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Thanksgiving is a time for tradition.  The traditional turkey with stuffing, cranberry sauce and yams with that marshmallow topping.  A safe, time-honored wine, Pinot Noir.  Yawn.

This year I’m gonna shake things up a bit.  I’ll be pouring a sweet wine for the main event and not just for dessert.

I’m inspired by Aline Baly, a champion of drinking what most of us consider to be dessert wines, from the beginning to the end of the meal.  Aline’s family is the proprietor of Chateau Coutet in Barsac, a sub-district of the Sauternes region in the southern part of Bordeaux.  Chateau Couter is a Premier Cru Classe Sauturnes.  That’s all they make.

Last time Aline was in the San Francisco Bay Area, she invited me to join her for lunch at Wood Tavern in Oakland (one of my fav restaurants).  To demonstrate how versatile her Sauternes wines are, we ordered straight off the menu, with no changes or special requests.  I have to say I was pretty dubious.  Sure Sauternes is a great match with Roquefort, but what about pulled pork?

With glasses of the ’06 and ’03 Chateau Coutet, first up, burrata & proscuitto di Parma, with roasted peaches (yum), citrus oil and a Madeira glaze.  Aline set expectations…pairing wine with a fresh burrata can be risky.  Yes, but worth the risk, it really works.  What makes it work is the creaminess of the cheese and the rich body of the wine.  Plus the citrus helps bring out the dried fruits in the wine, and a minerality and ginger notes also are punched up.  The saltiness of the proscuitto is a nice contrast to the wine’s sweetness.

You’d think a creamy tomato soup, with shrimp and avocado might get lost in the mix.  The sweetness of the Sauternes works nicely with the sweetness of the tomatoes and shrimp.  Talking body again, the rich avocado works with the sweet, syrupy wine.

Next, a crispy pork shoulder confit sandwich (aka pulled pork), and a hot pastrami sandwich.  I would never think to pair a sweet wine with either of these.  A big Zin or a hoppy beer wold be my choice.  The ’03, with more complex flavors developed, handled these spicy dishes just fine.  While a pan roasted chicken dish didn’t seem like too much of a stretch, the grilled radicchio with it could be challenging.  But the smoky notes of the ’03 was a great match.

Now I’m a believer.

Aline’s motto is “when in doubt, bring Sauternes.”

OK, but there must be something that is a total clash with Sauternes.  Chocolate cake.  Aline says that’s usually too rich for her sweet wines.

Aline’s last suggestion is to serve Sauternes, preferably Chateau Coutet, for Thanksgiving.  Had I not just tasted this wine with a variety of savory dishes, I’d scoff at that suggestion.  Now I’m thinking brilliant.  She’s got a Thanksgiving menu on her website, and says her favorite pairing is with the butternut squash and Gorgonzola gratin.  That’s what I’m making.

You’ve probably heard of Chateau d’Yquem, the most famous of all Sauternes.  It’s liquid gold in a bottle and it’s super super pricey.  You’ll find the current vintage of Chateau Coutet, the 2007, for about $25-$30 for a half bottle (375 ml) and $50-$60 for a full bottle (750 ml).

So it’s not too late…grab a bottle of two of a Sauternes for Thanksgiving.  This could become your new wine tradition for the holidays.

Since wine can be made anywhere these days, it’s no big surprise that Oakland, Berkeley and Alameda, CA (also known as the East Bay) are home to many urban wine brands, both established and start ups. So what if there are no vineyards in the city (that I’m aware of).  At this past weekend’s Urban Wine Experience in Oakland, the local wines were showing rather well, paired with bites from local restaurants. The public event was held by the East Bay Vintner’s Alliance.

I found a lot to like, and some really good values. There were many good Rhone varietal bottlings, and that made me happy, since j’adore Rhone wines. I might just need to do a little East Bay Rhone wine tour.

These are the standouts:

One of my last sips of the day was at Stage Left Cellars. It’s a fairly new player in the urban wine scene. Partners Melinda Doty and Rich Williams exited the corporate world and discovered “everybody needs an exit strategy.” Opening Stage Left is theirs. “The Go Getter” white is a blend of Rhone varietals – Viognier, Grenache Blanc and Rousanne. Just yummy, refreshing and very aromatic. They also make a beautiful Grenache, blended with a little Mourvedre to make a fruity wine with a little spiciness added in.

At Prospect 772 Wine Co. they were pouring “The Brawler.” Oh yeah, its a big big Syrah, but tamed a little by the addition of Viognier in the blend. The grapes are grown in the Sierra Foothills, and the wines are made by Jeff Cohn (winemaker at JC Cellars).

