Its Christmas time, and the gift season is upon us. While our family is not crazy with exchanging gifts, it is always a struggle to try to keep track of everyone’s taste and interests. Thankfully, I hail from a family of food lovers who like nothing more than to try new culinary experiences. While...
What is old is new again in San Francisco and beyond. In the last year or so, izakaya’s have been popping up throughout San Francisco. In my neighborhood alone, within the last few months two have sprung to life. Not that I am complaining, and neither is my husband for on a recent visit...
Growing up, my dad and grandmother extoled the virtues of drinking apple cider vinegar. As a young girl I was highly skeptical, but over time learned to appreciate their jugement. I am far from a regular inbiber, but I can see its merits, and the flavor has grown on me. Word of Advice -...
Tiki bars are one of those places that ebb and flow in popularity, but here in the Bay Area, there are some standards, no institutions that never go away. I for one cannot imagine not taking visitors to San Francisco to the Tonga Room where else can you enjoy a tropical rainstorm in a...
I had no plans to write about my experience at the Fancy Food Show that recently took place in San Francisco; I intended to incorporate what I discovered in future posts, but after receiving many requests to identify what I tried, I reconsidered. After all, is not food something of an ambassador of a...
On blustery, rainy days, much like today here in San Francisco, I imagine I am curled up under my favorite blanket engrossed in a book, sipping a liqueur and nibbling a biscotti and some chocolates. Actually indulging in this scenario does not happen often enough to my liking. Now the liqueurs I have in...
Kinsale was one of my favorite destinations while in Ireland. How could it not be? It’s very picturesque and known as the Gourmet Capital of Ireland. I will not comment on that claim, as I have not the depth of knowledge of Ireland’s food scene, but my limited exposure tells me, if its not...
When I lived in London, pubs were my “go to” spots, primarily because I barely knew a soul. I found I could go to most any pub, grab a pint and a meal without feeling the least bit awkward. In the pub, I never felt obligated to enter as part of a group –...
My husband and I celebrated our anniversary last week with a weekend getaway to Mendocino County. My husband planned the event, keeping me in the dark until we were about 15 minutes from our destination. Until that moment, he had hinted strongly that we were “hiking in” and needed to stop and secure some...
I never appreciated the strong connection that the Irish had with Guinness, until my recent trip to Ireland, and saw the anticipation leading up to Arthur’s Day on September 24, 2009 – a celebration of 250 years of Guinness. I was in Ireland 2 weeks prior to this event and can I tell you,...
