Sonoma Valley Pampering Part 1

There is no better way to refresh yourself than a cathartic mini-vacation. Think of it as a regular vacation, but shortened by the restraints of time and distance.

Seeing as how we are in the midst of a quarter, we can afford no more than a weekend (three days if you are lucky), and it has to be within a reasonable driving distance. But if it’s done right, a mini-vacation can be just as luxurious, indulgent and rejuvenating as a regular vacation. A few mini-vacation spots that come to mind are Mendocino, Tahoe, Monterey and the wine country. All offer beautiful surroundings and luxuriant options for dining, pampering, and relaxing. My wife Lucky and I recently used the excuse of her birthday to plan a mini-vacation in Sonoma Valley.

Sonoma Valley is often overshadowed by its better known sibling, Napa Valley. This, however, presents quite an opportunity as there are wonderful overlooked gems to be discovered here. In fact, it has become one of our favorite local destinations over the years. With over 40 wineries along its 17-mile stretch, one can spend a week here and still not try all the varieties of pinots, syrahs and merlots. It may come as a surprise to many that it is, in fact, the birthplace of the California wine industry. In addition to wineries, it is home to a burgeoning olive oil industry. Olive oil tasting rooms, while not as numerous, have been popping up all over. A couple notable places are the Olive Press and Figone Olive Oil Company.

Those who want to forego the viticultural delights of the valley may be interested in the therapeutic spa treatments courtesy of two thermal springs in the area: Fetters Hot Springs and Boyes Hot Springs. There are a handful of day spas and resorts that offer spa treatments, but the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa is one of the few that has its own thermal spas. Still others may want to take advantage of the beautiful display that nature offers in one of three state parks within the vicinity: Annadel State Park, Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, and Jack London State Historic Park. This time of year is especially beautiful with the wild mustard flowers dotting the hillsides as well as the dormant vineyards.

And for those who are looking for a culinary focused getaway, Sonoma Valley is a great destination. Several restaurants that have earned rave reviews in the San Francisco Chronicle and the ever-popular Zagat Guide as well as garnered coveted Michelin stars are located in the area or within a respectable driving distance: Dry Creek Kitchen, Farmhouse Inn and Restaurant, La Toque and most notably Cyrus, which arguably offers the best dining experience in the Bay Area.

In order to be in the middle of it all, we decided to stay in Glen Ellen, a quite small town in the heart of Sonoma Valley. We spent the night at the Gaige House Inn, with all the comfort and intimacy of a bed and breakfast but the lavish style and amenities of a hotel. The main building is a Victorian in the Queen Anne-Italianate design which houses 12 rooms, a dining room where breakfast is served, and a sitting room. But if you’re looking for something special, the cottage suites behind the main house are where it’s really at. We stayed in the Creekside Suite, a spacious stand-alone cottage on the back part of the three-acre grounds, with a private deck overlooking the Calabasas Creek.

The suite itself was a large space which included a dining table, a seating area complete with a flat screen TV, and king-sized bed. Decorated with furniture and works of art with distinct Asian accents, the suite felt as though we were off on a vacation in the Pacific Islands. And if that wasn’t enough to melt away the stress, the Jacuzzi in the spacious bathroom surely did the trick.

Getting back to the comforts of a bed and breakfast, in the main house, free homemade cookies, a variety of tea selections from Mighty Leaf Tea®, and soft drinks are available at any time of the day in the living room. But if wine and cheese are more your speed, they have a daily social hour where you can chat with your neighbors over local fare. We didn’t partake of these since we had dinner reservations at an amazing restaurant in Healdsburg. Also available in the living room was a library of DVDs that could be borrowed for personal viewing and copies of various newspapers including the New York Times and the Chronicle.

Yes, the Sonoma Valley was the perfect place for a mini-vacation, and Gaige House Inn was just the start of it…

Originally printed: http://www.ucsf.edu/synapse/articles/2008/Mar/6/sonoma.html

Yoshi's San Francisco: Arturo Sandoval Heats Up Fillmore, Latin Jazz Style

The Fillmore jazz scene is back, thanks in large part to Yoshi’s recent foray on this side of the bay. Yoshi’s is one part restaurant, with Chef Sho Kamio serving up some of the most delicious and stunning Japanese dishes, and one part jazz club, promising an intimate and inviting show for a crowd no larger than 420. If the kinds of acts that Yoshi’s attracted were local artists or under-the-radar acts that have yet to make it big, this would be just another jazz joint. But the fact that Arturo Sandoval is gracing the stage until Sunday is testament to Yoshi’s impressive line up.

