Category Archives: Spirits/Cocktails/Beer

Time for Bloody Marys, Longer Happy Hours & Foodie Events

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In the East Bay:

Meritage at the Claremont in Berkeley has made the Bloody Mary into a veritable meal in and of itself.

Sunday mornings, the restaurant sets up a special Bloody Mary bar with nearly 50 ingredients to choose from, including different vodkas, horseradish, hot sauces, pickled veggies, and even beef jerky.

At Sunday brunch, where a spread of Alaskan crab legs, roasted Prime Rib and eggs Benedict is available, the Bloody Marys are $10 each.  There are even non-alcoholic Bloody Marys available at no charge.

Enjoy some of Berkeley’s best eats at “A Taste of North Berkeley’s Gourmet Ghetto,” 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. March 24, at Shattuck Avenue between Hearst and Rose streets.

Restaurants, including Trattoria Corso, Poulet, Saul’s Deli, and Imperial Tea Court, will be offering food and wine tastings.

Tickets are $25. Proceeds benefit Lions Club Community Fund Charities, including the Bay Area Alternative Press and the Women’s Daytime Drop-In Center. For more information, call (510) 540-6444.

This weekend, noon to 4:30 p.m., March 20 and March 21, enjoy tastes of wines right out of the barrels during the “Second Annual Barrel Tasting Weekend,” hosted by the Livermore Valley Winegrowers.

More than 25 Livermore wineries will be offering at least one barrel sample to taste, along with gourmet noshes. Guests also will have the opportunity to pre-purchase some of the barrel wines at a discount.

Tickets are $19 if purchased by today; and $35 if purchased at any participating winery on either day of the event. For more information, call (925) 447-9463.

In Sonoma and the Napa Valley:

Richard Rosenberg of Healdsburg’s boutique Grape Leaf Inn was always intrigued by the stories of his grandfather’s speakeasy that operated during Prohibition. So he decided to create his own in that same spirit.

Prohibition – The Speakeasy Wine Club just opened in Healdsburg. The 30-seat wine bar features a fun clandestine entrance. In the front is a small shop selling wine-related items, including home wine-refrigerators. You enter the actual speakeasy by stepping into an antique phone booth (see photo below) in the corner of the shop. Once inside, you’ll find a secret door to the bar, where you can enjoy hard-to-find wines and 1920s-style beers.

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Presto Change-O

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What could this clear liquid be?

That glass above looks innocent enough, doesn’t it?

You think it might be filled with water, don’t you?

But wait until you see what happens when I add some ice to it:

Add some ice and a dramatic change happens.

Holy moly, it turns from clear to milky white in a flash.

This far-from-innocent liquid is 106-proof Kubler Absinthe ($54). Yes, that rather mysterious high-octane spirit with the sordid history.

You might recall that absinthe had been illegal since 1912 because of supposed health concerns. It was thought that the chemical thujone, which is found in the herb wormwood (used in the making of absinthe), affected the brain. But that view has largely been debunked. Fortunately, for adventurous imbibers, the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau made it legal again in 2007.

I’ve tried a couple of different absinthes since then. But I was most eager to try the Kubler one after a 2009 New York Times taste-test ranked it No. 1 among absinthes on the market.

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Martinis, Wine, New Restaurants & More

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Go mad for martinis at this Sonoma event.

If you happen to be in Sonoma tomorrow, the hardest decision you might have to make is whether you prefer shaken or stirred.

That’s because top bartenders from 10 Sonoma restaurants and bars will be gathering in force at the Saddles Steakhouse at MacArthur Place Inn & Spa for the always popular Sonoma Valley Olive Season’s  “Martini Madness” event.

You’re invited to taste their creations and to vote for what you think is the best one. Lest you get hungry, appetizers will be available for noshing. And lest you need further inspiration, a live jazz band will entertain.

Tickets are $40 per person ($45 at the door). Dinner package deals are available for $85 per person, which includes all the fun at ”Martini Madness,” plus a three-course dinner.

Glasses of bubbly greet visitors to Saison.

Look for one of San Francisco’s most successful pop-up restaurants, Saison, to spiff up with a new and improved 3.0 version in the first half of 2010.

Who hasn’t fallen for the quirky charm of the teeny 25-seat, highly personal restaurant that turns out fine-dining dishes in a rustic, historic stable in the Mission District? What started out as a makeshift, once-a-week, dinner-only restaurant by Chef Joshua Skenes and Sommelier Mark Bright (both Michael Mina alums) has since expanded to three nights — Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Thursday nights soon will be added to the dinner line-up. The kitchen will get a major redo, including a new gourmet stove. And the plain-Jane, garden-variety slat chairs in the dining room will be replaced by sturdier, more stylish and much more comfy ones. Skenes even has plans to add a wood-fire oven to the garden patio to bake fresh bread for the restaurant.

Celebrate the Lunar New Year in the comfort of your own home — with some stylish and delicious help.

Fork and Spoon Productions of San Francisco is teaming with my good friend, Andrea Nguyen, author of “Asian Dumplings” (Ten Speed Press), to come to your house for a dumpling demonstration and banquet meal that features the likes of baked curried chicken baos, steamed Pacific bass with young ginger, Peking duck with pancakes, and tangerine pot de creme.

You can book the team anytime between Jan. 15-Feb. 28. You need at least 10 guests for this $185 event. The hostess receives a free copy of Nguyen’s cookbook, while guests can purchase their own at a special price. To make a reservation, call (415) 552-7130.

Everybody’s favorite “Dine About Town” promotion runs this year from Jan. 15-31. A bevy of San Francisco restaurants will be offering a two-course lunch for $17.95 and/or a three-course dinner for $34.95.

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New Restaurants, New Chefs, New Beard Papa and New Holiday Treats

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Sea scallops at the new Meritage in the Claremont Hotel. (Photo courtesy of John Benson)

The newly renovated Claremont Hotel, Club & Spa in the Berkeley hills has unveiled a swanky new restaurant, Meritage.

Guests can sidle up to a mahogany bar or take a seat in the main dining room with its wall of windows affording breathtaking views of the Bay.

Following on the heels of sister establishments, Meritage at the Boston Harbor Hotel and Le Meritage at the Maison Dupuy in New Orleans, the Berkeley locale features an extensive wine list to go with its seasonal, contemporary California cuisine.

Dishes include Castroville artichoke soup with crispy prosciutto and roasted tomatoes ($7/$12); Sonoma goat cheese-potato terrine($9/$17); seared sea scallops with celery root-Yukon Gold potato puree($15/$28); and Bay Area cioppino ($16/$29).

The nicely designed menu lets you order dishes in either small or large plate sizes. Dishes also are characterized by wine characteristics so that you can easily pair a dish to a particular varietal you’re fond of. For instance, the ahi tuna tartare with crispy rice, marinated cucumbers, sesame and ginger ($13/$25) is listed under “fruity reds.”

Creamy artichoke soup. (Photo courtesy of John Benson)

Beard Papa fans will rejoice that another branch of the popular Japanese cream puff bakery has opened — this one at 365 2nd Ave. in San Mateo.

It’s Beard Papa’s fifth Bay Area location. The bakery is famous for its cream puffs that have a unique crispy, pie crust-like exterior and traditional, airy choux pastry interior. The official grand opening complete with ribbon cutting ceremony will take place at noon Dec. 18. For more information, call (650) 342-PAPA.

Parcel 104 in Santa Clara has a not-so-new chef. Jonny Hall, former chef de cuisine of Parcel 104, has been named that restaurant’s executive chef, succeeding Robert Sapirman, who left earlier this year.

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