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.
|
The tasting area behind Demetria Estate offers the shade of oak trees and a view of the Santa Ynez Valley.
Before my trip to the Santa Ynez Valley becomes too much of a distant memory, I wanted to recount the wineries that I had visited a couple of weeks ago. But before I delve into the specifics, I have to say that I was surprised by the pricing structure at many of these places. In short, I found that many wineries now command prices very similar to those of Sonoma County, especially in terms of the Pinot Noir. [... read more ...]
Whole Lotta Beige: The Demon Lover (also known as fried chicken with a waffle). Shoestring onions are pictured in the BG.
Given my last post, I suppose that a fried chicken theme is emerging here. It’s what I’m into at the moment. That said, I decided to head to Berkeley to catch a movie and to see about the oddly-named “Demon Lover” at 900 Grayson. I’m really not too sure about the name of this particular dish, although I do recall a movie named “My Demon Lover” from 1987. The film starred Scott Valentine, perhaps better known as [... read more ...]
The Fremont Diner's Nashville spicy fried chicken comes standard with macaroni and cheese. In the background, a cream biscuit with country ham (also tasty).
I had jumped on the Ad Hoc bandwagon for a moment, back when their fried chicken night was just becoming the juggernaut that it is today. Like everyone else, I was eager to draw the logical conclusion that if Thomas Keller is America’s greatest chef, then the Ad Hoc fried chicken should also be among the nation’s best. But unfortunately, it’s just not that simple when it comes to regional cuisine, and even the [... read more ...]
A picnic table at Pride Mountain: Perhaps the best argument for bringing along a lunch.
I’m back in the Napa Valley after an extended trip down to the Santa Ynez Valley for some wine tasting. It was a successful journey, and one that I plan to embark upon annually. But before I rehash the details of my venture down to Santa Barbara County, I still need to acknowledge my trip to Spring Mountain last week, where I tasted the wines of Behrens Family, Pride Mountain and Paloma. Each of these three wineries is most certainly worth a [... read more ...]
The BioDynamic vineyard at Ehlers Estate comprises 43 acres in total. In order to help amend the soil for the upcoming season, rows of vibrant yellow mustard alternate with verdant rows of grasses, fava beans and vetch. With rain subsiding, these same cover crops will assume a monotone shade of golden brown over the next month or so.
In some ways, it’s almost embarrassing to heap lavish praise onto my favorite Napa wineries. I often feel as though I might be coming across as some sort of Napa Valley rah-rah, gushing with unbridled hyperbole, as if I were [... read more ...]
Chappellet Winery sits atop 640 acres on Pritchard Hill, nestled among the Napa Valley's rugged Vaca Mountain Range. Red volcanic boulders, excavated from the vineyard over 40 years ago, remain piled under the great oaks in the distance.
Living in the Napa Valley, I’ve discovered over the years that I’m still perfectly capable of rampant tourism. Case in point: I recently hosted some friends from out of town and accompanied them to seven Napa wineries in just two days. That’s quite a bit of wine tasting, although hardly a personal record; when I first moved to the valley, [... read more ...]
As I spent 2009 combing the Napa Valley for great wines (the one definite perk of living here and being in the wine business), I decided to pay special attention to the Cabernets that were priced at $50 or less, hoping to one day compile a list of favorites. In order to confirm their merit, I plan to eventually put all of these wines into blind tastings alongside a few of their $100 counterparts, just to see how they fare against the big boys (I suspect that many of these lesser-priced wines will easily rise to the top). But [... read more ...]
Could it get any more Southern?
Earlier this week, I had planned to visit Brenda’s French Soul Food for a bowl of grillades and grits, having recently emailed a friend about a memorable version of this dish that I once tasted at Cafe Degas in New Orleans. That email awakened a latent craving, and naturally, I thought of Brenda’s as the best and only choice for authentic Cajun cuisine in the Bay Area. Fast forward to yesterday: I left Napa shortly after the morning rush hour, and 50 miles later, I was standing on Polk Street, waiting for [... read more ...]
The Chicken and Dumplings @ Long Meadow Ranch's Farmstead Restaurant
I had debated briefly whether or not to dine at LMR’s Farmstead Restaurant last Friday night: On one hand, the space has been open for less than one month, and Friday nights can often be unpredictable, even for the most established hot spots. I wondered if enough of the kinks had been ironed out already, or if I would’ve been spending my money foolishly at this point (after all, these restaurant reviews aren’t bankrolled). On the other hand, the end of winter is a relatively slow time here [... read more ...]
|
|
|