Here is a man who has won four Grammy Awards, six Billboard Awards, and an Emmy – in short, he is a legend. At the age of 59, he is not showing any signs of letting up any time soon. With passion and verve, Sandoval’s jazz trumpet is still wickedly scorching all the way up to the screeching upper registries that are so difficult to hit. Add his Mambo Big Band, singers and dancers, and you have one of the hottest shows around. In a tribute to mambo kings Tito Puente and Perez Prado, this show has all the heat, excitement and appeal of the 1950s Copacabana. Although there are two shows a night through Sunday, your best bet is Thursday night at 10 p.m. as the 8 p.m. shows and weekend shows will fill up soon if they have not already done so.

Equally stunning is the Japanese cuisine served either at the restaurant or at the club. The club menu, while just a fraction of the restaurant menu, is complete enough to satisfy the average customer without the need to compromise quality sushi. But if you are looking for more than nigiri, a few grilled items, or dessert, book a reservation for dinner about an hour before showtime. You won’t be disappointed with their extensive menu.

Although the food is a bit on the pricey side, you won’t want to miss their Morikomi (sashimi combinations) starting at $22 for 2 pieces each of 5 varieties of fish. Fare from their Kamayaki (wood burning oven roasted) section is less traditional Japanese, but the Kurobuta “Berkshire” Pork Prime Rib ($20) marinated in a ginger miso marinade and served with lemon thyme jus is spectacular.

Another option available to patrons is to watch the show for free while eating in the dining room. The gigs are shown on TVs all throughout the restaurant and lounge. You may not get the superior acoustics of the state-of-the-art club, but you will get to experience a performance by a living legend.

Arturo Sandoval’s Mambo Mania Big Band
Yoshi’s San Francisco
1330 Fillmore St.
San Francisco 94115
Now through Sunday
$34-$42

Originally published: http://www.ucsf.edu/synapse/articles/2008/Feb/28/yoshis.html

Culinary Institute of America Educates and Tantalizes Taste Buds

Anthony Bourdain, host of the Travel Channel’s No Reservations and author of Kitchen Confidential. Harold Dieterle, winner of the first season of Bravo Television’s Top Chef. Anne Burrell, Assistant to Iron Chef America’s Mario Batali. What do all these chefs have in common? They are all graduates of the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), the famed culinary school that was established in 1946 in Hyde Park, New York.

In 1995, the Greystone campus of CIA was opened in St. Helena on the grounds of the former Christian Brothers Winery. The imposing, three-storied 11,700-square-foot Greystone Cellars building is the focal point of the campus, housing the De Baun Theatre, Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant, and Spice Islands Marketplace. The CIA offers an assortment of programs including an associate degree in culinary arts, a 30-week baking and pasty certificate program and a 30-week wine studies program.

For those interested in a sampling of culinary school, you’ll want to check out the cooking demonstrations and tastings in the De Baun Theatre. Led by one of the school’s renowned chef-instructors, the hour-long demonstrations are held Friday through Monday at a cost of $15 a person. My wife Lucky and I recently attended one in which we learned to make an Ancient Quinoa Salad with Roasted Red Bell Peppers and Orange. Chef Steve Ruggenberg mixed in relevant facts about quinoa, including its place in Incan history as well as its nutritional value. As he prepared the dish, two overhead television sets flashed close up pictures of what he was doing which, at times, came in particularly handy. He welcomed questions from the crowd, which was seated in stadium-style configuration to allow everyone a clear sightline.

What we liked about this demonstration was that the item prepared is not necessarily a complex masterpiece. The appeal of the quinoa recipe was that it is simple, elegant and tasty. Yes, sometimes they have some extremely challenging recipes that may require prior knowledge of culinary techniques. For those who prefer something on a grander or more complex scale, go to CIA’s website and check out their demonstrations calendar: www.ciachef.edu/enthusiasts/programs/gs_demos/demo_calendar.asp

In the meantime, here is the recipe for Ancient Quinoa Salad with Roasted Red Pepper and Orange. Bon appétit!

