Top shelf
Book Society, Sea Cliff listings, The Lodge at Blue Sky, Pierre Péters, hot spring restaurant openings, MORE
GOODS & SERVICES • FOUND Shop
Library wines
Berkeley’s Book Society is the latest in a wave of Bay Area bookstore bars that includes Clio’s in Oakland, Golden Sardine in SF, and Bad Animal in Santa Cruz.
This one bets big on wine, with a fancy Italian-made dispenser system designed for self-serve pours. There are eight monthly rotating wines on tap — from nonalcoholic to whites to reds — accessible via a wine card, which is handed out with a glass upon entry. Patrons select from a 1-oz taste, half glass, or full glass. Each wine has also been paired with a suggested reading, with past selections including Stanley Tucci’s What I Ate in One Year paired with an Italian dolcetto. A bit gimmicky, yes, but fun.
The Art Deco-designed shop is stacked high with books curated by owner Laura Guzman that span fiction, nonfiction, cooking, and travel, with a focus on local authors. Soaring arches, herringbone wood floors, and floor-to-ceiling bookshelves — complete with a rolling ladder — evoke a private home library. Gold accents, fan wallpaper, and a large glass chandelier bump up the glam.
The late afternoon and evening crowds are here to drink wine and socialize, gathering on jewel-toned velvet couches and chairs and occasionally browsing the shelves. Book sales are a bonus, or so it seems, and the owners appear perfectly content with that. Book Society is a bookstore, but more so, it’s a cool new place to hang out with friends over a glass of wine, surrounded by books and people who love books. It’s exactly what the neighborhood is craving. –Allison McCarthy
→ Book Society (Berkeley) • 2945 College Ave • Tue-Sun 11a-8p • Reserve (for book clubs and other small groups).
GETAWAYS LINKS: Lake Tahoe Ritz-Carlton unveils massive reno • Starlink debuting this week on select United flights • In London, Dishoom’s tiny new hotel Permit Room opens this week • New European hotels, spring 2025 • Which airline serves the best champagne?
REAL ESTATE • First Mover
Shivering heights
For years, San Francisco’s biggest names chose Sea Cliff for their roosts, with folks like Sharon Stone, Robin Williams, and Chris Isaak snapping up mansions in the Mark Daniels-planned community. These days, its residents aren’t tabloid fodder, but the huge turn-of-the-century homes and stunning northern views remain. Per Compass, 20 homes have changed hands in the neighborhood in the past year, at a median price of $4.275M. Here, three listings for those interested in playing Sea Cliff’s wicked game:
→ 153 25th Ave (Sea Cliff) • 4BR/3.1BA, 2590 SF house • Ask: $3.175M • Edwardian with huge back deck, Golden Gate Bridge views • Days on market: 25 • Agent: Bruce Lyon, Coldwell Banker.
→ 150 32nd Ave (Sea Cliff) • 6BR/3.2BA, 4405 SF house • Ask: $3.975M • fully detached 4-level built in 1914 • Days on market: 55 • Agent: Neill Bassi, Sotheby’s.
→ 50 25th Ave (Sea Cliff, above) • 5BR/4.1BA, 5170 SF house • Ask: $8.5M • updated 1913 build with guest apartment and outdoor kitchen • Days on market: 17 • Agent: Neill Bassi, Sotheby’s.
REAL ESTATE LINKS: Home values rise in Sunset, West Portal, and Miraloma • Menlo Park’s rental market gets hot • Why skimp on staging?
CULTURE & LEISURE • How Sweet
James Taylor • Frost Amphitheatre (Stanford) • Fri @ 630p • lower bowl 2, $705 per
Jack White • No Name Tour • Masonic (Nob Hill) • Sat @ 8p • 6BAL, $371 per
Bay to Breakers • map • Sun @ 8a • entry, $99 per
CULTURE & LEISURE LINKS: Outside Lands announces ‘Beck, with symphony’ lineup addition • MLS NEXT Pro team headed to revamped Kezar Stadium • A look inside SFMOMA’s ‘Ruth Asawa: Retrospective’ • Oasis goes nonprofit.
