tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-94833372024-03-06T23:14:31.400-08:00Amuse-BoucheSabinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10781863557648503387noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9483337.post-1152063396561066382006-07-04T17:54:00.000-07:002006-10-01T17:27:58.556-07:00Rugged-EleganceDuring college, my girlfriends and I coined terms for each of our styles. My look was deemed rugged-elegance (another girl's was sultry-machismo). I truly embraced my ruggedly elegant style this weekend, camping for the first half and lounging at a spa for the second half.<br /><br />We had a boat-in campsite at <a href="http://www.spn.usace.army.mil/lakesonoma/">Lake Sonoma</a>. Aboard our <a href="http://www.zodiacmarineusa.com/">Zodiac</a>, Aren and I were literally sprawled on top of all our camping gear, the height of which was far higher than the boat's. Aren didn't appreciate my stowaway cracks. We did not try the gourmet-camping thing and instead survived on canned soup and ravioli, an assortment of cereal bars, and some Stella Artois. We did enjoy the sun (Frindians do burn), read a lot, and enjoyed one another's company sans laptops.<br /><br />As usual, the shower that came post-camping was divine. So fresh and so clean, Aren and I visited a couple wineries:<br /><br />1. <a href="http://www.michelschlumberger.com/">Michel Schlumberger</a>: The winery is the only grower of Pinot Noir grapes in the Dry Creek Valley and crafts all of its wines in a more French than American style. <br /><br />2. <a href="http://www.untivineyards.com/">Unti</a>: One of Aren's co-workers swears by this winery, which seems to focus on Italian varietals. The wine was ok -- we picked up some bottles for Aren's co-worker, but none for ourselves.<br /><br />3. <a href="http://www.belvederewinery.com/">Belvedere</a>: Yuck. Mr. Belvedere himself must be the winemaker. <br /><br />4. <a href="http://www.carterhouse.com/atlas/wineries/rochioli.html">Rochioli</a>: Affordable, above-average wines.<br /><br />5. <a href="http://www.arafanelliwinery.com/">A Rafanelli</a>: I'm saving the best for last. Rafanelli has a cult following -- there is a two year waitlist to become part of their wine club. We made sure to come away with a couple bottles of their Zin and Merlot.<br /><br />We were hungry after all the wine tasting. Fortunately, <a href="http://www.farmhouseinn.com/">Farmhouse Inn</a>, the lovely place where we stayed not only has a spa, but a highly acclaimed restaurant. When I was getting ready for dinner, Aren picked up a dozen roses for me and had the host place them on our table -- husbands and boyfriends, use this one! <br /><br />Dinner was fabulous. I had burrata with fresh tomato crostini, seared halibut, and olive oil cake with lemon sabayon. We asked the sommelier for a really earthy, local Pinot Noir. He recommended we try a bottle from <a href="http://www.portercreekvineyards.com/pages/home_main.html">Porter Creek</a>, which he described as producing artisan wines that are too earthy for many people. We loved the wine -- it wasn't smooth, but in a rustic, rather than overly alcoholic way. <br /><br />We're exhausted from our weekend -- hopefully the fireworks won't keep us from going to bed early.Sabinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10781863557648503387noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9483337.post-1151359190136399802006-06-26T14:46:00.000-07:002006-06-26T15:30:39.360-07:00Food BytesI don't have any new restaurant experiences to share with you. So, instead, here are a couple food-related thoughts:<br /><br />1. AG Ferrari's fresh burrata, which lands in AG's 24 hours after being produced in Italy. <a href="http://www.mangiabenepasta.com/burrata.html">Burrata</a> is an incredibly fresh cheese, part mozzarella, part cream. We served our burrata with a thinly sliced baguette and dumped the leftovers, skins and all, into a tomato sauce for a delectable dinner the next evening.<br /><br />2. Pizzeria Delfina's pizzas. We enjoyed one topped with egg, another with anchovies, and another with broccoli rabe. So fresh and so clean.<br /><br />3. Power bars. While Aren was out of town, my girlfriend and I had her brother and his friend over for a drink. Her brother will not eat sugar or carbs, so I had to think of something to serve with the plate of cheeses, bread, olives, nuts, and cherries I had prepared for everyone else. I settled on a cubed power bar, arranged around a bright orange gardenia. Genius!<br /><br />4. That's all for now...Sabinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10781863557648503387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9483337.post-1149481670049639832006-06-04T21:13:00.000-07:002006-06-04T22:20:46.570-07:00Winter, SpringThe Newsoms totally owe <a href="http://www.thesandersens.com/photos/2006%20May/tn/DSC01308.JPG.html">us</a>. Having spent a lovely weekend at their property in Carneros, we decided to try their property in <a href="http://www.plumpjack.com/squaw1.html">Squaw</a> over Memorial Day weekend. Our meals at their <a href="http://www.plumpjack.com/cafe6.html">Plumpjack Cafe</a> and <a href="http://www.plumpjack.com/balboa6.html">Balboa Cafe</a> were separated by skiing, massages, and candle-making (my candle is way better than Aren's). Food highlights include the breakfast granola, a pork chop Aren had that came with bacon-confit potatoes, and warm pumpernickel bread. Beverage highlights include a <a href="http://www.flowerswinery.com/">Flowers</a> Pinot Noir. The Pinot is the best we've had in recent memory - it was incredibly earthy, smooth, and soft, without being feeble. Lodging highlights include the gas-powered fire pit in the bar, which was perfect after a day on the slopes. We only have to try Jack Falstaff and the Plumpjack Cafe in the city before the Newsom's are obliged to invite us over to dinner.<br /><br />This weekend we tried <a href="http://www.woodwardsgarden.com/">Woodward's Garden</a>, which has a view of an overpass, rather than a garden. I'd describe the restaurant as shabby chic, service as no-frills, and food as California comfort. We sat in the stark back room, which is simply decorated with a crooked chandelier -- it was pleasantly romantic. I started with a simple green salad, moved on to a large piece of halibut (hence the comfort food aspect) that was served on a bed of vegetables and topped with fava bean puree, and finished with an olive oil cake that came with a citrus compote and creme fraiche. Oh, and the 2003 Pur Sang we brought paired nicely with my meal. I've had a handful of people mention that they'd like to try Woodward's -- my advice is that it's worth trying, but that it probably won't be added to your list of favorites.Sabinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10781863557648503387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9483337.post-1146548942409813772006-05-01T22:34:00.000-07:002006-05-01T22:49:02.430-07:00DelfinaOur friend <a href="http://breakfastfirst.blogs.com">Michael </a>was visitng from Seattle last week and enjoyed our guest room ("Michael's Room") Friday night.<br /><br />After enjoying a <a href="http://www.pridewines.com/content.asp?l=WIM">Pride Merlot</a> at home, we walked a couple blocks to <a href="http://www.delfinasf.com">Delfina</a> to make our 10 pm reservations. The food was good, but not remarkable. We had an earthy red wine, but nothing memorable. I had:<br /><br /><i>Little gem lettuce with Parmigiano frico and lemon-anchovy vinaigrette</i><br /><br /><i>King salmon with melted leeks and meyer lemon-caper butter</i><br /><br /><i>Profiteroles with espresso gelato, warm chocolate sauce and candied almonds</i><br /><br />In the Italian restaurant scene, <a href="http://www.a16sf.com/">A16</a> does it for me much better then Delfina. <a href="www.delfinasf.com"></a><br /><br />Michael and I may have ganged up on Aren on the way home. Someone asked us if we had a light. Michael and I simply said sorry, no. Aren instead had to say, "No. I do not smoke." Read what you want into Aren's response, but Michael and I thought it was hilarious.Sabinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10781863557648503387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9483337.post-1145044159054338702006-04-14T12:43:00.000-07:002006-04-14T12:49:19.073-07:00My Friend JeffThis entry is not very food related, but it is about my friend Jeff who happens to like tasty food.