hey everyone guess what????

I finally managed to get a computer and get myself back on the internet!!! Expect some new blogs soon. I'll be heading to Hawai'i in just a couple weeks and hope to check out what has been called the "Foodie Mecca" of the Big Island, Waimea. You will most definitely see fresh fish and produce that I haven't ever seen before. Also, I plan on focusing heavily on sustainability as well, look for farmer's market reviews in the future as well. I've greatly missed writing to you all and sharing my experiences. I can't wait to get this going again

Have to get a computer that's at least as fast as my phone. Be on hiatus until the end of the month. Later. Eat drink and be merry.

Voyage to the Other California, Part 1: Wine, Friends and Epiphanies

It is no secret that I am a bay area native. There have years upon years of my life spent driving through the Napa Valley late on a summer's night and smelling Cabernet wafting through the air, one arm dangling lazily from the window, all the windows down, allowing the smells to fully encase my senses. On the other end of that spectrum, there have also been nights in the city, and when I say the city, I can only mean one city: San Francisco. The iconoclast of the bay. East coast city on the west coast. The home of progressive political ideology. Fine foods, the edge of the culinary world, not to mention the awesome shopping. After all the time I have spent in these places, why go back now, as a tourist? Perhaps I'm not so much a tourist, this place is my home after all, but I did discover things that were new to me, experiences I had yet to have as an adult in a place I associate predominantly with my youth.

Our first night was spent in my hometown. Now, granted it isn't much, but it is gorgeous. Just a sleepy little town of 28,000, one high school, one library, one police department, and one street that has anything going on and that street isn't more than a mile long. We still have 3 Starbucks though, which I find discouraging. This town is known as Benicia, founded by General Vallejo over 200 years ago, and named for the man's wife. It was the second capitol of California, and also was and still continues to be an active port though the scenery has changed a bit. First St. used to be lined with brothels, hotels and bars. Jack London often stayed at the Union Hotel, which like many buildings in the area is protected by the historical society. Why tell you all this? context.

First St. Cafe' is also a historical building, at one point both a bar and a brothel, the building itself is over 200 years old. This was my first true place of employment in the industry. This is the restaurant that took me from dishwasher to prep cook to server. This is the place that instilled the foundation I continue to build upon as I continue to learn and grow. This is where I learned of Humboldt fog, and 10/12 versus 20/22 count for the slicing of bacon. I learned Meritage, Pinotage, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Geyserville, Alexander Valley, Paso Robles and on and on and on. I learned eggs, basted, poached, over easy, medium, well, hard, soft-boiled. Everything I know I owe to them. That is why when I come home I always make sure I stop by and have a bite to eat.

Now of course I had to bring my dining partner with me. It's not a vacation if you can't share and reminisce about the experience. I also wanted to show him what I had been raving about all this time. We had the Crab and Artichoke dip with fresh Acme baguette for an appetizer, along with a bottle of Murphy Goode Fume' Blanc. Dungeness crab meat mixed with artichoke hearts, mayonnaise, white onion and Parmesan cheese, heated until lightly browned on the top and garnished with parsley. I love warm mayonnaise. Some people detest it, and maybe it's from 3 and 1/2 years of eating this stuff, but it's delicious and you can't stop me. The baguette is always awesome, if you have a chance to get to Acme you have to try it, but Acme will come back into play later. After we annihilated the dip we indulged in carbonara and the tortellini bolognese. Carbonara was perfect, mixed with raw egg and bacon, and fresh spring vegetables. The bolognese was exactly how I remember is, spicy linguica, creamy tomato sauce with cheese filled al-dente tortellini. It was like being 17 again with my tri-colored hair, taking a break at the bar before the rush hit. That calm in the restaurant, like the eye of the storm, nothing moving while everything swirls around you, but on to dessert. We had my personal favorite, the key lime pie, made with real key lime juice and the Jack Daniels pecan pie. Now granted these were not masterfully presented, but that's not really what owner Mark Krull wants. It's simple with good tastes, flavors that keep you coming back again and again.

Our accommodations for the night were at a dear friend of mine's. She is the Pastry Sous Chef at Five restaurant inside the Hotel Shattuck Plaza. This is one of Scott Howard's restaurants, classic American bistro, I suppose, unfortunately I did not get the opportunity to try the place. Next time, there's always a next time. We went back to the house after dinner, which is less of a house than you might think. It's located in the Benicia Arsenal. As home to the former capitol, there was a strong military presence there, which is now only  noted by the old military buildings. One of these buildings is the old officers' quarters, where quite a few of my friends live, as well as my chef best friend previously mentioned. That night was spent sharing experiences and things that had happened since the last time I had been up. Loves gained and lost. Life going on. Fortunately however, my friend had most of the weekend off, which led to the awesome events of the next day.

