Tonight's Menu

Acme Baguette, Triple Cream Brie, Peruvian Scallop Ceviche Marinated in Rocoto and Citrus, Rogue's Dead Guy Ale. Sign me up!

The Lover's Boeuf Bourguignon

So the BOOF was a success! It was absolutely scrumptious and well enjoyed by everyone. The recipe came from a delightful book called The Sharper Your Knife The Less You Cry by Kathleen Flinn. Enough said!

Tomorrow Beuf Bourignon!

Tomorrow The Chef plans to teach me to make Beuf Bourignon and his coconut flan. That coconut flan is one of the reasons that I fell head over heals for the guy in the first place! The creamy sensuality of the coconut milk with the silky mangoes and the fresh mint that accompany it still makes me go weak in the knees and probably always will.

In New York at Mad 61 when Alex must have been about 17 or 18 he had the incredible pleasure of meeting Julia Child. She came to the restaurant and liked her meal so much that she went back to the kitchen and shook every cook's hand. He remembers her as being very tall and exuberant. I cannot wait to learn her beloved Beuf Bourignon, if only cooking was an easy thing for me to learn! Perhaps one day it will all make sense to me- temperatures, sauces, seasoning and textures. I think that the most difficult thing for me at the moment is cooking proteins. I have been reliving the horrid memory of maiming a poor chicken when I was unsupervised. I forgot to pound it into an even submission and it refused to cook evenly- the inside was raw so I was forced to overcook it in the oven. I believe that if the poor chicken gave its life it needs to be respected in the cooking process. It deserves to be delicious and I failed it. My plan is to finally allow Alex to transform me into the culinary genius I was clearly born to be. Beuf Bourignon is the first step, we'll see where it goes from there!!

August West/Sandler

Stopped by August West today for a barrel tasting and fell in love with Sandler Wine Co.'s Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. The grapes are (obviously) sourced from the Sonoma coast and it is just exactly what I look for in a good Pinot. It was lovely and balanced, with just the right notes of fruit and acidity. Picked up a bottle of the '08, its a year older then what I tasted and I am looking forward to cracking it open with a good group of gals!

Wednesday Night @ Lion Pub

Decided to have a mid-week diversion at the Lion Pub on Divisadero and Sacramento with some of my favorite people. Good playlist, great (cheep) drinks with fresh squeezed juice (current obsession Bloodhound w/ Blood Orange juice & Vodka) they also had a cheese plate set out which was so thoughtful! Cool scenery & a fire going in the background, it was a perfect Wednesday night!

The Great Zinathon

ZAP's Great Zin Tasting was truly impressive. Two enormous Fort Mason buildings housed hundreds of wineries. I had heard about the "Zin Zone" where almost all of the wines would be available for tasting to press and trade, but I saved that for last which turned out to be a very short stay in the Zin Zone because when the tasting is over ITS OVER! I am glad that I decided to walk around, taste and talk to winemakers because that's really what its all about. Leonhardt truly caught my eye-- and my palate! Their Zinfandel produced onsite in the Dry Creek Valley, in fact on Dry Creek Road (my favorite tasting road in Sonoma/Napa) was elegant and complex with beautiful powerful cherry and chocolate notes balanced with spicy black pepper, vanilla and clove. That beautiful flavor brought back memories of sun drenched days of lazily meandering down Dry Creek Road, boat hitched to the back of the truck ready to pick up a couple of bottles and enjoy a weekend on Lake Sonoma. It made me all that more impatient for the beautiful summer months to come. I had passed Leonhardt with its red truck and lions at the entrance but had yet to stop by, I have a feeling that this summer Howard Leonhardt and I will become well acquainted! Of course there were some of my favorite wineries from Good Eats & Zin (This time there was only 2008 Old Ghost) but Leonhardt really stood out. Another reason why I am a fan is their involvement as lead sponsor of the Wine Country Old Fashioned Baseball League, a semi-pro league with 12 teams in Sonoma & Napa county. Half of all game day proceeds go to local charities. What better way to enjoy a summer day then to watch semi-pro baseball and drink wine! Overall the Great Zin Tasting was a wonderful event that I will look forward to next year.