<br /><br />Like me, Jeff fell into a period of blog-apathy, his last <a href="http://kolesky.com/blagh">entry</a> was from the 22nd of January! Pathetic! <br /><br />Friends and food-lovers alike, let's all muster up some mental energy to lend Jeff to get back onto the blogging-bandwagon. Gooo Jeff!Sabinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10781863557648503387noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9483337.post-1144623205101805092006-04-09T15:22:00.000-07:002006-04-09T15:53:25.126-07:00Warm and ColdLast weekend, we went to <a href="http://www.foreigncinema.com/">Foreign Cinema</a> for the first time. As per my request, we were seated inches away from the restaurant's fireplace, making for a very warm and lovely meal. Last night, we dined at <a href="http://www.pilarnapa.com/">Pilar</a>, a newish restaurant in downtown Napa. We were plopped next to a window near the entrance (not what we had requested), causing me to focus more on my coldness during the meal, rather the well-prepared food.<br /><br />Before our Foreign Cinema experience, we had drinks at <a href="http://www.laszlobar.com/">Laszlo</a>, the bar connected to Foreign Cinema. We whiled an hour away on a leather couch in the bar's loft-like upstairs level. The bar is very stark and eurotrash, yet cozy. Our evening at Foreign Cinema itself was the best first-time experience I've had at a restaurant in quite some time. I started with a chicory salad with garlic croutons (Aren with the beef carpaccio, a stand-out dish) before moving onto halibut for my main and pavlova for my dessert. The best part of our meal may have been the 1997 Mount Veeder cab we brought -- it didn't exactly match my halibut, but I really didn't mind. After sharing a half glass with us, our server kindly waved the corkage fee. <br /><br />I had a rather draining week at work last week, so Aren promised to take me away for Saturday night if I promised to leave laptop and work behind. We escaped to the <a href="http://www.carnerosinn.com/">Carneros Inn</a> in wine country for an overnight. Uncharacteristically, we opted for an afternoon of spa treatments, rather than hit up some wineries. Even though we didn't run into Gavin (the Newsoms manage the Plumpjack facilities, of which the inn is part), we enjoyed our stay. Our tin-roofed cottage featured heated slate floors in the bathroom and an outdoor shower in our private patio which was accessible from the french doors a hop-step from our bed. Luxurious.<br /><br />Aren had read about Pilar on a fellow Stanford alumnus' <a href="http://www.teich.net/blog/">blog</a>. The food was simple, fresh, and elegant, but the service was not. After waiting 45 minutes for the back corner table we had been promised, we were seated at the abovementioned table. Fortunately, I had Aren to rub my goosebumped arms throughout the meal, which, again, was very good. I had a raddichio salad with balsamic poached cherries and parmesan reggiano, seared halibut on a bed of leek-whatnot, and an apple tart. Unfortunately for Pilar, I don't think we'll be returning. There are too many other restaurants in wine country that have not only good food, but also good service and atmosphere. <br /><br />Aren't you happy I'm back?Sabinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10781863557648503387noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9483337.post-1144005665927073622006-04-02T12:18:00.000-07:002006-04-02T12:21:55.300-07:00It's Alive!Many of you keep reminding me that I have a blog. I took a bit of a sabbatical from my blog, but am resuscitating it. <br /><br />I have some food and wine experiences from this weekend to write about later, but here's some reading material to tide you over in the meatime: <a href="http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/04/02/CMTOP100.DTL">SF Chronicle's Top 100 Restaurants of 2006</a>Sabinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10781863557648503387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9483337.post-1133580475119031822005-12-02T19:08:00.000-08:002005-12-03T17:42:32.860-08:00My Favorite Things"...these are a few of my favorite things..."<br /><br />While I couldn't convince Aren to take me to the Sound of Music Sing-A-Long at the <a href="http://www.thecastrotheatre.com/">Castro Theater</a>, I did manage to enjoy a few of my favorite things the day after Thanksgiving: Napa and Chapeau!<br /><br />Celine and Grant are also wine lovers (it must run in the Gounder blood), so we took them to Napa. First, we visited <a href="http://www.pridewines.com/">Pride</a>, which has recently received accolades from Wine Spectator and the like. In addition to their new release Cab, Merlot, and Chardonnay, we were able to enjoy some barrel tasting, which is always fun. <br /><br />After Pride, we visited <a href="http://www.schramsberg.com/">Schramsberg</a>, a sparkling wine producer. Our tour guide was a bit of a dork, but entertaining nonetheless. He told us about the history of the winery. Schramsberg is the second oldest winery in Napa (although it's changed ownership since the original days and from still to sparkling wine production) and has caves that Chinese immigrants built, having gained expertise from working on the Transcontinental railroad. The winery's caves are covered with thick, web-like moss, giving the caves a certain rustic, yet slightly disgusting charm. We learned that the winery still riddles their wine by hand, which must be giving someone a major back problem. The tour ended in a subterranean tasting room, where we tasted a nice flight of wines, including the Demi-Sec we brought home. Our dorky tour guide described everything as exploding in his mouth. We almost shouted "boom" after the fifth time we heard this phrase from him. Before leaving, we snapped a shot in front of the winery's <a href="http://www.thesandersens.com/photos/Thanksgiving%202005/tn/105-0598_IMG.JPG.html">mascot</a>, a frog statue looking through a glass of champagne in the moonlight (he's looking for leftover yeast). <br /><br />We stopped by <a href="http://www.jpvwines.com/">Joseph Phelps'</a> place to have a glass of wine and to replace the bottle of Merlot we enjoyed a couple weeks ago before heading to Chapeau! for dinner. Perhaps Celine or Grant would like to comment on the meal?Sabinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10781863557648503387noreply@blogger.com87tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9483337.post-1133578915295143382005-12-02T18:46:00.000-08:002005-12-02T19:08:29.676-08:00T-Day WeekendWe had our first overnight houseguests over Thanksgiving weekend: my sister <a href="http://www.thesandersens.com/photos/Pictures%20by%20Georges%20and%20Raj/tn/Picture%20430.jpg.html">Celine</a> and brother-in-law <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/writers/grant_wahl/archive/index.html">Grant</a>. <br /><br />Our menu:<br />Jello-sour-cream-cranberry salad (this is the most ghetto recipe I have in my repertoire)<br />Spinach salad<br /><a href="http://www.thesandersens.com/photos/Thanksgiving%202005/tn/105-0580_IMG.JPG.html">Roasted turkey</a> and gravy<br />Pommes dauphine (aka puffed potatoes)<br />Roasted root vegetables with balsamic glaze<br />Wild mushroom stuffing with chestuts<br />Pumpkin bread<br />Individual Grand Marnier souffles<br /><br />Um, yum!