Category Archives: Wine

“Wine and Wishes,” “Martinis & Manicures,” and More

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A host of wineries will be pouring their varietals at the "Wine and Wishes'' gala. (Photo courtesy of the Greater Bay Area Make A Wish Foundation)

“Wine and Wishes” Tasting and Gala Dinner

More than 50 restaurants and wineries will join together Feb. 4 for the 11th annual “Wine and Wishes,” a benefit for the Greater Bay Area Make-A-Wish Foundation.

The extravaganza, a fund-raiser for the organization that grants wishes for children with life-threatening illnesses, will take place at City View at the Metreon in downtown San Francisco.

The evening kicks off at 5 p.m. with a “Gourmet Food & Wine Tasting,” where attendees can sample a slew of hors d’oeuvres and wines from from 23 restaurants and 26 wineries, including the Slanted Door in San Francisco, Wayfare Tavern in San Francisco and Cakebread Cellars.

At 7:30 p.m., nine local executive chefs — including Roland Passot of La Folie in San Francisco, Gerald Hirigoyen of Piperade in San Francisco and Arnold Eric Wong of E&O Trading Company in San Francisco — will prepare a four-course dinner, pairing each course with select wines.

Gourmet nibbles at the "Wine and Wishes'' tasting event. (Photo courtesy of the Greater Bay Area Make A Wish Foundation)

Tickets for the “Gourmet Tasting” are $150 per person. Tickets for the dinner range from $350 to $1,000 per person, which includes admission to the” Gourmet Tasting.”

Time for “Martinis & Manicures”

Grab an after-work cocktail — and get your nails done. How’s that for the ultimate pampering?

Indulge in that two-fer, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Feb. 7 and March 6, at the Hotel Valencia at Santana Row in San Jose.

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Viognier — Still Full of Vim and Vigor

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Short ribs elegantly presented at Viognier restaurant.

It wasn’t long ago that the notion of a restaurant operating inside a hotel doomed it to second-tier status.

While that no longer holds true, the idea of a fine-dining restaurant inside a grocery store still prompts some disbelief.

But when Viognier opened inside the gourmet market, Draeger’s in San Mateo 15 years ago, it made a convincing case that unlikely scenario could work.

After all, the restaurant was opened by none other than Chef Gary Danko, who later left to open his own eponymous restaurant in San Francisco. He was followed by Chef Scott Giambastiani, who is now an executive chef at Google. Chef Preston Dishman, former chef-partner of the General’s Daughter in Sonoma, took over the restaurant, named for the aromatic grape varietal from the Northern Rhone region of France, in 2008.

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Randall Grahm Chinese New Year Banquet & More in the New Year

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Randall Grahm will host an unforgettable Chinese New Year's banquet. (Photo courtesy of Grahm)

Chinese New Year Banquet at the Cellar Door in Santa Cruz

Winemaker provocateur and bon vivant Randall Grahm, founder of Bonny Doon Vineyard, is joining forces with Alexander Ong, executive chef of San Francisco’s Betelnut, for what promises to be one memorable Chinese New Year banquet, 5 p.m. Jan. 29.

The feast, in honor of the “Year of the Dragon,” will be held at Grahm’s Cellar Door Cafe in Santa Cruz.

The multi-course dinner with paired wines will feature pork and chive dumplings with crispy shallots; whole California black cod in miso, ginger and scallions, Betelnut’s famous “Beggar’s chicken” that’s baked in clay, and of course, long-life noodles with Dungeness crab sauce.

A whole chicken that's been marinated...(Photo by Carolyn Jung)

...is baked in clay until the meat is oh-so tender. (Photo by Carolyn Jung)

Price is $88 per person. For reservations, call (831) 425-6771. The Food Gal will be there, so stop by and say “hello” between bites.

Chef Joseph Humphrey Plans Pop-Up Dinners in Oakland in January

Joseph Humphrey, the noted chef who has helmed the likes of the Restaurant at Meadowood in St. Helena and Cavallo Point in Marin, has been working hard on his newest project: Dixie, a Southern-inspired contemporary Bay Area cuisine restaurant planned for the old Pres a Vi spot in San Francisco’s Presidio.

While that’s still under construction, he’s eager to get back in the kitchen. So, in January, you can find him serving up a sneak taste of his Dixie fare at Guest Chef in Oakland, a unique, full-service restaurant that allows established chefs to do pop-up stints.

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Instead of Fighting the Crowds at Big-Box Stores Over the Next Few Days…

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Meet brothers Michael and Byran Voltaggio at Williams-Sonoma. (Photo courtesy of Williiams-Sonoma)

Meet Chefs Michael and Bryan Voltaggio

Michael and Bryan Voltaggio — sibling chefs who strutted their culinary prowess on “Top Chef” before younger bro, Michael, walked away with the title — will be making appearances at two local Williams-Sonoma stores next week.

First up, they will be at the Stanford Shopping Center store at 5 p.m. Nov. 28. The next day, 5 p.m. Nov. 29, they’ll be at the San Francisco Union Square store.

At both events, they will be signing copies of their new cookbook, “Volt ink.” (Weldon Owen). The books must be purchased at Williams-Sonoma in order to be signed.

Give the Gift of A Restaurant Gift Certificate

San Francisco’s Treatful makes gift-giving for the foodies on your list a whole lot easier.

Founded by two Stanford Business School grads, the online site allows you to purchase gift certificates to more than 250 restaurants in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and Chicago. Among them are Aziza in San Francisco, Jar in Los Angeles, Rye in Brooklyn, and the Girl & the Goat in Chicago.

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A Pampering Experience at the Farmhouse Inn in Sonoma County

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Wake up to fluffy oatmeal pancakes with apples at the Farmhouse Inn.

From the moment you arrive at the bucolic Farmhouse Inn in tiny Forestville in the Russian River Valley, you know you will be in good hands.

After all, Charlotte most likely will be the first to greet you.

This is one friendly, adorable black cat you will want crossing your path. The inn’s resident pet, Charlotte, keeps pests in check on the property. But she’s also not above sneaking into your room to take a snooze.

And what rooms these are.

Eighteen rooms, cottages and suites ($345 to $745 a night) dot the property, whose centerpiece is a pale yellow 1873 restored farm house. The farmstead has been owned for the past decade by siblings, Catherine and Joe Bartolomei, whose family has farmed in Sonoma County for five generations. Recently, my husband and I were invited to be guests of the inn for an overnight stay that included dinner at the famed restaurant on the premises.

Although it blends in perfectly with the 1800s property, this barn is a new structure housing gorgeous suites.

The rustic and thoroughly chic look of the suite.

Notice the pillow on the bed that looks like a certain cat?

The room's double-sided fireplace can be enjoyed from the deck, too.

We stayed in an upstairs suite in the newly built barn at the back of the property. The suite definitely has a rustic vibe — but one attuned to Ralph Lauren.  Bright, airy and chic, the suite featured a four-poster bed adorned with a pillow decorated with a black cat in homage to Charlotte, of course. A double-sided stone gas fireplace sat across from the bed and could be enjoyed from the other side outside on the deck, too. The bathroom featured a jetted tub, separate steam shower and radiant heat floors to toast your tootsies on chilly mornings.

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