Hot, hot, hot. You step off the airplane into the ramp up to the gate in Miami and it hits you like a wall. And it isn’t really the heat for me as much as it is the humidity – my straight, fine, long hair suddenly becomes a voluminous puffbull. Pretty, huh? And then you “glisten”. How do the beauties of Miami do it because I certainly can’t? And you think that makes Miami different than Minnesota? Switch your language trigger, too, and pull out that Spanish! I sincerely wish my Spanish was better but the thought of classes or immersion in the midst of my hectic job airplane-hopping simply exhausts me. It is hard enough to stay awake at night to send emails!
From Toronto, I popped down for meetings in Miami for a night. And I wasn’t about to let one night in Miami go to waste! On previous trips, I had friends give me recos that I had never been able to take full advantage of thanks to work schedules so this time I was determined to finally hit Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink. My coworkers who live in Miami were all were suspicious because they had never heard or it or even the Design District where it is located. I had no reason to suddenly be nervous, however, as we were quickly weighted down by plateloads of delicious food (ranging from “size” small to extra large) on a comfortable plant-filled terrace.
Overall, there were more hits than misses but luckily almost everything I ordered was in a small plates format so the misses were simply less impactful in the midst of it all. An easy win with me was the butter. Good butter at the right temperature is like heaven on the tongue, melting in just-a-touch-of salty creaminess. We gratefully let them refill our bread basket multiple times, specifying “more butter, please”.
The Homemade Organic Ricotta & Fig Marmalade Crostini was dreamy with thick crostini generously portioned with both the fig and ricotta. Quite simple yet the combination was perfect and perfectly fresh. The other win was one of pure decadence – Wood Roasted Double Egg Yolk with caved aged gruyere, roasted tomato, chives and sourdough crostini. Wow, huh? I could feel the cholesterol pouring into my veins as I spooned each goopy, delicious bite onto the bread, closed my eyes and sighed in contentment. Even thinking about it today, I feel some shame, like I should have some plain steamed vegetables to balance it all out.
We also tried the “Cheese of the Week”, a concept I adored. It was an organic goat robiola served with honey comb and walnut raisin bread. I thoroughly enjoyed it but the pricetag at $15 was steep, all of the other smaller items I tried ranging from $5-8. Also on the menu, I tasted the falafel, asparagus, cauliflower with parsley sauce, and fingerling potatoes. All checked in as good but not remarkable.
While the food was great, I really enjoyed the leisurely pace at which we dined and the two people that worked as our servers. They offered to course all of the items we ordered and it was fun to see what came out when. With 6 of us at the table, us trying to figure it out ourselves would have been a nightmare so we certainly appreciated it.
So, even though we sat outside and my hair grew larger by the minute, it was a fun meal and I will back up my friend who recommended it to say it is worth a visit next time you are in Miami.
Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink 130 NE 40th Street Miami, FL www.michaelsgenuine.com
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Sidetrip: Miami
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Sidetrip: Toronto
Toronto is an amazing and diverse city and it gets even better when you might run into George Clooney or Oprah. That is the upside of being in Toronto during the Toronto Film Festival. The downside is that every hotel room in the city was shockingly expensive, forcing me to reside in an airport hotel. So sad... Despite the poor hotel location, I did make it out for one delicious meal with my Canadian counterparts at Terroni, a restaurant serving traditional Southern Italian food. The moment the food started coming, my attention was riveted to my plate and away from failed star-gazing and airport hotels.
We were led through a crowded but cozy Italian restaurant out to the back patio where a fall chill was touching the air. The patio was huge and filled with lots of big group tables and we were seated at one that was a modern take on the picnic table, benches down the sides rather than individual chairs.
We started with the mushroom appetizer, Funghi Assoluti: baked oyster mushrooms w/ parmigiano, balsamic vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil, garlic and parsley served on arugola. I am going to say it, yes I am, these mushrooms were better than the matsutake mushrooms at French Laundry the week before. Scream, yell, I don’t care. They didn’t look as pretty but they tasted great. They were rich and earthy yet you could also taste the really nice olive oil. They were wonderful. If were to go back to Toronto anytime soon, I would probably go back to this restaurant specifically to order this dish.
