Thoughtful Gourmet Blog

at the bar, decorated for All Souls Day, at Californios, a two-star Michelin restaurant in San Francisco

The first time I visited San Francisco’s Californios in 2015, I left awed by chef Val Cantú’s flavors. After a recent visit, I left disappointed. What went wrong at the Michelin 2-star?

a compostable fork, knife and spoon from Better Earth

Time for certified compostable knives, forks, spoons and straws made from sugarcane, coffee grounds and corn. And no toxic chemicals.

Side A burger served open-faced with bone marrow stacked on fries, pickled, three sauces, and cheese

In this weird moment, comfort food is making a comeback in plenty of places. I’ve got my eye on burgers. Beef burgers.

cookbook cover for Chef David Nayfeld's Dad What's for Dinner includes an image of pasta with an oozing egg on a white plate

A family meal has to be delicious, it has to be cheap, and it has to be easy enough to cram into the time you have for cooking that night. So sayeth Che Fico Chef David Nayfeld, whose recipes make up a cookbook shared from his perspective as a dad.

Pizza Night cookbook cover by Alexandra Stafford

Three pizza cookbooks. Three different approaches to make the most of Pizza Night.

The Taste of Mendocino considers the intertidal zone shown here (rocks and a sandy beach and waves cresting, photo credit Wray Sinclair

What does Mendocino taste like? If pressed to define the essence of this rugged scrap of land in California’s northern reaches, do your senses evoke cypress and bay trees? Cow manure? Fog and salt water? The region’s climatic distinctions are not lost on Chef Matt Kammerer of Elk’s Harbor House, a Michelin two-star restaurant.

A cookbook updates an iconic San Francisco restaurant’s vegetarian idyll with global flavors while honoring its farm-to-table roots.

Me and Doug in a red booth at the Russian Tea Room, a New York City restaurant

On a spring trip, I had one night in Boston, three nights in New York. Here’s where and what I ate in Beantown and The Big Apple.