The Grand Adventures of a Food & Wine Diva

Winter Wine & Food Fest 2012 — Where Fine Dining Can Actually Grant Wishes

2012-02-01T08:35:00.000-08:00

What do you get when you put some of the best food & wine vendors in Sacramento, and a good cause in a room? A decadent event! This year the 24th Annual Winter Wine & Food Fest brought high-end wine, sugar-lacquered sweets and new foods to this exclusive crowds attention.

This event is always more exclusive than many of the food & wine events around Sacramento, garnering about 1,500 people - which is nice as you don't have to fight a crowd to get a bite/ pour. The event happened in two stages:

1. 5:00 PM — 7:30 PM, Silent Auction/ Food & Wine Tasting (this portion is all for 'regular' attendees)

2. 7:30 PM — 10:00 PM, LIVE Auction and seated dinner in the VIP area (VIP ticket holders only) by The Supper Club. This portion of the event is more unique, because after all the glitz and glam of the previous hours, you can sit down, mingle, and hear heart wrenching/ wallet opening stories about Make-a-Wish!

Food highlights for me were the soup offered by Mama Kim's Kitchen - super well seasoned butternut squash with spices, and a cambazola and fig crostini, my favorite sweet treat had to be from the ever-crowd pleasing Konditorei out of Davis, they always have a gorgeous presentation, and brought sweet treats like petite-fours, chocolate covered crepes, poppy-seed apricot cake, and truffles.

But a girl can't live on food alone, so it was the 2007 Melka Métisse, Knights Valley that had me really excited, not only was this a label I'd never seen before (this is a great way to find new wines to love) but their cabernet franc - merlot blend was unique and exciting, which was nice as I haven't been so excited by a wine in a long time - it was all chocolate, spice box and sweet black currants.

This event not only supports a great cause, there was a even Make-a-Wish kids there to speak to the public, but they pull out all the stops for a black-tie elegant affair. Here's looking forward to next years!

Looking for a Great Party Tonight? One of the Best Food & Wine Events All Year? – Winter Wine & Food Fest 2012

2012-01-28T08:30:00.000-08:00

24th Annual Winter Wine & Food Fest

Date: January 28, 2012

Time: 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Please join us for the 24th Annual Winter Wine & Food Fest, presented by Sutter Health on Saturday, January 28, 2012 at the Sacramento Convention Center.

We anticipate over 1,500 people in attendance for this exclusive event, featuring over 120 of our best local restaurants and wineries. Guests will enjoy a live and silent auction, live entertainment and delicious food and drink from elite restaurants and wineries. This elegant Make-A-Wish Foundation® event raises funds to grant wishes for children ages 2 and 1/2 to 18 with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich their human experience with hope, strength, and joy. All proceeds raised stay within our chapter and make dreams a reality for our local wish children.

If doing something for such a great cause, and getting a tax write-off isn't enough of a incentive, then check out last years post event coverage here: 2010 & 2011

Last year this fundraiser was able to grant 87 wishes to children from our chapter; the Sacramento and Northeastern local chapter covers 24 counties – from Redding down to Stockton and Modesto.

5:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. ~ Wine and food tasting (VIP and General Admission)
7:45 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. ~ VIP and Live Auction portion

Buy tickets here.

Buy VIP tickets here.

View our Live Auction Packages here.

View our Super Silent Auction Packages here.

This is last year's vendor list, if this year is anywhere near similar this is going to be an unbeatable event!

2011 Participating Wineries, Restaurants and Breweries

4th Street Grille
Aioli's Bodega Espanola
Amador Foothill Winery
Asante Catering
Astoria Wine Group
Bandera Restaurant
Barsetti Vineyards
Blackbird Vineyards
Bocas Brazilian Restaurant & Lounge
Bogle Vineyards, Inc.
Borjon Winery
Buckhorn Grill
Capital Confections
Chef Ray Duey
Classique Catering
Cleavage Creek Winery
Cliff Lede Vineyards
Colibri Ridge Winery & Vineyard
Corte Riva Vineyards
Crocker & Starr Wines
Culinary Specialists/Mulvaney's
Cupcake Craving
Dasani Water
DeGrande's - Lodi
Dos Coyotes Border Café
Duckhorn Wine Company
E & J Gallo Winery
El Pueblo
Event Architects Catering
Farella-Park Vineyards
Farm Fresh To You
Fat Cat Scones
Frank Family Vineyards
Garcia's Mexican Restaurant
Gekkeikan Sake
Gonul's L Street Café
Hawks Restaurant
Heitz Wine Cellars
Henry's Steakhouse - Red Hawk Casino
Honing Winery
Hoppy Brewing Company
J P Harbison
Kelli's Cookies
Kenwood Vineyards
King Andrews Vineyards/ Sunset Cellars
Konditorei Austrian Pastry Café, Inc.
L Wine Lounge
Laraine Winery
Lucchesi Vineyards & Winery

m2 Wines
Mandango's Sports Bars & Grills
Mayacamas Vineyards
McConnell Estates Winery
Michael-David Vineyards
Mini Burger
Moniz Family Wines
Most Wanted Winery
MT Catering
My Chocolate Affair
Nevada City Winery
Nugget Market
Oakstone Winery
Obscurity Cellars
Opa! Opa!
P.F. Changs
Paul Martin's American Bistro
Pedroncelli Winery
Peju Province Winery
Piatti's
Pilot Peak Winery
Pyramid Alehouse
River City Brewing Company
Rominger West
Ruth Chris
Sacramento Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Inc.
Schweiger Vineyards & Winery
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Sierra Vista Vineyards & Winery
Silkwood Wines
Slocum House Restaurant
Terra d' Ore Winery
Thai Basil Restaurant
The Melting Pot
The Sudwerk Brewery
Tower Café
Trader Joe's - East Sacramento
Truchard Vineyards
Two Moms Catering Services
Vicarmont Vineyards & Winery
Village Cake Shoppe
Vina Robles Winery
Vino Noceto Winery & Tasting Room
Vintner's Cellar Custom Winery
Wasabi Sushi Inc
Wend-Tyler Winery
Wente Family Estates
Wines 4 Cures
Wooden Valley Winery & Vineyards

Unified Wine and Grapegrowers take on Sacramento and Reveal the Future of Wine

2012-01-27T08:30:00.000-08:00

More than 11,000 wine industry professionals poured into downtown Sacramento this week for the annual Unified Wine & Grape Symposium, there looking to drink wine, and eat good food while they wine and dine. "The quota of American Express Black Cards triples in these three days" quoted one of Sacramento's bartending elite.

Finding reservations within a 3 mile radius of the convention center is almost impossible to get, and the more expensive the restaurant the worse it is.

This convention is interesting in a lot of ways but all my foodie friends ask, "so where's all the wine? what are you drinking?" to their disappointment I tell them its all about the industry insights,

it's all about finding out now what will be hitting the market in the next couple of years.

So here are the highlights:

It's going to be all about Moscato - it's seen over 136% increase in sales in the last year, and it's being planted like crazy right now > Sweet wines, and Sweet Red Wines going forward much to the cult cab drinkers disappointment
The new market is China, they have a huge amount of money and are looking to spend, so we might start seeing all our yummy wines heading oversees in coming years
There is still quite a few 2005 and 2009 vintages on the market, and because the yield and quality was sooo good in these years, there the best get on the market!!
#1 consumer going forward: WOMEN! professional, educated, unmarried women are the #1 alcoholic market for spirits, beer, and wine!
Starbucks is selling wine!!! Starbucks is looking at selling wine at test market stores in Chicago, now you can have your espresso and a post-dinner drink!