My happiness continued with the arrival of my pizza, interestingly names the Da Do A Da. I have no idea why it sounds like a commercial jingle but do know it contained some of my favorite ingredients: eggplant, mozzarella, goat cheese and roasted red peppers. This was excellent pizza with a thin crispy crust, a nice spattering of ingredients each prepared perfectly separately on their own, and served uncut so that the plate put before you showed the whole pie prior to its massacre (which happened quickly). And it got even better with their special hot red peppers in olive oil to spice it up. No red pepper flakes here... real red peppers.
I didn't think I could get much happier until my colleagues were insistent not only that we ordered dessert but also that we each had our own of the same dessert. As someone who has the tendency to want to share desserts all of the time and order lots of different one, I was skeptical. But, I learned my lesson as I took my first bite of their flourless chocolate cake. You guffaw at me saying that flourless chocolate cake has been overdone and is past its time. I beg to differ as this one was phenomenal. I am apparently not the only one because when you Google Terroni chocolate cake there are even YouTube videos of it.
So, in other words, I was pretty floored by Terroni, loving its casual Italian atmosphere and great food. A definite restaurant find for me in Toronto and leaving me itching to spend some real time in the gorgeous lakeside city of diveristy and fabulous food.
Terroni http://www.terroni.ca/
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Sidetrip: Ubuntu
It is not too often in life that I am floored by a restaurant and when I am floored it isn't too often that the rest of the table alongside me feels the same way. I can officially state that Ubuntu didn't just floor us, it was jarring.
"Carta da musica, with virtually the entire summer garden, barely dressed, round pond olive oil-lemon-sea-salt, truffled pecorino." Yes, I know, we had to ask what the heck is that? Basically a crispy cracker covered with all sorts of gorgeous greens, vegetables and flowers and the finest of shavings of pecorino. Then all strangely served on a cutting board shaped like a pig. Witty, I suppose. This was a beautiful dish but not as mouth-watering as the others, unless you got a bite with the truffled pecorino, in which case we swooned in turn around the table.
I instead chose "summer squash of all ages, roast-puree-raw scented with our vadouvan, stuffed blossom, delfino coriander seed." This was a presentation of squash in multiple forms. As much as it was pretty, I should do a better job to remind myself that I don't love summer squash (it is winter squash that I love!). Unique but not cravable.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Sidetrip: The French Laundry
The walk down the street in Yountville towards The French Laundry was filled with lots of “is that it?” but I immediately recognized the building. I full out admit to stalking the French Laundry website on a daily basis for the month before our visit, reading menus and just getting so very excited. As we approached, a chef was scurrying through the huge garden across the street, cutting some last minute herbs. It was the perfect sight to see as we stopped to take pictures in said garden before heading in for our 5:45pm reservation.
Now, don’t be aghast at our early reservation! We just know ourselves and knew that if we didn’t do this dinner on our first night in Napa and first thing, we would have potentially already drank too much wine or be way too tired to fully enjoy the experience. So, fresh of the plane and only a glass in from the visit to Domaine Chandon earlier in the day, here we were ready for it. Ready for The French Laundry.
The building itself is diminutive and reminiscent of what I think the façade of a French country house in Provence is supposed to look like. The massive garden and the the cobbled masonry of the building, however, was in contrast with the formal setting to be found inside. Coats required, gentlemen, and white tablecloths all the way. A simple vase of flowers sat on the table, the only embellishment to this classic, composed experience. The three of us were quietly seated in the main dining room next to the unlit fireplace. For much of our meal, the room was quiet and half empty and even as it filled with later diners, the room felt hushed and formal.
Cheers! We started with a glass of champagne, a real champagne that took the sparkling wine from Chandon and put it out back to play with the children. I would love to tell you what this champagne was but, unfortunately, the sommelier’s promise to write down the wines we drank during dinner never came to fruition as we were ushered out of our seats quite quickly at the end of the meal in order for them to turn the table.
