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Whiskies of the World Tonight -- Awesome or Lame?
This is exactly the reason I wanted go: to figure out what "kind" of whiskey drinker I am, what isles I prefer, what age I like. While it does sound like it would be fun to hear stories from craftsman and the like, but the idea of seminars on a Saturday night -- just the very words -- are kind of a turnoff, no matter what the topic. Sadly, I think I would get more out of it trying to taste things I can't afford. :) Thanks all!
Chicken & Waffles in SF
OMG is Christian still there at Little Skillet? I think he makes the place tick, and if he's gone....yikes. I will miss seeing his red beard and baseball cap! Will have to do some recon this week....
My favorite thing there, besides the chicken and/or waffle, is the cucumber salad. It sounds so simple, but they put shaved fennel in it. It's vinegary, and a little hot and spicy (pimiento????) I could eat a bucket of that stuff. The ginger ale is really good too. It's Prince Neville, I think, and will burn a hole in your throat it's so effing gingery.
Also the Sf Chronicle had a huge article on chicken and waffle joints as they seem to multiplying rapidly. Can't find an active link tho, sorry.
Whiskies of the World Tonight -- Awesome or Lame?
I thought about that, but then figured the folks in NYC might have had a totally different experience depending on how it's set up there. In the end, after a day of moving furniture, we were too pooped to go. Spent the evening watching kung fu movies and drinking burgundy. Honestly, it wasn't so bad...
Whiskies of the World Tonight -- Awesome or Lame?
Considering going to the Whiskies of the World tonight, but am concerned that drinking in a giant hotel ballroom is really not more fun or interesting than being in a really great bar that serves a lot of great whiskey and rye.
Anybody been? Is it more for industry types?
Fatted Calf to go Bricks and Mortar in Hayes Valley
Any idea which storefront? Old Citizen Cake digs (seems kinda large tho)?
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Citizen Cake
399 Grove Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
What are you drinking right now?
I really like Denner. For some reason they seem to fly under the radar...
The Creamery coffee opens Monday-ish in Soma
I went. I drank. It's ok.
Drip was ok, but hmmm. A tad watery? Confusion at the counter on how to ring stuff up (hummus wrap). But nice inside nonetheless.
I don't know. I will hold my judgment until I get a shot. Coworkers had the espresso, and seemed to think it was good. We'll see...
The Creamery coffee opens Monday-ish in Soma
I asked if they were going to use Stumptown beans. They said no, Ritual beans that they will then roast. Confusing. Still want to try it Monday....
The Creamery coffee opens Monday-ish in Soma
Sorry. Yes, 4th and Townsend, across from the Walgreens.
The Creamery coffee opens Monday-ish in Soma
Word is there's going to be a new coffee-nerd place of worship opening on Monday in Soma.
The Creamery, as it will be called, serves beans from Ritual Coffee (but roasts their own or something?) So I gather from the signs up last week and mumblings of the dude smoking in the parking lot outside today.
They are still hammering away in there, so it may or may not open on Monday proper. Being a workaday stooge in that hood, I can only hope it will.
How About A New What Are You Drinking ?
I so loved the '02 Havens merlot. Didn't know he sold it! So depressing. Probably not for him, mostly for us...
Need Cool Wine Bar Atmosphere Near Moscone
I second these recs for business dinner. District is good on a weekday and has a lovely winebar (huge horseshoe) but the high tables around it can feel tight and crowded. Wouldn't order the mini pizzas. Atmosphere is creative businessy.
South is Aussie/Kiwi, and more restaurantish than District. It's a sit down kind of place.
I totally think Cav is great and apparently they just lowered the prices on food to $20 and under for all entrees, or so I hear.
Batali, Paltrow & Bittman in Spain...
Oh my god I think you're totally right.
I don't think it's just the shrimp that are smoked, so to speak! Maybe I would enjoy the show more if I were stoned...but I'm asthmatic, so it's tough. And frankly I do not need to be encouraged when it comes to the munchies. I have those stone cold sober.
Best Wine Book for Novice
Thank you souvenir, Jason and Bill for your thoughts. Sounds like I have my Christmas list all wrapped up!
