Homage to the Goddess

Just a quick note to let you know that next week kicks off the two-month long series of food and wine events that make up the 15th annual Napa Valley Mustard Festival. There are all kinds of fun events, from the formal to the downright fun. For a complete schedule and ticket information (if necessary), visit their web site.

For those interested in a Mustard Festival goodie, copies of this year's Mustard Festival poster, entitled Mustard Goddess, signed by artist Jess Miller are available at Studio on Main in downtown St. Helena for $49.95. The mustard festival posters make a great gift and/or decoraction for your home. Enjoy!

Also, fyi, Every Meal A Feast will now keep an Events Calendar which lists food and wine events in Sonoma County and the Napa Valley. Be sure to check our Events Calendar regularly for selective food and wine adventures -- and potential misadventures - throughout Sonoma and Napa.

Events Calendar

In an effort to help you know about, and plan for, special Sonoma County food and wine events and special Napa Valley food and wine events, Every Meal A Feast has put together this list of fun food and wine times. PLEASE NOTE: Always check directly with the organization first, as we cannot be held responsible for any schedule changes or cancellations. Enjoy!

Aug 15-16
Food and Wine Fun at the Sonoma Coast Villa
SC Villa Blog

Aug 29-31
Sonoma Wine Country Weekend
SonomaWineCountryWeekend.com

Aug 29-Sept 1
Slow Food Nation 08
SlowFoodNation.org

Sept 6, 2008
Kendall-Jackson Winery Heirloom Tomato Festival
Tickets $55 per peson if before June 30, $65 thereafter
kj.com or call (800) 769-3649

Sept 27
Taste of Petaluma
TasteofPetaluma.org

COPIA Tours and Events
Napa Valley; Ongoing...
copia.org

Merryvale Winery
Napa Valley; "Spit on the floor" barrel tasting, second Saturday of every month
merryvale.com

Napa Valley Opera House
Napa Valley
nvoh.org

St. Supery Winery
Napa Valley
stsupery.com

MAD About Chocolate

O.K., so during our recent visit to Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, I talked about two of the wharf's four core staples, seafood and bread (I must admit, I neglected--this time -- to talk about Anchor Steam Brewing Co beer). Now it's time for the fourth and final part of what makes the Wharf so special from a food standpoint: chocolate! And chocolate and Fisherman's wharf means a visit to Ghirardelli Square, home of the Ghirardelli Chocolate company, which has been making chocolate in San Fran since 1852. Of course they have scores of types of chocolate...along with the other candy "goodies" such as taffy, etc.

Anyway, this was/is Mad's favorite part of Fisherman's Wharf. Enjoy!

Rows of Goodness

Laffy Taffy

Decisions, Decisions

That's All, Folks

Ghirardelli Square

Ghirardelli Chocolate

900 North Point Street, San Francisco 94109

Tel: 415-775-5500

Sourdough Heaven

So where did we eat at Fisherman's Wharf during our recent visit there? We went old-school (surprise, surprise!) and camped out at the Boudin Cafe, which is part of the Boudin Bakery empire, where we dined on that San Francisco classic: clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl. Man, I love how the bread bowl soaks up the chowder...and the clams...and the potatoes. Awesome.

And then with about an hour to kill before our run to SFO, and with it beginning to rain, we decided to head upstairs and visit the Boudin Museum and Bakery Tour. It was very cool. Not only did we get to watch the baker's doing their thing, we learned some interesting facts and history about both Boudin and San Francisco. For example:

~ Boudin began in 1849, and is the oldest continuously operating business in San Fran

~ The bakery began by a French family who came to serve the miners looking for gold

~ There is a specific reason why San Francisco sourdough can only be made in San Francisco (I won't spoil the surprise, in case you visit the museum someday)

~ During the 1906 earthquake, "Grandma" Boudin saved the company by rescuing some of the "mother dough" used as a starter to create all the other bread dough

Teddy Bears

At Work

View from Above
Anyway, we all thought it was cool, the ticket doubles as a bookmark, and finally, I took a quick online test and learned that my personality type matches that of an "Olive Bread":

Too cool for school, huh? The next time you're at the wharf, a visit to the Boudin Museum and Bakery Tour is, in my opinion, a must. And if you can't make it to the wharf anytime soon and are getting a hunkering for some chowder (or chili, or crab bisque, or potato corn chowder, or...) in a bread bowl, check out their web site for info on their Bread Bowl Club. San Francisco sourdough, an original...since 1849. (Hmmmm...tradition and passion: maybe there IS something to that Olive Bread personality thing!)