To accompany our champagne we were treated to one bite perfect gougeres and the famous salmon tartare ice cream cone, with salmon tartare the top and crème fraiche down in the crispy cone. My variation was done with beets of a similar shade of fresh fish pink. This is such a familiar amuse bouche in high-end dining (although usually tuna and associated with a man named Puck) that I can only assume had its start at The French Laundry otherwise I couldn’t imagine they would serve it!
The three of us at the table all had different menus, one sticking to the classic Chef’s Tasting menu (the Carnivore), myself to the Tasting of Vegetables (Moi) and then the third to a variation of the two (the Pescetarian). Hurray, the more for us to see and taste!
My first course was a Quinine Sorbet with green apple, candied ginger and juniper “aigre-doux”. I would have liked to have surreptitiously hidden under the table and Googled quinine but I behaved and instead enjoyed the zingy starter, intrigued by all that was going on in this dish. It was a combination of flavors that ranged from sweet to sour, from tangy to herbaceous and then an amalgamation of textures from the different components that I would describe as rounded, jellied and also crunchy. It said to me, “Hello, RP, welcome to French Laundry and a meal that will surprise you at every turn!” My almost criminal-like investigation of my unique dish was in contrast to the cerebral heaven that my dining companions were sighing in with the famed “Oysters and Pearls”, a “sabayon” of pearl tapioca with Island Creek Oysters and White Sturgeon Caviar. Talk about lay-it-out-there indulgence! It was declared the best bite of oyster they had ever had. It was only later as we watched another table have truffles shaved over this dish that we realized that it could be taken to even more of an extreme.
Up next, I moved on to a Salad of Compressed Cucumber with watermelon, red chili, cilantro, yogurt and madras curry. This dish was a work of beautiful visual art, arguably too pretty to eat, with my picture here simply not doing justice. I loved the far-ranging ingredients that I could pair myself on the fork to try different combinations, the tiny curls of red chili packing a slow heat when precisely picked up, so delicate almost magnetically attracted, with the tines of the fork. The other dish on the table was a Salad of Composed Lobster Mushrooms with yellow corn, baby leeks, frisée and béarnaise syrup. I know I tried their dish but I was so taken with my own that I can’t remember enough to comment on it!
Matsutake Mushrooms with water eggplant, ginkgo nuts, broccolini, padrón peppers, perilla and “sauce Japonaise” followed the salad. This was another beautifully composed dish in which I loved seeing the vertical leaning of the broccolini and the deep brown of the mushrooms intermingled into a woodsy, autumn-like presentation. My intellectual expectation of earthiness in the dish was instead flummoxed by a brighter more subtly flavored combination. I had been ready to move deeper into the meal after the salad, but this did not take me there. It was my least favorite dish of the menu. On the other side of the table, the two others were entwined in loving thoughts of each other but also of the Sautéed Filet of Sablefish with English cucumber, young beets, “pommes rissolées”, red ribbon sorrel and horseradish crème fraîche. My taste of their potato was phenomenal (crisp on the outside, creamy inside) but I will have to leave the fish for them to comment on.
I will point blank say that my next dish was the perfect omelette – Jidori Hen Egg Omelette with summer squash “sofrito”, pine nuts and Greek basil. This tiny and picturesque omelette was cooked so perfectly right to the point of melt-in-the-mouth that I finally personally was able to experience what some would claim is the test of a truly fine chef – the ability to make a great omelette. I savored every bite of this omelette, loving the miniscule cubes of squash filling its interior and then filling my mouth with their tiny texture. Gorgeous knife skills were of evidence. My squeals of delight were maybe only overwhelmed by those of my tablemates, who were eating “Caesar Salad” with butter poached Maine lobster tail, caramelized heart of romaine lettuce , garlic melba and “bottarga di muggine”. I have no idea what the last piece here was but it must have been something because I am convinced this deconstructed Caesar will be racing through the dreams of the inhabitants a certain apartment in Park Slope.