<br /><br />We had 5 bottles of wine in the course of evening, leaving some of us <a href="http://www.thesandersens.com/photos/Thanksgiving%202005/tn/105-0589_IMG.JPG.html">dancing in the kitchen</a>. <br /><br />It was a perfect Thanksgiving -- food, family, and laughter.Sabinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10781863557648503387noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9483337.post-1133332881110217112005-11-29T22:18:00.000-08:002005-11-29T22:41:21.376-08:00Bubbles & BixAren and I had a little B&B two weeks ago -- that is drinks at the <a href="http://www.bubblelounge.com/">Bubble Lounge </a> and a very late (i.e., midnight snack) dinner at <a href="http://www.bixrestaurant.com/flash/index.html">Bix</a>. <br /><br />The Bubble Lounge is a champagne bar in the Financial District, which I have discovered is the second Marina (the crowds are the same). We shared a bottle of <a href="http://www.roedererestate.net/wines/brut.html">Roederer Brut</a>, a conservative yet reliable bottle of sparkling wine that we thought would fit the crowd with whom we were. I also had a champagne cocktail of sparkling wine and passion fruit liqueur. By the time we left, the cozy couches were overflowing and dance floor downstairs was a real meat market. Unfortunately, one has to pass through the mob of dancers to use the restroom -- my suggestion: avoid all eye contact. <br /><br />Bix is conveniently a stumble away from the Bubble Lounge. It's touted as a swanky supper club, a description with which I agree. The food is so-so, which is also what most of the reviews I read thought. We shared potato pillows with creme fraiche and caviar, a watercress salad with smoked trout, an arugula and pear salad, and the restaurant's famous chicken hash, which are essentially crab cakes sans crab and with chicken. I don't believe in sharing dessert, so we each had our own bananas foster. Enjoyable, but not the best I've ever had (the best was in Cabo San Lucas and involved large quantities and many varieties of alcohol).<br /><br />Stay tuned for Thanksgiving dets.Sabinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10781863557648503387noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9483337.post-1131602487095674532005-11-09T21:45:00.000-08:002005-11-09T22:01:27.106-08:00An Empty Stomach & A Full EarAren and I hit up <a href="http://www.sfmaverick.com">Maverick</a>, a new "American Eatery" in the Mission, last weekend with some Stanford pals. Maverick's concept is American comfort food with a refined twist. Cute, but not exactly creative, given the plethora of places like <a href="http://www.home-sf.com/">Home</a>, <a href="http://www.blueplatesf.com/">Blue Plate</a>, <a href="http://www.chenerypark.com/">Chenery Park</a>, blah, blah, blah.<br /><br />I agree with Sir Bauer's <a href="http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/11/06/CMGM9DDOG81.DTL&type=food">assessment </a>of the restaurant's atmosphere. To me, half the fun of a meal is the company with whom I'm spending it, and not the folks two, three, and four tables away from me. Perhaps I'm becoming more of a grump with age (I'm rapidly approaching 30), but why can't there be more tasty restaurants that don't require ear plugs?<br /><br />And, the food? I find that a good way to judge a restaurant's quality is to ask yourself whether you can make a meal at least as good as what you're served. The fig salad, three bean chili, and mushroom side I had were all pleasant, but certainly not impressive. <br /><br />Wow, I am becoming a grump, eh?Sabinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10781863557648503387noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9483337.post-1129516169914077942005-10-16T19:10:00.000-07:002005-10-16T19:29:41.256-07:00Hip != GoodAren and I celebrated our second year anniversary at <a href="http://www.lafolie.com/">La Folie</a> on the 20th of September. Along with the standard amuse-bouche and post-dessert sweets, I had Parsley and Garlic Soup with a Râgout of Snails and Shiitake Mushrooms, Butter Poached Lobster on a Fava Bean, Artichoke Ravioli with Shiso, Scallion, Carrot and Toasted Almond Salad, and Mint Marinated Strawberry Napoleon with Caramelized Mascarpone Crème, Rhubarb Compote, Strawberry Sorbet. I'll apologize to my loyal readers now for not going into more detail on the meal -- it was superb, but with a month between me and that meal, I don't think I could do it justice (plus I am lazy!). We did a wine pairing for the first time ever. I highly recommend it -- it was fun to have a professional do the pairings and to try six different wines over the course of the evening.<br /><br />...now to present day...<br /><br />After grabbing a glass of <a href="http://www.rombauer.com/">Rombauer</a> chardonnay at a co-worker's place this Friday, we all headed to the <a href="http://www.hotelvitale.com/dining/">Americano</a>, a hip new hang in the Hotel Vitale. I started with a glass of prosseco and a simple butter lettuce salad, before moving to a roasted wild mushroom pizza, which was prepared on an usual pastry-like crust. The food was pretty good and company terrific, but the atmosphere was horrible. We were surrounded by the botox-squad and gold diggers digging in the post-work financial district crowd, both of which believe in screaming all evening long. As someone who loves a quiet, cozy space, this was not the place for me. I could't even stand to stick around for dessert! The one saving grace of the evening was the people with whom we spent it (a Zagat 30 for the company)!Sabinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10781863557648503387noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9483337.post-1125952732205496232005-09-05T13:35:00.000-07:002005-09-11T11:34:35.930-07:00There's No Place Like HomeWe're going to be home owners! After five failed attempts and a good dose of emotional drainage, we're finally under contract on a <a href="http://www.thesandersens.com/Hartford">place</a> in the Castro that is three blocks away from <a href="http://www.sumiinthecastro.com">Sumi</a>! To celebrate, we headed to Napa last weekend to add to our wine collection and to get some good eats.<br /><br />We stopped at <a href="http://www.jpvwines.com/">Joseph Phelps,</a> a winery about which the authors of the <em>Wall Street Journal</em>'s "Tastings" column have written good things. Rather than offering a tour, the winery offers a seminar to folks who want something more educational than a straight-up tasting. The seminar itself was not so great. The seminar leader's knowledge was rather limited, and rudely pointed out throughout the seminar how incredibly young we (well, Aren) look. I'm trying to expand my appreciation and knowledge of reds, having finally realized that Napa Cabs don't equal all reds in the world. We came away with a nice bottle of Merlot, which is about 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Merlots are often seen as easy reds to drink, but not particularly complex. A small about of Cab, however, does wonders for the wine. The Merlot we selected is soft, yet structured.<br /><br />We also toured the <a href="http://www.domaine.com/index.html">Taittinger</a> family's place in Napa. The tour was pretty touristy, but we learned some fun sparkling wine trivia. For example, do you know why sparkling wine bottles have the foil wrapping? Before degorgement was invented, peeps decanted their wine from one bottle to another to get rid of the dead yeast, oftentimes causing a lot of spillage. To mask the less than full wine bottles, wine makers topped their bottles with foil. We came away with a bottle of Brut Rose, which you can only get at the winery. We thought it would be fun to drink with some sushi one night.<br /><br />On our way back to SF, we dined at <a href="http://www.baywolf.com/">Bay Wolf</a>, who is celebrating their 30th anniversary with a duck menu (duck duck duck...DUCK!). I had their duck liver flan, sole, and a berry pudding. The flan was pretty tasty, sole was boring, and berry pudding scrumptious. We had brought along a bottle of Donnhoff Spatlese, which was light, perfectly sweet, and very gulpable. All in all, Bay Wolf was decent, but we'll probably never go there again, as there a way too many better places to go in the city.