GETAWAYS • Utah
Sky high
Blending alpine chalet charm with sleek minimalist design, The Lodge at Blue Sky is an elegant retreat on a 3,500-acre private ranch that’s a 45-minute drive from Salt Lake City’s airport. Though part of a larger hotel group (the Auberge Resorts Collection), the property exudes a warmth and intimacy — a reflection of the personal touch of its hands-on horse-loving owners, Mike and Barb Phillips. Their presence and care infuse the Lodge with a welcoming, home-like energy. It’s a place that feels personal, grounded, and deeply connected to its surroundings.
The low-slung equestrian-themed retreat blends into its mountainous landscape, offering 46 rooms, suites, and houses, which come wrapped in honeyed blonde cedar wood accented with local stonework. Soaring floor-to-ceiling windows lead to private terraces that offer panoramic views of the Wasatch Mountains, some with fire pits (ideally deployed for the house-made s’mores kit). Minibars stocked with complimentary Ritual Chocolate, bath products infused with mineral-rich salts from the Great Salt Lake, and even Coterie diapers for unpotty-trained guests further sweeten the deal.
The hotel proper, with its main lodge and New American signature restaurant Yuta, claims a comparatively small footprint on the sprawling property. Panning out, there are horse stables (Barb rescues neglected horses and other animals), a sheepskin-adorned yurt equipped with lavender and wildflower honey-laced hot toddies (in partnership with The Macallan), a sporting clay range, and even acclaimed whiskey-maker High West Distillery.
Food is a major focus here, with produce, eggs, and more coming from its own nearby Gracie’s Farm. Last year, the team debuted WildKitchen, a seasonal, open-fire dining experience available from May through October. At the heart of this setup is a custom-built grill (available for home purchase) and oven designed by British filmmaker Guy Ritchie, who featured an early version in his 2019 film The Gentlemen. The meal takes place under a tent about five minutes from the main lodge, where guests gather around a multifunctional dining table for an elevated twist on rustic live-fire cooking (like a souped-up take on Korean barbecue). There are also special events, like next month’s California kaiseki 12-course omakase with SingleThread Farms, visiting from Sonoma.
The resort also maintains an exclusive lounge at the base of the Silver Star chairlift at Park City Mountain, about a half-hour drive away. As an escape for skiers — or those simply seeking a peaceful mountain retreat — The Lodge at Blue Sky embodies the ultimate home-away-from-home destination. –Kat Odell
→ The Lodge at Blue Sky (Wanship, UT) • 27649 Old Lincoln Hwy • Rates from $2089/weekend night.
WINES • FOUND Bottle
Growth industry
On a recent trip to the Maldives, my partner and I were generously offered a bottle of Champagne to kick off our second evening — and I was blown away by the bottle placed on our table.
Generally speaking, most hotels tend to offer guests Champagne selections from well-known brands — big names, even bigger quantities of wine. So when I saw the Pierre Péters L'Esprit Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru 2017 label staring back at us from a bath of ice, to call myself pleasantly surprised would be an understatement. There’s a ton to say about Pierre Péters as a domaine, but the main takeaway here is the notion of “grower Champagne.”
Contrary to the bigger houses — Veuve Clicquot, Moët & Chandon, etc. — Pierre Péters operates as a family-owned winery, and creates wines from vineyards that they own and farm themselves (rather than purchasing fruit from numerous growers like the big names do). Beyond the scale of production, Champagne grower-producers also embrace vintage variations and climate conditions. Thus, rather than seeking to create a consistent product year in and year out (as the big houses do), the resulting bottles are more artisanal and authentic, more reflective of the time and place of origin.
L'Esprit Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru 2017 is made entirely from Chardonnay grown in grand cru-designated vineyards in the villages of Avize, Cramant, Le Mesnil, and Oger, and is aged for four years sur-lie prior to release. Pale gold in color, the wine strikes the hard-to-achieve balance of creamy yet refreshing, and promises to pair well with sunsets, snacks, and salty ocean air. –Vicki Denig
The bottle: Pierre Péters L'Esprit Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru 2017 • Grape Variety: Chardonnay • Region: Champagne (Côte des Blancs), France • Vinification: Grand cru-designated fruit vinified and aged 4 years on the lees prior to release • Tasting notes: Creamy yet refreshing with notes of citrus, dried fruits, and toasted brioche.
→ Shop: Wine Empire ($267, case of two)
LOST & FOUND • Behind the Paywall