Weekend in Napa: Terra, The French Laundry, and Etoile Restaurant at Domaine Chandon

My fiancé surprised me last weekend by taking me to my first trip to Napa. I have always wanted to go, but lack of opportunity kept me from getting to this much anticipated destination. We stayed at this beautiful hotel in Yountville called Bardessono, one of the most green hotels in the U.S. but strikingly well-designed; it’s uber chic but approachable and warm. We didn’t have dinner at their Italian restaurant (named after the hotel), but we enjoyed our complimentary breakfast with a buffet of local-centric foods, with an option of 4 warm dishes to choose from.

The first night was at Terra, a Michelin starred restaurant in St. Helena, about 15-20 minutes from our hotel. Set in a century-old fieldstone foundry, the restaurant is intimate and romantic. Hiroyoshi Sone and his wife, Lissa Doumani create  seasonal New American cuisine, focusing on Californian ingredients but with nods to France and Italy. But you can see Chef Sone’s Japanese sensibility which always seems to find its place in every dish. Yet, nothing is too complicated or overdone. Service was smooth and genuine, never overbearing. We loved how it made us feel that we were worlds away home, yet was still so comforting. Thank goodness for fine establishments like this–it’s been here for discerning Napa goers for 20 years for a reason, folks.

After getting tipsy from wine tastings at Domaine Carneros, Stag’s Leap, Silverado, and Rombauer wineries (no lunch didn’t help), my fiancé again surprised me to a foodie’s dream-come-true: a dinner at The French Laundry. Oh baby, yeah! I was so shocked but so ecstatic; I don’t really remember how we got to our table, or at least, it was a blur. But boy, do I remember what we tasted! We had the Chef’s Tasting of 9 courses (the other option was their Vegetarian Tasting of 9 courses). All the dishes that arrived were surprisingly minimal in presentation–no fancy footwork. But to me, it’s like watching a prima ballerina–they make it look so easy, so effortless, but it’s because they have an incredible amount of technique and experience. Look closely, and every little herb, every little flake, was placed with intent and purpose. Here, they want to showcase each ingredient; there’s no masking of flavors. Each course was like a Oscar-worthy movie, with the best actor, best supporting actress, best cinematography, and best director, with each role vital to the other. And the service is so seamless and balletic, there was no waiting or awkward, long pauses. You know their presence, but the servers somehow never get in your way of enjoying the food and your conversation. That’s called great orchestration; no matter how talented your musicians are, you have to have the right conductor to make them shine. We were so lucky enough to get a invitation to their kitchen. What an honor. I love seeing kitchens, because it reminds me of my days as a ballet dancer. It’s like walking backstage, where everything happens before it goes onstage to perform for the audience.

Our last day in Napa started at a wine tasting at Ma(i)sonry, which was close to our hotel and where we got to choose from several different flight tastings from various local, more boutique wineries. A historic landmark (and one time, brothel), it houses some fantasitc contemporary artwork along with vintage pieces and furnishings. In the back terrace area, we sat at one of their communal tables and selected some wines and was served some Pecorino cheese with nuts, dried cherries, and crackers. Some new wines we have fell in love with were L’Angevin, Peirson Meyer, Tamber Bey, and Brown Estate. It’s a great place to relax and enjoy various collections of rare and under the radar wines. A nice change if you want to be away from all the hustle and bustle of the more popular wineries in Napa.

Our last stop before we left was Domaine Chandon in Yountville, because I just had to have one more tasting of Californian sparkling wine which has captured my heart while I was in Napa. After having a couple different tastings together, my fiancé and I headed for some lunch at their Etoile Restaurant. The chef here, Perry Hoffman, was just nominated by James Beard as Rising Star Chef  of the Year. We didn’t have the opportunity to indulge in a full course lunch, but even with our few selections, we knew that this young chef is destined for greatness. Chef Hoffman showcases his culinary techniques with well-balanced flavors and presentation. It’s not groundbreaking cuisine, but it’s the simple, pedestrian dishes that are sometimes so challenging to elevate and impress. Somehow, he does that with ease.  All with some more Domaine Chandon Pinot Noir Rose…..Life is oh so good.

