Top Tastes, rather than a list of all-time favorites (another thing altogether), is highlights of the best things I’ve been eating since my last newsletter, often from new openings. Many don’t make the cut, being a revisit previously written about or simply not as stand-out as dishes mentioned.

SPECIAL OCCASION – A Feast to Remember

After years of longingly perusing Oliveto’s emails about their annual feasts (and having always enjoyed meals and impeccable service there over the years), I finally went to their legendary Whole Hog Dinners this month… Oliveto’s Bob Klein was hosting these dinners long before it was trendy to throw the whole hog and butchering dinners we’ve seen proliferate in recent years.

The meal is one orgiastic feast from start to finish. Come starving and you’ll still walk away stuffed, swimming in Potatoes lightly fried in rosemary and pork renderings ($6.50) or spreadable Catalonian salumi and Tuscan wild fennel salsiccia cruda: Sobressada & Sbriciolona ($15). Even those fearful of tripe, could find no fault with Sardinian Pork Tripe ($14) braised in saffron and mint, mixed with aged Provolone and crouton-like Polenta adding crisp to the tomato-rich sauce.

Friulian Bread & Pork Dumplings (Canederli; $16.50) are served in a pork/date sugo, sweet and salty melding with the sticky density of perfect dumplings. Take in the glory of a giant leg of Wild Boar Bacon Chops ($24), charcoal-grilled and cut with the citrus of blood orange wedges and a vegetable salad.

Blissfully sick on pig, my top two dishes in a night of hits, were Choucroute Garni ($31): sauerkraut with a fatty, gorgeous spit-roasted pork Pastrami, a lightly blackened hunk of lush Pork Belly Rib, and a classic Frankfurter. The other dish I wish I could eat about 10 of: Boudin Blanc ($16), served British Wellington-style in a puff pastry with Bhari dates adding sweetness to the savory white sausage. Hallelujah!

There could not possibly be room for dessert, so only a bit of heaven could allow the exception… paired with a dark, crema-rich espresso, a Valhrona Chocolate-Caramel Tart ($10) was basically buttery caramel with a layer of dark chocolate and two candied strips of pancetta languishing across the top. Add in a pinch of vanilla sea salt and I slept the night away awash in sweetly salty dreams.

MID-RANGE RESTAURANTS

Lucky we are that our city’s latest Izakaya is such a welcome addition in a quirky, diner setting on Mission Street with two narrow rooms: one diner/bar side with booths, and room full of tables. Nombe’s CIA-trained Exec Chef, Nick Balla, is equally skilled in rare Japanese dishes as he is in sashimi presentation. After choosing from an impressive sake selection or Japanese beers on draft, dig into plump Chicken Heart skewers ($4) or lightly fried Brussels Sprouts ($5) redolent with mint, carrot and lots of lime.

Step into rare territory with specials like Karasumi ($12), or basically, salted mullet roe, a high-priced delicacy in Japan. Balla serves three strips of the house-cured karasumi with bitter greens and a perfectly cooked egg, the yolk breaking and covering the dish in a filmy layer of goodness.

The meal’s highlight was the Sashimi Platter ($38 for 5 different fish, serving size for two people). A work of art, it was a fine of mix of straight fish and creative presentations like Tuna temari “balls” made from tuna, nori and sesame, or Ocean Trout with an egg ever so lightly torched on the top. As far as fish goes, Bigeye Tuna was the silkiest and toro-like. Nice touch to have whipped nagaimo and fresh wasabi with it. Dessert could be an afterthought, but if it’s Beignets ($7) with Seville orange jam and creme fraiche, it’s not. They melt, light as air, in your mouth.

They just launched a brunch I can’t wait to try with Japanese flair married to American breakfast sensibilities. I like the sound of Balla’s nod to a Tuna Melt: poached ahi tuna on grilled sourdough with melted cheddar and fried egg ($12). Nombe, I could really grow to love you.