<br /><br />We ended the weekend with a meal at Chapeau! We had our favorite table in the back corner, Phillipe brought us a great red Burgundy, and Aren had a kick-ass rabbit main that was just added to their menu. There is really no place like home.Sabinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10781863557648503387noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9483337.post-1125281477578553682005-08-28T18:51:00.000-07:002005-09-10T12:11:03.906-07:00Restaurant RoundupIn the last month, we've been to some of the hipper SF joints, the first two of which were completely new to us: <a href="http://www.mythsf.com">Myth</a>, <a href="http://www.bacarsf.com">Bacar</a>, and Zuni.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mythsf.com">Myth</a> has been getting some rave reviews for its cool space and its great new American food. We loved the space, which boasts a great bar and an elegant yet trendy feel. My meal consisted of the warm sweetbread salad, seared scallops, and a sugar waffle with berries and a creme fraiche parfait. Many reviews have described the sweetbread salad as delicious even to non-sweetbread lovers. This is true, as the salad tastes like bacon, which was good but disappointing to me, since I actually do like sweetbread. The scallops were good, but I've had much better at places like <a href="http://www.sumiinthecastro.com">Sumi</a>. The sommelier upsold us on a bottle of Verget Meursault 2003, which fortunately we loved.<br /><br />Many of my work friends have spoken highly of <a href="http://www.bacarsf.com">Bacar</a>, a wine bar and restaurant in SOMA. We were pretty disappointed. Aren's seared ahi tuna appetizer was overpriced and extremely unspecial. The space was loud and the clientele old-yuppie, if there is such a thing. I would go back for their amazing wine list, even though we didn't pick that well on our visit. We tasted two white burgundies side-by-side: a Marc Colin Meursault Les Narvaux 2003 and Michael Colin-Deleger 2003.<br /><br />Zuni continues to be amongst our favorite SF restaurants. We've dined there twice in the past two weeks, arriving late enough to not need reservations. I love their starter of anchovies, accompanied by nicoise olives, thin slices of celery, and parmesan cheese. It's so simple, fresh, and elegant. The desserts we've recently had there have also been divine: a plum sorbet, mixed berry ice cream, creme brulee, and a chocolate pot de creme. <br /><br />Guess where we're going next weekend?Sabinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10781863557648503387noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9483337.post-1122833054777256612005-07-31T10:44:00.000-07:002005-07-31T11:19:27.176-07:00Sub-Fabulous: Piperade & Millenium<a href="http://www.piperade.com/">Piperade</a> and <a href="http://www.millenniumrestaurant.com/">Millenium</a> are the last two restaurants we've tried. We had enjoyable meals at both restaurants, but will likely not return to either. <br /><br />Piperade's space is actually quite fabulous. The space is warm and elegant with wood beams on the ceilings, wide-planked hardwood floors, and a large communal table at the restaurant's center. The menu is a fun read, including dishes such as a sheep's milk and ham terrine and foie gras sauteed with Monterey squid. Everything on the menu seemed so creative and unusual to us, perhaps because we're very unfamiliar with Basque cuisine. I settled on an apple and calamari salad, steamed pacific snapper with fried garlic, and orange blossom beignets. While my dishes were all fairly tasty, they read better on the menu. We tried a basque white wine, which was really disappointing. It was fairly tasteless and had a effervescence reminiscent of alka seltzer, rather than a sparkling wine. Oh well.<br /><br />We visited Millenium with a vegetarian-centric group. The atmosphere was perfect for a big group -- we were seated at a large round table. Again, the food was complex, interesting sounding, and fairly good, but nothing superb. I started with a warm spinach salad before moving on to some sort of tamale and a cobbler for dessert. It was nice to see my vegetarian friends have a whole menu from which to select, but I did feel a little bad for the carnivores of the group. While I'm sure they enjoyed the food, I think a nice, meat-serving restaurant would have pleased them more. Again, oh well.Sabinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10781863557648503387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9483337.post-1120500723156147432005-07-04T11:09:00.000-07:002005-07-04T17:14:14.960-07:00To Our Friends at Sumi!I think <a href="http://www.zagat.com">Zagat</a>'s ratings are generally right on the money. I like that the ratings are an average of many people's opinions. (The only rating site I favor more than Zagat is <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/">Rotten Tomatoes</a>, which provides movie ratings based on an average of <em>critics'</em> ratings). Aren and I found ourselves let down by Zagat this past Saturday when we visited <a href="http://www.thehse.com">House</a>, a contemporary Asian restaurant in North Beach that is rated 26 for food, a rating equal to Chapeau's. We had read that the atmosphere is cramped and noisy, so we were prepared for a less than romantic evening. We weren't, however, prepared for the disappointing food. The food's main issue was overpowering, not-so-delicious sauces. Aren's black cod ended up tasting like wasabi, and my sea bass' flavor was spoiled by the salty-even-for-soy-sauce soy based sauce. The best part of our meal was definitely the apple crumb pie we had -- odd for an Asian place!<br /><br />We originally had Sunday reservations at <a href="http://www.plumpjack.com/falstaff1.html">Jack Falstaff</a>, the newest addition to the Plumpjack family (ie, Gavin's family). After our Saturday experience, I cancelled, wanting to go to a place I knew to be reliable and super-cozy -- <a href="http://www.sumiinthecastro.com">Sumi</a>. Aren and I have wine coming out of our ears, so we decided to bring a bottle to dinner, paying the very reasonable $15 corkage at Sumi. I had always been embarrassed to do the corkage thing in the past, as I was worried that it would be a slight to the sommelier. I was wrong! We brought the bottle of Chassagne-Montrachet Morgeot <br />Clos de la Chapelle Duc de Magenta 1998 that we had picked up in France and made sure to offer some to our waiter. Our waiter offered a taste of his taste to his partner who was in the restaurant at the time. His partner turned out to be one of the restaurant's owners and an ex-winemaker. We spent a good part of the evening chatting with him and later Sumi about wine, restaurants, and real estate! <br /><br />It was really a magical night. It was truly pleasurable to see how wine and the simple act of sharing can bring people together.Sabinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10781863557648503387noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9483337.post-1119319258510746902005-06-20T18:46:00.000-07:002005-06-20T19:02:45.386-07:00I Scream for Ice Cream!As an undergraduate at Stanford, I lived in a house called Storey with my now-husband. Storey was known for having the best "open kitchen" on the row and a fabulous cook named Diana. From time-to-time we'd have "special dinners" at Storey to which we were allowed a guest and for which Diana cooked up a fancy meal (at least by college standards).<br /><br />On one occasion, Diana had the novel idea of having one of our special dinners at her boyfriend's new restaurant in the city, rather than at Storey. Her boyfriend's restaurant is <a href="http://www.blueplatesf.com">The Blue Plate</a>, which has received quite a few good reviews since our special dinner there. <br /><br />To make a long story short, my old Storey roommate Elizabeth was in town this weekend, so we thought it would be fun to hit up The Blue Plate, along with some of our other ex-Storey friends who live in the city. The food itself was dinner party good, but not awesome restaurant good. We shared some fava bean bruschetta and a nice plate of fries to start. I had skate which came with some purple potatoes. Good, but nothing special. <br /><br />The food highlight of the evening was our post-dinner stop at Mitchell's. I had only had the famous San Francisco ice cream at work, so it was nice to actually pick my own flavor from the full list. I had a scoop of rum raisin, my childhood fave, believe it or not. It was creamy and delicious. Future flavors to try include a white pistachio and a thai tea.