There are dozens of restaurants in Marin County all within a 30-minute drive of my home. Pizza, seafood, Chinese, Italian, Steak, Sushi, Thai, Mexican, Spanish… you name it, we’ve got it. But one restaurant stands alone in my mind and palate — Restaurant Picco, purveyor of small plates for sharing. read more»

BOKA, which stands for Bold Original Kitchen Artistry, happily lives up to it’s name. Perfectly situated in downtown’s sleek new Hotel 1000, it is also perfectly staffed with Marc Papineau, who doubles as general manager and BOKA’s extremely talented wine director and Executive Chef Angie Roberts, a highly respected Seattle chef who has cooked [...] read more»

I’ve sipped the Frrrrrozen Hot Chocolate for $8.50 at Serendipity 3, a restaurant and kitschy gift shop in Manhattan. I’ve perused their menu and noticed the Outrageous Banana Split for $20, the Caviar and Sour Cream Omelette for $14 and the Caviar Burger for $17.50. But their Golden Opulence Sundae, priced at $1,000, [...] read more»

To call this a typical restaurant opening would be like saying American Idol is just a talent show. Both are phenomenon’s that defy description. American Idol garners more votes than a presidential election, and I can’t recall being this excited about a meal since my first dinner at Chez Panisse, 25 years ago. I was visiting [...] read more»

The Willows Lodge is THE place to sleep when your dining at either the Barking Frog, or the Herbfarm, or just tired from a day of wine tasting, or just looking for a romantic getaway. Perfectly situated along the Sammamish River in the heart of Woodinville Wine Country it also borders the scenic Burke Gilman trail [...] read more»

Sip, Eat. Earlier in the week we spent many hours trying to make a most difficult King Solomon-esque decision. Should we make dinner reservations at the legendary Herbfarm, which serves a single-seating nine course dinner featuring seasonal food of the Pacific Northwest with six paired wines, or it’s next door neighbor, the award-winning Barking Frog? At [...] read more»

If you’re looking for some serious theater, seriously good gourmet food, or serious opera, then Teatro Zinzanni isn’t for you…oops-I just remembered, they actually do include a little opera, as well as most everything else in the entertainment field. Teatro ZinZanni is a CRAZY evening of FOOD, FUN and FESTIVITIES, a three-hour extravaganza of international [...] read more»

Manhattan is so full of wonderful little neighborhood restaurants that it’s impossible to find and try them all. When I lived there, I’d wander the cross streets and duck into little 10- or 12-table bistros then wobble out an hour or so later sated and thinking I found my new favorite place … until I [...] read more»