The Night My Poker Buddies Drank VERY Well

Once a month, I hook up with eight or nine guys to play some Texas Holdem poker. It's a fun time: we start about six p.m. and end around one or two a.m. In between is pizza, beer or wine, and, usually, a lot of laughs (although when Jimmy Z. draws out on the &^%$# river AGAIN, you just want to slit your wrist). Anyway, right before our last game, I had bought some wine from a new winery which I've recently discovered in Napa Valley, Conn Valley Vineyards. Their specialty is Bordeaux-style reds. Now, CVV has an inexpensive everyday wine called Prologue. They also have a high-end red blend called Eloge (which means "praiseworthy", and is 65% cabernet sauvignon, 25% cab franc, 5% merlot, and 5% petite verdot). At our last poker game, I somehow got those mixed up in my mind: I MEANT to take to the guys a bottle of the (inexpensive) Prologue. What I REALLY TOOK was a bottle of the high-end Eloge ($75/bottle retail). Needless to say, the wine was a huge hit. Garris, Jim D., and others---including myself---all raved about it. It wasn't until the next morning when I realized (to my horror!) that my generally beer-swilling/pizza-eating poker buddies had been drinking the good stuff. Oh, well. Such is life. I guess I can't complain too much, because I've won off them enough to buy plenty of bottles of Eloge. If you love big reds that are drinkable now, check out Conn Valley Vineyards: http://www.connvalleyvineyards.com/

P.S. If Jimmy Z. posts any sort of comment about my cork-extraction abilities, I just want to go on record as saying that I can pop em out with the best of them...when given the proper tool.

Where to stay in Napa Valley

Here's an insider's Napa Valley tip: the place to stay is The Wine Country Inn, which is just north of St. Helena. The rooms are fantastic, the grounds like a mini-garden of Eden, plus, they have an awesome breakfast each morning. "Chef Guy" usually makes an egg dish (my favorite is "death by cheese") and homemade muffins and cookies, there's a make-your-own waffle station, plus the Inn makes its own special-double-secret recipe granola. Check it out: http://www.winecountryinn.com/

How do you taste a $500 per bottle wine?

Very carefully!

Or at least I did the other day during one of the highlights of my food and wine experiences to date. Not only did I get to taste a wine that's $500 a bottle, I got to hang out with the winemaker. I mean, come on: It doesn't get much better than that!

Here's the story. Todd Anderson has been making fabulous Bordeaux-style wines at Conn Valley Vineyards in the heart of the Napa Valley for more than 20 years. Around 2000, he started a second, ultra- ultra-premium winery: Ghost Horse Vineyards. Ghost Horse wines are made only with 100% Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon fruit from Todd's personal vineyard. As well, he painstakingly handcrafts each release, making extremely small---and extremely exceptional---batches of each vintage. The results? What he calls "head-cracking" wines. Yes, they have the big price tag, but once you figure in the private grape source and the extremely small lots, the wine prices make sense. So, what'd I think? Beyond belief. I'm never had a wine bouquet hit my nostrils with the glass still seven or eight inches from my nose! Not only are the Ghost Horse wines real "fruit bombs", they taste as what I can only describe as "heady"---your head starts to spin, they're so good. Full-flavored, perfectly balanced acid, no heavy tannins--to me the Ghost Horse Cab tasted of deep fruit/cherry/black cherry, with a hint of chocolate. As well, the wines have incredible "weight"--a great mouth feel, fat and full yet with no negative after-tastes.

Todd's also a fun person to hang out with. He readily shares his extensive knowledge about winemaking collected over 20+ years in the business. Hanging out in the cave drinking a $500/bottle of wine... while chatting up the winemaker... in the heart of Napa Valley.... Yes. Yes, yes, and yes.

Tours are extremely limited, but you can get a "taste" of Todd's world at his ultra-cool Ghost Horse web site: http://www.ghosthorseworld.com/

Arrrrrrghhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!

Some jokes I forgot almost instantly. Others have stayed with me for years. For some reason, I've remembered since the eighties one by the comedian Steven Wright: "Women--can't live with them, can't shoot them." Now this is a cruel, senseless joke that has no place in our modern world and which should be erased from old Steven Wright CDs (and from my memory, if that was possible). If only it weren't sometimes so true.

Case in point: Last Friday, my female companion had to work till 6:00 p.m., which means that we didn't make to the opening night of the Occidental Farmer's Market until nearly 7:00 p.m. I of course had been thinking for days about Gerard Nebesky's paella, which he occasionally serves there (see my entry dated June 10: "The Simple Life").