Boudin Cafe, Museum, and Bakery Tour

160 Jefferson Street, at Fisherman's Wharf

San Francisco, CA 94133

Tel: (415) 351-5561

Fisherman's Wharf: Food Extravaganza

Our 100th post. Thanks for visiting!

As I mentioned in my previous post, we had a ton of fun at Fisherman's Wharf this past Monday. It's a mecca for seafood, of course, but also all kinds of other goodies, as these pics show. Enjoy!

A next-time "must"--garlic pizza!


Classic Crab


Bread and Bread


Authentic Kitsch

Now THAT'S a Seafood Platter!

Following our day at Point Reyes National Seashore with T. and H. (visiting us from Texas), on MLK day we decided to hit San Francisco. And no matter how many times I've been there now, I still love Fisherman's Wharf. A big reason, of course, is the seafood--fresh and plentiful. But fun as well: all the sights and sounds and smells. We spent a few delightful hours shopping, snacking, and eating! Enjoy a few of the pics I took...

Now THAT'S a Seafood Platter!

Controlled chaos:

Cannonball!

A typical menu:

Cowboy (and Cowgirl) Up!

With T. and H. visiting us from Texas over the three-day MLK Day holiday, on Sunday we decided to go somewhere as un-Texas like as possible, so we headed to Point Reyes National Seashore for some ocean breezes (O.K., the wind was freezing) and some cool, refreshing ocean air (O.K., the air was freezing).

After some hiking around and rock-climbing at the beach, we decided to head back to Point Reyes Station for some grub. With T. and H. being from Texas and all (combined with my love of everything cowboy), it was a natural that we stopped for lunch at Rosie's Cowboy Cookhouse. Ummmm, was it good! While I loved the down-home decor and yes, the food was great, I also loved the fact that they had so many different things on the menu, such as: flank steak platter, catfish tacos, posole (pork and hominy stew with shredded cabbage, diced onions and crisp tostada), cowboy skillet trout, and real vaquero chili ("real" cowboy chili doesn't have beans). Anyway, I loaded up on chili and catfish tacos, and a great meal was had by all.

For desert, we wandered over to The Cowgirl Creamery for some awesome artisan cheese. I loved the formage and, as a fitting end to our meal, a nice piece of Mt. Tam -- buttery and smooth.

Point Reyes Station is approximately 22 miles north of San Francisco, on Highway 1 along the coast. It's definitely worth a day trip sometime for some fresh air. Just know that when you're breathing in that fresh ocean air (O.K., it's freezing!), there's some seriously warm and authentic food waiting for you at Rosie's and the Cowgirl Creamery.

Rosie's Cowboy Cookhouse: Third and Main Streets, Point Reyes Station (no web site)

Cowgirl Creamery

Point Reyes National Seashore

Napa Valley Everyday: Part 3

I've been talking online with my new blogger buddy, Cece Marie (alldolledup), who expressed an interest in visiting Wine Country with her husband again soon. Cece Marie: now is a great time to visit. Why? The crowds are absent, so it's easy to get around; the winery staff's have the time to actually talk to you; and it's easy to eat lunch (no waiting) or dinner (reservations when you want). So yes, by all means, I definitely recommend Wine Country in this "off season."

With this in mind, I thought it best to add today the third and final installment of my "Napa Valley Everyday" theme -- three great lunch places located on the 8-10 mile stretch of Highway 29 running from downtown St. Helena to Calistoga. Previously, I wrote about Buster's Southern Barbecue and Bakery (read my post; visit Buster's) and Silverado Brewing Company (read my post; visit Silverado). Now, it's time to tackle the "big T" -- Taylor's.

