Art and Entertain me

Revisiting San Francisco Icons at Hyatt Culture Club

2012-01-25T00:16:00.000-08:00

By Emma Krasov
Image: courtesy Jules Older. Beach Blanket Babylon 25th Anniversary Silver Skyline hat

There are always things to behold in the largest atrium lobby in the world at Hyatt Regency San Francisco. Hotel guests never tire of taking photographs from every side of the aluminum sculpture by Charles O. Perry, Eclipse, created in 1973 and standing at 35 feet.
Its namesake Eclipse Café with signature cocktails and cool minimalist ambiance is a popular hangout for tourists and city dwellers alike.
Holiday season brings in crowds to admire thousands of cascading Christmas lights and artificial snow falling from the ceiling.
These days, the ever-popular Hyatt Culture Club presents a display of San Francisco iconic institutions who partner with Hyatt for the first quarter of 2012 providing discounts for the hotel guests.
The thematic San Francisco Icons exhibition in the Hyatt lobby through March 31 features Steve Silver’s Beach Blanket Babylon, the world’s longest running musical revue; Cable Cars, running in San Francisco since 1912, and Ghirardelli Chocolates, a manufacturer and marketer of premium chocolate products since 1852.
Beach Blanket Babylon mannequin wears 25th Anniversary Silver Skyline hat, 13 feet wide, seven feet deep and 24 feet high. It weighs 350 pounds and the brim alone required over 60 yards of taffeta and over 200 ostrich feathers.
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s exhibit celebrates the invention and technology of the iconic cable car and features a life-size photo backdrop.
Ghirardelli Chocolates shows off 160 years of history with vintage advertising and products, and educational information on the chocolate making process.
In the second quarter of 2012, Hyatt will celebrate Golden Gate Bridge’s 75th Anniversary with archival displays and lectures.
In the third quarter, The ExplOratorium will revisit the hotel with a three month interactive display of some of the museum’s most popular artifacts.
By the end of the year, a snow village display will come back to the grand atrium lobby with snow falling three times a day.
Hyatt Regency San Francisco is located by the Embarcadero Center, and at the beginning of the California Street Cable Car line, in close proximity to Financial District, Downtown, Chinatown, North Beach, Union Square, South of Market, AT&T Park (home of the SF Giants) and Embarcadero’s waterfront walking and jogging trail.
For more information, and to reserve your stay at Hyatt Regency San Francisco, visit www.sanfranciscoregency.hyatt.com.

Sonoma Wine Road Marks 20th Anniversary of Winter Wineland

2012-01-23T23:29:00.000-08:00

By Emma Krasov, photography by Yuri Krasov

While California Wine Country makes any savvy traveler’s list of top places to enjoy wine, food, and nature, Sonoma County jumps to the very top of it by sheer volume of Wine Road’s visitor-oriented events.
Wine Road is not only golden vineyards and picturesque little towns along Highway 101 that leads to the many wineries of Alexander, Dry Creek, and Russian River Valleys. It is also a name for an association of vintners and innkeepers, tirelessly promoting their cornucopia of earthy delights.
With more than 150 wineries and 50 lodgings, this creative organization puts up numerous educational and wine-tasting programs. One of its most popular annual celebrations, Winter Wineland, just turned 20 this January.
Every year, feeling overwhelmed by the amount of participating wineries, I try to rush through the list, but end up exploring just some of them – in depth.
This time, I limited my winter wine tasting to the vicinity of the town of Sebastopol.

I started at Graton Ridge Cellars, owned and operated by a family of Barbara and Art Paul, and Sue Bonzell. How could I leave their hospitable sun-lit backyard with Adirondack chairs and bocce ball court, where classic chili was served to compliment robust and tannic 2010 Petit Syrah from Russian River Valley?

I enjoyed my time in the sun, and proceeded to try sweet 2010 “A+” apple port made with locally-harvested Gravenstine apples, and berry-rich 2009 “Peninsular” Zinfandel Port.
My next stop was at Dutton Estate Winery, historically tied to Sonoma County since 1881.

On a wisteria-covered terrace of the boutique winery I learned about a perfect pairing of Dutton Estate 2008 Manzana Pinot Noir with Cynthia Newcomb’s California lamb stew. The secret of the stew lay in humble winter vegetables – carrots, parsnips, and potatoes, roasted before being added to the pot – deglazed with wine, of course.

Taft Street Winery was next on my list, pairing its tasting room exclusive 2008 “Garagistes Reserve” oaky Chardonnay with freshly-made clam chowder. Coming from Russian River Valley grapes, the wine took gold at the California State Fair, and silver at S.F. Chronicle Wine Competition, Sonoma County Harvest Fair, and Orange County Fair.

My last but not least stop was at Russian River Vineyards, in a fairy-tale historic house with an elegantly-modern tasting room, where dark and complex 2009 Petit Sirah was paired with equally elegant hors d’oeuvres of beef tenderloin with creamy and spicy lobster remoulade.

Sonoma County, producing highest quality wines for over 130 years, continues to entice visitors from near and far with its rich history, natural beauty, viticultural diversity, and culinary prowess.
To learn more about the Wine Road events, visit: www.wineroad.com.

On the Road to Yosemite: Staying and Playing at Tenaya Lodge

2012-01-22T16:33:00.000-08:00

By Emma Krasov, photography by Yuri Krasov

The many wonders of Yosemite do not end within its borders. A couple miles south from the South Entrance, behold Tenaya Lodge – an oasis of civilization as inspiring and as harmoniously pertinent to wilderness as the granite cliffs and rainbow waterfalls of the beloved national park.

The AAA Four-Diamond hotel sits on 35 acres of woods and meadows, and looks and feels like a place where you want to vacation time and again. It has its own distinct character, 244 guest rooms, a 6,000 sq. ft. Grand Ballroom, five restaurants, an amazing spa, and is well-equipped for all kinds of outdoor activities.

Arriving after a day spent at Yosemite’s Valley Floor Tour with a side trip to Glacier Point, my husband and I couldn’t wait to settle in our Honeymoon Suite with a hot tub opening up to the warmly-colored bedroom and a splendid view of sugar pines and giant sequoias right outside our window.

To be exact, we were not on our honeymoon – that was, like, 25 years ago, but who says you can’t enjoy a plush hotel room with down bedding, a romantic dinner by a fireplace, and a couple’s massage at a spa on a random weekend? Make it your honeymoon – or at least your honey day!

Let’s not underestimate the three rules of real estate that make Tenaya Lodge so irresistible. Located by the Sierra National Forest, the all-season resort provides its guests with immediate or easy access to cross-country skiing, sleigh rides, snowshoeing, sledding, ice-skating, and snowmobiling in fall and winter. In spring and summertime, there is whitewater rafting, golf and tennis, horseback riding, guided nature hikes (some at night, with flashlights), mountain biking, rock climbing, fly fishing, and various water sports on Bass Lake.
As it happened, there was no snow in the mountains mid-January, and if front of the hotel we saw two racks with equipment for both seasons – one with mountain bikes, another with show shoes – just in case.

On the morning after our arrival, we signed up for a one-hour Guided Nature Hike, which took us on a loop trail through the enchanted forest with hugging trees, icy Big Creek coming from Merced River, and beaver dams.

Fresh mountain air, clear blue sky, and cushy forest floor provided a perfect classroom where we’ve learned that sugar pines grow to 300 feet, hold five needles in a cluster for five letters of the word s-u-g-a-r, and develop huge “widow maker” cones loved by squirrels for their sugary pine nuts.

We also learned that black ravens use 19 different calls, mate for life, and have a special call for their mates (calling them by name?).
We stopped to look at a tree trunk turned into an ant hotel by carpenter ants. Then we stopped to touch a carpet of bear clover. Bears like to roll in these plants to cover their hides with the natural oil which protects them from tics and lice.

Then we marveled at a beaver’s miscalculation – the tree intended for a dam fell not across the stream, but in a different direction…
The forest was serene and quiet. A small plane cruising above was monitoring chips in endangered animals, like Pacific fisher weasel, and doing other environmental work.
For us, it was time to return to the hotel and explore more of its offers for exercise and fun.
Was it the friendliness of the Tenaya Lodge staff or the invigorating effect of the surrounding nature, but I attempted two physical activities I’ve never done before.

First, it was archery at Sierra Mountain Archery Range, steps from the front entrance.

Don’t tell me that traditional recurve bows are easily used by 5-year-olds – I was as proud of my bull’s eye shot as a regular Amazon.

Then, it was ice-skating at the open air 80x40-feet hotel rink. While I was making my wobbly way along the barrier with posted friendly reminders, “Skate at your own risk,” my skate-proficient husband was twirling in triple axels and reclining on the ice for breaks.

Finally, I felt much more confident swimming at the spacious indoor pool, with a video game arcade next door to keep the kiddies occupied while adults are doing their laps.

