Normally, I wouldn’t dare set foot in any restaurant on opening night. Having worked in the business, I can attest to the fact that working an opening-night shift is a restaurant rite of passage, to say the least. In most cases, it’s an inevitable hurdle. From a blogging perspective, I would never judge a restaurant at any time during its first couple of weeks, either. It’s just not fair (I’ll leave that to the Yelpers) — even the best places will have some growing pains to work through. So, honestly, I had no real reason to book [... 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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It occurred to me today that I should probably have a “Pigs are delicious” category on this blog, since I frequently order “the other white meat” at restaurants. Then, I realized that “pigsaredelicious.com” would also be an excellent name for a website. And since I had a coupon for a free domain registration, I figured that I better secure pigsaredelicious.com before someone else does (you can now access my blog through this alternate URL, if you wish). Of course, the impetus for this alternate URL had sprung from my own personal mantra: my longtime readers are keenly aware that, [... read more ...] Let’s journey back to 1968 with a look at “Gourmet Wine Cooking: the Easy Way,” which was published by the Wine Advisory Board. First off, very nice use of the Peignot font, which I have always called “Mary Tyler Moore,” for those who remember the television series. Upon closer inspection, notice the bottle of non-vintage California Vin Rosé, a “Pink Dinner Wine,” in the background. And wait, is that chicken? No, it’s duck, but are those canned peaches and pears? Why, yes they are!
I think I can finally put the topic of fried chicken to rest, at least here in the Napa Valley. This subject actually snuck up on me a couple of weeks ago, when I drove all the way up to Solbar in Calistoga for their much-heralded “Lucky Pig” dinner. However, I happened to make this trek on Tuesday night, the one night of the week that fried chicken happens to appear on the Solbar menu. After a brief deliberation, I was compelled to rethink my plans and choose poultry over swine, if for no other reason than [... read more ...] My sources have mentioned that a new restaurant will open in St. Helena — potentially by this fall — on the property that is currently occupied by Whiting Nursery. The restaurant is rumored to be a farm-to-table concept, and will be backed by the folks who operate Long Meadow Ranch. From what I hear, the chef will be Sheamus Feeley, who has been long associated with the Rutherford Grill. I will try to find out the restaurant’s name — if it even has a name yet — as soon as I can. • • • For a March 2010 review [... read more ...] A couple months ago, I had the pleasure of tasting the 2005 Lokoya Mount Veeder Cabernet, which was one of the best wines I’ve tasted in quite some time. Unfortunately, this wine carries a $200 price tag, which is why I couldn’t add this wine to my cellar (and also the reason why I didn’t purchase the stunning 2005 Shafer Hillside Select during my visit to that winery). Look, I’m all for economic stimulus, but even during the most prosperous of times, $200 for a bottle of wine is a bit egregious, especially at the retail level. [... read more ...] In the interest of full disclosure, I have a unique connection to Michael Ruhlman’s 2006 book, “The Reach of a Chef”: I happen to be the “UCLA graduate who worked in L.A. entertainment and also the dot-com world before it burst” on page 81. Ruhlman had visited my Skills I class for several days in 2004, and although I had read and enjoyed his previous book, 2001′s “The Soul of a Chef,” I chose to remain aloof. I didn’t want to become fodder for any anecdotes, especially as I began my very first kitchen class at the CIA. Under [... read more ...] I’ll be flying out to Pittsburgh to attend a wedding in July, which means that I’m relishing the opportunity to eat something über regional. Naturally, a sandwich at Primanti Brothers tops the list. What says more about Pittsburgh than their famous all-in-one sandwiches, named because they contain a side of coleslaw and french fries within the sandwich itself. It’s freakish and demented, and I can’t wait to eat one (so far, I have only seen them featured on television). In preparation for this occasion, I visited San Francisco’s Giordano Brothers, which has been making all-in-one sandwiches since [... read more ...] Last month, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack broke ground (with a jackhammer, literally) on The People’s Garden, which was formerly 1250 square feet of pavement at USDA headquarters. But this act of showmanship, which coincided with Abraham Lincoln’s 200th birthday celebration, was derided as a publicity stunt. Critics, already skeptical of Vilsack’s appointment as the head of the USDA, pointed out that The People’s Garden was not necessarily designated as a food garden. As disappointing as The People’s Garden may have been, Michelle Obama has recently announced plans to finally give the people exactly what [... read more ...] I recently attended the Bordeaux Wine Council’s fourth annual “Today’s Bordeaux” tasting, which featured a flight of 100 wines from Bordeaux. These wines, which featured mostly reds, were culled from an initial selection of 350 wines that were nominated by U.S. wine importers. Of these preliminary wines, the top 100 were selceted during a blind tasting held in December 2008. Prices of the wines ranged from $8 to $35, so “Today’s Bordeaux” presented a great opportunity to scout for some bargains. Over a three-hour session, I tasted all of the reds that were offered (there [... read more ...] |
 
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© 2012 The Accidental Wino |
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