I have loved O'mei for over 25 years, and as of last week I still love this low-key house of brilliant flavor combinations, culinary creativity and seasonally-changing menus. Winter seems to fire the creative juices of O'mei cooks, who have come up with a whole new...

Yes, this new, lively, friendly pizza parlor does make very delicious pizzas. But they also offer appealing salads, such as the Santa Croce (shown right), which comes to your table absolutely overflowing with argula, kale, purple radicchio, carrots, celery, even...

Musicals affect me something like dry martinis. The more I consume, the weaker my inhibitions become. In the end, against my critical instincts and even my good sense, I succumb. I cave in. I cry. Which is what I did starting with the very first note of "I Dreamed a...

Now I get it. Now I see what all the Bradley Cooper fuss is about. As the sensitive, sexy, bi-polar misfit centerpiece of David O. Russell's new film—Silver Linings Playbook—Cooper manages to register sweetness, rage, and screwball genius, sometimes all at once....

Cold weather, warm flavors. If you sip something at O'mei's front bar these days, you might be tempted by a new slew of tiny Asian tapas. We like the little bites involving bacon and potatoes, even a comforting cube of omelet. This particular dish offers peppers,...

Despite all of his politically-correct instincts—the ones that usually sabotage his work—Steven Spielberg's skill carries the day here. Lincoln is the masterpiece of his mid-career, and the triumph of filmmaking genius over bleeding heart didacticism. As usual the...

Vanity Fair meets Readers Digest in this opulent bit of conceptual eye candy for those who can manage to overlook, or temporarily abandon Leo Tolstoy's towering novel. And for those who didn't get enough of Keira Knightley's collarbones in either Atonement or A...

Finally!  I caught up with some of the major films this season, and I did it in a back-to-back viewing marathon (okay, mini-marathon) in the days before Christmas. Here's my quick take on Argo, the Ben Affleck-directed political caper. A total movie movie, it's worth...

I plan to hang out frequently at The Abbey Coffee house on Highland Street this new year. I am obviously the last to know about this place, tucked inside a church complex just off Mission Street. Warm, inviting, loaded with designer pastries and spot on espresso...

As of December 31st, Le Cigare Volant restaurant will close. I spent some time today sitting with winemaker/restaurateur Randall Grahm deconstructing the situation. And essentially, it's no big mystery. "To do a proper restaurant," Grahm told me, "you have to know...

Thinking about New Year's?  Consider this: Résonance, all pinot noir bubbly from a single estate vineyard. Ultra dry, yet interlaced with lustrous notes of peach, minerals and persistent attitude ($57). Soif Wine Bar.

If, like me, you're a fan of Fernet Branca.....or perhaps Campari (more likely), then you'll want to try Chinotto, a pungent and refreshing soda drink from the San Pellegrino folks. I tried some with lunch at Gabriella the other day and found this intriguing drink to...

Michael's on Main has recently embarked on an intriguing guest chef series, and bringing his own seasoned brand of cooking expertise to the game on December 11  will be Tom Brezsny, co-owner of the original India Joze Restaurant. [Tom here dowsing for rare mushrooms,...

How could this happen? A James Bond film—fully loaded with bespoke suits, chiseled jaws, clever chase scenes, gorgeous international scenic vistas, and Daniel Craig—that is nonetheless boring? But it did happen. I think what bothered me most - both during the film...