After the workout we endured during the day, at early sunset we were ripe for Ascent, the Spa at Tenaya Lodge, with an outline of Half Dome as its symbol. Recently renovated and decorated with natural stone, earthy-colored furnishings, and nature-inspired photography on the walls, the spa invites hotel guests to its dry heat saunas, tiled steam rooms, dimly-lit massage rooms named after Sierra birds, trees, and flowers, and relaxation rooms where it’s easy to lose any sense of time while sipping hot or cold herbal teas and dozing off to quiet soothing music.
All I can say is, do not leave Tenaya Lodge without a visit to Ascent Spa. A skillful massage will leave you fully restored, renewed and reenergized, even after you have ascended Half Dome or El Capitan.
For a great finale of our “honey day,” we sat down to dinner at Sierra Restaurant off the hotel lobby.

With a fireplace at the dining room center, cozy booths are lined up along the walls, and comfy chairs surround elegant tables for four. The menu is California-comprehensive, and the wine list is California-great.
Sierra Restaurant uses plenty of locally-grown organic and sustainable products and locally produced wines and beer.

I started with my favorite lemon drop cocktail, and it was perfectly balanced and absolutely delightful – take it from someone who knows her lemon drop.

Cheese beer soup made with Fiscalini cheddar and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale was just what the doctor ordered for a chilly winter night.

I also thoroughly enjoyed my eggplant napoleon with layers of grilled tomato, red peppers, and goat cheese, and my husband’s Angus filet mignon with colored fingerling potatoes and cabernet sauce.

When it seemed that we wouldn’t be able to eat another bite for a week, we retired to our luxurious suite for a good night sleep.
In the morning, before we headed back home to the San Francisco Bay Area, a hearty breakfast at Sierra Restaurant set us off for the day.

Was I happy that we overindulged in All-American sandwich with scrambled eggs, prosciutto ham, and cheese, hash brown, and French toast! What lay ahead was an unexpected misadventure with our car breaking down; a kind postmistress of the town of Fish Camp helping us connect with the local mechanics; leaving our car in a shop, and heading home in a rental… But even that couldn’t spoil our mood.
Now we’ll have to retrieve our car from the mechanic’s shop when it’s ready, on some future date, but who knows, maybe it’ll lead to another stop at Tenaya Lodge, and who would complain about that?
More information and reservations at: www.TenayaLodge.com

The Softer Side of Yosemite: Chefs’ Holidays at the Ahwahnee

2012-01-20T20:11:00.000-08:00

By Emma Krasov, photography by Yuri Krasov

Roughing it at Yosemite has been a favorite pastime of seasoned nature lovers from all over the world for the last 100 years or so. The massive granite mountains, spectacular waterfalls, groves, lakes, and meadows of the paramount national park in Northern California attract hikers, rock-climbers, skiers, and other happy campers all year round.

For the rest of us, chicken to slumber in a frost-covered tent or climb Half Dome with a candy bar and a water bottle for nourishment, there is a much more accommodating activity, happening for the 27th time this year at the historic Ahwahnee Hotel.

Every January, hundreds of guests come here from near and far, some for ten years in a row, for the annual culinary vacation.
Chefs’ Holidays 2012 consist of eight three-day sessions with the renowned chefs from the best American eateries, and go on through February 2.
Each session starts with the “Meet the Chefs” reception, continues with cooking demonstrations from three participating chefs, a behind-the-scenes tour of the Ahwahnee kitchen, and concludes with a Gala Dinner.
Not surprisingly, California chefs seem to prevail in the glorious line up, joined by their counterparts from New York, New Orleans, Las Vegas, and other cuisine centrals.
Coming to Chefs’ Holidays for the very first time, I signed up for the first session, which started a week after the New Year’s Day.
Staying at the Ahwahnee, filled with the original furnishings, photographs, and artifacts, is a big part of the event.

I was immediately smitten with the unique charm and character of the hotel first built in 1927 at the side of a 10-million-year-old rock, and true to the essence of Yosemite – the way it used to be – before it started accepting 10 000 cars a day.
From my room view, to the wall and floor details, to the communal spaces with stained-glass windows, aged armchairs, patterned rugs, and roaring fireplaces, to the traditional morning coffee and afternoon tea with fresh-baked cookies – everything seemed to be designed to please and enchant.

The Ahwahnee is a AAA Four-Diamond hotel listed on the National Registry of Historic Places and a member of Historic Hotels of America, but it retains its immediate intimacy and a friendly feel, perhaps, unchanged since its early days.
At the opening reception for the first session, the Ahwahnee’s own chef Percy Whatley treated the guests to some scrumptious hors d’oeuvres, like tuna tartar, avocado tempura, and pheasant tarts.

Moderator Connie Barney Chester introduced the chefs to the public.
Our session featured Kent Rathbun of Abacus, Jasper’s, and Rathbun’s Blue Plate Kitchen in Texas; Brian Streeter of Cakebread Cellars in Napa, California, and Annie Sommerville of Greens in San Francisco, whose numerous fans include this reporter.

In the next two days, the distinguished chefs presented two dishes each during their culinary classes, and Chef Rathbun prepared the gala dinner at the session closing.
He was the one to do the first cooking demo in the hotel’s Great Lounge.

Chef Rathbun’s crabmeat and white truffle oil-stuffed deviled eggs were spiked with Creole seasoning and lemon juice, while his lamb leg steaks were grilled and garnished with balsamic-glazed cipollini onions.

Chef Streeter introduced his creations of seared duck breast with endive choucroute, and caramelized onion and walnut biscuits with blue cheese butter.

Being a California Wine Country winery chef, he supplemented the tasting of his delectable biscuits with some Cakebread Cellars wines.
Chef Sommerville – a master extraordinaire of vegetarian fare, demonstrated an elaborate step by step preparation of Mexican tartlets with roasted winter vegetables.

Rustic cream cheese dough with masa harina was filled with fire-roasted poblano chilies, butternut squash, sweet peppers, onion, garlic, cheddar cheese, herbs and spices. Pumpkin seed and cilantro salsa topped the tartlets.
Rancho Gordo three bean salad with jicama and orange was dressed with citrus cumin vinaigrette.
After the classes and Q and As, every guest took home the chefs’ recipes in hopes to recreate them at home.
Our tour of the Ahwahnee kitchen presented a ginormous operation working like a well-oiled mechanism and involving boxes of pomegranates, sticks of butter, vats of muffin batter, and trays of chopped clams and mussels.

The five-course gala dinner paired with wines, and served by candlelight, was yet to come.
By 6 p.m. on the closing night, formally dressed guests started to arrive at the world-famous Ahwahnee dining room.
A long-standing hotel rule requires formal wear for dinner, and the guests seem to enjoy and follow it without exceptions.
Tables were set with ivory tablecloth and napkins, silverware for every course, and multiple wine glasses.
For the first course, Chef Rathbun treated the foodie crowd with Niman Ranch maple-glazed bacon and scrambled duck eggs. Crispy seared black bass with caramelized cauliflower and persimmon-pomegranate brown butter came second. The third course was a grilled Manchester Farm quail with jalapeno cornbread pudding and pozole tortilla sauce.
Cappuccino-cured Cervena venison with white cheddar potato and Abacus house steak sauce compiled the fourth course. For dessert, a chocolate and roasted sweet potato pecan pie was topped with cinnamon ice cream.

If there could have been a more enjoyable wintertime visit to Yosemite National Park, I’d be very curious to know about it. Meanwhile, find out more about Chefs’ Holidays at: 801-559-4903 or: www.YosemitePark.com/Chefs

New Year’s Eve at The Claremont Hotel: What a Swell Party This Is!

2012-01-04T08:28:00.000-08:00

By Emma Krasov, photography by Yuri Krasov

Noble, chic, and seemingly endless, the historic Claremont Hotel on the border of Berkeley and Oakland is also party central for New Year’s night.
Happy ticket holders to the annual New Year's Eve Celebration get a unique opportunity to pick and choose music and ambience according to their tastes, or to indulge in an array of party styles while wandering from one festively decorated room to another – all with amazing views of the Bay, the two iconic bridges, and the city lights of San Francisco.
First built by a lucky Kansas farmer during the Gold Rush, the Claremont changed owners and burnt down, survived the Big Quake of 1906, and was won in a game of checkers before opening as a grand hotel in 1915.

Successive possessions and subsequent renovations created what now is seen from State Highway 13 as a fairy-tale castle on the hill, but from that vantage point it is impossible to imagine the grandiosity of this place. The world-renowned destination for luxurious weddings and all kinds of posh events, Claremont Hotel Club & Spa occupies 22 acres of verdant Berkeley Hills, has 279 guest rooms, three swimming pools, ten tennis courts, and a 20,000 square-foot Spa.
On the magical New Year’s night, “the castle on the hill” opens its doors to Princes and Cinderellas alike.

On December 31 at 9 p.m., arriving guests quickly picked up their party hats and whistles by the gingerbread model of the historic grand hotel, and dispersed in the many lounges and ballrooms to dance the night away.
Paragon Bar was definitely a place to start the festivities right. A light appetizer menu and specialty cocktails in the lounge area were enjoyed by many.

My perfect Lemon Drop found its match in a cheese board with creamy burrata, roasted cauliflower, Calabrian peppers, and toasted Acme bread.

