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I usually get assigned the task of bringing the wine for holiday events. For Thanksgiving you always see wine experts recommending a good Pinot Noir or Riesling to pair with the meal. Not for me this year. I’m serving bubbly. If you think about it, Champagne or sparkling wine goes with just about any food, and the bubbles help cut through some of the rich foods that are part of the Thanksgiving meal.

Best of all, I got a deal. Seguras Viudas makes terrific Cava, the sparkling wine of Spain. It’s refreshing and lively. I picked up this magnum for only $9.97. Yes that’s right, $9.97 at Cost Plus markets. There were still plenty of bottles when I got mine yesterday. So a magnum is 1.5L which equals 2 standard bottles of wine. The funny thing is Cost Plus has the 750 ml standard bottle of the same Cava for the same price. Go figure. But go get some of this bubbly for the December holiday season. You’ve got an instant party in a bottle.

If you want a bottle that impresses, look for the Seguras Viudas bottle with the silver base — it’s only about 5 or 6 bucks more for a 750 ml bottle.

Cheers and Happy Thanksgiving!

This is one great lobster roll!  Ever since I shared a lunch of a lobster roll with my grandmother in Boston, which was her last, I’ve always been on the search for a really good one.  Up until now, the rolls at various San Fran Bay Area restaurants have let me down.  Then Anchor & Hope’s roll ended the search.  Maybe because it’s on a top loaded brioche bun.  Maybe because the dressing is really light.  Nah, it’s because the chunks of lobster just shine through.  It’s so good, and so filling, I really didn’t need the Old Bay seasoned potato chips, or the coleslaw (although I recommend dipping some of the brioche roll into the slaw dressing…I’m just saying).  Yeah it’s 24 bucks, but I promise you won’t go away disappointed or hungry.  Pair with any number of crisp whites on the wine list, including an Albarino Grenache Blanc blend.

The other sandwich we tried was the Vietnamese shrimp fritter on a roll.  A&H just added it to their menu and it is a worth addition.

The restaurant space is really cool, and old auto mechanics garage.  Part of the fun is finding the place, down the alley on Minna St.

BJF flower slippers

If you’re able to get to Novato, the Bonjour Fleurette warehouse sale is totally worth going to.  Judi Flowers created flower slippers, and they’ve become all the rage, from Sex and the City to Oprah.

Here’s a video from In Wine Country that we did on Judi and her slippers.

Usually the slippers go for $50 and up!  But at the sale, you pay $10, unless there are Swarvoski crystals, then it’s a little more.  The luggage tags are fantastic!  I have several — some are flowers, others are plaids.  They make great gifts, and usually go for $12 but at the sale they’re $3-$6.

Now this is the way to hold a seminar…with wine tasting between and even during sessions.  Three California wine organizations held this event at Cavallo Point (in Ft. Baker on the Marin side of the Golden Gate).  The 40-something and younger winemakers were pouring their wines, and talking it up on subjects ranging from wine styles to the impact of social media.  They’re a passionate, dedicated group and their wines are worth discovering, or trying again.  Karl Wente’s wearing thong sandals, which pretty much sums up the casual laid back atmosphere for me.  One vintner said he thinks the California style is going back to the basics, with natural yeasts and fermentations.

Star Lane and Dierberg Estate Winery – winemaker Nick de Luca was pouring a ’08 Dierberg Chard that was crisp and fruity, with a kiss of barrel. I’ve been to the Star Lane ranch property, in the Santa Ynez valley and it is amazing.  The Star Lane ’06 Merlot was juicy with blue fruits, an earthy nose and a long finish ($30 and $36).

Heringer Estates – this is in Clarksburg, near Sacramento.  Mike Heringer was pouring an ’08 Viognier which I liked very much, and also the ’05 Petite Sirah, which was dark and jammy but very balanced.  Good prices too, $19 and $21 respectively

Jason Smith from Paraiso Vineyards in the Santa Lucia Highlands was pouring a Riesling that had just a hint of sweetness, and at $14 I could sip this any time.

Andrew Murray, the namesake of his winery brought two good Rhone wines — an ’07 Grenache, and my favorite, the ’06 reserve Syrah.  ($30 and $50).  The Syrah was deep and inky, almost black actually, and had a nice balance between fruit and peppery spice.  It’s a big wine yet it was also silky smooth.

I was also digging the ’06 Lila’s Cuvee, a Rhone blend from Clos LaChance that Cheryl Murphy Durzy was pouring ($50).

Judd and Holly Finkelstein of Judd’s Hill were pouring a fantastic ’05 Cab ($45).  If you haven’t seen this, you’ve got to check out Judd’s online series “Judd’s Enormous Wine Show.”  It’s a lot of fun to watch.

You’re at the grocery store, staring blankly at the shelves of olive oil.  It’s almost like looking at shelves full of wine.  Intimidating.  Confusing.  You just want a decent bottle of extra virgin olive oil.  Do you choose by label, by country, by price?  To make matters even worse, it’s highly likely that bottle of oil you just picked up contains an inferior olive oil that wouldn’t pass a test for extra virgin olive oil.  And even though it is labeled “product of Italy” that oil probably came from Spain, Greece, Tunisia, Egypt, Turkey, Syria, Morocco or Argentina.

