by Christina Waters | Nov 28, 2007 | Home |
Photographer Tana Butler has just released a 2008 calendar loaded with her juicy images of farmers market bounty. A certified organic groupie, Butler just can’t stay away from open-air farmers markets. Collecting some of her choicest images of freshly-harvested produce, she has produced one of the most eye-catching holiday gift items to ever deserve the “local” label.
Think of Butler as the Annie Liebovitz of fresh food – she does for tomatoes what the Rolling Stone photographer does for Mick Jagger. Makes everything look exciting, sensuous and available for fondling. Food porn without apologies. (Those are Windmill Farms strawberries on the mouth-watering cover.) (more…)
by Christina Waters | Nov 27, 2007 | Home |
A little-known opera by Puccini provided the vehicle for Romanian superstar Angela Gheorghiu’s San Francisco Opera debut last week. The opera, La Rondine, a Viennese cream-puff wrapped in Italian histrionics deserves to remain obscure — especially with the cloying sets and mono-dimensional lighting provided by the underwhelming SF Opera production. But the voice! The chance to hear the effortless crescendoes, the burnished center and remarkable beauty of Gheorghiu’s voice was worth driving up to the city for.
Her’s is not only a rare instrument, but the packaging is also terrific. Gheorgiu, who apparently owns Puccini these days, is a tall, statuesque, gorgeous woman. She can act, she can move and she sings like a young Maria Callas. If only we could pronounce it, her’s would easily become an operatic household name.
by Christina Waters | Nov 27, 2007 | Home, Travel, Wine |
Bay Area chef Chris Kobayashi and his brothers have joined the new transformation of downtown Paso Robles into a food and wine destination. Their smart dining room – Artisan – offers a wine list of local all-stars and serious, accomplished local, organic foods to match.
Since our longtime favorite Paso Robles restaurant, Bistro Laurent, was closed on sunday, we made reservations for dinner at Artisan on our way to Thanksgiving in the Mojave.
From two sensational local wines – one a cab from Firestone, the other a “Cuvee des Artistes” blend from RN Estate – to a mini dessert of warm cookies, we were charmed right down to our trail runners.
The opening dish of seared yellow fin tartare, arranged in a fan of crimson seafood, arrived with a tangy fried green tomato and frisee salad. Killer. Jack’s entree of natural pork porterhouse was tender and juicy, sided with sweet potatoes and baby turnips. My Kobe beef cheeks came with stupendous buttermilk mashed potatoes, broccoli rabe, infant heirloom carrots and more of those thumbnail-sized white turnips. Even though the beef tasted more like gelatinous pot roast than anything else, the side dishes were better than great.
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by Christina Waters | Nov 26, 2007 | Food, Home, Travel |
That would be the “Original California-Style” hot pepper sauce known as (ta-da!) The Pepper Plant.
We discovered this zippy hot sauce at Margie’s Diner in Paso Robles on the way back from the Mojave last week. Made in Gilroy, this all-natural product is saucy and thick (unlike Tabasco). It is also much, much more peppery than Tabasco, and lacks Tabasco’s distinctive vinegary subtext. The Pepper Plant is loaded with jalapeño puree, chili peppers and garlic. It adds miles of peppery panash to even the most ordinary soft boiled egg. Your condiment shelf needs this product!
by Christina Waters | Nov 14, 2007 | Home, Wine |
Chef Sean Baker took on the robust wines of Ridge Vineyards last night and came up with a flawless walk through contemporary, field-fresh, hand-made cuisine. Six courses – including one surprise – and at least as many matching vintages from what many consider the apex of American winemaking.
Gabriella was packed with adventurous wine-lovers enjoying such flavor thrills as:
1) Devils Gulch rabbit confit plumed with fried dulse and surrounded by an outrageous “chutney” of pecan wood-smoked tomato pancetta vinaigrette. Unbelievable.
2) Next came a creation of Yukon gold gnocchi with unctuous beef cheek guazzetto (like a ragu of beef, tomato, wine, and porcinis) loaded with attitude and pecorino romano.
3) A rack of lamb, grilled with borage honey and rosemary, arrived with a velvety pool of sunchoke cippolini parmesan sauce and a not-for-wimps lamb’s tongue hash with rapini garlic oil. Joined by the stupendous 2004 Santa Cruz Mountain Cabernet, it took my palate to a whole new place. (more…)