CHEAP EATS

• You’ve heard me go on before about how much I love Kat and Ryan’s awesome, affordable Southern food out of the back room at Excelsior dive bar, Broken Record. We all lost something special when they left, but they’ve thankfully resurfaced in recent months, more centrally located at Bruno’s. The gang’s all here, from their rockin’ BBQ sandwiches (Pulled Pork, Brisket, $8) to comforting Hush Puppies ($5) with chili-apple butter and dreamy, divine biscuits. Only their sausages didn’t show up here, but there are plenty of great ones in this town so I’m ok to make room instead for Chicken & Sausage Gumbo ($13), Low Country Shrimp & Grits ($11.50), panko Mac N’ Cheese ($6) and those super-meaty Spicy Buffalo Wings ($7) I was crazy about from Broken Record days. Thankfully, you can still save room for Toffee Crack ($1) at the end of your meal… yes, that’s dark chocolate-dipped matzo.

• I’ve written a number of times over the years of the glories of Joanna Karlinsky’s Meetinghouse Biscuits… Her fairly new cafe that is “more than a cafe“, Sweet Jo’s, in the Jewish Community Center (JCC) holds some treasures beyond those dreamy biscuits, not the least of which is Joanna herself. She’s a true New Yorker who makes me homesick for my East Coast days and the frank sincerity of NY/NJ folk. She infuses spunk and care into pizzas ($11.50-$23) named after Jewish Biblical women, like Hannah (eggplant, spinach, feta, caramelized onions, red peppers) or Sarah (white garlic sauce, mozzarella, goat cheese, butternut squash, sage)… all quite tasty.

Chili comes in vegetarian and meat-based versions, plus there’s an array of sandwiches. Her Lucky Dawg ice creams are all-American, rich, thick – I’m partial to Chocolate Caramel Brownie, caramel swirl with crisp from the brownie. At a media dinner, I enjoyed conversing with Joanna and sampling an array of what she offers. I’ve also been for breakfast, grabbing coffee and flaky, buttery scones (like Lemon Currant). It’s a fine neighborhood go-to for a range of eats on the run or to eat-in at the JCC.

ICE CREAM

• I’ve given Humprhy Slocombe boatloads of love (while alerting many a previously unaware friend) since they opened a year ago – but if ever it were deserved… My flavor of the moment is Pepper Mint, cubeb pepper with Valhrona Chips. I’ve also been enjoying their SF Beer Week flavors like Blue Frog Scottish Ale and Speakeasy Prohibition Curry. Beer in ice cream? Hell, yeah! Best news of all, though, was when they started selling their ice cream at the Delessio near my house… since I moved from 24th St, it was a longer trek to get my fix. No more.

• Berkeley’s Ici is even costlier than the already ridiculously overpriced ice creams out there. Though that’s always been its downside for me, at least it’s delicious. Latest favorite? An Anise Almond Grappa Raisin.

Top Tastes in DRINK

I'm excited to return to Oakland's new Era Art Bar & Lounge (www.oaklandera.com) - a photo from my sneak peek pre-opening

Here’s two brand new openings I’d recommend for sipping a glass of vino:

• Brave 6th Street and duck into Passion Cafe, a spacious French bistro with rooftop garden and multi-room space so cool, it’s a pleasure to linger over a glass.

• I’ve been a big fan of Kitchenette’s fabulous food since they opened… so it’s an easy win to be able to get it in greater variety at the Mission’s new wine bar, Heart. A crisp, minimalist space and startling photography set the tone for the playfulness that awaits when French wines are served in Mason jars (with these kind of tasting descriptions: “Like licking a skeleton with a pineapple in your mouth.”)

WINE

• At the dream of a pig feast that is Oliveto’s Whole Hog Dinners, I couldn’t decide which wine I loved best with all that pig… each one cut the fat beautifully, never overpowered, but stood its ground. There’s the refreshing acidity of an ‘06 Garlider Sylvaner from Alto Adige. Two more Italian beauties on the red side: 2005 Grifalco Aglianico del Vulture (dark red cherry and herbal notes) or the subtle plum and earthiness of a ‘05 Valmaggione Nebbiolo d’Alba. I finished fine with a ‘07 Cuvee Classique Domaine Monpertuis Chateaneuf-du-Pape: 70% Grenache, layered with dark fruit, dried herbs, spice, even leather notes.

• Bagrationi Sparkling Brut is from Georgia… a tiny country situated on the edge of Eastern Europe and Western Asia (next to Albania). For a reasonable $13.99, it’s a good value, from hand-picked grapes, refreshing, with light citrus and honeydew notes.