So now your a wine insider too!

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/01/25/4212612/sacramento-restaurants-wine-and.html#storylink=cpy

First Impressions: Our House, Davis: Up's and Down's Lead to few Conclusions?

2012-01-23T08:30:00.000-08:00

So I was really prepared to like Our House, I like Davis (sometimes), I love Village Pizza so I was looking forward to this new restaurant that BAR spoke of in the SacBee (which I looked everywhere for and now can't seem to find? maybe it was removed) either way...I heard they had a good bar, great food, and a new Gastropub style environment that's hardly seen in Sacramento much less Davis.

I mean just check out this starters list:

Mac ‘n Cheese with Winters Cheese Co. Cheddar 7 w/Pancetta 9

Salmon Cakes on a Bed of Arugula w/ a Lemon Dill Aioli 7

Sourdough Bruschetta w/ Goat Cheese, Caramelized Onions & Balsamic Reduction 6

Tequila Lime Beef w/ a Lime & Ginger Dipping Sauce 9.5

Oven‐Roasted Baby Back Jerk Ribs w/ a Citrus Marinade 12

Ahi Poke with Shrimp & Avocado 13

Looks great right?

So this was a must check out on my list. Conclusion: I should have waited.

The estimable picture above me was the "herbed" butter that instead of being an herb compound butter - as would always be the assumption with claiming "herbed butter" on a list. Instead it was a slab of butter, covered in olive oil and herbs. I know it shouldn't be a big deal, and I'm coming off a bit snotty commenting on it, but if I hadn't seen anything else this was a fair showing of what was to come.

The servers were kind, but VERY young/inexperienced for the cost of each plate at $25-27/ head per entree. Think of who were competing with: Waterboy, Mulvaney's, Ellas & Hawks. So I was expecting more knowledge, which maybe I shouldn't have given it was in Davis, where there is an abundance of kids looking for work in Davis at all price points, culinary knowledge or no.

But when you are selling ribs for $25 a plate and don't know what a South Carolina rib or St. Louis rib is how can you tell someone how they'll taste?

I swear this sweet girl said, "I think they have like...honey on them?"

The next problem I found myself with was on their cocktail list, their alcohol selection was less Shady Lady and more Press Club, but that wouldn't be bad if they poured a stiff drink. The Woodford Reserve Old Fashioned I found myself with was lighter than iced tea (not good). When I asked for a new drink, this time straight up - they served me just that, it was only about half the size at any other bar? So it seems the reason that they "offer great drinks at a reasonable price" is that they water them down? not good.

The picture above is the ribs (more like south east Asian in flavor), and the quality of pork was in question to my taste-buds under all that sauce. The corn was a burned form of corn nuts? or something that was better in 1994 when it was flavored with ranch, but the potatos were good?

Just in case you think I'm a cranky bitch that hated this whole experience, it's not true, the NY Steak was perfectly cooked, and I haven't had such a great steak in a long time! Although the chimichurri butter was left off the steak and then had to be grabbed in a quick hurry by the scrambling waitress, it was quite good! The kettle chips that came with it were forgettable, but whoever's running the grill in the back is doing a good job cooking a steak!

The decor is mixed, I loved the bar, entry, and lighting, but the almost cafeteria style tables are a little cheap for the price of the menu?

So like I said there were some highs, and lows - I'm interested in coming back, and next time trying a bunch of small plates and giving this place another go around. Either way I can get that steak again, right?

DineDowntown Dinner Preview: The Firehouse; More than Worth the Splurge!

2012-01-11T08:00:00.000-08:00

Looking to splurge on a meal, but your pocketbook just can't take the strain after the holidays?

Well it's a great time to take advantage of luxurious food all over town, catering to you! The foodie that maxed out the budget on wining and dining less than a month ago.

But if your anything like me this DineDowntown thing is just to good to pass up, the ability to preview the way a restaurant cooks for $30, hard to beat that with the names on the list and the menu's there offering.

Of the multiple menu's I'll no doubt be trying over the short time span that DineDowntown is occurring (Monday January 9th through Wednesday January 18th) the one I was able to preview was distinctly formal and fabulous.

The Firehouse Restaurant has been around since 1960 serving up steaks, wine and general fining dining to Sacramento's Capitol patrons. The Golden Eagle Room, otherwise known as their formal dining room, hosts pro basketball players to governors.

We started out the dinner with selecting our course, bread of wheat and Parmesan and an amuse boushe from the kitchen consisting of goat cheese and sweet potato that upon biting was flaky, creamy and dissolved in your mouth.

The beauty of going to any meal with another person is the eating off their plate, so I was able to really try two meals. Unlike some of the other selections on the DineDowntown line up, The Firehouse specifically has a legendary wine list (although drinks are not included in the pre-fix price) it's not hard to make an outstanding selection to pair with our choice of entree with help of their Sommelier Mario Ortiz.

The first course was a salad of apples, and a sharp and creamy blue cheese called Fourme D'Ambert that was quite balanced with the shallot-cider vinaigrette

the other option for our first course was their Crab, Potoato and Leek Bisque - it's not just that the crab cake had a bit of spice and maintained it's crispy crunch even after the soup had been poured; but unlike many restaurants this place isn't only about flavor it's also all about the presentation, so the soup is presented and then poured in front of you over the crab cake and your able to indulge. Precision.

The entree course was a pork, chicken, fish and vegetarian option. They hit all the boxes with this one, but my wonder was where the flavors would land. The salmon option (chosen by my friend) was actually my favorite of the pork and salmon dishes we tried. Now don't get me wrong, pork tenderloin wrapped in pancetta, is a wonderfully indulgent dish, and made even better by being perfectly cooked. It's easy to make slightly to overcooked pork, but much harder to make it perfectly pink and moist - not overcooked at all.

The salmon dish on the other-hand was quite exciting with flavor, crispy but tender and juicy. The plum wine-miso glaze made it sweet and savory, but it was the red rice stir fry (soft and sticky) and finished with coconut milk and lemongrass that completed a beautifully unexpected bite.

I am always going to personally be of the opinion that no meal is complete without dessert. It's the perfect compliment to the meal, and I defiantly don't trust people that "hate" chocolate, that's just bizarre, even Dr. Oz says it's good for you! So if chocolate is good for you, these might just help cure those winter colds. The pastery chef put together a chcooalte mousse that was decadently smooth, it's not all about flavor, it's also about texture and this was chiffon-like in style, creamy but not overly rich.

The mango cheesecake on the other hand was that perfect non-cloying refreshing but indulgent treat after the salmon. The texture again was a total hit, but it was the crust made of graham crackers and brown sugar that blew my guest and I away.

If your looking to impress and enjoy all at the same time, all while feeling like your not totally breaking any New Year's resolutions, check out The Firehouse!

The Firehouse Restaurant

www.firehouseoldsac.com

1112 2nd Street

Sacramento, CA 95814-3204

(916) 442-4772

Dine Downtown Preview Dinner: The Firehouse, how does it fair on a budget?

2012-01-09T10:00:00.000-08:00

So I'm headed out to DineDowntown's Dinner Preview menu tonight at the very old school classic The Firehouse, to sit in the vaunted Golden Eagle Dining Room. This should be quite impressive given there long-standing culinary history, but how do they fair on a budget?

The idea behind DineDowntown is to take lemon's and make lemon aid, it's been long known that December is for splurging and January is for belt tightening, so in the spirit of compromise the Downtown Sacramento Partnership works with over 20+ restaurants and brings you luxury on a budget!