<br /><br />Ice cream rocks!Sabinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10781863557648503387noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9483337.post-1117684417701584932005-06-01T20:53:00.000-07:002007-04-03T17:40:20.256-07:00Our Wine Route, Part II<a href="http://www.dujac.com/">Domaine Dujac</a> (Cote de Nuits)<br /><br />Domaine Dujac's pride and joy is its reds. Our guide explained that their 2003 reds are not representative of what they typically produce. 2003 was an unusually warm year, so the wines they produced are more alcoholic than usual.<br /><br />Our visit was rather short -- we tasted a handful of wines, loving the reds we tasted. We were disappointed to find out that they were completely sold out of their wines. We, however, were referred to a distributor in SF: chambers@chamberswines.com. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.chateau-fuisse.fr/">Chateau Fuisse</a> (Mâconnais)<br /><br />Chateau Fuisse is one of my two favorite wineries from our trip. Chateau Fuisse was also one of the few places we visited where many of the vines were on the property we visited for our tasting. <br /><br />The land in Maconnais is not classified into crus a la Burgundy, but Maconnais still uses the notion of terroir. Fuisse wines are harvested according to "climat," a plot of land with its own personality. For example, we brought home a bottle of wine from "Le Clos," a tiny plot of land adjacent to the property. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.duboeuf.com/">Georges Duboeuf</a> (Beaujolais)<br /><br />Once upon a time, a Beaujolais was a good table wine, thirst-quenching and light-hearted, but not particularly nuanced. This doesn't work well for Americans who like big, tannic reds. In his <em>Adventures on the Wine Route</em>, Kermit Lynch explains that Beaujolais winemakers have sold-out, adding sugar to their wines to increase alcohol content (ie, chapitalization). <br /><br />Wanting to form our own opinion of the current generation of Beaujolais, we scheduled a stop at Georges Dubouef's. George Dubouef not only created a winery, but also what he calls Adventures in Beaujolais, a museum, winery, and park in one. He should have actually called it Adventures in Crazy Crazy Land. He must have planned the whole project while drunk on his own wines. The museum was so bad that it was funny. It included a video projection of the first winemaker against a diorama. Who is the first winemaker you ask? Noah from ark-fame of course! The video includes Noah's animals and all the sounds they make. Unfortunately for us, the 3-D film starring Paul Bocuse wasn't functioning the day we revisited. Too bad -- it would have been nice to hear him talk about himself.<br /><br />We neither ran into other visitors in the gigantic museum nor in the lavish tasting room/bar. The gentleman pouring wines seemed confused when we asked for a spit bucket. I guess Dubeouf's visitors typically prefer to chug the five glasses of wine offered to them. I suppose I don't blame them if they just came out of the museum of madness!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.isasite.net/cuilleron/">Caves Yves Cuilleron</a><br /><br />Yves Cuilleron was my other favorite winery from our trip. I'm a sucker for dessert wines, so we ended up bringing two late harvest bottles of Condrieu home from the winemaker. Since I've been home, I've noticed Yves Cuilleron on SF wine menus -- lucky for us and you (well some of you)!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.jaboulet.com/ie/index_ie.php?navigateur=ie">Paul Jaboulet</a><br /><br />Much of our tour at Paul Jaboulet consisted of viewing the bottling line. The line is incredibly mechanized, requiring few human workers.<br /><br />Our tasting took place in what looked like a middle school science lab! Since Jaboulet ships many of its bottles to the US, we asked whether the winery makes any special wines for the US. Our tasting guide mentioned that they've done this on one occasion, bottling a more tannic wine for US-only consumption. We tasted this wine --I gave it two thumbs down. I enjoyed all the other wines we tasted, notably their Condrieu, which is the only wine that isn't carried in the US!Sabinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10781863557648503387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9483337.post-1117513130445696282005-05-30T21:04:00.000-07:002007-04-03T17:39:41.073-07:00Our Wine Route, Part IThe Gounder-Sandersen-Wahl wine route started in Chablis, before moving to the Cote d'Or, Beaujolais, and finally, the Northern Rhone. The first half of the wineries we visited:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.clicquotinc.com/fevre/index.asp">William Fevre</a> (Chablis)<br /><br />In 1936, the land in Burgundy was divided into several classifications, which are still upheld today by law. Grand Crus produce the best wines, and Premier Crus produce the second best wines. Most Burgundian wines fall in neither of these two classifications. Generally speaking, Grand Crus and Premier Crus are from the steepest slopes. The rationale is that grapes' roots struggle more to find water the steeper the land. The more the grapes suffer, the more complex the wine. <br /><br />This steepness factor points to a big philosophical difference between French wines and the wines of Napa. Traditionally, French winemakers have tried to make wines that are representative of their terroirs (the land). While a good Napa winemaker believes in the quality of the grape, he also believes that he should play a large role in what to do with the grapes once they come off their vines. Hence, the obsession with new oak in Napa -- while a Frenchman growing Chardonnay in Chablis would likely let his wine take the minerally, more subtle taste of the terroir, an American is more likely to try to infuse the Chardonnay grapes with the oaky/buttery taste that we love. Perhaps the difference stems from Napa's newness and our lack of knowledge about our terroir. Or, perhaps American tastes (bigger = better) account for the philosophical difference. <br /><br />William Fevre has vines that cross all the various classifciations. While the terroir classification could seem like a governmental ploy to protect the French wine industry, it's pretty right on. That's not to say that a Grand Cru can't produce a bad wine or that a non-cru terrior can't produce a good one. From our experience, however, we enjoyed the Grand Crus we tasted to the lesser classifcations. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.chablisienne.com/">Chablisienne</a> (Chablis)<br /><br /><em>Wine Spectator</em> grants high ratings to many of the wines produced by Chablisienne. Given this, we were surprised to notice boxed wine stockpiles when we arrived for our tasting. Moreover, unlike the other wineries we visited, Chablisienne relies on mechanical picking due to the high labor costs that would be incurred with hand picking. <br /><br />How could this be the same acclaimed winemaker we had read about? We soon learned that Chablisienne is a cooperative of over 200 vineyard owners. With so many grapes to choose from, Chablisienne is able to produce everything from Grand Cru wines to, well, wine in a box. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.alexgambal.com/">Alex Gambal</a> (Cote de Beaune)<br /><br />Alex Gambal is an American who embraced the classical French philosophy behind winemaking, producing quality wines that reflect their terroir. He doesn't grow any of his own grapes, but works as a negotiant, buying grapes from others. He, however, maintains a close relationship with and eye on his suppliers to ensure that he only uses quality grapes.