A day in Napa

Today, I was fortunate enough to be invited by my friend Arleigh Taylor to visit a winery where he has a little project in the works, Arleigh and another friend, David Friend, have decided to try making a couple of barrels of wine, a lofty project. As many who know me understand, I have been a wine drinker and student of wine for many years now, and this project holds a great deal of interest to me, as it gives me interesting access to the making of a new label. Yes, Arleigh and David are making a wine to be produced and sold. They are nuts.

We started with a look at a truck full of grapes, one ton of which belongs to the guys, and will form the juice that eventually becomes their wine. These are not the bulk grapes you see being piled into 3 ton tugs, these are all hand picked and placed in small plastic trays, the grapes are protected from crushing. They are shipped in an enclosed trailer and do not get baked in the sun. Harvest had started during the night, and the grapes were at the winery early in the morning. We arrived at 10:45am with the line already in full production. We received a very interestingt walk through of the process, a rather unique process where the wine will be fully produced in barrel fermentation, mostly in open fermentation at that.

The truck of grapes:

The Initial sort, done by hand, whole berries (grapes) with the stems and leaves sorted out

The Second Sort, looking for small stem pieces and bad berries

The Final Sort, there is certainly a great deal of care to make sure only good berries make it in.

Here are some grapes, staged for sorting, you can see the tight clusters, bright color and tight skins

This is what doesn't make the cut, I like the colors of fall

The barrels, these happen to actually be Burgundy barrels, but, what's in a name?

Grapes in a barrel, ready to start the journey to wine

Being pumped into the barrel for the first time

Here is what that looks like, just before punch down for the first time, look at all the bubbling

Staged before going into the cold ferment area, as you can see, nothing more than a shower cap like covering, not sealed in the least

Here is the cold ferment room, along with a little dry ice to cool things down and slow the ferment

From here, the barrels then move to a heating tent and ultimately to a warm fermentation room

A few of the barrels we saw had actually been open fermented, then had the barrel head replaced, while the wine was still in the barrel

There was more to the visit, but, that is enough for one post.

Commis and Emotion

I recently had the opportunity to dine at Commis, one of the most lauded restaurants in the East Bay, helmed by a young chef that has been identified as 'one to watch'. I had very interesting dining companions, it was a lovely night and I was certainly looking forward to what I expected to be an interesting fine dining experience. What we experienced was a incredible example of technique and foucs by a chef and kitchen that produced some very good food. The service was also exactly what I would hope for a casual fine dining restaurant. There were a couple of things that did fall short for me. And the meal with pairing was costly enough, that one of the flaws is glaring, the other less so for most people.

The obvious flaw, the pairings were simply uninspired to my palate. An interesting aspect of food and wine pairings is that it is possible to take a great dish, pair it with a excellent wine and end up with a poor pairing. Throughout the dinner, with the exception of the beef dish, I felt the pairings were just not well considered. I found each choice of wine to be interesting, just seemingly not a good complement to the dish it was presented with. I look for several factors in making a pairing, amongst them are acidity, texture, level of sweetness and balance of flavors. The thing I most noticed was a disjointed level of acidity in a couple of pairings, this also affects texture on the palate, as a more acidic wine can effect a lighter mouthfeel. I found this seemed to be the biggest issue for me. There were several instances where the wine just did not counterpoint the food enough.

Obviously, there is a personal preference here, as most Americans do not like acidity and minerality in their wines and perhaps most folks will like the pairings. I was excited that none of the pairings were Cabernet or Pinot.

A bigger issue for me is that I place a lot of importance on the emotional response, the intellect and wit that is a part of fine dining. When a chef really speaks to me, he satisfies more than just my interest in addressing my hunger, or my love of technqiue in the kitchen. The food satisfies a deeper emotional need and engages me at an intellectual level where wit and memory meet. It has a soul. This is where I seemed to not connect at Commis. It was like a beautiful woman (or man if that works) that can't maintain a conversation. It looks great, you admire the beauty, but, there has to be more to make for a truly interesting dialogue. Food should be like that, it should make you want more, to engage the conversation, to understand it more, I just couldn't get there with Commis. It was beautiful, stunning, delicious. But, I doubt there will be a second date.

To be fair, this is about me and my approach to food as much as it is about Commis and what the food or pairings might be for someone else. I suspect that many folks really do want delicious food beautifully presented that speaks to their hunger more than anything else. I can certainly understand that, and as I said, the kitchen and staff were excellent. I heard Ferran Adria once refer to this aspect of food as being like seeing a painting by Picasso, some are brought to tears, others just walk by. I love Picasso's paintings, for they have soul.

