Feeding the Parents (when they happen to be restaurateurs...)

My parents recently visited me in San Francisco. Of course this was happy news to me. We've always been close, and the distance from my family has been the single downside to picking up and moving 1000 miles to be by the ocean, the mountains, Wine Country and fresh Dungeness crab. So naturally, I am always thrilled when they get to come see my home by the bay (oddly though, I grew up on bay, so it is not quite as unique, BUT, my bay was on Lake Michigan!)

So I was stoked (a word I did not always say) that they were coming. However, this inevitably meant that I had to do some planning. The most difficult and stressful task when they visit is not to figure out what we are going to see, where they are going to stay or what we are going to do, but rather where are we going to eat?? You have no idea the pressure. My family owns restaurants, so I grew up in a food and dining environment. My dad is a born culinarian and has always cooked big meals for us, my brother is a chef and my mom is the ultimate critic of efficiency and service in a restaurant. For these reasons alone, I cringe at inviting unsuspecting guests along to dine out with us. Let’s just say the phrase “We could have had a much better meal at home” comes up often.

Granted, San Francisco is a food-lovers city. It’s one of the reasons I moved here. But, I can’t pull anything on this crew. I knew it had to be something: new (they’ve visited many times before and we’ve had both great and really disappointing meals), something with character (stuffy and pretentious is the opposite of their idea of a great time) but ultimately something that has all the above AND great food. What did I come up with? Is there anything that fits this bill?

Here are the winners:

Happy Hour at Hog Island

This is a win-win situation. $1 local oysters taste like the ocean, your view is the San Francisco Bay and the ambiance and bustling crowd is always fun to be part of (if you have to wait forever, they let you drink while you're waiting.) Plus, my dad loves oysters… not something you often get in the Midwest.

Il Pollaio

I love this place. Nothing fussy, nothing fancy, just really good char-broiled, roasted chicken. Order some Peronis to drink, a large mixed salad (with the garbanzo beans) and a couple half chickens to share. Don't forget to squeeze all the lemons over the chicken. Did I mention I love this place? I knew my parents would too. It is our kind of place.

Canteen

Even though I knew I was doing well so far with the fun, casual and often dive-y spots, I felt like I should take the parents out for a nice dinner. (And by 'take them out' I mean: 'let them pay for me'.) Canteen was my refuge. The decor is kind of retro, cool so you don't have the schmancy dining room aura, but the food is always on par with this city's fine dining. Everything that was brought to the table was fantastic. And that is a statement that rarely comes out of my family's mouths. Yeah for me!! Success again!

So, I was on a roll and only had one full day and night left. What followed was probably our best meal-day of all, but then again, it is the experience that counts:

Farmers Market Brunch & Dinner

Primavera's Chilaquiles, with a strong Blue Bottle drip coffee, and a home cooked meal from the morning's farmers market ingredients for dinner (we made Pazole out of Rancho Gordo's amazing hominy!) There is something so San Franciscan about going to the market, buying ingredients for dinner that night, and spending that really sweet, golden hour before the sun goes down, eating cheese and drinking wine. And we had the comfort and ambiance of my new, darling apartment (with a dishwasher)...

Don't talk to me, I'm eBaying...

Having been slapped on the face with the reality of recession, I decided to set up an eBay account in order to get rid of all the junk (shoes that I never wear, sunglasses I can no longer pull off at my age, gadgets I never use, clothes that I'll never fit into...) I've amassed over the last few years. Although I am all for technology and trying new things, I have to admit that the experience of selling items on eBay can be very daunting. And it is not helpful that potential buyers/ sellers treat first time eBayers (such as myself) with the highest level of suspicion as if included in the box, is not only my "Pre-Loved, Gently Used, LIKE NEW Prada Patent Sneakers," but also a package containing gasoues fume just waiting to explode on their faces.

As an eBay-er with 0 credibility to my name, even the words "honor," "virtue," and "integrity" all fused into my user name, didn't help the barrage of e-mails from seasonsed eBay-ers asking me if the shoes were authentic:

Person A: Are the shoes authentic? Can you send me 30 more pictures so I can be sure of the authenticity?

Person B: WHY are you selling the shoes now? The timing is a little suspect.. hmm. JTILYK (just thought I'd let you know” in e-Bay lingo).

Person C: Name the sales person that helped you at the Saks Fifth Avenue store so I can make sure it's authentic, and also the cross street to where the Saks is located.

...

I was well on my way to selling my second pair of shoes, "Pre-Loved, Gently Used, LIKE NEW, ONLY WORN ONCE Gucci Sneakers - IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND, SOLD OUT EVERYWHERE, WILL SELL QUCKLY ACT NOW", when I noticed that the highest bidder was a first time eBay user with 0 credibility to his name. At first, I was opposed to selling to a first time user, because frankly we live in an ugly world, but than I thought, 'where's the love?' and with Marvin Gaye's song "What's Going On" blasting on my iTunes (Yes, I am well aware that Marvin Gaye wrote the song to bring end to racism, but if he were alive today, don't you think he would want to end the hate for first time ebay buyers/sellers?) I decided to send him a congratulatory e-mail. (actually, I guess it was more of a, where’s my money? e-mail.) What I got in response was so shocking that I almost fell off my chair upon reading the e-mail.

Here are some excerpts:

"hellow even thow ii did manage to win the silver gucci sneakers ii want to buy both your silber gucci sneakers and your red patent leather pradas

"

"o0ok ii will try and pay asap . . also fo you have any other shoes like these that you A willin to sell ?! if so then ii was thinkin mabey the more shoes ii could purchase from you then the more of an deal we could work outt"

If Obama ever needs proof of the failing education system in America, I could just present him these e-mails, and I’m sure he would declare code red right away! I know I'm no Harriet Beecher Stowe, or Gustave Flaubert (I read that he rewrote sentences over and over again until he got it just right), but I could not help but think, what was this dude thinking when he wrote these e-mails?