<br /><br />I very much enjoyed the wines we tasted. My sister suggested that if we were to ever want to enter the wine business in France (very wishful thinking), Alex's negotiant, small scale approach might be a good one to follow.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.louisjadot.com/">Louis Jadot</a> (Cote de Beaune)<br /><br />Louis Jadot is a label easily found in the US. Given this, we were skeptical about how much we'd enjoy our tasting, fearful that the wines would be Americanized and commoditized.<br /><br />The sommelier leading our tasting addressed this exact issue without our prompting at the beginning of our tour. He explained that Jadot's aim is both in producing excellent table wines, those commonly found in the US, as well as more complex wines.<br /><br />We tasted more wines at Jadot than at any other winery, tasting unfinished wines from the barrel and finished wines, as well as wines across various terroirs and of different classifications. I came away with a 1998 Premier Cru Chassagne-Montrachet. 1998 is well-known as a horrible year for wines, but the sommelier had discovered that with a couple years, the wine had turned into something quite good. My taste buds agreed. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.drouhin.com/accueil/index1.php?lg=">Maison Joseph Drouhin</a> (Cote de Beaune)<br /><br />Joseph Drouhin is located in the heart of Beaune (it's vineyards are obviously elsewhere). Its caves are an ancient labyrinth of paths stretching beneath the city. Totally cool.<br /><br />Drouhin's vision moving forward is very different from Jadot's vision. Our guide explained the Drouhin wants to focus entirely on high quality, complex wines from the Premier and Grand Crus. He believed that focusing on the more attainable, table wines would only hurt Burgundy's ability to compete in the world market, since such table wines are not Burgundy's core competency. <br /><br /><br />Stay tuned for Our Wine Route, Part II.Sabinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10781863557648503387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9483337.post-1117481823756015882005-05-30T12:32:00.000-07:002005-05-30T15:17:32.463-07:00Paul Bocuse: A Love Story Between the Man and HimselfOur second hall of fame restaurant after Lameloise was <a href="http://www.bocuse.fr/restaurant/default.htm">Paul Bocuse</a>'s place, located in Lyon by the Saone River:<br /><br /><strong>Decor</strong><br /><br />Paul Bocuse's is fun and colorful on the outside. The restaurant's interior is very regal and spacious, making the restaurant feel less warm than Lameloise. The restaurant itself was cold for me temperature-wise, but my pashmina and our wine warmed me up over the course of the evening. <br /><br />Bocuse's infatuation with himself became quickly evident to us. The exterior of the building includes a larger than life mural of the chef and every piece of china is emblazoned with his name. Near the restroom, there is a photo of Paul with other chefs that is a very unsubtle reference to the last supper painting.<br /><br />Early in the evening, we noted that the only black member of the restaurant's staff was the doorman, who was also the only member of the restaurant wearing a little red get-up. Later, towards the end of the evening, the staff brought a chocolate birthday cake to a woman seated near us. As the cake was presented, the black staff member came in to turn an organ grinder. It was <em>awful</em> -- I was totally flabbergasted. I feel awful even repeating what image the scene reminded me of (ends with a "key"). Overall, the food was more impressive than Lameloise's, but this incident really spoiled a lot of its tastiness for me. <br /><br /><strong>Service</strong><br /><br />I don't have much to say, good or bad, about the service. When my brother-in-law ordered Johnny Walker black for his aperitif, he was told that it was fine for him to order red as well. This was obviously insulting, but I'll give the staff the benefit of the doubt and choke their comment up to some language awkwardness.<br /><br /><strong>Food</strong><br /><br />The amuse-bouche was a creamy cream of pea soup with a single gougere (a cheesy cream puff). It was excellent. I ordered a la carte:<br /><br />Foie gras de canard maison en gelée au Sauternes Antonin Carême<br /><br />Cassolette de homard à l'Armoricaine<br /><br />Cheese Course <br /><br />Pruneaux à la cannelle et au beaujolais <br /><br />The creamy lobster stew main course was incredible -- it was very rich, but the restaurant served the right (a small) portion to be pleasurable but to not finish you off for the evening (the cheese course tends to take this role for me, even though I always manage to plow through dessert). <br /><br />A pre-dessert dessert (a small creme brulee) and the typical plate of pre-dessert sweets (nougat, chocolates, meringue, etc.) were served to us. Then, a dessert cart appeared from which we could select as many desserts as we desired. Since I was so stuffed, I only had the beaujolais-soaked prunes, but could have chosen chocolate cake, a fruit tart, eggs in snow, baba au rhum, amongst many other items. <br /><br />I went home happy and full, but also bewildered by the restaurant's birthday tradition. Of the three *** places we tried, I'd put Bocuse in last place, partly because of this incident and partly because the colder atmosphere which doesn't suit me well.<br /><br />Oh, Celine, I need our wine selection from you!Sabinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10781863557648503387noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9483337.post-1117465128459080022005-05-30T06:40:00.000-07:002005-05-30T08:16:15.426-07:00Lameloise: A Restaurant For DogsWe're back from the family, food, and wine fest that we spent with my sister and her <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/inside_game/archives/grant_wahl/">husband</a> in France. Blogging about the trip in one or two sittings seems rather daunting, so I'll blog about the trip in a series of posts. I'll cover the three, *** Michelin-rated restaurants at which we dined (these restaurants represent 12% of the *** Michelin restaurants in France), as well as the wineries we hit up and other memorable details, culinary or not. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.lameloise.fr/fr/restaurant/restaur.asp">Lameloise</a> was the first of the three stars we visited:<br /><br /><strong>Decor</strong><br /><br />Lameloise's atmosphere is intimate, yet elegant. We were seated in one of several rooms, all of which were occupied by an older crowd. The ceilings were low, which made for a cozy atmosphere.<br /><br />The most out-of-place piece of decor at the restaurant was the dog seated with its owner at a table near us. When the lady and dog pair appeared, the servers said nothing, but I noticed an annoyed expression on at least one of their faces. I was certainly annoyed by the woman's arrogance. Would it be acceptable to bring Fido to The French Laundry or Fluffy to a White House dinner?! At least the dog was well-behaved -- perhaps its owner ordered it its own plate of foie gras to keep it happy and quiet.<br /><br /><strong>Service</strong><br /><br />The service was very good, but not the best I've seen (The French Laundry wins this contest for me). We were waited on by perhaps four men, and I enjoyed their explanation of the breads at the beginning of the meal and of cheeses at the end. The service, however, was not seamless -- plates did not appear out of nowhere, as the staff would crowd into a corner to organize plates before serving them to our table.