Win a seat with BiteClub at Five Guys

By biteclub

WINNERS HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED. IF you’re not a winner this time, please don’t feel sad. There were so many great entries and I really wish I could have included a lot more of you. Thanks for playing!

Tell me why you’d like to be one of five lucky winners to sit at a reserved table and sample through the entire menu at the newly opened Five Guys Burgers and Fries on Tuesday, February 15.

Okay, so maybe it isn’t The French Laundry, but I want your opinion! And hey, I can’t eat all that food alone. We’ll start the chowing at 5:30pm on the dot and your thoughts and opinions may be featured in the BiteClub roundup.

So why should you be there? Let me know in the comments section below. I’ll pick my favorite answers.

Note: Please be able to come at 5:30pm on Tuesday and please be willing to be an enthusiastic eater. If you’re a vegetarian or vegan, that’s great, but this might not be the event for you…I’m just sayin’.

Winners announced on Monday, Feb 14. Must confirm by 3pm Feb. 14. Full rules…

In Praise of Street Food

By biteclub
Oakville Grocery Co in Napa. (Courtesy thelongweekender.com)
The transcendent Kwikmeal pita

I just got back from job-hunting in New York and, in case you haven’t read a paper in the last two years, the labor market blows. On the other hand, I ate well and cheap, because Manhattan without street food would be like the movies without popcorn, the Internet without porn. Plus or minus the thrill of wondering if you’ll wake up with intestinal parasites.

The oak terrace at Mumm Napa. (Photo Courtesy Mumm Napa)
From Germany, with love

In point of fact, for all the years I’ve been eating street-meat, I’ve suffered no ill consequence more serious than the occasional if ill-timed fart, and I’ve come to see the City’s most accomplished cart warriors as ballast to all those celeb chefs and their menus requiring mortgages, proof that the People’s Food can be cheap and good, and as offering a profound perspective on what it takes, and what it doesn’t, to produce good food. I mean, these guys are cooking on the sidewalk. I don’t know about you, but I rank the act of consistently whipping up massive quantities of super tasty vittles for 12 hours straight on a sidewalk in midtown Manhattan, without giving your customers food poisoning, as one of the great culinary feats of our times.

Gyro plate as crack pipe

In an attempt to recognize this heroism, and never to be confused with stale pretzels and three-day-old boiled hot dogs, we have the finalists for the Vendy, the biggest award in the street food hierarchy, the moral equivalent of a third Michelin star or a food-tops rating in Zagat’s. While deserving of the hype, the Vendy event can be a bit of a circus, so I highly recommend working off of NY Mag’s list of the Concrete Elite instead. I find it fascinating, hopeful, and to the undying credit of the City and its sidewalk sous that these lists, even when dated, remain virtually unchanged in either name, location, or quality.

An essential part of the street-meat experience is, of course, its sheer proximity, a few dollars and a couple of city blocks the only things between you and a great meal. Don’t get me wrong, I’m hardly above the “food pilgrimage”, but when it comes to street food, you sort of want to just walk to it, at least in my book; so, when I’m in Midtown, I set my table at the corner of 6th and 52nd, or 5th and 53rd… Herewith, and I mean no disrespect to the many great alternatives further afield, my Midtown Manhattan Trifecta:

Security or Freedom?
  • Facing temporal or gastrointestinal constraints, triage would inexorably lead me to Rolf’s Hallo Berlin sausage cart at 54th and 5th. He’ll even let you choose between the Democracy (was Churchill, now Obama) and the Dictator (Stalin or Mao) Special?
  • The Halal Guys on the SW corner of 53rd St and 6th Ave are legend. There are dozens of impostors, many within a one-block radius, so if you go, be sure to check the corner; you’ll know when you’re there, because the line is longer than the competition by a thoroughly justifiable order of magnitude. What other gyro-style stand has its own Wikipedia page? Who else make lamb-on-rice so good that you can get knifed for cutting in line (yes, it really happened). Where else do the customers refer to the white sauce as “crack sauce”?
  • And for “dessert”, why not Mohammed Rahman’s Kwik Meal at 45th and 6th,
    A day in Napa filled with tasting rooms, great wine, and good food.
    So good, so very hot.

    run by the only street chef I know who trained at the Russian Tea Room and marinates cubes of lamb – not pressed into gyros, fresh cubes – in his own concoction of papaya juice to tenderize it. Be sure to try it with a side of his freakishly hot, not-quite-Middle-Eastern, neon-green jalapeno chili sauce. Craaaaazeeeeee hot, but Oh. So. Good.

