The Perfect Spot

The Perfect Spot Where to eat & drink around the globe (since 2007) from San Francisco-based food/drink/travel writer

https://virginiamiller.substack.com

Virginia Miller founded The Perfect Spot in 2007, was the SF/Bay Area Editor for Zagat, the food/drink critic at the SF Bay Guardian with a weekly column for five years & is currently the VP Content/Senior Managing Editor of Table8, creating an international database of curated restaurants in numerous cities & an awards and ratings programs. She's also the editor of Distiller Magazine freelances f

or Liquor.com, Zagat & Food Republic regularly, also having freelanced for Whisky Magazine UK, London Times, Drink Me Magazine, PureWow, Citysearch, Blackboard Eats, NBC's The Feast, Berkeleyside's Nosh, Tasting Table, Eater SF, Grubstreet SF, Where Magazine, 944 Magazine. Almost all photos are copyrighted & taken by Virginia Miller. She judges countless cocktail, spirits, wine & food competitions, and travels extensively around the world, writing about food/drink at home and abroad.

Pantera de Oro Cask Strength Extra Añejo was founded by drink industry vets Scott Baird and Craig Demko. Extra Añejo ten...
12/20/2025

Pantera de Oro Cask Strength Extra Añejo was founded by drink industry vets Scott Baird and Craig Demko. Extra Añejo tends to be a category of tequila I don’t love as all that extra oak often masks the joy of agave plants, which take many years to grow. But I feel differently about this one... Reviewed in my Distiller Magazine column:

https://distilling.com/distillermagazine/new-release-roundup-november-2025


American Distilling Institute

: Michelin-starred The Progress is all natural woods and greenery... until you get into that dichotomous glittery, peac...
12/19/2025

: Michelin-starred The Progress is all natural woods and greenery... until you get into that dichotomous glittery, peachy-pink bathroom.

Campy Christmas fun, Castro-style, at Deck the Halls Bar pop-up, running until December 28 in the iconic former Cafe Flo...
12/19/2025

Campy Christmas fun, Castro-style, at Deck the Halls Bar pop-up, running until December 28 in the iconic former Cafe Flore on Market Street (including xmas eve & day)...

Though open nightly, I tried it with the all-you-can-eat brunch buffet (Fri-Sun), digging the brandy-based Nut Nog and Yellow Snow Slushy (rum, lemon juice, celery syrup).

www.deckthehallsbar.com

Sommelier Paul Einbund and chef Gavin Schmidt’s James Beard-nominated The Morris is an SF treasure for cult fave smoked ...
12/19/2025

Sommelier Paul Einbund and chef Gavin Schmidt’s James Beard-nominated The Morris is an SF treasure for cult fave smoked duck and Einbund’s rarely-paralleled bottle selections of rare Chartreuse, genepy/i, Madeira, vermouth, small production wines. Don’t even get me started on their iconic Chartreuse slushies.

Lucky Oakland now has access to those slushies — from the guy who was one of the nation’s greatest Chartreuse ambassadors long before the monk-made herbal liqueur was on allocation.

For a seafood lover like me, the crudo and fish-heavy menu at Sirene is my tops of Schmidt’s menus, centered around fried chicken & fish!

What to eat & drink at the new Sirene + 4 places that put the fun back in dining: https://virginiamiller.substack.com/p/bay-area-dining-is-fun-again-4-playful

At Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants' Humo Negro, try the standout Cyborg cocktail (Mezcal Unión, Don Julio Tequila Re...
12/19/2025

At Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants' Humo Negro, try the standout Cyborg cocktail (Mezcal Unión, Don Julio Tequila Reposado tequila, chile liqueur, red tree tomato, grapefruit, furikake), or the lighter, vegetal (Hendrick's Gin , sake, cucumber, wasabi, tonic and flowers).

In my Bogota guide:

https://virginiamiller.substack.com/p/bogotas-gifts-to-the-world

At sommelier legend Paul Einbund and chef Gavin Schmidt’s (of SF's James Beard-nominated The Morris) new Sirene in Oakla...
12/18/2025

At sommelier legend Paul Einbund and chef Gavin Schmidt’s (of SF's James Beard-nominated The Morris) new Sirene in Oakland, the draw is the seafood, from creative shellfish charcuterie to outside-the-box crudo.

Oh, this silky alpine-scented gravlax, which Schmidt cures in sugar, salt, fennel, basil, tarragon, anise (yes!), Green Chartreuse and Chartreuse Elixir végétal (double yes!) Ideal with Einbund's iconic Chartreuse slushies.

