A pizza master opens her first place in Berkeley
I dive into Berkeley’s new “Pizzeria da Laura” and also revisit an old Italian favorite, “Original Joes” in North Beach....
Virginia MillerAuthor of 182 Articles
Virginia Miller was a food & beverage columnist for The Bold Italic, but as of January 2025, she is no longer working for us in any capacity.
Minimalist-but-lush fine dining at SF’s new Kiln
Did we need another fine dining, tasting menu-only restaurant? “Need” is maybe the wrong choice of words....
Cocktails to eat by: Three standout bars with food in San Francisco
We visit and sample The Madrigal and For the Record. We also return to a recent favorite: Rendezvous....
Six Bay Area restaurant newcomers from Greek to Banh Mi
These newcomers or new menus cover the gamut, from elevated Greek food to Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches....
A new all-day cafe that doubles as neighborhood restaurant: Mattina
SPQR opened back in 2007, but it wasn’t until Matthew Accarrino came on board as chef in 2009 that it quickly became a top pasta restaurant in the nation — and one of multiple Italy-worthy pasta destinations in San Francisco....
Idyllic new Marina neighborhood oyster bar: Popi’s Oysterette
San Francisco’s history is interlaced deeply with seafood, so this new restaurant in the Marina neighborhood is a welcome addition....
“Hed VeryThai” review: Rare Isaan Thai platters hidden off a FiDi alley
Since spending two months in Thailand working in orphanages around the country way back as a youth in 1999, the “Land of Smiles” and overwhelming heat has had a piece of my heart....
“Aphotic” restaurant review: Wildly sustainable seafood and house-distilled cocktails
I won’t forget my first visit to Palette soon after opening in 2019 when chef Peter Hemsley grilled up rare, local coonstripe shrimp just caught that morning, buttery-fresh and revelatory; like eating our divine local spot prawns for the first time....
Worth Crossing the Bridge For: Daytrip Evolves Into One of Oakland’s Best
Opened October 2021 by Finn Stern and Stella Dennig, as Oakland’s Daytrip approaches one and a half years of age, it has become clear it’s one of the city’s best restaurants now....
Two New Bakeries Already Set to Stand Among the Bay’s Best: Juniper & Starter Bakery
Few U.S. cities have a fraction of the world class bakeries that line San Francisco, a city that has led the baking renaissance of the past 20 plus years via Tartine Bakery’s Liz Pruiett and Chad Robertson, who inspired a whole new generation of artisanal bakers globally…...
March Eats Checklist: 5 Standouts of the Month
These newcomers or new menus cover the gamut, from heartwarming Jamaican food to another worthy Italian seafood haven in North Beach....
SF’s New Copra
For a decade I’ve been raving about chef Srijith “Sri” Gopinathan’s cooking, even before he became the only Indian chef in the U.S. with a two Michelin-starred restaurant for Indian fine dining at Taj Campton Place, San Francisco....