Day 2: Wine country, the smells, the splendor, and the change of heart.

I had scheduled us to do a wine tasting at Ehlers Estate in St.Helena. This is a boutique winery that was established originally in 1886. It has a staff of 18 people, they produce roughly 6,000 to 8,000 cases a year. To give you an idea, many wineries produce 30,000+. At the beginning of the tour, our guide, Dejan, poured us each a bit of the 2009 Sauvignon Blanc to drink as we strolled throughout the estate. The day was pure magic. A perfect temperature of about 75-80 degrees, clear sky, which brought out the incredible lushness of the valley, it almost appeared to glow. You could smell and taste the fertile lands that surrounded you, topped of with a sip of cool Sav blanc and I began to relax. All the stress built up in my body seemed to let go at that moment. Now I was truly on vacation. After telling us about the long history of Ehlers, Dejan told us about the bio dynamic farming methods used in the vineyard. Bio dynamic farming is very different than anything else, but it is almost an ancient art. Used in medieval times it is based largely on lunar cycles, legumes and other plants are planted between the rows of grapes to ensure soil fertility, and no, I repeat, no chemicals are used what so ever. This is different from organic farming in that organic farmers are allowed to use certain chemicals approved by the FDA. We strolled through their on site garden, that contains tomatoes and artichokes among others. I don't want to ruin the tour for others so I will move on.

In the cellar, we got to have a bit of the 2008 vintage, from the barrel, that has yet to be released. It was the 120/80, which is ideal, optimal blood pressure. This ties in, I swear I'll explain in a minute. The 120/80 is about 80 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 20 percent Cabernet franc. Now the tie in here is that when the owner of Ehlers passed away he left the estate to his foundation for cardiovascular research, the name escapes me, but now all the profit from the estate goes to this foundation. The logo even features hearts in it if you look close enough. The taste from the barrel was quite good considering it was still young. Almost tasted like a Beaujolais. Pretty amazing, it had this great smoothness which is a characteristic of the wines produced here. Soft tannins, or as I like to call them satin tannins, really burst in your mouth and create this great texture that is incomparable to anything else. After this we advanced to the salon for a tasting paired with some awesome little bites. A bit of beef with Himalayan salt and rosemary, a beet and bing cherry compote with rogue smoked bleu cheese and a lamb sausage with spring vegetable ratatouille. I forget the order, but there was their Cabernet Franc, Merlot and the 1886 which was incredible. I could drink bottles of it, but at 95 a bottle that could get a little pricey. Everything was great and Dejan sat a chatted with us for quite a while. Everyone there was very personable and amazingly gracious. We purchased a bottle of sauvignon blanc for the road.

On the road we had a light buzz, not our driver of course. We drove up a little further to Calistoga just to have a look around and then headed back toward our point of origin to have lunch. We went to the Rutherford Grill for your traditional wine country style cuisine. After a short wait, we had a table. I ordered a viognier, my dining partner had a nice glass of sav. My friend (and DD) had an Izze soda. We started with the Grilled Artichokes which were halved and seared and served with an aoili. This came at the recommendation of my friend, and I was not disappointed, they were exquisite. I'm going to grill my artichokes from now on. They were so tender. It turned me to putty. After that we had our main. The french dip with au jus and coleslaw, the burger, and I had bangors and mash, served with a spicy mustard. Everything was incredible, the bread on the french dip was perfect and absorbed just the right amount of jus. It was accompanied with a horseradish sauce that was amazing.The fries with the burger were crisp and thin. My bangors were plump and juicy, and the potatoes were full of chives and garlic, all in all an amazing lunch. So, amazing in fact that we skipped dinner.

The drive back to Benicia was quiet as we let our experiences sink in. I was experiencing a euphoria unlike any I have experienced before. Magnificent views of vineyards, turned into other agricultural lands with pumpkins and assorted vegetables to dry fields of wild grass, back into the urban sprawl once again all within 25 minutes. The closeness of things sets in. Southern California is so spread out. It can take hours to get places for a "staycation." Up there the world seems so far away, yet it is really just a short drive down the road.