Thank you, Fiancé; I am a lucky girl

Terra Restaurant: 1345 Railroad Avenue, St. Helena, CA; Tel. (707) 963-8931; http://terrarestaurant.com/

The French Laundry: 6640 Washington Street,  Yountville, CA; Tel. (707) 944-2380; http://www.frenchlaundry.com/

Ma(i)sonry Napa Valley: 6711 Washington Street, Yountville, CA; Tel. (707) 944-0889; http://www.maisonry.com/

Etoile Restaurant at Domaine Chandon: 1 California Drive, Yountville, CA; Tel. 1-888-242-6366; http://www.chandon.com/

[Via http://universaltables.wordpress.com]

Regretsy Warning

I have an enormous respect for the amount of time and effort the sellers on etsy put into their work. I can’t even pretend to be as amazingly talented as some of the creators on that site (though I can dream). That said, my husband came across the blog Regretsy (warning this site does contain mature content including nudity and cursing), and I feel kind of bad, but i can’t stop laughing. One of those posts is a woman trying to sell her Peter Pan video. So NOT what etsy is for. Some of the items posted are ridiculous, but some of them are awesome in an “I would totally buy that for a friend way.” Like toilet paper embroidered with president’s faces. Ridiculous, but intriguing. Like this:

Manllow

After reading through twenty pages the hubby and I decided to get some wine and continue with our perusal of the site. The post about all of the Twilight crafts on etsy had me rolling on the floor. Seriously. Click on the photo and check out all the other crafts. Like the coffee grip warmer that says be safe. “You know Edward Cullen would want you to be safe.”

P. S. you can customize your own manllow with your Significant Other’s face. Looks like I know what I’m getting for my birthday. ^_^ But seriously. I love how on their etsy site they know they’re creepy. That just makes me want one.

So get a glass of wine, cozy up, and enjoy Regretsy.

[Via http://tenacioustextiles.wordpress.com]

Sonoma Wineries Blog Tip - Using the Directory

To View Winery Information: On the home page you will see all the wineries I have featured on the left sidebar. You can click any one of these to view information about the winery including pictures and links.

Winery Directory: If you would like to see a master winery list that includes addresses and phone numbers click on the directory tab at the top of the page OR in the left sidebar click on the label “Sonoma Wineries Directory.” This will reveal the full list of wineries. Once on this particular page each winery listed also serves as a link to the winery homepage. Just click on the winery name to be redirected.

Map of Sonoma: You can click on the map header at the top of the page to see where the wineries are located.

In each case new information is added all the time.

I hope this blog is useful to you as you research the various wineries of Sonoma! More to come…
Link to blog for those of you viewing on Twitter

[Via http://sonomawineries.wordpress.com]

Georgia toasts China growth

Exporters of Georgian goods to Russia, who had to seek new markets in Asia during a near four-year closure of the country’s border with their northern neighbor, are looking to a sales boost from the scheduled reopening of border crossings this month.

Despite lingering tensions between the two countries, Russia is due to allow imports of Georgian goods for the first time since 2006, when it was Georgia’s number one trading partner. It had cited impurities and health risks when it closed the border and initiated an embargo of Georgia’s main exports, wine and mineral water. The Georgian economy was flattened and companies exporting to Russia have yet to fully recover, a process further

delayed by the brief war between the two countries in August 2008, which caused an estimated US$1 billion in damage.

Today, although Georgians remain highly suspicious of their huge northern neighbor, Vladimir Papava, senior fellow at the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies, said the benefits of reinitiating trade with Russia cannot be ignored.