Syrah to become Petite Syrah?

By biteclub

From the rumor mill: Big news from one of Santa Rosa’s favorite chefs: Josh Silvers says that after twelve years, it’s time for big changes at his destination-restaurant, Syrah Bistro.

Now don’t panic, because the Syrah you love isn’t totally going away. Think of it as a sort of restaurant Botox.

Come spring, the Railroad Square eatery is set to be transformed with a new look, new small plates menu and new name — Petite Syrah. Silvers and his staff are currently working on the new menu and working with a designer on the interior concept for the restaurant. Fans shouldn’t worry much, however, because Silvers plans to make the turnaround quickly, with only a week or so of down time at the restaurant.

Win Dinner on BiteClub

By biteclub

Pizza from Rustic in Geyserville
Pizza from Rustic in Geyserville

Congrats to winners: Rhonda, Paul and Beth.

We all have Food To Do List. Some are ambitiously long, others unmanageably brief, but any eater worth their pink Himalayan sea salt has an ever-changing list of Sonoma County restaurants they’ve been meaning to check out.

Eaters rejoice! Here’s your chance to try something on BiteClub. I’m giving away $200 worth of Sonoma County restaurant gift certificates ($50 each) to four lucky winners who convince us that they need a fork lift in honor of Sonoma County Restaurant Week, February 21-27.

On the menu: Gift certificates to Blue Label at the Belvedere ($25) & Fresh by Lisa Hemenway ($25) given away as a pair; Peter Lowell’s ($50); Syrah Bistro ($50) and Bistro 29 ($50).

Just tell me in the comments below which of the 100-plus Sonoma County Restaurant Week participants you’re most excited to try this month. Skip the sob stories, and wow me with your passion for local foods, chefs and dining.

I’ll pick my four favorite comments and hand over these tasty gift certificates randomly (who knows which of the four you’ll receive, but enthusiastic eaters never turn down a free meal). And stay tuned for more details on Restaurant Week, including some of my top picks.

Full rules here. Contest ends Wednesday, February 16, 2011. Enter today!

Get her tipsy, feed her chocolate.

By biteclub

I don’t know about you, but I’m not above whetting my wife’s more carnal appetites with enough wine and chocolate to impair her better judgment. I’m sure that’s all very un-PC and certainly, as the father of young daughters, I live in mortal fear of the effects of alcohol on sensibility; but my wife’s a big girl, and above all, she knows how I think, so I’m pretty sure our pending Valentine’s Date – a savory symphony of handcrafted chocolate and wine at J Winery – will be consensual.

As a rule, I view Valentine’s Day rather dimly. It’s not that I’m a Grinch, it’s just that I tire of the obligatory expense, the Wiemar Republican inflation of menu prices and long-stemmed roses, the topsy-turvy calculus of a holiday on which profligate spending is simply expected and only an absence of gifts attracts attention. But I’m trying to be less crusty and more romantic with the accelerating rush of time, and anyway, the grandparents volunteered to babysit our litter – if the first rule of child rearing is never to wake a sleeping baby, then the second is surely never to decline free babysitting. Or any babysitting. So, instead of bitching about Hallmark Holidays, I’m leaving my kids with the ‘rents and taking my wife to “TCHO and Pinot”, what promises to be an extravagant mouth-party of artisanal TCHO chocolate and J Winery Pinot Noir, welded seamlessly together in Chef Mark Caldwell’s kitchen, and – you heard it here first – an official Best Bet To Make Her Smile and You Lucky.

The meal itself promises wonderful things: Beef braised in cocoa nib tea; a cocoa-crusted loin of lamb with a cocoa-infused reduction of Pinot Noir; and root vegetables and whatever else Mark can get his hands on that is best, seasonal, and local at the moment. All in all, a compelling excuse to spend an afternoon with my wife, in a pretty little room with lots of light and views of our valley, and just enough room to play footsie. Although I’m still not buying that velveteen heart-shaped box or schmaltzy card.

[Photo credits: J Winery, TCHO Chocolate]

Five Guys opens Valentine’s Day

By biteclub

Fulfilling your most romantic hopes and dreams all-beef patty style, Five Guys Burgers and Fries will open in Santa Rosa on February 14 at 11am. Located in the Mendocino Marketplce (2280 Mendocino Avenue, Santa Rosa, 528-2507), the Virginia-based burgery has the same kind of fanatical fast-food following as In-N-Out and is an Obama favorite.