The savory really got underway with the next course, Toasted Jacob’s Farm Farro with toybox tomatoes, Hass avocado, parsley, and tarator sauce. I don’t know why but I undeniably got a kick out of the fact that the tiny tomatoes were all peeled. Why? Other than to show me how fabulous the kitchen skills are? Another gorgeous to look at dish with many components to meld together or not. The carnivore of our group quacked happily at his “Aiguilette” of Liberty Farm Pekin Duck with sunchokes, mission figs, hazelnuts, sylvetta arugula and balsalmic jus. Our pescetarian at this point moved to an item from the Vegetable Tasting that I had not chosen, the “Dégustation” of French Laundry Garden Potatoes with “Pomme in Feuille de Bric”, red radish, little gem lettuce and caviar crème fraîche. She called it a conduit for caviar and I quote “amazing”.
My food envy overwhelmed at this next course. While my Hand-Rolled Cranberry Bean “Agnolotti” with Nicoise olives, peppers, arugula and sweet garlic was lovely and so garden fresh, our pescetarian was delivered an off-the-menu bowl of truffle linguine. And it wasn’t as simple as that: two servers formally appeared from the kitchen, one silently carrying a lacquered black box, and moved in beside her chair. The box was opened outwards (always in the arms of the one server) and out was pulled a large and beautiful black truffle which was then shaved ever-so-generously over her dish. With ceremony, the truffle was placed back into the box and the two truffle-bearers fled with the magic box. And that is exactly what it was and will always be remembered as: the “Magic Truffle Box”. The dish itself was intensely indulgent and we all snuck multiple bites. My pretty little dish, although delightful, was definitely back-burnered by this heady concoction. I can’t even remember what the Elysian Fields Farm Lamb Salad with “petit sale”, summer squash, “demi-sec” tomatoes, Nicoise olives and thyme jus of our carnivore even looked like. Truffles can do that to a girl.
It was at about this time that my friend facing the entrance gave an “Oh my god, that’s him!” Thomas Keller had entered the dining room. I swung around in my chair for a brief glance as he walked through and talked to a table. Like a ghost, he flew in, blew through and was gone. Was that real? Did we really see the celebrity chef in his restaurant? So exciting!
Cheese, please! (Sigh, why didn’t we take a picture with him?) We will just have to settle with the cheese course instead. My choice was “Fourme D’Ambert” a blue cheese served with alpine strawberries, beets and red ribbon sorrel. I anticipated blue cheese with red accents and was instead met with white alpine strawberries and the beets being almost a deep burgundy. The cheese was bright but not overwhelming at all to the delicate flavor of the strawberries. The accent dots on the plate of what I think were balsamic blew me away with their perfection. The servers must learn to walk perfectly here so as to not tipple dots of sauce. My companions were treated to Andante Dairy “Cavatina” with peaches, Belgian endive, kakai pumpkin seeds, watercress and “priment d’espelette”, another beautiful combination of flavors and textures.
We were getting close to the end but not quite yet. Time to refresh the pallet with sorbet. Pluot Sorbet with chilled “sangria” and fennel buds for me. Honeydew Melon Sorbet with compressed watermelon and basil “nuage” for them. An intermezzo so a bit of one on the comments.
I very clearly remember my dessert, far and away one of my favorite desserts of all time, the “Opera Cake” with praline “namelaka”, milk granité and coffee ice cream. This deconstructed rendition of opera cake had everything a dessert needs: multiple textures, rich chocolate, homemade coffee ice cream and surprise presentation! I loved the chocolate tube filled with cream and I do believe I might have even picked it up to eat it, breaking all etiquette. What a faux pas but how could I resist? Amazing.
Almost the end.
Ahhh, it was a wonderful meal with about 5 wines paired by the glass throughout by the sommelier who I am still a bit bitter at for not writing down those wines for us. We sat back to take it all in and finish the final glass of dessert wine. The bill was slipped onto the table before that last glass was finished. As we paid, one of the managers came over to our table and offered to take us on a tour of the kitchen. Well, of course, we couldn’t resist, although knowing the whole time that they were simply trying to get us out of our table in order to seat the next diners. We did get to stand on the edge of the kitchen and watch for a good five minutes, though, which was priceless time. There were many chefs in this kitchen and the coordination achieved was profound between the food coming to the ready and the servers perfectly timed to pick it up and take it to the dining room. This was not a kitchen of heat lamps and high tempers. I wish I could have watched all night.