The night was full of drink and old acquaintences, people I had been to high school with and hadn't talked to since, and it reminded me of something. I got out. I made it to a place where I could truly be happy, for as much nostalgia as that little town has for me, I could never truly return to stay. The bay area? surely the region is full of things to be desired, but for Benicia, I had done my time and now it is time to move on. After the bar, we turned in for the night in order to prepare for the next days travels. We were about to journey to our hotel room in Berkeley and then off to the city for some pre-pride festivities. We had no idea what joys were to come, but I assure you they almost trump what has been done thus far. Ehlers was amazing, the flavors I had experienced that day almost overloaded my senses and I began to realize that I was still a stranger in the land I spent most of my life. I was missing something all those years, or perhaps I just couldn't fully appreciate it yet. I felt a door in my heart open and I let everything in. I did not judge with the sharp blade of my criticism as I would usually, I was hypnotized. So much joy, so very impossible to leave, but the journey that lie ahead was so much more than I could ever imagine.

Sorry for the delay...

For the last week I have been sorting through photos and plotting my plan of attack to tell you all about my fabulous getaway to San Francisco, Napa and my hometown. Revisiting my roots proves to be quite beneficial, rejuvenating and enlightening. The first of two blog entries about my trip should be out before the end of the weekend, also coming up will be a new San Diego restaurant that sounds enticing. My friends are raving and I just have to go. Catch you later, if working 6 days through 4th of July weekend doesn't kill me.

Uh...Is this Kensington Grill?

I always love when a restaurant realizes it has been falling a little short of itself. That magical moment where a chef looks at his menu and says, " this is boring, time to change it up a bit." Well, Kensington Grill has more than just changed it up, they ripped it to shreds and started nearly from scratch. Some of the dishes were a bit intimidating in the sense that these were combinations I had never seen before. Hog bar? Truffle Tots? What is going on here?! It was like I had walked into a place I had never been , but I have been here, at least a few times. Truffle mac 'n' cheese, the burger, the duck, ahi, it had all grown really familiar. I could pick out what I would be having before I even entered the building, but not anymore. Much like its sister Cucina Urbana, Kensington Grill has embraced the concept of "smalls." These little appetizer type portions make it easier to try a lot of things and not spend way too much, or be uncomfortably full. I'm all about being full, but seriously guys, full is about comfort and overeating just sucks. The bloating and the uneasiness just make me sick to think about. However, I did eat a lot at Kensington Grill Monday night, and it was delicious.

We started with a nice dry California sauvignon blanc from Mendocino, the 2009 Elizabeth Spencer special cuvee. It went well with the evening, having been close to 80 degrees during the day, it really cooled us down. We moved onto the shrimp waffle and the truffle tots as appetizers. All I have to say right now is Fuck chicken and waffles, shrimp and waffles is way better. The waffle itself was made with jack and scallions and was thick and Belgian style, and it was topped with Fresno chiles, shallots and shrimp that had all been sauteed in creole butter. There was so much butter left on the plate when we were done I was tempted to drink it. I did dip one of my truffle tots in it though. It was one of those things that you aren't sure you are going to like, but once you try you begin to wonder what your life was like before the shrimp waffle. What was I doing eating waffles with syrup, or jam, all those years? Take my fucking Eggo, I love you shrimp waffle. The truffle tots were not at all what I expected. I was thinking like okay...tater tots drizzled with truffle oil, that's interesting, except these were not even remotely like the tots we have all become accustomed to. They were little mashed potato, goat cheese balls, infused with truffle that were lightly fried and served with a tangerine ketchup. Very refreshing and summery. Fried foods in the summer usually make me feel heavy, but the goat cheese in these really brought out a tartness that was only intensified by the sweet, almost marmalade like, tangerine ketchup. This was all so delicious we decided to have a mid course.....HOG BAR!!!!!

Yes that's right, hog bar, oh hell yes. I'm in love with it. I could go and just eat that. You see there is a little section on the menu titled, uh...anyone? Yes, hog bar! very good! Now, there are several items in the box, different kinds of bacon, pork rinds, sausage and these all range in price from about 1.50 to 3.50 and you have to choose at least 3. We selected the peppered bacon, candied bacon and the pork and olive sausage. I was only mildly excited when I ordered it, but when I saw it I wanted to jump up and down and scream like a school girl at a Jonas brothers concert. It came on a wooden pig shaped platter. Yeah, uh huh, Pig Shaped!! They served me pig on a pig! It came with a little container of stone ground mustard that was incredible. It was like a tri-colored mustard almost and it was bursting with flavor. It paired well with two of our choices, the peppered bacon and the sausage, but the candied was so sticky sweet that I didn't want to change it with the mustard. I did try a bit with it and it was good, but I almost wanted that bacon with the shrimp waffle, but alas, I had already defeated the shrimp waffle. Those two together would have the most awesome twist on "brinner," (breakfast for dinner), ever.

