Kenois's Profile
Sausage Casings - Where? In reasonable amounts?
There are a couple of Mollie Stone's in the city, actually - I'll give it a try tonight. Thanks!
Sausage Casings - Where? In reasonable amounts?
I just called several places around the city - including Antonelli's and Bryan's - looking for sausage casings. Bryan's and one other place had them, but only in HUGE amounts and for about $50! Also - none of these places had caul fat, either.
Does anyone know where in San Francisco you can find sausage casings in smaller amounts - say, for someone who only wants to make a few pounds of sausages?
Per Se AND French Laundry Veterans: Is FL worth trying?
I went for my 40th birthday this past October with a party of 6. Certainly, it was by far the most expensive dinner I've ever had. It was also the best single restaurant experience I've ever had as well. There are an assortment of little touches here and there that really set the restaurant apart, but the one thing that my friends and I kept saying to one another - the entire time - was that we had never seen that level of quality sustained over so many dishes. It's staggering, and you won't stop talking about it for weeks, much to the chagrin of your less patient friends. :)
Best brand of salt-packed capers available in SF?
Does anyone have an opinion on which is the best brand of salt-packed capers, available in San Francisco, and where I can purchase them? I've mostly only found capers in brine, and the couple of tins of salt-packed capers I've found were in a very rusty-looking can that did not give me much confidence in the product...
Dungeness crab and CA mussel seasons open 11/01
I am a city dweller who is currently without a car, so driving to Bodega or Pillar is not an option for me. What's the best place to pick up the freshest seasonal dungeness crabs here in San Francisco? Swan Oyster Depot?
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire
Do you have a proven method for roasting them? I tried a few times last year, making the X with a knife and then roasting, but I pretty much failed each time. The shells never peeled away enough to get the centers to come out, and on the rare occasion that they did, the centers just seemed to crumble. What am I doing wrong?
Vegetarian Potstickers
I personally love the veggie potstickers at Ton Kiang on Geary...
Toma Piemontese Cheese in San Francisco
Does anyone know where, in San Francisco, I can find the Italian cheese from Piedmont called Toma Piemontese? I can't seem to find it anywhere!
CA Zin - French Oak
Nalle in Dry Creek Valley uses French Oak for their restrained and elegant zinfandel.
Best "non-Big-6" alternative grapes for VALUE?
I'd think of it as grapes that, because they are lesser known, are better values. They'll never replace cabernet or pinot, but they are a great value. Alternative reds: Petite Sirah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Barbera. Alternative whites: Viognier, Pinot Gris. The folks at your local shop can guide you toward these wines, as in different countries, they are often referred to by different names.
What kind of wine/cheese goes with HONEY?
To me, a lot depends on the type of honey. I'd do completely different pairings with chestnut honey vs. orange blossom honey. But assuming you have a mellow, readily available honey like clover, you can't go wrong pairing that honey with Gorgonzola Dolce, Toasted Almonds, and Vin Santo.
04 California Zin - How's It Hangin'?
Excellent notes, and thank you! Funny that, up until now, I never let my Turley zins even go 6 months for fear that they would burn up in the bottle!
I do age some zinfandels and zin blends - we recently had a 1991 Ridge Geyserville that was out of this world. It was at the house of a friend who ages lots of Zins that I began an experiment - buy 3 of each of my favorite zins, and start pulling them 2 years later. Hence, these 04s... and I'm learning which ones age horribly (get worse), age gracefully (stay the same/slow decline), and age wonderfully (actually improve)... I'm finding representations of all 3 so far! :) Will keep you posted!
Where can I find fresh quince in the bay area?
I am looking to acquire and cook with fresh (preferably organic and sustainably farmed) quince. I'd prefer if I could find it in SF, but am willing to drive in the bay area. Has anyone seen it, and if so, Where?
Best food neighborhood in San Francisco?
For a slightly more mellow experience, I'd recommend taking the J-Church to Noe Valley - there are excellent restaurants along both "arms" of this neighborhood (24th St and Church St), including Bacco, Firefly, Hamano, Incanto, Fresca, and Eric's...
6 Bay Area Classics - have u been to them all?
Swan - LOVE it, visit regularly.
Duarte's - LOVE it, visit whenever I am down there.
Tadich - really liked it, far exceeded my expectations, want to return.