We found his stand...only to see two women forlornly wiping clean the two huge paelleras, those wide shallow pans used to cook that delicious concoction of rice and seafood and spices. THEY HAD SOLD OUT!!!!! So here's my tip for today: Go to the Occidental Farmer's Market (Fridays, 4:00 p.m. till dusk) but go EARLY. Be there by 5:00 p.m. and you'll be assured a wonderful dish of seafood heaven. And look for me: I'll be waiting in line---sans female companion---too.

Tom Keller and me

While strolling about downtown Yountville yesterday, I wandered past 6640 Washington Street--site of The French Laundry restaurant. Have you heard of it?

JUST KIDDING. Thomas Keller's The French Laundry, of course, is one of the most celebrated and respected restaurants in the Napa Valley, if not California, if not the U.S.---and yes, if not the world. The waiting list for reservations is 2+ months; prix fix $240 per person, plus wine and tip. While I've never eaten there, I WILL one day...and just to be in the moment, and help make-real my goal, I wandered a few doors down to his Bouchon Bakery. Ah, what sights! What smells! What temptations! When exposed to a multitude of treasures such as this, I usually do one of two things: pick the wildest, most unusual item to sample, or simply go old-school, and pick a classic. In this case, I went classic: a light, flakey, buttery pain chocolate. In a word: delicious. It takes a creative and imaginative mind to make unique and outstanding food or wine. It also takes a true soul to make the simple things, well, perfectly. And there yesterday in Yountville, in the shadow of The French Laundy, I had what may well be a perfect pain chocolate.

P.S. I know, I know: I'm teasing you regarding the Nord dinner, and Robert Parker's attendance. (See my posts "...and nervous" and "The Greatest Sentence Ever".) The tale will be told shortly, I promise. In the meantime, isn't the anticipation...delicious???? www.frenchlaundry.com

"...and nervous."

The pressure mounts: Will he or won't he? "He" of course being the esteemed wine writer and wine critic Robert Parker. The "show or no show" refers to the Nord Estate Wines dinner on June 13. (For the complete story, see my post on June 10: The Greatest Sentence Ever.) Will The Great One come? Or will he forever blacklist the Nord family, and all those who buy grapes from them? Will I have played a bit-role (O.K., O.K.--THE role) in relegating countless wineries to the "do not review" pile? Only time will tell. My only solace at the moment: a glass of Nord Estate Wines Page Nord Cabernet Sauvignon.

The Simple Life

No, not a rant about Paris... (What more can one say, other than she is the Hero of The archetypal story of mankind, which always has the same plot: Can this person be saved?)

Instead, I wanted to share several simple-but-oh-so-pleasurable food and wine experiences over the weekend:

* Friday night, at Pizzio's Cucina Italiana in west Santa Rosa, a delicious glass of Port--Ferrieria's Porto Ruby. It was amazing to sit in the dimming evening lights, enjoying the potent, raisin-y wine, talking to my new friend and fellow solo diner Brandon. Magnificant.

* Saturday evening, after a long hot afternoon of yard work and tree trimming, take-out Chinese of broccoli and beef with white rice, with several Gordon Biersch Marzen amber lagers.

* On Sunday morning, two eggs over easy, a bagel slathered with peanut butter, and two cups of strong good black coffee.

Another simple pleasure begins again this Friday: June 15 marks the start of the new season for the Occidental Bohemian Farmers Market in Occidental, in West Sonoma County. If you haven't been, you should check it out: Fridays 4 p.m. till dusk. Every so often--as he is this Friday--Gerard Nebesky cooks paella. The line stretches throughout the market; the smells, well, intoxicating.

Every Meal A Feast doesn't mean sitting down to a five-course dinner during some magnificant celebration. It does mean trying to celebrate every meal, every food and wine experience, no matter how simple.

Your turn: What's one of your simple food or wine pleasures?

The Greatest Sentence Ever*

*IMHO

I'm a HUGE Dr. Hunter S. Thompson fan. The Gonzo journalism, the scathing writing, the ability to be both truthful and funny...all, to me, amazing stuff. I can sit for hours thumbing through his books reading only favorite sentences or paragraphs I've marked previously. The other day, I came across again what I consider perhaps the Greatest Sentence Ever Written, which also applies to my life right now. It's from his book Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas:

"Into the Ballantine Ale now, zombie drunk and nervous."