Speaking of Jeff Cohn, his own label, JC Cellars , poured “First Date,” a terrific and rich Rousanne and Marsanne blend.  “The Imposter,” was a bold blend of mostly Zinfandel, Syrah and Petite Sirah.

Rock Wall Wine’s Cabernet France was so fragrant and jammy, just a beautiful wine.  I love to see Cab Franc on its own.

Urban Legend wines have great labels, inspired by the cranes at the Oakland port. They have a good Sauvignon Blanc that’s crisp and has really bright acidity. They also make a Teroldego, a darkly hued red varietal from Italy that has big ripe black fruits. Definitely worth seeking out!

Over at R & B Cellars, owners Kevin and Barbara Brown are not only winemakers, they’re also jazz musicians. Kevin plays piano and Barbara sings. Hence the wine labels with musical symbols. They’re striking the right notes with a very nice “Serenade in Blanc” Sauvignon Blanc and “Swingsville” Zinfandel, and both are less than $15 dollars each.

Verve wines from Aubin Cellars really charmed me. They’ve got a French Columbard, imported from France (Cotes de Gascogne). When have you ever seen French Columbard? Well it should be more often.  This is a great value too, at $12. Verve also makes wine with local grapes, a Carneros Pinot Noir and a Sonoma Mountain Syrah.

One final mention, loved the “Temptation” Rhone blend from Carica Wines, which is a GSM – Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre mix. And only $25 per bottle. No wonder the winery is sold out of the current vintage (I did find some bottles online)

There were many, many good bites to go with the wines. But the one that stood out the most for me was the pulled pork sandwich and grits from Brown Sugar Kitchen. Fabulous! And a perfect match with the Urban Legend red wines. If you haven’t

been to Brown Sugar, just go ahead and go now, for their fried chicken and waffles!

Most of the East Bay Vintner’s wineries have tasting rooms — either shared or on their own.  Check websites for days and hours open or to make an appointment.  Think of going to the urban wineries as exploring a new, modern wine country.

One of Napa Valley’s best restaurants is Ubuntu in downtown Napa. Executive chef Jeremy Fox’s “vegetable cuisine” was a revelation. He redefined what it means to have an all vegetable-based menu, with much of the produce coming from the kitchen’s biodynamic garden fresh every day. Fox and Ubuntu received many awards and accolades. Well Fox departed earlier this year, and I think many of us were holding our collective breath about the restaurant’s future. Would it be as good with another chef? Will the vegetable menu be replaced? Will the restaurant close?

Rest assured, we can all breathe. I believe Ubuntu is now better than ever. The kitchen is now in the hands of executive chef Aaron London, who has been at Ubuntu since its opening in 2007. He’s got a stellar resume´- including stints at Daniel, Blue Hill at Stone Barns, L’Astrance and Arpege in Paris.  London is not only keeping the vegetable format, he’s elevated it.

My group for a recent Saturday lunch was made up of foodies, and many of us had dined at Ubuntu when Fox was at the helm. The first difference is the menu — gone is the little caldron of baked cauliflower and cheesy goodness. Trust me, you won’t miss it. Instead, try the gremolatta crusted zeppola stuffed with burrata. Mmmmm.

Each dish is a work of art and a creative blend of flavors and textures. To start, “chips ’n dip” – with lettuce, baby carrots, paper thin crackers made of carrot ash and a green goddess dressing for dipping it all in. Delicate flavors and interesting textures.

One of my absolute favorites is the clear cantaloupe soup with pineapple sage gazpacho, compressed melon, rat tail radishes, fork crushed avocado, aloe vera and banana mint.

The broth is poured tableside. Such delicate flavors; you get a hint of tropical from the pineapple sage and banana mint. The broth is incredibly clear; according to our server it’s strained at least twice.

I’ve had cheese grits, grits with gravy, shrimp and grits, but never with a strawberry sofrito. This creamy dish totally works. There’s also caramelized fino verde fennel, fresh ricotta and spinach. We’re told the sofrito was made over four days. London’s care and attention to detail in preparing ingredients for the dishes is mind boggling.

Our group also loved the carrot salad — slow roasted red dragon and crisp purple haze carrots with nasturtium panade, delfino cilantro and ras el hanout. This north African spice enlivens the dish, and gives it a subtle smokey quality.

The marinated ruby queen beets with aerated yogurt, beet tartare, compressed blenheim apricots and granola was a study in colors, contrasts and textures. I mean, granola and beets, who does that?