A small stage with enormous “2012” made up of white balloons on black backdrop, was occupied by Flowtilla (formerly Len Paterson Trio) performing contagious jazz and funk-inspired numbers.
Horizon Ballroom next door set up a different mood with intimate plush seating, panoramic windows, and lyrical Betty Fu, singing and playing the piano.

A tiny dance floor filled up fast with slow-circling couples, smiling blissfully in the half-light of the evening.
As themed cocktails based on particular liquors were served in every ballroom, Horizon featured Remy Cognac concoctions, like Winter Wonderland Margarita and Remy Sidecar.

From quietly melodious Horizon there was a short way to the neon blue-lit Empire Ballroom, where blood-pumping beats by DJ Sal Castaneda made the crowd jump and thump.

Chilled Grey Goose martinis were placed atop a carved ice bar… how cool was that!
And what was about that kiss I got from a strange girl? Write it off to the Grey Goose, I guess.

At Claremont Ballroom, Jack Daniel’s inspired another set of specialty cocktails, like Gentleman & Ginger, Velvet Elvis, and Millionaire’s Manhattan, while Martini Straight Up! a.k.a. the perfect party band, was playing the best tunes from every glorious era – from Fly Me to the Moon to Dancing Queen, We Are Family, and The Way You Look Tonight.

Meanwhile, at the Meritage Lounge with Claremont trademark furniture and huge garlands of golden and silvery balloons, Bob Falstein’s band Delish performed the oldies from the 1940s to 1990s.

Speaking of delish, at about 11:30 “the bites” were served on buffet tables throughout the entire floor. Crudites with dips; cheese and mushroom canapé; meat samosas, and steamed dumplings seemed like a perfect assortment to get refreshed without getting stuffed. More dancing and making fast friends had to be done, not to mention a champagne toast at the stroke of midnight, followed with more wild partying until 1 a.m.

After the midnight countdown and balloon drop, the party was still in full swing – shiny eyes, rosy cheeks, “extra” shoes, and all.

And what was with that hug I got from my new friend – Melissa? Oh well, write it off to the magical night!

The Claremont Hotel Club & Spa is located at 41 Tunnel Road in Berkeley, California 94705. More information and reservations at: (510) 843-3000 or www.claremont-hotel.com.

To Go a Notch Above at American Eatery

2011-12-25T21:20:00.000-08:00

By Emma Krasov, photography by Yuri Krasov

When was the last time your “to go” food contained watercress, rapini, nettles, and other fashionable greens associated with fine dining?
The American Eatery, open less than two weeks ago in the Ferry Building in San Francisco, packs its elegant takeout containers with gourmet staples like Waldorf Salad and Herb Roasted Leg of Lamb at wonderfully reasonable prices.
An offspring of the Prather Ranch Meat Co., the American Eatery is understandably meat-centered.
However, Executive Chef Erica Holland-Toll creates enough vegetarian dishes and adds enough leeks, sprouts, and house-pickled onions to her beefy sandwiches and porky sausages to satisfy the most discriminating tastes.

Winter chills are easily dispelled by hot soups, stews, and chili from her lunch-dinner menu. Braised Beef & Barley Soup with Mushrooms and Sage is light, aromatic, and very satisfactory.

Slow Cooked Pork Stew with Pumpkin, Leeks, & Nettles – a definite winner – is richly flavorful and more substantial an option for a freezing afternoon by the Bay.

Among the cold sandwiches, Rare Roast Beef is a stand-out, spiced up with onion sprouts, pickled red onions, and caper sauce.

Munich Style White Bockwurst takes applause (and usually sells out first) in the sausage category. Mustard sauce and sauerkraut balance it out nicely, especially with a side of Hand-Cut Crispy French Fries.

The American Eatery is the only dining establishment in San Francisco to serve intriguingly flavored Boylan’s gourmet sodas from a fountain.

On the day I stopped by the counter, decorated with locally produced Heath tiles, reclaimed wood from the 1880s barn, and “diamond point” barbed wire from the original Prather Ranch, I ran into Keith J. Morris, the architect of the American Eatery, who also stopped by with some friends and a bunch of kids to pick up Chef Erica’s goodies after skating on the Embarcadero Holiday Rink.
According to the General Manager Harlan Joseph, the takeout restaurant will soon add prepackaged dinners to its menu so the worker bees running to the ferry terminals would be able to pick up a healthy evening meal literally on the go.
Currently, the American Eatery provides breakfast, lunch and dinner to go – Monday through Saturday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The American Eatery is located at 1 Ferry Building, shop #33, in San Francisco. Call (415) 391-0420 or visit www.AmericanEaterySF.com.

Tavola Italian Kitchen Brings Whole Pig to Novato

2011-12-20T21:23:00.000-08:00

By Emma Krasov, photography by Yuri Krasov

Working with local and sustainable produce and meats, and using the whole animal are some of the principles of Tavola Italian Kitchen – a newcomer on the Novato dining scene, located in the Hamilton Marketplace.
A pleasantly-dark and round dining room with floor-to-ceiling windows, exposed stone interior detailing, dark wood tables, and intimate lighting has a communal table, a semi-private enclosure with cozy banquettes, and a bar-type seating overlooking the open kitchen.

A duet of creative chefs Rob Hurd and Ryan Favini, always on premises, work here side by side, hand-rolling fresh pasta, grinding meat, and operating a wood-burning oven of enormous temperature from where some unusual pizza pies emerge seemingly every minute.

The menu at Tavola is short and sweet. Diverse antipasti include a plate (or rather a slate) of creamy di Stefano burrata with house-made tomato and honey jam, and crostini.

Herb and Ricotta Meatballs are made with veal, pork, beef, ricotta cheese, and are wonderfully jazzed up with spicy Calabrian chili.

Enticing ingredient combinations are typical for Tavola pizzas. On the night we dined, Anatra was absolutely divine with smoky chunks of duck leg confit, earthy Jerusalem artichokes, gooey Fontina cheese, and seared castelfranco radicchio – an heirloom Italian lettuce.

Some good Secondi include Wild Boar Sugo with wide flat ribbons of maltagliati and diced butternut squash, and Pork Milanese over cannellini and quartered Brussels sprouts, topped with a heap of mustardy arugula cutting through the richness of the breaded meat.

For dessert, an absolute must is a slender slice of a decadent chocolate tart with large crystals of sea salt on top and olive oil sprinkled around.

The wine list at Tavola is all-Italian, and therefore, splendid.
Chardonnay and Barbera d’Alba from Piedmont region are good choices for most of the dishes on the menu.
Tavola Italian Kitchen is located at 5800 Nave Drive in Novato, California. Open for lunch and dinner seven days a week. Call for reservations (415) 883-6686 or visit: www.tavolaitaliankitchen.com.

Skool in Winter

2011-12-19T21:28:00.000-08:00

By Emma Krasov, photography by Yuri Krasov

Why go to Skool on winter break? To share a couple of soul-warming cocktails, get some fresh “nightly fish” skillfully seared, grilled, or sauteed by Chef Toshihiro Nagano, and just chill out in the coolest little place in Potrero Hill neighborhood with tasteful décor, warm friendly atmosphere, and attentive service.

This kind of Skool is not to be missed day in or day out.
The new winter menu features more amazing dishes inspired by the traditional Japanese cuisine – healthy, satisfying, and positively umami with all the miso and soy sauces, eryngii and shimeji mushrooms, and house-made dashi.

A definite star on the menu is warm Rock Shrimp Salad with fresh arugula and tiny exotic mushrooms bathed in the most delicate citrus seaweed vinaigrette.

Uni Flan remains the signature dish of Skool, baked overnight, served in a glass jar, and topped with raw sea urchin and miso-marinated salmon roe. It comes with dainty toasts, just like foie gras, only with less fat, more omega-3s, and better coloring.

Sauteed Seabass, succulent and golden-brown, finds great company in charred baby bok choy and nasu dengaku – flash-fried eggplant, marinated in miso and baked the way its skin forms a little dish filled with its tender flesh. I love eggplant, eat it everywhere I can find it, and often cook it myself, but Skool’s nasu dengaku gotta be the king of all eggplant preparations.

The only, or rather the one and only meat dish on the menu of this seafood-oriented restaurant is Schezuan Lamb – probably the best lamb you’ve ever tried. Tender medium-rare Sonoma lamb chops are served with a side of polenta-and-parmesan cake, and ratatouille creating a winning combination of winter hits.

Skool’s comprehensive wine list features some wonderful California wines, among them Alternative Reds, like Pinot Meunier from Domaine Chandon in Carneros, and Alternative Whites, like “Fatto a Mano” Tocai Friulano from Mendocino.

As always, pastry chef Hiroko Nagano comes up with more creative takes on dessert classics. Not to be missed is Blue Cheese Cake made with Point Reyes blue, and surrounded with chardonnay-pouched pear, almonds, and honeycomb on a gorgeous matte ceramic plate.

Marchese Antinori vinsanto from Tuscany, and Robert Mondavi moscato from Napa Valley are the best tasting and the best looking dessert wines – especially upon the Skool’s walnut designer table.