Our goodies to go (sugar butter cookies, a box of chocolates and the French Laundry clothespin) in hand we were led out to the foyer and it was at that point that I had to ask for copies of our menu. To be honest, I really wish that they had been offered and that the sommelier had come to hand us our list of wines. Well, to be honest, I really wish that they had printed custom menus with the wines on them and exactly what we had eaten like they had done at Alinea. It was such a nice keepsake.
Speaking of Alinea, I can’t resist making the comparison since they are arguably two of the top restaurants in America and I have managed to eat at them both in the last 6 months. French Laundry was fabulous and completely worth it for the entire experience but Alinea, honestly, was more fun. At French Laundry I loved the building, the huge garden and the hominess of the kitchen. But at Alinea I think that the service was better offering more unique explanations of the food, a better read on how to treat the diners themselves and the servers there had more willingness to talk longer about the food and making it okay to ask questions even in their formal setting. I just didn’t feel as comfortable at French Laundry, as much as I wanted to. At Alinea it was okay to take pictures of your food, here I did so with my iPhone as surreptitiously as possible. Finally, the usher out at the end was expected since we had an early reservation but it still felt like a bit of a sting to me because how could I actually want to leave?
So, where does that leave me? I am thrilled to have gone to French Laundry and to have had an amazing meal like no other. It was wonderful to peek into the famed kitchen, glimpse and then later meet Thomas Keller at the Ad Hoc bar later in the night, and to have walked daily through the gorgeous vegetable garden across the street trying so hard not to touch anything. The sour taste in my mouth at the service faux pas and formality are arguably weak arguments against an otherwise lovely experience. Unfortunately, however, they are a bit sticky because I can’t write about the wines I drank and can’t even think back to one specific server who smiled, let alone laughed, the whole night. I know French Laundry is used for many an engagement or celebration and unless that ring came IN the Magic Truffle Box, the restaurant is otherwise not the atmosphere that I would want for such a happy occasion. C’est la vie and, man, despite it all, it is quite the vie.
The French Laundry 6640 Washington St Yountville, CA www.frenchlaundry.com
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Taste of the Nation 2009
Amazing. It was another amazing year for Taste of the Nation Minneapolis. In June, we held our young professionals HOTList event and then this past Sunday we had our SOLD OUT signature event at Graves 601. Picture this: the gorgeous Graves ballroom filled with 18 chefs each cooking a tableside five course meal for their table of 10. Yup, that is 90 different courses happening in the same evening in the same room. The smell is amazing, the vibe is incredible and the camaraderie of the chefs and foodie diners fills the air with an energy like no other. And it is all for a great cause to end Childhood Hunger as part of Share Our Strength. I am excited to report that, despite the economy, we had our best year yet and considering that this is a year that even more people have been in need, I dare call that an amazing success.
So, on to the food! Who was there causing food envy across the room as everyone traded menus to see what the table next to them was eating? Here’s the chef list and huge thank you to all of them. They and their restaurants actually donate ALL of the food and wine pairings that they serve. Talk about generosity:
- *Solera* - J.P. Samuelson
- *Barrio* - Bill Fairbanks & Tyge Nelson
- *La Belle Vie* - Mike DeCamp
- *Sea Change* - Erik Anderson
- *Restaurant Alma* - Alex Roberts
- *The Marsh* - David Jones
- *Mystic Lake* *Casino*- Richard Fisher
- *Red Stag Supper Club* - Brian Hauke
- *20.21* - Asher Miller
- *Cafe Ena* - Hector Ruiz
- *WA Frost* - Wyatt Evans
- *North Coast* - Steve Schultz
- *Chez Colette/Sofitel* - Serge Devesa
- *Heidi's* - Stewart Woodman
- *Dakota Jazz Club* - Greg Johnson
- *D'Amico Kitchen* - TJ Rawitzer
- *Bradstreet Crafthouse* - Jesse Spitzak
- *Cosmos* - Hakan Lundberg
Also an extra big thank you to Tim McKee for bringing all four of his restaurants. We started the evening with a great big round of applause for him having brought a James Beard award home to Minneapolis! Plus, I absolutely have to call out Graves 601 Hotel. They did so much to make this happen were simply so generous with the resources and time. We couldn’t pull off this logistically complicated event without their diehard support!