The beet salad is absolutely beautiful to look at, as are all London’s dishes. The freshness of the fruit and vegetables stand out and shines. The unusual and inventive combination of flavors are unexpected and keep your mouth guessing, but happy. All the more reason to plan to dine at Ubuntu now.

If you don’t know that pizza is one of the hottest trends in the food world, then where have you been? In New York City, a place hardly lacking for good pizza pies, several artisan pizzerias recently opened. During my trip there last week, my goal was to try a slice at each. On my list: Motorino, Keste´, Co. and Pulino.

First up, Keste´ Pizza & Vino. It’s in a cramped and narrow space on Bleecker Street in the West Village. No reservations; put your name in and wait. On a Monday night, it was only 10 minutes. You are practically sitting in your neighbor’s lap — tables are crammed in every nook and cranny. No matter, the aroma of pizza baking is more than enough to make it worth your while to stay.

You get Neapolitan-style pizzas here. In fact, Keste´ is the US headquarters for the Associazione Pizzaiuoli Napoletani, the group that sets standards for what “true” Neapolitan pizza is, and also certifies pizzaiolos (pizza makers).

From the menu of 20+ pizzas, we chose the classic Margherita and the Proscuitto e Arugola. Pies are cut into 4 wedges, enough for 2 people to share. The Margherita was FANTASTIC. The crust is little crisp and chewy. The flavors were bold yet familiar: creamy mozzarella, sweet tomato sauce. This pizza ranks up there with what I think is the best pizza in the world, at Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix. The proscuitto pizza was no slouch though, again the same chewy crust and just the right balance of salty and sweet flavors. Keste´ was my favorite of the NYC pizzerias. A very simple wine list has offerings of house white,
rose´or red, served in carafes.

Next, Pulino. This is a Keith McNally restaurant, the same guy who brought us Balthazar and Pastis. Pulino’s interior will remind you of Balthazar and Pastis. It’s rustic and simple, just like the food. Pizza’s the main attraction here, as is the chef, Nate Appleman, a recent transplant from San Francisco. He was part of the A16 team, one of the San Francisco’s best Italian restaurants.

An insalate verde is a good start. Loved the dressing, made with red wine vinegar and creme fraiche.  I can tell you that Pulino’s pizza, at least the one I had, bested A16’s efforts. I had the Pesto pizze,with basil and arugula pesto, mozzarella, pecorino, pinenuts and stracchino Here the crust is paper thin and crisp, allowing the toppings to shine. The stracchino was rich and gooey, a nice contrast to the crunch of the crust.

Last is Co., which is in Chelsea. Very minimalistic interior.

This pizzeria was opened by Sullivan Street Bakery owner and baker, Jim Lahey. He’s known for his no-knead dough technique. At Co. the crust isn’t too thin or too thick — I’d say it is between the super thin Pulino crust and Keste’s chewy crust. Of the three pizzas, Co.’s had the proper amount of blistering and char. For me, what makes the pizza here are the toppings. I had the Peas & Proscuitto pie, with peas, shredded proscuitto, bechamel, mozzarella, parmesan and pea shoots. I’d never had peas or pea shoots on a pizza, but it really works! I paired it with a Shinas Estate “The Innocent” Viognier, a match that was fresh and luscious. Co. has the best wine list of the three pizzerias.

I never did make it to Motorino. Yet another Neapolitan-style pizzeria, Motorino has two locations, in Brooklyn and in the East Village. According to New York Times food critic Sam Sifton, it’s the best pizza in the city. My next trip to NYC, I’m going straight to Motorino from the plane. We’ll see then if it’s better than Keste’s.

Of course, while all of these pizzas are excellent, none of them are better than any of the pies coming out of Chris Bianco’s pizza oven at Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix. It’s worth a quick round trip flight from San Francisco just to eat one of his amazing pizzas. So far, Keste´ is the only pizzeria I’ve found that even comes close.

Of course, there’s always Ray’s – big slices, stringy cheese, mmmm. Perhaps it is the quintessential New York pizza.

Recession worries seemed to fade as wine lovers opened their wallets and raised paddles bidding up the prices at the 30th Auction Napa Valley, held over this past weekend. There was lots of good food and great wine flowing throughout the event. I went to the Taste Napa Valley and Barrel Auction on Friday, at Rubicon Estates. I love this annual event, and it’s a great one to go to even if you don’t make it to the live auction on Saturday. Dark skies and cool temps threatened rain, but it held off.

