Yes, there are many reasons living in San Francisco is fabulous but in my top 5 is our proximity to the many wine regions of Northern California. During the Easter break, I took a day trip up to St. Helena to have lunch at Farmstead with my sister and to take in the change of the seasons.
Farmstead is a new restaurant in St. Helena run by the owners of Long Meadow Ranch Winery and Long Meadow Ranch. An ideal set up—they have their own first-rate supply of seasonal ingredients to be inspired by. I had the California halibut with roasted beets, asparagus, lemon and mint which was heavenly. The sauce was rich and buttery with a perfectly balanced profile of Meyer lemon, tarragon and a few other herbs, a delightfully bright homage to the season. But even while enjoying my halibut, I was eyeing the featured grass-fed beef cut of the day at the table next to us. I really wanted to order it but went with the lighter halibut since we were planning on dessert—be sure you do, too! The wine list was one of the most exciting elements about the restaurant. They featured wines from around the world, all extremely reasonably priced and their corkage fee was only $2 (which is donated to a local charity), not typical of the area. I know Michael Bauer of the San Francisco Chronicle criticized the decision to pair a menu centered on local foods with a wine list made up of wines from France, Spain, Italy, Slovenia, and Austria. I see his point but I'm okay with it because this wine list truly rocks! They didn’t reach for big brand names, but selected wines of character and more importantly.... GREAT FOOD WINES at GREAT PRICES! The restaurant has only been open for a few months and is still working a few kinks on the service side. All in all, I found the meal, ambience and wine a real inspired find for the area. There are many restaurants I love in the area, but they tend to be more expensive. I think Farmstead did a nice job carving out their niche. During our visit, we also stopped for a behind the scenes tour with a friend at Vine Cliff Winery. The view from the winery was magnificent. On the way home, we HAD TO make a stop at Bouchon. If the French Laundry is a stretch for your budget, then stop at Thomas Keller’s bakery and grab some bread and macaroons. I even bought a foie gras biscuit for my dog Frank! I'm very thankful that we are close to the area and will be back soon for to be inspired by the scenery, great food and great wine.
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Food, money, Las Vegas—it's a delicate balance and a word that doesn’t fit with Las Vegas. We recently headed to Vegas to welcome another birthday with some long-time good friends. You would think it would be easy to pick a place to eat since choices are abundant. But with the economic times being what they are, I really wanted something for the money. As @linecook wrote to me: “vegas is a black hole as far as food goes...but I did enjoy my food at Katz's at 3 am. Maybe head off the strip?” His term “black hole” kept swimming in my head. You do pay a premium eating on the Strip. After many Web searches, I was feeling like the food was all about being on the Strip and wasn’t particularly inspired. So twitter friend @xela854 (Alex C) gave us numerous recommendations for both on and off the Strip.
