Happy 100th Birthday Week, Julia Childs. She inspired generations to get out their whisks and dive into cooking. And continues to do so…
Since every food writer is paying homage to what she taught them this week, I figured I’d joing the fray. For me, Julia was so much more than a television chef. She was an iconic woman who used her wit, intelligence and humor to entertain, rather than relying on surface beauty to get her point across. Something that often seems missing on television. Julia never shied away from speaking plainly, making a faux pas or expressing herself as well, herself. Instead, she embraced all that life had to offer without reservation or fear of being different.
What a lady.
So enjoy Julia Remixed: Give it a sec…it gets even more spectacular as you go.
What’s your Julia memory?
PS: This is pretty great, too. Happy little trees.
Somewhere on the banks of the Russian River is a wild, abandoned apple orchard with a treasure-trove of heirloom apples.Not that the casual passer-by would be much interested, since most of these ancient varietals — Roxbury Russet, Muscat de Bernay — aren’t all that tasty for eating. But to Scott Heath and Ellen Cavalli, they’re priceless.
The owners of Forestville’s Tilted Shed Ciderworks, a hard cider brewery, spent months searching out bittersweet cider apples planted by long-ago orchardists. Mostly forgotten in favor of sweeter Gravensteins or plowed under for vineyards, they’re part of West County’s past, brought to life again in a handful of cases of Lost Orchard Dry Cider released this fall. Without much residual sugar and a lightly tannic finish, it has more in common with sparkling wine than the treacly booze juice that passes as cider in many bar taps.
Gently carbonated and aged for six to eight months, the couple’s other hard ciders are equally intriguing: A semi-dry Gravenstein-based cider called Graviva and a forthcoming release called Smoked Cider that uses smoked apples as its base.
Still in the micro-production stage, with just 700 or so bottles in their first release, Heath and Cavalli operate their business mostly out of a neighbor’s cider press and their Forestville farm, which sits on 5.4 acres. Committed to using only heirloom cider varietals from Sonoma County, they spent this spring and summer planting their own cider orchard, expected to be in production by 2014. Until then, they seek out the few and far-between West County orchards that have a few of the heirloom cider varietals tucked away in forgotten corners. “It’s a bit of a scavenger hunt to find these scarce apples in Sonoma County,” said Cavalli.
With growing interest in craft ciders, akin to the boom of craft beers in the 1980s says Cavalli, they hope to increase interest in grafting cider apples to existing apple trees in West County and strengthening the region’s historic connection as an apple-growing region.
And the name? Well, it turns out there actually is a tilted shed on the couple’s property that inspired the moniker. The old wooden barn withstood decades of abuse, but the introduction of several sheep in a nearby pen may spell its ultimate destruction as tilt becomes something more akin to askew. It’s legacy, however, is assured on each year’s labels.
Want to get a taste? Watch for Tilted Shed to show up at some local grocers later this fall. Until then, you can order online at tiltedshed.com
August 11/12: This sweet little festival sometimes gets overlooked, but its worth checking out. Held in a cool grove at Ragle Ranch, they’ll have a tug of war competition, a singing competition to send a local to American Idol, and plenty of apple pie eating. One thing I’m especially excited about is a new micro-crafted hard cider called Tilted Shed. Made from locally sourced apples — some of which were gleaned from an ancient “Lost Orchard” owners Scott Heath and his wife, Ellen Cavalli found — they’re ripe, tart, crisp and very different from many of the commercial brands.
The Thai Style Crunchy Peanuts and Cashews weren’t very crunchy. That’s the extent of the criticism I can come up with for the recently-opened Spinster Sisters restaurant in Santa Rosa. Uncrunchy nuts.
Spinster Sisters, in the SOFA (South of A) District opened in mid-August with former Santi Chef Liza Hinman in the kitchen and wine master Giovanni Cerrone heading the wine program. Behind the scenes is Eric Anderson (a local who’s involved with Prune NYC). Suffice to say it’s a solid cast of characters who’ve been to the rodeo a time or two.
The interior of the rehabbed space is sparse and clean, with a wraparound bar taking up three-quarters of the room. It’s the perfect height and width to feel like an extension of the dining tables rather than simply a drinking space. A concrete floor and smooth wood tables feel a bit industrial, but owners are working to warm up the space and deaden the sound a bit.
The menu is broken into a series of sections: Bites ($2-$4) are exactly that; Charcuterie and Cheese Plates ($6-$16); Veggies ($5-$7); Small Plates ($7-$14) and Large Plates ($14-16). Each works beautifully as a single sonnet, or together as an epic poem. Here, Hinman is able to gently tie flavors together with spice, texture or theme in a loose bow, rather than an unmanageable knot of confused ideas.