Local operator Craig Gallagher said they’re hoping for one of the biggest openings ever for the chain, and expects “a lot of people.”

Don’t expect any Valentine specials, other than a few shared napkins between you and your honey. The restaurant isn’t planning any gimmicks other than serving up their signature burgers.

Will parking become a nightmare? Gallagher said that starting this week SRJC students using the Mendocino Marketplace lot as long term parking will need to look for alternative spots. Property staff will begin monitoring the lot for illegal parkers starting Thursday — hopefully freeing up spaces for burger-eaters.

FOOD FIGHT: Are food trucks facing a fight in Santa Rosa?

By biteclub

Things may be getting even more sticky between the Sonoma County food truck brigade and brick and mortars in downtown Santa Rosa. As more and more truck stops crop up — first Munch Mondays, then Tasty Tuesdays in Rohnert Park and now discussion of a possible Friday night fleet in Railroad Square, the war of words is reaching a din. On Tuesday, the downtown restaurant association will meet to discuss concerns in what’s expected to be a rousing debate with city officials in attendance.

Surprising? Hardly. Restaurants around the country are struggling to adjust to the onslaught of mobile vendors — a phenom taking diners by storm. In an economy that’s already beaten the hospitality industry to a pulp, this could be a final nail for some. They say it just isn’t fair that someone with substantially lower operating costs can pull up near their establishments and siphon off customers.

Conversely, truck owners pay $60,000 and up for their rigs and are required to comply with all local health and permitting codes — all of which have costs. Many truck operators are themselves brick and mortar owners looking for new ways to reach eaters. Some are chefs who have lost multiple restaurant jobs in this tough economy and are simply trying to become entrepreneurs. A few tentative studies have shown that vibrant food truck scenes can actually stimulate local economies. But let’s be honest, the truth is that trucks are the media darlings of the moment and do have an upper hand when it comes to operating costs.

Meanwhile, city officials are finding themselves in an uncomfortable middle ground. Some have longstanding laws about mobile vendors, some have no laws at all, and are scrambling to determine what to do. In the absence of laws, some are banning the trucks altogether. When it comes to the potential economic draw, however, some forward-thinking cities like Santa Rosa are trying to split the difference, creating multi-pronged marketing efforts that help both mobile and sit-down eateries.

Here’s the thing: From a diner’s perspective, it all seems like a bit of a tempest in a teapot. All we want is great food at a great price. Diners want something new and interesting. Food trucks are courting bored eaters — many of whom are spending more time eating at home in this economy — to come out and eat again. Using social networking, clever marketing and playing off current trends, it’s working. Is that the fault of entrepreneurs? Or is it unfair to conventional restaurants? Can we ever find a place where we can all just get along?

There are clearly many sides to the story, and BiteClub wants to know what you think!

Do you think successful brick and mortar restaurants have anything to worry about? Has truck food already jumped the shark? Are the ones crying foul the loudest marginal eateries who have more to worry about than food trucks?

Sound off!


Valentine’s Day Dining 2011 in Sonoma County

By biteclub

Okay lovers, here’s the annual wrap-up of romantic eats around the North Bay. Almost all require reservations and most will sell out. On your mark, get set…Valentine!

$ = Lower-cost menus.

Got a question or something you want to add? Shout out!

SANTA ROSA
Jackson’s Bar and Oven: If you failed to make a resy, take heart, Jackson’s doesn’t take ’em anyway. Last minute Romeos can check out the three course menu including a chilled shellfish plate with half a Maine lobster, oysters, prawns and scallop ceviche, veal osso bucco and Valrohna chocolate fondue with brownies, fruit and crispy marshmallows. $85 for two, $20pp for Mauritson Estate wine pairing. Regular menu also available. 135 4th Street. Santa Rosa, 545-6900.

Zazu: We dare you to try and choose just three items from this prix fixe whopper. Poutine with truffled fonduta gravy, hamachi poke, red curry and lobster soup, potted foie gras, teleme ravioli, Kalua pig, Delmonico steak for two, frozen woopie pie, s’more dacquiose. $69. 3535 Guerneville Road. 523-4814.

Bistro 29: How many courses may just depend on how very in love you are. Chef Brian Anderson goes from a demure four-course prix fixe to a hot and heavy six-course menu. Selections include oysters on the half-shell, Maine lobster bisque, seared foie gras, buckwheat crepe with duck confit, grilled quail with pain d’Epice bread pudding, duck confit with duck fat potatoes, Beef Wellington, bistro escargot in buttered brioche, roasted shrimp with paprika garlic butter baguette. Wine pairings available for $32, $39 and $46. 650 Fifth St. 546-2929.