Our first dinner was at Wazuzu located in the Wynn Encore. Here, Chef Jet Tila prepared cuisine from Japan, Thailand, Korea, China and India. We thought the cuisines were going to be integrated but they were all individual dishes, true to the classic flavors of their country of origin. Since we go to many different Asian restaurants in San Francisco, I thought the segregation of cuisines was a little strange and was hoping Chef Tila had taken it to the next level. But then, I was slowly awed that one chef could execute so many types of cuisine so well. There were two home-run dishes for us: the first was the "Northwest Roll", a spicy tuna roll, topped with wild salmon sashimi and wasabi tobiko caviar that had bright, clean, fresh flavors and the cucumber gave it just the right amount of texture. It would give any sushi place in San Francisco a run for their money. The second great dish was the "Thai Spicy Basil Stir-fry with Beef." I think it was the best I ever had. The meat was tender, there was the perfect amount of spice and seasoning, and the vegetables still had just a little crunch to them. Overall, the food was very good and the service was excellent. You are paying for being on the Strip but the food was worth the price. Our second dinner, and the most grand, was at Bartolotta in the Wynn. We did have reservations at Marché Bacchus off the Strip but when we walked by Bartolotta and saw how beautiful it was AND that they had a $69 tasting menu, we changed our reservations. Chef Paul Bartolotta, a James Beard winner for 2009 Best Chef in the Southwest, flies in fish from the Mediterranean daily and prepares some of the best pasta I've had outside of Italy. Three of us ordered the smaller 3 course tasting menu for $69 and two of us ordered the Menu di Paranza at $140 per person:
All the food was impeccably prepared and served. The show stoppers were the “pesce sciabola alla griglia di carbone”, “ravioli di ricotta con caciotta Toscana” and the most amazingly delicate “insalata di piovra Ligure.” I can still taste all the flavors and textures. On the wine front, Jennifer the sommelier, poured us a 2008 Feudi di San Gregario Falanghina ($59) and then she recommended a wine I have never had. It was a 2005 Palari, “Rosso del Soprano” made from Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappuccio, Nocera, Acitana, Jacche. The Falanghina handled all the first course dishes with ease and expertise. The Palari was just so much fun. It worked with the seafood AND the red sauces. That is a fabulous food wine in my book. All in all, the food was excellent and the service even better. Was it worth the price? For being on the strip and knowing you are paying for that pleasure…yes. If this restaurant were in San Francisco I would think the price point would be lower. The tasting menu they offer at $69 is DEFINITELY worth the price, but you won’t get the show stoppers offered in the $140 tasting menu. The third dinner was perfect for the pocketbook and a much needed change of scenery for the last night. We headed off the strip to Ichiza, a Japanese restaurant. We would have never found this place unless @xela854 hadn’t told us about it. It was fresh, creative, very inspired and the best part… VERY AFFORDABLE. Four of us ate there for $100. The creative sushi dishes were amazing. Even the ordering was fun. There were no menus to look at but they had sheets on the walls all over the place. Basically, you had to depend on your waitress and in our case I twittered @xela854 and she quickly gave us some great insight as to what to order. The Shrimp dumplings are a must, along with spicy shrimp with eggplant, eel kakiage tempura roll, and a hamachi “nacho” (we dubbed it a nacho). In fact, we ordered two of those! I will have to rest up for a least another year before heading back to Sin City. All in all, it was a fun and tasty (and fattening) trip. Many thanks to @xela854 for all her suggestions. Check out her website Recession Recipes. Yum!! The other day I received a lovely surprise in the mail. Some dear friends of mine sent me Thomas Keller’s new cookbook, Ad Hoc at Home. Besides having absolutely stunning photography, I noticed a few techniques featured in this book that I have never used. I was intrigued, since who else would you want to learn a few new techniques from other than Thomas Keller? I wouldn’t say the recipes were as inspiring like in The French Laundry Cookbook, but they are not supposed to be. This is about creating first rate family-style meals—the Thomas Keller way.
On Saturday, I set out to dig into the cookbook and challenge myself. I actually followed the directions (which is challenging in a different way) and made a few recipes from the book. Here is the menu:
In a nutshell, the new techniques used in the cauliflower soup (parchment lid) and blowtorching the prime rib and the meringue were great additions to my repertoire. However, I don’t know if all the nuances that Keller introduces are worth the effort. For example, the garlic croutons that go on top of the soup required a garlic oil that took 40 minutes to cook. In the future, I would just sauté the croutons with some smashed garlic, butter and oil and remove the garlic after 5 minutes. It may not come out as nuanced but it would save 40 minutes. This book is not for the beginner but would be a great addition to the home chef’s library as a reference on great classic technique. I'll definitely refer to it again and I'll definitely be making this menu again! WINE NOTES: We enjoyed a Falanghina from Campania with the soup and a 2000 Chateau Malescot St. Exupery, Margaux, France (a garagiste-style Bordeaux). The Margaux was a wine WU shipped quite a few years ago. It was smooth, had great integrity and had legs to go a few more years in the cellar. If it’s free and there’s music, you can bet the Camacho clan will be there and be there in style. We are fortunate to live in such a great city for music and culture. All we have to do is just add our palate-pleasing touch to it. We recently went to Opera in the Park and Hardly Strictly Bluegrass (put on by Warren Hellman, THANK YOU, WARREN!). Both concerts were great fun, and we’ll look back with pleasure on the good music and the food and wine.