<br /><br /><strong>Food</strong><br /><br />As I did with almost every dinner in France, I started off my meal with a Kir Royal. We brought back a bottle of Creme do Cerise to try a twist on the classic aperitif at home. My sister was in charge of the wine selection, so I'll update the blog with the excellent, luxurious white bottle she selected when I talk to her next (or perhaps she can add a comment to this post). <br /><br />Knowing that the restaurant focuses on the hearty, Burgundian style of cuisine, we all went for the smallest menu, the Menu Affaire. Before my actual selections I arrived, we were served a plate of small tastes (a delicate shrimp, a cheese-filled square of puff pastry, and something on a spoon). Our amuse-bouche of avocado mouse topped with two sardines was creative and refreshing. As for my meal:<br /><br /> Gâteau de foies blonds aux langoustines de Bretagne, sauce coraillée <br /> <br /> Daurade royale cuite à basse température écrasée de pommes de terre<br /> sauce légèrement parfumée aux olives noires<br /><br /> Cheese Course <br /><br /> Soufflé chaud aux fruits de la passion<br /><br />Everything was good, except for the souffle which was awesome. For those of you who don't know, daurade is a white fish. I ordered the souffle at the beginning of the meal. The waiter gave me the option of the passion fruit sauce on the side or infused and buried in the souffle. His description of the latter presentation was rather animated, and he seemed happy when I chose it. The main dessert was of course surrounded by a series of desserts -- pre-dessert sweets, post-dessert chocolates, and an espresso mousse with the coffee. We left fuller than full.<br /><br />All in all, Lameloise is really quiet good. We, however, all felt a little disappointed. With the exception of the souffle, nothing stood out. Plus, I think souffles always stand out for me. To some extent, I think the problem is my getting spoiled -- my theory is that there is diminishing enjoyment to the world-renown restaurants at which you dine.Sabinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10781863557648503387noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9483337.post-1115002638728783392005-05-01T19:33:00.000-07:002005-05-01T20:37:39.460-07:00French Three WaysWe've recently dined at a French bistro, a French-Pacific Rim spot, and an upscale French restaurant. It has occurred to me that the food I grew up with falls at the intersection of these three cuisines. Growing up, I ate simple but hearty bistro fare such as coq au vin, and my brown bag lunches often included pate-smeared baguettes. My Indian father also influenced my mother's cooking -- for example, a typical dinner might be ratatouille scooped up with pori. My mother gave me my appreciation for elegant food presentation. Every Christmas, she makes an amazing bouche de noel with knots covered in rich chocolate and painstakingly created meringue mushrooms. Enough about my mom and time for my reviews!<br /><br />Rather than stick with our favorite French Bistros, we decided to give <a href="http://www.bistroaix.com/">Bistro Aix</a> in the Marina a chance. It was ok. We went through two warm baskets of focaccia, which, unlike the rest of the meal, was truly outstanding. I started with a mesculun salad with warm goat cheese, proceeded to a cracker crust pizza, and ended with a creme brulee. All very so-so. During the meal, I kept comparing Aix to our favorite French Bistros. The creme brulee was maybe 50% the deliciousness of Chapeau's. Do not, however, fear -- the rest of this blog is much more upbeat.<br /><br />Last weekend, we hopped on the Muni to visit the Castro's <a href="http://www.matantesumi.com/">Ma Tante Sumi</a>, which blends Asian ingredients with French preparation and presentation. The restaurant has about 15 tables and is quiet and intimate. I had a green salad with fried tofu croutons, a beautiful piece of bass, and a caramelized pineapple cake. Our waiter suggested a nice Pinot Grigio for the table, which was light and perfect for my meal. The food was simple and elegant and the evening leisurely and cozy. Ma Tante Sumi has made my top restaurant list, which currently consists of Chapeau, Bistro Jeanty, and Zuni (I've purposely excluded French Laundry from this list, since it's way more than a restaurant and more of a once or twice in a lifetime experience).<br /><br />Who would be presumptuous enough to name itself <a href="http://www.ritzcarlton.com/hotels/san_francisco/dining/venues/dining_room/default.asp">The Dining Room</a>? The Ritz Carlton, that's who! The restaurant, however, does deserve the title. Before showing up for our 9pm reservations, Aren and I stopped by the lounge of the hotel for drinks. Rather than only semi-insult us and ask us for our IDs, the server asked if we wanted some water or soda. I of course berated him, but calmed down once I had my Kir Royale. The atmosphere and service were stellar. We were seated side-by-side on the cushioned-seat side of a four person table, elegantly decorated with white tulips. The very Versailles decor made as feel like royalty. We had about five male servers at our service. One server bumped into me when we were first shown to our table. He later found me to apologize. I had read great things about Sommelier Stephane Lacroix, so we had him describe the five German Rieslings on his wine list to us. We picked a Kabinnet, which was perfectly sweet but had a nice, dry finish (I foolishly forgot to write down its name). We were quickly but not too quickly served rolls from a silver tray and presented with an artichoke soup amuse-bouche. We mmm'd until it was all gone. We went with a three course menu. I had chilled foie gras with apple jam, sauternes gelée, and thinly sliced brioche. A+! My sole entree served on top of I-forgot-what with lobster tortellini was very disappointing. I am, however, trying not to hold this against the restaurant, since the taste of Aren's duck that I had was divine. My dessert included a lemon tart with orange sorbet and fruit topped with bergamot ice cream. The meal really ended with a cart of sweets. I selected a piece of nougat, a macaroon, a milk chocolate truffle, and an almond caramel. The Dining Room isn't a once-a-month type place, which is why I'm not adding it to my top restaurants list, but definitely worth trying when you're in the mood to be food-pampered. <br /><br />17 days to France!Sabinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10781863557648503387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9483337.post-1112589234356359522005-04-03T21:18:00.000-07:002005-04-03T21:43:01.896-07:00March DigestedI've been meaning to update my blog for a while, but somehow mid-March became late-March became early-April. I'm going to lazily make up for my laziness by writing up 2 of my March dining experiences.<br /><br />We went to Squaw to celebrate Aren's birthday. Aren is a fantastic skiier, and I'm not even what one could call a skiier. Somehow, however, Aren managed to be patient enough and I self-willed enough to ski together for one day. I was pretty proud of myself by the end of the day and was happy to have dinner at <a href="http://www.plumpjack.com/cafe6.html">Plumpjack</a> reserved. We started off the evening with drinks in Plumpjack's bar. A rustic fire/candle pit was featured in the middle of the bar. I almost wanted to skip dinner in favor of staying near this heat source! Aren and I both agreed that we want some sort of fireplace in our kitchen in our dream home. We were really surprised by the quality of the food at Plumpjack. Tahoe isn't really a dining destination, but Plumpjack rivaled SF's best. I started with a simple salad, moving on to a delicately prepared white fish that came with lobster-shrimp pot stickers, sesame bok choy, and spiced coconut broth. Desserts were so-so. It astounds me that good restaurants that lack pastry chefs often have tasteless desserts. It's really not that hard to make a good, simple dessert. Moreover, these dessert-deficient restaurants often try to make up for their deficiency with gimmicky desserts. I'd much rather have a solid creme brulee than a "Warm caramelized apple and beignet with creme fraiche ice cream" (a dessert I recently had at the Slanted Door). <br /><br />I thought I'd also write about the <a href="http://www.marketbar.com">Market Bar</a> located in SF's Ferry Building. When we picked it, Aren and I were looking for a casual spot where we could enjoy the outdoors on a warm SF evening. The food and service were very mediocre (our shared appetizer arrived with our entrees), but we enjoyed dining outside for once. Plus, the Ferry Building is such a pleasant walk from our place. I think the lesson here is about expectations. We picked location over food quality, got what we expected, and went home totally satisfied. <br /><br />Guess where we have reservations next Friday?Sabinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10781863557648503387noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9483337.post-1110252180407582912005-03-07T18:44:00.000-08:002007-04-03T17:39:01.476-07:00Wine & FriendsTurns out that wine and friends go well together. Aren and I made our umptenth trip of the year to Napa with friends visiting from Seattle. We toured a total of four wineries.