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups water
2 cups quinoa
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
1 red bell pepper
Zest from 1 orange
¼ cup champagne vinegar
2 tsp kosher salt, to taste
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp freshly ground cumin
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 oranges, segmented and cut in half
3 scallions, white and pale green parts, chopped
½ bunch Italian parsley leaves, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 avocado, minced
Method:
1. Rinse quinoa with cold water and drain. Heat a medium saucepan and add 1 tbsp of olive oil. Add shallots and allow to sweat for 1 minute, then add garlic and continue to sweat another minute. Add in rinsed quinoa and toast for several minutes until it begins to pop (do not brown). Add 1 ½ cups water to quinoa and bring to boil. Reduce to simmer, cover and cook until soft and translucent, about 8-10 minutes. Rest quinoa, covered, for 5-10 minutes. Place quinoa in a large bowl.

2. Roast red bell pepper over flame on stovetop until all sides are charred. Place in brown paper bag (or bowl covered with plastic wrap) and steam for 5-10 minutes. Peel off charred skin and dice.

3. Make vinaigrette by combining zest, champagne vinegar, salt, pepper, and cumin in small bowl. Gradually whisk in olive oil to emulsify.

4. Add red bell pepper, orange segments, scallions, Italian parsley and jalapeno to quinoa. Pour vinaigrette over quinoa salad until moistened, about ½ cup. Stir to combine. Fold in avocado.

Yields: 6-8 servings

Culinary Institute of America at Greystone
2555 Main Street
St. Helena, CA 94574
www.ciachef.edu/california

COPIA: Chocolate Celebration

Looking for a sweet diversion from midterms and all things school-related this weekend? At COPIA: The American Center for Wine, Food and the Arts, February is the month to celebrate chocolate. COPIA has it all – from programs that focus on chocolate and wine pairings to hands-on demonstrations of how to make your own truffles. The celebration comes to a chocolatey head on Saturday, February 23, at their 6th annual Chocolate Celebration in Napa.

The day begins with master classes by chocolate legends such as Chuck Siegel (founder of Charles Chocolates) and Gary Guittard (whose family has been in the chocolate business since the late 19th century). Their 45-minute sessions will teach you all about chocolate, from how to taste and evaluate high-quality chocolates to uncovering the mysteries of the chocolate-making process. A cooking demo will also be held by Claire Clark (head pastry chef at The French Laundry) in which she will divulge the secrets to making a divine Black Forest Trifle, a scrumptious Warm Chocolate and Raspberry Tart, and a heavenly Lemon Posset. I’m sure participants will get a sample of the goods, too.

But be sure to leave room for the Death by Chocolate Walk-around Tasting. This year will feature over 50 participants, including “biggies” like Scharffen Berger, Ghirardelli, Guittard, Charles Chocolates and Schokinag. There will also be two chocolate fountains – one white, one dark – in which you can dip goodies such as apricots, marshmallows and more. Despite the throngs that flock to COPIA, there is more than enough for everyone who attends to eat more than their fair share of chocolate. My wife Lucky and I attended last year’s celebration and stuffed ourselves silly with chocolate. We ran out of room long before they even came close to running out of chocolate. And to help you wash it down, several wineries will be giving samples of their wines that compliment these heavenly morsels. For those who do not drink wine, COPIA also provides free bottled water.

The festivities start at 10 a.m. with the master classes, which run $15 a session. The Death by Chocolate Walk-around Tasting goes from 1 to 4 p.m. and costs $45.

COPIA
500 First St
Napa, CA
1-888-512-6742

Originally published: www.ucsf.edu/synapse/articles/2008/Feb/21/chocolate.html

Chinatown: An Inexpensive, Enjoyable Afternoon

I found the lack of information on the web about the Chinese New Year Carnival (different from the Chinese Community Street Fair to be held this weekend) to be quite strange. After I searched SFGate.com (the Chronicle’s online presence), and San Francisco Chinatown’s official website, all I could gleam from these sites was that it was a “two week-long outdoor fair” at Walter U. Lum Place in Chinatown. Then I went to Citysearch and was happily surprised to find a bit more information on the Carnival:

This kid-friendly celebration of Chinese culture will fill the streets of Chinatown with music, dance and dozens of vendors. The aroma of tasty Chinese treats will waft through Grant Avenue and Stockton Street, tempting passersby to check out the goods. Kids will enjoy puppet shows, demonstrations of cultural arts such as kite-making and lantern-making, folk dancing, and traditional and contemporary music and entertainment.

