Category Archives: Spirits/Cocktails/Beer

Pineapple Persuasion

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Bottoms up.

I anointed this smooth, tropical cocktail with that moniker because after one of these babies, you can get people to do just about anything for you.

Smile giddily no matter what foolish nonsense you say? Check.

Forget their worries completely? You betcha.

Invite you on a cruise around the world aboard a luxury yacht complete with private chef and spa butler? OK, maybe not. But you never know if you don’t try, right?

Admittedly, my hubby and I are mostly wine drinkers at home. But when a sample of Van Gogh Pineapple Vodka arrived in the mail, we decided it was high-time for cocktail hour in our humble abode.

We invited some foodie friends over to take a sip or two or three or….

Pineapple vodka immediately brought to mind pineapple juice and fresh pineapple. Thus was born the “Pineapple Persuasion,” a fruity, twangy, just-sweet-enough blend of pineapple juice, pineapple vodka, lime juice, and sugar. Because I had kaffir lime leaves handy, I threw them into the pitcher to infuse. Fresh mint leaves would be another nice option.

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Drunken Pasta

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No, you don't have to be drunk to enjoy this delightful, impromptu pasta dish. But you do have to add a little booze to the mix.

This is what results when you find yourself with 2 pounds of fresh clams, a craving for pasta, and some already opened containers of booze lying around.

Although my husband, Meat Boy, loves to grill and roast big hunks of meat — hence the nickname — he also loves making seafood pasta. I know, I know. One has nothing to do with the other. But that’s just him. And you got to love a guy for his contradictions, don’t you?

He found a recipe online. But it called for chorizo. We had none, and didn’t want to make an extra trip to the grocery store, so we used bacon instead, along with a liberal amount of red pepper flakes.

The recipe also called for white wine. We didn’t feel like opening a bottle that night just for this dish, so we decided to use a mix of vodka and absinthe instead. After all, I still had a quite full bottle of St. George Spirits Absinthe Verte, and it did add such a nice touch to the Manhattan Bay Scallop Chowder I made this past winter. So why not give it a go in pasta?

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Ferran Adria’s New Beer

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The debut of Ferran Adria's new beer.

Bearing black glass and a simple, lone gold star at the bottom of it, a sample bottle of the much-buzzed-about Estrella Damm Inedit landed on my doorstep last week.

It’s the new beer by none other than Chef Ferran Adria of Spain’s esteemed El Bulli. Yes, the pioneer of molecular gastronomy, the chef who dares to go where no chef has gone before, has turned his wildly creative talents to crafting his own brewski.

The beer is a collaboration between Adria; El Bulli’s sommeliers; and Estrella Damm, Barcelona’s leading brewer. Adria says it’s meant specifically to enjoy with food.

Of course, Adria’s beer is unlike any other. Forget toting a six-pack. This elegant beer comes in a wine-like bottle with a cap that’s easily removed with your standard bottle opener. With its 750 ml bottle, Inedit is meant for sharing. It’s also meant to be served chilled, in a white wine glass.

It has a nice creamy head, and a golden, slightly amber color.

After one sip of the light-bodied, light-flavored beer, my husband declared that he could slam down a few glasses easily. (Full disclosure: Yes, he belonged to a college fraternity. ‘Nough said.)

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Good Eats & Drinks

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Chef Chris Cosentino of Incanto. (Photo courtesy of Michael Harlan Turkell)

Nosh on a special three-course menu from the Italian countryside every Sunday and Monday evenings this summer through Aug. 31 at San Francisco’s Incanto.

Executive Chef Chris Cosentino changes the prix fixe “Cocina Povera” weekly, highlighting a specific region each time. Price is $30, or $39 with two wine pairings included.

Chef Alessandro Cartumini of Quattro. (Photo courtesy of Chris Schmauch)

Four of Northern California’s best chefs will be serving up specialties at the 27th annual Vintage Affaire June 27 at a spectacular Atherton private estate.

Enjoy the creations of Alessandro Cartumini of Quattro Restaurant and Bar at the Four Seasons Hotel Silicon Valley in East Palo Alto; Daniel Patino of Michael Mina’s Arcadia in San Jose; Xavier Salomon of the Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay; and Cal Stamenov of Bernardus Lodge in Carmel Valley. More than 25 of California’s best wineries also will be pouring special vintages.

Live and silent auctions will give guests a chance to bid on rare wines, wine dinners, and special vacation packages.

Tickets are $300 per person. The event benefits Palo Alto’s Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired. During the past 26 years, this gala has raised nearly $6 million for the center clinic, counseling, and computer training services.

In this stagnant economy, restaurants and hotels are realizing that more than anything, diners want options and values.

That’s why all Ritz-Carlton Hotels around the world are introducing a new bar menu that invites guests to linger, share, and relax. It’s also an attempt to show that even in these tough times, you don’t have to sell the family jewels to afford a bite to eat and a drink to sip at this chain of luxury hotels.

Southern-style barbecue pork sliders. (Photo courtesy of the Ritz-Carlton)

Look for smoked salmon and arugula egg rolls, calamari in remoulade sauce, comforting crab cakes, barbecue pork sliders, and an array of cool cocktails. Items range from $10 to $20.

For another deal, head to Urban Tavern in San Francisco, June 8-12, when the downtown gastropub will allow diners to “pay what they think it’s worth.”

Yes, you got that right. Diners can enjoy up to a three-course meal at lunch. At the end, they’ll be asked to pay what they think the meal was worth. The server will then ring up that amount, plus tax. Lunch can include food, soft drinks, coffee, and tea, but not alcohol.

The offer is limited to 100 diners per day. Reservations are required.

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Round-Up of Restaurant News

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Beef short rib sliders. (Photo courtesy of E&O Trading Company)

Dig into beef short rib sliders with pickled root veggies, sriracha aioli and taro strip fries ($15); albacore tuna crudo with seaweed and white soy ($15); and butternut squash dumplings with red curry lemongrass sauce ($9).

You can at E&O Trading Company. The restaurant, which has locations in San Francisco, San Jose and Larkspur, has an exciting, revamped menu, courtesy of new executive chef, the highly regarded Arnold Eric Wong.

Wong made a name for himself at his restaurants, Bacar and Eos, both in San Francisco.

The new menu boasts everything from hoisin and coffee-glazed Duroc pork spare ribs ($15) to crispy fried black striped bass with citrus segments and calamansi glaze $20). Long-time E&O fans can rest easy, too; the signature Indonesian corn fritters ($12) that have been served since Day One remain on the menu. Whew.

Butternut squash dumplings. (Photo courtesy of E&O Trading Company)

April 29 might be a perfect time to try E&O’s new eats because you can help a good cause, too. That night, the restaurant will host a fund-raiser for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Guests can enjoy hors d’oeuvres by Wong, and dance the night away to Chef Joey Altman’s Backburner Blues Band. There also will be a raffle.

All proceeds from the event will be donated to the non-profit. Tickets are $40 per person.

Additionally, through May 28, E&O will donate a portion of proceeds from the sale of its new coconut trifle dessert.

Menlo Park’s Marche will host a four-course “2006 Burgundy Dinner” on April 23 in the private dining room, and again as a chef’s tasting menu option in the main dining room on April 24-25.

Each course will be paired with a different 2006 Burgundy. Price is $195 per person.

Three Degrees Restaurant at the Toll House Hotel in Los Gatos will offer a wine dinner, too, on April 23. This four-course dinner spotlights Burrell School Winemakers. Price is $65 per person.

For the budget-minded — and who isn’t these days? — San Francisco’s Zinnia offers a “Halfsy Hour”  each week, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

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