Page 635 – Sonoma Magazine

Barley and Hops Pub | Occidental Restaurant

January 2009

By biteclub

“Can I get you a beer?” Six words that strike terror in my heart.
Barley and Hops owner Noah Bolmer stands behind his small Occidental bar with a pilsner glass and a hand poised at the tap. I start to sweat. I’m a beer-ophobe ruined by too many keg stands and quarter beer nights. A worried look gives me away. Along with the gagging sounds.
“I haven’t met a person yet that I couldn’t find a beer for,” he says, sliding caustic-looking glass of deep-brown beer my way at his Occidental restaurant.
Converting Wine Country beer haters like me is nothing new for Bolmer and his wife Mirjam. The couple gave up 9 to 5 drudgery to serve up craft brews and pub grub in a bar that’s ten minutes from nowhere.
It’s of the few watering holes within a 20-mile radius between Sebastopol and Bodega Bay, making it about 85 percent locals on any given night – friends and neighbors catching up over a beer and wings at a quintessentially neighborhood bar. What makes it destination-worthy, however, is…well…pretty much everything.
Bolmer’s got an extensive menu of tasty brews – everything from Moonlight Brewery’s Death and Taxes to a British double chocolate stout, Bear Republic’s Hop Rod Rye Ale, Maui Coconut Porter, Moyland’s Irish Red and a selection of “vault” bottles from Belgium, DogFish Head in Delaware and elsewhere (the most expensive is $15.75 and most are under $10).
Paired with the beers is a menu of solid pub classics: Fish and chips, burgers, onion rings, hand-cut fries and their classic Cottage Pie with ground beef, porter and mashed potatoes. Noah insisted on the food being as good as the beer. “If it isn’t homemade, you’re at the wrong place,” he says.
Chimay Pretzel Chicken ($12), a chicken breast rolled in pretzels and topped with a creamy beer sauce deliver on the promise. Fish and Chips ($9.50) are two massive chunks of battered red snapper with plenty of crunch. The menu changes up frequently, however, and a winter dish of Sonoma Sausage bathed in butter, brandy and mustard cream sauce ($6) with sauerkraut is as comforting as a warm hug on a cold night. (See the menu)
Don’t miss the Guinness Mousse ($6) made with porter and dark chocolate, capped with a creamy head of white chocolate ganache and Mirjam’s freshly baked pretzels with stone ground mustard. Noah’s sure to find a beer to pair up nicely with whatever you’re craving.
Barley and Hops, 3688 Bohemian Hwy, Occidental, 707.874.9037.

Curried Carrot Ginger Soup recipe

January 2009

By biteclub

The curry in this soup gives it a really nice twist. The bright, piquant flavors of the spices and ginger make a great contrast to the sweetness of the carrots.
Adaptions: I always love orange with carrots. You could add a 1/4 cup of bottled orange juice or a few squeezes of fresh orange to brighten up the flavor even more. I cut back a bit on the brown sugar at the end, as my carrots were pretty sweet to start with.
If you don’t have an immersion blender, don’t worry. A regular blender works fine, but you’ll want to let the soup cool a bit and work in batches. Don’t get overzealous or you’ll have a mess on your hands. Blend all the soup back together in a large bowl — each batch may have slightly more carrots, etc. and you’ll want to get a good consistent mix.

Curried Carrot Ginger Soup Recipe

Submitted by Craig Chrisenson, adapted by Heather Irwin
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 carrots, peeled and diced
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced celery
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
3 tablespoons curry powder
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt
White pepper
2/3 cup brown sugar (I used quite a bit less. Adapt to taste)
Sour cream (for garnish)
Cilantro or fresh chive (for garnish)
On medium heat, saute all vegetables in a large pot with two tablespoons of olive oil until soft. Add ginger and garlic and stir
until flavors are released, about a minute or so. Add curry powder and stir (about one minute). Add stock and bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes.
Add cream and blend until smooth with immersion blender in the pot. (If using a standard blender let cool first for
safety). Finish with salt and white pepper to taste. Add brown sugar by the tablespoon and taste for sweetness.
Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a sprig of cilantro or diced chive.

