Long Needed Update: Word of Mouth Food Club

Writing while standing for the first time. Funny how unsettling it is, though I’m sure it will be fine once I get used to it. I am avoiding sitting for as long as I can because some of the motivation to quit my full time job was to minimize the time I spend with my butt strapped to a chair and my eyes glued to a computer. As a graphic designer, there aren’t many alternatives for working on a computer (none, actually), so I just have to get creative on how to make the necessary more pleasant/fun/healthy. Add to this my beloved’s sciatica issues, which have brought up extensive research on what to do and not to do to improve one’s condition, and sitting pops up on the “don’t” list for sciatica and many other situations such as, well, living (according to Corbett Barr sitting actually reduces your life span)… so here I am, standing, with my belly slightly pressed to the table (extra support, yay), and a gorgeous view in front of me (yes, I know, lucky)…

Standing office... with a view

but I digress: I’ve gone around the long way just to say that I have been remiss the last 6 months, and there is so much to report on! The Food Club was a hit (and continues on), sampling adventures abounded both locally and overseas (SF, Healdsburg, Ukiah, Tahoe, Mexico, Brazil), lots of new recipes (and important knowledge) from an 8-week Nutrition course at Bauman College, and leaving my almost 6-year gig at a commercial real estate firm (as Marketing Coordinator) to embark on the independent contractor train – and this train is riding fast! So I will be posting recaps for all of these outings, one at  time, starting with the food club.

Word of Mouth Food Club: the first term of the food club was a huge success (one testament to this is that all of the 1st term club members have signed up for the 2nd term, starting today). Here is a little recap of our food explorations:

Nov 2010: Brazilian Cuisine, hosted by Word of Mouth at a private home in SF. Main dish: Moqueca de Peixe (Fish Stew). Ingredient of the Night: Coconut. Main Wine Pairing: Graziano’s Arneis.

The kick-off event: Brazilian cuisine and local wines. Made everyone plenty happy...

Dec 2010: Yemeni Cuisine at Saha (downtown SF). Main dish: Salmon Baklava. Ingredient of the Night: Chanterelle Mushrooms. Wine pairings by Saha (Proseco, Sauvingnon Blanc, Pinot Noir).

Saha - Yemeni Cuisine - photo by Shadia Fayne

Jan 2011: Indian/Pakistani Cuisine at Aslam’s Rasoi (Mission, SF). Main Dishes: Chicken Tikka Masala and Fish Tandoori. Ingredients of the Night: Cumin and Coriander. Wine pairings at Aslam’s Rasoi: Schmidt Riesling, Mark West Pinot Noir, and Graves Grenache Blanc.

Aslam's Rasoi - Pakistani/Indian Cuisine

Well filled full of Aslam's treats

Feb 2011: Italian Cuisine (Liguria Region) at Farina (Mission, SF). Main Dishes: Mandilli di seta al pesto struffugae (so good every member wrote about it in their comments sheet),Focaccia di Recco, and Filleto di dentine alla figure com palate (Snapper filet, pan seared, served Ligurian style). Wine pairings by Farina (Proseco, Sauvingnon Blac and Pinot Noir).

Focaccia di recco: thin and cheesy and absolutely oralgasmic

Just waiting for the focaccia...

Desserts are great... but the focaccia and pesto still beat them.

Feb 2011 #2: Master Class with Chef and Nutrition Consultant Lizette Marx (and Nutrition Consultant Geoff Marx) at a private home in SF. Main Dishes: Raw-violis with Pesto, Indian-inspired Root Stew, Wild Mushroom Pate with Homemade Gluten-Free Crackers, and Banana Mousse. Wine pairings: Graziano Arneis (back by popular demand) and Pinotage. The class was fun, informative, and members really felt connected with each other and the food. Members got to choose what they would be working on (appetizer, salad, stew, dessert, etc) and paired with those who were interested in the same dish… A new couple was born that night… need I say more?

Hands-on Word of Mouth

It was quite a voyage, and we are gearing up for the second term, which starts today (6/18)! If any of you out there would like to join the club, check out our website here and email me at wordofmouthsf@me.com. Today’s meeting is sold out but there are seats for the next 4 meetings, so jump on board! Meetings will happen once a month from June to October. We will be selecting the next cuisines during the first gathering and members get to throw in their favorite restaurants for selection.

Stay tuned for a recap of tasty adventures in and around town, along with Mexico and Brazil!

Wayfare fanfare

My New Food Affair in the Financial District: Wayfare Tavern.  Now that the recently-opened fever has passed, one might actually get a reservation within a reasonable time, or be able to walk in and sit at the Chef’s Counter, which is by far the best seat in the house. Some prices seem inflated, but it is a great destination for a special occasion or an occasional treat. Their puffed brioche hasn’t been consistent in quality – but it is a puffed brioche, which means that even when it isn’t best, it is still good!

