January 31, 2008
Dinner at Seattle’s Barolo Ristorante is the kind of experience where you want to change your name to something sexy and flirt with the patrons at nearby tables. The chic atmosphere inside Barolo is a welcome departure from the many Northwest restaurants who try too hard and can’t seem to get it. As a relative […]
January 30, 2008
It’s safe to assume, at least in my case, that if the restaurant at a new luxury resort in the California Wine Country decides to balance its menu of healthy spa meals with a few greased-up options unbecoming of a wellness retreat we are going to get along fairly well.
Upon arrival at the new Solage […]
When Jeff Hanak noticed an old vacant bank on the corner of Divisadero and Hayes Streets in San Francisco, he saw beyond the white brick walls and envisioned great possibilities for his new restaurant, Nopa. Set at the bottom of Hayes Street Hill, Nopa, which opened in April 2006, is named for its north of […]
The black stucco building at the corner of Valencia and 15th Streets resembles a hideaway, a speakeasy from the good old days. Its blackout shades and tinted windows reveal nothing. The only sign is a board above the door marked with a red circle surrounding a white star. Obscure and shadowy, this Mission neighborhood restaurant […]
Even in a city this laid back, there comes a time when every discerning San Franciscan needs to check out from the demands of modern life. If you’re looking for a place to rejuvenate, recharge and restore the soul, few places do this with more finesse than the International Orange Spa and Yoga Lounge in […]
January 28, 2008
It was a cold day in January. The taxing holiday restaurant rush was behind me, and I needed a weekend sneak-away to find my center after that most frazzling time of year had subsided. A friend at Healdsburg’s Lambert Bridge Winery mentioned the vacant guest house. I had to summon massive inner strength to avoid […]
January 24, 2008
You know they’ve hit a winning formula in a city saturated with restaurants when the new kid on the block has lines out the door every night from the moment it opened three months ago. The new kid in question is SPQR, a back-to-basics Italian eatery recently opened by dynamite city chef duo Nate Appleman […]
January 23, 2008
To stay at Auberge du Soleil, the Inn of the Sun, one must suspend certain disbeliefs and succumb to the whimsical feeling its name implies. If so willing, and provided they have availability, you will be immersed in an amazing resort experience in the heart of Napa Valley Wine Country.
My companion and I stayed in […]
Order a scotch and water in any pub, and you will more than likely receive a blended whisky. But the true scotch connoisseur will always ask for a single malt, neat, or with a little water. For most scotch drinkers, single malts are the superiors of all scotch whiskies. There are tips and […]
January 20, 2008
If the quality of a restaurant could be judged solely on the attractiveness of its clientele, then Bacaro — the newest New York City project from Frank De Carlo, owner of trendy and acclaimed Soho-area Peasant — would receive three stars. On a Thursday night in late December, a random survey of the restaurant […]