A dynamic duo of husband-and-wife team Olia Kedik and Andy Mirabell are at the helm of the establishment, greeting customers, taking orders, and making sure everyone is well taken care of, in other words, creating that special ambiance that makes people run to Skool on winter break.
Skool Restaurant and Bar is located at 1725 Alameda Street in San Francisco, and is open nightly for dinner, for lunch Monday through Friday, and for brunch on Saturday and Sunday. Call for reservations: (415) 255 8800, or visit: www.skoolsf.com.

Christmas Table Centerpiece: Breaded Ham from A. G. Ferrari

2011-12-16T22:22:00.000-08:00

By Emma Krasov, photography by Yuri Krasov

Unlike any other holiday ham, A. G. Ferrari’s Prosciutto Cotto in Crosta comes breaded in artisanal dough that forms a golden-brown crisp crust lined with pork juices.
The traditional celebratory dish from northern Italy is a ready-to-eat boneless smoked ham rubbed with honey and then baked in dough.
The meat is fresh, tender, and mildly seasoned, and the crust is so decadent, you’ll have to make sure you divide it between all your guests fairly.
There is some work to be done by the home chef – to heat the 3.5 lbs. ham, place it in the 300-degree oven, uncovered in a baking pan, and watch for the coloring of the dough. If it gets too dark, cover with foil. It takes from 2 to 3 hours to heat the ham through and let it rest before carving.
To carve, cut through the breaded ham in the middle and set aside one half until needed so it would retain its temperature. Break off the baked bread shell and slice the ham.

It requires very little garnish. Fresh bell peppers, tomatoes, and canned sweet peas, or green salad with arugula would do splendidly.
This is by far the easiest way to serve a main course at a holiday party.
Named after Annibale Giovanni Ferrari, born in 1898 in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, who founded a specialty food store in the San Francisco Bay Area, the A.G. Ferrari, now more than 90 years in existence, is well-known for its authentic Italian products. They range from olive oils and balsamic vinegars to pastas, sauces, and smoked meats selected from 20 different culinary regions of Italy.
To order your holiday ham and other delicacies, call 1-877-878-2783 or visit: www.agferrari.com.

How to Throw Food and Wine Orgy at Jeriko Estate in Mendocino

2011-12-15T23:15:00.000-08:00

By Emma Krasov, photography by Yuri Krasov

It’s simple, really. All you have to do is win a prize and share it with friends who know how to operate a pizza oven, cook perfect pork with salsa verde, and make breakfast mimosas. As long as all are in agreement on what food and wine is going to be consumed first and what next, your orgy is “bound” to be a success.

So, the backstory goes as follows: I don’t usually participate in contests and win prizes, but when I do I win big. By taking part in one of the Jetset Extra contests, I won a two-night stay at the Jeriko Villa, a part of the family-owned boutique organic winery on California Highway 101.
Jeriko Estate produces pinot noir, chardonnay, syrah, merlot, sauvignon blanc, and sangiovese since 1997, is surrounded by 180 acres of vineyards, and has a rustic-looking tasting room with plenty to see and taste.

I quickly compiled a list of friends based on their presumed compatibility [and it worked!]. Teresa, Jason, and baby Cassandra Rose – check, Jean – check, Patty – check, Wilson – check, Alex and Jason – check, and Yuri and moi. The date was set for a weekend of Indian Summer, and the weather was California-balmy.
We arrived at the gate when the sun was still high, and had a chance to explore the historic colonial house built in 1898 by Judge J. H. Sturtevant from San Francisco, and nestled among oak groves and rolling hills.

Current proprietor Daniel Fetzer remodeled and extended the house into a 7000 square-foot Mediterranean-style villa with an outdoor pool, balconies with panoramic views, and a circular drive with a green lawn and palm trees in front of the building.
There are six spacious guest rooms at the villa, named after wines, a living room with a fireplace, a library, and a pool table, and a gourmet kitchen with wood-burning oven.

Alex and her Jason took it upon themselves to make the fire burn, and it did. Then each of us attempted to create a special-recipe pizza with ready-made dough and random ingredients.

Wilson, a thorough home chef, who apparently studied the subject before slapping tomato sauce on the dough, came up with the best pizza that evening, and explained his success by using just a little sauce so the crust wouldn’t get soggy. Who knew?

In the pizza posing competition, Teresa and baby Cassandra Rose were named the hardest working couple by the oven.

There were many great things to be said at the table that night, many great laughs to be shared, and more than necessary slices of pizza to be gobbled up.

Next morning, the girls were having a mimosa glamour shot before breakfast, while the men were working in the kitchen and tending to the baby – voluntarily, of course.

Yuri’s famous chanterelle omelet with forest-gathered mushrooms was complemented by Patty’s blueberry cornbread, Jean’s fresh fruit plate, and Alex’s brandy and vanilla bread pudding. Come to think of it, the girls were still slaving in the kitchen – oh well.

Breakfast over, the mother-and-daughter dynamic duo were putting on their stylish shades for a walk in the vineyards, and we all felt that we needed plenty of exercise to make up for all the carbs and proteins we washed down with char and pinot the night before and the morning after…

Alex was playing the Spirit of the Grapes first, and then offered a glass of red to a herd of resident goats living on premises.
As a city girl, she probably didn’t know better, but what about that goat getting all excited over her offer?

We had to retreat to the villa and show her an old well where some people could be dipped for behaving badly.

Relaxing by the pool, our jolly group was photographed by Wilson, who did a great job despite having a wine glass constantly glued to his hand.
Alex’s ikebana graced our dinner table, crowded with collectively grilled chicken, zucchini and peppers, freshly-made salads, and pickles from a jar.

We opened several bottles of Jeriko wines, courtesy of our gracious host, Mr. Danny Fetzer, and went on and on discussing their impeccable qualities.
Everyone slept like a baby that night, besides the real baby Cassandra, who made her mommy and daddy jump a little – apparently, she reserved all her good behavior for the company. From the company standpoint, it would be hard to imagine a more sociable, happy, and polite baby. (There is nothing like a well-behaved little human who knows how important it is to look good in public).
Next morning, her mommy made a huge breakfast of her family recipe pork with salsa verde to set us off for the day of traveling back to our respective dwellings.
So long, Jeriko Villa! You will be always associated with good time in our collective memory.
To reserve your own stay or event at the Villa, a wine tasting and a tour, call 707-744-1140 or visit: www.jeriko.us.

Goth Talk with Saturno Butto

2011-12-13T21:57:00.000-08:00

By Alex Krasov, guest reviewer
If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, admirers of Saturno Butto’s show at the Mishin Fine Arts gallery in San Francisco might want to get checked for astigmatism. Anyone with proper prescriptive lenses will see that Mr. Butto tries very hard. Tries so hard, in fact, to be dark, shocking, and above all, interesting, that the viewer is left wincing with boredom. Butto’s world is a sort of anti-Renaissance: whorish Madonnas, devils dominating angels, and all manners of naked and semi-naked bodies in bondage. But rather than disturb, his assorted S&M practitioners illuminated by a garish red Thomas Kincaid-style light call to mind the adolescent fantasies of small-town Goths. The faces of Butto’s beastly beauties are uniformly trite – the painted equivalent of so many airbrushed 80s Maybelline cosmetic ads: full lips, thinned eyebrows, pert noses. It’s hard to tell if Butto is trying to evoke innocent sluts or slutty innocents, but after viewing a few of these paintings one would be hard-pressed to care. Despite his dark and sexual subject matter, Butto somehow fails to reveal even a glimpse of the darker side of human sexuality – but he does succeed in making banalities of ball gags, bound breasts, and whipped behinds.One work, perhaps the most honest piece in the exhibit, depicts an obese, shirtless man, leaning forward in a convalescent chair like a Hawaiian king. More gross than grotesque, he is hooked up to an IV and wears black leather devil horns on his bald dome. He grins and gazes off to the side. The work reads true because you can readily picture a man like this buying a Butto – hell, even calling it “beautiful.”

Imagine a Bunga Bunga party thrown by Silvio Berlusconi, with a guest list that includes Herman Cain and the greasy proprietor of an off-the-strip Vegas titty bar, and you start to see who makes up Butto’s fan base. Actually, Berlusconi probably has better taste than to adorn his walls with a Butto.
The piece de résistance of the exhibit is a portrait of a nude woman, reclining on a bed and propped up on her elbows. With legs spreading, she directs a look of nonchalant relief down towards a gravity-defying stream of [real] rhinestones that project from the vicinity of her vagina. Is Butto celebrating female ejaculation or testing out his new Bedazzler? No matter; the effect is dull.
Mr. Butto tries hard to shock his viewer. I’m afraid he only gets a yawn.
Mishin Fine Arts is located at 445 Sutter St., San Francisco. Call for information: 415-391-6100 or visit www.mishingallery.com.
Images courtesy Mishin Fine Arts.