Witness to the slaughter

January 2009

By biteclub

It happened before we were ready, which is often the way with death.
Walking toward the barn, a 22-caliber rifle popped once. Then again.
Despite being barely 8 a.m. in the morning, Chef John Stewart and I rush toward a small pig sty in the freezing hills north of Santa Rosa. “Damn. We missed it,” I said, having spent the previous 24-hours emotionally girding myself to watch a 300-pound animal die at my feet. The pigs had been shot. The slaughter doesn’t wait.
Stewart purchased one of the Duroc sows last July, banking on juicy hams come winter. For the last five years he’s been curing pork for Black Pig Meats as a side project to his two restaurants. When I first heard about it, he was doing most of the aging in his garage for friends and family. Now he graces the celeb-salumi circuit and cover of Wine Spectator.
Great prosciutto, pancetta and ham, however, all start with a pig whose fate is sealed the day it’s born. A very real part of being a meat-monger is overseeing their demise, and on this cold January morning Stewart’s Slow Food philosophy extends to watching Sonoma County’s last remaining mobile slaughterer kill, skin and gut his pig.
Entering the sty, the pigs already lay dead. Still twitching, blood gushes from a deep slash in each of their necks. Steaming. The heart continues to pump the blood out of the body in amazing quantities. The lone executioner, John Taylor of JT’s Custom Slaughter, claims that the single shot to the head immediately kills the animals.
Still, it feels intrusive to watch the death throes of these 8-month old creatures. Taylor impassively wades through the muck, straw and blood, impaling the now-still animals under the jaw with a steel hook and dragging them to a small bulldozer.

The bodies jiggle and fluids leak out of every orifice. It’s graphic. Unconditioned to knowing meat any way other than in a neatly wrapped package it’s easy to ignore the reality of death. But, I’m here because I eat pork and it seems only fair to acknowledge how it gets to my table. I want to know.
I can’t help personalizing it, though. Rolling around in bed the night before, I wondered if they somehow knew today was their last day. I have to ask if they had names.
“Pork and chop,” Taylor deadpans. After years of killing and gutting livestock the act of death is unemotional, quick and skillful.
Did they have a good life, I wonder. “Never a day of stress. Until today,” the owner tells us.
“Not even today,” said Taylor, slicing off the pigs’ forelegs, using them as blocks to keep them from rolling over. Because he is here, there is no transporting or stressing the animals which otherwise would have had to travel three hours north to a slaughterhouse in Orland.
Taylor spends his days driving around the North Bay in his custom-built truck which includes a “gut bucket”, winch and hanging rack for the carcasses. There used to be others, but Taylor claims he’s the last in the county who’ll come to your farm and do your dirty work. “This is a dying art.”
Despite a renewed interest in humane treatment of animals and small farm operations there isn’t enough money in on-site butchering to attract many takers. Plus it’s a damn lot of heavy, unpleasant work. “I’m getting to old for this,” Taylor tells us, leaning over the hosed-down animals, slicing through skin and bone. Well-honed knives make it look as effortless as slicing butter.
He’s becoming a meat-lebrity lately, after a few magazine articles about his work as a mobile slaughterer. “It’s a novelty, now.” Taylor never stops moving, slicing, cutting, finally hacking the animal in half. In a little over an hour, the two pigs are simply two carcasses ready for processing in the back of his truck. Taylor heads out to the next kill. It’s over.
Wiping the blood off my shoes, Stewart and I walk toward our vehicles. He loads two garbage bags filled with hearts, livers and heads into his truck for pate, heart sandwiches (a favorite of his wife) and pork jowls. But its the short, stubby legs he’s most excited about getting his hands on next week, after they’ve been processed.
“Those are going to be some nice hams,” he says dreamily. I can’t help but think he’s right.

Soup’s On

January 2009

By biteclub

Soup is less a food than a religion to me. It nourishes, comforts and restores my faith when things seem grim. As the weather turns cold, my thoughts turn to wrapping my fingers around a steaming bowl of split pea with ham or warm cheddar potato — two of my favorite hearty winter soups.

What are you favorite soups, chowders and stews? BiteClub Cooks is shouting out to all cooks for favorite recipes. We’ll taste-test, photograph and publish our favorites. So send in your best warming broths today!

How to submit:
1. Click here and enter your recipe on our easy submission page. Feel free to add a little story about why you love this recipe. Don’t forget to add an email address so we can contact you!

2. A little digitally challenged? Email me.

3. Really digitally challenged? Snail mail your recipe to:
BiteClub Cooks c/o Heather Irwin
Press Democrat
427 Mendocino Ave.
Santa Rosa, CA 95402.