“The Russian market is so huge, it’s really impossible for Georgian wine producers to replace the Russian market with other countries,” he said. “So, if the Russian market will be open for Georgian goods, it’s perfect for our business, for our economy.”

The 2006 ban was particularly hard on Georgia’s wine companies. In the second quarter of 2005, Georgia exported 10.6 million liters of wine compared with fewer than 2 million liters during the same period in 2009, according to the Georgian Ministry of Economic Development.

Although Georgian wine has been historically treasured in Russia, wine consumers elsewhere have had little exposure to it, even in Western markets.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in December said he saw “no obstacles” to reopening the Russian-Georgian border and resuming direct flights between the two countries. He also said products “legally” imported from Georgia “should be received and sold like other products”.

Papava, who served as Georgian minister of the economy from 1994 to 2000 and as a parliamentary deputy from 2004 to 2007, remains unconvinced of the offer because of Russia’s previous justification for the embargo.

He said the bans based on impurities and counterfeit concerns were a pretext “to punish” Georgia as relations between the Kremlin and Georgia’s pro-Western government worsened. Russia’s desire to pressure Georgia’s government has not changed, he said, as Moscow still refuses to speak directly with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.

Nonetheless, if the offer is legitimate, Georgian companies that once thrived off exports to Russia said they would be interested in a return to the market.

Nitsa Cholokashvili, public relations manager for Borjomi, Georgia’s leading mineral water exporter, said the company would “definitely” be interested in returning to the Russian market despite the risk of another ban. “The Russian ban was a really good lesson for us and for all companies selling products just on one market,” she said.

When Borjomi water was banned in 2006, the company’s total sales plummeted 43% for the year. At the time of the ban, 80% of Borjomi’s products were exported, compared with 64% in 2009. Since then, the company has widened its portfolio and refocused on the domestic market with some success. Still, Cholokashvili said, Borjomi does not expect revenues to reach pre-embargo levels until 2011 or 2012.

To replace the loss of its primary market, Borjomi has expanded to new markets and now exports 10% of its production to Asian countries.

Shota Kobelia, commercial director for Teliani Valley, Georgia’s leading wine exporter, said that while he considers a reopening of the Russian market “important” for his company he also sees much potential in Asian markets.

Georgia does not produce peripheral products needed to package wine and must import bottles, corks and boxes from a variety of countries, making it difficult to compete on price in the West.

However, wine is becoming increasingly popular in Asian countries and these fast-growing markets and consumers are more open to new wine countries and brands, Kobelia said. China’s retail consumption of wine is predicted to increase 18.2% year-on-year in 2010, boosted by domestic consumption and income growth, according to a recent report by Beijing-based Renmin University.

Kobelia said Chinese officials have requested a tasting of Teliani Valley’s wines, which recently competed in Singapore’s annual Wine for Asia competition, and China is one of 30 countries were Borjomi can be found since 2008.

By Nick Clayton

Nicholas Clayton is a Tbilisi-based journalist and blogger covering the Caucasus and the world. His blog can be found at http://www.threekingsblog.com/.

[Via http://ibulletin.wordpress.com]

Simple dinner, simply happy...

I’ve been thinking of ways to really make each day a little more gratifying starting with the place I call home…. First stop, the kitchen, since I always feel bad about the leftover bits that don’t get used in the refrigerator.

What to do with all the left over odds & ends in the refrigerator? I found some spaghetti, a few black cured olives, cherry tomatoes, a lemon, some Pepato cheese, &  olive oil & spice….soon everything will be nice.

My Simple Italian Pasta….