Incline Gallery – Mature One-Year-Old

2011-12-12T22:46:00.000-08:00

By Emma Krasov, photography by Yuri KrasovIncline Gallery is a new (only one year in existence) contemporary art venue presenting the work of a number of artists from San Francisco and the Bay Area.Located in the former mortuary (1914-1979), with a sharp-angle gurney ramp ascending the narrow space of the three-level building to the former embalming room, the gallery uses its natural incline for the enticing wall displays of new and fresh artwork coming from the local talent.Founded and curated by Christo Oropeza and Brian Perrin, Incline Gallery is a result of the collaboration between Paxton Gate and the San Pancho Art Collective, and provides support for emerging artists through a range of services, discounted art materials, and ever-changing exhibition displays.On the day of the well-attended one-year anniversary celebration, Tim Svenonius just finished his site-specific pen-and-ink wall piece depicting a procession of hooded figures heading for a ritualistic structure with a smoking coal bowl at the top, titled Reason Laid in Stony Sleep.A couple of interesting works by Howie Katz was mounted on the walls in different corners. One – a copper and glass piece, The Treachery of the Treachery of Images, another – an acrylic Ghost Quidji Board.Charcoal on paper figures in various stages of abstraction by Rosarie McHugh shared a segment of the ramp with Lucky Mummy and other gouache and color pencil works by Katie Bacigalupi.At the bottom of the ramp there was an eye-catching serene acrylic painting by Michael Pickard, The Field.There were many more paintings by a diverse group of artists, with their various subject matter, styles and materials, comfortably placed throughout the gallery.If current interest and attendance is any indication, Incline Gallery is obviously ascending to its growing glory.Incline Gallery is located at 766 Valencia St. in San Francisco. Open Thursday and Friday 4-8pm, Saturday and Sunday 12-5pm, and by appointment. More information at: www.inclinegallerysf.com.

Hong Kong Cool

2011-12-12T19:10:00.000-08:00

By Emma Krasov, photography by Yuri KrasovFor a spoiled Californian, softened by the temperate climate of San Francisco, Hong Kong can be too hot and humid, but it’s also cool, just like the City by the Bay. Behold a slow yellow boat cruising Victoria Harbour between Wan Chai and Kowloon, as bright as a flower against a hazy backdrop of Hong Kong hills and man-made structures.The mirror-walled skyscrapers and high-rises create the most gorgeous cement jungle in the world, interspersed with public parks, ancient temples, and urban playgrounds.
In the city of banks, international brands, and grand hotels, the governing system is conducive to economic prosperity, market competition, and bustling trade.“I am cool,” states a subway ad for bottled water, and you can’t help but feel how cool the most visited city of Asia is, with its enormous crowds, mighty traffic, and busy streets.Rules of the road are reinforced in the form of gentle reminders, also in English, written right under your foot ready to step into the traffic: Look Left, or Look Right, so you won’t get killed by a speeding bicyclist or a double-decker bus.Tourists are encouraged to follow the rules everywhere. A wall of Man Mo Temple on Hollywood Road bears several well-executed signs in red and gold, prohibiting smoking and photography, and warning about slippery floors, steps, and naked flame.One of the oldest historic buildings in Hong Kong is the Old Wan Chai Post Office on Queen's Road. Opened in 1915, it stayed in operation until 1992, and currently serves as a resource center for the Environmental Protection Department.This small white building, modestly decorated with architectural detailing, wraps around the street corner, and climbs up along the steep street, losing its first floor on the incline.On the back of the L-shaped structure, there is a staircase, a serene garden with a bench, and more architectural details.As a declared monument, the building is supplemented with a graphic sign, featuring an unshaven mug behind bars, and bold and underlined words, “No pissing, no spitting is allowed.”The coolest and the longest in the world at 2624 feet and 8 inches, Midlevel Escalator runs through the city like through a giant shopping mall in the north-south direction, passing a cool hangout district of SoHo with European restaurants, bars, and art galleries.Across Victoria Harbour, in Kowloon, one of the coolest places is the Walled City Park, with trees and ponds, fountains and pagodas, a sculpture garden, an aviary, and a banyan grove.Big hotels, overlooking the water, are always welcoming for a short stop at one or another bar or lounge for a needed cool down and refreshment. An elegant tea service is appreciated by the tourists and locals alike.After a day of exploring, a not-to-be-missed adventure is taking a vertically moving tram to the Peak Tower Sky Terrace. It offers the most amazing views of Victoria Harbour just in time for the nightly Symphony of Lights, the world’s largest permanent light and music show that plays out on the walls of more than 40 tallest buildings on both sides of the harbor.From the sea level, the show is best observed from Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade in Kowloon, on the southernmost tip of the peninsula.
While leaving Hong Kong, expect some more surprises at the Chek Lap Kok international airport built in 1998 on Lantau Island.This cool metallic sculpture looking like a giant drop of mercury is found in the departure area.
Plan your visit to Hong Kong at: www.discoverhongkong.com.

The Art of Time and Place: Golden Anniversary of SECA Art Awards at SFMOMA

2011-12-10T15:47:00.000-08:00

By Emma KrasovThe new exhibition at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Fifty Years of Bay Area Art: The SECA Awards, unfolds in the full of light fifth floor galleries, bringing to the viewers’ attention a diverse and exciting group of contemporary artists with strong local ties.
Founded in 1961, SECA (Society for the Encouragement of Contemporary Art) established its Art Awards in 1967 to recognize the artists of exceptional talent working in the San Francisco Bay Area, but not widely known to the collectors and the public.
Over the course of fifty years, the biennial SECA awards were given to more than 150 outstanding artists, and helped the museum bring the most interesting new art into the permanent collection.
The current show extends beyond the gallery into the walkway to SFMOMA rooftop garden. The wall of the walkway facing the SF downtown view is occupied by a museum-commissioned mural created by the 2004 SECA award recipient Rosana Castrillo Díaz.
Upon entering the galleries, the viewers are immediately attracted to a narrow horizontal painting by the 2006 award winner Leslie Shows, Heap of Elements for a Body, About to Act or Finished Acting.The central piece in the next gallery is a ceramic-looking and rather architectural structure of a pencil-and-glue sculpture by the 1998 awardee Gay Outlaw, Nest.
There are dozens of highly original works by the SECA-selected artists in every gallery, and of course, the latest winners of 2010 SECA Art Award get a comprehensive representation in their own section of the show.
For the 2010 SECA award, the museum considered more than 250 artists nominated by Bay Area art professionals. Thirty finalists’ studios were visited by the museum curators and members of the Society, and the four winners selected for the award were: Mauricio Ancalmo, Colter Jacobsen, Ruth Laskey, and Kamau Amu Patton.
Mauricio Ancalmo uses found machinery, like a film projector suspended on a wire, and an adjacent turntable to convey a mutely filmed dialogue between two anonymous lovers pushing and pulling at each other just like their mechanical counterparts.
Colter Jacobsen's memory drawings, created after found photographs on found paper, record sleeves, and book covers, explore the many mysterious ways human mind captures and recalls the visual world around it.
Ruth Laskey engages in a labor-intense process of hand-loom weaving to incorporate the slightest shades of color into her twill “watercolors” of geometric forms in various degrees of interaction, outlined solely by precisely positioned thread.
Kamau Amu Patton fills out the gallery space with metal bars and warps, metallic paper, painted static fields, and LED lights echoing the daily impressions and the cosmic ideas.There are many more exquisite artworks in the exhibition from the previous years’ SECA winners like David Best (1977), Josephine Taylor (2004), Anne Appleby (1996), Nayland Blake (1990), Hung Liu (1992), Rachael Neubauer (2000), Mitzi Pederson (2006), Tauba Auerbach (2008), Jim Campbell (1996), Maria Porges (1992), Chris Finley (1998), Larry Thomas (1984), Kathryn Van Dyke (2000), Jordan Kantor (2008), and others.
The show runs through April 3, 2012 at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, 151 Third St., SF. More information at: http://www.sfmoma.org.
Images:1. Leslie Shows, Heap of Elements for a Body, About to Act or Finished Acting; collection of Marjory Graue and Martin Bloes; © Leslie Shows
2. Gay Outlaw, Nest; collection of Lucinda Reinold; © Gay Outlaw; photo: courtesy the artist and Gallery Paule Anglim, San Francisco
3. Rosana Castrillo Díaz, Untitled; collection SFMOMA; © Rosana Castrillo Díaz; photo: courtesy SFMOMA

Schiltz Goose for the Holidays

2011-12-09T20:57:00.000-08:00

Photo by Yuri Krasov
Schiltz Foods of Sisseton, South Dakota, the largest goose farmer in America, is now producing a hickory-chip smoked goose, fully cooked and ready to eat from the refrigerator, served at room temperature, or warm from the oven. Whole Smoked Goose has rich dark meat, and can be used as an entrée, hors d’oeuvre, or sliced for sandwiches. Because the goose is fully cooked, the fat has already been discharged so there are only traces underneath the skin. Schiltz Foods also sells goose livers from geese raised in an animal friendly environment with no force feeding. Unlike foie gras, the fatty goose liver occurs naturally as a result of more fat being produced in the animal than can be transported for storage elsewhere in its body. Fats and fatty acids, from the naturally fed food that the geese eat, travel first to the goose liver where they are combined with protein and then sent throughout the body for storage for later use. Some birds genetically produce more fat than the proteins in their bodies can accommodate. The fat remains in the liver where it accumulates, thus the liver grows to about two to three times the size of a normal goose liver, approximately 1/3 to 1/2 pound in weight. Birds producing this fatty liver are roughly twice as old and therefore, larger in size than most birds from the flock sent to market. Other available products include goose breast, goose eggs, goose fat, and others. Place your order at: www.roastgoose.com.