Santi: New chef Douglas Richey dives into Valentine’s Day with a 4 course menu ($75) including crudo of yellow tail and sea urchin with Meyer lemon granita; potato leek soup with fried Miyagi oysters; rock shrimp gnocchi; chicken “Saltimbocca” with prosciutto, fontina and sage; wood roasted sturgeon, braised beef short ribs and steamed chocolate cake with raspberries and mint cream. Wine pairings available for $40. 2097 Stagecoach Rd. 528-1549.

Jack and Tony’s: $45 three course menu. Menu items include seared sea scallops, potato leek soup, braised lamb shank with noodles, filet mignon with prawns, seared sea bass, bananas foster with vanilla ice cream. 115 Fourth St., Santa Rosa, 526-4347.

Syrah: Chef Josh Silvers outdoes himself with a four-course, prix-fixe menu Valentine’s Day with dishes including champagne poached oysters, lobster bisque with tarragon cream, black truffle gnocchi, Liberty duck breast, whiskey creamed lobster vol-au-vent, braised short ribs and a dessert tasting plate. $85, with wine pairing an additional $40. 205 Fifth St. 568-4002.

Blue Label at the Belvedere: The menu’s still in the works, but chef Miriam Donaldson plans a four course prix fixe and a glass of bubbly on Sunday (they are closed Monday) for $50 per person.  Reservations at 707-542-8705, 727 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa, 542-8705.

$ Sizzling Tandoor: A solid choice for vegetarian couples, the downtown Indian eatery offers up a meat-free feast including lentil soup, veggie pakoras, Nine Jewels Korma (local veggies in creamy tomato gravy) along with fresh naan, and homemade mango ice cream, $24.99. Their omnivorous V-day menu includes Mulligatawny soup, salad, heart-shaped aloo tike, tandoori platter, chicken tike masala and a a dessert platter for $34.99. 409 Mendocino Ave, Santa Rosa, 579-5999.

La Gare: Starting on Friday, February 11th through Monday the 14th, the restaurant will  offer Lobster Tail and is available for combining with one of Roger’s popular steaks to create a surf ‘n’ turf feast. 208 Wilson Street, Santa Rosa, 528-4355. For reservations: 707-528-4355.

John Ash & Co: On Valentine’s Day, Chef Tomas Schmidt creates a passion-inspired menu that includes  Oysters on the Half Shell, Duo of Sonoma Foie Gras, Sesame-Coated Ahi Tuna with Crispy Sticky Rice Cake, Pan-Seared Liberty Duck Breast with Swiss Chard and Sweet Potato Gnocchi in Blood Orange Sauce, or Fillet of Beef with Asparagus, Potato Gratin and Zinfandel Reduction. Desserts: Warm Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Dipped Strawberries, Lemongrass Cheesecake or Chambord Cream Tart with Toasted Almonds and Fresh Raspberries. For additional information or to make a reservation, call (707) 527-7687, or www.vintnersinn.com. Barnes Road, River Road exit, just west of Highway 101.

El Coqui Puerto Rican Cuisine: Surf and Turf for $45.99. Steak and shrimp dinner for two with wine rum punch, coconut flan and live acoustic guitarist Victoria Holman from 6-9pm. 400 Mendocino Ave, Santa Rosa, 542-8868.

Sift: Custom cupcakes with your Valentines’ name, $45. Or, why not pick up a heaping helping of their new sweets, including french macarons, profiteroles and a frosting shot. Want to really get sweet? Sign your cupcake up for a decorating classs with Andrea Ballus and Corey Fanfa at the shop. $55 per person. 404-A Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa, 703-4228, Cotati, 7582 Commerce Blvd,, Cotati, 792-1681.

Rendez Vous Bistro: Three luxe courses for $59 (with wine pairing) includes choices of Maine lobster bisque, grilled apple salad with Spanish serrano ham, herb crusted filet mignon, Dungeness crab stuffed Dover sole, chocolate lava torn with goat milk caramel, Limoncello pound cake or French cheesecake with fresh raspberries. Each reservations receives a gift bag with a bottle of Amarosa Bella sparkling rose, soy candle and chocolate. 614 4th Street Santa Rosa, 526-7700. Reservations required.