They have the causal to swank, classy to posh bring their best all for $30/ person pre-fix menu! Now this can be a dining challenge as well, so make it fun was my approach. So where at some of these 29-ish places you'll find quite a deal, others will be the same things you'd find on their everyday menu.

Is it worth $30? I wanna know, so I hunted out their menus, and am excited to try what The Firehouse has to offer. Check out the menu below:

Check out these other restaurants if your looking to hunt down the best like myself!

Participating Restaurants:

3 Fires Lounge - Menu

4th Street Grille - Menu - Make Reservation

Biba - Menu - Make Reservation

Blue Prynt - Menu - Make Reservation

The Broiler Steakhouse - Menu - Make Reservation

Cafeteria 15L - Menu - Make Reservation

Capitol Garage (V) - Menu - Make Reservation

Chops Steak, Seafood & Grill - Menu - Make Reservation

Dawson’s at the Hyatt (V) - Menu - Make Reservation

de Vere’s Irish Pub - Menu

Ella Dining Room & Bar - Menu - Make Reservation

Esquire Grill - Menu - Make Reservation

Fat City - Menu

The Firehouse Restaurant (V) - Menu - Make Reservation

Frank Fats - Menu – Make Reservation

Grange (V) - Menu - Make Reservation

Il Forniao - Menu - Make Reservation

Kupros Bistro (V) - Menu - Make Reservation

The Melting Pot (V) - Menu

Morgan’s at the Sheraton Grand (V) - Menu – Make Reservation

Mulvaney’s B&L (V) – Menu – Make Reservation

Paragary’s Midtown - Menu

The Pilothouse at the Delta King - Menu - Make Reservation

The Porch - Menu - Make Reservation

Restaurant Thir13en - Menu - Make Reservation

Rio City Cafe - Menu

Spataro (V) - Menu - Make Reservation

Ten22 - Menu - Make Reservation

Tequila Museo Mayahuel (V) - Menu - Make Reservation

Tuli Bistro - Menu

(V)- Vegetarian options included in the menu

First Impressions: The Eatery, West Sac - Solid Food, Subtle Style

2012-01-02T08:30:00.000-08:00

Out for finding good eats some nights ago lead me to try the much talked about, but little seen Eatery in West Sacramento. This place was something of a mystery to me, for sometime (no longer), their Facebook page was acting as their website, and everyone was talking about how good their food was but there was very few tasting notes, and even less pictures! So I sought out to remedy that...

finding myself in one of those days were my morning coffee became all that I had in my stomach all day, I was really hungry so this place was about to majorly hit the spot. We started with

Mac & cheese; elbow macaroni in cheddar cheese cream sauce $6

- lemon, herbs, not your traditional cream sauce, very creamy with a stringy cheese quality

Pork belly; crispy pork belly, fresh polenta, pomegranates $9

- soft, crispy, luscious in texture and flavor beautifully paired with creamy polenta (who doesn't love creamy grits?)

Note: the pork belly was perfectly cooked on 2 of the 3 pieces where one was a bit tough from a too-long sear

The scene: located in a strip mall, minimal beer draft list, loyal local crowd following, cafeteria style tables, open bar, large open space, and small homey touches at the front desk and around the space

after starters we ordered entree's and took in their local, but somewhat limited beer selection, and approachable wine selections

their burger was what they were becoming known for so I had tot try it!

Eatery burger; griddled 8 oz natural beer burger, house-made mayonnaise, butter lettuce, tomato & red onions (ketchup, mustard, & zucchini pickles available on request) $11

with white cheddar $1.50, bacon $2.00

- wonderful bun, crispy, soft buttery, solid burger

- a bit expensive at $14.50 for a bacon cheeseburger but a solid option

more than full at this point, but of course needing to take in all the options we HAD to have dessert, so when I heard about the s'more I was so excited, with visions of burned marshmallows and camp fires in my mind...those are normal s'mores, not this. Although beautiful in it's presentation...I prefer my burnt campfire s'mores

S'more: flourless chocolate cake, hazelnut mouse, graham cracker crust, toasted marshmallow, caramel sacue $8

Served too cold to be enjoyed, instead of softly flowing into a bite - but there was an intense chocolatey flavor, nice crunch of praline - beautiful, if only ornamental, presentation - would have preferred a melted piece of outstanding chocolate, on a home-made graham crackers, and a marshmallow that had less of a butane aftertaste?

Overall: Great eats to be found in West Sac, in a unexpected location

The Eatery

http://www.site.eaterywestsac.com

http://www.facebook.com/Eaterywestsac

2155 Town Center Pl
West Sacramento, CA 95691

(916) 372-2240

Devine Gelateria & Cafe — What Make's Gelato Good Anyway? Flavor!

2011-12-29T08:30:00.000-08:00

In the new spot that was once occupied by Le Petite Paris now lies another fun foodie find - what I like to think of as my own little Gelato shop - Devine Gelateria, serving ...gelato, Temple coffee/ tea, and a selection of ever revolving pastries. So on my first assessment of this shop I was prepared to be skeptical, I mean it's just rich, creamy ice cream right? Not quite.

"Premium ice creams are made with fresh cream (not condensed or powdered milk), real eggs, and natural flavorings. Quality ingredients aside, lesser ice creams also have more air whipped in. As much as half the carton may be air, in fact. More air--or "overrun"--means softer ice cream that scoops more easily and melts more quickly. Premium ice creams have very little air added; gelato has no air added at all.

Gelato and some premium ice creams are so dense that they require a slightly higher serving temperature, a perfect point where your scoop is firm but not hard and not so soft that it melts immediately. Gelato recipes usually include more egg yolks, more milk and less cream. It actually has less fat than regular ice cream, but gelato's low overrun makes for an extremely dense, rich and creamy treat." - World of Ice Cream

That's all in how your everyday gelato is made, which has no accounting for flavors or quality of ingredients. This place is one of the only in town that hold's it's own pasteurization license - meaning that the can control the quality of the milk from the start to end of the product!

Medium Serving: Mix of Roasted Almond, Caramel with Sea Salt, and Dark Chocolate

The flavors range from the traditional Pistachio, Dark chocolate, Lemon sorbeto, Strawberry sorbeto, Cappuccino, Stracciatella (closest to chocolate chip), and Roasted Almond to the more exciting Mascarpone, Caramel with Sea Salt, Chocolate with Raspberry and Whiskey, and a rumored Cuban made with Rum — the are very social media friendly and update their Facebook page all the time and are (unfortunately for my waistline and pocketbook) posting pictures of there tasty treats and new flavors!

The prices are pretty approachable at $3-$5 per serving Small-Large, but they do have a minimum charge of $5 for using a card, which was how I found myself trying the treat below...

This is there infrequently served German Chocolate cake, and like their name, it is Devine. Notice how there is no chocolate frosting? I was a bit surprised myself, and now I'm thinking all previous German Chocolate Cake's are too sweet; as this is a moist, 3-layer chocolate cake, with a decadent caramel, pecan, and coconut sauce on all layers and on top. I call it a sauce as it seems more simple and elegant than frosting. If you find yourself in it's presence do yourself a favor and try a slice.

Devine Gelateria & Cafe

http://devinegelateria.com

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Devine-Gelateria-Cafe/183601335021889

1221 19th St Sacramento, CA 95811

(916) 446-0600

Hours: Tue-Thu 11 am - 9 pm

Fri-Sat 11 am - 10 pm

Sun 12 pm - 5 pm

First Impressions: Juno's Kitchen & Delicatessen — A New Treasure in East Sac!

