From Sonnet winemaker Tony Craig, comes this supple profusion of raspberries and licorice. The 2006 Russian River Valley, Amber Ridge Vineyard, Pinot Noir opens into a fragrant center of cassis supported by a foundation of sassafras and forest bark. It is a killer pinot, even better the second day. And it loves fresh sardines, salmon of all kinds as well as mushrooms and sheep cheese.
Find it and luxuriate. Circa $40.
Yes it stars the Diva of Drama, Meryl Streep. Yes it also stars the highly praised Philip Seymour Hoffman. But no that won’t keep you from regretting that you sacrificed $7 and two hours of your life on this bow-wow! Doubt is a soporific study in the vanity of one playwright who somehow talked Oscar-winners into putting on unattractive costumes and fretting around in a play so obvious and stilted that no MFA student would own it.
Doubt is thirty years too late, and 40 IQ points too dumb. The “issues†with which it grapples (I use the term loosely) have been dealt with already! A priest who may or may not have done something with an altar boy, a nun who vaguely suspects (more…)
Bradford Briske is the new chef at Gabriella Cafe. I found out from Paul Cocking, the owner of downtown’s chic dining room, that former chef Sean Baker is no longer with the restaurant.
Cocking is looking forward to a menu focused more intimately on local, farmers market wares, and expects the seasoned Briske — who worked at San Francisco’s Millenium before joining the Gabriella team a year ago to deliver a refreshed emphasis on local and seasonal ingredients.
Baker’s intensively hand-made foods can still be found at Le Cigare Volant, the Bonny Doon Tasting Room’s spacious new cafe (see post below for newly expanded hours).
Learn to Wok the Wok, India Joze-style at an upcoming cooking series, called Introduction to Wok World, a Short Course in Intense Food
Happening on two more Sunday afternoons — February 1,8, from 1-5PM @ Louden Nelson Center, the multi-culinary class starts with an introduction to the inimitable style virtuosity of Joseph Schultz, whose India Joze restaurant remains one of the most vibrant food experiences on record.
After working through procedures and equipment – lecture/demo followed by hands-on practice – the classes continue to explore the cuisines of India, Indonesia and the MidEast. Recipes and materials will be provided, as will a full dinner after each class.
You don’t have to be the re-incarnation of Julia Child (more…)
My contribution to this year’s Boxing Day ex-pat soirée was a tray of mini-cupcakes that were outrageous (if I do say so myself).
Lifted shamelessly from one of those McCormick ads in Sunset – and then tweaked for more flavor intensity – this recipe made dozens of two-bite mini-cupcakes, plus a regular layer cake to boot. They tasted as tender and rococco as the made-from-scratch cakes of your dreams. God they were good, really beautiful and worth the morning’s effort. Use organic cream cheese and sour cream, the best vanilla you can afford, and try not to think about how much red food coloring this involves.
Here’s the recipe. Treat yourself! (more…)
A book of sensory adventure: The rituals, passions and discoveries of an engaged life.