I have recently, by this I mean the last 10 years, really become more aware of the emotional aspect of dining and how important that role in food really is. Our food memories are so powerful and last so long, it can make an old man young. I have experienced this so rarely, in perfect realization, that it is almost 'Grail' like in it's presence. I can remember a bottle of wine that elicited in my emotional mind a profound effect, bringing me back to when I was a little boy following my dad at the flower market. It was on my 40th birthday, and it was the most profound, singular, emotional experience I had ever had at a table to that point. I remember crying in the restaurant. I could feel and smell the cold, wet concrete floor of the flower market in the minerality, the crazy mixture of flowers, spicy carnations, floral roses, musky camellias all swirling in the aroma, the old man smell redolent in the undertones of the muskiness that a great aged wine should have, even the hints acridity of smoke and tobacco, all a heady rememberance of a better time.

But, to think that food has to be rare and perfect, expensive and elite, is to mistake desire for emotion, greed for values. I remember the most important food I ever cooked, we made a New Year's feast, it would be the second to last New Year's meal my dad would eat. I remember how my dad ate, how he seemed to tear up and couldn't stop talking about the food between bites. Somehow my sister and I had hit on a few of recipes that perfectly evoked his memory of his mom's cooking. I doubt they were the same, but, they spoke emotionally to him. The food was very simple, rather poorly plated, it contained nothing fancy, but, it spoke to a very core level of emotion, it spoke to an old man of his mother's love and caring. If I never cook another decent meal, I know that we fed my dad's soul that night. This is what a great meal can be.

These experiences really changed how I view food and what a successful cook really is. The idea of creating food that transcends time and place, to evoke both visual and emotional responses, while still nourishing and feeding the body has to be the ultimate goal of any great cook. It would be ridiculous to expect a restaurant to achieve this kind of culinary challenge, but, there are levels, there can be excitement and wonder, humor and grace in how food is cooked and presented. Sadly, I just could not find that in all of the technical perfection I found at Commis.

In some ways, it speaks to a fundamental flaw in the way Foodies have framed the nature of how we eat and partake of food, of our perceptions of dining and eating. They flock to the latest and greatest, not so much out of intellectual or emotional consideration, but, because it seems to be the place to be and the thing to do. Like a birder's list, to be the first, or the last, to just have the longest list of places considered by others to be incredible. A focus on ingredients and technique is great, it certainly is something I appreciate, but it tends to block the other aspects of how we consider food. Indeed, there is an overemphasis on food in general in our modern culture, the excesses that our lifestyle and birthright have granted us, and perhaps most of our life, food should be the fuel that serves us. But, from time to time, when the promise is there, I want a little more.

The Quick Dinner

Having expended way to much energy over the past couple of days, yet sticking with my resolve to work out as often as possible, I was faced with the dilemma of what could I eat that would be quick and somewhat reasonable to eat.

A huge Super Burrito! NO!

What would the point of working out be if I then go and plow more calories and fat into my body than I could possibly justify with a simple workout. I was literally in the car to go get a burrito, when I realized this was not a good plan.

Instead, I got out the broccolini I had in the fridge, a package of fresh pasta from the Phoenix Pastifacio in Berkeley and a little uncured bacon, render the bacon, oil poach the broccolini and cook the pasta, toss in the wok and you get a really delicious and very fast dinner.



Yes, that is the true color, oil poaching, while not the lowest calorie form of preparing the vegetables provided a beautiful green color and a light crunch while still be quick and easy to manage. The veggies never left the wok after 3 minutes in hot oil, the pasta was tossed in and tossed with a few chunks of bacon. Nothing else needed, maybe a little Phu Quoc black pepper ground over the top.

The Death of Civility

Part 1
Today, as I left the car parts store, I chanced to approach the exit door as a man stepped through it, the wrong way, thus blocking my path, he held the door then leaned out and yelled at his wife (and I quote) "c'mon, hurry up bitch!" I wonder if this makes him think he is more masculine, stronger or greater because he can crudely demean another person.

I guess I have grown tired of late, of the death of civility, the name calling, the broken hearts and broken dreams, the endless parade of hate and distrust, I am even tired of cooking.

I think it is time for me to go back to the gym.

Part 2
Again, something that has nothing to do with food...something brought this memory to me. From my late Uncle Henry, who taught me all the things a son does not learn from his father when the son has stopped listening because he knows better than dad.

One day, when we were working, hard physical labor, under hot and dry conditions, and I was whining, as tennage boys are wont to do. Like many Japanese men, he told me I was born to a noble family, I told him the samurai were dead.. He pulled me aside, told me to sit down, drink some water and listen. He told me this...

You are samurai by birth, a warrior in soul and spirit, who serves his family and home with honor and valor.
You are Ronin by choice, serving no lord, but your family and all of those you would love and cherish as if they were master.
You are Servant and Companion, at your best, carrying the burden for others, that they might more easily carry theirs when the load gets heavy.

another of his axioms...when I questioned that it seemed that I was carrying the heaviest load of work (there never seemed to be a shortage of hard physical labor under hot conditions with Uncle Henry, unless it was freezing, of course) compared to others...

A strong man is at his greatest when he kneels before the weakest and bids them command him, that all would succeed.

Today, I ended up a little sadder than when I started.

