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 had a fantastic dinner at Boulevard last night, which is what I’ve come to expect from this perennial San Francisco favorite. The foie gras appetizer, in particular, was extremely well-executed, with components such as vanilla sour cherries, root beer jelly, and candied nuts. Without a doubt, this dish is going to remain in my memory for quite some time. Everything on the plate worked in terrific harmony, great flavors and textures, and the foie gras itself was a generous portion, pan-seared to a perfect shade of mahogany. But I have already digressed.
Before my [... read more ...]
As far as I’m concerned, if you can’t name all of the taco trucks here in Napa, then your opinion regarding the city’s best burritos doesn’t really count. Without a doubt, the “truck scene” here in town is dauntingly impressive, and one that’s not to be overlooked. It has often occurred to me that Napa might just be the easiest town in California to get a good, authentic burrito. I’m not sure if the U.S Census Bureau tracks “taco trucks per capita,” but I’m sure that Napa would be a serious contender for the top spot.
Among the standard [... read more ...]
My remoulade epiphany occurred when I was living in New Orleans, studying Creole cooking and doing my best to eat five square meals per day. My journey as a cook had brought me to K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen in the French Quarter, where I ate more deep fried oysters and shrimp than most people will ever see in their lifetime. Sounds pretty dreamy, right? Snacking on an endless supply of oysters and shrimp during the lulls in the kitchen. But these were the spoils of the fry station, which was otherwise the worst job in the house.
A week or two ago, I mentioned that the folks over at Long Meadow Ranch had struck a deal to build a new restaurant. One of my readers alerted me to the press release over at the Long Meadow Ranch website, which hashes out most of the details. I probably should have found this information on my own, considering it’s online, but I’m just one person, and I’ve been busy with lots of other things these last couple weeks.
Anyhow, it’s good to see that an organic nursery will be part of the new project. Here are the first [... read more ...]
I heard a very interesting rumor today regarding Tuscany Restaurant in Napa, which may be slated to shut its doors soon. For anyone who is familiar with the Napa dining scene, the closing of a restaurant like Tuscany should not really qualify as news. After all, this place is rarely discussed among locals. Personally, I’ve always held this restaurant in contempt based solely upon its generic Italian name. This shining example of mediocrity has always earned a sneer whenever I’ve passed it.
The interesting part of the story, however, is what may become of the restaurant space if Tuscany [... read more ...]
For anyone who has ever cooked professionally, “Don’t Try This at Home” may feel a little too familiar at times. Edited by Kimberly Witherspoon and Andrew Friedman, this short story collection is an engaging compendium of classic kitchen war stories, written first-person by an impressive roster of America’s most well-known chefs (along with a handful of famous chefs from across the Atlantic). Anyone who has ever faced a dinner rush with little more than dread and determination can relate to many of these anecdotal tales, and the book draws most of its strength from its humor and [... read more ...]
I have to admit, although I’m rather immersed in the culture of wine at this point, when I talk with professional winemakers, I sometimes have to pay really close attention in order to keep up with all the lingo. Most recently, I was at a friend’s party a few weeks ago, and I winemaker I know dismissed one particular Napa cult Cabernet as a 4×4, which prompted me to interject. What exactly did he mean by 4×4? I was racking my brain trying to figure how lumber fit into the whole conversation.
As it turns [... read more ...]
Bakesale Betty is one of those word-of-mouth, lightning-in-a-bottle lunch spots that might as well have a license to print money. Ironically, you might never even realize that the place was there, if it wasn’t for the line of people outside waiting to order their fried chicken sandwiches. The good news is that this lunch line moves rather quickly, and there are enough ironing boards parked out front for everyone to have a table (even though the restaurant has an Oakland address, Bakesale Betty feels like Berkeley through and through).
The fried chicken sandwich at Bakesale [... read more ...]
For a wine geek like me, old and out-dated wine books can sometimes be fascinating time capsules. I was rummaging through a used bookstore in Berkeley the other day, when I uncovered an old copy of “The California Wine Book” by Bob Thompson and Hugh Johnson. Published in 1976, this book has now become irrelevant for the most part, especially in terms of its original purpose, which was to provide a contemporary assessment of California wine. Considering how much the California wine industry has evolved over the last 30 years, the introduction to the book is almost mind-bogglingly quaint, [... read more ...]
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