With a description like that, how could you not want to go? So my wife Lucky, our pal Grady and I decided to jump on the N-Judah and headed to Chinatown. I was expecting colorful silk costumes, lively music, and hundreds of kids frolicking with delicious goodies in their hands. To our chagrin, the carnival, if you could call it that, consisted of about ten booths lining a short alley between Washington and Clay Streets. The bored barkers repeated their oft-repeated “Try your luck” spiels, trying half-heartedly to get uninterested passers-by to win a barely alive goldfish by getting the ping-pong ball into the bowl; or an oversized dusty Spider-Man (probably a more tempting reward last year when the blockbuster movie featuring said hero came out), by putting the lopsided basketball through the smaller- than-regulation size hoop.

Unimpressed, and more importantly, hungry, we left in a hurry to find something to fill the empty void left by the disappointment. We wandered the streets of Chinatown, passing shop after shop selling trinkets and knickknacks. “Where should we eat? I’m starving,” Lucky said adding to the pressure of finding something. There were tons of restaurants, but at 2 in the afternoon, would they still have any dim sum left? We decided to look for a place that would sell dim sum to go. That didn’t make it any easier – there were tons of hole-in-the-walls selling dim sum, but many looked dirty or lacking customers, both bad omens if you ask me. After a few more minutes of fruitless searching, I saw House of Dim Sum. It was quite bustling compared to the others and seemed pretty sanitary as the ladies behind the counter were using gloves and tongs.

As I looked at the selections, my mouth started to water. But I was shaken out of my salivating state when the lady behind the counter asked me what I wanted. In Cantonese. “Oh boy, this is going to be painful,” I thought since my Cantonese is pretty non-existent and my Mandarin is getting rustier by the second. As panic began to set in, I found a quarter sheet of paper listing over 40 selections of dim sum in both Chinese characters and in English. What a simple way to order! I ordered an assortment of dumplings – chives and shrimp, spicy hot pork, beef, pork and vegetable. Then I added some favorites that I knew by name: char siu bao (BBQ pork bun), dan tat (egg custard pie), won ton mein (wonton with noodle soup), and lou mai gai (lotus leaf rice). The lady behind the counter was caught off guard by my sudden fluency, but then flashed me a smile that said, “You’re OK, kid.”

$18 dollars and five minutes later (the wonton noodle soup took a while), we headed back to Walter U. Lum Place. Below the sad excuse of a carnival was a playground where all the locals hung out. On Washington Street, groups of grandpas huddled together intently watching games of Chinese chess while in the cement square of the playground, grandmas sat chatting or playing cards. In the playground itself, young couples sat on benches while their children played on the monkey bars and swings. Lucky, Grady and I sat at the edge of the playground watching the children playing without a care in the world. We dug into our late afternoon lunch, stuffing dumpling after dumpling into our mouths. Fresh and still warm, these little bite sized morsels were surprisingly delicious. And considering they were only 60 cents each, they were quite a bargain. The only orders that fell on the disappointing side were the wonton soup and the lotus leaf rice. The noodles and broth were totally tasteless, but the wontons, filled with pork and ginger, were just as tasty as the dumplings. Considering there were at least 8 wontons in there at a price of 60 cents each, it was worth the $5. The lotus leaf rice, however, was not very flavorful. Unfortunately, the stuffing of peanuts, egg yolk, and Chinese sausage could not rescue it.

Despite the wretched start, House of Dim Sum provided some satisfying dim sum to go, particularly the dumplings; and Walter U. Lum Place provided the perfect outdoor location to people-watch and enjoy a meal.

House of Dim Sum
735 Jackson St.
San Francisco, CA
(415) 399-0888

Originally published: www.ucsf.edu/synapse/articles/2008/Feb/21/dimsum.html

Road Trip: Santa Cruz in the Winter

Several months ago, I learned of a place in Santa Cruz that uses the highest-quality ingredients to create its own handcrafted chocolates. Though I am a chocolate lover and my wife Lucky is a chocolate snob, we just couldn’t justify a trip down to Santa Cruz for the sole reason of checking out Donnelly Chocolates. Summer was over – so the Boardwalk wouldn’t be a reason. Fortunately, we wouldn’t have to wait until next summer: we found a reason in Natural Bridges State Beach.

From late October to early February, overwintering monarch butterflies swarm from all over western North America (west of the Rockies) to the preserve located in Natural Bridges State Beach looking for a warmer climate. Historically, up to a hundred thousand of these insects make the preserve their winter home.

It turns out that park also has some wonderful tide pools, too. If you plan your trip for a day when there is a negative low tide, you’re bound to see starfish, sea anemones, limpets and perhaps sea urchin. Seeing as how gas is not cheap these days, we planned a trip down to Santa Cruz on a day when we could check out all three: butterflies, tide pools and Donnelly Chocolates.