Here’s a stroll through the opening dishes:
– Thai-style crunchy peanuts and cashews ($3): Torn basil, lemongrass and Thai peppers infuse the nuts with flavor. And maybe a bit too much moisture.
– The Sister’s Pickle Plate ($6): Seasonal veggies with daikon carrots and beets have a light, dilly pickling. Kimchee packs a garlic punch, breath-rescuing ginger foils the funk.
– Kimchee & Bacon Egg ($2): A bold, edgy flavor if you like kimchee and eggs. Which I do.
– House Made Duck Terrine ($9): Foie gras is nice, but frankly, a good terrine is every bit as satisfying. This rustic duck liver pate comes wrapped in pork fat with toasted bread, cornichon and stone ground mustard. Soul-satisfying.
– Wilted Kale Salad ($9) A toothier version of the familiar wilted spinach salad, it comes with generous pinches of soft Pt. Reyes blue cheese, bacon, pearl-sized cherry tomatoes, croutons and mustard vinaigrette. A theme throughout is seeing so much of the produce torn, rather than chopped. It’s a small thing, really, but shows the kind of extra hand-work being done in the kitchen.
– Sweet Corn Coconut Fritters with Sriracha Aioli ($8): Oh. My. God.
– Crispy Berkshire Pork Belly with Watermelon, Feta, Ginger and Mint ($10): Fatty, sultry pork; crisp, clean watermelon and mint.
– Crispy Chicken Thighs ($14): Thighs are the new breast. Packed with flavor, and gently pan-fried with plenty of salt and pepper, they sit atop creamy, yielding white beans and arugula. A grilled nectarine makes it weep-worthy with perfect, of-the-moment summer flavors.
– Kennebec Fries with SOFA sauce ($5): Fries need aioli. Period. Honey mustard informs this version.
– Earl Grey Pot de Creme: Proof that someone up there loves us. Orange and bergamot and chocolate.
– Wines: Around the bar are eight wines on tap, delivered to the table in a 500ml beaker. Plus, more than 20 by the glass or bottle, few of which the casual drinker will have heard of. And that’s a good thing. Finger Lakes Riesling, Hondarrabi Suria from Spain, Coastal pinots and Syrahs, Italian Primitivo, FrenchGamay. The menu begs for exploration. Plus several beers on tap, cider, cock-n-bull ginger beer.
Hours: Tues-Friday: 7am-10pm; Sat and Sun: 9 am – 10 pm. Closed Monday. Reservations taken for parties of 6 or more.
Celebrate community radio at KWTF Farm Fest on Saturday August 11th, 2012 from 2pm-10pm at Laguna Farm 1764 Cooper Rd, Sebastopol CA!
Live Music all day from local performers including Odd Bird, John Courage & the Great Plains, Those Unknown, Girls in Suede, NorBay award winners Hot Club Beelzebub, and more.
Festivities include radio production how tos, kids activities, community media skill building, local food & drink, community group and vendor booths, silent auction, giveaways and more.
KWTF Farm Fest is a fundraiser for KWTF Radio, a new Community Supported Radio project dedicated to local arts, culture and news. KWTF currently has an online community radio station at www.kwtf.net and is fundraising for a full power broadcast station, at 88.1 FM, to serve Santa Rosa and Western Sonoma County.
KWTF Radio relies on grassroots funding and is raising $80,000 to build, maintain, and operate their transmitter. The broadcast signal must be transmitting on air by March 2013. KWTF provides grassroots programs and serves an audience not currently served by other local radio stations.
“KWTF Farm Fest celebrates the connection between community supported agriculture and community supported media,” says Ben Saari, KWTF Radio’s interim Station Manager.
Community members can easily get involved with KWTF by signing up for email updates, becoming a volunteer, creating radio programs, spreading the word and/or donating to KWTF today! You can subscribe and support KWTF for as little as $5/month!
This event is sponsored by Laguna Farm, Ajalon Printing, Harmony Farm Supply, the Last Record Store, T-Shirt Underground, and the Sonoma County Peace & Justice Center.
Sometimes a great burger strikes where you least expect it. Like at a bar in the middle of the afternoon.