Don’t delay! We’re hungry.

Secret Doughman: Zix Treats

January 2009

By biteclub

It takes a special cookie to get my attention in January.

First off, I am still nursing a powerful sugar hangover from the holidays. I blame the fudge and brittle and boxes of Sees Candy my co-workers so thoughtlessly left within arm’s reach along with all of the cookie recipes I was forced to taste-test. Repeatedly.

And secondly, there is my diet to consider. I am really seriously thinking about maybe not eating so much. My ass isn’t going to shrink itself.

But “Doughman” Glenn Minervini-Zick got my taste buds quivering with a hand-delivered box of his devilishly-delish sweet and savory cookies.

This Sebastopol CPA turned semi-pro baker bakes up micro-batches of complex, herb-infused treats in a borrowed commercial kitchen. Getting a box is strictly a word-of-mouth affair. Over the holidays he baked more than 6,000 cookies…and sold out completely.

If you want to get in on the action, Glenn is currently working on three new flavors: Mojito (a lime and mint sugar cookie) with either rum butter cream or chocolate ganache; a bay leaf-infused sandwich cookie with sweet plum tomato butter cream and a mint-lavender shortbread dipped in bittersweet chocolate.

They’re all complex little flavor monsters that will have you back in the sweet saddle, licking the powdered sugar off your fingers. Diets be damned.

Check out Glenn’s website at zixtreats.com or call him at 707.823.2615.

2009 Food Predictions

January 2009

By biteclub

Welcome to a whole new year in eating. What’s on the horizon? BiteClub dusts off the crystal ball and gazes forward toward food trends and tragedies for 2009.

What’s Hot…

Cooking at home: Expect to see the crock pot reappear. Those of us too busy (or just to lazy) to cook are getting new incentive as the economy tightens. Related to a sweeping return to the dinner-table, expect to be invited to more potluck parties (who can afford to host anymore?); tomatoes and lettuce taking the place of flowers in the garden and more veggie-centric dishes (as meat prices rise).
Comfort classics: Restaurateurs around the country are already changing up their menus to reflect more homey classics like macaroni and cheese, meatloaf, fish & chips mashed potatoes and fried chicken. Local favorites: Zin Restaurant, Cafe Saint Rose, Humble Pie. Stay tuned for: Jackson’s in Santa Rosa. Related: Heritage eating, pub grub.
Chinese Food: Trendy eaters all but gave up on sweet and sour chicken and fried rice in favor of the more exotic Thai and Vietnamese pantry over the last few years. Smart Chinese restaurant owners are catching on, however, altering their menus to reflect healthier choices, more authentic regional cuisine and good values. Local favorites: China Room, Fresh China.
Heritage Eating: Communal tables or bistro dining on filling, economical foods that sustained many of our ancestors including hearty pasta dishes, offal and other non-usual bits of meat, German/Eastern European food, homestyle Mexican dishes. Local favorites: Restaurant Eloise, Diavola/Santi, Estate, Las Palmas, Cafe Europe. Related: Pub grub.
A la carte, prix fixe, locals night: Many higher-end restaurants in Wine Country are enticing locals with a la carte or lower cost fixed price menus — a sort of welcome mat for folks who might not otherwise be looking to indulge. Local favorites: Della Fattoria, French Garden. Related: Haute lunch.
Haute Lunch: Some restaurants serve similar (if not identical) dishes throughout the day, but may offer smaller (more reasonably priced) portions during the day. It’s also a great opportunity to try out a restaurant . Local favorites: Bistro 29, Restaurant Eloise, K&L Bistro.
Service with a smile: You can’t run, you can’t hide. Hounded by increasing numbers of bloggers, Yelper’s, critics (both professional and otherwise) and a cash-strapped public, restaurants will hear the message loud and clear this year: Serve us well or else. We expect to see restaurants bending over backwards to attract and keep customers. Those that don’t will be in serious trouble. Tops for service: Cyrus, Farmhouse Inn.
Pub Grub: Beer is the official drink of 2009. Taverns see a resurgence as economical entertainment destinations, especially when their kitchens serve more than just microwaved cheese sticks and pretzels. Local favorites: Barley and Hops (Occidental), Toad in the Hole, Hopmonk Tavern.
Lamb: Lamb belly is the new bacon. Though it has a gamier flavor and apparently isn’t as crisp as its porcine cousin, savvy chefs are starting to pull off the pork goggles.