At Taste Napa Valley, wineries pour whites and rose´and many of Napa’s top restaurants dished out bites.

You could nosh on anything from chickpea fries to pulled pork sliders from BarBersQ and watermelon sorbet with chocolate chips (for seeds!), topped with fleur de sel. Martini House served up a creamy mushroom soup that was an inspired pairing with the Kongsgaard “The Judge” Chardonnay. Check out this incredible paella, from Zuzu in Napa.

What I really noticed was that there were many more wineries pouring Rose´ than in past years. No complaints here, I love Rose´especially this time of year. Some of the best I tasted were from Entre Nous, (a Cab rose´) where Philippe Melka is the winemaker, and Louis M. Martini, also a Rose´of Cab.

The real excitement was inside the caves at Rubicon, where the live barrel auction was taking place. As you can see, it was jammed-packed, as people went from barrel to barrel, sampling and bidding.

Opening bids on the barrel lots started at $175 per case with the minimum increments of $50. In about 15 minutes time, I saw the Shafer Vineyards lot go from $5700 to $6000 (and yes, that’s for one case).
Updating the Shafer bids.

If you think that’s a lot, the final bid on the Shafer lot, the 2008 Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon, went for $58,650. Amazing! The second highest bid was $37,700 for the Spottswoode Estate lot, a St. Helena Cab.

At the end of the weekend, when all was said and done, more than $8.5 million was raised, with $1 million coming from the barrel auction alone. All proceeds benefit
health, youth services and housing non-profits in Napa County.

On Sunday night my cookbook club took on the challenge of making dishes out of famed wine country chef Thomas Keller’s series of cookbooks. We divided up into teams of two and each made one course of a plated, sit-down dinner (usually everything’s served buffet-style.)

We feasted on 6 courses, made from The French Laundry, Bouchon and Ad Hoc at Home cookbooks. At the end of the meal, we all agreed that while everything was delicious, the time involved — 8 hours for a quiche (Bouchon) 3 days for French onion soup (Bouchon) — was way more than we’d ever want to do on a regular basis. But we sure did gain an appreciation and understanding of why Keller’s restaurants are so darn expensive! To us, the Ad Hoc cookbook was the most approachable with recipes that aren’t as time consuming or complicated. Notice no one attempted anything out of the French Laundry cookbook. It’s beautiful to look at though – great food porn!

Our menu:

Green bean and potato salad with Iberico ham. Recipe also calls for figs, but they aren’t in season. From Ad Hoc at Home.
Keller suggests pairing this with a Riesling, and the 2007 Werner Schwicher Annaberg Rielsling Kabinett was a fine match.

Soup a l’oignon (French onion soup). Paired with a 2006 Sonnet Pinot Noir. From Bouchon.

Maine lobster rolls (yum!). Paired with a Landmark Sonoma Co. Chardonnay or a Mer Soleil Chardonnay. From Ad Hoc at Home. I’ve had these lobster rolls at the restaurant, and these turned out just as good!

Leek bread pudding. From Ad Hoc at Home.

Roquefort and leek quiche. From Bouchon.

Tarte au citron (lemon tart). This was my contribution to the feast. Filling was very easy to make, but the dough came out dry. I used meyer lemons. From Bouchon.

Brownies with caramel sauce. The sauce was divine! From Ad Hoc at Home.

No, it’s not peach season, not yet. We won’t get to bite into fresh, juicy peaches until mid-June at the earliest. But if peaches are dried or frozen, then you can eat them year-round.
And last night at Flea St. Cafe in Menlo Park, CA, that’s exactly what we did. Owner Jesse Cool hosted peach farmers Mas and Marcy Masumoto, who have a peach farm south of Fresno, CA, called Masumoto Family Farm. Mas is known for writing Epitaph for a Peach, his journey to save the Suncrest peach variety. It’s a treat to meet him; he’s as passionate about peaches and farming in person as he is in the pages of his book. He’s also just written Wisdom of the Last Farmer.

We had a five course meal, with peaches features as a crema on Dungeness crab and wrapped with salumi as appetizers, a peach soup with short ribs, a chicory and parsley salad with the best peach fritters ever, chutney made by Marcy Masumoto with pork loin, and a strawberry rhubarb crisp with peach whipped cream, and a peach chocolate truffle. Yum! To me the best wine pairing was the Pey-Marin Riesling “The Shell Mound”. The crisp acidity balanced the sweet peaches.