House of Prime Rib - really liked it, far exceeded my expectations, want to return.
Casa Orinda - never even heard of it until now, after 15 yrs in the bay area!
Fentons Creamery - never even heard of it until now, after 15 yrs in the bay area!
I guess I am not surprised about the last two, as they seem quite controversial...?
04 California Zin - How's It Hangin'?
How are everyone's 04 zins doing? I pulled a bunch from my cellar recently - Rosenblum Eagle Point, Klinker Brick Old Ghost, Bucklin Old Hill Ranch, Saxon Brown Parmelee-Hill, Biale Monte Rosso, Bella Big River Ranch, and Nalle Reserve. Thus far, the Rosenblum was still extremely youthful and could've gone much longer, while the Bucklin was showing magnificently deep roundness and richness, and I am thinking of pulling my others from the cellar just because it was so good! The Old Ghost was delicious, but was definitely a "drink right away" as the fruit was just beginning to fade and I didn't detect many secondary flavors underneath it... I'll be drinking the other 5 in the next couple of weeks. Thoughts? Any other experiences?
I can't smell or taste a ANY differences ....UGH
Another tip: when we did it for the red wines, we actually expanded the "berry aromas" and had a glasses with strawberries, cherries, blueberries, and raspberries. A bag of mixed frozen fruits will provide this for you economically. And remember, you may be better off initially pointing out what it definitely doesn't smell like, but just understand that this is a process of elimination, and move on from there.
I can't smell or taste a ANY differences ....UGH
$200! At least you know you are dedicated to finding an answer... :)
OK - well, when you get the wheel, click the link I listed above, gather the materials together, and throw a bash with your friends. When I did it, we did all red wines, and we got 1 of each of the following: Cab Sauv, Merlot, Zinfandel, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Petite Sirah. Get decent ones, too. For the wine you use in the "aroma" glasses, just something innocuous like a Two Buck Chuck is cool. And have fun with it... have a glass of each of the wines - then smell that glass then the first aroma... back to your glass and then the second aroma... back to your glass and then the third aroma... what you'll notice at first is that each wine smells similar to some aromas and nothing like others... as you try to figure out WHY some smell similar and others don't, you are on your way... GOOD LUCK!!!! Go in with an open and optimistic mind, and you'll be rewarded.
Cheap eats/Dives/Landmarks/etc. (part 2 )
You will not regret this: Q Restaurant, 225 Clement St, btwn 3rd & 4th Aves in the Richmond (near GG Park). 415-752-2298.
http://www.qrestaurant.com/
Inexpensive reds for expensive tastebuds?
I would suggest wines from the Sierra Foothills of California - there are a lot of fantastic wines from this region, yet because it doesn't have the cachet that Napa or Sonoma does, the wines are far less expensive and a good value. Recommended producers include Terre Rouge/Easton, Cedarville, Cooper, di Arie, Gold Note, Miraflores, Fleur de Lys, Lava Cap, Madrona, Mount Aukum, Dillian, Amador Foothill, Latcham, and Deaver.
I can't smell or taste a ANY differences ....UGH
Hey 914 - have you tried doing the UC Davis wine aroma test? You can make it into a party with other friends who are also interested in learning about wine. It takes a bit of set-up (a bunch of glasses with seemingly odd things placed in them) and investment (several bottles of wine), but is well worth the effort. You really walk away with a sense of how to detect variations in the aromas of wine.
Link: http://www.winearomawheel.com/#howToUse
Scroll down and click the "download the user guide" link for instructions on how to conduct the test. It's fun, you get to drink a bunch of wine, and it's a great excuse for a party (which is ideal, as you can spread the wine costs among the participants). And with any luck, you'll walk away with at least a beginning idea of how you can identify aromas in wine.
Interesting Grenache/Grenache Blends Tasting - 9/27
At our tastings, we ask people to not tell anyone what wines they are bringing - and they are "blinded" immediately, so with the exception of your own wines, you literally have no idea what's going to be offered. I guess nobody brought the Tres Picos, which is a shame, I agree - I would have loved to see how it fared.
Interesting Grenache/Grenache Blends Tasting - 9/27
Agreed - in fact, generally speaking, most tasters felt that Spain owned the night.