Doc Holliday’s, which took over as a nightclub/karaoke/music venue from the venerable Rita’s last year, is doing a really solid Angus burger cooked to order for $8.95. Unlikely? Maybe. But like the Sweet Spot (in downtown Santa Rosa), Sprenger’s Tap Room andO’Connors, bar kitchens sometimes sometimes have an instinct for simple, satisfying burgers and fried deliciousness. Served up on a hefty pretzel bun with fries or cole slaw, it’s a heck of a protein foundation for a long night of carousing. Or a long afternoon of spreadsheets. And unlike a lot of other burger spots that only believe in serving meat that’s been charred into submission, our “medium” order was exactly that. Medium. Pink in the middle and juicy. The one gripe: Don’t charge $1 extra for cheese. I hate that.
Also tasty: The Wedge, a steakhouse classic, is a quarter head of iceberg lettuce slathered with blue cheese dressing, bacon and diced tomatoes. You might be surprised at how refreshing the snap of ice cold ‘berg can actually be, and a bit more economical than all those fancy-pants greens ($5.95). Spicy chicken breast sandwich with chipotle spread, fried onion strings, Jack cheese on a French Roll ($10.95).
Open for lunch and dinner daily, plus a bar bites menu in the lounge. 138 Calistoga Road, Santa Rosa, 537-0308. The restaurant portion of Doc Holliday’s is child-friendly in the evening, and even has a family karaoke on Wednesday nights from 5-8pm.
It’s one of the biggest gatherings of chefs, winemakers and the folks who appreciate all they do. Taste of Sonoma 2012 happens on Saturday, Sept. 1 at MacMurray Ranch near Healdsburg as part of Sonoma Wine Country Weekend.
If you haven’t gone before, get ready to have your mind wobble: 170 wineries pouring thousands of wines (click here for a sample list of participating wineries), plus 60 local chefs from some of the area’s best restaurants doing small bites in a big way. Plus wine seminars, cooking demos, a Steel Chef cook off and walks around this historic ranch.
Tickets usually sell out, but you can still buy them online. $195 Grand Reserve, $150 General Admission. Details online.
Whisk yourself to the tropics, at least for the afternoon, during Woodenhead Winery’s Hawaiian luau on Sunday August 12 from 11am to 3pm. In addition to wine tasting, food writer Michele Anna Jordan prepares a feast of Spam musubi, Kalua pig with cabbage, Korean barbecued ribs, potato and macaroni salad, green papaya salad and more. Competition includes best Aloha shirt or dress and best Hawaiian dinner plate (the event is BYO-plate to keep things green). Faith Ako sings and hula dancers do their thing. Tickets $75 per person and reservations are required by calling 707-887-2703 or zina@woodenheadwine.com. woodenheadwine.com.
Thousands of rabid, screaming fans head to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park this weekend to stuff their faces at Outside Lands. Oh, and maybe listen to some music.
Music headliners range from Metallica and Skrillex to Stevie Wonder and the Foo Fighters, but BiteClub’s there for the 55 restaurants, 16 breweries, 49 wineries, and countless food trucks, chefs and culinary wonderments that have become a signature of the gastro-music event. Spread over several acres, this year’s big food and drink draws include the new Beerlands, where Bear Republic, Firestone Walker, Lost Coast, Magnolia Gastropub, North Coast, 21st Amendment and others serve up 32 brews; and Outside Lambs, where Chef John Fink of The Whole Beast curates a lineup of lamb-centric pop-ups featuring Michael Mina’s RN74 and Bourbon Steak House.
Chocolands gathers sweet-pushers like Epic Cookies, Kara’s Cupcake, Candybar and Sharon’s Chocolate Shop in the quiet McLaren Pass, where sugar junkies can mainline cupcakes, s’mores and cookies. Taste of the Bay Area 2012 expands throughout three fields adding newcomers Bacon Bacon, Belly Burgers, Hapa SF, Seoul on Wheels, Nojo, Eat Le Truc and Bun Mee. Returning faves Namu, Farmerbrown’s Little Skillet, American Grilled Cheese Kitchen, 4505 Meats and Straw skip the usual fest-food and ramp up mini restaurants serving out-of-the-box dishes including Tonkatsu sandwiches, schwarma snow cones, Korean tacos, and hazelnut crunch cupcakes.
Adding a touch of class is the Wine Lands tent with 120 different wines. Local Wine Country faves include Long Meadow Ranch, Ridge, Robert Sinskey, Preston of Dry Creek, Copain, Simi and House Band Wines. Check out the full list of purveyors and foods (with notes on 2011 faves and where I’ll be this year), in addition to my report on last year’s Outside Lands food fest. And let me say right now, I am sincerely hoping to pick up my Crack Bar habit again at Brass Knuckle catering.