The Main Event!!

As entrees we ordered the Duroc Pork Chop and the Whiskey and Peppercorn Short rib. The Duroc was really good, served with cannellini beans, smoked bacon and Swiss chard. The pork chop itself was grilled perfectly, not overly cooked, or chewy. There was a bit of crispness from the char and the Swiss chard provided a freshness to the dish. In the past entrees at the ken have been really heavy, but I see a trend in their new menu for freshness, and I like it, especially as we get into the warmer months. Now how they freshed up the short rib was pretty awesome. It was served with a pan roasted potato and summer squash shavings. The meat was tender, as I always find with short rib, and it was savory without being over the top or having a thick gravy. It was absolutely delicious and oddly enough not the heaviest part of my meal. The buttery shrimp waffle and the hog bar really were the heavier part of my meal. So, when we got around to dessert, I decided to lighten things up. For dessert, we had the Ginger Beer float, made with my favorite ginger beer, Bundaberg. It also featured a strawberry gelato, candied ginger and fresh strawberries. This was also very crisp and fresh. Root beer has always felt too heavy to me, granted I love a root beer float, but usually I like it with a burger and french fries, at a diner, as close to nowhere as possible. It's a perfect summer time dessert, but as much as I have been raving about fresh, crisp and summer in this entry, I have to admit: I'm a sucker for an Irish coffee. They are creamy, delicious, caffeinated and Irished up with a bit of Jameson. So, we ordered a couple with dessert, but I have to say. I have had an Irish coffee or two, but these were just average. I love it when you do the hand whipped cream and just the right amount of coffee. Those are awesome. It was good nonetheless.

The hospitality also jumped up a notch. The manager personally came over twice to ask us how things were going. Our server called us her favorite table, which happens a lot to me. The reason for this being that I truly enjoy going out to eat and I like to spend. I don't want to piddle around with bullshit. I don't want to go out and just have a salad and a glass of wine, I want to have a meal. I can make salad and buy wine to have a home. I really want to eat. This is why people have a bad time when they go out. They don't utilize the tools they have been given. They've been given a table, a menu, and a full staff. The staff is there to interpret, recognize and offer you things that they love or, based on your other choices that they think you might like. When I find that people are having a bad time when myself or anyone else I find that they are craving something specific, but they go to a place that does not serve that. As I've said before I'm not here to fuck around. It kind of bothers me that there have to be favorites. Can't we all just go out when we are prepared to go out? Can't we let a meal lift us up to a place of euphoria and elation, instead of looking for the faults in service?

Well, Ken Grill I commend you on your awesome new menu. It's so exciting I might just happy hour there this evening. There is so much more I want to try. I do not know how I can possible eat in all. All I know is that I left wishing I could have stayed forever. That was really good, truly a step up from where the menu was. It went from good to must try! Though we were a little upset about the loss of our dear friend the truffle mac, but we asked and found out it can still be ordered that way. It's nice that not everything has changed. For as much as change is good, nostalgia is sometimes better. Even with the hog bar, which I have embraced with enthusiasm, there are occasions that I have only experienced at Kensington Grill. Good friends, good food, and creative cocktails always make an occasion for me and I'm glad that each time can be different and maybe even better. Food is about creativity and innovation, and I'm ecstatic that those forces went to work for you.

Update: I haven't been able to eat out..argh!

Just a quick update, I've been working my booty off to finance a trip to the bay area later this month, not much time for quality consumption. Many posts to follow that trip. Maybe one more before I go as well, thinking of Bleu Boheme, The Smoking Goat, or maybe the Oceanaire. Later kids.

Dining Al Fresco with Communitas and Rage at Jayne's Gastropub

If there is one thing I enjoy when the weather is right, it's dining al fresco. The only time to eat outside that is, at all, comfortable has to be the early evening, maybe an hour or so before sunset. Right at the moment the air starts to cool and the wind is calm and all is very still. The cool air lightly floats around your flesh that is cooling from the day and it all feels so amazing. Pair that with a nice crisp white like picpoul, or a light french rose', and all of heaven comes down to join you because where you are at is better than fucking heaven. Yeah, I said it. Unless heaven involves perfect patio weather all the time and a bountiful selection of wine, in that case heaven would be better.

