Beast and the Hare is San Francisco’s version of a London gastropub, a friendly, informal neighborhood place that specializes in rich, meat-centric dishes complemented with glasses of artisan beer and robust wine.Its chef-owner, Ian Marks, who worked for two years at the Fatted Calf, has a deep understanding of charcuterie and the ameliorating effect of fat in cooking. Pick any dish on his sexy little menu to explore how skillful manipulation of the no-no’s of lean cuisine create dishes to die for. Read More

Kam’s Restaurant, an unnoticeable Hong Kong-style coffee shop on the same block as the Balboa Theater, has been open there since 1974, but three months ago owner Kathy Wong hired a new chef, Yip Fung, formerly of the R & G Lounge.  Wong herself is a Chinese tea and Italian coffee expert, and her partner Sarah Chu specializes in Asian-style desserts. With a daily menu of specials, and another of chef’s recommendations, both written in Chinese and English, the experience at Kam’s evokes Hong Kong’s worldly embrace of South Chinese and Western culinary customs. Read More

I was invited on a tour of the How Wine Became Modern exhibit at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art the other day with, among a few other journalists, Georg Riedel, the eminent owner of Riedel Glassware. I was told to look for Henry Urbach, the Henry Hilton Raiser curator of architecture and design, upon entering the building. However, I mistook Riedel, who was holding a tasting at the museum later in the day, for my tour guide.Luckily, the story gets better from here. Read More

Citizen Cake, Elizabeth Falkner’s buoyant, artistic bakery-cafe and restaurant, has found a happy new home in Pacific Heights. The other night I was having dinner at one of the small slate tables along a wooden banquette that runs the length of the narrow storefront — a glass pastry counter and a marble bar with seats take up the other side. Read More