So… let’s go on to the food! Well, my food at least because I don’t know exactly what else everyone had! If anyone reads this that ate or cooked at another table, do chime in. I was excited sit at the Solera table, cooked by J.P. Samuelson with wine paired by the blush-worthy Bill Summerville. Here was our menu (parentheses for my vegetarian substitutions):
1. Heirloom Tomato and Canary Melon Salad with Arugula and Nunez de Prado Sorbet Selback-Oster, Reisling Kabinett, Mosel, Germany 2007
2. Au Bon Canard Foie Gras Torchon with a Lentil-Leek Salad, Brioche and Quince Confit (Roasted Figs in place of the Foie) Maestro Sierra, Oloroso Sherry, 15 years, Jerez, Spain
3. Halibut Braised in Duck Fat with Heirloom Zucchini, Espelette Pepper and Preserved Lemon Foam (Greens and Asparagus in place of the Halibut) Clos Mogador, Clos Nelin, Priorat, Spain 2006
4. Slow Roasted Wild Acres Duck Breast with Pulientas, Figs and Sherry Caramel Cims de Porrera, Priorat, Solanes, Spain 2004
5. Almond-Fig Cake with Orange Panna Cotta and Turron Ice Cream Lustau, Moscatel Sherry”Emelin” Jerez, Spain
It was a marvelous meal and assuming it is indicative of what is happening at Solera, we all need to be spending a lot more time there. The nuance of fig through the courses was well thought out and integrated and the perfect interpretation of September – a time that daily swings between summer and fall. The olive oil sorbet with the salad was perfection as it melted over the tomatoes and I had never thought to salt melons but it worked, just like with tomatoes. And, I clearly learned that there is a need for much more sherry in my life. I just never think about sherry. I also found the preserved lemon foam so incredibly intense that I kept taking bites, shivering and then going back for more. And the desserts… that ice cream needs to be the next Haagen-Dazs flavor. J.P. is my newest culinary hero.
And, after the guests all departed, it was time to have even more fun as we opened up Bradstreet Crafthouse for a Chef After Party! Mindy Segal, James Beard nominated pastry chef from Chicago and a member of the Taste of the Nation Culinary Council, baked all day to help thank the chefs and staff for all of their hard work. So, I ate lots more dessert. And now I can’t wait to get down to Chicago to try out her restaurant Hot Chocolate and am so jealous of whoever won that auction item where they get to spend the day in the kitcken with her.
There are simply so many people to thank for making Taste of the Nation happen and you all know who you are and and I say thank you.
As always, if you want to be involved with something this incredible, by cooking, donating or joining our planning committee, it is a great cause and a ton of fun. Please send me an email: twincitieseats@gmail.com.
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
Sidetrip: Napa Valley
Okay, we can now declare the month of the 30th Birthday complete and if it wasn’t for GP’s wedding and Taste of the Nation this coming weekend, I might declare a moratorium on eating and drinking and instead dive right into a fad diet. And finish off my month, there is no better place to overindulge than in the Mecca of Thomas Keller: Napa Valley, California.
Friday morning, we hit the road from SFO and quickly glided over the Golden Gate Bridge and into Domaine Chandon in Yountville. It seems only appropriate to kick-off a weekend of celebration with bubbly to cleanse the palate. We sat outside enjoying the beautiful Northern California sunshine clinking glasses and catching up before heading back to the inn to prepare for IT. IT being French Laundry. French Laundry, deservedly, gets its very own report so sit tight on that. Here I will say that I was like a schoolgirl with giddiness seeing and then briefly talking to Thomas Keller. Best celebrity sighting of the year.
Post French Laundry, the weekend just kept getting better. After dinner I had the opportunity to raise a glass with EH and AF, who, while not on my trip, happened to get engaged in Napa Valley that same day. Congrats!!!
