The Accidental Wino » Sonoma

Deep-Fried FTW: Scenes from the Sonoma Square Farmers Market

The Accidental Wino — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 02:17:46 +0000

Always mustard, never ketchup: The Cajun Corn Dog @ Uncle Bill's Gourmet Corn Dogs, Sonoma Square Farmers Market.

The best things in life are fried: I learned this simple mantra very early on, when I used to work the fryer station at K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen in New Orleans. We fried lots of delicious foods at K-Paul’s, including oysters, shrimp, soft-shelled crab, green tomatoes, duck skins, and of course, plenty of potatoes (K-Paul’s didn’t serve french fries, however. Instead, our potatoes were baked, halved, and then scooped. Once prepped, the skins and the “meat” were fried separately, with the little nuggets of fried potato “meat” being tossed into a rich cheese sauce, then spooned back into the fried skins. And in case you didn’t think it could get any better, this enemy of the arteries was the standard side item for the cheese-stuffed pork chop, which was blackened to perfection). Okay, where was I again?

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Today, a couple deep-fried items highlighted another perfect summer afternoon at the Sonoma Square Farmers Market. On the savory side, there was the Cajun-style corn dog, pictured above, from Uncle Bill’s Gourmet Corn Dogs. In this era of turkey dogs and, even worse, tofu dogs, someone’s got to fight the good fight on the corn dog front, and Uncle Bill’s offers up a substantial, top-heavy corn dog, fried to order, with a batter that’s remarkably light and fluffy. Highly recommended.

Dogs dipped in grease.

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Cinnamon and Sugar Donuts @ Harvey's Gourmet Donuts, Sonoma Square Farmers Market.

The first time I ever had a fresh donut, I was in high school. My best friend worked at a mom-and-pop donut shop in Lodi, which I would frequent quite a bit for some free donuts. One day, I happened to stop by when the baker was working, and I was blown away by the character of a truly fresh-from-the-grease donut. For me, the difference between and fresh donut and an hours-old donut is analogous to the difference between a garden-fresh tomato and a supermarket tomato (in fact, I’d probably rather eat an hours-old donut than a supermarket tomato). Freshness, of course, is the key selling point at the Harvey’s Gourmet Donuts booth, where mini donuts are offered by the dozen and topped with anything from powdered sugar to maple glaze with bacon bits. I actually prefer these donuts in a more simplified format, with cinnamon and sugar, pictured above.

Harvey: Master of Donuts.

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At the turn.

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Six Pics: Some Bay Area Food for Thought

The Accidental Wino — Mon, 09 May 2011 06:03:41 +0000

The Bear Burger @ Jodie's Diner, Albany Village. I think that's the name of this burger. Jodie's has dozens of off-menu items to choose from, and this burger is one of them. Regardless of its proper name, it's the cheeseburger at Jodie's that comes with a fried egg, and it can definitely compete with the Bay Area's best.

I just finished up Mother’s Day lunch and dinner service, which makes for a long but rewarding weekend in the kitchen. Before that, I found a few good things to eat, and they’re pictured here for your perusal.

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The Bear Burger @ Jodie's Diner. Like any good burger, the Bear Burger warrants several napkins. Also, it's one of those burgers that's too risky to put down once you've picked it up, since you may only get one chance to gather all the parts at once. As you can see, I damaged the top bun just trying to prop this beast up for a closer look. It's equal parts unwieldy and delicious.

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The Monte Cristo @ Jodie's Diner. File under: Hangover cure. Although this "Monte Cristo" is actually more of a French toast triple-decker sandwich, it delivers the calories nonetheless. That's French vanilla ice cream in the background (just kidding, it's a pitch-perfect potato salad).

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The Charcuterie Plate @ Healdsburg Charcuterie. Had this app after a trip to Unti VIneyards, where I picked up their excellent 2007 Syrah (Unti's 2007 Benchlands Syrah is also a winner). As for the charcuterie plate, that's duck rillette in the middle and some nice pork products underneath the cheese.

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Pork Shoga Yaki @ Norikonoko, Berkeley. This dish was one of the restaurant's specials. The pork was marinated in the classic soy-mirin-sake trio, but with an addition of ginger, as well.

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Accoutrements @ Norikonoko, Berkeley.

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Lunchtime: The Cheeseburger @ Super Burger, Santa Rosa

The Accidental Wino — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 09:36:19 +0000

The Cheeseburger @ Super Burger, Santa Rosa. I snapped this picture at sunset, and the burger itself looks like the setting sun.

