Despite its spike in popularity over the last several years, Pinot Noir remains rather uncommon here in the Napa Valley. With the exception of the Carneros District — which is the coolest and southern-most region in the Napa Valley — Pinot Noir proves ill-suited for our warm Mediterranean climate. But even if this fickle Burgundian varietal could somehow become more adaptable to Napa, Cabernet Sauvignon has long staked its claim here in the valley, and no other varietal can ever muster a challenge for the crown. Since capturing the world’s attention with the Judgment of Paris in 1976, not [... read more ...]
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I've been rediscovering Berkeley lately, and will report on lots of great local restaurants. Do stay tuned.
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Now that summer has finally arrived, this late sweltering heat makes me want to sip on some iced tea and listen to the Quiet Storm. What I mean is, I’ve been fostering very little motivation this week, but I do have some pictures from my excursion to the East Bay on Tuesday. The frankfurter with chili @ Top Dog, Berkeley. Sure, a generous mound of shredded yellow cheese might add some visual flair, but I also have to admire the red-monochrome guise of a stripped-down, no-nonsense chili dog. And here it is. Cash only, player.
The #11: Sometimes hot really means hot. So many Asian restaurants seem to be closed on Mondays, and I always seem to fall into this trap again and again. Today, I had driven down to Berkeley on another ramen mission, this time to Norikonoko on Telegraph, which is catty-corner from one of Berkeley’s best used book shops, Shakespeare & Company Books. I found a killer parking spot just off of the main drag, fed the meter full of coinage, and soon found out that Norikonoko was closed. Fortunately, Berkeley offers a target-rich environment when it comes to Asian [... read more ...] Shoyu ramen with pork, spinach, and bamboo shoots. Living in the Napa Valley, I’ve long been searching for a decent bowl of ramen that doesn’t require a bridge toll. Unfortunately, there’s no realistic solution to this problem, so far as I can tell. For what it’s worth, I can at least find the Vietnamese counterpart to ramen at Pho #1 in Vallejo, which I also recommend wholeheartedly. But despite their superficial similarities, pho is not ramen, and the latter dish still requires a $5 trek across the Carquinez Bridge, if not the Golden Gate. I mention this fact [... read more ...] Butterscotch sabayon, vanilla rum ice cream, caramel corn, and a sliver of galette (with chocolate cookie crumbles at the very bottom of the dish). I have always admired the desserts at Redd, especially the peanut butter and milk chocolate gianduja, which I have probably eaten more than any other dessert in the Napa Valley. I’ve also been a longtime proponent of Redd’s bar menu, which is probably my favorite in the area. The other day, I got to thinking about pork buns, sweet and spicy chicken wings, and some of my other favorites, so I dropped by Redd [... read more ...] |
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© 2010 The Accidental Wino |
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