BEER

A few of my favorites from SF Beer Week’s Opening Gala at Yerba Buena:

• My love for spirits first and foremost clearly plays into my top taste from Beer Week: Abacus, a bourbon barrel-aged barleywine (13% ABV) that has aroma and tastes of bourbon (caramel, vanilla, oak). Thank you, Paso Robles’ Firestone Walker. They also deliver a bright Union Jack IPA, but it’s Abacus that wowed me. I’m not alone – demand for this barelywine has been such that they are purported to finally bottle it for the first time later this year.

•  Devil’s Canyon makes some fine beers, but its their awesome Root Beer I fell madly in love with. Small batch and organic, its touch of sweet comes from organic cane sugar, agave nectar and California honey. Rich, rooty, refreshing.

•  Linden Street Brewery’s owner, Adam Lamoreaux, is such a cool guy and one man show at Oakland’s newest brewery, making “Old California style” lagers like a roasty, dark Burning Oak Lager.

•  Schmaltz Brewing Company – I was quite impressed with the fine taste of Albino Python, a white lager brewed with orange peel, ginger, fennel. My other fave is Jewbelation Bar Mitzvah, their 13th anniversary ale brewed with 13 malts, hops and 13% alcohol. These guys are doing it right.

•  North Coast Brewing Co.’s Brother Thelonious Belgian-style abbey ale is robust and memorable (9.3% ABV). It doesn’t hurt that jazz genius Monk himself is the mascot.

SPIRITS

•  Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey- Far from a traditional whiskey, the unusual taste of Stranahan’s intrigued my palate with smooth wood and a range of tastes from caramel and spice to tobacco and leather. Here’s Malt Advocate’s publisher, John Hansell’s, great review.

• You’ll rarely see me go for flavored rums, vodkas (or vodka in general), etc… John Meisler, Don Q’s ambassador, gave quite the rum education and tasting on 2/2 at Yoshi’s for an industry event. Somewhere in the middle of side-by-side tastings of Don Q next to popular rums (of which I won’t name names) which lacked the flavor of Don Q (from Gold to a Grand Anejo), I kept burying my nose in a glass of Don Q CoCo, a rum flavored with natural coconut oils. I’d never order it but the fresh scent of coconut oil transported me immediately to some island beach, relaxed and tan, far from my seat on a Winter afternoon.

SAKE

• The Mission’s new izakaya extraordinaire, Nombe, has an admirable selection of sakes, including flights to further your education. Out of a $15 Akita flight, the two that stood out the most were an acidic but balanced Manabito Kimoto Junmai Ginjo and elegant, chilled Akitabare Koshiki Junzukuri.

CHICAGO, Part Three

Back to Chicago (part one here; part two here)… the city remains much as I remember it from earlier visits: gritty, even at its “prettiest”, middle America in a big city/New York-reminiscent package. It doesn’t woo me like San Francisco or New Orleans, nor secure my eternal loyalty as NYC does, but it’s the only real city in the middle, as far as I’m concerned. Here I eat hearty and well, surrounded by locals who are welcoming, rough around the edges, good-hearted. Neighborhood by neighborhood, in a multi-part series, we’ll cover some of my haunts during my last stay.

GOLD COAST

•   The Drawing Room at Le Passage – I’m a huge fan. This is pretty much my favorite cocktail destination in Chicago. Ignore the clubby Le Passage side, check in with the bouncer, and walk downstairs for an underground haven of fine mixology and artistic precision. Charles and Tim are brilliant bartenders: gracious, knowledgeable. Tell them your favorite spirit and let them make you what they will – deliciousness ensues. Or order from a menu full of spirituous pleasure.

•   NoMi – It’s all about the view. I didn’t eat here – it’s a pricey one, well-lauded but with such a high tourist following, I’m not sure how much of it is inflated. I did enjoy picturesque giant windows overlooking the Water Tower and a big city rooftop deck, ideal in the Summer for lingering with a drink.

LINCOLN PARK

•   Alinea – What can be said that hasn’t already been said about this molecular gastronomy destination and its brilliant, young chef, Grant Achatz? It would be an injustice to try to do a complete review in an already busy list of favorites, and you can certainly read about it everywhere or note its Zagat perfect 29 rating. I will confirm that you’ll pay a fortune (starting at $150 a person). The atmosphere is chic, refined, but not particularly noteworthy (other than a long, empty hall with door that mysteriously opens as you approach). Service is impeccable. As for food, be prepared to taste and see that it is good.