2011-12-22T08:00:00.000-08:00

It's the place next to the pizza guys on J. I was wondering if we had it right when we walked up as there was brighter lights outside the pizza guys than even signage for this place, but that was no deterrent for finding one of the newest hot spots for good eats in Sac. Open from Mon-Sat 11:30 am - 8 pm this place caters mainly to a lunch, early dinner, and take out crowd. And the phone didn't stop ringing the entire time we were there, so they must be doing something right.

Upon walking in, the first thing I saw was a clothesline, and attached were all their daily specials consisting of: sandwiches, their famous burger, entrees, and sides. The sandwiches ranged from Today's Steak - caramelized onions, blue cheese & roasted garlic alioli. $9.5 to Panko Crusted Eggplant - roasted peppers, tomato, Fontina cheese, basil aioli & balsamic vinegar. $7.5.

Although the sandwiches looked wonderful I headed for the Rock Shrimp with Spanish Chorizo, white wine, parsley and garlic $10.50 and a side of Mixed Mushrooms - garlic, parsley, wine & truffle oil. $4.75, finished with a side of house-made bread for $1.50 — my first impression of both of these dishes was that they were exceedingly better versions of dishes I've had a Tapa the World. Great sauces, clean flavors, and who doesn't love well cooked mushrooms.

Both are Spanish dishes and the sauces were soo good, that although I was out of bread a this time, I very much wanted to take the drippings home just to get more bread and finish them up. There food is not only beautiful, but affordable, and well executed making me very much wanna go back and see what I was missing with those sandwiches and there increasingly famous burger with Manchago.

Juno's Kitchen & Delicatessen

3675 J St Sacramento, CA 95816

(916) 456-4522

www.junoskitchen.com/

Hours: Mon-Sat 11:30 am - 8 pm

Auburn's Old Country Christmas (Photo)

2011-12-19T08:00:00.000-08:00

While it wasn't as famous (maybe for good reason) compared to the Victorian Christmas Faire in Nevada City this was pretty cute, chestnuts roasting, dancers, Santa, bon fires, vendors, and lots of people — had this been one of the German Christmas Night Markets there would be cups of Glue Wien (mulled wine) being drunken by all, but this was Northern California, what'd ya gonna do?

Cute, but not quite the return trip

TreyBcakes — My Current Favorite Taste in Town!

2011-12-15T09:00:00.000-08:00

Isn't this cupcake just as cute as it is scrumptious? Adorable and delectable at the same time!
This place is hardly new given it's being Yelped about, and written up all the time, but my two cents must be added to the choir — this is some of the softest, moistest cakes I've ever had, and I am including Freeport and Ettore's in this evaluation, it's almost like a chiffon cake-style.

There cupcakes are not only in great flavors like my current love (German chocolate - harder to find than you'd think), to red velvet, as well as there famous Lu Lu (similar to an awesome hostess cupcake).

Another fun treat, who doesn't love cake and ice cream together?
It's the only reason to attend a birthday party, so when I saw them take a super soft cupcake and add a dollop of gelato on top I was in heaven! My favorite combo was butter pecan on top of their chocolate cupcake - insane, the flavor almost tasted like there was a bit of Bourbon in it...
I asked, there wasn't unfortunately

So in buying up the entire store (always for research purposes, of course) we also got to try their coconut cake (not covered in the traditional cream cheese frosting but instead an Italian Buttercream - much better, and when given time to warm up, was even better) although I only got a bit of the pumpkin cheesecake before it was confiscated by another mouth in our group it was creamy as well as spicy, and only ever-so tart.

The famous chocolate banana tart was a bit surprising, as I'm a total purist, and chocolate and banana's aren't to mix - but they do so well here, a chocolate lining, filled with banana cream, and topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

Outside of the exciting sweets their cafe menu is small, but their ingenious chef created something called a StudMuffin. Not only is this a super cute name, but it's also a great cold day lunch as well. It's a meatloaf with onions and bacon inside, wrapped in a flaky puff pastery, and topped with parmasan whipped mashed potatoes and topped with more crispy bacon...all on the side with a healthy salad...to balance it all out.

As a testament to their customer service I came in on a dreary Saturday and the owner turned on the oven and made sure that I got to try one of these morsels. Outstanding!! Not only a great lunch, but it also got me thinking it would work great at a dinner party!

This family owned business is always manned by a family member at the counter, so I've gotten to know Trey (of TreyBcakes), mom and dad...from their very convenient hours, as they are open in the evening (when do people want desert? after dinner!!), to quality of cake, fun food ideas, to family-owned business this is one of my current favorites, and is quite worth the exploring!

TreyBcakes

www.treybcakes.com

1801 L St. Suite 70 Sacramento, CA 95811

(916) 442-7270

Winter Hours

Tue – Thu 7am-10pm

Friday 7am-11pm

Saturday 11am-11pm

Sunday 12pm-7pm

First Impressions: Clark's Corner — A Nice Local Pub, with Pretty Competitive Grub!

2011-12-07T08:30:00.000-08:00

There's a lot to love about this little place, during these holiday day's it's got a strong Christmas Carol - Fezziwig's Ball , English Pub, window boxes and gas lit lanterns feel about it.

It was a Tuesday night and the place was packed, it seems East Sac has found a new go-to eatery. Their chef was in attendance at the Turkey Cook-off making me think that this places is looking to not only take it's food seriously, but to have other's see what they can do as well...

...there is a bit of ambiguity of who's at the helm, as Alwin Santiago, Chef Clark's Corner was presenting for them at Trailfest, but on their website Executive Chef Marlaw Seraspi is named? Maybe it's a tandem team of talent? But despite who it is, they are talented at the pub level (first impression remember, not full review) of fare

Clark's Kobe Beef Burger - bacon, caramelized onions, blue cheese or aged cheddar, brioche bun    11
great eats! I loved that this was such a cheap, and well executed item. I had the blue cheese, the burger was cooked to order, the caramelized onions were sweet and savory, and the brioche was a solid pairing to this combo - this just hit the top of my Sac restaurant burger list

but where the burger shone from the hum-drum of Sacramento's burger culture, the dessert's really blew me away, I was hard pressed to reach a decision on which one was better

Xocopili Ganache Cake - Tahitian vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce, seasoned berries    6
spicy, sweet (but more dark chocolatey than sweet), creamy, lava-style cake, with ice cream

Guittard Butterscotch Pot De Creme - chocolate ganache, streusel, Chantilly     6
in the increasing debate of butterscotch pudding (and more and more places are throwing their hat's in the ring) it's hard to differentiate yourself, but Clark's does beautifully! their creamy, almost salty-sweet version is covered in intense chocolate, and crumbles of streusel - texturally this is quite appealing, and even made more creamy with Chantilly creme!

as this is my first impression I've lot's more to see, and I'm excited to find out...from fish taco's to ribs, weekday specials, to their famous chocolate chip cookie dessert...East Sac just got re-invigorated!

SACTOMOFO 3 — Everyone made it out, Even if they were Towed there!

2011-12-05T07:00:00.000-08:00

BACON, BACON, BACON

So there was a wealth of foodie talent, in abundance at this event, New (Bacon, Bacon, Bacon) and Old (Chairman Bao, MiniBurger) — but it was the cold (location), the consistency (Chairman Bao), and the effort (Seoul on Wheels) that stood out!