I would add, I don't think I ever really did know more than the old man did. Dammit!

Veggie Burger

Aaaannndddd...it continues, I had all those vegetables and needed to do something with them. The mushrooms, a bunch of aromatics, an odd can of chickpeas and that slaw, salsa and avocado sauce. Can't let it go to waste, so I made a few changes to the stuff and came up with a veggie burger. I did add some fish sauce, as I find that a little Red Boat fish sauce goes a long way. And, even though, I personally do not consider this vegetarian, due to fish as an ingredient, many folks consider themselves to be vegetarian even though they eat fish.

Anyway, I mush up the chickpeas, added the mushrooms and the cooking liquid, added some more chopped celery and green onions along with a large egg and 1/2 cup of bread crumbs. This was mixed together and formed into patties, then fried in olive oil. This is a very loose mixture and requires either ring forms or a small saute pan to keep things together. A nice bun, some salsa and slaw and there you go.

Vegan Tostada

Today, I decided to go vegan, yes, I know, shocking. I have just had too much pork over the past few days an need to change direction briefly. Tonight, a tostada was just the thing.

I used some hand made corn tortillas available in this area, these are Sonoran style, so they are a little thicker than most corn tortillas people are used to. I like them as they are a little more moist and instead of turning into a chip, they retain some chewy tooth in the center of the tortilla.

The base of the tostada was a saute of mushrooms, in this case, crimini and shiitake, sauteed with onions, garlic a little olive oil and some Lucky Dog hot sauce and tamari. Naturally, some salt and Phu Quoc black pepper freshly ground in.

The salsa was a simple tomato and onion salsa, some cilantro then to add a little upgrade, some roasted Hatch chiles and fresh roasted corn were added. The corn was just colored up a bit over a flame, the center was still cold and fresh.

The avocado is more of an avocado salsa, less of a guacamole. I use some cider vinegar and olive oil, along with some almond milk to make it more liquid and smoother than a guacamole. I like the edge of sour bite that the vinegar gives and a little Lucky Dog hot sauce. I add a little sugar, Phu Quoc black pepper and salt to balance it all out.

The slaw is a very simple cabbage and carrot slaw, a little shredded green onion and cilantro for the herbal touch. Again, vinegar, a little sugar, Phu Quoc black pepper and salt, and a little Lucky Dog hot sauce.

Boot and Shoe Service Cafe

It is probably no surprise to anyone who knows me that I love coffee, I treat it just like many who love wine or beer, I love the complexity and variety, of how the hand of man (or woman if it is one of my favorite roasters) can affect the work of nature and how terroir changes a sibple seed. In San Francisco, there is an oft-rotating 'best coffee ever!' buzz surrounding whatever latest coffee roaster or coffee house is the current darling of the crowd. Lately, Sightglass coffee keeps coming up in conversation of the coffee cogniscenti. So, it was both surprsing and good news when I heard that Boot and Shoe Service in Oakland, Ca. was serving Sightglass coffee as a part of new morning service. They have turned a narrow and very rustic space into their coffee bar.

They are using a small La Marzocco espresso machine which seems perfectly sized for the location. Of late, it really seems all of the coffee I enjoy is made on some version of a La Marzocco, including my ususal coffee from Zocalo in San Leandro.

They do have a little competition, being within easy distance from powerhouse chains Peet's and Starbucks, which I suspect will not be a problem for them. In part, it has to do with the coffee, the espresso, my preferred method for getting to know a coffee shop, lacked for nothing. It had a wonderfuil texture, with a touch of sweetness and a smooth overall mouthfeel. The flavore were berry and fruit forward with a tough of mocha richness on the backside, lingering coffee flavor with no bitterness. The coffee and crema held beautifully with the flavor holding even as the coffee cooled. Look at tha...hey, where did it go?

However, as good as the coffee was, the food really shows it's heritage of being a part of a restaurant. For those not in the know, Boot and Shoe is the second restaurant opened by Charlie Hollowell of Pizzaiolo. The baked goods are handled in-house or at Pizzaiolo and the food is prepared in the kitchen.

The shop also offers house made granola and house made baked treats, we did not try these, as we were inclinded to more substantial fare. But, it is easy to see that they have all the standards people look for in a coffee shop as well as a few other options less often seen. The granola is very interesting looking with a unique color and loose texture.

We had a delicious pork belly sandwich which offered a unctuous and tender pork belly, which must have been slow cooked and a wonderful sauce that balanced the heft of the prok belly fat. The sandwich was certainly a worthy representative and will cause me to come back here again.

The real treat was the crispy friend sweet polenta with honey, this was a wonderful balance of crispy, creamy and sweet which could, and probably should, be served as a dessert. This dish represented one of those hallmarks of a great kitchen, simple ingredients in a simple presentation that tastes incredible.

Anytime I run across food like this, it really makes me want to come back and try out the other items on the menu. Boot and Shoe Service got me in with excellent coffee, but, I will be back for the food coming out of the kitchen.