This & 4 fun-as-they-are-delicious restaurants now:

https://virginiamiller.substack.com/p/bay-area-dining-is-fun-again-4-playful

... And that mystical night view from under gnarly Napa oaks at night walking back to the winery.
12/17/2025

... And that mystical night view from under gnarly Napa oaks at night walking back to the winery.

Those solitary, soulful, reflective nights I crave, when I whisper to myself, "This is my life!?"By the fireside into th...
12/17/2025

Those solitary, soulful, reflective nights I crave, when I whisper to myself, "This is my life!?"

By the fireside into the night reading, journaling, sipping Hagafen Cellars Brut Rosé, listening to Nina Simone and Chet Baker on vinyl in Whetstone Wine Cellars 1885 Napa stone winery, rife with history and cozy warmth...

Copenhagen's Alchemist is theater, art and edible craziness. They even hired a dramaturge literary advisor to consult on...
12/17/2025

Copenhagen's Alchemist is theater, art and edible craziness. They even hired a dramaturge literary advisor to consult on building drama... It's all here, whether licking a giant tongue, scooping cherry meringue lamb’s brain mousse out of a human head mold or chef Rasmus Munk’s tribute to one of his beloved US dishes, the lobster roll in claw form: lobster salad, horseradish and tomato dip in cornstarch vodka bread.

Alchemist and other CPH greats reviewed: https://virginiamiller.substack.com/p/copenhagens-gifts-to-the-world

With the Paper Plane Group behind Eos & Nyx, cocktails are one of the most notable elements, thanks to co-owners Dan Pha...
12/17/2025

With the Paper Plane Group behind Eos & Nyx, cocktails are one of the most notable elements, thanks to co-owners Dan Phan, George Lahlouh and Johnny Wang’s pioneering cocktail artistry in SJ.

Out of six cocktails tried, the two best coincidentally lean creamy: Licensed to Dill is vegetal and frothy with Greek yogurt and a deft mix of apricot eau de vie, aquavit, fresh dill and lime. Eye of the Beholder is lightly creamy, mixing green olive liqueur with a touch of vanilla, condensed milk, cream, maldon sea salt and drops of olive oil atop the drink’s egg white layer. Both are addictive and cool, nuanced yet crowd-pleasing.

Where to eat in the SF Bay Area Peninsula now:
https://virginiamiller.substack.com/p/where-to-eat-now-sf-peninsula-rising

Delicate raw shrimps from Northern Denmark recall the best mini-raw shrimps I’ve had around Spain, teeming in creamy fer...
12/16/2025

Delicate raw shrimps from Northern Denmark recall the best mini-raw shrimps I’ve had around Spain, teeming in creamy fermented shrimp sauce and horseradish jus with dill and wasabi oils. Superb. The joys go on, from a perfect melon to an all-Champagne wine pairing at The World's 50 Best Restaurants, three Michelin Restaurant Jordnær...

In my Copenhagen guide: https://virginiamiller.substack.com/p/copenhagens-gifts-to-the-world

Hell, yeah... Shuggie’s Trash Pie + Natural Wine's Cacio e Pepe Pillow, a giant round of doughy comfort doused in egg yo...
12/16/2025

Hell, yeah... Shuggie’s Trash Pie + Natural Wine's Cacio e Pepe Pillow, a giant round of doughy comfort doused in egg yolk stracciatella, black pepper and grana padano cheese.

Save room for the dramatic Bon Bon Handy dessert, a killer peanut butter mousse and chocolate bon bon served directly in diners’ hands with a jaunty dash of glitter.

Restaurants that are FUN as they are delicious: https://virginiamiller.substack.com/p/bay-area-dining-is-fun-again-4-playful

Cozy by the fireplace working away — with a little journaling and reflecting peppered in + walks among oaks, redwoods an...
12/16/2025

Cozy by the fireplace working away — with a little journaling and reflecting peppered in + walks among oaks, redwoods and mountains — at sweet friends' 1885 winery in Napa. Blissful winter workdays.

(And a beautiful, family-owned winery to visit when you're in Napa for Sonoma Coast Pinot, Napa Cabernet, Grenache, Viognier: Whetstone Wine Cellars).

Eater describes it as a Cheesecake Factory and nightclub on steroids. The OG location is pretty crazy. Lively Andrés Car...
12/15/2025

Eater describes it as a Cheesecake Factory and nightclub on steroids. The OG location is pretty crazy. Lively Andrés Carne de Res has been a restaurant destination about an hour’s drive to the edges of Bogota in the town of Chia since 1982.

