Black Mission figs are given new glory in a fabulous end-of-summer dessert from the feverish mind of chef Sean Baker. You may need to sit down for this. Four pillows of lemon and cardoon-honey-laced mascarpone were each topped with a ripe fig, sliced open to reveal...

Are these the best dinner rolls in town? Very likely. The small, elegantly-shaped francese rolls from Gayle's — not those enormous sandwich francese rolls, but the neat, oval babies with crisp edges, gossamer crust and soft, fragrant interiors. They are good beyond...

Giovanni's back, and Star Bene's got him! The chef/owner of the former Caffe Bella Napoli is now the starring attraction at the cozy (and hard to find) E. Cliff Drive dining room, where Ceil and I feasted last night. We started with excellent focaccia to dredge...

Thank you Ben Sims for making my new favorite dish — Avanti's weekend special of braised pork shoulder in white wine and tomatoes. Thank you for your exquisitely sensitive touch with the pork, so that it falls effortlessly into bite-sized shreds. The succulent...