Best Seat in the House: The Chef's Counter

Smiling (though not for the picture) Cook Behind the Counter

I love watching my food being prepared, and even more so when a smiling cook put together my beautiful six figs, onion, and burrata dish with such care and perfection. She rolled the burrata again and again between spoons until it was perfectly round, and delicately placed it in the dish to complete the amazing trio.

Figs and Burrata

The couple next to me seemed to enjoy their salads, chicken pasta and wine, and after talking to them, I got to know that they were also in the food biz… judging by their faces and sounds as they took bite after bite, I’d say they endorsed Wayfare as well.
The restaurant has a smart layout (again: chef’s counter!) and the service was top notch.
Grilled squid, one of the best burgers in town (the other best burger being at Alexander’s Steak House), avocado salad, and the largest individual peach pie (with candied rosemary) I’ve ever had are only a few of their oralgasmic dishes I’ve sampled.

Avocado, cucumber, and palm heart salad

This is one of those locations where lunch is just as good as dinner (all-day menu), so if you can take a long lunch – and give yourself time to walk it off afterward – make sure to plan a midday visit to Chef Tyler’s FiDi hotspot.
Make sure to SHARE the peach pie…

Brazilian Cuisine Kicks Off Word of Mouth Food Club

Word of Mouth kicked off in great style at a Victorian-with-a-view Mission District apartment. Brazilian cuisine was the focus of the night, along with its hero ingredient, the coconut (and all its milk and oil), and local wines (Graziano’s Arneis as the star).

Here’s a recap of what we had:

STARTERS

– Smoked Trout Pate with white wine, tarragon, and catupiry (Brazilian cheese) – Just blend a smoked trout with the other ingredients and voila – make sure to taste it as you add, so as to not put too much white wine nor too much tarragon (turns out white wine and tarragon together tend to make things sweet)

– Pao de Quejo (brazilian cheese bread made with tapioca flour, eggs, and cheese and filled with catupiry)

MAIN

Moqueca (Fish and Shrimp Stew)

– Moqueca de Peixe com Camarao (Fish and shrimp stew with organic everything: heirloom tomatoes, onions, red peppers, purple peppers, green onions, cilantro, coconut milk, dende oil (palm oil), cayenne pepper, garlic, fresh turmeric (thought the recipe calls for paprika), Hawaiian clay salt, black pepper.

– Jasmine Brown Rice (with a little coconut milk for a fuller flavor)

– Farofa (roasted manioc flour with onions, green onions, ghee, banana, olive oil, and Hawaiian clay salt

DESSERT

– Passion Fruit mousse (with coconut milk, rapadura, agave syrup, avocado, xantham gum) served with fresh pineapple and sweetened Brazilian table cream (with rapadura)

WINES

– 2009 Arneis (Graziano/Enotria and Briceland Vineyards)

– 2008 Sauvignon Blanc (Crane Lake)

– 2004 Carignane (Milano)

 

Next we meet at Saha to explore Yemenese Cuisine… Stay tuned for the recap!

Word of Mouth Food Club Members

Word of Mouth Gets the Party Started!

Word of Mouth Food Club starts meeting this Sunday.

Brazilian Cuisine and local wines… need I say more?

Contact us for more information:

www.wix.com/wordofmouthsf/wom

‘Steaking’ the SOMA Ground: Alexander’s

Learning that our SOMA friends’ favorite restaurant had been ‘replaced,’ I invited them to a dinner at Alexander’s Steakhouse, to see if they would still be disappointed that Bacar was no longer there.
I wasn’t.
A number of upscale restaurants have opened in the SOMA this year, including Benu and Prospect and the competition is getting fiercer in the steak department with the new Michael Minna steakhouse “Bourbon Steak” opening in Union Square, but Alexander is staking its ground with its Asian twist and fresh/beautiful cuts.

I was immediately impressed with their service, as I arrived very early (and just wanted to sit and work for a while before my party arrived) and they made me feel welcome and comfortable, and offered a couple of options – depending on whether I needed a power outlet, or wanted to go straight to my table, which was already prepared for us even though this was almost an hour before our reservation. The waiter, Jonathan Hood, was a delight to chat with and obviously well rounded in all matters food-and-wine. I ended up going to my table and figured I have a glass of wine while working and waiting for my party to arrive. Since I couldn’t make up my mind on which wine to have, he let me taste a couple of his favorites to help me decide. The one he suggested (2007 Domaine du Grand Montmirail) was the perfect wine for my taste – and they had half bottles of it, which made it the perfect wine for my budget for the night!

1/2 bottle of the Domaine du Grand Montmirail

After talking to Jonathan for a while, I found out he also has a blog, which you can check out here: http://weeklygrape.com/ – do read his posting on B Cubed (a place I visited because of Jonathan’s recommendation, but like him, will probably have to go back another couple of times before I can blog about it). I thoroughly impressed with Jonathan’s knowledge of food and it looked like everyone in the staff belonged in the food industry because they wanted to! – not something you see everywhere.