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.cakebread.com">Cakebread</a>: Having enjoyed a tour of Cakebread a year ago, we thought the winery would be a good intro to Napa for our friends. We tasted their current releases of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Merlot, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon. I was pleasantly surprised when a wine buyer on our tour approached me, wondering if I was in the wine business too. We left with a bottle of Chardonnay, the varietal for which Cakebread is probably the most well-known.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.chandon.com">Domaine Chandon</a>: I like sparkling wine. I almost always default to buying <a href="http://www.roedererestate.net/">Roederer</a> because its wines are reasonably priced and reliable. So, I was happy to discover an alternative at Domaine Chandon. We left with two very different wines, their more high-end Etoile, which is more aged than most of their wines and has a distinct almond taste, as well as their Riche which has a sweeter style I think will go well with Asian food. Chandon's open-air tasting bar was a beautiful setting for tasting these wines.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.frogsleap.com/">Frog's Leap</a>: Frog's Leap had a really fun tour. Rather than lecture us on how they make their wine (something most tours focus on), Frog's Leap's tour focused on the history of the winery. Our tour guide sat us around a wooden table on their grounds and had a storytime with us while we enjoyed some nice wines. The style of this tour is very much in sync with the winery's culture -- friendly, organic, and laid back. The most interesting thing I learned is that Frog's Leap's name comes from Stags' Leap's name -- I had always thought this was a coincidence! The winery's founder made his first batch of wine from stolen Stags' Leap grapes (er, I should say "liberated" grapes). We left the winery with a very fun wine, their Leapfrögmilch, which is a blend of Chardonnay and Riesling. The wine seems a little schizophrenic, but was too fun to pass up. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.peju.com">Peju Province</a>: I was a little wined out by the time we reached Peju, so I did't taste too much. I did, however, find out about an interesting wine Peju makes, their Provence. Provence is a table wine which Peju has created in the spirit of European table wines, such as your Chianti or traditional Beaujolais. The idea is that the wine is very refreshing and gulpable -- it's not heavy like your classic California reds. <br /><br />What goes with wine and friends? Food! We kicked off the weekend with a visit to the <a href="http://www.slanteddoor.com">Slanted Door</a>. I hadn't visited their new Ferry Building location, so it was nice to do so. The space is much bigger than their last location. They have a nice big bar with lots of seating. Plus, they serve much of their menu in the bar -- it's nice to know that we'll have the option of dining there without making reservations a month ahead of time. Aren and I shared their spring rolls, claypot chicken, and eggplant dish. The claypot chicken was excellent. Their desserts, however, were disappointing. I had been impressed by the excellence of their desserts on a previous visit -- normally, Asian restaurants don't shine in this department. The beignet and caramelized apple I had on Friday were really pretty pathetic. <br /><br />On Saturday, we visited <a href="http://www.bistrojeanty.com">Bistro Jeanty</a>, for literally the fifth time in the past year. Aren and I shared their duck foie gras pate, which I recommend over their duck and goat cheese and rabbit pates, both of which we've had before. Feeling adventurous, I tried their rabbit special instead of my standard mussels steamed in red wine. Yum!<br /><br />Signing off until my next yummy experience...Sabinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10781863557648503387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9483337.post-1109037380691390482005-02-21T17:28:00.000-08:002005-02-21T18:02:00.050-08:00Wine WoesFood and wine community, I need your help! We're planning a May trip to France with my sister and brother-in-law. While a good chunk of the trip is allocated for visiting family and Ms. Paris (the city, not the socialite), we're touring the Burgundy wine country as well. Most of my wine education has taken place in Napa, so I've been trying to educate myself on French wines in hopes of selecting good vignerons to visit.<br /><br />The most inspiring resource I've come by is Kermit Lynch's <u>Adventure's on the Wine Route</u>. It's out-of-date, so while it lacked many recommendations for me, I loved Lynch's philosophy and found the book really educational. To summarize, Lynch prefers buying directly from producers rather than negociants and a complicated wine to the big wines American blindly hold in high esteem. Lynch decries the modern methods that many wineries have adopted to save money and to appeal to the public's unsophisticated palate and fear of natural wines. For someone who has been brainwashed to think that new oak is always the way to go and that big, alcoholic red wines deserve the most praise, I found Lynch's book eye-opening and, well, relieving (I've never had much a palate for big reds).<br /><br />Back to the subject of this post. I've worked on a preliminary list of producers to visit, many of which Lynch currently imports. The list is below, but I'd love to have you fill in the holes and send me your recommendations. The *'d ones I have yet to determine how to contact. Here's my list:<br /><br /><b>Chablis</b><br />Vincent Dauvissat*<br />William Fevre<br /><br /><b>Cote d’Or</b><br />Alex Gambal (Cote de Beaunes)<br />Louis Jadot (Code de Beaunes) <br />Maume (Gevrey Chambertin)<br />Robert Denogent (Maconnais)<br /><br /><b>Beaujolais</b><br />TBD<br /><br /><b>N Rhone</b><br />Thierry Allemand*<br />Guy Bernard*<br /><br />I suppose I should also blog about my weekend's dining experiences. Friday night we went to <a href="http://www.lunaparksf.com/">Luna Park</a>, where I had the worst mussels I've ever had, which certainly doesn't mean I didn't enjoy them. I like going to Luna Park because it has pretty good food, good prices, is fun for a group, and has a good bananas foster. We had a romantic dinner at <a href="http://www.anamandara.com/">Ana Mandera</a> on Saturday night. I was a little concerned when I found out that the restaurant was opened by Don Johnson, but, fortunately, he sold it a couple years ago. The atmosphere was incredible -- the cozy bar upstairs had a jazz band and the spacious downstairs was reminiscent of colonial Vietnam, not that I've ever been there or am a fan of colonial-whatever. The food was solid -- my favorite item was my claypot fish, but nothing else is worth mentioning.<br /><br />I'm signing off, but hope to hear from some of you soon!Sabinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10781863557648503387noreply@blogger.com1