Rose Cantine

Located next to the Commodore Hotel on Sutter Street near downtown San Francisco, Canteen is one of the best places to eat in the city - very good food in a tiny space that looks like a diner. There are four booths that each seat four, and a long bar, also for dining. Given the [...]

Vivande is an Italian trattoria on Fillmore Street in Pacific Heights. It’s my favorite Italian place in this part of town. It is not pretentious, the food is what I am used to eating in Italy, and the prices are reasonable.
What to order: the menu changes often and they have daily specials. If they have [...]

Slanted Door is a “Vietnamese” restaurant located in the Ferry Building in San Francisco on the water with floor-to-ceiling windows and the best views across the Bay. I put “Vietnamese” in quotes because it’s nothing like the Vietnamese food at restaurants where Vietnamese people cook and eat. It’s fancy, dolled-up Asian-fusion food with hints of [...]

Last week, Claire and I had dinner in downtown San Francisco, not the most logical place to go for a good meal in this town. Far too many establishments cater to tourists, i.e. people who will probably never return, and that means “kid-friendly” meals as well: greasy fries, overcooked meats, sweet mushy things prepared under [...]

This restaurant just made it to my top ten favorite places to eat out in the San Francisco Bay Area. I went last night with Mary Hodder, founder of Dabble.com, and all I can say is that it blows away just about every Mediterranean restaurant in these parts.
What did I like about it? The [...]

The best places to hang out in the Provence are the tiny hilltop villages unpopular with tour buses, probably because there are no parking lots and the streets are too narrow. If you’ve had it with Gordes and Roussillon, go to Lurs and Lacoste.
Lurs is close to the monastery of Ganagobie and is so tiny [...]

I’m Andy Abramson, a PR professional, blogger, wine writer and travelling technology nomad.
As a Friend of Esme (FOE) who she knows loves wine, food, restaurants, travel, I’ve agreed to begin some posting here. Over time I’ll share my thoughts on what’s good, where to go and most importantly what to taste.
So join us all for [...]