Traditional Colombian dishes, roving bands, doggy day care and an indoor to outdoor village, I was glad I got this cultural touchstone... in my Bogota guide:

https://virginiamiller.substack.com/p/bogotas-gifts-to-the-world

My favorite new Copenhagen bar — up there with the very best I’ve loved and written about in visits past — is The World'...
12/15/2025

My favorite new Copenhagen bar — up there with the very best I’ve loved and written about in visits past — is The World's 50 Best Bars -listed Bird in the Frederiksberg neighborhood. Opened by bar vet Peter Altenburg, Bird had me at the listening/vinyl bar focus. Sure, that’s ubiquitous in many cities globally. But it’s the first bar like it in CPH and the only one I’ve seen do it hygge-style. Fur throws and pinewood in a narrow, intimate space give it Scandi flair.

Pre-made drinks are TIGHT. Like La Esquina enhances the spice of ancho chili-infused whisky with the umami depth of shiitake mushroom vermut (vermouth) and palo cortado sherry. YES.

In my CPH guide:

https://virginiamiller.substack.com/p/copenhagens-gifts-to-the-world
cph

During my return to Bogota this year, I went back to Harry Sasson for lunch, as I had written about it in 2018. This bel...
12/13/2025

During my return to Bogota this year, I went back to Harry Sasson for lunch, as I had written about it in 2018. This beloved 30 year old restaurant from the chef of the same name is his first since 1995, garnering Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants acclaim, including the Icon Award for the continent in 2024.

Standout dishes and drink in my Bogota guide: https://virginiamiller.substack.com/p/bogotas-gifts-to-the-world

Flying home is always the sweetest feeling... When I cross those magnificent Sierras and know I've entered blessed Calif...
12/12/2025

Flying home is always the sweetest feeling... When I cross those magnificent Sierras and know I've entered blessed California. Times when hashtag is appropriate. ;-)

Growing up in 4 different states, the middle and both coasts by the time I was a teen, I never thought I'd feel one place was home. San Francisco and NorCal are deep home for one with a very strong sense of place.

Do you know about viche?Bar Continental Ron & Son is a haven for viche, the sugarcane spirit of Colombia, which just bec...
12/12/2025

Do you know about viche?

Bar Continental Ron & Son is a haven for viche, the sugarcane spirit of Colombia, which just became legal in the country in 2021 though it has a long ancestral history. It’s grassy, funky, fresh, much like my beloved rhum agricole from Martinique or clairin from Haiti.

This cozy bar charms, from half moon bar to intimate upstairs cigar lounge to sunny, lofty downstairs alcove under skylights.

My review of this and other standout bars, restaurants and cultural touchpoints (poetry, music) in my Bogota guide: https://virginiamiller.substack.com/p/bogotas-gifts-to-the-world

BIG TIME "happy place": while we worked hard but heartwarmingly in all-day meetings in Philly, we still ate well. Gettin...
12/11/2025

BIG TIME "happy place": while we worked hard but heartwarmingly in all-day meetings in Philly, we still ate well.

Getting to try OG John's Roast Pork again since 2016 (wrote about it in then: https://theperfectspotsf.com/2016/06/01/food-lovers-philadelphia-where-to-eat-now) confirms how much Philly native Dennis Cantwell improved upon it at here in SF (www.thebolditalic.com/tbis-top-12-new-restaurants-of-2021).

But it also confirms why Philly's 1930 institution (still) makes my favorite cheesesteak.

Ate one Tuesday and again on the plane home yesterday. John's Roast Pork cheesesteak = happiness.

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https://virginiamiller.substack.com/, https://virginia-miller.com/

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My Story

Virginia Miller is the W. North America Chairperson for The World's 50 Best Restaurants. Since founding her own site, The Perfect Spot, in 2007, she has been Zagat SF editor, Table8 National Editor/VP, SF Guardian restaurant critic & regular Liquor.com, Time Out, WhereTraveler & Haute Living columnist. She has written about dining, restaurants, travel, spirits, cocktails and bars in over 60 global publications including The Bold Italic, Distiller Magazine, Gin Magazine, Food Republic, Whisky Magazine, Thrillist, Alaska Airlines, London Times & beyond.

Miller judges in dozens of competitions and international, national and local awards panels in dining, food, spirits, cocktails & bars, including as a lead judge (The World's 50 Best, Tales of the Cocktail, IWSC, ADI Craft Spirits, Good Food Awards, Saucy Awards, etc.) Not counting a few hundred distilleries, wineries and breweries, Virginia recently passed the 11,000 mark in number of restaurants visited globally —and double that number of bars– around the world.

Her articles for many publications —recommends in dining and drink from her home of San Francisco and in her constant travelsq all over the world— are linked to on her site/newsletter, The Perfect Spot. She is available for consulting & judging at http://virginia-miller.com.