Yesterday, my daughter Sara and I indulged in a few hours of chocolate tasting for a great cause. Project Open Hand received all proceeds as thousands of people descended on a closed-off Beach Street between Larkin and Polk to sample the gigormous array of chocolate tastings at the 12th Annual Ghirardelli Square Chocolate Festivall presented…
Sure, we all like a good Vodka… what’s not to like? But I really think the envelope has been pushed to the ultra-max, with the almost daily offering of yet anther infused flavor. (Most recently a Green-tea Vodka!) The NKOTB (new kid on the block) Gin is really an old one making a major comeback….
It flies at 100 mph. It goes from 0 to 60 in just 4 seconds. It boasts an equivalent of 135 miles per gallon. It gets 200 miles per fill-up. It costs $100,000. It’s been called “one of the top five sexiest sustainable sports cars.” And it’s 100% electric — not a hybrid. Tesla Motors…
A dozen family members from California to Minnesota convened Saturday night at the world-famous Fleur de Lys to celebrate a milestone birthday for our Mother — a San Francisco native. We’d dined there 15 years ago for another of my Mother’s big days, but this time, the French cuisine, the wait staff, the ambience, the…
I just returned from the Family Winemakers of California Wine Tasting evetn.. so I have a good excuse for any typos/mispellings that follow. the Family Winemakers of California may be an “organization that reflects the ‘little guy’s’ point of viewâ€? but with over 400 wineries represented (and at least 1000 different wines), it offers one…
Being a natural redhead, I have been cursed with that glow-in-the-dark white skin. My derm keeps yelling at me to put on almost triple digit sunscreen. I’ve tried tanning booths (pre-cancer buzz) and spray on tans, after the word came out, but it ain’t easy. Plus it’s hard to keep smiling, when at the beach,…
I just returned from LA where I went to cover the Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo. There, I was lucky enough to snag a seat at the event below. Talk about a sizzling cook-off! That Mike Midgley (middle photo) is one funny dude, and the chemistry between Oh-So-Sexy Sam Talbot (top left) and bombshell Marisa…
I’ve been wine tasting in Sonoma, Napa and Livermore Counties in Northern California, as well as in France, Italy, Greece, Australia, and New Zealand. But it’s always been at a winery or tasting room on land. Now, you can enjoy premium wine tasting with a gourmet dinner — while cruising on San Francisco Bay aboard…
This Sunday, August 19, from Noon to 4pm at the Festival Pavilion in Fort Mason, with views of Alcatraz, San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge, more than 400 wineries — and 1,000 wines — will be available for tasting. It’s the 17th Annual Family Winemakers of California Wine Tasting Festival. Tickets are $45…
San Francisco has dozens of Japanese restaurants offering fresh sashimi. But Sozai, owned and operated by my friend Mari Takahashi, is decidedly different. “Sozai” means “Ingredients” in Japanese. In her Sozai offerings, Mari combines centuries of Japanese culinary knowledge with tasty natural ingredients to create her own, original California cuisine that enables her customers to…
I have to admit whenever I hear of a restaurant that claims to be the best or the oldest I tend to be a bit weary. So when I heard that Fior d’Italia was the oldest Italian restaurant in the States I was a bit skeptical. To begin with it seemed like a bit of…
I’ve dug into deep dish pizza in Chicago, folded a slice of pie sideways in New York, and enjoyed lukewarm foccacio pizza in Florence. Now, I’ve tasted the ultra thin crust gourmet pies at Pizzaria Picco and I loved them. This newish restaurant on storied Magnolia Avenue, next to its Restaurant Picco, is a great…