Recession wines
Well look what I found!
It's a K&L blog entry on recession wines. Perfect!
http://blog.klwines.com/2008/10/recession_guide_diversify_your.html
I have had the ubiquitous Las Rocas garnacha on many occasions. And s/he who hasn't experienced the joy of a liter bottle of Austrian Gruner, well, there's still time.
I also think in this column they give good advice on trying less in demand varietals as George did in his post here. A while ago, I started picking up pinot blancs from all my favorite Oregon and cool weather Cali pinot noir producers just to check it out. It was great! The winemaking is just as good, and the bottle is usually about half the price ($12-$15). Of course it doesn't quite go with lamb stew, and I don't really know about the aging potential, but what the heck. Indian summer here and all.
My favorite cheap hot weather white of the year, though, has to be the Famega Vinho Verde. Got it at Rainbow for $7, but I have seen it for $4.99 elsewhere. Super crisp, minerally, and ever so slightly effervescent. Only 9 percent alcohol, so you can booze away and still be alert the next day. Plus it's way cheaper than my favorite rose of all time, Tempier du Bandol, which has shot up in price to a ridiculous $37 a bottle. Seriously!
Best Wine Book for Novice
I was just going to ask if anybody has read that. We are looking for a wine book too, but something more ... encyclopedic. Like the LaRousse, only for wine. Our Matt Kramer guide to Cali wines is great reading (we like to read aloud pertinent passages as we are driving through wine country in the Subaru), but it obviously says nothing of vinho verde or nero d'avola or Stellenbosch whites. Bagel!
Does Jancis' book cover these varietals/places? We'd like a reference that covers geography as well as winemaking processes and key figures.
Batali, Paltrow & Bittman in Spain...
My beef (or my carne, whatever) is that the show is, unlike every other public television show ever created, not informative or educational enough. Maybe that allows them to sound less canned, but in this case I could do with a little more...canning.
And I'm sure we're all very proud of Gwyneth that she went to Spain on foreign exchange in high school from Spence prep and it's touching that she still visits her host family all the time (as documented a few years ago in InStyle magazine during a highly orchestrated comeback that involved spilling the beans on breaking up with Brad), but that does not an expert make. Nor does it make her a good tour guide of the country. I personally think her Spanish sucks from a pronunciation standpoint.
I expected a little more from Bittman, though I'm not sure why. He's a writer, and writers aren't known for their screen presence. As for those who think this is a travelogue in the vein of No Reservations -- I wish it were.
That is the problem with this show: there is no Anthony Bourdain.
Recession wines
We just recently bought the Casillero Del Diablo Carmenere and thought it was great. (I have had many Concha Y Toro wines previously, but this one seems extra good.) And I have often found myself buying the Geyser Peak sav blanc in a pinch. Seems I'm in a pinch more often these days :)
Can't wait to try the rest. Thanks for the recs! I will post my own cheap notables in a few days.
ISO early dinner in Hayes Valley tonight
I'm so glad you told me this! I live half a block away and now there's even more reason to go. Thanks!!!
Egg coffee, what's this?
I think this is the same process used to clarify wine in what's called fining.
Sometimes you'll see a small phrase on wine labels that says the wine is "unfined and unfiltered," meaning it has not been processed with fining agents such as egg whites (or carbon etc.) to remove stray particles and/or unsavory flavors. I didn't know they did that with coffee!
ISO early dinner in Hayes Valley tonight
I love CAV! I didn't recommend it because it's not particularly cheap. But the new chef is really good, like the first. Except it's a dude now. Wine list seems to have shrunk a tad since the early years, but it's still v. interesting and thoughtful. Can't wait to hear what you had.
ISO early dinner in Hayes Valley tonight
Firstly, congratulations on your daughter's impending nuptials!
So the symphony is performing tonight at 8 p.,m. and that means the whole 'hood is going to be crazy packed with diners at an early hour, particularly Absinthe and Citizen Cake. Suppenkuche is a freaking madhouse, esp Friday nights. But they do walk-ins.