Interesting - did you see the double entry of the Eaglepoint Ranch? Rather significant bottle variation, as a side-to-side proved after the wines were revealed.
Interesting Grenache/Grenache Blends Tasting - 9/27
I have to say... to be fair, we opened all the wines as they were "blinded" so to speak, so they had only been open about a half hour before the tasting, which then lasted about 90 or so minutes. We corked them that night, and several people came over and tried them all again the next day. Virtually all of the French wines tasted significantly better the next day... they just needed more time to open up. So the results speak poorly of the French entrants, but I wonder if the wines had been open much longer, if the French wouldn't have fared better by comparison...
Interesting Grenache/Grenache Blends Tasting - 9/27
:) Actually, everyone at the party (12 people) gave the wine a score. Those numbers above were the averages across the group, which consisted of a wide range of tasters (a couple of industry professionals, a couple of people with limited experience/exposure, and everything in-between). Sorry if that seemed confusing! I couldn't fit the whole spreadsheet in the reply box.
Interesting Grenache/Grenache Blends Tasting - 9/27
The wines were tasted blind. The only rule was that the wines had to be at least 50% Grenache. Here's how they stacked up:
Average Score Winery Wine Details
87.81818182 D'Arenburg 2005 D'Arry's Original, McLaren Vale, Australia
86.72727273 El Chaparral 2007 De Vega Sindoa, Navarra, Spain
86.45454545 Eaglepoint Ranch 2006 Mendocino County, California
85.54545455 Simon Hackett 2005 Old Vines, McLaren Vale, Australia
85.54545455 Las Rocas 2006 Calatayud, Spain
85.36363636 Mas Doix 2004 Priorat, Spain
85 Masia D Bielsa 2007 Borja Rose, Spain
84.63636364 Tapena 2006 Barcelona, Spain
84.09090909 Mas Donis Barrica 2005 Celler de Capcanes, Spain
83.72727273 Perrin & Fils 2006 Les Christins, Vacqueyras, France
83.54545455 Moulin de la Gardette 2005 Gigondas, France
83.36363636 Eaglepoint Ranch 2006 Mendocino County, California
82.90909091 Domaine Andre Brunel 2006 Cotes du Rhone, France
82.81818182 Domaine Les Pallieres 2005 Gigondas, France
81.27272727 Alain Corcia 2006 Crème de la Crème, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, France
80.54545455 Domaine de la Vieille Julienne 2005 Lieu-Dit Clavin, Cotes du Rhone
80.09090909 Cedarville Vineyard 2005 El Dorado Reserve, California
75.72727273 Masia D Bielsa 2007 Borja, Spain
Lots of Higher End CA Cabs, Plus Other Goodies (eg. Lafite), at a Dinner Party Last Night
Holy Shamoley - that lineup is crazy! Very impressive and awe inspiring, thank you for posting!
Having a Grenache/Grenache Blends tasting at my house tomorrow night - I'll try and post the results here on Sunday. I'm new to the 'Hound and am loving it already. Am a member of a band of wine geeks with limited funds, but what we lack in resources we make up in dedication and time on the glass. Thank you for the inspiration!!!
How About A New What Are You Drinking ?
Tasting on Sunday at a friend's house: 78 ridge cab/merlot, 83 navarro cab, 85 barolo, 88 rioja, 91 mt veeder cab, 92 lyeth bordeaux blend, 01 iron horse cab, 01 lolonis syrah, 00 alex valley vyd syrah, 00 ridge buchignani zin, 95 ridge lytton late harvest zin, 05 turley moore's earthquake, 06 belle glos meiomi pinot, 06 hess santa lucia highlands pinot, 00 dry creek vyd zin, 05 collier falls zin, 01 rosenblum rockpile petite sirah, 05 russian hill top block syrah/viognier... there were more but i can't remember. Best wine - the 85 barolo - stunning!
ISO: Fresh Lasagna Sheets
I highly recommend the fresh lasagna sheets at Lucca Ravioli Co. on Valencia St...
marin county wines?
I'm not sure if they accept visitors (I'd call to check) but Starry Night makes fantastic zinfandels and petite sirah. Some of their single vineyard zins are standouts at ZAP every year, and the owner Skip is a very approachable and friendly guy who will be more than happy to talk to you about each one of his wines. The Sauvignon Blanc is good, too.
