Category: SF Examiner Articles

February 21, 2010

The Garden Comes to Life on Saison's Seasonal Menu

In a sense, Saison is a play of contradiction: a sophisticated restaurant tucked into what looks like the back alley of a Mission warehouse, a French country-side interior with Led Zepplin and Lynyrd Skynyrd serenading diners in the background, and seemingly simple food which, in actuality, requires an astonishing amount of patience and technique to prepare. And when I say patience, envision a chef carefully balancing tiny flower petals, one by one, onto a bite-sized piece of sashimi with tweezers. And that’s just the amuse-bouche...Continue Reading

February 7, 2010

Last-Minute Valentine's Day Ideas

Valentine's Day is next weekend, and if you're like half of the people I know, you're scrambling to find that idea that is sure to shock-and-awe that special person in your life. While most restaurants have been booked for weeks, if you're looking for more than a cozy night indoors watching movies, there are still a couple of fine-dining options.

Please check out my latest Examiner article for all of the juicy details.

February 3, 2010

One Market: So Much More Than a Power Lunch

One Market. One Michelin star. One hell of a good lunch.

From the outside, One Market resembles many of its Embarcadero neighbors – a conspicuous, sprawling, posh space dotted with white tablecloths and men in suits. But don’t let the exterior fool you. Unlike many waterfront restaurants, which exude a Power Lunch confidence but have little substance, the quality of the food being served inside far surpasses its nearby competitors...Continue Reading

January 22, 2010

A Working Definition of California Cuisine

Unless you have been stalking me on facebook or twitter, you probably haven't heard the big news: I'm going to begin writing for the SF Examiner as their SF California Cuisine Examiner. In fact, I've already started. My first article addresses a fairly important question - what the hell is california cuisine? Here's an excerpt:..

December 13, 2009

SPQR U Seriously That Good?

[rating: 5]

I almost hate to say this, but I think my quest to find Italian to rival Delfina has come to an end. Ahhhh the many years of hopelessly searching finally led me to the doorstep of SPQR (pronounced "spa-khrrrrr"- no that's a complete lie). Actually, because the entrance is so nondescript, I walked by the place 2 times (in the rain) before realizing it was what I was searching for.