Food and Zin at Its Finest

The cavernous Fort Mason Center stretched before the Chef and I as we entered last night. Rows of tables full of tempting food and luscious Zinfandel invited with the warning that without caution we could find ourselves prematurely full and drunk before we were able to experience the best the evening had to offer. Right off the bat Knickerbocker Catering's Wild Boar Sliders delighted with a sensuous robust sweetness that set the evening into motion. The first Zin that I fell for was Acorn's 2006 Heritage Vines Zinfandel. With an irresistible blend of 78% Zinfandel, 10% Alcante Bouschet, 10% Petit Sirah and 2% Field Blend I was drawn in. A rich bouquet of ripe berries and fresh ground pepper with toasty vanilla notes was delightful, the depth of flavor took me off guard with deep blackberry intertwining with cocoa, coffee and spicy black pepper. Betsy and Bill Nachbaur were sweet and inviting and responsible business owners with their estate grown, sustainably-farmed wines. Moving on I came across Klinker Brick Winery. Right away there was something interesting about the labeling of their Old Ghost wine, so like a good reporter I decided to investigate! Their 2007 Old Ghost is available for sale, but they had brought some bigger guns out of the arsenal venturing into their thrilling library to delight me with their 2005 and 2006 Old Ghost which are not available for purchase. Each vintage of this old vine zin was unique in its own right. The 2005 had a surprisingly dry finish which I found to be refreshing with all of the overly powerful and jammy zins that I was faced with throughout the evening. The 2006 was by far my favorite vintage which I found to be true for many different wine brands. The Old Ghost 2006 was a little bit lighter on the palate with a breathtaking medley of brambleberries, spiced cherries, mint and even notes of effervescent eucalyptus and licorice on the end. Mustards was there with a lovely Pork Tostada with Spicy Salsa. This was absolutely succulent and paired with the deep red fruits of Outpost Estate Wines was a knockout! Thursday night was packed with impressive food and wine, it is an event that I will look forward to next year.

Other Zap Events

Flights: A Showcase of Zinfandels, a seated tasting with in-depth seminars focusing on limited-production Zinfandels, takes place on January 29 from 10:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m., at The InterContinental Mark Hopkins Hotel’s Peacock Court (1 Nob Hill, San Francisco, 94108, 415/392-3434. Flights will cover the history of the Zinfandel varietal and current trends in the production of Zin including blending. This promises to be luscious in both information and good Zin!!

Evening With The Winemakers: A Benefit Live Auction & Dinner, takes place on January 29 beginning with a reception-tasting at 5:00 p.m., at the InterContinental Mark Hopkins Hotel in San Francisco (1 Nob Hill, San Francisco 94108, 415/392-3434). Dinner followed by a Live Auction and of course lots of Zin sounds like a Zinstravaganza to me!

The 19th Annual Grand Zinfandel Tasting takes place on January 30 from 2:00 until 5:00 p.m. at the Festival and Herbst Pavilions at Fort Mason (Marina Blvd. at Buchanan, San Francisco 94123). This will test how much Zin the Chef and I can handle after a weekend of drinking Zin! Based on our shared love of Zinfandel I think we will come out victorious.

Stay tuned for coverage of Good Eats & Zin, Flights and the Grand Zin Tasting. Hope to see you there!!

Good Eats at ZAP!

On January 28, 2010, from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. at Fort Mason Center you will find me drinking Zinfandel and eating delicious food executed by a slew of talented chefs. Color me excited when 50 Bay Area restaurants pair their food with 50 wineries. Zinfandel or the delicious full bodied red wine that comes from those adorable fat stubby little vines just so happens to be one of my favorite varietals. Needless to say I will be in foody/Wine-O heaven this weekend. Tickets are still available through www.zinfandel.org or 877-772-2545 for all of this weekends events. Some of the pairings that get me the most excited in the Good Eats & Zinfandel pairing are ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING from famed Hawaiian chef Beverly Gannon, the proprietor of the Hali'imaile General Store. Chef Gannon will bring to the table dishes such as succulent Crab Cannelloni with Saffron Cream Sauce and Joe's Favorite Meatloaf with Hawaiian Sweetbread Role. She will be pairing with Zins from Three Wine Company & Peachy Canyon Winery. Some other exciting looking dishes are Pork Rillette with Pickeled Red Onions and Saba from Rose's Cafe and Beef Braised in Dry Creek Old Vine Zin Served Over Polenta... these are just some teasers but come see for yourself this Thursday!

Stand With Haiti

One of the poorest countries in the world has suffered a grave disaster and I believe that it is our moral duty to do something about it. Unfortunately in times of crisis some of the most visible organizations are the ones allocating funds to marketing and PR and not to solving any problems. A few even profit from tragedy. One organization that I have followed for years that is making a dramatic difference is Partners in Health(PIH), an organization founded by Dr. Paul Farmer. For over 20 years PIH has been running free clinics all around the world, the first in Haiti's Central Plateau- one of the poorest parts of Haiti. He believes that medical care for those who need it most should be free and that life saving drugs should be free. After the earthquake because of their deep seeded involvement in Haiti, PIH was one of the first organizations to respond, mobilizing to ship in doctors and medication to confront the tragedy head on. Chef's Lover Catering has donated to PIH and I urge you to do the same if you are looking for a credible organization that will use your donation for good. They have long term plans to rebuild a stronger Haiti, and Chef's Lover Catering, myself and Alex (the Chef) support them wholeheartedly. Stand with Haiti in this time of crisis.