All I know is that I will be heading to the Berkeley Bowl starting in mid-June to purchase some of Mas’s fresh peaches, and I can’t wait!

I have to say Saturday was a great day. It started with going to the Cartier and America exhibit at the Legion of Honor museum in San Francisco. Talk about bling! More diamonds, emeralds and rubies than I’ve ever seen in one place. The focus was on American women who bought or wore Cartier jewels. At the turn of the 20th century it was fashionable for women of a certain social status to wear tiaras, whether or not they were royalty, and you’ll see a lot of them here. Seems like a quaint trend, can you imagine wearing a crown now? Some of Grace Kelly’s jewels are on view, including her 10 carat diamond engagement ring. Then there’s the set of jewels that Mike Todd gave Elizabeth Taylor — diamond and ruby necklace, bracelet and earrings. Wow. And, many of the Duchess of Windsor’s pieces (aka Wallis Simpson). Also on view, a behind the scenes peek at the drawings and how the jewelry is made. If you go get the audio tour. Runs through May 9, 2010.

The rest of the day I spent walking around and tasting artisan chocolate at TasteTV’s Chocolate Salon at Ft. Mason. This is even better than Willy Wonka’s chocolate river! More than 50 chocolatiers were offering samples of their sweet treats, from across the country. I have to confess, I hit chocolate overload about half way through, so I didn’t get to taste everything. Here’s the best of what I did try:

Saratoga Chocolates - Strawberry balsamic truffle. One bite and the sweet concoction of strawberries and balsamic vinegar explode in your mouth.

Ococoa - They bill their chocolates as “the grownup peanut butter cup,” and the sunflower honey and butter cup is to die for.

Neo Cocoa – Here it’s the “heart” of the truffle — the filling — that takes center stage. Loved the lime zest chocolate.

Vice Chocolates – As far as vices go, chocolates aren’t so bad. Really like the fig and anise seed bar.

Posh Chocolat - These sweets are made in Montana, not exactly the center of the chocolate foodie world. Doesn’t matter, the couple who makes these chocolates have created a world of interesting flavors with chocolates of single origin Ecuadorian dark chocolate. Some work very well, and one I wasn’t crazy about. Likes: The Turkish coffee caramel, the bacon caramel applewood smoked sea salt, and the coconut pineapple caramel Hawaiian pink sea salt. Salt is a common theme in their recipes. The strangest combo here is the white truffle oil caramel with flakes of Cypress sea salt. Putting bacon in chocolate is one thing – truffle oil is just going a bit too far.

Little Sky Lavender Farm – Something different – yummy brownies infused with lavender! They sell the brownie mix so you can make them at home.

Jade Chocolates – These Asian flavor-inspired chocolates win big in the eyes of the Chocolate Salon judges. Their Genmai chocolate bar made of milk chocolate, roasted brown rice, roasted green tea and jasmine tea won 1st place for Best Flavored Chocolate in this year’s salon. The Terracotta bar with tamari almonds and pink sea salt won New Product Award 1st place.

William Dean Chocolates – Got my vote for most colorful confections. But never did get to try, the line was way too long!

Vermeer Dutch Chocolate Cream Liqueur – vodka-spiked chocolate is an indulgence.

Last week I was a judge at the Mendocino Crab & Wine Days. For the past 11 years, local chefs have entered their crab cakes in a cook-off to be chosen best of the best. In a separate contest, local wineries enter the bottling they think pairs best with pure crab meat (look for this in a later post).  It’s all Dungeness crab, caught locally off the coast of Mendocino.

We blind tasted our way (chef, restaurant and ingredients not identified) through 15 crab cakes and awarded scores for taste, presentation and originality.  The best cakes really honored the crab — nice chunks of crab meat, simple preparation with no one ingredient overpowering the crab.

The judges for the most part were in agreement on which crab cakes worked and which ones didn’t.  We preferred the less fussy presentations, and the cakes that had more crab than filler.

The winners above L-R:  1st place:  Silver’s at the Wharf – full of chunks, moist, not perfectly shaped.  We liked the acid from the grapefruit.  2nd place:  Cafe Beaujolais.  Great presentation, crab chunks with and green bean garnish.  3rd place Mendo Bistro.  Nice clean flavors and presentation, panko breading, (just awesome in my notes).

The next day, there’s a public tasting of all the crab cakes, and everyone casts votes for the People’s Choice award.  Results were similar to ours.  1st place:  Def Chef Catering; 2nd place:  Silver’s at the Wharf; 3rd place:  Mendo Bistro.  Congratulations to all!