Author: biteclub

My family laughs hysterically when I talk about California barbeque spots. In their neck of the uh-holler-ribs are a religion. Pulled pork gets smoked with as much gusto as a pack of Virginia Slims. And their sauce don’t taste like vinegar, ya’ll. From Memphis to Mobile, how you sauce your barbeque is part of a […]

Pleasure is not an ‘extra’ in life. It’s not something to be doled out in a miserly fashion. It’s not something to be avoided, made to feel guilty about, or worst of all, ashamed of. Pleasure is what makes life worth living. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But the thing is, most of us don’t get that […]

David Arnold can’t just leave things well enough alone. He has to make them better. More bubbly. More, well, gin and tonic-y. With a carbon dioxide tank, a bottle of gin, and dozens of bags of powdered acids, and lime extract that he’s processed through some sort of jerry-rigged distillation machine, he’s demonstrating to us […]

There’s a whole part of Napa most of us never see. Hidden in the hills are incredible works of art, architecture and sculpture that stretch the limits of imagination. Trust me, I’ve seen some of them. On Sunday, I’ll be heading to Quixote winery–a structure of mind-bending lines, brilliant colors and cartoonish proportions that has […]

Not like you need an excuse to hang out on the patio and drink margaritas all day, but hey, thanks to the victory of the Mexican army over the French some 150 or so years ago, you’ve got one. So grab a glass, some chips, a Cerveza or two and tap into the salsa and […]

It has come to my attention that some of you don’t share BiteClub’s passion for bacon. Or foie gras. Or carnitas, sweetbreads, brick-grilled chicken or, well, much of anything that once had a face. And I get that. I really do. But here’s the thing–vegetarian food is, for the most part, horrifying to me. I […]

Brunch is so ho-hum. This year take mom for a seaside afternoon, an eco-hike, or a day of pampering in Petaluma. Then, have brunch. Seaside getaway to Bodega BayEat: Bodega Bay’s Seaweed Café hosts ‘7 Courses in May’, a menu featuring Andante Dairy cheese and Peay Wines at 6pm, Sunday May 13, $130 prix fixe, […]

Willi’s Wine Bar isn’t new. It doesn’t have a maitre d’, a cheese cart or a celebrity chef. It’s inconvenient to get to and the whole “small plate” thing can add up to a damn fortune. But day after day, season after season, year after year, the cozy Santa Rosa bistro just keeps on cranking […]

Chilaquiles. It’s been called the Mexican hangover cure for its amazing restorative powers. I call it the cure for whatever’s gnawing at your craw. All the requisite mood/metabolism enhancers are present and accounted for here: Fried, spicy, cheesy and meat. Vegetables take an appropriately supportive role in the form of guacamole (yes!), a tomato wedge […]