The preserve, located in the southern part of the park, has a wooden walkway that leads down to an observation deck on the canyon floor of the Monarch Grove. Along the way are laminated sheets that detail the lifecycle and migratory habits of the monarch butterfly. The level of activity of the butterflies depends on the weather. At less than 65°F, they cluster in the trees; considering that eucalyptus trees can reach a couple hundred feet, they actually look like a dense collection of leaves. In order to fully appreciate their numbers, binoculars are a must. However, this winter has yielded a relatively small number of monarchs. Looking up, I expected to see butterflies covering every inch of the grove. People who had been going for several years mentioned that this was a mere fraction of the swarms that usually show up.

The tide pools, however, did not disappoint. The low tide exposed a clandestine aquatic world. The middle zone of the intertidal region was filled with a bed of mussels. We had to be careful where we stepped for fear of harming the creatures. At the lower zones were little puddles that allow hermit crabs to swim and colorful starfish and sea anemones hanging on to the ledges of the sea shelf. The tide-pooling area is quite expansive, allowing the observant and patient onlooker a multitude of exploratory opportunities. A useful website that estimates the tide on a certain day of the month is www.dairiki.org/tides/monthly.php/san/.

Donnelly Chocolates is just a few miles from Natural Bridges in a little hole-in-the-wall shop that can be missed if you blink at the wrong time. Owner/chocolatier Richard Donnelly learned the trade in Paris and Brussels and even won the award for the finest artisanal chocolates at the Euro Chocolate Festival in Italy in 1998. And with good reason, as his truffles and infused ganache-filled chocolates are intense and bold. Flavors range from the aromatic spices – cardamom, saffron and rosemary – to the floral, which included rose and lavender. Of special note were the dark chocolate chipotle, which had a wonderful smoky spicy kick; saffron, with its uniquely aromatic flavor contrasted by white chocolate; and sea salt honey caramel (I’m just a sucker for caramel). Donnelly advertises that they use the freshest ingredients. In this case, there is no doubt in my mind that they do: each and every piece was distinctly flavored. I could recognize the flavor of raspberry in the piece with raspberry puree blended with dark ganache. Eating the Earl Grey truffle, though not my favorite, was like simultaneously eating chocolate and drinking Earl Grey Tea.

We could easily have gone broke considering that pieces range from $1 to $2.25 for each bite sized glimpse of heaven. At a little over $30 worth for less than 30 minutes of happiness, luckily we don’t live in Santa Cruz and reaching Donnelly Chocolates requires quite a bit of effort. Still, if you’re in the neighborhood to check out the butterflies (if not this year, hopefully next year will be a better gathering) and tide pools at Natural Bridges, you might as well stop in!

Donnelly Fine Chocolates
1509 Mission St.
Santa Cruz, Ca 95060

Orignially published: www.ucsf.edu/synapse/articles/2008/Jan/24/santacruz.html

Chinese New Year Celebration

If you’re looking for a few ways to celebrate the Year of the Rat, here are a few ideas to make it a memorable start:

Chinese Community Street Fair

This free event will feature Chinese cultural arts such as kite-making and calligraphy, fine arts demonstrations and acrobats. Street Fair will take place at differing locations depending on which day you attend. This is a great place to bring the little ones. On Saturday, February 23 from 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., the festivities will be on Grant Avenue between California and Broadway. The following day from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., the street fair will take place on Pacific Avenue from Kearny to Stockton as well as Jackson and Washington Streets between Kearny and Stockton.

Chinese New Year Parade

The Chinese New Year Parade, the largest outside of Asia, is always crowded, so get your curbside seats early along Kearny between Market and Columbus for the best seats, otherwise you’ll have watch the parade between heads or shell out $30 to get bleacher seats. The parade begins at 5:30 p.m. and usually lasts more than two hours as the participants include the usual parade fare – elaborately decorated floats and school marching bands. But the real reason to attend is the wonderful free entertainment: demonstrations by martial arts groups, lion dancers, Chinese acrobats, and the 201-foot-long Golden Dragon manned by over 100 people! It’s best to take Muni downtown and get off at the Montgomery or Powell Street exits since several streets will be blocked off and parking will be nearly impossible.

Originally published: www.ucsf.edu/synapse/articles/2008/Feb/7/chinesenewyear.html