Top 7 Places San Francisco Needs

Though everyone knows I think San Francisco is the #1 eating town in the country and probably worldwide, there are still some elements lacking in our eating, dining and drinking scenes. Consider this a recipe for restauranteurs and entrepreneurs (or a prediction of what will open in the next couple of years here):

7. A great cheese and charcuterie shop that's reasonably priced. Cowgirl Creamery at the Ferry Building is good but way too expensive and too small; Cheese Plus is on the right track but misses a seating area and the true engagement of the customer in the tasting and selection process. Cheeseboard Cooperative in Berkeley is close and wonderful. This idea would likely be a great extension to the wine bar concept that has just overwhelmed the city, and I imagine it could be done very profitably. For a reference and model to emulate, check out Roscioli in Rome.

6. A good Jewish deli. Nowhere in SF can you get a good corned beef or pastrami sandwich. Or on a cold night, a big bowl of Matzoh Ball Soup. Across the bay, Saul's is pretty darn good, but New Yorkers and LA transplants always lament how far it is from Katz's or 2nd Avenue deli in New York or Canter's in Lalaland.

5. Late-night ethnic food options. It's basically Pizza Orgasmica or bust at 1am, unless you're in the Mission where you'll find some decent Mexican options. I know we all have those late-night food cravings, so what's the deal? Why not a good shawerma or Thai delivery place?

4. Great outdoor eating. We do have some good spots with limited outdoor tables (Rose's Cafe, Chouquet's), but how many times have you wanted to sit outside and enjoy the early evening with an aperitif and a good bite to eat? I concede that June gloom is a detraction, but how about all those warm days in April, May, September and October?

3. Really good Indian food. It makes absolutely no sense that we have such poor Indian food here in the Bay Area, given our demographic reality. I do like Shalimar and Vik's Chaat House, but these just don't hold a candle to the likes of London's Chutney Mary (medium-priced, super high-quality), Lahore Kebab House (really casual, BYOB, incredibly delicious), and Vama (the high-end Michelin starred kind of place). These three represent a wide range of service options and settings and put the bar quite high on food quality. Lahore Kebab House also sparkles with my standard of "food quality per dollar."

2. An Italian gastro-bar. High tables, Italian aperitifs, house-made charcuterie, and the bustle of Roma. Mario Batali brought it to New York in Otto... now it's time for one in San Francisco.

1. A great dive bar with peanut shells on the floor. Where have they all gone and why don't we have a single one?


What else do you think we're missing here in culinary paradise? Register your requests.

America's Best Sushi

Those who know me will be surprised to learn two things I should disclose up front: (a) that I didn't eat sushi until I was 21; and (b) that I think LA is the best sushi city I've ever visited. The first disclosure is unbelievable because of how often I now eat sushi and how much everyone knows I love it. Friends would be incredulous when hearing the latter statement because normally I sound like a representative of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, and nobody in SF admits that anything is better in LA (even the weather!). However, LA has more customers demanding high quality sushi, so I think they have just solved a simple supply-and-demand problem. The best sushi place in the country, however, is not in Lalaland. It has become my "local" as those in England call their neighborhood stand-by pub.

To be clear, I haven't paid the $350/person price tag for Masa, Urasawa or any of their derivatives, because I simply don't think you need to pay that much to have amazingly high quality fish. The places below range from pretty-darn-cheap to reasonably-expensive, and as with all my rankings of food establishments, the quality per dollar is the dominant, defining criteria. However, in the case of a sushi-specific ranking, I have also balanced the following critical components: (a) pure fish quality (freshness, melt-in-your-mouth sensation, etc.); (b) diversity of selection and availability of rare fish types; (c) success with the simple nigiri or sashimi options, rather than fancy, new rolls; (d) facility with the knife by the sushi chef. I always try to sit at the sushi bar in front of the lead chef (if not the owner) in order to learn about his background, explore his supplier sources, and watch his magic.