Saturday morning we awoke to perfect weather for a little biking. Napa is gorgeous and even better with the wind in your hair (er, helmet). In the course of the day, we visited Cosentino, Beaulieu Vineyards, Rutherford Hill, and Miner Family wineries. At Beaulieu they were as rude as they come. On the other hand, at Rutherford Hill our guide was hospitable and the picnic ground view over the valley phenomenal. We lunched on wonderful sandwiches and roasted garlic dip from Yountville Deli (already dreaming of this dip. Recipe, someone?). There were two Minnesota connections on this day – Rutherford Hill was originally founded by the Pillsbury family and one of the owners of Miner Family is a Minnesota native. Overall, a beautiful day of tasting. Best wine of the day: the 2006 Terlato Devil’s Peak from Rutherford Hill. Best discoveries of the day: the Marsanne grape and that garlic dip. Funniest moment: the biking company asking for a picture of one of our group bringing up the rear burning cigar in his mouth, for their Facebook page. Classic.
On our bike ride, we painstakingly rode up the hill past Auberge du Soleil but never walked into the famed luxury resort, instead choosing to have dinner at another luxurious property in the valley, the Carneros Inn. This gorgeous inn’s signature restaurant is The Farm, located in a lofty barn-like structure. The restaurant and the pieces of the property that we saw were immaculate and just looked expensive. Unfortunately, the restaurant service was not so immaculate. We were seated for over 30 minutes before we even received our drinks. On a more positive note, what they did surprisingly have was a great wine list with many affordable options.
Burrata is clearly the “in” cheese of Napa this summer as it was featured on every menu we saw, including at The Farm where I started with the burrata and heirloom tomato salad. Happy me. My hen-of-the-woods flatbread entrée was less impressive and served cold. I couldn’t even get close to finishing it. A highlight of the evening, though, was that they did put candles into all of our desserts… and we did try every single one of them on the menu (there were 8 of us!). Overall, I loved the casual wealthy atmosphere at Farm but didn’t feel like the food lived up to either French Laundry or Ubuntu. Dinner moment: waitress never having heard of Red Bull and Vodka, clearly deriding one of our group’s drink choices multiple times.
A fresh Sunday morning in Yountville. What’s a girl to do? Eat Bouchon Bakery (again and again tomorrow) for breakfast. Our inn was 10 feet from Bouchon Bakery and we certainly needed no breakfast with our bed because of that. Everything I tried from the Bakery was wonderful, particularly the citrus pistachio brioche, strawberry almond croissant and macaroons. Watch out for cute babies and puppies out front. I think the whole place is staged as Valhalla (except for the lines).
Sunday’s wine tasting involved a limo and a brash driver with a huge tattoo of Napa across his belly. We began at Hill Family Winery, whose tasting room in Yountville is part antique shop, part wine shop and definitely a showcase for the young Ryan Hill, who my friends are now determined that I should marry despite us never actually meeting him (although hearing a ton of gossip…). Regardless, I really did enjoy their wines and our great host at the tasting room. Next up, James Cole, where motorcycles and classic cars seemed just as on trend as the culty-priced cabernet. From there we moved to the tiny family-run Robinson Family winery, where one of the daughters toured and tasted us while we picnic-lunched on our sandwiches from the famed (and crowded) Oakville Grocery. We finished the day out at Jessup Cellars back in Yountville where I think we tasted some of the better wines of the day. Their art gallery setting was cool and refreshing after a long hard wine-tasting day… A visual of the moment of the day:
We headed up to Tra Vigne in St. Helena for an Italian dinner. Much like the farm, the food was pretty good but didn’t blow us away like it could of. I did adore the heavy hand of garlic, particularly on the grilled toasts accompanying the mozzarella pulled “al minuto”. That mozzarella was generous and scrumptious. The next morning I declared myself over-cheesed for the weekend. I continued with two more appetizers, stuffed squash blossoms with an arrabbiata sauce (good but way too much “fried” going on) and yummy sweet corn budino, a solid pudding interpretation highlighting great corn flavor.
