Category Archives: Wine

Duff Goldman Comes to Santana Row, Michael Mina Anniversary Celebration & More

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Meet Chef Duff Goldman at Santana Row. (Photo courtesy of the Food Network)

Duff Goldman vs. Robert Sapirman

Yes, the “Ace of Cakes‘‘ Food Network star takes on the local chef of Citrus restaurant in the Valencia Hotel in San Jose’s Santana Row. All in good fun, of course.

It’s all part of the Oct. 8-9 “Cadillac Culinary Challenge,” in which celeb Pastry Chef Duff Goldman (who is also trained in savory cooking) will be challenging Chef Robert Sapirman in battles at 11:30 a.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. each of those days to see whom will be crowned “Cadillac of Chefs.”

Seating is first come, first serve. And of course, while you’re there, you also can test drive a new Cadillac.

Never Too Early To Start Thinking About Thanksgiving

If there’s one holiday that strikes fear in even seasoned cooks, it’s Thanksgiving.

Tante Marie’s Cooking School in San Francisco wants to help. It’s hosting two one-day workshops to teach you how to host a “No-Stress Thanksgiving Dinner.”

This hands-on class is being offered 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 8 and Nov. 15. Price is $195.

You’ll learn how to make everything from hazelnut gougeres with stilton and red grapes to sourdough stuffing with prosciutto and Parmesan to pumpkin pie with toffee pecan topping. You’ll even make your own pie crust that you can take home to freeze for your holiday pie.

Chef Michael Mina has a lot to celebrate this year. (Photo curtesy of the chef)

Special Michael Mina Dinner

Oct. 9, Michael Mina will celebrate his 20-year career, as well as the first anniversary of his eponymous San Francisco — in grand style.

He will host a special Anniversary Tribute Dinner, 6 p.m. at Michael Mina restaurant, which will feature six courses prepared by famed chefs who have cooked alongside him over the years, including Traci des Jardins of Jardiniere in San Francisco, Melissa Perello of Frances in San Francisco, Joseph Humphrey of the soon-to-open Dixie in San Francisco and Ron Siegel of the Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco. Also lending a hand with one of the courses is Mina’s mentor, George Morrone.

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What is Portland, Ore.? (Part II)

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Pinot Noir grapes on the vine at Ayres winery.

What is Portland?

One of the finest wine regions around…

If you love Pinot Noir, especially ones with an earthy roundness in the style of Burgundy, you will go crazy for these made in the Willamette Valley.

I know I have. And it’s a love affair that’s lasted many, many years already.

Thanks to Travel Oregon, a group of food bloggers, including yours truly, recently was invited as guests to explore Portland’s famous wine region, which is considered the birthplace of New World Pinot Noir.

It was my first time to the glorious Willamette Valley, which sports 20,000 acres of vineyards, most of it Pinot Noir and almost all of it grown on  hillsides to avoid frost.

With 425 wineries, the Willamette Valley is as verdant and picturesque as the Napa Valley, but with a less touristy and corporate vibe. It’s still affordable, too, relatively speaking. While you practically have to be a neurosurgeon or Google employee #5 to afford to start a new winery in Napa, in the Willamette Valley, that dream is still accessible for regular, working-class folks with a bit of bank.

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Tipsy Figs

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Don't give these figs a sobriety test.

I am guilty of contributing to the delinquency of fruit.

Yes, the other night, I got fresh figs tipsy, even bordering on wasted.

But boy, did they taste good that way.

These black Mission beauties got a luxurious overnight spa soak in a tub of Port.

It was all in the name of making “Chicken Fricassee with Figs and Port Sauce,” which was published in Bon Appetit magazine, way back in 2007. The recipe is from the now-shuttered Cremant restaurant in Seattle.

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Restaurant Architecture Tours, Bobby Flay Comes to San Jose, New Splashy Sonoma Winery & More

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The interior of Twenty Five Lusk in San Francisco. (Photo by Paul Dyer)

Behind the Scenes Look at San Francisco Restaurant Design

The San Francisco chapter of the American Institute of Architects is presenting a program this month that will have you looking at your favorite eateries in a whole new light.