Now, once my party arrived and we started thinking about what to order, we did have some budgetary concerns – this is definitely not the kind of place you visit weekly if you are a young working city dweller, but it is a pretty good treat to have once in a while. You can, of course, come in for a magnificent $18 burger (only comparable to Wayfare Tavern’s burger of the same price – but that’s another post altogether) and some appetizers or salads and not break the bank. But when you get to the steaks, you can find the somewhat reasonable ±$40 Filet Mignon, or can be shocked by the $135 F1 Sirloin or one of the A5 Wagyu specialties which can go to about $250 for a serving (as a friend put it, “do the cows have a PhD?”).

So yes, just being there feels a little over the top, but ordering what you like and can afford is very doable – and the Royal delivery (all dishes are served simultaneously to everyone in the table) does make you giggle inside. Who doesn’t like being treated like a king/queen every once in a while?

The menu itself was very impressive and full of choices for those who are not necessarily into red meat – and better yet, the items were so thought-out and creative that I knew I would not be missing anything if I did not have a steak. Even though this is a steakhouse, everything they make is their specialty. With a half-Japanese Chef and a Kansas-raised Korean Manager the selections on the menu are appealing enough for every taste, including vegans, if they don’t mind seeing chunks of meat floating by every once in a while. I ended up having the chicken since most of my party opted for its red counterpart. Everything was… exquisite.

Here’s the proof: I’ll let the photos speak for themselves. Just trust me that the Steak tataki rolls(appetizer, but easily an entree if you are having other items), the Kabocha squash (the best I’ve had at a restaurant), the burger and the Filet Mignon re absolutely worth the trip…

Tataki rolls

The Almighty Burger

Kabocha Squash with fried leeks

Really Good Chicken

And then they bring you cotton candy with your bill…. how sweet is that?

There is something to be said about impeccable service: when the memory of an experience is attached to feeling special and well cared for, it makes you want to return to that place. Alexander’s banks on that.

This was a small detail, but made a huge impact on me: among many of the amuse buches the Chef sent us, the palete cleanser was a highlight… even though it probably wasn’t meant to be!

Slightly sweet, fresh, and very aromatic, the cleanser was a specialty of its own.

You know a place is outstanding when even the palete cleanser tastes... oralgasmic!

Join me for a 4-month, 4-cuisine food experience!

Blogging about food is great – but sharing good food in person is much, much better… Enter Word of Mouth Food Club:

If you are curious about where your food comes from, what traditions have influenced your favorite cuisines, and who are the people crafting dishes at some of SF’s best restaurants, Word of Mouth Food Club is the club for you!

Become a member by October 25th, and explore amazing foods, perfect wine pairings, and meet other curious, nutrition-minded foodies. Connect with people and cultures through food!

The Club will meet November 1st, December, 1st, January 11th, February 1st, and culminate with a master class on February 11th.

JOIN NOW

www.wix.com/wordofmouthsf/wom

This is an exclusive club and a limited number of memberships are available. Check it out…

A French Affair

I took a couple of months off from the blog because I was focusing on being onstage with the French play Les Liaisons Dangereuses… but fear not, I did not stop my quest for oralgasmic experiences. And the play made me very hungry for – yes, you guessed it – French food!

On Bastille Day I found myself researching all the French restaurants in and around the Mission District. I found quite a few well-reviewed places, but the information I wanted was what was different and/or special about each, since most of them had about the same number of reviews and about the same rating, but no review specific enough to help me decide which one I should go compared to the others. So I decided to try them all and figured I would let you know what I couldn’t find online. Here is what I came up with – and I will keep you posted if anything changes, or if an addition needs to be made to the list (there are so many places yet to be tasted!

#1 – Chez Papa – Potrero Hill/Bistrot and Downtown/Resto (Mint Plaza)

Yes, yes, and yes – food, service, and ambience, Chez Papa has it all, in both locations!

It was a good sign to arrive at Chez Papa in Potrero and see 2 different sets of foodie friends dining there, so I knew I was in good hands.

Confit heirloom tomato tarte Tatin, wild arugula salad, montrachet cheese at Chez Papa

Confit heirloom tomato tarte Tatin, wild arugula salad, montrachet cheese at Chez Papa

The tomato tart was perfectly crispy, well seasoned and beautifully presented.

Buttery beauties

The pan-seared day boat scallops were crunchy on the outside and buttery on the inside, well accompanied by the most delicious fricassee white corn, black truffle, and mache salad. The creative flavor combination was very effective, and highlighted the sweetness of the scallops.

And then we met Branzino. And I still dream of him. This is my favorite fish dish now. Just talking about it makes me want to go there and order one for you and two for me.

Branzino Oh My God (yes, I renamed their dish!)