Since 1949, Taylor's Automatic Refresher has been a St. Helena main drag mainstay for great burgers, shakes, and fries. It's good wholesome "comfort food"...with, of course (!) a wine country twist -- high-quality products (love their buns!), healthier alternatives (salads, chicken, fish tacos, etc.), and a selection of more than 15 Napa Valley wines by the glass, half-bottle, or bottles.

Now, as great as their menu is, I have to admit, when I go to Taylor's (once a month -- I'm addicted, what can I say) I always order the SAME THING: the Blue Cheese Burger and the Sweet Potato Fries.

Now, if there are two sweeter combinations in the world than "hamburger" and "blue cheese", I certainly don't know what they are. The Taylor's BCB is a gooey, messy, salty, runny plethora of tastes and textures. And if you do find yourself at Taylor's, YOU HAVE TO GET AN ORDER OF SWEET POTATO FRIES. These orange-ish devils are sweet on the inside and with just that right amount of salt, and best of all, they aren't greasy like so many regular potato french fries can be.

Anyway, there are of course fabulous restaurants throughout the Napa Valley. But there are some great "everyday" places too, and Taylor's tops that list. Enjoy.

Taylor's Automatic Refresher

933 Main Street, St. Helena

10:30 - 8:30 everyday

The Attack of the $1,200 Waffle Machine

When does a new waffle machine cost $1,200+? Read on!

As a few FROTB know, I pay for my food and wine adventures as a marketing guy. One of my longest and best clients is The Wine Country Inn in St. Helena, in the heart of the Napa Valley. Now everyday as part of being a guest there, guests are treated to a gourmet breakfast, which usually consists of one hot egg dish and then other goodies like granola, fruit, muffins and breads, etc. Now it's a great breakfast, and people love it. However, if you're a frequent visitor to the Inn, or are staying for, say four or five straight days, well, a little variety would be nice too. So we decided to add a new waffle machine to the breakfast mix. Simple, right? Wrong!

Here's what happened. We had to put the waffle machine, and all the goodies that go with it, on a table next to the main breakfast table. Well, this is wine country, so it had to be just the right table--an antique, the same height as the existing table, etc. That took two months and $400 to solve. And then guess what? After we got the table all set up, we discovered one more "little" thing--there wasn't an outlet near the table. So we had to bring in the electrician to, well, you know. So when it was all said and done, the darn waffle machine came out to being about $1,200. Ouch!

Now there is some good news, though. Waffles at breakfast have been a HUGE hit with our guests. And no one's even burned themselves yet, either. I mean, is life good or what?

So the moral of this story? Waffling can be expensive!

Bon Mots and Catch-ups

A few things relating to some previous posts:

NV Frontier Red Lot No. 71
O.K., so I feel a bit, well, vindicated re: my recent praise of Fess Parker Winery's NV Frontier Red Lot No. 71. I called it my "My Wine Holy Grail" for being the best under-$10 per bottle-of-wine I've had recently, and San Francisco Chronicle wine writer W. Blake Gray backed this up by naming this wine one of the top 15 "Bargain Wines" for 2007 (Dec. 28, 2007). Again, I think this wine not only tastes great, but has a great feel. Check it out.



Ring in the New Year
I also have gotten some more info from Rosanne at Studio on Main, who has, among other unique gifts, the rings and pendants made out of vintage silverware (see my post entitled Ring in the New Year). According to Rosanne, the rings and pendants are made by a 70-year-old-plus woman in, of all places, Clatskanie, Oregon. She uses either sterling silver or sterling plate, and every piece is handmade from start to finish. Again, I think the rings in particular are VERY cool (I bought one for myself for Christmas) and worth checking out. You can contact Rosanne at Studio on Main, which is in downtown St. Helena in the Napa Valley.

Cheers!