Here are my favorite sushi places in the US:

1. Zushi Puzzle - San Francisco
2. Matsuhisa - Los Angeles
3. Kabuto - San Francisco (was #1 bar none before chef/owner Sachio Kojima left in 2005 for the Lake Shasta area, and I haven't tried his new place up there yet)
   
4. Sushi Nozawa - Los Angeles
5. "Secret Sushi" (unnamed) - San Francisco (Inner Sunset)
6. Katsu-Ya - Los Angeles
7. Asanebo - Los Angeles
   
8. Sushi Yasuda - New York
9. Tomoe Sushi - New York
10. Sushi Ran - Sausalito

I'd love to hear about new sushi places in cities where I will actually believe good sushi could exist, like Seattle, Portland, San Diego, Miami, DC, Chicago, Honolulu. (In other words, don't send me Boston recommendations; all of the sushi in Boston is awful if you've ever had sushi at one of the places listed above. A prominent newspaper once said that Oishii is the "best sushi in the Northeast" -- what an indictment of an entire region that represents! I can't believe that places in the Midwest other than Chicago could really have fish fresh enough, because I think there probably isn't a fresh fish market outside of Chicago large enough to justify the daily flights of fresh fish from the North Atlantic or Northern Pacific. I don't know of any good spots in Miami, though I'd guess there should be. The same goes for San Diego, where I've eaten a fair amount of sushi that just isn't in the same league as its Southern California rival city. I'm sure I've just missed some great spots there though; there's no reason they wouldn't have a few gems. And while I had high hopes for sushi in Hawaii, I ate at the top three places according to reviewers and locals, and all of them disappointed.)

One prerequisite for consideration on this list is that the sushi chef actually know what type of tuna he is serving. If he can't tell me that it's blue fin or big eye or something else, they're not playing the same game as the folks above. (A Bay Area favorite, Berkeley's Kirala, is an embarassing example of this scenario.) Ideally, they have multiple types, and a whole host of other options with granular specificity in the description and the origin.

San Francisco's Top 10 Cocktail Spots

When I go out, I'm a vodka-soda guy (favorite vodkas: Grey Goose and Effen), but occasionally I'll mix in a caipirinha, a pastis aperitif, or a good single-malt. I should disclose that I'd prefer a dive bar anyday over a trendy cocktail joint, but I can't seem to find any bars with peanut shells on the floor anymore. However, I do dig the retro-drink trend that seems to have caught fire in SF and NYC.

I'm looking for new places to try, so please comment with your own recommendations, but here are my favorite spots for getting a good drink (made by a bartender who knows what s/he is doing) on the way to dinner or after it:

1. NOPA*
2. Bourbon & Branch
3. Absinthe*
4. Range*
   
5. Rye
6. Spruce*
7. Redwood Room
8. Americano
9. Lion's Den
10. Solstice

*denotes that great "bar food" is also available to accompany your favorite cocktail

Best Cheap Eats in the San Francisco Bay Area

The first thing you should ask me is how I've defined "cheap eats." My cheap may not equal your cheap, and my reliance on Time Out's cheap eats publication when I lived in London as an exchange student certainly had a different ceiling than this list's.

For the sake of discussion, let's call the prerequisite for this list a restaurant where the entrees on the menu are under $15. Yeah, you need to actually have a job to eat at most of these places; they may represent splurges for grad students or starving artists (but that's why they're always referred to as "starving"!). Furthermore, the place has to actually give you an entree that suffices for an entire meal's worth of caloric intake, so you don't have to stop at the In N' Out on the way home in order to feel fully satiated.

You will notice some overlap between this list and my top ten list, and that's obviously because of what I characterize as the most important (read: #1 criteria) for that list: food quality per dollar.

If you want to go with wine, that's a separate cost question, but I'll note a few places with very reasonable wine lists here.

So here's my much-requested, unranked list of my favorite places to eat on a normal person's Tuesday night (or Saturday afternoon) budget:

• Dopo -- To qualify for the cheap eats list (all items on the menu meet the $15 threshold, but some are not sufficiently filling to really fit the profile here), you'll have to go for the mind-numbingly tasty lasagne; the awesome, authentic Northern Italian-style pizzas with super-fresh, high quality, local ingredients and a wonderfully crispy crust; or a platter of the house-cured salumi and local green salad. On the Best Cheap Wine List as well.

• Taylor's Refresher -- Whether it's the Ahi burger or the beef one, the Miss Kentucky, fish tacos or one of the special sandwiches (my favorite I wish were a permanent fixture is a seriously superior steak sandwich), you'll get more than your money's worth. On the Best Cheap Wine List as well.

• Pizzeria Delfina -- Near the top of the pizza list, at the top of the ingredient-quality list, and absolutely the best of the bunch for the range of options that qualify for the Cheap Eats list and make you simply happy. On the Best Cheap Wine List as well.

• La Taqueria -- Find me a better burrito or superior chicken tacos.