Your favorite pasta bits

Handful of black cured olives

Handful of cherry tomatoes

One garlic clove

Zest of one lemon

1/4 cup olive oil

A couple or more of fresh basil roughly cut

Quality salt & fresh cracked pepper

Bellwether Farms Pepato sheep’s milk cheese – grated over pasta

Cook the pasta in well salted water until just done, in the mean time halve the tomatoes, chop up the olives once pitted, chop up the basil, mince the garlic clove & set them aside as shown. Heat a skillet over med heat with the olive oil and garlic until just getting soft. Add the tomatoes, olives, zest, & drained pasta (straight from the water). Give it a good twirl in the pan to coat the pasta then add the basil. Twirl once more (don’t you feel better!) Serve in  your favorite pasta plate/bowl grate the cheese over with a little bit of cracked pepper.

Don’t forget to poor a big glass of Italian Sangiovese, Bordeaux or whatever you love to enjoy with this beautiful, simple & tasty dish.

"the goods"

putting it all together...

finished product

[Via http://absoludevin.wordpress.com]

I'm Going Dry

Well, actually, I’m only going dry for 30 days.

Well, really, it’s my wife who’s going dry for 30 days.  I’m along to support her.

She’s not an alcoholic or anything, mind you.  She’s beginning a jump-start exercise and diet regime which strictly forbids alcohol for the first 30 days.  Since she won’t be drinking, I won’t either.  Mostly.

How hard can 30 days be?

I like to joke, but, in reality, if I choose not to drink, I can go indefinitely.  I’ve never had an issue with addiction (except for cigarettes which I managed to quit).  I once decided to “slow down” and ended up drinking a total of three or four beers in as many years with nary a drop of any other alcohol.  Maybe five years.

I just haven’t decided if I want to go all in.  That sounds lame, but it’s true.  Red wine is one of my favorite pleasures.  Oh, yeah, and whisky is too.  Plus, there’s that open bottle of Cotes du Rhone which I can’t let go to waste!

Still, abstaining for 30 days isn’t much to ask.

Shucks, doing that alone, I’d probably lose five pounds.

[Via http://heednotsteve.wordpress.com]

Wine-Soaked Housewarming Party

I managed to squeeze in my housewarming party in February, the same month that I moved into my new apartment. In my humble opinion, I think the company was fantastic, the food satisfying, and of course, the wine superb. I even provided some beer as a goodwill gesture (ha!) and some Voyant chai liqueur for my cocktail-loving sis. It was truly heartwarming to have so many people from different parts of my life to my first-ever Wooster party! (Well, since my 18th birthday.) Some of the several wines opened include a 2007 S.A. Prum Essence Riesling (Mosel), 2007 Educated Guess Cab (Napa), 2008 Pascual Toso Malbec (Mendoza), 2005 Le Pousseur Syrah (Central Coast), and 2009 Crios de Susana Balbo Torrontes (Argentina). Sadly, I did not get to taste them all, but I was a huge fan of the Torrontes – beautifully crisp with a touch of sweetness. I got to serve the wine in my gorgeous new Schott Zwiesel wine glasses, thanks to my awesome boss! I also want to share the recipes that I used, as I think everything turned out well for the most part. The only item I wouldn’t make again is the Marinated Feta and Olive Skewers, as the feta is too crumbly to slide onto a toothpick! Or perhaps I wouldn’t marinate it again. The only other glitch was the the power went out (for 3 hours!!) while I was baking the Low-Fat Banana Chocolate Chip Cake, but fortunately, it cooked all the way through! Thankfully, the power came back on in plenty of time for the party, so that we didn’t have to hang out in the dark and cold. I also made Sundried Tomato and Goat Cheese skewers (great combo!), Spicy Spinach Dip with Pine Nuts (yummy and healthy!), Warm Brie with Wild Mushroom Fricassee (the recipe calls for camembert, but brie works just fine), and some AMAZING Oatmeal Cream Cheese Butterscotch Bars. My mom also contributed some deliciously rich brownies with Ghirardelli chocolate-caramel squares sandwiched in the middle! Afterward, a few of us headed to the Wooster Inn Pub for a drink, just in case we hadn’t had enough already. All in all, a fantastic day!

[Via http://woowinegirl.wordpress.com]