"I'm fueled by Crack!" Brass Knuckle's Crack Bar from 2011
+++++++
A Taste of the Bay Area: 55 Restaurants
Orange: New, Must Try Green: Favorite of 2011
4505 Meats – 4505 Classic Cheeseburger, Fried Chicken YumYum
American Grilled Cheese Kitchen – Classic Grilled Cheese Sandwiches Andalu – Crispy Mac-n-Cheese, Corn with Smoked Pimenton
Asqew Grill – Fresh Grilled Skewers, House-made Salad; Sides
Azalina’s – Malaysian Chicken and Vegan Nachos Bacon Bacon – Spicy Pork Fries, Root Beer Floats
Best In Show – Evergood Hot Links, Evergood Hot Dogs Big Chef Tom’s Belly Burgers – Pork Belly Burgers, Almond Cumin Slaw Brass Knuckle – Bacon-Wrapped Hot Dogs, Watermelon Mint Agua Fresca
Bun Mee Vietnamese Sandwich Eatery – Vietnamese Sandwiches
Del Popolo – Margherita, White and Pepperoni Pizzas
Earthly Delights – Philadelphia Cheesesteaks, Parmesan Fries Eat Le Truc – Thai Curry Pork Tacos, Beet Salad
El Huarache Loco – Quesadillas, Huaraches and Gorditas Endless Summer Sweets – Gourmet Funnel Cakes
Event Specialists – Churros, Soft Pretzels Farmerbrown’s Little Skillet – Fried Chicken & Waffles Full Belly Farms – Organic Melon, Peaches and Juices Hapa SF – Lumpia “Shanghai” Spring Rolls, Sisig Tacos
Homeroom – Gilroy Mac and Cheese
Kara’s Cupcakes – Gourmet Cupcakes
Let’s Be Frank – 100% Grass-Fed Beef Hot Dogs
Little Village Produce – Smoothies, Coconut Chais
Living Greens – Organic Juices, Shots and Tonics Loving Cup – Rice Pudding, Blue Bottle Hot and Iced Coffees
Luella – Ricotta and Artichoke Sandwiches, Pork Bacon Chili with Cheddar
Maverick- Cincinnati BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Milk Shake Werks – Milkshakes, Ice Cream Sandwiches
Mission Minis – Mini Cupcakes Namu Gaji – Short Rib Tacos, Chicken Thigh Tacos
New Ganges – Samosas, Chicken Curry Plate, Indian Vegetarian Plate Nojo – Tonkatsu Sandwich, Cucumber Salad Nombe – Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken Thigh Nuggets) Odango (Fried Rice Balls)
Pacific Catch – Hawaiian Poke, Baja Shrimp Ceviche
Philz Coffee – Customized Blends made one cup at a time Pica Pica – Arepas, Yucca Fries
Q Restaurant and Wine Bar – Tater Tots with Chili Lime Aioli
Rosamunde’s Sausage Grill – Beer Sausages, Nuernberger Bratwurst
Sabores del Sur – Empanadas and Award-Winning Alfajores
Sataysfied – Chicken Satays, Fried Noodles
Señor Sisig – Sisig Nachos and Fries Seoul on Wheels – Korrito, Pot Stickers, Kimchee
Spicy Pie – Gourmet Pizza Slices, Cookie Pie
Split Pea Seduction – Farm-to-Fork Soups, Salads and Sandwiches Southern Sandwich Co. – Mesquite Chicken Sandwich, Texas Beef Brisket
Southpaw BBQ and Southern Cooking – Smoked Beef Brisket, Texas Beef Brisket, Collard Greens
Straw – Falafel and Shwarma Snow Cones, Sweet Potato Tots
Tacolicious – Carnitas Tacos, Beer and Shot Braised Chicken Tacos
The Little Chihuahua – Fried Plantain and Fajita Burritos
The Pizza Place – Personal Pizzas, Meatball Grinders Those Fabulous Frickle Brothers – Green Tomatoes, Fried Pickles
Three Twins – Organic Ice Creams
Up & Under Pub and Grill – Steak and Portobello Sandwiches
Whisk on Wheels – Choripan, Empanadas
Woodhouse – Shucked and BBQ Oysters, Chowder
Outside Lambs The Whole Beast – Whole Roasted Lamb Gyros, Lamb Mulligatawny (Indian curry stew), Lamb Poutine, Moroccan Mint Iced Tea Bourbon Steak House DC – Lamb Sausage Hotdogs (in partnership with 4505 Meats) with sweet and hot peppers on an Acme hotdog roll Bourbon Steak House SF – Lamb Kefta Meatballs with All-Star Organic Farms Cucumber and Fennel-Yogurt RN74 – Grilled Brentwood Sweet Corn with Lamb Sausage Crumbs and Cotija Cheese (vegetarian & vegan options available)
Chocolands Candybar – Guittard Hot Chocolate with Homemade Marshmallow, Frozen Guittard Chocolate with Whipped Cream