Our Napa adventure continued on Monday with a morning tasting at Caymus of some great wines on their beautiful property. We followed this up with a stop in at the uber-crowded Cakebread Cellars. Most of the group wineried out, we headed to the classic Napa institution, Mustard’s Grill for lunch. Oh, yes, more burrata! Man, such goodness. I then had a wonderful vegetarian burger made from spinach, mushrooms and fontina. Erase your thoughts of the typical veggie burger and instead think literally spinach and mushrooms held together with fontina cheese. So good. I also loved the variety of greens in their salads, every bite a new herbaceous crunch. Everyone enjoyed their meals at Mustard’s (and the libations…). One final stop of the afternoon for a tasting at Ma(i)sonry, perhaps the most architecturally fascinating gallery/wine shop/patio in Yountville.
Our last night in Napa. Sadness. But I was so excited that 6 of the 8 agreed to go to Ubuntu, Jeremy Fox’s famed Napa vegetarian restaurant. Oh my, it was excellent. Declared by all, even the dedicated carnivores. It gets its very own posting.
Tuesday we dropped the boys at the airport and the ladies continued on. We wore them out or, more likely, they were sick of us. It was the five ladies, after all, who had known each other for 12 years, as roommates, sorority sisters, bridesmaids etc. I would be sick of us too. But, man, we rock to date/marry. Look at these trips we plan… boys just have to come along for the ride (I was forced to write this, I swear).
It was another day asking myself how I don’t live in Northern California. You can have fruit trees in your yard, picnics all year and there are things like the Ferry Building, a huge “food court” filled with local, gourmet products. I could have shopped there for hours wandering from the mushroom shop to the olive oil stand. Instead, we briefly explored and focused on lunch. I had an incredible eggplant sandwich from Lulu Petite– smoky, creamy, oily heaven of a sandwich with freshly made potato chips. For dessert, artisanal chocolates including flavors like bergamot and lemon verbena from Recchiuti Confections.
An afternoon of shopping out of the way, I had dinner with my cousin JS. We started with our main meal at Chez Papa Bistro, where I was able to try both the heirloom tomato salad and the roasted peach salad with hazelnuts thanks to a server error. I followed this up with an individual chanterelle mushroom and goat cheese tart. The meal was fresh and simple, perfect after a long weekend of overindulging. We then met up with my other cousin AS for dessert at Chenery Park, where we jokingly called my lemon pudding cake polenta, due to its pasty look.
For my final meal in California, we hit Cole Valley for a weekday brunch on the back patio of Zazie. After too many Bouchon pastries for breakfast, it was nice to have the more savory Eggs Valence, poached eggs with a roasted tomato sauce over eggplant and an English muffin. The accompanying potatoes, heavily laden with roasted garlic bulbs, made me concerned for the person sitting next to me on the plane… until their body odor overpowered it all anyways. Loved Zazie, from the mango mimosa to the generous portions and highly recommend it.
What an amazing trip. Where to next, ladies?
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Food Lit: Born Round
I love to read and while some people think of it as a chore, it is to me the ultimate treat to have the time to read a book. So for my birthday last weekend, I was so excited that it coincided with the release of Frank Bruni's Born Round: The Secret History of a Full-Time Eater. For those of you that don't know, Bruni just "retired" as the food critic for the New York Times. And, while he didn't spill all of his reviewing secrets, I have to say that it was a wonderful birthday present of a read.
This was the story of Bruni's weight struggles starting when he was young and coinciding with his love of food, an unfortunate combination. It was a very introspective book and emotionally revealing in a positive way. So many of the "food critic" books fail to reveal the true person and instead attempt to create a fictional character of a self and Bruni reverses that trend by being quite an open book about his life. I felt his embarrassment on the pool deck wearing not enough clothing to cover his body image problems (I have been there too), my tummy rumbled when he described the Italian family feasts growing up, and I empathized with his attempts to fit in (or not) at various points in his life. From the New York suburbs, to NC, to Detroit, to DC and out to Rome, it is a whirlwind of places, emotions and constant hunger pains on my part.
While we do learn about the influence of food on Bruni's life growing up, we actually don't hear a whole lot of details about his time as a food critic with the New York Times. I am guessing that time away from it might make for better copy (or else he is setting himself up for the sequel!). Regardless, I enjoyed the book a lot more than a number of other recent food books and think that this one might go on the shelf next to my Ruth Reichl books, who also wrote excellent memoirs.