High Tea in SF and Peninsula?

Unfortunately, Crown & Crumpet in San Francisco (my wife's favorite) is closing on May 27 and reopening later in the year in a new location. The Ritz Carlton in SF is certainly worth a look. Also, check out the links in the "Related Discussions" section up & to the right. There are links to recent threads for high tea in both SF and the Peninsula.

DavidT in San Francisco Bay Area

"The Angels' Share," the movie

Director Ken Loach has made a movie about single-malt whisky called "The Angels' Share." It has gotten a very nice review in the Financial Times.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/aa206fa8-a472-11e1-a701-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1w3YAzMCi

DavidT in Spirits

Wine bars in Rome?

Enoteca Cavour 313 is a well-regarded wine bar not far from the Colosseum.

http://www.cavour313.it/

DavidT in Italy

Affordable Blended Scotch Whiskeys

If you like the peaty whiskies from Islay and live near a Trader Joe's, you might want to try the Finlaggan single-malt they sell for around $19-$20.

DavidT in Spirits

Affordable Blended Scotch Whiskeys

Here is a lengthy, recent thread on this very topic:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/722482

DavidT in Spirits

Restaurants in Piemonte (Part II from earlier)

Thanks for your report. The eating in the Piemont could be the best in Italy, if not all of Europe.

Glad to see you visited Cherasco, a really charming town. We ate at Osteria della Rosa Rossa there many years ago. Also glad you got to the Ratti winery. We visited there even longer ago. I remember they had a nice collection of antique wine making implements.

DavidT in Italy

Best food near Presidio

You can also try the Baker Street Bistro and the Presidio Social Club.

BSB is on Baker St., just off Lombard. They do French food.

http://www.bakerstreetbistro.com/

PSC is inside the Lombard Street Gate to the Presidio. They do mostly "classic" American food.

http://presidiosocialclub.com/

DavidT in San Francisco Bay Area

Olive oil tasting farm/tour in Florence

Getting to a farm outside of Florence will not be easy without a car.

Badia a Coltibuono would be a very nice place to visit, but I don't know if you could get there by bus.

http://www.coltibuono.com/

DavidT in Italy

Olive oil tasting farm/tour in Florence

This topic was discussed here just a couple of weeks ago:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/844850

DavidT in Italy

Japanese whisky question

Johnny Walker Black is a very, very good blended Scotch. It is easily drinkable neat or with a bit of water. It does have a bit of a smokey/peaty taste.

DavidT in Spirits

Where is the best seafood restaurant near fisherman's whart

Several of the best seafood restaurants are not near Fisherman's Wharf.

The Tadich Grill, Sam's Grill and the Hayes Street Grill are on that list.

DavidT in San Francisco Bay Area

Japanese whisky question

Macallan comes in several ages. Try the 12 year and see what you think.

DavidT in Spirits

Japanese whisky question

There is a fellow called Ralfy (www.ralfy.com) who posts a number of his whisky tastings on youtube. He has reviewed a number of Japanese whiskies,although I don't know if he has reviewed Hankushu. Here is his review of a Japanese whisky called Nikka:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0YugeMDooQ

DavidT in Spirits

Japanese whisky question

Since this single-malt had a sherry cask treatment, you may want to try some of the single-malts from Scotland that have had the same. A number of the single-malts from the Spey Valley region of Scotland are aged in sherry casks, which gives them a smooth taste. Macallan is likely the best know brand of that type. You could try a dram of that and see if it is similar to the Hakushu.

You are welcome to try the single-malts from Islay, an island off the west coast of Scotland, but I think you will find they have a much more aggressive/smokey/peaty taste than the Hakushu or the single-malts from the Spey Valley.

You might also try Blackbush, an Irish whiskey made by Bushmills. It is aged in Sherry casks and is very drinkable by itself or with a bit of water.

DavidT in Spirits

Suggestions for central London and Edinburgh

Please be aware there is a search feature in the upper right-hand corner of this page. You can do searches for both cities there and find many, many helpful suggestions already here for you to review.

You will also find a number of relevant past threads listed directly below. It might also be helpful if you said what sort of price range is suitable for you.

If you like seafood, J. Sheekey is very good and not far from Trafalgar Square, but it is on the expensive side. The Great Queen Street pub is good and moderately priced.