From a smoke covered table enhancing a perfect little square or near rare Waygu beef and its otherworldly partner of  a creamy whipped potato square covered in crispy potato chips, to a lavender pillow that softy deflates under your dish, the effect and spectacle on the table does not overshadow the sheer pleasure of taste. That seafood custard rich with cream, duck, Fall-redolent spices..? Unbelievable. If only I could have one of those hanging, candied bacon strips (crisped in butterscotch, apple and thyme) now.  When dessert is a flavor profile of chocolate, blueberry, tobacco and maple, you know you’re eating from the hands of a genius. Don’t even get me started on the smoking Sweet Potato Popover in bourbon, brown sugar, cinnamon.

•   Annette’s Homemade Italian Ice – A beloved Italian ice window on a charming, walkable stretch of Armitage. It didn’t hold up to my fave NY Italian ices, nor even to my tops in Chicago (which I’ll tell you about when I get to the Wicker Park ‘hood in a future Wandering Traveler). But on a sticky, humid Chicago day, it cooled me off nicely.  There’s flavors like Pina Colada, Watermelon, Black Cherry and Georgia Peach.

•   Bourgeois Pig – Yes, it’s Rachael Ray recommended (which they advertise via large banner outside), and in a burbs-reminiscent area of Lincoln Park, but this cafe has that boho spirit that inspires one to sit and journal with a house chai or cappuccino. Look for a pig and the Eiffel Tower, head into a weathered, charming brick building, then up creaky stairs to the living room to curl up on a couch or sit by the window and daydream.

LAKEVIEW/WRIGLEYVILLE

•   Uncommon Ground has become an institution since 1991, with the original Wrigleyville location just a couple blocks from Wrigley Field. It’s basically an all-things-t0-all-people mix of coffee shop/bar/cafe/art & live music venue/restaurant. I was drawn in on a blazing hot game day for a drink, appreciating the creative sound of their cocktail menu. The vibe is casual cafe, but I have to say service on my visit was well below lackluster. It took forever for anyone to even glance my way, much less talk to me… it seemed there was one guy doing everything from mixing drinks to serving tables to running back to the kitchen. And he appeared none too happy about it. That being said, it’s a mellow place to read or write, they serve their own house coffee (spiked or otherwise), organic everything, and cocktails could be anything from Neal Cassady’s Coffee ($9, madagascar vanilla bean house-infused Jim Beam whiskey, Black Cat double espresso & steamed maple cream), to a desserty-strong  Mochatini (yes, an atrocious name, but sounded intriguing enough to try) made with house-infused Intelligentsia coffee Rain vodka, Omanhene chocolate syrup, cream, served up with chocolate sauce drizzle and coffee beans. They’re far from the best artisanal cocktails around, and it’s not a destination, but if you’re in the area, it’s a good place for a break.

•   Julius Meinl – Once again, would not mention it as I found each coffee I tasted too sweet or weak, basically not for the coffee connoisseur. But what I did like about this popular Austrian cafe, is that it reminded me of cafes in Austria, with lovely tea sets and coffee trays, red and yellow settees on which to linger with Viennese coffees, teas, jams and pastries.

•   Bobtail – Far from gourmet, incredible SF ice creams like Humphry Slocombe or Bi-Rite, and not comparable to divine old school greats like Mitchell’s, still, what charmed me about Bobtail was the darling, vintage ice cream parlor decor in creams and pinks, striped walls, sundaes piled high. Located in the cool Lakeview neighborhood, flavors like Peanut Butter Chip are playful, but one can’t help but think that flavors like Signature Sunset (merlot with dark chocolate chips – rather bland) or Lakeview Barhopper (Dutch cocoa with Jack Daniels – the latter of which which you could barely taste) could have been excellent in the right hands.

•  Paulina Meat Market – Ok, this one pretty much wowed me. Like a bustling, spacious East Coast deli with a clearly Mid-West heart (and hearty portions), this sea of offal, wild game, sausages, turducken and head cheese took me straight to meaty heaven. The house bacon is more fat than meat… and it’s divine. Their fresh, tender jerky? Pretty much the best I’ve ever eaten. I’m dreaming of it now.