If you’re like me, then you’ve seen “Pulp Fiction” dozens of times, and you may have wondered, at some point, where the set designer sourced the film’s infamous Big Kahuna burger. As far as I know, having lived in Los Angeles for years and years, there is no actual Big Kahuna Burger. Too bad, because the burger does look mighty tasty on film. And so the question remains: if, in fact, Big Kahuna is fictitious, then what real-life restaurant provided that delicious-looking cheeseburger? I still have no idea, but I’ve pondered it plenty, enough to have given the burger its own back-story: In my own private mind-garden, Big Kahuna Burger is an old mom-and-pop-style joint in the San Fernando Valley, one of many post-war businesses to capitalize on the American tiki fad of the 1950s. Other than its once-hip name, Big Kahuna Burger has no actual ties to Hawaii, but the restaurant itself — practically unchanged in 50 years — does have longevity. You can bet that if Big Kahuna Burger did exist, it wouldn’t offer any burgers with blue cheese crumbles, or anything else so superfluous. And the place would probably be cash-only.

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Over the years, I’ve come to accept the “Pulp Fiction” Big Kahuna burger as a culinary archetype of sorts: It exudes The Look — you see it, and you want it. Naturally, I’m always on the lookout for something similar. At Super Burger in Santa Rosa, you can find a pretty close cousin of the Big Kahuna Burger, or at least in my mind you can. Based upon appearance alone, the Super Burger building itself is historic, most likely constructed during America’s post-war boom, and boasting a fantastic horseshoe counter inside. It’s a wonderful time capsule. And as for the burgers, they feature the same old-fashioned charm that belies good taste. All of the key elements are provided: a hand-formed, charbroiled patty, grilled to medium; an artisan bun, just sturdy enough; and all the fixings, as needed. Fortunately, Super Burger isn’t so old-fashioned that they don’t accept credit cards. However, they are closed on Sundays.

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Breakfast @ The Fremont Diner

The Accidental Wino — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 07:43:31 +0000

Breakfast Sandwich @ The Fremont Diner.

Working nights in the kitchen can have its perks, such as being able to go out for breakfast any day of the week. With an old college buddy visiting the Napa Valley recently, a morning session at the Fremont Diner presented the obvious choice. Personally, I’ve already covered most of the Fremont Diner’s menu over the past couple of years, but it’s always fun to see someone marvel at all of the restaurant’s great, down-home selections. Besides that, I hadn’t been to the Fremont Diner in a while, so I was actually long overdue. Here are a few snapshots from Saturday (click photos for super-sized images).

Grits with Bacon @ The Fremont Diner.

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Sausage Biscuit @ The Fremont Diner.

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Salted Caramel Milkshake @ The Fremont Diner.

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Chicken and Waffles, Napa Valley

The Accidental Wino — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 05:31:04 +0000

Chicken & Waffles @ the Boon Fly Cafe (blue plate) and the Fremont Diner (white plate): It's always nice too see an upward trend in the Southern-fried sector. Images can be super-sized with a click.

Unless I’m missing something, the Napa Valley offers just two reliable versions of chicken and waffles, both of which are located at the very southern end of the valley, along the scenic Carneros Highway, separated by just a few miles of rolling hills and perhaps one or two stoplights. Of course, the Boon Fly Cafe and the Fremont Diner are the two restaurants in question, the latter residing in Sonoma County, but certainly close enough to Napa to warrant consideration. Of the two, my preferred version of chicken and waffles is the Boon Fly Cafe’s version, a natural choice since I’ve long argued that Boon Fly offers the best fried chicken in the area, hands down (Ad Hoc included). The Boon Fly Cafe’s waffle, billed on the menu as a “malt” waffle, neither hinders nor helps the dish, and although the bacon-cheddar waffle at the Fremont Diner does make up some ground in this contest, the heavy breading on the Fremont fried chicken proves a bit much for my tastes — I’m more interested in the bird than the batter.

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10 Things I’ll Eat Again in 2011:

The Accidental Wino — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 07:10:26 +0000

End-of-the-year recaps present a great opportunity to “re-purpose” some old content (I learned this valuable euphemism during the dot-com era). Here are 10 dishes that I really enjoyed this year, in no particular order. I’m not saying this list comprises my top 10 dishes for the year, but some of them could definitely qualify. Clicking the photos will transport you back to the original article — and perhaps, a much simpler time and place.

Crispy shrimp with ginger and onions @ Huong Tra, Richmond.

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Flounder special @ Yuet Lee, San Francisco.

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The #6 Banh Mi @ Viet Nam, San Francisco.

