On a recent jaunt to the Bay Area, my flavorista friend, Terry, introduced me to the lovely Dona Savitsky who has 3 beautiful dining establishments in the East Bay. I made it to 2 and I am still savouring the best Mai Tai I’ve ever had at her newest estblishment, Flora in Oakland.
The secret ingredient is homemade orgeat syrup. This exlir is made from almonds, rose or orange water and sugar. At my mid-age, I can’t believe I am just learning about this wonderful syrup. Future possibilties abound. A recipe is available at artofdrink.com.
The next day I ran over to Berkekely to try her fish tacos and Mexican hot chocolate at Tacubaya. The food here was delicious, hand-crafted and made with tlc – tender loving care. I met Donna for a brief moment before I experiened her talent as a restuaranteur. She had great training with Reed Hearon who became famous in San Francisco for Cafe Marimba, Restaurant Lulu, The Stinking Rose and Rose Pistola – all wonderfully creative establishments. He is also a great cookbook author. I can’t wait to go back and thank her for her contribution to this Flavorista post.
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