Viola Pastry Boutique & Cafe: Special prix-fixe dinner Friday, Feb. 11 through Monday the 14th. Menu items include salad of Dungeness crab with blood oranges, braised shortribs with polento or homemade ricotta gnocchi, warm beignets with chocolate sauce. $35. 709 Village Court, Montgomery Village Shopping Center, Santa Rosa, 544-8830.

HEALDSBURG
Barndiva: A special Monday opening for Chef Ryan Fancher, who serves a special six-course dinner on the 14th that includes chevre croquettes with wildflower honey, Dungeness crab salad, truffled risotto and mushroom tempura, seared filet of beef and lobster mashed potatoes, plus a variety of sweet endings. The menu is available through the following weekend in addition to the regular menu. $70, $45 additional wine pairing.  231 Center St., Healdsburg, 431-0100.

Spoonbar at h2hotel: During Valentine’s Weekend, Chef Rudy Mihal offers a four-course menu featuring Dry Aged Creekstone NY Strip Steak for two with local mushrooms, Pan Seared California Sea Bass with Grand Royal Caviar Sauce, Crispy Dungeness Crab with Caper Remoulade, and Hazel-n-heart Meringue Torte, one of Pastry Chef Tosha Callahan’s “desserts to be shared” available in February.  $55 per person, 210 Healdsburg Avenue, Healdsburg.  Reservations at (707) 433-7222 or www.OpenTable.com.

SONOMA
Estate, Girl and the Fig: Though they’re sister restaurants, the menus have personalities all their own.  At Estate, Chef John Toulze features a seven-course family-style tasting menu — all the better for intimate sharing or, well, appreciating your romance with more than just you two. Served Friday, February 11 through Monday menu includes antipasti, winter citrus salad, goat cheese terrine, diver scallops, beef ribeye, broccoli rabe and strawberry semi-freddo. $41 per person. 400 West Spain St., Sonoma. 933-3663. At girl and the fig, it’s a five course menu for $46 pp that features roasted baby beet salad, chanterelle mushroom soup, crispy pork belly, diver scallops and panna cotta. 110 West Spain St., Sonoma, 938-3634.

Carneros Bistro: This menu isn’t pulling any punches with its Valentine’s Aphrodisiac Tasting Menu. Chef Janine Falvo and sommelier Chris Sawyer put together a toe-tingling $85 prix fixe that includes Pt. Reyes Oysters with yuzu gelee; poached lobster salad with spicy jalapeno bubbles; foie gras with cinnamon apple tarte tatin, dayboat scallops, duck poached eggs and ginger forbidden rice, coffee braised short ribs with cabernet cocoa nib jus, and Mexican hot chocolate with warm churros for dessert. $120 with wine pairings. 1325 Broadway, Sonoma, 935-6600.

$ Breakaway Cafe: This funky little restaurant always serves up great food. On the menu: Shrimp Bisque; Petit Filet & Sauce Bernaise
Roasted Yukon Gold Potatoes; Winter Greens or Linguini with Bodega Bay Dungeness Crab, Mushrooms, Arugula, Chives, Meyer Lemon Cream & Zest with chocolate gelato and a true love cookie. $23 per person. 19101 Sonoma Hwy., Sonoma.

SEBASTOPOL
French Garden: Chef Patrick Quellic serves up prix-fixe menus on Valentine’s Day, from 5:30 p.m. $60 for three-course, $70 for a four-course menu, with wine pairing for an additional $30. On Monday’s menu: Delicata squash ravioli with black caviar, seared ahi tuna salad, Sonoma foie gras cream; lobster bisque, lobster and potato gnocchi, roasted beef tenderloin, duck breast with forbidden rice risotto. Valentine specials throughout the weekend. 8050 Bodega Ave. 824-2030.

COAST
Nick’s Cove: If oysters are an aphrodisiac, there are few spots you’ll find more to love. Executive Chef Adam Mali does a three-course, prix fixe menu on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, with menu items including plenty of oysters, crab cakes, Dungeness crab stuffed prawned, Chateaubriand for two. $65. 23240 Highway 1. 415-663-1033.

$ Casino: Mark Malicki’s got one of the best V-day deals in town. For $24pp, he’ll hook you up with steelhead crudo, pickled beets,
potato cracklings & blood orange aioli; grilled sonoma duck breast and warm endive salad with pancetta and green garlic or sheeps milk ricotta cannelloni with collard greens and a pink lady apple tartlet with muscat sabayon. 17000 Bodega Highway, Bodega, 876-3185.