Now what could possibly ruin this serenity? A goddamn heat lamp, that's what. I think if you need a heat lamp you shouldn't sit outside, or WEAR A JACKET!!! if you wore a jacket when you walked into the restaurant don't sit on the patio and think it's magically warmer than the outside you walked through to  get to the door of the place. Now the point of all this is that I recently dined on the patio at Jayne's Gastropub. Bless his heart, after the server took our drink order he proceeded to light the heat lamp, and I stopped him. He looked shocked, aghast even. I know how odd a request that is, but it really shouldn't be. Outside is outside. Our server though, upon finding out of my pet peeve, then attempted to keep heat lamps as far away from me as possible, when other customers requested them.

For the record, I think it's inconsiderate to ask to have a heat source turned on without asking people around you. We are a shared community of diners attempting to enjoy separate, but ultimately shared experiences. This feeling of community I feel, more properly termed communitas (Victor Turner, look it up yo), is something that I believe others are feeling about their dining experience, but I also believe that not nearly enough of them have embraced.

With that said....

Jayne's Gastropub was more amazing than ever when I dined on their surprisingly large patio. For starters, it was an actual patio, like one you'd have in a backyard, paved with decorative stones and everything. The vegetation is lush and inviting. The table had the same white linens as the inside, except for a beautifully crafted picnic table I could imagine sitting at with many friends, casually sipping wine and eating one of their cheese plates,as the sun lazily drifts lower in the sky. I know it had Pond Hopper, an awesome goat cheese from Oregon, that I love dearly. Next time, there is always a next time. Each table was garnished with a half dozen pink roses. Impressed. Yes, very.

The purpose of our visit was to try the new cocktail menu, as a recent liquor license has made one possible. I ordered the English Rose, which consists of  Boodles Gin, rose syrup, and some sort of citrus, lime? My dining partner had a Manhattan. Both were good, but the glasses were a bit on the small side. I could taste the alcohol though, so the strength was decent. We ordered the French Onion soup and the Calamari. The soup was perfect, and continues to be one of my favorite items at Jayne's. The broth is perfect and the crostini baked with Gruyere is amazing. It's a twist on the traditional, next time I'm going to break it up in the soup. Hell yes, that is going to be amazing. In addition to that the Calamari was just lightly breaded and came pretty much plain. It was better than just good, it was classic. Lightly fried breaded calamari with lemon, cocktail and tartar sauce is something that does not need to be changed because it is consistently and will always be delicious. Jayne's keeps it real simple, and that's what I love about it. It's simple, it's delicious and is served and prepared with as much care as you would get at a more expensive place.

The Main....

Now I mentioned that I was dining al fresco, correct? Well, I needed the perfect bottle of rose' to match this atmosphere and also because apparently all my drinks needed to be pink that night. I was craving a great french rose', so I chose the 2007 Chateau De Pampelonne, Cotes De Provence. awesome. Not one of those heavily berried roses we make out here in California, but the light crisp salmon colored rose. Now remember all that hubbub about heat lamps earlier? Well, I was going on in my head about my hatred of heat lamps, and I missed the server explaining the special. I was feeling daring not knowing what I ordered. I'm so glad I ordered it. It was a thinly pounded piece of pork, breaded and pan fried, some young sauteed broccoli, and some type of grain or pasta that was prepared like sort of risottoesque, with a ton of Gruyere flavor. It was like if the best mac 'n' cheese you'd ever had came with a million dollars. Really good stuff. My dining partner got the Shepard's Pie, which had plenty of mashed potato, leeks, lamb, and a rich savory sauce. The leek really stood out for me. It really made the dish. I do wish it was chunkier, more carrots and parsnips, maybe even some turnip, but overall delicious. I'm not turning my nose to it, but against the other things I had that evening it didn't stand out. It may have been sensory overload from the huge amount of joy I was experiencing.

I had an amazing time here. It was so fun. The staff has the perfect personality for the mood and atmosphere that is trying to be created. That really ties up the place. It makes it gastronomically pleasing as well as, comforting. It warms me inside when I walk through the door. I was feeling warm and cozy inside after my fabulous meal. I leaned back to contemplate and sip slowly on my rose, but the dessert menu had arrived. I was instantly drawn to the Strawberry Crostada served with a creme fraiche gelato. The pastry was crisp and tasted as though it was fresh from the oven, the gelato melted elegantly over a bed of strawberries soaking in just enough coulis. Really good, and might I add, perfect with the wine.

It was just one of the many times I have been to Jayne's, it's practically next door. I had the best time ever on my last experience. Hats off you guys are awesome, and always make me smile, but I was truly euphoric this time. Felt like I was special, and ultimately that's what makes a good restaurant, making me and everyone else feel special at the same time. Not easy to do. Thanks Jayne's for great food, amazing company and attention to detail that really separates this from every other San Diego restaurant.