Both Chez Papa locations are charming (though Downtown is larger and a bit more modern, making the Potrero location seem a little cozier and more bistro-ey).

Other must have items include the Ratatouille, the Frites, the Lavender Creme Brulee and, of course mon ami, the chocolate fondant…

#2 – Restaurant Ducroix (Downtown – between Financial District and Chinatown)

Best value by far! 2 brothers own the place and you get to watch them at work in their open kitchen. it’s a small place, and simple, yet the food is definitely the star. I’ve gone back with a friend and the feedback was “when can we go again?”

Simple and delicious

The salad was simple and delicately dressed with a tangerine vinagrette,

followed by the most luscious Vol Au Vent, a puff pastry filled with bechamelle sauce, button mushrooms, chicken and olives (and I have tried a few vol au vents without the same WOW factor – the olives give the sauce a great balanced taste and the portion size is just right to keep me from finding it too rich.

Vol Au Vent ooh la la

So good your computer has eaten it

#3 – Chez Spencer (Mission)

Very romantic. Elegant yet cozy atmosphere. Great service (though many reviewers out there didn’t seem to have the same luck I did). And the food is fantastic… but only if you order the right dishes, and are well braced for the bill – not much of a value, but worth a visit.

The oralgasmic items were the Seared Scallops with hearts of palm and sauce verte; and the Wood Grilled Filet Mignon with Morels a la creme, shaved truffles and truffle butter.

The Scallops alone were worth the visit, though they are about $5 more than the other restaurants mentioned in this post

Filet Mignon

Good but not beyond expectation items: the Beet Salad and the Rack of Lamb.

Beets!

A bit underdone...

Wouldn’t order again: Lobster Cappuccino, and Wood Roasted Sonoma Duck – just a heads up, so you don’t come out thinking this isn’t a great restaurant… because it is.

#4 – Le Zinc – Noe Valley

Le Zinc stays on my top list for the food, but it won’t be my first choice next time I go out for French cuisine in my neighborhood, and here’s why:

They had 2 truly oralgasmic items: the Warm Camembert cheese in a (tiny) Moroccan crepe, and the Day Boat Scallops with angel hair pasta, orange & vanilla beurre blanc, BUT

Romantic: Le Zinc's patio entrance (photo from Le Zinc's website)

I get it that the pace is slower in France – and in most French restaurants here if they are to be “authentic” – and that I am supposed to relax into my meal etc etc, except I was left waiting for water for about 30 minutes, didn’t see the waiter for about the same length after our meal was served, and lost interest in the dessert because it took so long for someone to come around with a menu (and they weren’t slammed)… and on top of that, when I asked about a particular wine on their list, which I was interested in, the reply I got was “I don’t recommend that wine” – and I am thinking “then why do you have it on your list?”, especially since the owners of Le Zinc started out in the business as sommeliers.

All this aside, I do plan to try their brunch, which is said to be quite wonderful, and they do have a lovely patio on the back, making it a very romantic spot… so if you decide to try them out, just make sure you have lots of time  to spare… and get a flight of wines before you order any particular one, unless you already know their list.

Outside SF: Just in case you are in Ashland, Oregon, or heading there for a visit, you MUST have a meal at Amuse. It is as much an attraction as the Oregon Shakespeare Festival  – and they have the VERY BEST GNOCCHI I have ever had. Ever.

See? You can tell it is sublime just by looking at it!

And to top it all, friends Cameron and Carrie prepared a French dinner with nothing less than Beuf Bourguignon, French Onion Soup, salad and homemade bread. Carrie used Julia Child’s recipe for the Beuf and she assures me that it isn’t as complicated as Julie made it seem. But it was so good you’d think she took a master course just on Bourguignon. So I guess that’s the point: you don’t need to go out to explore French cuisine. A good cookbook, fresh ingredients, and good friends might just satisfy the search for the perfect French meal!

Beuf, bread and buddies

Tasting wine and food in Hopland… Come with!

I’m going to tell you about one of Wine Country’s best kept secret: Hopland. Only 2 hours North of SF, Hopland is a laid-back, winery-packed small town, with a couple of restaurants, an awesome Bocce Ball Court (part of Brutocao Winery) and home to the Mendocino Brewing Company. The people are nice, the weather is gorgeous (from now to October, anyway), and the wine is really, really good. And the best part is that most tasting rooms pour for free (because they know you’re very likely to buy some after trying them), and you often get to meet the winemakers.

