Parking is easy, so why not? Go, and you may, like… Read more →