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Black pepper brisket hash @ Fremont Diner, Sonoma Carneros.

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Chilaquiles @ Miguel's, Calistoga.

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Señorita bread @ Star Bread Bakery, Vallejo.

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Sake-marinated black cod @ Terra, St. Helena.

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Oyster po-boy with macaroni and cheese @ Brown Sugar Kitchen, West Oakland

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Pad See Iew @ Sa Wad Dee, Richmond.

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Garlic pork broth ramen @ Ramen Dojo, San Mateo.

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The Chicken & Dumplings @ Fremont Diner, Sonoma Carneros

The Accidental Wino — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 07:49:31 +0000

Up front: Chicken and nettle dumplings; In back: Biscuit with ham, mustard, and blueberry preserves.

I’ve been an early adopter of the Fremont Diner, having made my first visit there sometime in the summer of 2009, on the way out to a wine-tasting excursion in the Russian River Valley. Since then, I’ve covered their menu extensively within these pages, and my favorite dish remains the black-pepper brisket hash. My recent lunch of chicken and dumplings, pictured above, ranks somewhere in the middle of the pack, which is good indication of the Fremont Diner’s overall consistency. It’s a nice dish for winter — plenty of chicken, well-seasoned broth, with nettle dumplings that are dense and slightly herbaceous. Still, I must admit that I was secretly hoping for light and pillowy dumplings, something more ethereal than earth-bound. Given the circumstances, I assume that any true Southerner would probably feel the same way.

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Tasting Notes: Pinot Noir @ Failla Wines, St. Helena

The Accidental Wino — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 08:36:56 +0000

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 only is Cabernet the main event here in the Napa Valley, it’s practically become the only show in town. Searching for Pinot Noir in Napa remains a fool’s errand, no questsion. That is, unless the discussion involves Failla Wines in St. Helena.

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The hook here is quite simple: Failla is that rare Napa Valley winery that produces noteworthy Pinot. Of course, there’s an obvious caveat to this scenario: Failla’s grapes are sourced exclusively from Sonoma County, where coastal climates offer Pinot Noir a relatively cool growing season. For what it’s worth, sourcing fruit has always remained a common aspect of winemaking, and it’s not a trend that should be considered either positive or negative. It’s just how things happen to be. After all, many wineries in the Napa Valley will source their grapes from other areas throughout the county, whether they own these vineyards or not. However, the overwhelming majority of Napa’s purchased fruit is Cabernet, with Chardonnay ranking a distant second. What really sets Failla apart, therefore, is not only the fact that the winery focuses primarily upon Pinot Noir — it’s that Failla leaves Cabernet completely out of the equation, as well.

To be sure, any Napa winery that doesn’t feature Cabernet had better excel in other key areas. Fortunately, Failla winemaker Ehren Jordan has developed a deft touch with Pinot Noir, and Failla has thus carved its own unlikely niche in the heart of Cabernet country. Long before Jordan had launched the Failla label with his wife, Anne-Marie Failla, he had served as the winemaker for Turley Wine Cellars, a position he has held for 15 years now. The well-informed reader might note that Turley Wine Cellars is located just south of Paso Robles, meaning that Jordan will sometimes have to make frequent trips between the North Coast and the Central Coast, especially during key times of the season. Of course, none of this jet-setting would mean anything if Failla’s wines weren’t consistently terrific.

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Over the last few years, those who have been paying close attention to California Pinot Noir will acknowledge the importance of the Sonoma Coast appellation, which offers wines that easily rival those of the more famous Russian River Valley. I would argue that, vintage for vintage, Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir actually trumps Russian River Pinot Noir, at least among the top producers. Even among Failla’s portfolio, I much prefered the Sonoma Coast Pinot to the Russian River Pinot. That said, my favorite wine of the tasting was the 2007 Failla Hirsch Vineyard Pinot Noir, which for me was just slightly more dynamic than the 2007 Failla Occidental Ridge Pinot Noir, also from the Sonoma Coast. Personally, I enjoyed the additional element of fruit within the Hirsch Vineyard Pinot Noir, although the 2007 vintage had certainly been kind to each of these Sonoma Coast wines. I definitely wouldn’t kick the 2007 Occidental Ridge out of bed.

