Drink Eat Love

Monday Day Wines: Lemons in to Lemonade

Yesterday I was all geared up to go to the Domaine Serene 20th anniversary tasting and lunch at RN74. I got to work super early, plugged away at my desk until it was time to leave, hopped across the Bay Bridge, spent thirty minutes searching for parking (the best I found was $15 flat rate) and headed to the restaurant exactly at 11:30 A.M. Upon entering I noticed that there was no one there. I walked up to the host and said, "Umm, I'm here for a tasting?", the response, "It is tomorrow!" Oh crap! Well, I had two choices: 1. Go back to the office and have a crap lunch 2. Stay for lunch and then go back to the office. I went with the later and was thankful for it.

A Perfect Saturday

Three Little Pigs

This past Monday Shauna and I enjoyed a meal that was so memorable it took me a week to formulate the words to describe it. As you may know I have quite the affinity for pig and the moment I heard that La Ciccia was hosting a Sardinian family-style suckling pig dinner I jumped at the chance to get a reservation, luckily we got the last two seats.

Lunch at the Laundry

I've attended a number of bridal showers in my life, but when I was invited to a hosted lunch at the esteemed French Laundry I knew this one was going to be a bit different. Jeff and I dined at the Laundry a few years ago for dinner and the experience was incredibly impactful. It was one of my very first fine dining experiences and I remember being blown away by both the quality of food and the level of service. I also have memories of being the most full I have ever been (still, to this day!)

Mackerel Monster Invades Monterey Bay

The above furry creature is the infamous Mackerel Monster of San Francisco. He is rarely seen in the wild, but this weekend while at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, he was caught on camera.  During this feeding frenzy he was eating the Scad mackerel, which is listed as a "best choice" by Seafood Watch. The Mackrel Monter may be frightening, but at least his prey are sustainable.

LA Dining: Paparazzi, a $15 glass of Prosecco and peeing with Billy Gibbons

To say we had a good time at Osteria Mozza would be an understatement, Joel and I took Friday night by the horns and rode it all the way into Saturday morning. We arrived at Mozza a tad before our reservations and were greeted by the host and told that they were running behind (it did not look like a recession at this place). We were politely told that we would have to wait before our table was ready. This small inconvenience lead to a conversation with a member of LA's paparazzi stories of Paris Hilton, Lindsey Lohan, Keanu Reeves and many others.

When L.A. meets N.Y.C.

        

As I wait for Super Shuttle to whisk me away to San Francisco International Airport for a short trip to L.A., I wanted to write a prelude to my dinner tonight. My best friend Joel and I will be dining at Osteria Mozza and I have been anticipating this for quite some time. Osteria Mozza is a partnership between world-famous chef Mario Batali and a culinary giant Nancy Silverton. Each chef has cultivated their own dining "empires" on opposite coasts and joined forces two years ago to open Mozza Pizzeria and Osteria Mozza. There is always a fine line when dining at a celebrity chef's restaurants but from what I have been told, I'm in for a treat. Shauna, Joel and I enjoyed a good meal at the Pizzeria in July of 2007 and if that experience is translated and upgraded a notch, tonight's dinner will be a good time for all.

The Fancy Food Show: Not Much New

Every year the food world comes together to show off their products to the food retailers, writers, and sellers. This world-renowned food show is called the Fancy Food Show and is a unique culinary experience that if you are able you should attend. Each year the show tends to have an overall theme or trend that permeates throughout the event; the theme could be Goji berries, unique salts or cured meats, but this year there was a palpable

Low and Slow

In our hyper-active lives going slow never seems to be a reality. We are all over-connected, over-worked and over-scheduled, forcing many of us to eat on the run. Many opt for fast food, frozen meals or eating out to appease our body's need for fuel. Fight back! Go "low and slow" one meal per week and explore the depth of flavor that low heat and a long cooking time provides.

Dine around town: DOSA on Fillmore

Our first weekend of 2009 was devoted to two of our favorite pastimes: eating and watching television shows on Netflix. We started our year off by trying out the new location of Dosa, which specializes in southern Indian food (paying close attention to its namesake, the dosa). The new location is huge in comparison with the original space in the Mission.