Remote travel destinations like national parks and private lodging options (hi, van life) have looked sexier than ever in the past couple of years as wanderlusters sought safe ways to travel in light of Covid-19. Your very own RV parked in a wild setting? Please, and thank you. AutoCamp may already be a household name among Bay Area adventurers who’ve bunked at the Santa Barbara–based company’s Airstreams at outposts in Guerneville (since 2016) and Yosemite National Park, which opened in 2019. Now the brand is offering its unique glamping experience in Joshua Tree, giving us all a fresh reason ..read more

Welcome to Stella. Your dining room for the evening is actually a 1989 VW camper van. The scene is set with astroturf and folding chairs, a retractable awning will fend against Karl, and kerosene lanterns will keep you cozy.  Your maître d’, waiter, sommelier, and busboy are all the same guy. They are also, in fact, the chef. San Francisco foodies will recognize Anthony Strong who not much more than a year ago was crafting delectable pastas at his celebrated restaurant, Prairie. Post-pandemic, he’s slinging camp food out of his van in a parking lot. He’s fine with that—and so are the food ..read more

When we’re looking for a fun night out—hot tip: fun nights out are back again—Red Window in North Beach will be a no-brainer. A block from Washington Square in the middle of all the action, the Spanish-inspired restaurant is an instant attention-grabber thanks to its brightly muraled facade and two parklets that flank its oblong locale at the corner of Columbus and Stockton. Helmed by two partners who know their stuff when it comes to food and drink—bar manager Elmer Mejicanos hails from nearby Capo’s and Tony’s; chef Adam Rosenblum is a Causwells alum—Red Window is a departure from the a ..read more

If you haven’t been out and about much lately, you might have easily missed both the shuttering of Jackson Square’s Michelin-starred restaurant Nico (sad face) and the subsequent opening of Maison Nico, a Parisian-style epicerie and patisserie turning out the most fanciful and exquisite pastries (drool face) this side of Seine. With an array of creamy flans, flaky brioche, toothsome pâtés en croûte, and jarred terrines taunting you to take boxes of them away (not to mention nationwide shipping), the jewel-box shop seems perfectly timed for holiday gifting and face-stuffing. Maison Nico’s Jacks ..read more

This is, no doubt, not your first time reading about Horn Barbecue. 2020, tumultuous as it has been for everyone, has thrown countless hitches into the giddy-up of Oakland’s much-anticipated barbecue joint. But, we’re here—or rather pit master Matt Horn is here—to show that with enough determination (and smoked meat), anything is possible. Need proof? Just take a look at the socially distanced line of masked and hungry carnivores who arrive at 9am, camping chairs in tow, for a patient two-hour wait, in the tradition of Central Texas, to secure that just-right cut of 18-hour brisket before it s ..read more

In a city full of destination restaurants (at least, they used to be destinations pre-shelter in place), true locals-only neighborhood gems have started to feel fewer and farther between. In Hayes Valley, Arlequin Wine Merchant and its sister Arlequin Cafe have long checked that box, but when the cafe closed last summer, it left room for something new to fill the void. Now mid-pandemic, The Absinthe Group, which owns Arlequin as well as its namesake restaurant Absinthe and others, has morphed that old cafe space into a new neighborhood spot: Arbor, an iteration on fast-casual Cal-Ame ..read more

Many a genius plan has been born of necessity. When Bon Vivants cofounder Josh Harris’ wheels started turning about how the heck he’d manage to reopen his beloved Mission Bar, Trick Dog, within the parameters required of the pandemic (limited capacity, plexiglass booth dividers), a light bulb went off. Trick Dog is all about crowding in for cocktails and camaraderie. He simply wouldn’t sanitize it. “It was really freeing when we decided that we weren’t going to figure out how to do that, but rather we were like, ‘lets do something else—let’s try and view this as an opportunity,” he says. Today ..read more

Remember the old days of meeting up for brunch, where you could clink bottomless mimosas with your squad and chow down on fat burgers to sop up last night’s liquor (and regrets)? Going out to the bars may now be a distant memory, but there’s no reason you can’t still enjoy a solid weekend brunch. Better yet, combo said midday meal and drinks with our other favorite weekend pastime: lounging in Dolores Park, in a socially distanced circle, of course. Nearby Cal-American restaurant Son’s Addition will bring the picnic to you. Opened back in 2017 by couple Nick and Anna Cobarruvias—he’s the chef ..read more

In a city of foodies accustomed to always having a hot restaurant opening on the calendar, shelter in place has been a recalibration, with many of us settling into a regular rotation of to-go takeout spots—that favorite pizza joint, the neighborhood deli, tacos on Tuesdays. With a few exceptions, there aren’t a whole lot of new eateries dropping these days, so naturally when California Fish Market opened, you might say I was hooked. Now open daily in North Beach from Francesco Covucci and Peter Fazio, owners of much-loved neighbor restaurants Il Casaro Pizzeria and Barbara Pinse ..read more

“Five minutes till open!” shouted chef Belinda Leong, as if readying her crew to welcome guests inside for your typical restaurant dinner service last Friday night. The kitchen was firing, bartenders were batching cocktails, and servers were wrapping freshly baked baguettes. Except the tables weren’t set and, instead of taking reservations, the front of house staff were busy assembling bags for delivery. At the stroke of 5:30, Leong opened the restaurant’s brass double doors to welcome both a fresh breeze of air and the curious foodies who had already queued up for pre-ordered takeout, while i ..read more