I’ve had a great time in all the 14 wineries I’ve been to in the area, tasting their wine, touring the winery, talking to the winemaker or the tasting room manager (by the way, for a little history about the area and the Italian community in Hopland, make sure to stop at Graziano and visit for a while with Bob Meadows, their tasting room manager – and of course, try their wines, especially the Dolcetto and the Zins). Now you might ask how to visit 14 wineries if you only have, say, a weekend to venture out to wine country… well, the answer is Passport. Hopland Passport. This May 1st and 2nd you can check out not 14, but 15 Hopland wineries, drink all the wine you want, eat delicious food prepared by each winery, listen to music, play Bocce, and get a shuttle ride from one winery to the next – and to your hotel (in Ukiah) – for a whopping $35… yes, for BOTH days! The tastings begin at 11am, and end at 5pm.

It is a good idea to focus in an area each day (If you try to make it to all of the wineries in one day you might end up not being able to discern one wine from the other by 5pm) and here are some tips to get the most out of Passport:

A glass of Zin at the nelson Family Vineyards barn

1. Make a list of the wineries you definitely want to check out, and stop at those earlier in the day, because you might get tempted to get out of the shuttle here and there and even if you do get to go to the “premium” ones in the afternoon, your taste buds might not be the same. I’ve bought wines at the end of the day that didn’t stand up to the test when I had them a few days or weeks later, and I realized that e-v-e-r-y wine starts tasting pretty good after around 3pm.

2. Don’t bother having a big breakfast, the food is pretty good and you’ll be tempted by it, plus it’s good to keep a good balance of food and alcohol, and tons of water. If you are vegan, however, skip this advice  (the majority of offerings include some kind of meat and a variety of cheeses, with a couple exceptions offering chips and salsa and a vegetable option or salad).

3. Wear comfy shoes: you might be standing for quite a while, and it’s always nice to take a stroll in the center of town; and bring layers: it gets pretty hot during the day, and some places might have chili air conditioning.

4. Making the rounds:

SIP! Mendocino is a great wine store and the owner Bernadette is very knowledgeable about both wine and food, and is happy to talk to you about pairings. Damien, the tasting room manager, is funny and personable, and likes to recommend restaurants in the area. SIP! serves Bonterra at Passport, but you can also pay their tasting fee to check out other wines (they represent many wineries, but only the local, bio-dynamic Bonterra is part of Passport.)

Nelson Family Vineyards: the first winery in the area we fell in love with and joined the club. Damien at SIP! is also proud to say that he is a Nelson Family club member (and he has a lot of wine at his disposal!) The charming young brothers Chris, Greg and Tyler, who run the winery and make the wine, are very committed to their land and their grapes  – and the wines show it. Their Reserve Cabernet is highly recommended, as is the Zinfandel, the Viognier and the Orange Muscat (the best I’ve ever had).

Nelson Family's Orange Muscat

I asked Chris Nelson about Passport and how it affects their business, and found out that  one of the main reasons to keep doing it is the tradition that has started: many locals (and not-so-locals) come back year after year to try new vintages, catch up with the winemakers, and make new friends; and another reason is the opportunity for them to meet people who otherwise might not stop by Hopland, since, together, these wineries can advertise to a much broader public. The weekend doesn’t necessarily generate a lot of profit, because even though it generates revenue, the winery spends a substantial amount of money in food, entertainment, and of course, wine – which they pour generously.  The $35 is worth this stop alone… but there’s more…

Graziano: as I mentioned before, stop by to chat with Bob Meadows (though I must say he is usually super busy at Passport) and make sure to try all of their Zinfandels, as well as the Dolcetto, Barbera and the Coro.

Jaxon Keys: the beautiful view of the vineyards on the right side porch is worth the stop here (the main porch faces the highway). Wines are ok, and they also have a pretty good brandy.

Weibel: beautiful space (makes you want to get married again just to have the party here) and delicious bubbly. Put on your sense of adventure and try the almond champagne – it’s actually very good. Weibel sells their almond champagne to many wineries in Northern California, so if you’ve tried it somewhere else, it was probably theirs. The winemaker is super nice and both food and entertainment (live music) are usually top notch.

Brutocao: 2 words: pizza and bocce. Well, make that 3 and add Merlot. I am not a big Merlot drinker, but I must say theirs is pretty good, so is their Pinot Noir (06 Reserve is best), and their Cabernet. They usually serve wood fired pizzas at Passport, since they have their own restaurant in the premises, “The Crushed Grape.”

Pizza at Brutocao

Dogwood Cellars: a small tasting room which is only open by appointment (outside of Passport) becomes party central for this event. The owner and wine maker, Doug Hacket, entertains and plays some great music in his boom box. The wines are very nice, especially the Syrah and the Pinot Noir, and the Three Families wines (also his) have the coolest label I’ve ever seen: they are partial graphic novels, and you have to log on to their website to read the full story.

McDowell: Wish I could say more, but here it is: they had a 2005 Grenache Noir that was to die for. I think I bought the last case last year (Nick and I bought a few cases of it). But we haven’t found anything close to it since (not even the 2006 Grenache Noir), and since this is the only stop where the people behind the counter are not particularly excited to talk about the wines, or philosophize with you, I’d say leave it for last.

