Thoughtful Gourmet Blog

A red squeeze bottle of O'Foods gochujang chile sauce

Steak is my family’s ideal Valentine’s Day meal. It’s the perfect meal for parents of young children or anyone, really. This year, we are spicing it up with gochujang.

A Silver Fizz cocktail at Starlite atop Beacon Grand Hotel in San Francisco

Once again an iconic cocktail bar, Starlite returns atop Beacon Grand Hotel in San Francisco’s Union Square.

The I Don't Want to Cook Book, cover, by Alyssa Brantley

The subtitle says it all: 100 low-prep, no-mess recipes for your skillet, sheet pan, pressure cooker and more! Even with a broken oven, these recipes were easy enough that I could make most of them work.

A bottle of Bee Lightly rose wine and a bottle of Bee Lightly sauvignon blanc, both made with 100% recycled plastic and lined with a proprietary gas barrier and UV inhibitor, on a table next to cheese and appetizers

In California and beyond, vintners and distillers are staring straight at a tough reality: glass bottles, for wine, spirits and other products, are responsible for more than 30% of a beverage’s carbon footprint. Add in packaging transit and transport for finished goods, and the percentage nudges over 50. In their search for solutions, wine and spirits innovators are embracing new packaging technologies: aluminum, paper and plastic bottles that negate the significant harmful environmental impacts of glass, without sacrificing taste.

coal-roasted Oxheart carrot with XO sauce at PRESS

I eat out a lot. These are the 13 dishes that made the cut to land on my Best Bites list of 2024.

A bottle of Henriot Brut Soverain Champagne amidst other bottles of non-vintage champagne

Pop a cork on a delightful sparkling wine – Champagne, Prosecco, Franciacorta and American sparkling wines all hit my list – before the year runs out.

Farmhouse Inn, Farmhouse restaurant dish of roasted root vegetables with culinary "sand"

Farmhouse Inn’s two restaurants – fine dining Farmhouse and casual Farmstead – are a reminder that local is delicious and exceptional.

Ume plum liqueur bottle in front of a purple box

I am back, with my third annual guide to the best liquid treats and fun booze-adjacent ideas that can be brought to a party or delivered to someone’s door. I sampled every item on this list. While my palate is not the same as yours, I stand behind my boozy gift ideas for 2024 as delicious and exciting options to offer anyone (of drinking age) on your list.