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Clash of the 2007s: Kosta Browne, Chasseur, Papapietro Perry, Cobb, Capiaux and Radio-Coteau

The Accidental Wino — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 22:21:22 +0000

With the afterglow of last Tuesday night finally starting to fade, I still need to acknowledge the preamble to the evening, which was a blind tasting of 2007 California Pinot Noir. I had been anticipating this tasting for quite some time, and I had also exhibited tremendous patience in the process: Back in March 2009, I had eagerly purchased Pinot Noir allocations from Kosta Browne and Chasseur, having finally earned a coveted spot on their respective mailing lists (these unclaimed allocations were the function of a sputtering U.S. economy, no doubt). At the time, slipping behind the velvet rope was extremely fortuitous, with California’ s 2007 Pinot Noir vintage earning considerable praise for its exceptional quality. Even in a bad economy, with these 2007s finally hitting the market in 2009, last year was certainly not the time to forfeit any allocations (unless, of course, you were actually facing foreclosure).

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Now that the 2007 vintage was finally approaching its third year, my goal was to pit some of the most lauded producers head-to-head in a blind tasting (my rule of thumb for California Pinot is to drink them between three and seven years from the vintage date). For me, the wait was finally over, and I was interested in unveiling the best of the best, to see if these mailing-list wines could rise above some of my more “accessible” favorites. With that agenda in mind, I pulled three selections from my own personal stash: the 2007 Kosta Browne Russian River, the 2007 Chasseur Joyce Vineyard, and the 2007 Papapietro Perry Leras Vineyard (the latter selection is not a mailing-list Pinot, yet). Alongside these three wines, my friend Geoff Harner of Mosher Imports added the 2007 Cobb Coastlands, the 2007 Radio-Coteau Savoy, and the 2007 Capiaux Widdoes.

We invited a few other people to evaluate these wines, including a sommelier (Jean-Marie), an enologist (Dianne), and a veteran of the Napa Valley restaurant industry (Andrew). My strategy was to assemble a panel of folks who each offered various wine-related backgrounds, but who might also evaluate the wines through different criteria. Rather than having just one critic hand down an edict, I like the idea of tasting by committee, as I feel it provides much more insight than a single person’s opinion. The task at hand was simple: Each member of the tasting panel ranked the wines in their order of preference, with a “1″ representing the favorite and a “6″ representing the least favorite. Just as in golf, low scores are good scores. I’ve circled the top choices for each individual in red, along with the lowest aggregate score. I’ve only put my own scores (“Yours Truly”) on record, and I’ve left the other four opinions (“The Field”) anonymous. Here’s how it all shook down (click the chart for a larger view):

Depending on how you slice and dice the statistics, two wines emerged as the favorites: The 2007 Chasseur “Joyce” (which claimed the lowest aggregate total) and the 2007 Papapietro Perry “Leras” (which scored the second-lowest aggregate, but which also received three first-place votes). The “Leras” proved quite divisive, in fact, scoring near the very bottom among the folks who did not choose it as their overall favorite. One aspect that is revealing, however, is that all five first-place votes were awarded to the same three wines with the lowest aggregate scores. These three — the Papapietro, the Kosta Brown, and the Chasseur — should boast the broadest appeal. Frankly, I was a bit relieved to discover that the mailing-list selections (the Chasseur and the Kosta Browne) held their own among the flight, although I also suspected that the Papapietro Perry would prove formidable. I have raved about that wine for the last couple years. No surprise that it was also my personal favorite last week. CKGRX29EXX84

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Breakfast & Lunch: Photos from Napa Valley Wine Country

The Accidental Wino — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 06:48:06 +0000

Cachapas Pernil, Pica Pica Maize Kitchen, Oxbow Market, Napa

Though I had been to Pica Pica Maize Kitchen before, I hadn’t actually tasted the cachapas pernil (#7) until I attended the Napa Valley Chefs’ Market a few weeks ago. The yellow corn pancake is just sturdy enough to provide the exterior, with a flavor profile that’s slightly sweet. The cachapas pabellon (#3), which is shredded skirt steak with plantains, is also a tasty alternative.

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Market Burger, Market Restaurant, St. Helena

As far as cheeseburgers are concerned, the Market Burger is an adequate choice, although the shredded Fiscalini cheese in the photo above reminds me of McDonald’s diced onions. This shredded cheese aesthetic has never really appealed to me, especially since a well-melted slice of cheese features so much more panache.

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Chicken and Waffles, Fremont Diner, Sonoma Carneros

I had assumed that the chicken and waffles at the Fremont Diner would be based upon their Nashville spicy fried chicken, which they offer at lunch. As it is, I’m not a big fan of the boneless chicken paillard; these pieces typically lack character, and they seem to dry out easily. The buttermilk waffle, which easily out-shined the fried chicken, was airy and light, yet delicately crisp.

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