• Picante -- Alice Waters' Mexican spot in Berkeley. If you haven't been here yet, you really are missing out. It's a bit of Berkeley take on authentic Mexican.

• Jimmy Bean's -- Such a Berkeley place, you can't go wrong with a single thing on the menu.
  

• Tartine -- Grilled cheese that is nothing like what Mom made of white bread and Kraft American cheese slices, and quiches/tarts that erase any regret that you're not eating it on a Parisian sidewalk (and paying in Euros!).

• Cheeseboard -- Just one pizza choice per day, and that doesn't even feel limiting here.

• Saul's -- The only place in Northern California that almost makes me miss 2nd Ave Deli in New York a little less.

• Ton Kiang -- My (and Robin Williams') favorite dim sum around.

• Vik's Chaat House -- Tasty street treats and a bustling atmosphere at this Indian joint in Berkeley.

• Pacific Catch -- Almost chain-y, I still need to throw this place on this list because in all honesty, this is probably my favorite Tuesday night fast/cheap eat option. It's healthy, light, tasty, convenient and reliable.

• Hog Island Oyster Co. -- The only way this place gets on the list is if you don't eat what you likely came to experience, i.e., the oysters. So while I challenge you to go here and avoid that temptation, you will not be disappointed if you have what I think is the best grilled cheese I've had, with three wonderful cheeses from Cowgirl Creamery on toasted, buttery Acme Bakery bread. Another entry on the Best Cheap Wine List.
  

• Street -- Some entrees qualify, others don't, but just have the burger. I'll bet you that it's as good as your favorite.

• Top Dog -- Whether it's recalling those Louisiana Hot Links I had at 2am after a party with Berkeley students back in the day or a more likely current scenario picking up a quick bite on my way to see a show at The Greek, this place is great.
  

• Barbara's Fish Trap -- Best fish & chips I've had (and I used to live in London -- twice!), and from your seat at the checker-box tablecloth sea-view table, you can even watch the fish coming in for the folks at the end of the to-be-seated line.
  

• China House -- Maybe you'll think this is a funny entry, but if I'm ordering take-out, this is my place. They'll do all-white-meat chicken, and the stuff is just higher quality cheap Chinese than nearly anywhere.

• Su Hong -- Chinese chicken salad that my mom likes more than even my dad's wonderful home-cookin'.
  

Top Ten Things to Eat in Paris

Having just spent a fantastic weekend in Paris, I thought I would compile a list of my favorite things to eat in Paris. I started calling this list the top five, but I just couldn't exclude the next five. Hence, a top ten list.

Given that I have been lucky enough to travel to Paris for three reasons (yes, another list: friends, food and art), I spend a good deal of time figuring out how to maximize my time in each of those three areas. And since friends and art can be organized around food as well, that category benefits the most. So here's the list:

1. Croissant au beurre (as opposed to croissant ordinaire -- this distinction is important, and the best ones come from places which offer both, and thus give you the option of having the extra-indulgent, greasy, and wonderfully luscious type)
2. Ossau Iraty cheese from Androuet or really any good fromagerie
3. Poulet de Bresse on the rotisserie at the local boucherie
   
4. Crepes (sweet ones on the street -- au buerre sucre, au nutella et bananas; and savory buckwheat ones in a breton or normand restaurant -- au jambon et fromage, with or without the oeuf)
5. Duck confit (try Les Philosophes in the Marais, which does it with a honey and spice combination that is sweet and salty at the same time)
6. Falafel from L'As du Falafel in the Marais
7. Fines claires numero 6 (the smallest oysters I've been able to find; have a lemon and some mignonette handy)
8. Pate de campagne from a local boucherie (or Le Comptoir in the 7e - best I've found)
9. Hand-made chocolates from Michel Cluizel in the 1e
10. Berthillon ice cream on Ile St. Louis

What do you love to eat in Paris?


