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Christmas is Served
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Napa & San Fran
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In October, I went to San Francisco and Napa for more eating and drinking.
I had not been to Napa in 10 years, and was lucky to have Laurie Fukumitsu from my old office to drive me and her family around
to the very best spots.
One of my faves included the Pacific Blues Cafe, which is
a popular spot for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The caesar salad with calamari ($10.75) was very nice, but not filling. The
sausage platter ($9.75) is another popular item and you can substitute the mashed potatoes with spinach if you are atkins-ing.
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| Me & Laurie at the Martini House. |
The Martini House is an upscale spot
in Mount Helena....and contrary to popular belief, it is not a spot for martinis, it's named after Mr. Walter Martini!
The menu constantly changes with the seasons, but on this trip, these were outstanding: The veal sweetbreads ($13)--fried
veal thymus glands on a cinnamon apple disk with a sweet sauce. It's light, sweet, rich, and slightly savory with just the
right amounts to leave you wanting for more. The cream of mushroom soup ($9) is very popular as well.
I had the scallops
in a warm salad of pea shoots, roasted tomatoes, a portobello mushroom, aged balsamic, and truffle oil ($29). The scallops
melt in your mouth and are perfect on their own. The duck breast with hibiscus sauce ($29) was also a winner. You can't go
wrong with duck, but the sauce really made it special. The venison ($28.50) with an aged balsamic sauce was also tasty, accompanied
by a lumpia of puff pastry filled with root vegetables, which is great if you like buttery flavors. I'm very sorry
to say, I was too full to have any dessert.
For my birthday, Laurie's dad treated us to a very special lunch at Tra Vigne in St. Helena. I had the risotto of the day with butternut squash, gorgonzola cheese, and
frisee. This was tasty and filling without being too heavy. Laurie had the lamb bolognese, which is good, but you need to
love spicy foods. Her dad had the seafood pasta and he ate every last bit.....which says a lot, since he is a picky
eater. We finished it off with a buttermilk panna cotta with blueberries, which was light and creamy, melting right
on your tongue with a fruity finish.
| Me and Vincent Arroyo after he signed my bottles. |
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| His wines aren't distributed, so you need to find his winery all the way back in Calistoga. |
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| At La Folie in San Francisco |
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| With Chef Roland Passot. Mais oui! |
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| Truchard winery |
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| With Sal the winemaker and Tony Truchard (after he signed my bottles). |
Do you want to try my latest San Francisco addiction? Then follow your
nose through the Mission district along Guerrero until you hit 18th Street. Tartine's Bakery
is a Mission district favorite with people of all orientations, careers, and lifestyles. They are known for their morning
buns, which are to Tartine what Coco Puffs are to Liliha Bakery. They make these buns with orange zest, so after you've snarfed
one down your breath literally comes away with the essence of orange. An amazing treat for just $2.25. The croque monsieur
with ham and broccoli rabe is also a delicious lunch entree. The combination of the toppings makes the consistency of
bread like french toast.
If you have the time, check out Hayes Street while in San Francisco.
Catch the #47 or #49 bus to the Opera House and walk toward Gough Street. There are a lot of neat little stores to browse
in, maybe even cut your hair. Since it is so close to the opera house, there are many great eating places along this street
to choose from.
After a day of shopping in Hayes Valley, I was dizzy at the many options before me for dinner.
The beautiful bakery window and trendy tables at Citizen Cake beckoned
me to join them. As the name suggests, this place is known for its desserts and take-out baked goods. However,
it has become a wildly popular spot for brunch, lunch, and dinner; if you don't have reservations you'll have to sit at the
bar, as I did. Their "living butter lettuce salad" ($9.50) with creamy black olive dressing is one of the best salads on the
list. However, since I ordered the duck ($14.50) with pea shoots and carmelized radishes, the bartender suggested I try the
lighter, crunchier, "red, white & blue" salad ($9.50) with a vinaigrette. Both dishes were perfect, accented by impeccable
service that made me feel like I was dining in the bartender's own home. The woman to my right ordered a huge, luscious looking
pork loin, and when I looked in on her 10 minutes later she had almost licked her plate clean! Selecting a dessert when you
only have a limited amount of time is also a stressful decision when you are in a place like Citizen Cake or Tartine.
I decided to splurge with the "After Dark" devil's food cake ($7) with mousse & ice cream, which tasted sinful but did
not weigh me down. The man to my left cleaned off his rose petal creme brulee, while the bartender insisted he loves the "Pokemon's
Pocket," which is cake and ice cream rolled into a mochi covering.
Another wonderful spot is the Hayes
Street Grill. It opens at 5:30, so if you cannot get a reservation, get there by 5:15 so you can stand in line
at the door. When the door opens, rush for a seat at the bar near the window--or just any seat at the bar. Order the scallop
entree right away, as it sells out fast. Their scallops are always fresh, silky with a crunch of corn relish. My friend Jill
Kamada and I inhaled the quail salad with figs, which was so good that she continues to dream about it. It was light
but extremely tasty, with a carnival of tastes and textures in each bite. I even went out and bought frozen quail breasts
so I can replicate it at home!
La Folie in the Polk area is very French and very
upscale--a special occasion restaurant for celebrating new jobs or getting engaged. (Ann Kim and I were using it as a practice
run for life!) Mostly, you order from a prix fixe menu, but you are able to swap items from one menu for another. One of the
best items was the sweetbreads wrapped in pig's trotters. The quail & squab dish was also nice--the sweet quail meat practically
dissolves on your tongue with every bite. Unfortunately, I was so full I can barely remember what we had for dessert.
All I know is, I'm going there again when I get a new job!
One place you will want to visit in San Francisco is the
Ferry Building, especially on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, or Sunday when they have their farmer's market. I had some shrimp
cocktail with my Coldwell buddy Carolyn Wallace at the Ferry Plaza Seafood bar, which is
a nice casual spot to have a light lunch while dishing. I returned another day for a caviar snack at Tsar
Nicolai Caviar Cafe, the next best thing to Caviarteria. If you choose a sampler platter, go for the cheapest one.
The more expensive samplers feature mushier caviar, although the staff calls it "smooth." (A gal sitting next to me had been
studying caviar and told me it really should be crunchier.) One of the really cool items is the oyster shooter, which
has an oyster, then caviar (I had trout) and topped with sake vodka. The salty caviar hits your palate with the vodka,
setting the stage for the introduction of the smooth, silky oyster. I thought I was in heaven! Hog heaven, that
is. By this point I really felt like an oinker. Anyway, if you are a fan of oysters and vodka shooters, this is
definitely a must.
Still hungry? Click here.
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