There was a great many trucks that looked great to try, like the one above but the lines were so intense just in the beginning and it was quite cold, that it didn't bode well for my resolve. Leaving me hoping that I'll get a chance to hunt them down sometime soon!

JAPACURRY

AN the GO

Cajan Wagon

Hapa SF

Seoul on Wheels

This really was the little truck that could! It broke down and was towed ALL the way from Noe Valley! Not only were people wondering if they were going to make it, but when they did show up they broke through the two-hour wait Chairman Bao line! Calamity ensued! People be calm, it's just a food truck! but you should have hear the comments:"What the hell, you were behind me not in front!"

— I didn't really care about any of that as I was at the front of the line at this point, post my own 2-hour wait! But from jumping on the Bao truck for a bite, to hooking up their generator to get going it was a determined effort from these owners and cooks
— FOOD TRUCKS GET IT DONE!

After the truck was posted up the line literally formed out of nowhere, and the organizers showed up and said "it's going to be about an hour before they will even be ready to serve!" Nobody moved. Unfortunately I wasn't even able to stay in the cold, wind tunnel that the underpass of the freeway had become because of a timing commitment, so my line-cook friend stayed and was underwhelmed with the temperature, consistency and overall flavor? Maybe it was just too much to live up to with the wait?


Chairman Bao Truck

That was the line, no joke! and I got there at 10:45 AM! before the gates even officially opened! this trucks always brings the crowds, but I've got to say they also never disappoint — there food is consistent (this is big) and fantastic! I'm a HUGE fan of pork belly, and the crispy tofu and miso greens were sooo good, they might have been even better?

First Impressions: Blue Prynt

2011-11-29T08:30:00.000-08:00

So looking for a quick lunch (this is a great lunch spot) I decided to try a local new hotspot still trying to overcome it's location: Blue Prynt. This location, previously Sophia's, is a hard sell after 6PM and the streets roll up at night. It's not on the main through-fair (i.e. J & L Streets) so just a little of the beaten path can pose a problem, with this caveat: If the food is good, they will come!

There's some interesting new items on Chef Lockard's newest menu and as this was only an initial visit, my first conclusion is that: it bears repeating. I want to see more of what they can do. I had the...

Filet Mignon Sandwich - grilled beef tenderloin with horseradish havarti, sautéed button mushrooms green leaf lettuce, sliced tomato aioli all served on house made rosemary garlic bread (10.99)

the taste was interesting, although it was Filet Mignon, somehow the garlic steak at Jamie's was more tender? I would recommend smaller cuts so it wasn't so toothsome? the mushrooms were great, and although I loved the flavor of the rosemary garlic bread it was a bit overpowering on this sando

and my sister had the,

Mushroom Panini - royal trumpet, shiitake, and oyster mushrooms from Dragon Gourmet Mushrooms sautéed with whole roasted garlic, tomatoes and gruyere cheese served with a tarragon aioli on a soft Bennett’s Bakery hoagie bun (8.99)

so where the other sandwich was a miss, this one hit it out of the park! the mushrooms were outstanding!!!! buttery, succulent, and savory all at the same time, I ate half her sandwich and she wasn't pleased as it was quite to her liking as well, the hogie was a perfect amount of bread and the Gruyere gave a great sharpness to a luscious meal - plus LOVED the tarragon aioli

Something on my to-be-tried list:

This is supposed to be quite a presentation dish, so it's on my must try list, but if the mushrooms are anywhere NEAR as good as they were on the panini it should be exceptional

Mushroom Basket - a mix of sautéed Dragon Gourmet Mushrooms on a bed of house made rosemary garlic bread topped with creamy goat cheese and wrapped in a cumin dusted phyllo dough (9.99)

Robert Fong's Turkey Cook-Off - Turkeylicious!

2011-11-24T09:30:00.000-08:00

How could anyone enjoy supporting a good cause better than eating through it?
At Robert Fong's 5th Annual and final Turkey Cook-Off there was turkey in abundance and celebrations all over — from helping to feed the hungry at Loaves and Fishes to celebrating Sister Libby's Birthday (Executive Director or Loaves and Fishes).

Late Entry: Smoked Turkey with Turkey Fois Gras Sausage by Cha che at Shady Lady Saloon

The turkey competition was steep as there was at least 18 turkeys, and the abilities ranged from standard (home-cooking-style) to surprisingly good! So after getting a chance to meet all the other judges (restaurant association officials, local television stars, and myself (The Food & Wine Diva)) we got our directions and feasted!

The point system ranged from 1-10 and were scored on Flavor, Tenderness and Overall appeal. There were definitely some standouts in the good and not-so-goods, but as the tasting was blind it was a true torture attempting to find out who was who while eating — not that it was an easy task with every chef starring at the judges all nonchalantly (slight sarcasm)

Patrick Mulvaney (Mulvaney's B&L) and Noah Zonka (The Kitchen) with their turkeys

The big upset at the end of the competition was when Patrick Mulvaney swept in at the last minute with his very nontraditional chicken fried turkey and won the competition. Among the very honorable mentions was the Bourbon/Brown Sugar butter sauce that topped the succulent turkey made by The Kitchen's Noah Zonka, and "The THANKSGIVING Turkey" by Jamie Bunnell of Jamie's Bar & Grill. This particular turkey was the absolute personification of all things thanksgiving: tender, moist, herbaceous, and succulent (this turkey can supposedly be found during the holiday season at Jamie's).

So the eating, judging and turkey were all for a good cause; the awards were as follows:

Mulvaney's B&L - Chicken Fried Turkey
Jamie's Bar & Grill - "The" Thanksgiving Turkey
Aioli Bodega Espanola - White Meat Turkey and Sweet Potatoes

The following was also a fun get of the evening The Impossible Cake by Pyramid Alehouse's Executive Chef

SactoMoFo 3: December 3, downtown Sacramento

2011-11-22T09:00:00.000-08:00

Foodies! SacToMoFo rounded up 8 Bay Area and over a dozen local food trucks, carts and other vendors (including San Francisco's JapaCurry, Hapa SF, Chairman Bao, An The Go, El Porteno, Seoul on Wheels and Bacon Bacon trucks, and many of your local favorites and lots of new local vendors - including a big Hmong grill, Leila's Lumpia, It's Corn Cake, tacos, burgers, sandwiches, banh mi, BBQ, smoothies and more) for SactoMoFo 3, to be held Saturday, December 3, 11 am - 6 pm rain or shine at the Downtown weekend Farmer’s Market location (8th & W Streets, under the freeway). Stop by for lunch and stay for dinner!

No tickets, no entrance fee, just lots of great food and drink!

5th Annual Turkey Cook Off benefiting Loaves & Fishes

2011-11-20T08:30:00.000-08:00

5^th Annual Turkey Cook Off benefiting Loaves & Fishes

5^th Annual Turkey Cook Off

Benefitting Loaves & Fishes

Monday, November 21^st, 2011

2:00pm - 4:00pm

Beatnik Studios, 2421 A 17^th Street, Sacramento, CA

For the fifth year in a row, I am bringing together Sacramento’s top restaurants to create delicious turkey meals that will help Loaves & Fishes provide a Thanksgiving feast for the City’s homeless population.

Since 1983, Loaves & Fishes has relied solely on private donations to support its work of feeding the hungry and sheltering the homeless. This year, we will continue to work together to reach our goal of 200 turkeys which will provide a meal to every man, woman, and child that stands in line for a Thanksgiving meal at Loaves & Fishes this year.

With the Holiday Season upon us, my staff has been hard at work organizing what we know will be the “Best Turkey Cook Off” to date. This year we will not only celebrate the chef’s turkey creations, we will also be celebrating Executive Director of Loaves & Fishes Sister Libby Fernandez’s birthday.