McNab Ridge is a fun place to stop and they have a large variety of wines and a bunch of great stuff in their gift shop. They also hire an artist who paints bottles (for gifts) if you wish to do so with the bottles you buy there. And you must try their dips. Yum.

Saracina’s “cave” under the vineyards is a site to see. Take a minute to sit under an umbrella and enjoy the view of the lake and the willow trees.

Saracina's cave

Saracina's place to relax with a glass

Passport is happening again this weekend, and tickets can be bough at any of the participant wineries, or online. Bring water, sun block, and enjoy!

…next post I’ll share my wine blending experience at Nelson Family Vineyards. Stay tuned!

Aloha!

Dear reader,

I sure hope you’re still out there! It’s been too long, but when I tell you what has kept me, I bet you’ll understand.

First I was getting ready for a trip, then I was enjoying the trip, and finally I have been trying to escape the sadness of being back to normalcy after being in this trip…

I spent two weeks in Hawaii, one of them in a yoga retreat in Laupahoehoe (on the Big Island), and the other in Maui. There are not enough words to describe how beautiful, fresh, alive and nurturing those places were.

Karl Straub led the yoga retreat and a trip to meet and swim with dolphins. The dolphin experience became a beautiful metaphor within our practice, especially the way dolphins live in community, breathe together… and eat together!

To make this retreat even better, Karl brought in Jenny Ong, chef extraordinaire from Canada (and soon New York). Jenny’s energy, experience and knowledge in the kitchen made for a scrumptious line-up of vegetarian meals. I felt held: by my wonderful partner, whose presence made this trip what it was; by Karl, with the right adjustments, the patient teaching, and the suggested sunrise meditations; by our friends Matthew and Alejandra, who endured sharing a room with us for a whole seven days! (and we’re still friends); and by Jenny, who so lovingly set out breakfast every morning, made granola, power bars, lunches, dinners, accommodated every special need and gourmet’d her way through our hearts.

It was great to arrive somewhere that isn’t home (Brazil) and see guavas popping out of the trees. On our first breakfast Jenny set out a jar of guava jam she had just made (you cannot imagine my excitement, as this is something my Grandmother used to make for us back when when we would all go to the beach house in Canasvieiras in the summer). Then there are the bananas, monster avocados, coconuts, macadamias, and so on. Brazil has no macadamias, and no active volcanoes, but I instantly felt at home.

Across the street from the Temple where our retreat took place there is a Quaker farm, which provided our fresh milk, yogurt and cheese daily – goat and cow (I got to meet them both). We had a couple of options for Farmer’s Markets, and Jenny had already made good connections with most vendors during the short time she was there. She knew exactly where to get her tomatoes, her onions, her lettuce, her honey, and, of course, her cocoa (I got to see my first cacao fruit – pictured below). She was also often presented with sweet potatoes from one neighbor and macadamia nuts from another.

My first cacao fruit (you can see the roasted bean in the foreground, which comes from the white casing in the fruit)

Jenny paid great attention to the nutritional value in everything she prepared. During the retreat we also had the opportunity to learn about Ayurveda with practitioners Darci Frankel and Bud Tansey (Vira). Jenny’s example and the knowledge I gained from the talks with Darci and Vira have sparked an even greater interest in me towards healthy eating, and my aim is to share this knowledge with you here.

It’s nothing new, really. It’s just about keeping it simple, yet attractive enough that you feel you are treating yourself every time you cook. For me the treat starts before I get to the kitchen: being able to pick veggies and herbs from the garden is quite an exciting adventure (and if you don’t have a garden, think of the Farmer’s Market as a place to have fun, connect to those who grow your food, and awaken your taste buds). It was so much fun to watch Nick pick basil in the backyard for a dinner meal in Hawaii, and then go hunting for the best banana leaves to make plates and serving platters out of (and yes, we’ve picked many a basil here in our SF backyard, but I must admit it is not the same thing!)

Here’s a look at what inspired me to come home and plant and cook even more than I had ever before, with comments by the Chef herself:

Veggie wrap

– This is a kind of taco lunch we had with brown rices/wild rice, chipotle and lime black beans, shredded veggies (my fav being the shredded papaya) and big island arugula. there’s a secret green sauce of mine on the tortilla. its something like a cilantro chimmichuri… but that’s all i say about that one.

Wasabi aeh

– This is the wasabi aeh (ay-yea), which is from a restaurant i worked at in Calgary called Zen8, which, for a shameless plug, is the best sushi in Calgary, Alberta. The salad we had had the addition of okinawan sweet potatoes which were a gift from Glenn, Mrs. Poy’s son-in-law (neighbors to the temple).
Simply for this dish, mix wasabi and soy til desired taste. best to add soy to wasabi slowly, watering down the paste, instead of vice-versa so then there are no floatie blobs of wasabi. Chop up avocado, fresh sashimi if you like that, and toss in the sauce. That’s it. So simple. Embellish as you please with sesame oil or scallions, but like most japanese dishes, its simplest form is best.

