Hello Friends,
Are you ready for summer? I’m about to take my annual summer newsletter break, from the June Solstice until the week after Labor Day. Kind of like in my school days, summer is once again a chance to spend time outside, learn something new, and refresh my food-forward energies.
Plentiful travel is coming up – I’ll spend more World Cup time with family in Toronto, Canada; celebrate the 250th anniversary of these United States on the Olympic Peninsula with Niki; and zip around Italy, partly by myself and partly a vacation with Stefan and the boys. I’ve penciled in some huckleberry foraging with a Chef and started research for my next cookbook review. I’ll have lots of food stories to share once the temperatures start to resemble autumn in the northern hemisphere.
Have no fear – the fall/winter surge of information that I drop into your inboxes come mid-September will roll on, much the same as in years past. My gift guides will definitely be back – I’ve already started sourcing for Foodie, Boozy, and Cookbooks and I’ll be rolling Sparklers into Boozy for a refreshed Boozy and NA Guide.
As ever, I’m looking for hidden gems. Got ideas? Send ’em over.
Until then, take care, eat all the things and shine on!
Christina
What’s Hot:
These are just a few of the food and food-adjacent events that have caught my attention in June.
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A wealth of regional Indian-coastal Mediterranean dishes available at Pippal in June
Alora-Pippal Ancient Spice Journey (thru June 30)
Coastal Mediterranean of San Francisco’s Alora meets the regional Indian flavors of Emeryville’s Pippal in a month-long culinary residency at Pippal. Dubbed “The Ancient Spice Journey,” the menu takes inspiration from the network of land and sea routes that connect two of the world’s cultures for a shared dining experience.
Choose your culinary adventure — would you prefer Mumbai-style spicy potato fritters with chutneys and chiles for your appetizer? Or the traditional Greek spanikopita stuffed with spinach and feta? The choices for entrées are equally legion, ranging from garlic and herb-marinated lamb chops to Lucknowi-style Chicken Biryani.
The Ancient Spice Journey menu is available at lunch and dinner throughout June at Pippal.
Make a Reservation for The Ancient Spice Journey at Pippal
June/July Pours With Personality (June 11, 18, 25…)
A two-month wine series at Healdsburg’s The Madrona Hotel brings the wines of the Overshine Collective to their by-the-glass list every Thursday evening in June and July. Winemaker Sam Bilbro will be on hand to chat about the distinct character of house labels, including Reeve, Bloodroot, and Idlewild while you sip generous (2 and 4 ounce) pours.
Each wine will be paired with a seasonal dish including tempura, hamachi crudo, halibut, cavatelli, and duck. This 100% Sonoma experience begins on the lawn at 5 p.m. and transitions to The Madrona dining room for a seated dinner.
Offered in June and July 2026.
Reservations are required.
Make a Reservation for Pours With Personality at The Madrona
A Tavola! At Coppola! (June 12, July 10… )
Have you already visited Francis Ford Coppola Winery for the wine, the pool or to do a tour of the family’s movie memorabilia? (It’s worth it just to see the 1948 Tucker Torpedo from “The Godfather” IMHO.)
Now, you may want to consider visiting for the food, especially an event that is geared towards storytelling. The A Tavola Summer Series, a family-style Italian dinner experience, come with a heaping portion of storytelling.
Let me “set the table” for you…
(sotto voce) After the passing of Guglielmo, the future of the restaurant is no longer certain. New voices have arrived, old promises are questioned, and the next generation is ready to take control…..
You’ll be seated in the middle of it all as the story plays out between courses.
$115
Reservations are required.
Make a Reservation for A Tavola! Dinner and a Show
Miller & Lux Maritime (June 24, 29 / July 16, 17)
For four sailings only, Chef Tyler Florence takes to the waters to mix, mingle and cook for a seated dinner from his Miller & Lux restaurant aboard a California Hornblower cruise.