I went just took a tour of three California olive companies — one olive processor, two olive oil producers. Was organized by the fairly new UC Davis Olive Center at the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science (hey I was at the ground breaking for that center years ago.) The main point of the tour seemed to be enlisting us attendees (about 10 of us chefs/writers/bloggers) in getting the word out about what’s really in a bottle of “extra virgin olive oil.”

I’ve done many TV stories on artisan olive producers in wine country:  McEvoy, Round Pond, Pasolivo, The Olive Press.  One of the oil producers on the tour was Bozzano Olive Ranch, near Stockton, CA.  It’s also a small artisan operation.  When we got there they were custom milling oil for a client.  It’s fascinating to see olives get separated from leaves and stems, get washed and then milled into paste.

The oil is extracted from the paste, and when it flows out, it’s cloudy (eventually the oil clears up).

Bozzano has two main products, A2 and Toscana, both blends of different olive varietals.  It’s sort of similar to wine.  The owner told us that only 20% of what’s milled turns into olive oil; the rest is pumice.  The olives are also handpicked. Makes you understand the high prices for these artisan oils.

In stark contrast, another stop, Corto Olive in Lodi (wine country) is the second largest olive oil producer in California (and the US) after California Olive Ranch.  The milling plant was much bigger, and there are actually two mills working 24-7 during the harvest, which was happening while we were there.

They machine harvest (which we didn’t see) and they say that’s one reason their oils are priced lower, like $7.99 per  half liter (compared to Bozzanno at $26/half liter).  Corto emphasizes freshness — that oils are stored in temperature controlled tanks topped off with nitrogen to keep oxidation out (hmm sounds like wine), and fill bottles only as orders come in.  I’ve been to California Olive Ranch, and they do the same thing.  You can find California Olive Ranch at local markets but Corto is a dedicated custom-mill facility and they provide oil for private labels — Sam’s Club and Zabar’s for example.  We got to try freshly milled oil — otherwise known at olio nuovo.  It’s bright green and cloudy, and the aroma is very grassy.  The taste is bitter and grassy — a “three cough oil” for sure.  If an oil causes you to cough, that means it’s pretty pungent.  I like oils like that!  Most Americans go for a softer, fruitier oil.

When you are at the milling line, the whole room smells like olives.  Here’s a video of the final oil coming out:

The other stop was at olive processor Musco Family Olive Company, in Tracy.  I’ve never thought about black olives and other types of canned/bottled olives and how they get to be that way.  But then I never eat black olives.  They remind me of the canned sliced mushrooms that pizza places used to use.  No flavor or texture.  Musco says most Americans prefer the black olives.  Well they don’t pick them black, they pick them green.  Then they are cured in these cement tanks.

There are about 1300 tanks in the storage yard at Musco.  At peak capacity Musco says they process enough olives to give every person in the world 4 olives.

The cured green olives go through an oxidizing process where they turn black (aka ripe).   Then they’re pitted and canned.  They told us the small green olives, especially the ones stuffed with pimentos, usually are imported from Spain and other countries.  Musco uses mostly Manzanilla olives, a Spanish variety.

One cool thing from Musco — they have a olive nutrition chart with calorie counts.  The range is from 4 calories for a small olive to 12 calories for a “super colossal” olive.

So if you’re buying olive oil, what to look for? For California oils, the Certified Extra Virgin seal from California Olive Oil Council on the bottle means the oil inside is indeed extra virgin.  If you see an oil that says imported from or product of Italy, look at the fine print.  The label probably says something like “contains oils from…” a list of countries.  There’s no law that governs extra virgin olive oil imports.  You can always buy small bottles, and do a taste test.  Once you’ve had fresh oil, and true extra virgin oil, other oils made from inferior oils and blends won’t measure up.  My advice, eat local.  California’s oils are just as good, if not better than some top Italian oils.  Also terms like cold press or first press don’t mean much anymore, since most EVO is almost always the first and cold press.

And, finally, what to pair with olives?  You need a wine that can cut through the brininess.  My choice is bubbly, either a nice California sparkling wine (Iron Horse, Schramsberg, Domaine Carneros or Mumm will do), or a Spanish Cava (Segura Viudas is a good bet).

I subscribe to the theory that you can never have too many platters, bowls, cups and glasses. Lately I’ve been good about restraining myself from buying too many of each (of course that also has to do with my limited storage space).  But a new collection from Vietri may just tempt me too much.  

I walked into a neighborhood home and gift store and there it was.  Beautiful white pieces, with interesting details and shapes.  For a moment I thought I was looking at some new pieces from Astier de Villatte, my favorite line of tableware from France.  It  has a similar distressed white glaze and styling.  Vietri calls it the “Incanto Collection.”  Here are a few of the pieces I’m coveting. The square platter is $124, the serving bowl is $88 and the large rectangular serving platter is $214. The price point is much less than Astier.  This could become a new favorite.

