“One piece, or one order?” This is the question you will continually have to answer at Good Luck Dim Sum in San Francisco, at least until you begin to address this query preemptively. The stoic lady behind the counter is all business, and once you finally become more specific with your ordering, the next question you will continually have to field is, “What else?” Perhaps there is something subliminal at work here, but that second question is the tricky one. For me, it somehow implied that maybe I should be ordering something else, and so I happened [... read more ...]
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The Culinary Timeline is a side-project that I've been working on since October. I'm hoping to have most of it complete by the end of January, with any luck. Until then, updates around here will be weekly, rather than twice weekly. Do stay tuned. • • •
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I went on a bit of a Cabernet bender today, my first in a while. Typically, I get a pretty decent dose of Cabernet Sauvignon just by working at a Napa Valley winery. Cabernet is the currency here, and the juice is ubiquitous. Since this varietal dominates my nine-to-five schedule, I’m usually motivated to seek out other types of wine on my days off. I go to the Dry Creek Valley on Zinfandel missions, hit up the Russian River for Pinot Noir, or simply head up-valley to Calistoga for Petite Sirahs. But today, Cabernet was the focus, [... read more ...] Although it’s located on the southwestern corner of the Jefferson-Pueblo intersection, Garcia’s Restaurant is easy to overlook. The small eatery is tucked away into the corner lot of Napa strip mall, which is the home of many Hispanic-related shops and stores. I sought out Garcia’s on the advice of a former co-worker at Auberge du Soleil, who mentioned it was one of his favorite spots for tacos. Since my favorite spot, Tacos La Playita (see May 30), was mysteriously closed for the time being, I decided it was time to finally follow up on this recommendation.
These days, most of the folks who are familiar with Charbono tend to be the old timers. These are the people who remember when Inglenook was one of the Napa Valley’s most reputable wine producers, long before corporate ownership ran the brand completely into the ground (as corporations tend to do). Inglenook, for a good number of years, actually used to bottle quite a bit of Charbono. Throughout the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, the varietal was one of the winery’s more popular offerings, with a devoted customer base. During its heyday, Inglenook was responsible for [... read more ...]
"The Billionaire's Vinegar" For collectors of wine, books, coins, trading cards or anything else, the lines between an interest and a passion — or a passion and an obsession — may become blurred over time. “The Billionaire’s Vinegar,” written by Benjamin Wallace, explores the often fanatical world of the rare wine market, offering a behind-the-scenes glimpse into some of the personalities who have purchased more wine than they could ever hope to drink. These are the collectors with tens of thousands of bottles in their cellars, who engage in bidding wars for past vintages of [... read more ...] “A Very Good Year” chronicles the making of Ferrari-Carano’s 2002 Fume Blanc, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the processes and the personalities involved in ushering a product from the vineyard to the market. Author Mike Weiss, who originally penned a portion of the book as a recurring feature in the San Francisco Chronicle, does a commendable job explaining the nuts and bolts of winemaking, while also portraying a handful of the personalities at work. Weiss selected Ferrari-Carano as the subject for his book because the label represents an average among California wineries: its production is [... read more ...] My favorite summer Zinfandel of the moment is by Watts Winery in Lodi, which may be the best Zin you’ve never had. I will admit that people who know my background — and that I’m a native of Lodi — may suspect that I’m being just a tad too supportive of the hometown juice. Personal bias is never out of the question, especially when it comes to wine. But before my readers begin to roll their eyes at my glowing remarks, I should point out that I actually tasted wines from several Lodi wineries today, and Watts [... read more ...] When it comes to pairing Zinfandel with food, you tend to hear a couple of the same recommendations over and over again: Zin complements grilled foods and tomato sauces. In the summertime, you can count on Zin to be your go-to burger wine. In the wintertime, Zin will shine alongside an all-day Bolognase. What most people may not realize, however, is that you can also combine these two elements, and have the best of both worlds, by drinking Zinfandel with grilled pizza. Of course, when it comes to any pizza (grilled or otherwise), homemade dough [... read more ...] My recent quest for Zinfandel lead me up Sage Canyon Road this afternoon — about 1400 feet above the valley floor — to Kuleto Estate. This remarkable mountain-top property, with a driveway as steep and as crooked as it is long, certainly ranks as one of the most remote destinations in the Napa Valley. Yet the winery is absolutely worth the trip, even as gasoline prices continue to soar into the stratosphere. To be sure, Sage Canyon Road tends to be off the radar for most of Napa Valley’s visitors. Anything with a Sage Canyon [... read more ...]
Buster's tri-tip sandwich with potato salad and the best cornbread muffin. Although there are plenty of great restaurants in Napa Valley, many of these places are not really viable options for lunch. For the avid wine enthusiast who can only get to Napa once or twice a year, time can be precious, especially during the day. On average, the Napa tasting rooms begin closing at about 4:30pm, which gives visitors about a six- or seven-hour window of wine tasting each day. Granted, proper planning will ensure that one can visit plenty of great [... read more ...] |
 
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© 2012 The Accidental Wino |
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