Thoughtful Gourmet Blog

Mendocino is known for its laid-back style and all-natural approach. The area’s food scene reflects the innate casualness of the community – everyone is welcome here – yet there are good choices for even the most discriminating diner. Mendocino Begin your Mendocino adventure in the lounge at the 5200 Restaurant & Lounge at the newly […]

Product Review for 12 Tides: Organic Kelp Snacks

Words coined during the Age of Corona. Or maybe not…

In my house, we have new rituals around ordering in, supporting the places we usually visit as a family after baseball games or for a change of pace from home cooking. But those restaurants differ from what I might choose for an adults-only date night with my partner or a special dinner out. For our […]

With delivery services like UberEats and DoorDash charging restaurants 25–30% per order and a delivery fee to consumers on top of that, restaurants are hanging their hat on delivery as an unsustainable stop-gap to pay some of the bills and maintain supplier relationships. Using Dine-In Marin is a better solution or pick-up.

We can all use more superfoods in our lives, foods densely packed with nutrients that power us up and fuel our busy days. For her first cookbook, SUPERFOODS, author Julie Montagu posits that we can all benefit from flexible eating while following some very basic principles of eating to feel great. Sounds great. Let’s get […]

I’ve been a restaurant writer and food journalist for eight years now. During that time, I’ve been invited to experience countless restaurants – the good, the bad, and the downright ugly. I’ve sat around the table with great conversationalists and lousy food and savored great food while suffering lousy conversationalists. I’ve endured blaring music and […]

The experience of wine tasting in Napa and Sonoma has shifted dramatically in recent years (read more about wine country changes here). A likely result: Wine Country has never been more accessible to children and families. This is a boon to my family of four as for years, wine country has been, at worst, off-limits, […]