You know how it is when you really really want to like a restaurant but come away a little disappointed after a meal? That’s what happened at RN74 in San Francisco. Had a lunch meeting there; and while it’s the first time I went for a meal, instead of for wine and munchies, I was expecting a good experience. Serivce was the biggest letdown. We were a party of 3 at a 4 top. The server didn’t take away the 4th place setting until we were halfway through our entries. Plates were cleared immediately and we felt rushed. They took the butter away before we were done with it.

Now don’t get me wrong, there’s lots to like about RN74. First and foremost, it’s a great space. Industrial yet an air of an old-world French wine country restaurant. Love the train/airline schedule boards, and the prices even flip every so often for effect.

The wine list is awfully nice, but the per glass prices are steep. Good bets are the Parr Selections, from wine director Rajat Parr, like the Purisma Mtn, Santa Ynez Valley Syrah that I had ($14). The earthiness paired well with my tagliatelle with chanterelle mushrooms, cavalo nero and pancetta ($18). I was totally happy, but my dining companions had less luck, especially considering the prices. A starter of winter squash soup with juniper oil ($11) was velvety and satsifying. But a slow roasted pork sandwich ($14) was a big cold mound of meat and not that appetizing. A little better, the open face sandwich of beef brisket with caramelized onions ($19). The pommes frites were billed as horseradish fries but I couldn’t find that flavor at all. Points for presentation of all dishes. But especially for the money, I think I’ll just go for the wine from now on.

I’m always asked what’s a good wine at a good price?  For me, good price is under $20 a bottle.  Under $10 is even better.  Somewhere in between is where Layer Cake falls.  This wine is made by Jason Woodbridge.  The crazy thing is he also makes Hundred Acre, an amazing Cab that sells for $300+  I’ve tried it and really liked it, almost enough to think about buying one bottle.  But Layer Cake fits my budget.  I bought a bottle of Shiraz at Trader Joe’s for $14.99.  It was a deep, rich and opulent wine, especially for this price point.  The Shiraz is grown and made in Australia, under Woodbridge’s supervision, and all the Layer Cake wines are made in a similar manner to Hundred Acre.

Even the labels are top notch — great design, raised fonts.

I have a bottle of Primitivo at home – also $14.99 at Trader Joe’s, that’s from the Puglia region in Italy.  Laker Cake also makes an Argentine Malbec and Napa Valley Cab.  This is a more democratic group of wines – affordable and approachable.

Last night I opened a bottle of Bonny Doon Vineyard 1985 Muscat Canelli (California).  Got this bottle from my friend Maurice.  He had a case of the wine stored under his stairs, and just rediscovered it while cleaning the space out.   He generously gave us a few bottles.  You could already tell without opening the bottle that the wine had deepened in color.  The cork broke coming out of the bottle, but it didn’t disintegrate, so that was a good sign.  I strained the wine as I poured…for cork and sediment.  The bottle had been standing upright for a good amount of time.  The liquid is amber or caramel.  It has a rich nose, a little bit oxidized.  Tasting it, I find nuttiness and caramel and vanilla.  Hardly any fruit left.  Very strong, almost brandy or cognac like.  Has a very nice mouthfeel, but it is too rich to drink much of (couldn’t finish the glass in the pix).  What a treat, thank you Maurice!

David Chang, Momofuku’s colorful chef owner, had a book signing junket through the Bay Area.  I saw him at Kepler’s, a great independent bookstore in Menlo Park.  I got there extra early since I was sure the event would be packed.  But at 10 minutes before his appearance, only a few people in chairs – so I got a great 2^nd row seat.  More people did eventually show, but it was not a sell-out crowd. 

David talked about starting up Momofuku Noodle Bar, and it is so unbelievable the restaurant even survived, let alone become such a success.  It was a tiny, 600 sq ft space, and hardly any room to walk behind diners.  In the summer the hoods sucked up all the air conditioning, so they had to figure out how to keep the diners from sweating to death.

David said he stuck to his vision – creating great food with great ingredients.  No one had really done this with ramen.  He says he wants to keep improving it, even though now it is pretty darn tasty.  There was no décor, not because he wanted a minimalist look, like some critics thought, he just had no money for it.

While there were no firework or f-bombs, Chang did explain his comment about San Francisco restaurants put only figs on the plate.  He feels many places serve the same type of food, and he wants to see new and fresh, something different.  He says even New York isn’t that exciting as a culinary capital.  He looks to Europe, especially San Sebastian and Brussels.

If you are in New York, you’ve got to stop by Noodle Bar, or Ssam Bar.  Ko is his prix fixe place, with only three seatings, one at lunch and two for dinner.  Reservations only at Ko – have to call six days out.  His newest eatery Ma Peche, opens soon in the Chambers Hotel.

 The Momofuku cookbook has the ramen recipe, along with the broth, which is what really makes this dish.  Also the slow poached egg technique is pretty impressive.  And the recipe for Chang’s famous pork buns are here too.