NAPA
Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant:  On the mneu: a half dozen oysters on the half shell with golden whitefish caviar and a glass of J sparkling wine for $18; truffled fonduta cordoni, red endive leaves and baquette for $12; petit filet and crab Louie for $32;  classic chocolate souffle for $9 per person. Dishes will be offered from February 12 through the 14th, in addition to the regular menu. 2555 Main Street, St. Helena. Call 707-967-1010 for reservations or visit www.ciachef.edu/restaurants/wsgr.

$ The Black and Pink at Gott’s Roadside: In honor of St. Valentine, all three Gott’s Roadside’s will be serving the Black & Pink (not to be confused with black & orange) – a Strawberry Milkshake swirled with rich chocolate syrup made even better with the addition Double Rainbow ice cream. $5.99 and available from Feb 11 through Feb 20.

Larks’ Tongues in Aspic

By biteclub

What did you listen to when you were young? And do you still play the same records? Looking back, I may have been indicted as excessively broad, as wantonly eclectic for its own sake: Experimental jazz, baroque classical, LA punk, progressive rock (whatever that means), and lots of metal, a scattershot gang of vinyl finery parading across my turntable. Partly fair, although, while my Art Ensemble of Chicago CDs may be dusty, Bach, Metallica, and Black Flag still get regular play in our house, the occasional F-bomb and my young daughters’ ears notwithstanding, and I’ve yet to lift my Orwellian sanctions on bubble-gum pop from the likes of Justin Bieber or that silly girl who spells her name with a “$”.

These outdoor adventures are perfect for the last few nights of summer. What this has to do with food is that I cannot eat much that spooks my narrowly Western sensibilities, all that ostensibly freaky stuff that tastes impossibly good, without thinking of the King Crimson classic that birthed this post. Roasted marrow bones at St John, the molten fat oozing over crusty bread and topped with a tangy parsley-caper salad; Thomas Keller’s venison heart confit, the Santa Rosa's Howarth Park showing kids movies into the end of summer. spiritual apex of every Jewish-deli pastrami I ate as a child; and – my most recent moment of carnivorous zen – grilled beef tongue with beets, pickles, creme fraiche and duck-fat potatoes, courtesy of April Bloomfield at the Spotted Pig, and pictured at left. She also made me a wicked salad of crispy pig’s ear on frisee with a refreshingly tart and lemony dressing; given that said ear was enormous and disturbingly recognizable for what it actually was, I suppose it deserves its own freaky due as well. Ah, but that tongue – that is what has relegated every bite I’ve taken since to the flaccid, the tepid, the banal.

I could wax lyrical foodie nonsense about the particulars, but the essential fact is this: But for its unfortunate etymology, and the unappealing imagery it begets, we’d all happily snarf lengua a la parilla like some Bubby’s pot roast. Probably she boils or braises it first, or perhaps I’ve just never had good tongue before, because April’s manages to take on the texture of tender, almost flaky short ribs, slightly smoky from the grill, with a mildly beefy flavor and virtually no noticeable fat; and, while the protein itself is nicely weighty, it acquires a deeper richness from the opulence of the potatoes fried in duck fat. What truly elevates it from the merely damn-good to the sublime, however, is its exquisite balance, the earthy sweetness of the beets, the zingy acidity of the gherkins, and the tart creaminess of the creme fraiche all framing what is, in its soul, a classic plate of meat and potatoes. Very highly recommended.

[Photo credits: King Crimson, Lay Gastronomer, Spotted Pig]

Pliny the Younger Released

By biteclub

Growlers in hand and beer on their minds, hundreds of eager brew fans lined up in downtown Santa Rosa today (Feb. 4, 2011) for the annual release of Pliny the Younger. The triple IPA released just once a year by the Russian River Brewing Company is, according to its devoted, worth waiting, well, at least two or three hours for.

Stretching for blocks, crowds came from throughout the Bay Area — Berekely, San Ramon and further afield to get their two glass allotment at the popular Santa Rosa brew pub, which was standing room only by noon.

Is it really that good? Ask anyone in line and they’ll probably roll their eyes in disbelief that you asked such a stupid question. Of course it’s that good. It’s the best beer ever, said several die-hards. Last year, it sold out by 4:30pm on the first day of release.

The beer will be available on tap with a daily allotment as long as it lasts through February 17, 2011.

Thanks for the heads up BiteClubber, Robin! Shout out…were you in line?