For quick good meals, I like Hayes and Kebab at Hayes and Gough. It's cheapish, close to Indigo and you cannot go wrong with the salmon kebab plate. Not fancy but not divey.
The new Frjtz on Hayes is cheap and has lots of seats with a hyper modern interior. Belgian fries, crepes and salads etc. for $8-12. Not as charming as the original, but what is?
Thepin thai on Gough and Fell is not my fave but you'll be sure to find a seat there :) I feel the same about the Essencia, the Peruvian wine bar/small plates place also at Hayes and Gough. Way overpriced. Pass on both if you can.
Good luck!
Birthday restaurant challenge
Just ate there last night at aforementioned big wooden table in back. I love that place!
From where we sat, there's a view of the patio and it's semi-private (although there was a lot of dish breaking going on quite near us at the serving station.) I'm not sure, but the restaurant may save that table for communal walk-in dining, but who the hell knows. Give a call! (Patio was booked solid for the night, btw).
Fabulous food at reasonable prices. We enjoyed the lamb stew pasta (more like rigatoni with an arrabiata sauce that contained ground lamb ) and seafood stew (looks small but is filling and tastes wonderful). Antipasto misto was great too: conserved tuna, red bell peppers and AMAZING marinated artichoke hearts. Side of shelling beans with rosemary was delicious.
If you stick to pastas ($15 each) and starters ($8-$12?), you will make your budget. Wine list is great but buy by the bottle to save $.
Happy eating!
Looking for a San Francisco equivalent of a Portland American Dining Restaurant
Being from the Pacific Northwest and having lived in NW Portland a few blocks from Wildwood (I moved to SF for four years ago), I would say that it's tough to find a restaurant with the same "feel" in San Francisco. Mostly because of the unique nature of Portland itself and the neighborhood where Wildwood is located.
But there's still plenty of good food to be had. If you want to go Frenchish, Chapeau and Clementine are intimate but aren't quite fancy enough for your purposes, I would think. Quince would be a better match in both level of cuisine and location.
http://www.quincerestaurant.com/pages/menus_dinner.html
And of course Chez Panisse if you want to go to Berkeley. This will feel the most like NW 21st Ave where Wildwood is. Splurge factor is high, and while sometimes I don't think it's worth it others will vehemently disagree.
As for Zuni and Jardiniere. I live close to each, have eaten at both and think they may not be what you're looking for at all in atmosphere (though both serve yummy food). Neither is Fleur de Lys (stuffy and formal) or One Market (giant business man's cafeteria IMHO, mediocre food).
As an aside about the whole Northwest cuisine thing. Restaurants in Portland and Seattle that once described themselves as serving Northwest cuisine used to make everything with salmon, duck and/or mushrooms (at times in the Italian vein, or sometimes with a gingery Asian touch). Meals were served with Washington bordeaux blends, microbrews, Oregon pinot noir and coffee. That's what all we do up there, and it's mighty good. (Plus so much cheaper than in SF.)
Now it seems Northwest cuisine has evolved into something more like Californian cuisine or perhaps just gone New American route in general. I'm noticing lots of heritage pork lately.
That's not to say this evolution is bad. (Just ask wine scribe Eric Asimov of the NYT who is always crowing about Portland and thus crowding it with super aggro foodie tourists from the East Coast -- damn you, Asimov!)
It's just not the Pacific Northwest Cuisine of old.
Food for the debates?
In the end, I had during two debates Pakistani and Indian food. One was takeout, one was Trader Joe's Tasty Bits ripoffs. It makes no sense, and yet it was just right considering the discussion on foreign policy :)
Or maybe bhuna gosht and dal are the best things on earth. Hard to say.
Recession wines
I work a dangerous three blocks away from K&L. Thanks for letting me know it's there!
Recession wines
If the markets keep collapsing like they have I will move to a whiskey only beverage diet :)
Thanks to everyone for their suggestions! I had never even heard of Tormaresca Neprica Puglia before this post. Huzzah.
And if you have any good investment advice, let me know!
Great Arkansas Black Apples at Berkeley Bowl
I eat them out of hand, but that's my taste (they are sweet and a little wine sap like in their flavor). And you can store them in your crisper FOREVER.