I started hyperventilating after I received these kinds of e-mails. I was convinced that I've been duped by some false eBay buyer out to get people like me, who just want to make an honest living. However, to my dismay, I was wrong. As the saying goes, never judge a book by its cover, he was actually really nice to work with (as in he paid right away), and I even learned not to be so suspicious of the world: that there are actually good people out there who just love sneakers although they can't spell to save their lives. Who knows, he might become my most valued customer in the future as I have 366660000023943820948209 more pairs of sneakers left to sell.

Swirl of the Moment: 2006 Bianco di Annibale

Salts & Sparkling

Last week I had the pleasure of joining Chef Janine Falvo and Sommelier Chris Sawyer of Carneros Bistro & Wine Bar for their 3rd Annual Salt Dinner. The dinner featured Winemaker Eileen Crane of Domaine Carneros, and six of Domaine Carneros' current release and library wines. Six courses, six different salts, and six pours of wine later I was sold on salts & sparkling.

My favorite Domaine Carneros wine, Le Reve, was served alongside a Live Scallop with a Popcorn Chardonnay Salt.

Eileen brought with her the 2001 and accompanied it with a charming story about the longevity of this wine. Awhile back, one of Domaine Carneros' Japanese distributors paid Eileen a visit and asked to purchase several cases of Le Reve for his daughter's wedding. Bearing in mind all of the hoops that he would have to go through to export the wine, she asked when his daughter was getting married. His answer: "She's not even one yet!" Part of me felt bad enjoying a glass, wanting to know what it would be like down the road, but there is no time like the present.

The innovative uses and spins on salt made me realize that there are so many possibilities for foods or ingredients that I take for granted. That's not to say that I'm going to be able to whip up a salt like Janine's Meyer Lemon + Coriander Salt, but I did leave feeling ambitious about the red Hawaiian sea salt I brought back from my stay in Maui. Last thought, the Chocolate Covered Pretzel-Caramel Tart served with Fleur de Sel Ice Cream was bomb. And I hear it will be on the menu soon....

The Business of Wine... (or is it the pleasure of wine?)

From time to time I have the opportunity to share some of my wisdom (read I'm older than I feel) with those who are interested in the machinations of the wine business. Calling it a business is a bit of a misnomer because it is one of the more congenial, collegial industries one could work in, I think.

My dear friends Geralyn and Jack Brostrom, who are a dynamo couple who have been leaders in the Wine Education movement, asked me to contribute a chapter to their book, The Business of Wine, which was recently released by Greenwood Press. My chapter focuses on the power of the wine label in marketing...the book is full of great entries from many experts in the world of wine and it is a must read for anyone wanting to understand the nuances of the business. Enjoy!

"The design of wine labels is a bellwether of the wine industry’s evolution commercially over the last century. As recently as 25 years ago, the wine consumer in a retail shop had a relatively small number of wines to choose from, both domestic and imported, and the labeling on those wine selections was fairly straightforward: provenance, vintage, producer, grape variety, and a few other technical details, with design playing a secondary role to content. Today, with a proliferation of brands from around the world, wine label design and content have become more strategic and relevant than ever in terms of driving consumer purchases...

"Label art is only part of the ‘power of the package’ in promoting and selling wine. Distinctive elements such as label shape, color, or design have also created iconic labels such as the striking signature yellow-orange ones on Veuve Clicquot Champagne and the anemone Art Nouveau decal gracing the outside of the entire Perrier-Jouet fleur bottle. Both of these brands are immediately identifiable from across the room. . . . Read More"

Read more, or find The Business of Wine on Amazon.com

Value and Values in Wine

We’re living in interesting times where there is much discussion of the ideas of both green and value, green-sizing and downsizing. With green, it may be the concept of environmental consciousness or greenbacks aka money. With value, it may encompass the monetary term related to the economic conditions and therefore discounted products. Or, it may be of values, as in company values, social values, environmental conservation and quality of life and quality of products. Both definitions are of equal importance to today’s consumer with stories reporting that they are reducing their expenditures, choosing quality over quantity and seeking to support companies with like values. This goes for wine purchases as well.

Below are a few recommendations for Value(s) wine purchasing during down times: - Continue to drink what you like to support your favorite winemaker.
- Every wine has a story so support wineries whose values reflect yours.

- If you are environmentally minded, look for those that promote organic and biodynamic growing practices, or those offering green packaging.

- Find a wine that supports your favorite cause, and particularly wineries who support the communities in which they live and work.

- Seek out new wines at lower price points, as nothing feels better than discovering a great new wine, a $50 Napa Cab, a $10 pinot noir, a $20 bubbly, or a Beaujolais in a reusable aluminum bottle!

- Drink wines from local wineries if you are so lucky to be in a winegrowing region, as it helps support your local economy and leaves a smaller carbon footprint.

For how other wine lovers are reacting, check out he story on NPR this week - Economy Forces Some To Buy Less Expensive Wine - http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php\?storyId=99235468

It's 3 AM, Are Restaurant Wine Lists Answering the Call?

Happy New Year! As a follow up to our look back at 2008, and a look forward to 2009, one of my long time colleagues and kick-tush sommeliers, Randy Caparoso, had more insights to add to wine list trends that I wanted to include as a further discussion point for our Charles Communications Associates Trend Watch 2009. "It's 3:00 AM in the restaurant world. The economy is rattling our windows, costs are obliterating margins, and last year's projections seem as hopeful as a bride without a first date. The first thing every savvy restaurateur does under these circumstances is...Read the full article.

Visit Culinary Wine & Food Adventures for more insights.

Cheers!  Go Randy.