The secret to our success is our dolly on which we strategically load a picnic basket, wine, a table, chairs and food. And yes, I do pack real wine glasses—I just can’t bring myself to use plastic cups. Our signature piece is the table, for sure. You wouldn’t believe how many people stopped and took pictures of our little Crate and Barrel table. It rolls up into a bag, which makes a breeze to transport. Plus, it’s much more civilized than putting your food and drink on the ground. As for food, I’ve thrown my hands and now just buy pre-made foods. I’m a lot less stressed, and so the whole family is much happier. This year, Bi-Rite Groceries not only saved us, but blew us away with the quality of their pre-made foods. The big hit was a country-style paté with apricots and pistachios. So, next time you have an opportunity to go to an outdoor concert with your family, take a few tips from the Camachos: use a dolly, find a little table and pack some great food and wine. It really is easy and makes the day all that much more special. When I learned that Gourmet magazine is closing its doors after the November 2009 issue, I was only slightly surprised. Yes, it’s a sign of the times, but not just on the economic front. In my 20 or so years as a subscriber, I’ve watched as the magazine went from being upscale to being academic and taking itself all too seriously. Somewhere along the line, Gourmet forgot how to ENJOY food and wine, and was designed into a corner.
I make this observation based on my knowledge of food and wine, as an avid reader of food and wine publications, and also as the owner of a design agency (www.spotteddoggraphics.com) that specializes in food and wine branding. We’ve branded many companies and help them achieve success in the highly competitive arena of food and wine. I understand the power of the brand, and all of its visual communication, and the dangers of diluting the message. Gourmet’s shift came in the late 90s as the food memoir genre exploded in the publishing world, and brainy books about the meaning of food and wine filled the shelves. People were talking about food like they would art or literature. So I can see why Gourmet wanted to shift to a more academic style and a “smart” ode to food. But this soon became tiresome, and everyone wants a little sizzle with their steaks every once in a while. The content, as well as the art direction, was dry, and the written word was king, at the expense of the ingredients, the chef, and the original inspiration, the food. Not everything has to be “dumbed down” for the consumer, but a better balance of photography, content and layout could have enticed more readers. If you look at the lineup of food magazines, you have Bon Appetit and Cooking Light at the entry level, then Food and Wine for the foodie and the oenophile—a smart and slick magazine that doesn’t forget how to enjoy the food, or how to sell it. Then you have Saveur, which is more academic in its approach, but extremely authentic without being pedantic. Yes, this does seem like a lot of Monday morning quarterbacking, and it does make me sad to see Gourmet magazine shut down after 68 years of publication. I just hope that all the other food magazines can learn a lesson from it. Balance is a must—and in this case, the balance sheet. If you follow Jancis Robinson at all, you may have come across her thoughts on the healing wonders of Milk Thistle. On Twitter, it’s come up quite a few times as a topic of discussion so I thought I would do some more research. What could it hurt? Milk Thistle is an herbal supplement that purportedly protects and cleans your liver. Those in the wine trade should have their liver tested every year (so far so good), but I do get concerned, especially after many long wine dinners. I thought maybe I should start becoming more proactive about my liver health.