Here is a link to an article in the Financial Times reviewing Great Queen Street and 3 other London restaurants.

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/f88f5df0-7d73-11e1-bfa5-00144feab49a.html#axzz1rMU8v77u

Here is a recent thread that should be of interest:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/837572

DavidT in U.K./Ireland

Does anyone remember the name of the elderly French woman giving cooking lessons in SF in the 1970's?

Yes! That is exactly who I was thinking of. Thank you very much.

She was born in Brittany in 1897 and died in SF in 1989. Looks like she wrote 3 cookbooks.

DavidT in San Francisco Bay Area

Does anyone remember the name of the elderly French woman giving cooking lessons in SF in the 1970's?

Does anyone remember a French woman who gave cooking lessons in San Francisco in the 1970's? She would sometimes appear on local TV shows, but I don't think she ever had a cooking show of her own.

She was rather short, with white hair and she spoke with quite a heavy French accent.

DavidT in San Francisco Bay Area

Traditional Eating in Bologna / Gubbio / Modena

Several Chowhounders have been to Hostaria Guisti in Modena for lunch and it gets high marks pretty much across the board. There are only 4 tables, so a reservation is mandatory.

www.hosteriagiusti.it

DavidT in Italy

San Fran for 2 nights- Single diner dilemma

Gary Danko provides a quality "fine dining" experience and I believe it has a bar where single diners can eat.

http://www.garydanko.com/

You can also have wonderful dining experience sitting at the counter at Canteen, without the "fine dining" price tag.

http://www.sfcanteen.com/

DavidT in San Francisco Bay Area

Traditional Eating in Bologna / Gubbio / Modena

Are you aware of the search function on this board? It would be worth your while to go to the upper right hand corner of this page and do searches for Bologna, Gubbio and Modena. You should be able to access a good number of past threads, with many helpful suggestions already here for you to review. You will also find a number of threads to review directly below.

DavidT in Italy

oysters

Happy Hour menu at Bar Crudo:

http://www.barcrudo.com/menus/HappyHour.pdf

DavidT in San Francisco Bay Area

sunday lunch at hix oyster & chop house, london

http://www.hixoysterandchophouse.co.uk/

DavidT in U.K./Ireland

Restaurant in style of Chez Panisse, etc. near Embarcadero or Fisherman's Wharf?

How about Boulevard?

http://www.boulevardrestaurant.com/

DavidT in San Francisco Bay Area

Russian River Valley and Sonoma area wineries

You are welcome. The important thing is to enjoy yourself and have fun. Don't worry, there is very little "terrible" wine produced in Sonoma.

DavidT in San Francisco Bay Area

Rome restaurant reviews

Thanks for the great report. It is always helpful to get feedback like yours.

DavidT in Italy

Russian River Valley and Sonoma area wineries

Please note the opening poster did not ask "which wineries in Sonoma produce the best wines?" The OP inquired about good wines in a scenic place with a relaxed atmosphere.

A number of chowhounders, including myself, recommended some suitable wineries. I referenced the sfgate.com reviews as they can provide some sense of what the wine tasting experience might be like at some of these wineries. This was clearly a concern of the OP. I did not claim or imply the sfgate.com reviews were the ultimate authority or resource.

DavidT in San Francisco Bay Area

Russian River Valley and Sonoma area wineries

I would submit to you that for many, in fact the vast majority, the actual wine tasting or eating food is just a portion of the overall experience. If that was not the case, why do so many restaurants spend so much money on their decor and creating a welcoming ambiance?

If you read the opening poster's request, he clearly states that he is interested in "scenery" and "a relaxed atmosphere," as well as good wine. What is wrong with that?

DavidT in San Francisco Bay Area

Russian River Valley and Sonoma area wineries

The SF Chronicle winery tasting room reviews are not intended to review the wines on offer, but rather to give a sense of what the tasting room is like. The SF Chronicle reviews wines regularly elsewhere in the Wine section of the paper. Perhaps you are the one "unclear on the concept."

DavidT in San Francisco Bay Area

Russian River Valley and Sonoma area wineries

You are, of course, entitled to your opinion. I am curious to know what makes the SF Chronicle winery tasting reviews "terrible." I think the reviews give a decent representation of what a visitor might expect when visiting a given winery in terms of the size, scope and general ambiance.

DavidT in San Francisco Bay Area