Not Your Grandma’s Fairy Tale: The Wild Bride at Berkeley Rep

2011-12-08T22:59:00.000-08:00

By Emma KrasovArriving at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre at the beginning of the winter holiday season, The Wild Bride, from Kneehigh Theatre, UK, is a wild ride of bold interpretations, uninhibited physicality, and totally refreshing disregard for political correctness and fragile feelings of the American audiences, raised on Disney classics.
“The Handless Maiden” fairy tale recorded and interpreted by the Brothers Grimm, is adapted and directed by Emma Rice, and performed by an outstandingly talented ensemble of actors-singers-dancers-musicians.
Text and lyrics by Carl Grose, music by Stu Baker, and choreography by Etta Murfitt create a stage world of row emotions, bloody deeds, and unexpectedly found strengths and virtues in the very few, yet larger than life characters that populate it.
The leading role is divided between three actresses representing the three “lives” of the character, and conveying the endless human ability to adapt. The Girl is played by Audrey Brisson, The Wild by Patrycja Kujawska, and The Woman by Eva Magyar, all appearing on stage simultaneously, interacting and affirming each other’s messages in a vivid representation of the notions of change and aging.The Father and The Prince are brilliantly played by the same actor (Stuart Goodwin) which justifiably refers to the very grim origins of the handless maiden legend.Stuart McLoughlin is perfectly conniving and charming and The Devil, and Ian Ross is great as The Musician.
Phantasmagorical scenic design was created by Bill Mitchell, expressive costume design by Myriddin Wannell, lighting design by Malcolm Rippeth, and sound design by Simon Baker, all of which contributed to the horrifying, poetic, and romantic overtones of the story.
The show runs through January 1, 2012 at Berkeley Repertory Theatre’s Roda Theatre 2015 Addison Street, Berkeley, CA 94704. Tickets and information at: 510-647-2949 or http://www.berkeleyrep.org/.
Images courtesy Berkeley Rep.
1. Audrey Brisson, Patrycja Kujawska and Éva Magyar. Photo by kevinberne.com.
2. Stuart Goodwin and Patrycja Kujawska. Photo by Steve Tanner.
3. Stu McLoughlin. Photo by Steve Tanner.

Quick Lunch with Ambiance: Winter Ramen at Ozumo San Francisco

2011-12-08T20:50:00.000-08:00

By Emma Krasov, photography by Yuri KrasovOzumo Restaurant in San Francisco, known for its endlessly creative and consistently good contemporary Japanese cuisine, brings on a [timely] bargain lunch option, called Winter Ramen.
Wavy ramen noodles submerged in aromatic broth and topped with various meats, sea products, and/or veggies, keep you warm on a windy day, and satisfied at least until the happy hour with this filling meal in a bowl.Ozumo Ramen has braised pork belly, snow crab legs pieces, slices of white fish cake with pink swirls, scallions, and steamed bamboo shots neatly arranged around a soft-boiled egg in a shoyu stock.Kimuchi Ramen, Executive Chef Alex Morgan’s “favorite,” is composed of pork shoulder and house-made kimuchi in tonkotsu stock, with fragile needles of dark-red chili shavings on top. Not too spicy, but with a definite kick, it’s an energizing little combo.
There are three more ramen bowls on the menu (Spicy Miso, with chicken, poached egg and cabbage; Kaisen, with snow crab and prawns in a lobster stock; Vegetarian, with mixed vegetables and pickled ginger) and a cold soba one – Cha-Soba, with marinated tuna, seaweed, and wasabi vinaigrette over green tea noodles.
All ramen bowls include green onions, bean sprouts, fish cake, and bamboo shoots, and are preceded by a side of steamed edamame pods.Winter Ramen lunch is only served in the stylish Ozumo sake lounge at the front of the restaurant, however, sushi, and additional menu items can be ordered here, too.The Ozumo sake list includes over 90 brands, and the full bar serves signature cocktails, wine, and Sapporo and Kirin beer on tap.
Ozumo San Francisco is located at 161 Steuart Street. Open for dinner nightly and for lunch Monday through Friday. Call for reservations (415) 882.1333, or visit www.Ozumo.com.

Memories of Oklahoma City

2011-12-06T21:56:00.000-08:00

By Emma Krasov, photography by Emma KrasovI could never imagine that an empty room with a two-minute recording of a court proceeding would become a memory so powerful, every time I think about it, my eyes are tearing up. A visit to the Oklahoma City National Memorial, dedicated to the victims, survivors, and rescuers of the Oklahoma City Bombing, starts in this reconstruction of a hearing room in the Journal-Record Building, formerly adjacent to the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building destroyed by the bomb at 9:02 a.m. on April 19, 1995.On a regular workday morning, the court was in session, the tape recorder was running, and 168 people in the building, including 19 children in the day care center on the second floor, were living the last two minutes of their lives. Timothy McVeigh, an army veteran and a security guard, angry with the government, was setting off a home-made explosive device in his rented truck parked in front of the building.The visitors to the Memorial hear the blast and the screams recorded on tape that day, and then the door opens to the museum display of the office walls and ceiling collapsed in the explosion, personal items recovered from the ruin, photographs of the victims, and media coverage from around the globe.The Oklahoma City National Memorial, created on the site of the tragedy “to honor the victims, survivors, rescuers, and all who were changed forever on April 19, 1995,” includes the Outdoor Symbolic Memorial – rows of 168 lighted chairs, 19 of them of a smaller size, along the Reflecting Pool in the middle of the green lawn.Oklahoma City, spanning 621 square miles, is one of the most fascinating among large metropolitan areas in terms of history and geography. It was founded in a single day on April 22, 1889.
In response to President Benjamin Harrison’s proclamation which opened Indian Territory to settlement, 10,000 people from near and far participated in the Land Run to claim their piece of unassigned land in the newly-born Oklahoma City.Incorporated in 1890, it became the fastest growing city, admitted to the Union in 1907. In 1928 it hit oil, discovered within the city limits and even under the State Capitol, and the growth continued.National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum on Persimmon Hill in Oklahoma City presents collections of Western art and archival materials dedicated to historical traditions, peoples and cultures of the area.
Outdoor sculptures throughout the museum grounds are surrounded by trees, flowers, ponds, and streams. Inside, there are galleries of American Cowboy, Frontier West, American Rodeo, Native American, Fine Firearms, and others, many opening with a monumental sculpture. One of the most prominent examples of it, End of the Trail, by James Earle Fraser, is located in the enormous atrium of the museum.In downtown, among the beautiful Art Deco buildings, there is the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, built entirely with private funds, and located in the Donald W. Reynolds Visual Arts Center. Its comprehensive collection, mostly of the 19th and 20th century and contemporary art includes the world’s largest Dale Chihuly glass sculpture – the 55-foot Eleanor Blake Kirkpatrick Memorial Tower in the Museum's atrium.Myriad Botanical Gardens, started by oil and gas proprietor Dean A. McGee, opened in 1988 as a large downtown urban park featuring a landmark Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory designed by I. M. Pei. 224-foot long glass hothouse hosts exotic plants from rainforest, tropical islands, and desert.
In 1993, the Metropolitan Area Projects (MAPS) further enriched the downtown area with a new baseball park, library, convention center and fairgrounds, and a canal running through the Bricktown entertainment district.Staying at the majestic Renaissance Hotel, I walked to Bricktown and hailed a water taxi for a joy ride to the Centennial Land Run Monument, a huge group sculpture-in-progress which will be one of the largest freestanding bronzes in the world upon completion.
Its already installed pieces – life-size horses and riders are impressive enough, but in 2015 the Land Run procession will extend to 365x36x16 feet.
On the banks of the Bricktown canal, there are dozens of casual and upscale restaurants, shops, bars, and live music venues, and if you look closer, some commemorative street signs... Do You Realize?? (Some consider it a state song of Oklahoma).Find more information about visiting Oklahoma City at: www.visitokc.com.