The event consists of each participating restaurant donating two fully cooked turkeys. During the cook-off, Sacramento’s top restaurants showcase turkeys they have prepared using closely guarded, top-secret recipes and techniques.

Our judges panel taste a small portion of each turkey to judge tenderness and flavor. The most tender and flavorful turkeys are recognized with 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd place awards. In the past, our winners have included Jamie’s Bar & Grill, Tower Café, Fox & Goose, Riverside Clubhouse, The Kitchen, Bali Wine Bar & Grill, Old Soul Co., Hangar 17 Bar & Grill, Selland's Market-Café, Café Bernardo, and The Shady Lady Saloon to name a few.

In the past, we have had restaurants with backgrounds in all types of cuisine participate; most of them not specializing in turkey. We encourage all restaurants to participate and take part in helping us feed the hungry and ease the work load on Loaves & Fishes not just during the holidays but year round.

Those interested in participating and/or making a donation should contact Jessica Equihua at p: (916) 808-5241 e: JEquihua@cityofsacramento.org. If you know of a restaurant that would like to participate, please feel free to forward them this information.

The Turkey Cook Off also has a Facebook page! For any questions, updates or to check out which restaurants will be participating, please visit http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sacramento-Councilmember-Fongs-Turkey-Cookoff/109172565795209?ref=ts. If you have trouble accessing the link, an easy search will navigate you to the right page - just type “Turkey Cook Off.”

Mark your calendars!

-Rob

Councilmember Rob Fong,

City of Sacramento, District 4

Berryessa Gap's Paella Cook-Off 2011 — Feeding the Masses, One Spoonful at a Time

2011-11-15T08:00:00.000-08:00

"Sold out, the event is sold out!" I was told by the who's who's at Berryessa Gap before I jumped in the car to head to Winters, CA. The excitement of having the event sold out is a real get as the proceeds were going to the local Winters High School. So in the cold November air locals, foodies, winos and paella fans alike met to watch 12 competitors meet up from all over Northern California in a challenge to find who could run forward with the bragging rights of the best paella!

A Spanish town at it's roots, paella means quite a bit to the town of Winters, as this is the dish of the people - of the masses, and boy was it ever - when the Master of Ceremonies Nick Toma announced "Ok everyone let's eat!" The crowd surged, and formed haphazard lines akin to those in 1st grade. The paella was plated as fast as the spoons could move! Then the procession got down to eating, while I and my fellow judges got down to judging.

The paellas were comprised of everything from the very traditional (and winning) saffron, chorizo, chicken legs, peppers, and shellfish (mussels, scallops, shrimp) where the more un-traditional were made up of ingredients such as crawdads (hard to eat when your judging), linguica (spicy Italian sausage), and chicken livers. The judges panel was an eclectic mix of food and wine bloggers/ stylists, and formal paella historians - who've been judging the art of paella for years!

The winning sangria was my personal favorite - a juicy fruit forward blend of fresh fruit, spices, and a blending of red wines - the winner was then presented with the "Sangria" jug, the yearly ceremonial prize, and the 1st place paella winner (1st-3rd place awarded) was Addy from Addy's Paella - traditional in style, and the most well prepared among the bunch - this was the first year I noticed the judges in such agreeance on this decision - so the bragging rights were all hers!

So as the event winded down, all the paella was eaten, the wine drunk, and the room (wine storage room) getting colder by the minute we said our goodbyes, congratulated the winners, made our final wine purchases (this is a winery after all), and headed home till next years big event. Last year the biggest surprise was the squid ink in the paella that made it (and my teeth) black! This year it was the crawdad's which were tasty but hard to eat, so the question is what will they think of next year?

Food & Wine Holiday's on a Budget!

2011-11-12T10:00:00.000-08:00

So every holiday gift giver out there in these last years has met the season with excitement and trepidation - because who doesn't love the holidays: the fun, festivities, food, drink, and of course presents! but how to pay for it?

I was sent a really unique gift idea from Grocery Outlet of all places, now I'm not normally a bargain sale kinda girl but I always love a good deal, and I've got to say that there were some cool gifting

items there that I would have never considered. From Burt's bees gift balms to tea, wine, cookies, crackers, and biscotti!

The whole basket cost only $17.94 and would normally be $35.94!

Now if for nothing else, this could be a great food & wine gift idea for the coming season!

4th Annual Paella Cook-Off is Almost Here!

2011-11-10T09:00:00.000-08:00

Where are you going to be this Saturday night?

Come on, who here doesn't want to drink for a good cause?

Last year was a total blast of fantastic good food, great drink and engaging conversation with the savvy and well connected winemaker Mike Anderson! Check it out here if you missed it!

Doughbot Donuts! Finally Getting to Try What Everyone's Talking About!

2011-11-08T09:00:00.000-08:00

It's all about texture and glazes for a donut — and we have some stiff competition here in Sacramento for really good donuts with Marie's Donuts on Freeport - whether it's at 1:00 AM after a bender or Sunday morning with the paper this has been my donut institution for many a year - good memories have been made at Marie's, but it's a new donut era and with the likes of VooDoo Donuts out of Portland, and Dynamo Donuts out of San Fransisco changing the donut scene all across the country – it's all about bacon maple donuts, new flavors, and changing the donut experience!

Now there's a lot to love at Doughbot Donuts, there kitch location on 10th, the fact that they use an iPad to ring all their credit card purchases (LOVE this), and that they keep a strong indie vibe -
Just take their donut styles into account, and I tried almost everyone
(for research purposes, of course):

Cacao Nib Chocolate topped with raw cacao nib

Mounds O’ Coconut Chocolate topped with toasted coconut

Joy of Almonds Chocolate topped with toasted coconut & almonds

Bacon Maple Bacon speckled dough with maple glaze, topped with bacon

The Dude White Russian Bavarian creme-filled, sprinkled with coffee bean

Bacon Maple Apple Fritter Apple cinnamon filling, maple glaze topped with apples & bacon

they are not short of inspiration, or flavor appeal - reaching out to the vegan community with a whole list of donuts including a blueberry lavender that I was able to try (quite good)

So here it is...

The Good:

the glazes are fantastic, not too sweet, creamy, savory, lots of differentiation in flavor (I especially love that their Chocolate is made with Dark Chocolate, and their Great Pumpkin had a pumpkin custard - wonderful). I loved the donut bread pudding, great use of extra donuts, and the flake coconut for the Joy of Almonds (a take on the Almond Joy candy bar).

The bad:

although I'm a huge bacon lover I'm a bit over this craze, and I wasn't a huge fan of the way DD does their bacon (they mix the bacon into the dough instead of putting it on top) the only reason I'm not as much of a fan is that you can't taste the crispy crunch, because it's more of a chewy salty-ness now?

but beside their bacon antics, it's the dough that I'd need to get used to — it's a bit of a cross between a donut and a bagel?

it's pretty heavy...Unlike the lightness of a Marie's donut, or a denseness of a cake donut, this is neither, it's more like thick bread with a glaze? now don't get me wrong there is no wrong or right in the donut world, not yet at least, but this takes us even further out of the traditional...

but there might be something genius in this,

imagine having one..maybe two, a coffee and calling it a day?

Maybe they've solved the empty stomach donut dilemma?

The glazes, excitement, local-ness, use of an iPad for purchases and sheer difference they are from anything else alone should make you go check them out!

