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.
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 at…
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, is in…
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…
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…
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?…
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…
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…
The first thing that strikes you when you enter Café Lurcat in Minneapolis is a wall of noise. When my dining partner and I arrived for our 8 p.m. reservation, the bar/lounge was buzzing with conversation, and I thought, ok…we’re going to have to talk loud. We did…but it was worth it.
Your taste buds will really get down and party at this special event, the New Frontiers of Taste,celebrating the 100th year anniversary of Dr. Kikunae Ikeda’s discovery of *Umami, the 5th taste. This major event is timed to coincide with the International Symposium on Olfaction and Taste (ISOT), and will draw a variety of attendees…
I’ve dined at Pizzeria Picco at least six times in the past few months. Each time, I’ve tried a different thin Neopolitan-style pizza and haven’t found one yet that wasn’t absolutely delicious. In fact, the food critic for the SF Chronicle, Michael Bauer, has proudly proclaimed it’s “The best pizza in the Bay Area.”
I’m loving everything I hear about this new restaurant: 1. It’s located in the old space of Jan Birmbaum’s acclaimed Catahoula Restaurant which was a great cozy spot for hanging-out. 2.It’s owned by a talented hubbie/wife team,Matthew and Sonjia Spector, who share a “Farm to Table” philosophy. 2.The menu changes daily using only the freshest…