Part of its “Architecture and the City Festival,” this “Tour, Talk, Taste: Food and Design in the City” series invites you into a couple of San Francisco restaurants, where you’ll have a chance to listen to the design and culinary teams explain their visions for each restaurant. Then, you’ll get to sit down with them over food and drink to learn even more.

Find out what went into creating Local Mission Eatery, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sept. 25, which was built with environmentally conscious materials.

Learn about the creative process for hip Twenty Five Lusk, 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sept. 27.

And find out how designers created a Ligurian Italian restaurant in the Mission at Farina, 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Sept. 30.

Tickets to each event are $40 for AIA members; $50 for general admission. To register and buy tickets, go here.

The interior of Local Mission Eatery, which boasts environmentally friendlyl materials. (Photo courtesy of the restaurant)

Get Your Beloved Meetinghouse Biscuits

Long-time Bay Area foodies know well the legendary biscuits that Chef Joanna Karlinsky used to turn out when she owned the Meetinghouse restaurant in San Francisco.

That restaurant may be long gone. But you can still get your fix of those impossibly fluffy, tender biscuits a couple of ways. First, Thursday and Friday evenings from 6 p.m. on, she’s doing a pop-up at the Oasis Cafe in San Francisco, where she’ll be selling her wonderful chili and biscuits, both freshly baked and frozen ones to take home for later.

Second, she’s cooking brunch on Sundays, 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at The Corner in San Francisco. The simple, sit-down brunch will include such offerings as eggs Benedict, chili, Southern sides, and plenty of biscuits.

Finally, you also can buy the frozen biscuits via her Web site. A box of 24 frozen dough squares is $35.

Bobby Flay Book-Signing Event at Santana Row in San Jose

Meet New York celeb Chef Bobby Flay at 6 p.m. Sept. 23 at Sur La Table in San Jose’s Santana Row.

Flay will be signing copies of his new book, “Bobby Flay’s Bar Americain Cookbook: Celebrate America’s Great Flavors” (Clarkson Potter).

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Chocolate Fest, Tomato Dinner, Grilled Cheese Galore & More

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Enjoy the fun at the sundae-eating contest. (Photo courtesy of the Ghirardelli Square Chocolate Festival)

16th Annual Ghirardelli Square Chocolate Fest

Celebrate all things wonderfully chocolate at the Ghirardelli Square Chocolate Festival in San Francisco, noon to 5 p.m. Sept. 10-11.

Enjoy chef demos, live entertainment, ice cream sundae eating contests, and plenty of chocolate to swoon over.

The event benefits Project Open Hand, a San Francisco-based organization that provides meals for people living with HIV/AIDS, as well as seniors.

Tickets are $20 each, which entitles you to taste 15 samples.

VIP “Sweet Sixteen” Affair tickets also are available for $50 each for a noon-4 p.m. special event on Sept. 10. You’ll forgo the lines to enjoy exclusive sweets, wine and music, along with your standard 15 sample tastes and full access to the rest of the festival.

Live Out the Fantasy of Being a Chef for a Day

You can do just that at Puccini & Pinetti Restaurant in San Francisco.

Under the tutelage of Executive Chef Richard Hodge, you will don chef whites, and get behind the line at this bustling Union Square restaurant. You’ll learn about food safety, shadow various cooks throughout the day, chop herbs, wash veggies and make pasta. Dress requirements include comfortable clothing and closed-toed, slip-resistant shoes. Participants also must be at least 18 years old, germ-free from colds or the flu, and willing to sign a release form.

The “Chef for a Day” experience is $125 for a five-hour shift and includes dinner afterward prepared by Hodge at the chef’s counter. Proceeds benefit the Larkin Street Youth Program, which helps provide services for homeless and at-risk youths.

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