What’s on the fence…

Seafood: Fish and shellfish have become downright confusing. Concerns over mercury content, quality control at overseas shrimp and fish “farms” and ocean sustainability paired with rising prices have many confused over this supposedly healthy alternative to red meat. Stay tuned for: GG’s Seafood in downtown Santa Rosa.
Pork: No, piggy goodness will never go away, but pork got a little too in awe of itself in 2008. Over-hyping of heritage breeds, special-order hams, do-it-yourself salumi, website odes to bacon and a little too much silliness (gummy bacon? really?) leads to introspection and a hype-down of the other white meat in 2009. Pig returns with a vengeance in ’10.
Coffee: The health benefits of tea are making this warm sip the hipper choice. But can a nation of broke, laid-off, over-stressed people really run on chai? Don’t expect coffee to bow out anytime soon. Do expect to see shorter lines for $4 lattes and more folks asking for plain old coffee. Local favorites: Aroma Roasters, Flying Goat, Holy Roast.

What’s over…

Overpriced food: Is it organic? Is it local? Is it sustainable? Who cares if you can’t pay for it. All the ridiculous hand-wringing will get a much-needed dose of reality this year when people ask, “Is it in my budget?” Related: Fussy Menus.
Fussy Menus: Eaters’ tolerance for name-dropping on overblown menus was already waning, but 2009 should be the year that chefs get over telling us about their food’s pedigree. Just make it taste good and let us decide if we want to have a personal relationship with your farmer.
Fusion anything: Mixing and matching cuisines was fun in the 1990s. Related: “Ultra” anything. Yikes.
Silly martinis: Yes,
they’re tasty but it’s time to trade up to a serious drink. Like a real martini. Or a Manhattan. Or a gin and tonic. Or rehab.

I-5 Cheesecake Cookies recipe

December 2008

By biteclub

I-5 Cheesecake Bars
All you need to stay awake as you travel down or up I-5 freeway…
Ingredients
1 stick softened butter
1 egg
1 pkg yellow or butter cake mix
2 eggs
1 pkg cream cheese, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Mix together first three ingredients in mixer. Place in a greased 11×14 pan.
Next, mix together remaining ingredients and pour over “cake” mixture.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place in oven for 25 to 35 minutes…should be slightly brown on top…let cool, dust with powdered sugar, and cut into slices…the best cheesecake/cake cookies ever 🙂

New Year’s Eve

December 2008

By biteclub

A lot of people ask me where to go out on New Year’s Eve. My honest answer: Your living room.

Because as much as I absolutely adore going out to eat, there are two nights I won’t set foot in a restaurant–New Year’s Eve and Valentine’s Day. Call me stuffy, but being surrounded by a lot of boozed-up strangers counting the minutes to midnight just isn’t my idea of big fun. Boozed up friends and family are quite another story. Plus, I need the extra time at home to work on my resolutions.

For those of you willing to endure the crowds, sequins and silly party hats, there are some tasty options still available. Here are some best bets….

– Santi will host a New Year’s Eve dinner and celebration. Details
– Farmhouse Inn: 4-course prix-fixe menu at 1st seating 5:30-7pm ($95/person), and a 5-course prix fixe at 2nd seating 7:30pm-close ($125/person). Reserve a seat
– Madrona Manor: 7-course prix fixe with live music and dancing, ($150/person). A non-refundable pre-payment is required and will be charged upon reserving. Non-cancellable. Make a reservation.
– Stark’s Steakhouse will serve their usual menu. Make a reservation
– Syrah: A 4-course prix-fixe menu ($75/person, wine paring: $35). Make a reservation
– Restaurant Eloise: Celebrating the New Year with caviar, Maine lobster, & foie gras. 4-course menu: $70; 5-course menu w. a champagne toast ($100). Make a reservation.
– Meritage Martini Oyster Bar & Grille: Featuring a special 6-course limited menu. Dance the night away to the music of The Jami Jamison Band the best undiscovered Blues and Jazz singer of the Bay Area. Make a reservation

– Barndiva: an exquisite seven course Prix Fixe menu ($125) or order a la carte from our new GastroBar Menu for the ultimate in comfort…Charcuterie Platters, Pot Pies, Steak Frites and decadent desserts. Details

– Zazu Restaurant rings in the New Year with a three-course dinner for $69. Details