Escape TO Alcatraz

I'm not a huge fish fan, but I LOVE seafood: shrimp, scallops, oysters, clams, crab, lobster, and so on and so on. Recently I stumbled upon Alcatraz Seafoods in Santa Rosa, which before had been primarily wholesale to suppliers but now is making a big push to bring in the general public. I stopped by there New Year's Eve to load up on some shrimp and salmon, and also had fun watching the staff fish out live crabs for patrons.

Fresh!

I'll have 15 of each:

Anyway, check em out sometime:

Alcatraz Seafoods

3230 Sebastopol Road, Santa Rosa 95407

Wine Trip!

Had a wonderful time this past Saturday with my friend Dan Christensen, Jr. (whose family owns both the Geyserville Inn and the Hoffman House Restaurant in Geyserville) on a wine outing to several Sonoma Country wineries. Not only did we get to taste some great wines while hanging out with old friends, we made some new friends, too. (Funny how wine makes that happen!)

That's Dan in the Red Sweatshirt (Thanks Dan!)

We stopped first at Seghesio Family Vineyards in Healdsburg. Wow, very nice, as in the past year or two the winery has been completely remodeled. Seghesio has been "sharing uncommon ground" since 1895. And while in the past they have focused on bulk wines, they have now moved to higher-end wines, and in particular Zinfandel and Italian grapes, such as Sangiovese.

We had a private tasting in one of their upstairs rooms. Too cool for school! My favorite was the 2005 Home Ranch Zinfandel from Alexander Valley ($36/bottle). Many others in the group, though, really liked the 2004 Omaggio (Italian for "homage", in tribute to the Seghesio grandparents), which is a blend of Cab Sauvignon and Sangiovese.

Anyway, it's a great location, a cool tour, nice facility...and awesome wines. Check it out sometime.

Seghesio Family Vineyards

14730 Grove Street, Healdsburg

Open for tasting 10:00 a.m. till 5:00 p.m.

P.S. More details from our trip later!

Calistoga Cool

Recently I wrote about the trendy Upper Fourth bar in Santa Rosa's Old Courthouse Square. I love Upper Fourth's stylish decor and focus on high-end drinks and appetizers.

Now, there's a relatively new place in Calistoga with a very similar up-scale, trendy, and chic (or, what I call "Calistoga Cool") vibe: BarVino.

BarVino is located right on Calistoga's main street. It's a small place with the bar the main emphasis (in the middle) and tables around. I love the cool decor and, especially, the 10-speaker sound system. Nice!

While Upper Fourth tends to focus on high-end well drinks, BarVino is all about, of course, food and wine. Executive Chef Dominic Orsini has a small but enticing list of pastas and entrees, including: pumpkin risotto, Spanish bouillabaisse, and steak Florentine. I've been in several times and am now hooked on the Vino Fries--delicious spuds with Sicilian spiced sea salt and chianti ketchup.

The wine list, of course, rocks, with a rock star-like listing of high-quality Napa Valley wineries featured. My personal favorite to date? Mmmmmm... I'll save that for my next post. (Sorry!)

Anyway, check out BarVino in downtown Calistoga as quick as you can.

1457 Lincoln Avenue, Calistoga

http://www.bar-vino.com/

P.S. And if you happen to be in when a tall brunette is bar tending/hosting, DON'T bet her a glass of wine that she can, serving a volleyball, knock a glass off the end of the counter at 30 paces. That's Aja, and she's Sonoma State U vb player, and well, let's just say that anything having to do with a round white ball that she can kick our a** and leave it at.

Ring in the New Year

Happy New Year, all!

As a way to start the new year, I wanted to share a Christmas gift I gave myself this holiday season: a ring made out of vintage silverware.

I think it's a cool-looking ring, and I love the heavy feel of it on my fingers. I won't wear it a ton, but now when I do feel like blinging, I can bling-bling!

I discovered this ring through my friend Rosanne, who along with her husband own and run Studio on Main in downtown St. Helena. Rosanne has a big selection of rings, pins, and bookmarks made from vintage silverware, along with her other unique gifts and goodies, including a big selection of vintage jewelry.

Anyway, if you want more info on the silverware rings, contact Rosanne.

Bling, bling!