Let’s start with the facts, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (http://www.ahrq.gov/CLINIC/epcsums/milktsum.htm): “Clinical efficacy of milk thistle is not clearly established. Interpretation of the evidence is hampered by poor study methods and/or poor quality of reporting in publications.” Basically, they are saying the results are inconslusive. But, that said, I found an article where doctors from UCSF treated 3 patients who were poisoned from wild mushroom with a form of Milk Thistle. All the patients survived and did not need a liver transplant. “A German drug, silibinin, is a derivative of milk thistle given intravenously and used for mushroom poisoning, according to Olson. The drug is not available in the U.S., but UCSF doctors ordered an emergency supply for the three patients last week. Conclusive testing proving the drug's efficacy has not been done, Olson said.” For the full story read: http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Death-Cap-Mushrooms-Poison-Bay-Area... Still concerned after doing some Internet research, I phoned a few doctors and pharmacists They all concurred that the evidence is inconclusive, but one said that the side effects seem minimal. So I went down to Vitamin Express (voted Best in the Bay by SF Guardian) and spoke to Michael Le Vesque, President. He not only extolled the wonders of Milk Thistle, but also mentioned an amino acid that should also be taken with it called N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine (N-A-C). Think of it as the superhero saving your liver by fighting against all things toxic. Many AIDS patients are on a regime of N-A-C since it not only keeps their liver healthy, but also enhances your immune system. LeVesque recommended, in pill form, 350mg of Milk Thistle and 500mg of N-A-C every day with food. I figure, what can it hurt? As LeVesque said, “In the very least, it will extend your life by two years”. I’ll happily take those extra two years. But a word of caution: Don’t think you can keep drinking into the night EVERY night, and not have to pay the piper. And of course, as with any supplement, check with your doctor for drug interactions. To order either of these, go to VitaminExpress.com. I purchased, at LeVesque’s recommendation, their private label brand Vitamin Express Milk Thistle $6.50 for 50 175mg capsules and Jarrow Formulas N-A-C, 100 500mg capsules at $15—a small price to pay for a little insurance and peace of mind. Oh, and one other thing, one study suggested that a possible side effect is that it could reduce the effectiveness of oral contraceptives. Maybe single women should not be on a regime of Milk Thistle AND birth control pills. Could spell trouble! For everyone else… drink up and have your milk Thistle and N-A-C. When my husband announced that we were going on a 10-day hike (approximately 102 miles) through the Cotswolds, I trembled. It wasn’t the hiking part that scared me; it was the thought of English food (insert horrified scream here). More specifically, English countryside pub food, since it’s nowhere near the well-run and tasty places to be found in London. Ten days without good food and with only beer to drink would have any self-respecting oenophile shaking in their boots.
Don’t get me wrong, the U.S. countryside has the same deficit of good eateries and drinks, so I’m not just picking on English cuisine. The Cotswolds is one of the more affluent regions in England, which tends to lead to nicer dining establishments, so I had high hopes when we set out. The first pub in Chipping Camdem was outstanding; the meals we had there were skillfully prepared using fresh ingredients and properly seasoned, AND we had our first encounter with Sticky Toffee Pudding—which quickly became our obsession. The second night in the village of Stanton was also very good. Sadly, after that we had a few decent meals, but there were some definite lows. The night I ate a cardboard hamburger, I wished I just ordered a salad and chips. It was such a shame since we were surrounded by fresh produce, diary and livestock galore. And to add insult to injury, an average meal per person was around $33 for entrée, dessert and a pint of beer. Ouch on the palate and the pocketbook. I do have to mention vegetarian food in England (shocking, I know). Beth, one of our traveling companions and a vegetarian, actually did very well for her dietary restrictions. If I were a vegetarian, I would give England a closer look as a place to live. Of course, Beth would argue that Sticky Toffee Pudding, candy and toffee were her vegetarian favorites. I was thinking more along the lines of potato jackets with cheese with a side salad. Also amusing were England’s labeling laws where the line, “Suitable for Vegetarians,” is actually