My list of honorable mentions:

• Tartine at the boulangerie: great baguette, sea-salted butter from Brittany, and myrtilles (blueberry) jam
  
• Croque madame at almost any brasserie
• Quiche Lorraine with salade verte
  
• Pizza at San Remo in the 17e (add an egg for a Southern French style)
• Coquilles St. Jacques (scallops) at Violon d'Ingres
• Tartes from Fauchon
• 24-month aged Tomme de Savoie cheese
• Assiettes de saucissons secs and jambon (again Le Comptoir stands out in this regard, but you can always collect a fun sampling at a local butcher)
• Roasted potatoes with extra drippings from aforementioned rotisserie chicken at the boucherie
  

The Five Worst Things About World Travel

Some people think it's glamorous to galavant around the world the way my work has required of me for the past ten years. While I concede I have had some amazing and enriching experiences as a world traveler, sometimes you just want to come home. I often really miss a quiet weekend at home with a trip to the Ferry Plaza for some great ingredients, an afternoon hike in Mount Tam, and a late afternoon with a glass of wine or scotch cooking up the produce from the market and the crab from Tomales Bay I picked up on the way home...

Now that I'm coming home today after spending 10 of the past 12 weeks in Paris, London, Munich, Berlin, Rome, Venice, and Florence, I thought would share my ranking of the worst things common to world travel:

5. Time waiting. Getting coughed on at check-in, searching for all the necessary documents at security, figuring out which taxis take credit cards at the cab stand, at the ATM machines getting new currency, frantically finding a way through the interactive voice on the phone changing flights, in the passport lines, standing in the airplane aisle while the slow people figure out that international planes only allow 20" carry-ons and not the 22" ones common in the US, awaiting your luggage because you couldn't carry on your shaving cream, getting through the 2-hour line at Paris CDG because they lost your luggage, and worst of all, awaiting the arrival of the lost luggage (this last time, my luggage was lost for the entire 9 days I was in Paris, arriving back to me literally 7 hours before I left my apartment for the flight home!).

4. Dining alone. While eating well can surely happen more easily when you travel on an expense account, the expense account also often means that you're flying solo for a late meal. And although I do enjoy catching up on my International Herald Tribune or a great book, good dinners and good wine are much better with good company.

3. Lacking a kitchen. If you know me, you know how much hotel rooms "sans cuisine" (without a kitchen) kills me. I love to cook, and even more, I love to cook with the local ingredients. Hotel rooms booked for work travel are usually pretty nice, but they are not geared for someone to cook his own food.

2. Time zone discrepancies. I am lucky enough to have wonderful friends and family, most of whom live in the US of A. The time zone difference is crushing, with my evening being my East Coast friends' middle-of-the-workday period and my West Coast friends' first hours of email catch-up. My mornings are when you all are asleep! Thanks to email, I still know what a few of my friends are doing...

1. Being associated with the annoying American tourists (yes, sometimes I'm sure I am one, too!)

Honorable mentions:

• Snack food costs $9 per serving
  
• Finding good restaurants in a foreign place that doesn't have good Zagat coverage
  
• Ordering innards when you thought it was just beef
  
• Anti-Americanism
• Obnoxious American tourists
• Waking up at 3 in the morning thinking it's time to go to work
• Not falling asleep before 3 in the morning because it's still the middle of the day
• Lack of fresh vegetables in a lot of places (yes, I'm so spoiled!)
• Different service level standards
• Airplane grime
  
• Laundry!
  

What do you hate about international travel?

Best things to eat in the San Francisco Bay Area

This would be a really tough list to rank an individual entry relative to another, as the standing often depends on my mood, my location, the time of day, even the availability of the vendor. It's also probably one of the lists, or rankings, that causes me the most trouble with my friends, because I'm sure I've put more than five of these at the top of a list being declared at any given time. As a result, it's just a list and not a ranking, but it can represent a great way to experience the Bay Area and all of the culinary delights we have to offer.

I'd love to know some of the items that would go on your own list so that I can add to my own, so I invite a robust discussion...

My favorite things to eat in the Bay Area (a key prerequisite is that someone else either prepares it for me or serves it to me, i.e., not raw ingredients I could serve myself -- that's another list):

• Lasagne at Dopo in Oakland
• The morning bun at La Farine in Berkeley
• A kusshi oyster at Hog Island Oyster Co. in the Ferry Plaza
  
• Grilled cheese at Hog Island
• Coffee at Blue Bottle Coffee Co. in Hayes Valley or the Ferry Plaza
  
• "Scott's Special" at Zushi Puzzle in the Marina
  
• Fish and chips at Barbara's Fish Trap in Montara
• French fries at the Alpine Inn (Risotti's) in Portola Valley
• Cream of tomato soup en croute at Bistro Jeanty in Yountville
  
• Fish tacos at the bar at Redd in Yountville
  
• A burger at Zuni Cafe in the Castro/Market
• Cappucino at Caffe Trieste in North Beach
  