Delessio Market & Bakery – Chocolate Dipped Caramel Corn
Epic Cookies – Gourmet Cookies, Milk Chocolate Milk
Guittard Chocolate – Chocolate Bar Tasting Duo Kara’s Cupcakes – Chocolate Gourmet Cupcakes
Sharona’s Chocolate Shop – Chocolate Dipped Rice Crispy and Brownie, S’mores, Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup
Beer Lands: 16 Breweries in total; 32 beers poured
21st Amendment – Hell or High Watermelon (Watermelon Wheat), Back in Black (Black IPA)
Anchor Brewing – Steam (Common Beer), Summer (American Wheat) Bear Republic Brewery – Racer 5 (American IPA), El Oso (Amber Lager)
The Bruery – Mischief (Belgian Golden Strong), Humulus APA (Extra Pale w/Bett)
Drake’s Brewing – 1500 Pale (Pale Ale), Amber (Amber Ale) Firestone Walker – Pivo (Pilsner), Double Barrel Ale (Extra Special, Strong Bitter)
Heineken USA – Newcastle Summer (Citric Blond Ale), Amstel Wheat (Pure Hefeweizen)
Iron Springs Brewery – Chazz Cat Rye (Rye Amber), JC Flyer (American IPA)
Linden Street Brewery – Urban People’s Common (Common Beer), Burning Oak (Black Lager)
Lost Coast Brewery – Great White (Belgian White), Downtown Brown (Brown Ale)
Mad River Brewing Company – Extra Pale (Pale Ale), Jamaica Red (Red Ale) Magnolia Gastropub and Brewery – Proving Ground (American IPA), Kalifornia Kolsch (Kolsch)
North Coast Brewing Company – Scrimshaw Pilsner (German Pilsener), PranQster (Belgian Strong Golden Ale)
Pacific Brewing Labs – Squid Ink (Black IPA), Nautilus (Hibiscus Saison) Sierra Nevada Brewing Company – Outside Lands Saison (Saison), Kellerweis (Hefeweizen)
Speakeasy Ales & Lagers- Big Daddy (American IPA), Payback Porter (Porter)
Wine Lands: 49 Wineries, 120 Wines Poured
* BiteClub Faves
August West
Banshee
Big Basin Vineyards Bonny Doon Vineyard
Brander Caymus Vineyards Chappellet
Claypool Cellars Copain
Faust
Free Flow Wines, Simi, King Estate, Cultivar, Rowland Tebb, and Darcie Kent on tap
Gamling & McDuck Gloria Ferrer Hess Collection
Hobo Wine Company House Band Wines in a pouch
Idell Family Vineyards J. Lohr Vineyards and Wines Kermit Lynch with a selection of his famous European imports Long Meadow Ranch Medlock Ames
Meiomi Wines
Mer Soleil Vineyard
Miner Navarro
Olabisi Orin Swift Cellars
Palmina Preston of Dry Creek
Qupé
Verdad
Ridge Vineyards Robert Sinskey
Saintsbury
Santa Rita Winery
Scribe
Saldo
Summer of Riesling 2012
The Scholium Project
The Prisoner
Tres Sabores
Turley Wine Cellars
Villa Creek Wind Gap
Wines of Portugal with Sommelier Eugenio Jardim
We’re plotzing over kugels and latkes. Congregation Shomrei Torah hosts the county’s first Jewish Food Festival from 10am to 3pm Sunday, Aug. 19, 2012. On the menu, corned beef sandwiches, potato latkes, lox and cream cheese on bagels, sweet and savory noodle kugel, and chocolate egg creams. No word on kreplach or Matzoh ball soup, but maybe the bubbes will indulge us. 2600 Bennett Valley Rd. Free admission.
Happy 100th Birthday Week, Julia Childs. She inspired generations to get out their whisks and dive into cooking. And continues to do so…
Still in the micro-production stage, with just 700 or so bottles in their first release, Heath and Cavalli operate their business mostly out of a neighbor’s cider press and their Forestville farm, which sits on 5.4 acres. Committed to using only heirloom cider varietals from Sonoma County, they spent this spring and summer planting their own cider orchard, expected to be in production by 2014. Until then, they seek out the few and far-between West County orchards that have a few of the heirloom cider varietals tucked away in forgotten corners. “It’s a bit of a scavenger hunt to find these scarce apples in Sonoma County,” said Cavalli.
