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 learned something interesting about Cantinetta Piero tonight at Pancha’s of Yountville (which happens to be located right across the street): Apparently, all of Piero’s employees learned just yesterday that their last night would be Wednesday, July 6. Upon posting this news, I received some clarifications today from Jennifer Tomaro, Marketing Director of Moana Hotel & Restaurant Group:
“The owners of Hotel Luca have retained the two principles of Solage (Tim Harmon and Robert Watson) to help direct the operations of the hotel and restaurant. The hotel is still open and there are no changes planned at this time. [... read more ...]
Pizzas on Parade (clockwise, from upper left): Oenotri, Solbar, Redd, Pizzeria Azzurro, Auberge du Soleil, Uva, Cantinara Piero, Ca' Momi, Boon Fly Cafe, Pizzeria Tra Vigne, Papa Joe's, Bistro Don Giovanni.
If there’s one food that can achieve total global supremacy, pizza seems like the natural front-runner. You don’t ever have to sell anybody on pizza. It just seems to endear itself to everybody, like a wealthy uncle, or a gregarious bartender. Although pizza has only become popular here in America since World War II, different schools of thought regarding pizza have already emerged: Individual preferences towards pizza [... read more ...]
[UPDATE: The rumor below has since been confirmed, although chef Todd Humphries will not be going to the CIA, nor Jeanty at Jack's, as he mentions in the comments.]
Folks, the stories don’t get much more wild than this one, but I’m going to roll with it anyway, since that’s part of what I do: I’ve just heard that the Martini House in St. Helena will be sold to Flemings Steakhouse. I’ve been mulling this one over all morning, thinking about the possibility of this rumor being true, and what it could all mean to the Napa Valley. What [... read more ...]
So many posts dedicated to pork within these virtual pages, and I’ve never really mentioned the almighty Mongolian Pork Chop at Mustard’s Grill in Yountville. So, at long last, here it is: The one dish that has purportedly sold more than one million times over Mustard’s 26-year history. It’s a pretty good chop, glazed with the Mongolian-style marinade and the Chinese-style mustard sauce (they swirl together beautifully on the plate). More than anything, it’s an honest pork chop. Of course, Mustard’s Grill itself ranks as a true Napa Valley fixture, and in my mind, chef Cindy Pawlcyn’s restaurant remains [... 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 ...]
I know you got sole.
Conspiracy theories, in general, are usually pretty boring. After all, who in their right mind wants to listen to some crackpot ramble on about government plots or UFOs? For me, it all adds up to a bunch of noise. But that being said, I do have a small conspiracy theory of my own regarding the 2010 Michelin Guide and Bistro Jeanty’s loss of its Michelin star. Perhaps it’s a bit far-fetched, but perhaps not. It goes as follows:
Since its wine country debut in 2007, the Michelin Guide has long been criticized for [... read more ...]
I found an interesting old paperback at the used bookstore a few weeks ago, 1993′s “California Wine Country Cooking Secrets,” edited by Kathleen DeVanna Fish. The book itself is somewhat poorly conceived — part tour guide, part cookbook, part Napa, part Sonoma — it doesn’t really offer much definitive advice or insight regarding any of these four subjects. Instead, “California Wine Country Cooking Secrets” glosses over the critical details, and simply compiles fluff descriptions for the bigger wineries, alongside a handful of restaurant entries, each offering three recipes. That said, the Napa restaurant section does remain the most compelling [... read more ...]
As I’ve continued to explore the culture of breakfast and lunch here in the Napa Valley, I felt that it was certainly worthwhile to mention a few of the better pastry options out there. After all, even if you’ve enjoyed a large breakfast in the morning, pastries remain a great take-away item, especially if you plan to spend the day wine tasting, when lunch can often get pushed back, or pushed aside altogether. Without a proper lunch, that same cheese danish that may seem gluttonous in the early morning can actually become your salvation in the early afternoon (and [... read more ...]
I’m a Rutherford Grill junkie for the most part. Like many folks who live here in the Napa Valley, this culinary juggernaut is part of my weekly dining routine, and they know me by name. I actually began to get hooked on the place several years ago, when I was living in Los Angeles, where the Houston’s locations are as mega-profitable as their sister location in Rutherford (all of these restaurants share many common menu items, though they do offer a few exclusive ones, as well). As a diner with a dotcom bankroll, I used to frequent the Century [... read more ...]
I made my first visit to Bardessono last night for the restaurant’s weekly Sunday Supper, a $39 four-course dinner which offers one of the best deals in wine country. My dinner last night was delicious, bordering on exceptional, and if the restaurant can continue along this path every Sunday night, then Bardesonno will easily become one of my regular haunts this winter. Of course, those familiar with Yountville dining will typically think of Ad Hoc when they think of a four-course prix fixe dinner, but I will go on record right now, and proclaim that last night’s meal at [... read more ...]
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