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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One massive nacho plate.
I was driving back from San Francisco last weekend, when I decided to take a short detour up to Petaluma to check out the Lagunitas Taproom, which opened in 2009 (admittedly, Petaluma has been mostly off my radar). To describe the scene at the Lagunitas Taproom as anything less than raucous would be a gross understatement; the brewery’s sprawling outdoor patio, which was tented for the rain, was teeming with folks on this early Saturday afternoon. I was practically in awe at the spectacle. The beer garden was impressively loud with jubilant conversations, the [... read more ...]
The yolk is the sauce.
My regular readers may have been wondering why I haven’t been my prolific self this past month, and there’s a few reasons: (a) I’ve been golfing quite a bit lately, (b) cooking professionally has limited how much I dine out, and (c) I’ve been putting almost all of my mental energy into my new project, the Culinary Timeline (the site is still a definite work-in-progress, and not quite ready for prime time). Since returning to work in the kitchen earlier this year, I’ve not only expanded my culinary horizons in the present (étoile [... read more ...]
The dining area outside Ehlers Estate.
Slow Food Napa Valley hosted a pig roast and potluck on Sunday, September 11th, in conjunction with Ehlers Estate in St. Helena. The following photos highlight the event, which provided a forum for SFNV members to discuss the future of SFNV, and how they can help to increase interest and awareness of the Slow Food movement. Naturally, the brunch was amazing. Please click on any photo for a full-screen view.
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Pig cracklins, up close.
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CIA instructor Patrick Clark carves the [... read more ...]
Oozing Flavor: The Kobe Burger @ The Kitchen Door, Napa.
Those who have lived in the Napa Valley for the last several years might recognize the Kitchen Door’s Kobe Burger as a vestige of the recently-departed Martini House, which shuttered almost one year ago (October 30th will mark the anniversary). Way back when I was cooking at the Martini House — more than four years ago now — the Kobe Burger was offered as a bar-only item, and was reason enough to drop by the restaurant’s eclectic downstairs lounge. As I had seen on so many nights back [... read more ...]
The definition of golden brown, and obviously not from a bag: Platanos con Dulce de Leche (Plantains with Sweetened Condensed Milk) @ Tacos La Playita, Napa.
Sometimes simplicity is the best, but only if the ingredients can stand alone. Based upon its ripeness, the humble plantain will usually fall into two distinct categories: Starchy and bland, or sweet and delicious. At Tacos La Playita in Napa, the platanos definitely fall into the latter category, especially when dressed with dulce de leche. These plantains, pictured above, are actually a recent discovery to me, even though Tacos La Playita had [... read more ...]
The Squeezeburger with Cheese (obviously) @ The Squeeze Inn, Napa.
The calling card of a Squeezeburger is unmistakable: Each cheeseburger is adorned with a skirt of melted cheddar cheese, rendered crispy-thin on a flat-top grill until it’s roughly the dimension of a jukebox 45. In terms of practicality, the trick is to neatly tuck this excess cheese underneath the patty before eating, although my “encasing” trechnique certainly isn’t the only approach (some folks tear away the entire circumference of cheese and eat it on its own; others may tear away just enough cheese to gain an entry-point). One [... read more ...]
“Coffee’s for closers only.” Anyone who has seen 1992′s “Glengarry Glen Ross” might recall this line from the film’s first act, when Alec Baldwin delivers one of my all-time favorite movie monologues. The scene marks Baldwin’s only appearance in the film — a scant seven minutes — but his abusive tirade establishes the movie’s tone, and it sets up the second act perfectly. In “Glengarry,” Baldwin plays the character of Blake, an über-alpha real estate salesman, and a role that was written specifically for Baldwin by playwright David Mamet (as great as it is, Baldwin’s “Glengarry” monologue was not [... read more ...]
Pizza @ Arizmendi Bakery, Emeryville: Housemade Tomato Sauce, Kalamata Olives, Spinach, Parmesan and Garlic-Herb Oil.
Arizmendi Emeryville lies in the shadow of Pixar Animation Studios, and although the bakery may not provide the ideal venue for a high-level power lunch, it certainly must be a welcome oasis for those who don’t occupy Pixar’s corner offices. And that’s the point, really: Arizmendi Bakery is steeped in the ethos of the everyman, an owner-operated cooperative and a spin-off of the famous Cheese Board Collective in Berkeley. Since its initial launch in 1997, the Arizmendi Bakery has expanded to four locations [... read more ...]
Gateway Market, Emeryville: Adorned with a fantastic mural alongside its parking lot, the Gateway Market is tough to miss on San Pablo Blvd. The artwork has a definite graffiti vibe, but the details are fantastic. Luckily, it hasn't been tagged over. The "W" in Gateway is pictured above (each letter has its own theme). Click on the photo to reveal all of the great flourishes.
Most of these pictures have never appeared on this site, although a couple did appear a few years ago, long before I sharpened my photo-editing skills. Many readers have emailed me about my [... read more ...]
Try a Little Tenderness: The Back Rib Sandwich @ Solbar, Calistoga.
I’ve cooked plenty of baby back ribs in my day. When I worked at Houston’s Santa Monica (many moons ago), I prepped the restaurant’s pork ribs on a nightly basis. It went something like this: At the end of the night, the ribs were rubbed down with a mixture of sugar, Kosher salt, and spices, before spending about eight or 10 hours in a 250°F Alto-Shaam. In the morning, the now-tender ribs would be carefully dipped in bacon fat and wrapped in plastic. At this point, the [... read more ...]
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