Tiny Castagna Serves Southern French in Intimate Setting

2011-12-05T21:52:00.000-08:00

By Emma Krasov, photography by Yuri KrasovMere weeks in existence, Café Castagna (chestnut) on Chestnut Street in San Francisco seems to capture the imagination of the local Francophiles with its simple, affordable, freshly prepared bistro-style cuisine with pronounced Italian influences.
Owned by the Meloni brothers, originally from Nice, France, with many years or culinary experience in Antibes and San Francisco, the little restaurant, seating 18 in the dining room, 8 at the bar, and 6 outside is packed at dinnertime, warmly lit by low-hung fixtures and table tea lights reflected in polished wood surfaces.
Personable and friendly, the brothers are setting the mood in the dining room.General Manager Jerome engages in chats with each customer and pours a starter glass of kir with a lemon twist, while Executive Chef Stephane puts cognac on fire for a steak sauce in his miniscule kitchen.Operating a baker’s oven, a gas stove, and a crepe range all at once, the chef adds basil and pine nut pistou to fresh linguini, covers soupe a l’oignon with grated Gruyere, and stuffs fresh-baked beignets with pastry cream, watched by those seated at the bar.Pissaladière, a traditional caramelized onion tart from Nice, is served with white anchovies (on a side) and black olives, and creates melt-in-your-mouth sensation of rich sweet-and-savory pastry.Les Moules, steamed mussels are prepared in three different ways, and I was happy I decided to choose Mariniere – plump and appetizing in white wine, Noilly Pratt vermouth and butter with shallots and parsley.Out of four equally enticing varieties of thin-crust pizza, I picked the house specialty, Campagnarde, made with potato sauce, bacon, crème fraiche, caramelized onions and pungent raclette cheese. It plays nicely with Bohemian Highway chardonnay, although there are several whites and even more reds from France and Italy on the Castagna wine list.A main course of Confit de Canard was just perfect with its crispy skin and succulent flesh, and came on a bed of Tuscan white bean ragout – a lighter version of classic cassoulet, accompanied by a glass of full-bodied Les Abeilles Cotes du Rhone.A dessert of Panna Cotta with Amarena cherries and sliced roasted almonds was airy and satisfactory, and a great finale to a well-rounded meal.
Castagna is open nightly for dinner, weekdays for lunch and on weekends for brunch, and is located at 2015 Chestnut Street in San Francisco.
Call for reservations (415) 440-4290 or visit: www.CastagnaSF.com.

Donato Enoteca Opens Holiday Season with 100 Wines and 1000 Bites

2011-12-05T11:21:00.000-08:00

By Emma Krasov, photography by Yuri KrasovDonato Enoteca in Redwood City, ristorante eccellente, headed by the Executive Chef Donato Scotti, hosted an appreciative crowd of gourmands and oenophiles on Saturday for the largest in the Peninsula/South Bay area wine tasting holiday event featuring 100 artisan wines from the chef’s native Italy.“Enoteca 100” paired festive sparkling wines, full-bodied reds and crisp whites with fresh ingredient-driven chef’s preparations of bruschetta, salumi, prosciutto, risotto, ravioli, Sonoma quails, and a whole roasted pig.The list of rare Italian wines, available for purchase and orders, sounded like music – from Bele Casel Prosecco to Terlano Bianco, to La Spinetta Barbera d’Asti, to La Maialana Chianti Classico – with each new taste ascending to a celebratory crescendo.The wines were provided by Donato Enoteca and a number of distributors, like Southern Wine & Spirits of Northern California, Tosco Wines, Tartaglione Fine Wines, Vinity Wine Company, A. G. Ferrari Foods, and others.

Following his acclaimed style of simple preparations with sophisticated results, Chef Donato put up a variety of quality meats to be seasoned to taste with pink salt and parsley pesto by the guests. Rich Italian cheeses were accompanied by quince preserve jazzed up with mustard oil.And speaking of jazz, live entertainment for the event was splendidly delivered by Quarteto Guarana, performing jazz, funk, and Brazilian tunes in the lounge area of the restaurant.On a regular day, Donato Enoteca, with its delectable food, boutique-production wines, elegant ambience and attentive service turns a weeknight dinner into a holiday feast. Its holiday wine tasting event turned out to be a resounding success and a great start for the season of ultimate indulgence. Donato Enoteca is located at 1041 Middlefield Road, Redwood City, California. The restaurant is open daily for lunch and dinner. For more information and reservations, call (650) 701-1000 or visit www.donatoenoteca.com.

Holiday Feast of Ice and Snow at Hyatt Regency San Francisco

2011-12-03T22:22:00.000-08:00

By Emma Krasov, photography by Yuri KrasovHyatt Regency San Francisco, located in the Embarcadero Center across from the historic Ferry Building, has the Guinness Book of World Records’ Largest Atrium Lobby in the world – 17-story high, and takes full advantage of it. A wall of 300,000 cascading Christmas lights in the Hyatt lobby cuts right above the rows of bare twigs and snowy pines, and creates that special atmosphere that comes only with winter holidays.A 30-foot Christmas tree with a shining star at its top towers over Nutcrackers and teddy bears while snowflake images are projected on the walls.Sparkly reindeer gather around the dramatic lobby sculpture Eclipse, by Charles O. Perry.
Preparing for the holiday season, the hotel spared no expense in decorating, entertaining, and otherwise enticing its guests and tenants.
A lavish kick-off party in the famous lobby included a fashion show from Saffron Rare Threads, with designer Priya Saraswati and a constellation of her models.

And, since a year ago, San Francisco city dwellers also know where to go for snow in their not-a-single-white-Christmas city. The snow falls in the lobby of Hyatt Regency at 1:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m., and 8 p.m. daily through December 31.

The ice is found at the city’s largest Embarcadero Holiday Skating Rink, adjacent to the hotel, and open day and night through January 2, 2012 – Sunday-Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and Friday-Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
But wait, there is more!
For adults, Holiday Happy Hour at Eclipse Lounge will feature signature cocktails, holiday drinks and a full bar daily from 4:30 pm to 7:30 p.m.
For children of all ages, Breakfast with Santa in Eclipse Café will be served on December 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, and 18 from 8:00 a.m. till noon – a full breakfast buffet including scrambled eggs, cinnamon French toast, chocolate chip pancakes, bacon, sausage, fruit and berries, and Christmas cookies, with Santa visiting tables and talking to the guests.
Christmas Eve Dinner on December 24 and Christmas Day Dinner on December 25 from 4:00 to 10:00 p.m. will feature a 3-course menu:
1. Lobster bisque, or shrimp cocktail with vodka cocktail sauce
2. Roasted prime rib with horseradish cream and root vegetables, or butternut squash ravioli and wilted spinach with roasted garlic cream sauce, or horseradish-potato crusted salmon with grilled asparagus and cucumber raita
3. Traditional yule log, or individual chocolate sponge cake.
New Year’s Eve Package from December 31, 2011 to January 1, 2012 will offer a room for two, a full breakfast buffet, and an option to upgrade to the Regency Club.
New Year’s Eve Bayviews and Bubbles, Regency Club Package from December 27, 2011 to January 4, 2012.
New Year’s Eve Dinner on December 31 from 5:30 to 10:00 p.m. will feature a 4-course dinner:
1. Chef’s amuse
2. Dungeness crab and corn chowder, or arugula salad with citrus dressing, Bosc pear and shaved Reggiano cheese
3. Land and Sea - beef tenderloin and jumbo shrimp scampi with gratin potatoes and grilled asparagus
4. Chef’s New Year’s dessert assortment
Champagne split.
Eclipse Bar and Lounge will be open from noon on December 31 to 1:00 a.m. on January 1, 2012, with a full bar and specialty cocktails.
Entertainment will be featured in the lobby from 8:30 p.m. on December 31 to 12:30 a.m. on January 1, 2012, with DJ, dancing, party favors, and specialty Champagne menus.
New Year’s Breakfast Buffet on January 1, 2012 from 7:30 a.m. till 2:00 p.m. will feature a Bloody Mary Bar and breakfast buffet. Additional information and reservations at: www.sanfranciscoregency.hyatt.com.

Black-and-White and Silent, The Artist is a 21st Century Hit

2011-12-02T18:06:00.001-08:00

By Emma Krasov
The Artist, a French film, now distributed in the U.S., seems to complete the life cycle of cinematography as we know it before the brave new world of 3D tactile and olfactory experiences becomes omnipresent and fully substitutes the silver screen.
With The Artist, the tenth muse is looking reflectively in the mirror to connect the image of her humble yet glorious beginning with its contemporary revival, even if for one fleeting moment.
The most democratic art, the most accessible entertainment, the most popular pastime in history is reliving its glory in this black-and-white silent film about a silent film star in 1927-1932 Hollywood, first cruelly removed from the scene by the talkies, and then gently restored by Love.
The film, written and directed by Michel Hazanavicius, and starring Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo, is an immense pleasure to watch, and a sentimental journey of the best kind.
The leads are surrounded by an amazing array of supporting actors – John Goodman, Penelope Ann Miller, Malcolm McDowell, and others. Dujardin, who plays George Valentin, won the Best Actor Award at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, The Artist received Best Picture and Hazanavicius received Best Director awards from the New York Film Critics Circle.
Even the canine actor, Uggy – a dog the staunchest cat person would want to have by his side, won the Palm Dog Award at the Cannes.
For San Francisco showtimes, see www.sfgate.com/movies/