Doughbot Dounts

www.doughbotdonuts.com

2226 10th St Sacramento, CA 95818

(916) 444-5157

The "Famous" House of Prime Rib - If it wasn't so Funny it Would Have Been Tragic!

2011-11-02T09:00:00.000-07:00

This restaurant was a story, a fantasy for me - I'd been talking to my friend Karen about this place for 2 years, to me it wasn't even a real restaurant it was a time-warp to the 1950's where Frank Sinatra was crooning in the background on the piano, and the drinks were all gin martini's and bourbon on the rocks - with a little Shakespearean English mixed in - to fill out the color of my imaginings.
That was SO not what this place actually is in application.

Upon walking into the famous House of Prime Rib you're met with a wall of the most "exceptional" wines in their cellar. Note: there was Silver Oak, Stag's Leap, and many others but hardly a Lafite Rothschild or Haut Brion in sight - plus no great wines are ever exposed to light in this manner, all for show! The demographic was far from the Sinatra and classy ladies in their "going out" sequin dresses - it was jeans, T-shirts, and beers all around
— I had found my self in the Disneyland of Prime Rib!!

This begin playing out like a bad dream, the books stacked up in the "Library" were practically fake - to which my friend replied, "Oh there real, fake books would cost more!" The candles were even the fake ones!! The people were tourists, Chinese Businessmen, football fans, and children having birthday parties (I was horrified, my friends were laughing horribly, as they KNEW what we were getting into - a tourist trap the likes of Fisherman's Warf)

After waiting 30 minutes for a table, ours was given away when we arrived 15 minutes late, and the masses were hungry. So we sat in the "Library" and split a bottle of wine - a fave of mine Frog's Leap, where the "sommelier" came over and decanted it - while talking about how the crowd (quite large) had really simmered down - I can't imagine what it looks like when it's busy. We enjoyed some Costco-style Asian snack mix at this point while waiting for the table.

While trying to absorb every atrocious and blog-worthy detail we were then seated at a large, duffed pleather red booth in the back. This is literally the point where I started laughing-til-crying when, as sitting, we almost sank to the floor because their "luxurious" booths were more akin to grandma's old mattress than a plush couch.

The ordering at this establishment was a real treat, you order based on the size slab of meat you want:

The City Cut- a smaller cut for the lighter appetite. (12 oz)

House of Prime Rib Cut- a hearty portion of juicy, tender beef. (18 oz)

The English Cut- some feel that a thinner slice produces the better flavor. (25 oz)

King Henry VIII Cut- extra- generous, thick cut of prime beef, for king size appetites. (35 oz)

After picking your cut of meat your dinner includes:

The Salad Bowl- A colorful mixture of healthy, crisp, seasonal greens prepared at your table, tossed in our unique house dressing.

Mashed Potatoes- A generous steaming helping of the all American favorite, served with thick brown gravy

Or Baked Potato- A superior sized Idaho potato served with butter and sour cream, with a sprinkle of chives

Yorkshire Pudding- Straight from merry olde England! Light, airy batter baked to a golden brown dome, with a fluffy interior to soak up those savory beef juices.

Creamed Spinach A light dish of garden spinach whipped with fresh cream and pieces of bacon.

Desserts From our dessert cart, we offer the most sumptuous sinful desserts to complete your evening. (we were NEVER offered dessert)

Much to the dislike of our waitress both our parties ordered the King Henry and split them (split charge of $7.00) - unless your really hungry or a Flintstone then this cut of meat is ridiculous - even splitting we took half of it home!

The start of the dinner began by bringing out a corn-fritter which is probably normally placed on the side-plate next to your dinner plate, but in our case it was more about catching the hockey puck as it came your way, and it wasn't even warm.

Then they brought out a lazy-susan board with a wheel of bread, where your empowered to cut your own, this only presents a huge problem as the table is too small to not knock everything over, the booth making you feel like you're at the kid's table, and at $50/ head you'd think they cut your bread for you instead of putting your fingers at risk.

After about a 20 minute wait of taking in all the "House of Prime Rib" monogrammed napkins, cutlery, wall art, to-go bags, chargers, and outside sidewalk (viewed upon coming in), we were pretty sure they must have scored some kind of deal they were trying to maximize.

But our salads were arriving, so with "awe & amazement" we watched as the waitress spun the bowl with the finest iceberg lettuce, beets, and thousand island dressing - such drama and flourish! After actually receiving the salads which were huge (about the side of 1 1/2 dinner plates) we realized that the bowls were actually colder than the salad was!

We were then presented with our HUGE cuts of beef. My friend told me they used to bring the large space-shuttle like contraption to your table and cut your meat right in front of you, but ours was just chosen for us. But one hilarious person in our party had a debate with the waitress about what an end-cut is. (The "end cut" is just that...the end of the roast. It'll be cooked more, and it usually is more heavily seasoned than a cut from the interior of the roast.) Because of this debate he and the cutting chef had an in-depth analysis of what was the best cut, much to the hilarity of the table.

The split entitled us to an extra salad, and plate of beef drippings? So where my other half had the plate of prime rib set in front of her I had a huge, monogrammed of course, plate of beef drippings set in front of me. The accompanying loaded baked potato (which I'm pretty sure used baco bits) were good for staples, but the creamed spinach tasted more than a little like baby food to me and a creamed out seared spinach in a pan —But the Yorkshire pudding was a solid homerun!

Yorkshire pudding is similar to a dutch baby, it's kind of like a pancake served with beef gravy, so for everything else I didn't like about this restaurant, I'd go back for another one of these! As we finished the meal, but weren't offered any more prime rib or dessert, we had our residual roast wrapped up.

This place LIVES for presentation, so like the salad, the plating of the baked potatoes, the left-overs also had an expert left-over food wrapper who makes everything perfect, and finishes it in a red, again monogrammed, bag! It was so cute and prepared for perfection it should have "moo-ed"!

For another version of this experience check out Anthony Bourdain's adventure at HOPR,
but note the differences - he is famous after-all!

House of Prime Rib

www.houseofprimerib.net

1906 Van Ness Avenue San Francisco, CA 94109-3008 (415) 885-4605 Hours: Sun 4–10pm; Mon-Thu 5:30–10pm; Fri 5–10pm; Sat 4:30–10pm

Tartine, San Francisco - Where Wonders Never Cease

2011-10-31T08:30:00.000-07:00

Few are the establishments you can go to and actually be in wonder the entire time, this place was one of those for me. From the line outside, the lack of a name on the building or door, the community tables, or the crowds of people waiting in pent up excitement - there was nothing that could keep from the beauty of the dessert case at Tartine.

This place as been covered on the Food Network, Cooking Channel and others, and I didn't even know that till after I'd been there (though it does explain the crowd). The pastry case is chalk full of eats like coconut cake, eclairs made with Valrhona chocolate, brioche bread pudding (made seasonally), morning buns (that morning covered with orange sugar), and croque madame in four varieties!

The very Double Pain Au Chocolate featured above, and I didn't even know about the feature till I got home, the only reason I was inspired was it was the last one at 9:00 AM and so it had to be good - and it was...exceptional. Soft, flaky, buttery, and full of dark beautiful chocolate.

Exceptional, from the latte's to the bread pudding (so moist)

— this is a new MUST - VISIT on my list from now on!

