Corks can have flaws, get moldy, cause leaks, make wine taste musty and otherwise ruin your investment in a fine vintage. That’s why screw caps are the next new thing in capping wines. Because you just unscrew the cap and screw it back on, wines stay fresher, longer. No wonder more wineries are tossing their…
I’ve been to Sydney in April and the weather was perfect. If you’re going Down Under this Spring for their Fall weather, one of the city’s most luxurious hotels is offering three Easter Specials starting at $299 for one night, $499 for two and $699 for three, including daily buffet breakfast for two and valet…
The SF Chronicle features an Earthquake Week column each Friday. This week, it shows there were 103 quakes in the Bay Area. 103!!! The average is only 65, but most are less than a magnitude of 3.0 those of us who grew up with earthquakes hardly notice them. Seismologists say “the big one” is coming….
Take a French book, a few famous bridges, a national landmark that travels at 9mph, temperate weather, and hundreds of remarkable restaurants. What do you get? The promise by the Michelin Restaurant Guide to publish its first ever SF Bay Area book. Michelin introduced New York City as its first American guide last November with…
As a native, there are only a handful of SF hotels I’ve actually stayed in. The Westin St. Francis at Union Square is one of them. Maybe it’s because it was built in 1904 and served those left homeless after the 1906 quake. Or because it’s renowned for its food and service as the site…
Looking for the the world’s best coffee shop cum sushi or tapas bar? You think you might find it in New York, LA or SF. But you’d be way wrong. It’s actually on the tres fashionable Left Bank in Paris. At L’Atelier de Joel Robunchon, last year’s best Parisienne chef and winner of three consecutive…
Their Visit Monaco Web site says it all: “The energy of New York. The elegance of Monaco. Two cultural capitals come together.” This Spring and Summer, Monaco and New York will exchange cultural treasures. If you’re in NYC, you can experience the glamour of Monaco to taste Monegasque cuisine, feast your eyes on their unique…
A new site called SoBritish.com offers “you insider tips on the best places to dine around the country and information no the most luxurious places to stay.” Celebrity chefs abound. Whether you want to drop a bundle at Gordon Ramsay’s flagship restaurant of Food TV fame, would to sample Jamie Oliver’s Tasting Menu, want fresh…
My home town is known for its eclectic restaurants. Seafood. Chinese. Cal Asian. Mexican. American. Mediterranean. Pizza. Barbecue. You name it, we got it. SF Chronicle critic Michael Bauer just published his annual list of the Top 100 across the North Bay, the Peninsula and South Bay, Berkeley and Oakland, and the city itself. It…
Charles Hodgkins is loco for burritos. So loco, in fact, that he has a Website called BurritoEater.com. He has reviewed 325 burritos (not tacos or enchiladas) at 170 San Francisco restaurants. The best get nine mustaches out of a possible 10 and only seven have received that lofty honor. His favorites? Taqueria San Francisco at…
Sushi in Tokyo. Snake in Hanoi. Chinese food in SF and Vancouver. Gnocchi in Roma. For the best of the best eats in the world, read this article from ShermansTravel.com titled “Top 10 Cities for Foodies” –– and I’m happy to say I’ve stuffed my face in six of them. The cities are: • Barcelona…
I first heard of The Slanted Door when it opened 11 years ago. The waiting list was always one to two months’ long so I never tried to eat there. Today, after a res made two weeks ago, I finally dined there with my colleague Lorie and it was well worth the wait. With seating…