• A Louisiana hot link in the bleachers at a Giants game
• General Tso's chicken at Su Hong in Menlo Park
• Chicken tacos at La Taqueria in the Mission
• Bacon at ACME Chop House in China Basin
  
• Kielbasa at Top Dog in Berkeley
• Vegetable samosas at Vik's Chaat House in Berkeley
• Pancakes at Bette's Diner in Berkeley
• Minced chicken in lettuce cups at Mandarin Oriental in Palo Alto
  
• Eggs Benedict at Jimmy Bean's in Berkeley
• Freshly roasted Diestel turkey breast at Golden Gate Meat Co in the Ferry Plaza
• Bananas foster at Gary Danko in Ghirardelli Square
  
• T-bone at Harris' in Russian Hill/Van Ness
  
• Roast fingerling potatoes at Zuni Cafe in Castro/Market
  
• Tuna crudo at Dopo in Oakland
• Salumi platter at Dopo in Oakland
• Figs with aged, home-made balsamic vinegar at Oliveto in Oakland
• Onion strings at Mustard's Grill in Oakville
• Pulled pork sandwich with cole slaw at Taylor's Refresher in St Helena and the Ferry Plaza
• A cacao nib at Scharffen Berger factory in Berkeley
• Table made s'mores at Market in St Helena
• Southwestern corn chowder at SF Soup Co all over the city
• Barbeque pork buns at Ton Kiang in the Richmond
• Butter fish nigiri at Zushi Puzzle in the Marina
• Blue fin tuna sashimi at Kabuto in the Richmond
• Chocolate souffle at Chez Panisse in Berkeley
  
• Ricotta souffle at Delfina in the Mission
  
• Cheese platter at Gary Danko in Ghirardelli Square
  
• Huevos Rancheros at Miss Millie's (now Somerset in Oakland)
• Cinnamon doughnut at Maverick in the Mission

What do you love to eat?

Top 10 San Francisco Bay Area Restaurants

It is only appropriate that my initial ranking posted here be about food, as it's one of my favorite passions (that list to come later) and definitely my most commonly ranked set of options for my friends (another list to be published, of course).

So here's my top ten list for dining out in the San Francisco Bay Area, where I've lived, eaten, drunk and cooked for most of my 30 years. For dining, my most important criteria is always quality per dollar, with food quality trumping all other elements but not excluding other very subjective measures like experience, service, appropriateness of menu, ingredient quality and sources, authenticity... and the list goes on.

So here you go, and let the debates begin:

1. Redd (Yountville) -- in particular the bar at Redd. Those fish tacos are incredible, as are the many other wonderful options on the very reasonably priced bar menu. Every meal I've had at Redd, both at the bar and in the restaurant, has truly been perfect. I can't even try to complain about any component of them.
2. Dopo (Oakland) -- I must disclose personal bias, as Jon Smulewitz, the chef/owner, is one of my favorite people around (that list will not get published, I don't think!). However, the food is top notch, with a fantastic, changing menu, ingredients that other famous restaurants would kill to have, and a general feel of the place that sets the bar for every neighborhood trattoria in the world (and I'm writing this from Rome). Kayta saves a lasagna for me for dessert after I have to share it with the table during the regular meal-time; it's the best lasagna I've ever had. Jon also converted a non-fish-eating friend [LORENA/LP/SOON TO BE LPSCOTT -- see comments :)] to a tuna crudo lover with his concoction I will also say is an absolutely wonderful combination of tastes.
3. Zushi Puzzle (Marina) -- "my" sushi place. Roger does as well as anyone, with a breadth of fish options that I haven't seen elsewhere. Don't ask for the "Scott Special," though, unless you really do know me. Roger will test you, because he really doesn't love to make it -- it takes too much time.
4. Delfina (Mission) -- this is the restaurant that to me defines San Francisco's culinary superiority. Here's the example that illustrates the point: at a cooking class in 2003, Ron Siegel (see below) was asked how much he would charge at Masa's for the meal he was teaching us. He replied that he didn't make the prices, but he expected it would be typical of a Masa's tasting menu, somewhere around $125. Then he encouraged the audience to go down to Delfina, where we'd find a very similar meal with ingredients of the same quality and preparation of equal standing, for $30. And there you have it.
5. Tartine Bakery (Mission) -- the #1 bakery, bar none, and an awesome place to grab lunch. Truly indulgent in every way and just plain cute.
   