Of course there will be epic views of the San Francisco skyline and the city’s Golden Gate to go with your three-course menu that is 100% Miller & Lux.
Dinner highlights include:
- An amuse bouche of Black Truffle Donuts with porcini cream
- A first course of Miller & Lux’s famous Caesar Salad (did you know the breadcrumbs are gluten-free?)
- A second course of Black Angus Prime Rib with bordelaise sauce OR wild Alaskan Salmon with beurre rouge and wild mushroom risotto with potato purée and creamed kale
- Miller & Lux Chocolate Mousse with velvet chocolate sauce, Grand Marnier ganache and chocolate curls
Tickets for Miller & Lux Maritime
Where to Read My Work
Yes, my website and newsletter rebrand are still rolling. The glitches are mostly worked out now – yay! – but there is always more to do. Ping me, please, if anything still looks weird to you.
In other writings:
World Cup is nearly upon us and guess what? Stefan and I “won the lottery” when a lottery he entered granted the privelege of purchasing tickets to a Switzerland game! We’re attending Switzerland – Qatar, meaning not only is there a good chance that the Swiss will win, but I had to write about where to eat in Santa Clara. There’s literally endless options but here’s a few I’ve experienceed and can honestly share thoughts about: Where to Eat Near Levi’s Stadium.
More than a few friends asked me recently how I managed my time with the kids in Naples, Italy, so I refreshed my piece: How to Spend a (Happy) Week in Naples, Italy with Kids. Hint: let them eat pizza and plan plenty of downtime out of the blazing sun.
And I tracked down some of the plentiful springtime openings in Marin for The Marin Dish.
More next month!
Best of all you can taste her winning creations at Carmel Valley Ranch, where a seasonally-inspired “Episode Encore” inspired by the show is underway.
June’s Best Bites: 8 Places to Eat Now
Crabmeat Lomein at San Francisco’s Fusion Dumpling – photo credit Christina Mueller
Now that my new website is launched and most (but not all) of the glitches sorted, I’m putting my restaurant coverage – Where to Eat and Best Bites – there.
For June, I consider includes Celtin Henrickson-Jones’ Prelude and Kappo Yuji in San Francisco, the chameleon-like rooftop hotspot Rise Over Run, a diner with Japanese-American flavors in Napa, and ramen worth seeking out in San Rafael.
Read June’s Where to Eat column on my website. And here’s May’s Where to Eat.
What I’m Reading
I belong to a book club that only reads books related to food, eating, culinary arts, that sort of thing. I was skeptical of the premise of The Heart-shaped Tin – in which a food writer mourns her lost relationship with her ex-husband by remembering the cakes she made in the baking pan of the title. And yet the book is anything but sappy. It’s more of an archival look at kitchen objects, their owners, the emotions we pin to said objects for one reason or another.
Some of the stories worked – I enjoyed “The Cream-coloured Aga,” about the importance of and then lack of use of a Swedish stove. (You make plans, and God laughs, my Mom might say.) I found others, like “The Unwanted Tureen,” a bit boring. I mean, who cares if you were handed down china you don’t really like, never used and yet never managed to give away? Or maybe that is the whole point, that everyone’s kitchen contains objects like these? It’s a book of short stories – easy to pop in and out if one doesn’t suit your fancy. Sounds like the perfect summer read, right?
About That Image
I had no idea what self-described “contemporary Southern cooking” could mean before I sat down at Prelude in San Francisco’s FiDi. I loved Sorghum-lacquered Grilled Squab, the crisp skin and tender flesh slicked with savory-sweet glaze and a fine foil for truffle jus. Best of all was Hominy Grits (mine served dairy-free) – coarse-cut Bloody Butcher Corn served with slices of cured Virginia ham, toasty kale salad, and Old Bay-poached shrimp. Stefan and I are still talking about the meal for the many twists, turns, and flavor experiences we encountered.
Thanks for reading and be in touch.
Christina