Amazing! It's an entire three-act play in one sentence. "Into the Ballantine Ale now" speaks to the past. What's happened that's led him to drink? What was he drinking before? etc. "Zombie drunk"; the now. We've all been there, literally or figuratively. And then the kicker: "and nervous." Boom! What's coming, the future. Nervous about what? What evil/danger lurks just around the next corner (or, in this case, on the following page)? I defy anyone to read that sentence and not have to read the following sentence.

I'm in a "and nervous" stage right now. One of my clients, the Nord family, which manages vineyards in Napa Valley, wanted to hold a dinner for the wineries who purchase their fruit. But how do you get people to actually come to an event...when all the events start to sound and seem the same??? So on a take-off of "Big Night," we decided to announce that the famous wine critic Robert Parker would be attending as our guest. What winery would dare miss the opportunity to have Robert Parker taste their wines??? They'd HAVE to attend the dinner.

Now, like in the movie, we don't expect him to attend. But before he received our invitation, someone had forwarded to him our "announcement" that he would be attending. His assistant called the Nords. Robert Parker was very upset; this dinner was not on his schedule; etc., etc. Soothing sounds were made. Ruffled feathers were somehow smoothed.... And thus my "and nervous." What if he doesn't have a sense of humor? What if he's pissed and forever black-lists the attending wineries, NEVER REVIEWING THEM???

On the other hand, what is he does has a sense of humor---maybe even a soul---an actually shows up??? What if he comes and tastes and ends up putting several of the wineries on the map, so to speak, via his reviews???

This will all be resolved soon. The dinner is next week. Time has a way, so they say, of catching up to us one and all. In the meantime, don't be surprised to see a post from me in the next couple-three days along the lines of "Into the Nord Estate Wines Jonquil Vineyards Petite Sirah, semi-drunk...and nervous."

P.S. The Nord family also produces a line of high-quality, low production---i.e., awesome---wines under Nord Estate Wines. Check em out.

Tony & Ireland

Last night's No Reservations was wonderful. Tony toured Ireland, which of course has quite the history and quite the food adventures. To get in the proper spirit, I drank a nice cold (sorry, UK) pint of Guinness. It was heavenly; smoky, chocolate-y, with that chewy texture. As usual, my favorite part of the show is at the end, when Tony summarizes his visit and the place. This time he left us with the hope that while Ireland is growing bigger and, even, more together, "...one hopes it never changes too much."

Tony Alert: June 4

All---Just a quick note that on Monday June 4 (7:00 and 10:00 p.m. PST) on the Travel Channel is one of my favorite food/travel shows: Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations. This episode features Ireland, where I would LOVE to go to one day. There are many reasons to watch the show, including Tony's Hunter S. Thompson-ish take on life and the fact that he's a great writer. But most of all, he tries to dig below the surface of things. It's one thing to simply report on what's what, but it's quite another to try to decipher what that thing really means. And Tony tries to do that with each episode. Check it out.

Your Turn

I’ve told you about a favorite restaurant of mine.

Now, what’s one of yours?

Ode to Pizzio's_Part I

I’d like to share one of my favorite restaurants: Pizzio’s, in northwest Santa Rosa. I love the décor and overall feel of this place. It reminds me of the interior of the restaurant in the movie “Big Night” (in fact, the owner and chef, Roger Gafner, says that the wall colors are modeled after “Big Night”). Pizzio’s has a great neighborhood feel—small, quiet, great colors, dim lighting. It’s not big or loud or ostentatious…and thus the food can really shine. The pastas are wonderful, Rodger cooks a mean flat iron steak, and I LOVE his pesto. My favorite dish is spaghettini aglio e olio, a supremely understated pasta with olive oil and garlic yet set off with just the right amount of kick from pepperocini. I’ve also come to enjoy the staff: Roger, of course, who frequently visits the dining room; his lovely wife Louise, weekend hostess; waitresses Andy and Diane; and Judy, who cooks a mean pizza. And I’m starting to get to know Mike and the rest of the cooking crew (who are, by the way, a scary-looking bunch at best, the kind of misfits and miscreants one shudders to think about spending all day playing with knives and fire, yet possessing that almost-other-worldly ability to reach that exact medium-rare point or drizzle just the right amount of cheese on The Rosa pizza). To put it simply, you should check out Pizzio’s: 2484 West Third Street, in the Big Oak shopping center, at the corner of Fulton and West Third.

P.S. If you do meet Roger, DON’T ask him anything about his chess skills. It’s a long story (which I’ll talk about more later, of course). For now, let me just say that, well, he shouldn’t quit his night job to become a chess pro, if you know what I mean.