TARTINE BAKERY

www.tartinebakery.com/

600 Guerrero Street or

561 Valencia St,

San Francisco, CA 94110

(415) 487-2600

Hours: Sun 9am–8pm; Mon 8am–6:45pm;

Tue-Wed 7:30am–7pm; Thu-Fri 7:30am–8pm; Sat 8am–8pm

Dinner on the Farm 2011 - A Starry Night of Good Food

2011-10-26T09:30:00.000-07:00

A soft sunset, a twinkling lit table and people passionate about food, and where it comes from in abundance; this was the makings of a Dinner on the Farm - the now seasonally hosted event for

The Center for Land-Based Learning. From teaching students where their food comes from (this in itself is no small deal) to helping train farmers to be farmers (new generation farmers).

This non-profit benefits the land and the people who till the soil, and when all the days work is done they sat down and broke bread with their supporters. The drive out to Winters, CA is always a departing from the norm, taking in the country in, in all it's glory.

Once at our destination we were met with a cocktail reception including: Gin Gimlet's with Basil, and Bourbon Sour's with celery onion bitters and mint - The master mixologists at Slow Club, San Francisco were working up a frenzy with all the large crowd around their table, but kept the crowd at bay with:

Dark & Stormy Butternut Squash Soup w/ crème fraiche and pineapple mint

and

Assorted Pizzas from the outdoor oven - Melon and Mission Pixtos

After we all joined at the tables the fun really began. Like kids at a summer camp table everyone made new friends all around them, networking with fellow foodies, and culinary gossip running rampant - but one tenant remains true, all attending were passionate about food, talking about food, while eating incredible food

Salad Course

-Roasted Chicories & Delicata Squash Salad w/caerphilly cheese, candied seeds, and orange-brown butter vinaigrette (this one was already gone by the time the plate reached me, the masses were hungry!)

-Seasonal Greens w/ cherry tomatoes, breakfast radishes, and sherry-mustard vinaigrette

-Marinated Beets w/ ricotta salata, herbs, and citrus vinaigrette
(personal fave, loved the sharpness of the cheese, and they earthiness of the beets)

-Handkerchief Pasta w/ roasted chicken, spinach, tomatoes, and romano
(soft al dente cooked pasta, pulled chicken, and savory salty romano/spinach on top - simple, elegant, rustic, and filling)

There was so much to love in these courses, from hearty to cheese - plus who doesn't love a cheese plate at the end of a meal, fantastic touch!

Main Course

-Lamb Roulade w/ caponata, grilled bread w/ tomato jam and white anchovy
(the lamb roulade was outstanding, and many a patrons favorite, the caponata was soft and tender, the lamb toothsome and perfectly seasoned - I personally loved the grilled bread with fire-roasted tomatoes and salty white anchovies)

-Roast Pig w/ braised collard greens, and twice baked yams accompanied with apple butter, mustard, and hot sauce
(Roast pig? Come on the meal was getting pretty insane at this point, succulent meat and when the apple butter and hot sauce were mixed they were even better! Plus the yams were all butter and sugar, just the way they should be)

Cheese Course

-Comté and Tomme w/ candied walnuts, fig jam, and pickled strawberry preserves

(this was a special offering from the new cheese rooms of Turkovich Wine and now Cheeses - there tomme and comte both French in style were creamy, soft and paired beautifully with the preserves - you can find these cheese coming soon at Winters Cheese Co.)

So when all the wine was drank, the speeches said, the dessert was served, and it was right up there with the pork and the bourbon.

Dessert

-Chocolate-Walnut Frangipane Tart w/ candied walnuts and vanilla chantilly
(super chocolatey, soft cream, and sharp, sweet, earthy candied walnuts - insane!)

-Pear Tart w/ almond crème, fresh huckleberries, and vanilla ice cream
(almonds, berries, cream, pears - as if the chocolate wasn't enough?)

By the end of the night the diners were full, the chefs were exhausted, and the praise bestowed on all that played a contributing part. Exciting future news of a seasonal, not annual, dinners would begin in February, and the featured chef's to be cooking would be Patrick Mulvaney of Mulvaney's B&L, and Oliver Ridgeway the new executive chef for The Grange. To find out this event, and the future ones to come check out The Center for Land-Based Learning.

Presidio Social Club, San Francisco - Time Warp to the 1950's

2011-10-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

Ok, so was I the only one that didn't know that the Presidio in San Francisco was actually named the district name for the Army base that it used to occupy? and that there is gorgeous property houses that are former officer houses all over the former base that are now occupied by non-profits (swank digs), and this is all seated comfortably right next to Lucas Films Special Effects Studios - Industrial Light & Magic? No wonder this place is known for having some of the most high priced real estate in S.F and is the district where the likes of Dianne Feinstein and Sharon Stone shack up!

The main eatery in the central hub of this once occupied this Army base, and what was also once the officers barracks (oh my) — is now the home of the Presidio Social Club. This place is right out of the 1950's without even trying; from the bar that was made from medicine cabinets, to the table of "ladies-who-lunch" taking in their lunch and cocktails from 11:00 am - 3:00 pm, to the 50's style classic cocktails, and a very simple menu that is offered from lunch to dinner with mid-century classics.

So how do the eats from the 1950's fare in a 2011 world? Not surprisingly all the food and cocktails are very familiar to our comfort-style food that's been running rampant through the country since our depression-recession hit in 2008 - but while familiar dishes in style, my question was could they pull them off? Could they make a really good mac n' cheese? a solid meat loaf?

fried green tomatoes housemade ricotta, olive tapenade   11
So if you've ever had great fired green tomatoes you know the breading is light, but crisp, the tomato taste comes through, and if you're lucky their topped with a spicy aoli or remoulade - this wasn't quite that, it was a thickly breaded tomato (so less flavor comes through), and the olive tapenade although good, overwhelmed the taste of the tomatoes - though the house-made ricotta was a nice touch for a creamy textural difference

duck rillette roasted cherry mostarda, rye toasts    8
this was my favorite dish, I love the ducky liver, so this duck pate, topped with a layer of duck fat and cracked pepper was fantastic then finished with the cherry mostarda - a deeply flavorful garnish, and eaten on rye toasts (the only change I would have made would make these toast points instead of Lincoln logs of rye bread that reminded me of dunking toast my mom used to give me with chicken soup when I got sick - presentation, and texture, nothing more) - other than that this was the cheapest and best part of the meal, and I'd like to think it was as 1950's as apple pie!

macaroni and cheese topped with bread crumbs    10
so we already know how hard a sell a good mac n' cheese is for me, given how great my sisters's is, and how MANY people attempt to make this dish (it's like the quick go-to comfort food dish for every restaurant), so I was surprised how good this one was. With 4 cheeses, and what tasted like a herbed bechamel sauce it came out pipping hot and completed our time travel meal

meatloaf shaved rainbow carrots, mashed potatoes, fried shallots    17

so if mac n' cheese is hard sell meatloaf might be worse for me, I'm very specific in what I like - I used to work with some real old school cutters (butchers) from David Berkeley that were local legends before the big box stores, so after finding the perfect combination of meats it's hard to taste anything else and find it good. I'll depart the secret to you: 1/3 82% ground chuck, 1/3 Italian pork sausage, 1/3 ground veal - finish it with tomato paste, mashed potatoes and greens. Every butcher I ask for this at Corti's, Whole Foods, Taylors, and Sampino's knows exactly what I'm talking about, this is what REAL meatloaf tastes like.

This wasn't quite that, as it was a full beef meatloaf, so a bit light on flavor/seasoning, but I loved the touch of the shaved carrots, and fried shallots, this made the meatloaf uniquely great for me.

Presidio Social Club
563 Ruger St (near Lombard Gate, in the Presidio),
San Francisco, CA 94129
(415) 885-1888