Dobbs Ferry Brings New York to San Francisco

2011-12-02T12:25:00.000-08:00

By Emma Krasov, photography by Yuri KrasovDobbs Ferry restaurant, newly open in the San Francisco Opera-Symphony district, is named after a close to the proprietors’ hearts New York town overlooking the Hudson, and is decorated with black-and-white photographs of the said location.The ambiance is dark-wood simple and elegant, and the food, orchestrated by the executive chef Mike Yakura, is familiar, yet inspired and creative. I would call it inviting.Start with the original house cocktails mixed by Evans Horn – Flight of the Bumble Bee (rather symphonic) and Elderflower Rickey.The former smoothes out Hedrick’s gin with honey and lemon, and the latter is delicate and refreshing with Belvedere vodka, St. Germain, and lime.
Out of the Smaller-ish Plates (that’s how they are cutely called on the menu) pizza frites is a great example of a familiar food creatively rethought.Pizza dough stripes, redolent of Parmesan, are bathed in chili- and roasted garlic-enhanced marinara. They are as addictive as potato fries, and as satisfying as a perfectly baked pizza.
A never-to-be-missed house cured salmon comes with all the necessary regalia – it is placed on a tender potato pancake with a layer of chive cream, and is topped with shaved marinated white and red onions and fried capers.If you know anything better than cured salmon on potato pancake, I challenge you to name it. Dobbs Ferry’s salmon is still a notch above any other.Fried pumpkin is kabocha squash in Panko crumbs, placed over melted goat cheese, and topped with frisee salad and cinnamon-honey vinaigrette – a little plate of pure decadence.Accompany any or all of those dishes with a glass of white-burgundy-style J. Moss chardonnay from Windsor Oaks Vineyard, and you’ll know harmony.
Of the Pizza & Pastas, anything with house-made meatballs is a hit – and you can order a side of meatballs with any pasta plate.Fluffy and flavorful, pork meatballs are made following an old New York recipe with lots and lots of parsley, breadcrumbs and Parmesan, and some water added for lighter texture. They are almost falling apart, but they don’t, and are simply fantastic.
Another old New York masterpiece is the first item on Roasts & Entrees, and is called Chicken Scarpariello “Shoemaker Chicken.”Roasted half-chicken comes with sides of Italian sausage, potatoes, and pickled pepperoncini in a thin sauce created by their brine leeching into the garlicky chicken stock. It is comfort food, but with unexpected sophistication of sharper salty-peppery notes. A great dish for sharing, not only because the portion is large, but also because you won’t be able to abstain from sharing the joy.For dessert, try flourless chocolate cake topped with Strauss Farms vanilla ice cream and drizzled with mint and shaved chocolate.
Besides the cozy dining room with tables for two and four with chairs, the restaurant has an additional more private seating with booths.Both dining areas are connected by a kitchen. The bar area has high tables, banquettes, and counter seating. Dobbs Ferry specializes in group events and off-premise catering.
Dobbs Ferry is located at 405 – 409 Gough Street in San Francisco. Open for dinner nightly, for lunch Monday – Friday, and for brunch on weekends. For more information and reservations call (415) 551-7700 or visit www.dobbsferrysf.com.

This is the House that Chefs Built at Fairmont San Francisco

2011-12-01T21:47:00.000-08:00

By Emma Krasov, photography by Yuri KrasovThe largest ever gingerbread house in the lobby of the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco is a three-story Victorian with an arched entry, corner quoins, moldings, decorative brackets, balconies, and a patterned tile roof.Nutcracker and teddy bear can be seen through its windows, as well as a train loaded with striped candy canes running in and out of a tunnel along the frozen lake. The lake is surrounded by sugar-glaze snowy mountains with roaming deer and a flock of penguins sliding down one after another like in a stop motion animation.
This fairy tale wonder, made of 7,500 hand-cut gingerbread bricks and 1,200 pounds of sugar icing, is a joined creation of the Fairmont Executive Chef jW Foster and Pastry Chef Stephen Sullivan, adorned with 650 pounds of marshmallows, jellies, lollipops, and licorice to be repaired and replaced as needed throughout the winter holiday season.The historic hotel lobby also features a 23-foot Christmas tree with gold and blue ornaments, the Molinari Family Nutcracker Collection on loan from the San Francisco Ballet, and kids’ nook with tables and chairs, a mini-tree and a mail box to accept letters to Santa – written here at the nook, or inside the gingerbread house.The walkway under the house leads to the Laurel Court Restaurant & Bar, where holiday menu preparations are underway.
On a regular menu, served daily, don’t miss Fairmont Lifestyle Cuisine dishes, marked with a green leaf symbol.Lifestyle Cuisine program, recently launched by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, creates nutritionally balanced dishes with fresh, locally sourced and mostly organic and sustainable ingredients. It follows all and any dietary requests from the diners, be it vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, or low-fat, low-sodium, low-sugar, etc.
Heirloom tomato bruschetta is made with Fairmont Farm tomatoes and Bellwether Creamery ricotta cheese on a delicate walnut crostini, garnished with mache salad.Spicy mussels are fresh and plump, and come in a thin and hot sambal broth made with lemongrass, ginger, garlic, and cilantro, with grilled baguette slices on a side.Curried bean and aubergine stew of garbanzo beans and grilled slices of eggplant is nicely balanced by coconut milk and grilled flatbread with mango chutney.
For the seasonal festivities, the Fairmont has an array of special culinary celebrations:
The annual Nutcracker Holiday Tea, presented by the Fairmont San Francisco in partnership with the San Francisco Ballet, also offers a Children’s Package complete with Nutcracker trinket and a gingerbread cookie to decorate with the help of the Nutcracker Soldier.
A special three-course Christmas Eve Dinner at Laurel Court will include a holiday cocktail or mulled wine. Christmas Eve Dinner at Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar will have a special menu for the evening, while the regular menu will be served in both restaurants.On Christmas Day, there will be Champagne Brunch Buffet in the Crown Room with spectacular city views, a jazz trio, and photo ops with Santa; a five-course dinner at the Laurel Court, and a special menu dinner at Tonga Room.
To end 2011 and meet 2012 with style, there are more holiday parties planned at the Fairmont San Francisco for the New Year’s Eve:
New Year’s Eve Dinner and Dancing in the Crown Room. The black tie package includes a seven-course menu with wine pairings, a full bar, party favors and dancing to live music, and the Balloon Drop at midnight.New Year’s Eve Dinner at Laurel Court Restaurant & Bar. A five-course dinner and live jazz music.
A Totally Tiki New Year’s Eve at Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar. A Luau Buffet or a Tiki Lounge Party package – an a la carte cocktail and appetizer menu. Both options include party favors, dancing to the Island Groove Band and a champagne toast at midnight.
The gingerbread house will be on display through January 1, 2012 at the Fairmont San Francisco, 950 Mason Street, SF.
For more information on all dining options and to book reservations, call 415-772-5000 or visit www.fairmont.com.

Fishing for Local Food, Fruit, and Betel Nut in Palau

2011-11-26T20:03:00.000-08:00

By Emma Krasov, photography by Yuri KrasovWhy travel to remote destinations if not for exotic foods as well as for many other splendored things to see, hear, smell, and touch.
A trip to Palau is as much a culinary adventure as it is a discovery feast of diving, snorkeling, boating, and jungle-trotting.
Located in the Western Pacific, Palau absorbed culinary influences of Japan, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the USA, creating a fusion cuisine of rice and sea food, barbequed chicken and pork, root vegetables, fresh fruit, and spices.
Out of 21 species of spiny, seedy, and sweet-fleshy tropical fruit growing here, I can now easily identify jackfruit, breadfruit, starfruit, dragon fruit, passion fruit, mangosteen, rambutan, and soursop.
I can also brag about having a full serving of stinky tofu (thankfully, the serving was rather small) that smelled like garbage during garbage collectors’ strike, and looked and tasted like fresh asphalt – not that I ever tasted the latter.On an ATV-driving excursion with a famous local tour operator, Fish n’ Fins, while traversing the muddy off-roads of Koror, our group caught a glimpse of a statuesque fisherwoman pulling out a silvery-green needlefish, later cut in half and thrown on a grill for an outdoor lunch in a public park.Our own lunch at the recently open Ngellil Nature Island Resort in Airai featured sweetlip fish, also thrown on an outdoor grill behind the restaurant building. Designed to blend with the tropical environment, the resort has only two traditional architecture buildings – one an eight-room guesthouse, another reception area and restaurant.Chicken leg quarters, pork skewers, and mussels were grilled with barbecue sauce the way meals are prepared for the overnight guests in this all-inclusive resort.My favorite part of the meal was a toy-like leaf basket for steamed rice, suspended on a long string for dipping and pulling out of boiling water.A handsome lunch plate covered with banana leaf contained an American touch – deliciously charred corn on the cob.At a formal dinner at Taj Restaurant in the capital city of Koror, we were treated to the best of Indian cuisine – garlic naan, tandoori fish, saffron basmati rice, mango chutney, and mint yogurt raita.I couldn’t leave Palau without getting a taste of the famous betel nut, widely used throughout the Asia-Pacific as a mild stimulant, energizer, alertness enhancer, and whatever-you-name-it exciter.During an improv hands-on demo in an undisclosed location, a fruit of areca catechu palm (the betel nut) was cut in half, stuffed with a tiny amount of lime from dead corals, some tobacco from a cigarette, and wrapped into a piper betel leaf. I put the thimble-size package in my mouth, and started to chew. It was bitter and puckering. Soon I was foaming at the mouth with bright-orange betel juice, which I was warned not to swallow. I had to run off, hide and spit. And spit, and spit, and spit some more. Suddenly I felt flushed, dizzy, and too warm even for the Palauan 85-degree weather. Was it because of the betel nut or because of embarrassment at my unladylike behavior, I might never know. For more information about traveling to Palau, go to: www.visit-papau.com.