6. Taylor's Refresher (St. Helena more than SF Ferry Plaza) -- There's good reason why this favorite of the local wine industry generated the reputation it did; it's so in the Northern California spirit. Casual, comfortable, easy, super high-quality, "road-side" food... with a great wine selection.
   
7. Ritz-Carlton Dining Room (Nob Hill) -- this is really a "nod" to Ron Siegel, who I think was better at Masa's and is rumored to be heading over to Myth very shortly as the new owner and chef there. However, I think he's the top high-end chef in San Francisco, with creativity and careful-ness that I have not seen elsewhere. The menu at the Ritz is bigger than what it was at Masa's, and I don't know how that has affected his sense of flexibility. I've had only two meals at the Ritz during his tenure, and three at Masa's when he was there. All were truly perfect expressions of his artistry and all were incredible, memorable experiences.
   
8. Hog Island Oyster Co. (SF Ferry Plaza) -- on an oyster list, this place would be #1, and on a grilled cheese list, this place would also garner the top spot. And since both oysters and grilled cheese will show up on my certain-to-come list of favorite foods, Hog Island needs to be in this ranking.
   
9. Zuni Cafe (Castro/Market) -- the quintessential San Francisco restaurant. I had my first disappointing meal here just two weeks ago, but I fault myself for my choice in ordering; the person with whom I dined doesn't eat oysters, and that just got us off on the wrong foot! The roast chicken is the best anywhere other than perhaps my own apartment (which is modeled after Judy's recipe anyway, and I've just been able to make it more to my own liking because I make it for myself and those I love). And go on a Sunday for a late lunch, so that you can have the burger that's not on the menu for dinner time.
   
10. Chez Panisse and Chez Panisse Cafe (Berkeley) -- I know, I'm sort of cheating here by putting both as my #10. Really, this is just an attempt to somehow give appropriate credit to the woman who deserves so much for my enjoyment of food and all of the restaurants above on this list. Alice Waters is the pioneer of California cuisine, of local sourcing, of organic, of nearly every important innovation in the way we eat. It is because of these innovations that I love food, and while I'm not sure Chez Panisse is good enough to beat out the many restaurants that are not on this list, it definitely has with many of the meals I've enjoyed there. And the cafe is one of the truly great values in the world, a place you can find incredibly high-quality ingredients -- inventive combinations of tastes that are uniquely simple and elegant. And if you really are a "foodie," Chez Panisse is your mecca.

In order to recognize to some of my other favorites, here's a list of "honorable mentions":

• Top Dog (Berkeley)
• Pauline's Pizza (Mission)
• Range (Mission)
• Bistro Jeanty (Yountville)
  
• Chouquet's (Pac Hts)
• Frascati (Russian Hill)
• In 'N Out (all over)
• Harris' (Russian Hill/Van Ness)
• Vik's Chaat House (Berkeley)
  
• Jimmy Bean's (Berkeley)
• Ton Kiang (Richmond)
• Kabuto (Richmond)
• Yankee Pier (Larkspur)
• Chapeau! -- now moved to Clementine (Richmond)
• Boulevard (Downtown/Embarcadero)
• Picante (Berkeley)
• La Taqueria (Mission)
  

Introduction to "The Ranker"

Everyone who knows me knows well my penchant for creating sometimes very absurd ranked lists. While I think it allows me to provide some structure to a concept I'm explaining, an opinion I'm sharing, or a thing I'm observing, I recognize it sometimes backfires...

It can provoke an engaging discussion, but it can also incite anger. Despite being meant to convey some sort of order, I often have a lot of "#3s in the world" which thus causes some credibility challenges. Just imagine what happens with my friends who spend a lot of time with me and hear all the "#1 bests" that they hear. Of course, our opinions and rankings should evolve over time as new information is added, right?

Nonetheless, they usually remain my friends, revel in the amusement my rankings provide laughing both at and with me, and even rely on the rankings as at least one source of information about a topic.

I mean, hey, in order to conjure up a ranking system for the "best looking outdoor cafe chairs," I had to at least give it some thought -- probably more thought than most of the people willing to hear me express the view.

Here on this blog, I will catalogue my rankings for your amusement and for your information. And in my continued effort to become a better person through enhanced self-awareness, it will be interesting for me to note the trend in blog entries that do not include rankings. And please permit me to change the rankings as new sources of information are processed, new criteria are added and new experiences absorbed.

Enjoy!