Quinoa, greens and miso nasu

– Quinoa made with miso soup and wakame. Big island greens with sesame-tamari dressing, and miso nasu (eggplant with a miso sesame glaze).

Saag Paneer, coconut brown rice, and muttar paneer

– Saag paneer, coconut brown rice, dhal, and muttar paneer. The cheese was fresh cottage cheese made with raw cow’s milk – from the Garrishes (the Quaker family across the street). The vegan versions of the paneer dishes had crumbled tofu instead of the cheese.

About Jenny:

Jenny Ong

Email: the.buddhas.belly@gmail.com

Blog: www.thebuddhasbelly.blogspot.com (however, it has been severely neglected since january due to aloha and now yoga study prep)

– I live in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, which is a smaller city, but has an amazing yoga community. The people are beautiful and the winters keep you humble. There are no vegetarian restaurants here… yet. 🙂 I am a baker by day, food maniac all day, and yogini by night.

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More to come on nutrition and Ayurveda inspired recipes. Stay tuned!

Speaking of Wine

I have often wondered how one becomes a connoisseur of food and wine. I’d like to call myself one if the criteria is having enough of it until you understand what you like and what you don’t, and why (but that would be too easy). I’ve had the luck of growing up in Brazil and being exposed to an incredible array of seafood, plump-fresh fruits, endless ways of creating everything, especially desserts (my Mom being a cake-maker, dessert-extraordinaire and chocolate-shaper by hobby), and then moving to Florida and getting to know Mexican cuisine (yes, it took me 19 years!), and finally San Francisco, where I opened up my palate to Indian, Pakistani, Vietnamese, Peruvian, and other multiple cuisines and fusions. I can almost own the connoisseur title as far as food goes, but even though I could taste all day,  I still have a lot of cooking to do in order to understand different textures and flavor combinations.

As for wine, I realized when having a private tasting at J. Phelps in Napa, with Claude Leruitte (the most charming 70 year-old wine educator around), that I have much to learn. It is quite a skill to be able to discern different notes and flavors, and describe a wine’s attack,  mouth and finish. One must not only be able to taste the wine, but also to interpret it in order to share his or her impression with others, much like a poet painting emotions.

This is why I hope to bring Dan Eddy to San Francisco for a wine appreciation weekend. Dan is a friend I came to know (and love) via Nick. He is a wine connoisseur (and not the over-simplified version of one either), a writer, a poet, a wonderful cook, and an educator. Dan has traveled every continent to taste wine (and, by consequence, incredible foods) and his introduction to the French way of cooking since childhood have shaped his expertise. He shares his insight into wine and its pairings as a writer for the Examiner, and here he gives us a little background on what made him a connoisseur.

How did you develop a love for food and wine?
Easy answer, I have a French Mother. I was exposed to a love of wining and dining in the Old World model and my trips as a child to visit family in France forced me to be exposed to different flavors, not as readily available to most American kids. I was not always thrilled at mom’s funky “meat loaf” (actually a lovely pate de campagne she’d make herself) or crazy, stinky cheeses but the exposure made me seek out a job at a local “fromagerie/wine shop” in Gainesville (the Wine and Cheese Gallery) almost 20 years ago. I was never really a picky eater and tended to like most everything which certainly helped.

Dan on a hill overlooking the vineyards of Marlborough, on the South Island, New Zealand, where Cloudy Bay is made.

Where did you grow up, and what outside factors have influenced your wine-and-food exploration most?
I grew up in Winter Park, Florida, near Orlando, but spent every summer in New England on Cape Cod at my grandparents’ home. This double life exposed me to great New England seafood as well as sub-tropical Florida flavors with a South American and Caribbean flair, plus real Southern cooking from our African American friends like the incredible flavors of the homemade fried chicken, collards and sweet potatoes at the Ideal Woman’s Club dinners. My childhood trips to France and England broadened my exposure and in college I traveled to Europe to visit family but also to explore the continent, which helped kindle my desire to pair these amazing flavors. In 1986, while studying a summer in London at 18 years-old, my first visit to a Wine and Cheese Bar was very important. I’ve long forgotten the wine we had that night, and we had plenty, but I still remember the cheese: Saga Blue (danish blue brie), Cotswold (a cheddar with chives), Aged Gouda, and St. Andre (a triple cream brie). A few years later when I “incompleted” myself out of college I sought to recreate that experience for others and got a job at the Wine and Cheese Gallery.

As an adult in the Wine Biz for twenty years I’ve been lucky enough to visit wineries and vineyards in Italy, France, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Argentina, and California and each winery’s ability to show off their wines with great local foods has been an education I could never find in school. On personal visits to places like New York, I will always have some kind of food destination like Artisanal, an amazing fromagerie/restaurant in Manhattan, where I had the best French Onion Soup I’ve ever tasted with three onions and five cheeses.