included. This takes the guesswork out for vegetarians, for sure. What was it that so disappointed me about pub food? Was it a case of “grown together, go together?” In the food and wine pairing world, this concept exists for a reason. The food and wine from an area generally evolve together, so they pair well together. My biggest complaints about the food were that it was under seasoned, and there was a general lack of excitement on the palate. Was this due to the fact that England invented refrigeration, and also being in a northerly climate did not need spices and salt to preserve their food? The flavors were on a constant plateau, it rarely went up or down. The same goes for the drinks. The beers are awesomely smooth, and depending upon your choices of a lager, ale or bitter, can be very refreshing with smooth bass notes or a deep baritone that holds the food up. Beth and Laurence, my traveling companions, were cider connoisseurs—and Laurence was constantly on the look out for Scrumpy (a form of cider, more akin to moonshine). For my palate the tartness of Scrumpy wasn’t refreshing after a long day of hiking. Laurence says, “Black Rat was the scrumpiest Scrumpy but Thatcher’s was probably a bit more drinkable.” And on the cider front, Beth recommends, “Weston’s Organic Pear Cider aka Perry.” I didn't drink any wine in the Cotswolds because it was very overpriced, and frankly not worth it. Why would I spend $8 for a glass of wine I could get at Trader Joe’s for $5 a bottle?! When we found ourselves in civilization again (defined as a place where there are more than pub fare), we devoured French food in Bath and our palates were delighted. I mean, come on, a person can’t subsist on chips alone. And then our palates leapt for joy with the Thai food at Busaba Eathai—a multi-unit, hip and flavorful restaurant in London. I actually almost cried over the intense flavors. Then, miracles abound, we found Galvin Bistro de Luxe. We went off on a trek to find a different restaurant in the Marylebone area and literally stumbled upon this bistro. EVERYTHING WAS PERFECT. Masterful execution of service, food, ambience and yes…I finally had some quality wines to quench my palate. The upshot for anyone wanting to try this vacation, my twisted version of a pub crawl, really should—don’t let the food and beverages deter you. If you go, you will see some gorgeous countryside, meet fun and chatty people and get a lot of exercise. Wow, a vacation where you actually come back a few pounds lighter! There are many books and web sites that can help you with your planning. Just Google the Cotswold Way and you will find more information than you wanted to know. Just remember that London is just a few hours away and eventually your palate will be rewarded for its patience. Before we left foggy San Francisco, I searched the Chow boards for some interesting fare for our family trip to NY. I came across a response from the great “Kathryn” to “Top Food Recs in the West Village.”
Kathryn wrote, “I highly recommend RGR's self guided Lower East Side Gustatory tour: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/493333." So I checked it out and thought it was the perfect thing for the family. I knew it would keep my adventurous palate happy, my husband’s pocketbook overjoyed, and a great food experience for my 12-year-old daughter. We started about 10 am or so and finished up at about 1pm. We followed all the recommendations, except for we took the nicer streets (less cars) and we added Sugar Sweet Sunshine based on a213b writeup, “3 Week Chowfest; Help!!!” http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/611116. If you have the time you really should read his WHOLE 3 week review. I had just a few days and a husband and daughter to keep happy, so I couldn’t indulge in many of his picks, but am so happy we added Sugar Sweet Sunshine to the list. In addition to our tour, we went to 5 Napkin Burger (messy and quite delicious) and Bar Boulud. I am still seething from our snobby service at Boulud. The food was phenomenal but the service was appalling. I was tweeting the whole time and @rickGresh (a chef in Chicago) tweeted back, “every time I've been to boulud its the same, palm beach was the worst!” and “yep, worst service of my life, and both palm beach and bar b was the same manager! So sad, daniel deserves better!” Check out our slideshow of the tour. Foodies eat with their eyes!! The last 2 slides are not from the NY tour, but I had to include them: The fantastic cupcakes at Crumbs Bakeshop in Huntington. Cheers, Angela Camacho |
AuthorAngela Camacho, a certified sommelier and author of a best selling wine tool, The Wine Wheel®, shares her obsession with wine and food. Archives
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