As a child I remember watching Julia Child with my blind mother and describing Julia’s activities to my mom. I still love her original cookbook, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.” Back then I would bake out of the “Better Homes and Garden’s New Cookbook,” with the red gingham cover from the Fifties. I loved the old pictures and those classic illustrations. Now some of my favorite cooks/chefs are Nigella Lawson whose food is very doable on a daily basis. My English cousin gave me the complete Delia Smith Collection, which I love to use, and being from the South, I also can’t help loving Paula Deen and her love of butter. I also love many of the “Food and Wine Magazine” compilation cookbooks, which focus on the pairing of wine with food. Right now I’m really into “Top Chef,” though I enjoyed the original “Iron Chef” series ( I love bad dubbing) and will watch almost anything about cooking when it’s on the TV. I’ll have to give a special nod to Martha Stewart and Jacques Pepin, as other long term cooking influences, but I’ve been influenced by almost every chef I’ve ever seen.

Favorite foodie movies start with “Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?” and continues with “Big Night” and “Like Water for Chocolate” and “Babbette’s Feast” to some winey movies like “Sideways” and “Bottle Shock.”

Tasting at Norton Winery in Mendoza, Argentina

When did you start teaching and writing?
I started teaching Wine Tasting classes about 16 years ago while working at the Wine and Cheese Gallery. I’d always intended to be an English professor but my extended detour from Academia put that idea on hold, so after a few years of selling wine and cheese and then watching the Jancis Robinson varietal series on PBS, I felt I could share this passion in an educational way. Jancis is still one of my favorite writers about wine and I have every one of her books. Her “Oxford Companion to Wine” (as editor) is still my go to “bible” on all that is winey. Working Wine Tasting Dinners has helped hone my palate and attending professional tastings here and overseas has made me feel more confidant about my own perceptions of wine and pairings. Most people get nervous that they will say something wrong at a tasting, but imbibing is a subjective experience and if you smell cat pee or old lady perfume then that is a valid perception. I’ve also worked for and with caterers to find the right pairings with recipes for years and all of that experience helps.

I began writing a “Wining” column for our local Satellite Magazine over 7 years ago, and though I only wrote it every other month, it brought back my English Major love of writing but paired it with my new love of wine and food. So many writers about wine are old English Majors who want to use their creative vocabulary in a tangible way and people just don’t publish poems like they used to. The language of wine is almost another semiotic code, full of its own jargon, but once you learn the language it’s much easier to convey your experiences and help others to describe their own.

Can you share your best food and wine experience ever?
Wow, that’s really tough as I’ve had so many since my first memorable one at the Wine and Cheese Bar in London. Some of the dinners I had in Southern Italy were amazing as they really know how to work with great food and great wine. A special Winemaker’s Dinner I had in the Central Coast of California near San Luis Obispo was stunning, and a couple of years ago I had an incredible meal at Alexander Valley Winery in Sonoma, prepared by their chef with food from their garden which was simple but elegant and a perfect match to their great wines. A dinner I had in Chateuneuf-du-Pape also comes to mind with the poached chevre, but so many of my meals at small French restaurants throughout France have been stunning. Lastly, some simple grilled lamb chops with potatoes and green beans near Adelaide in Australia, paired with the amazing Kangarilla Road Shiraz, has to be one of my personal favorites.

Vineyard visits upper Apulia, Italy

Do you have suggestions for cookbooks and wine books?
Any of the ones I’ve listed above but also any books by Hugh Johnson. “The Grapes of Ralph” with the art and musings of Ralph Steadman is a great book. Oz Clarke’s “Introducing Wine” is a great beginner’s book and I loved Matt Kramer’s “Making Sense of Wine” and even based an entire Wine Tasting class on his book. For a good biographical read, I just finished “The Window Clicquot” by Tilar J. Mazzeo which was fun and had great information about the beginnings of Champagne.

What is the # 1 thing you tell your wine students?
Don’t be afraid to have your own opinion: wine is subjective. Learn to like what you like and ask for it. I also like to tell them that any pairing is better than no pairing and most food is enhanced by a wine, especially cheese and wine. You can take a stinky, almost harsh, difficult Meunster from Alsace and transform it into rich and creamy deliciousness when paired with a lovely Alsacian Gewurtztraminer. That’s quite a magic trick. Yes, some pairings might not work as well as others, but you always have the benefit of imbibing to make any negatives seem more positive.

Mitchell Riesling bottle and its grapes in Clare Valley, Australia, near sunset.

You can enjoy some of his recipes and read his articles here:

Examiner

If you are interested in spending a weekend learning about wine – and its perfect pairings – with Dan, in San Francisco & Wine Country, leave a comment here and I’ll contact you.

Bon Appetit!