A very special event, Les Printemps de Chateauneuf-du-Pape, is coming up on April 10th & 11th in France.  This event is being organized by the young winemakers in the Chateauneuf-du-Pape region.   The event will showcase wines from 60 wine makers in Chateauneuf-du-Pape.  One of the biggest attractions is that there will be a chance to taste old vintage Chateauneuf-du-Pape wines.  In fact, there will be stations set up that focus on old vintage wines, on terroir, on the different grape varietals in Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and on food and wine pairings.  Sixty bottles of Chateauneuf-du-Pape wine will be given away in a lottery fashion to ticket-holders. 

I will be organizing a trip for a small group to attend so contact me right away if you have an interest in going with us.

Cibo has become one of our favorite cafes in Sausalito.  I am very picky about espresso drinks and coffee, and Cibo serves Blue Bottle Coffee.  They use two shots of espresso in their coffee drinks so they have a deep, robust coffee flavor.   Cibo features a seasonal menu, and they have specials that change daily.  They serve both breakfast and lunch seven days a week.  Some examples of their breakfast menu include granola with yogurt, toast with housemade conserve, steel cut oats, a seasonal vegetable frittata, and poached eggs with creme fraiche.  For lunch, they serve a variety of seasonal paninis along with soup and salad.  Some of my favorite lunch menu items are their yellow and red beet salad, their dungeness crab panini, the wild mushroom panini and their lentil salad.  Today their specials included a winter vegetable and farro soup, a stuffed artichoke and a meatball sandwich. 

Cibo is owned by the Ancona family of Sausalito, also owners of Angelino Restaurant here in town.  They are open daily from 7am to 5pm. 

Cibo
1201 Bridgeway
Sausalito, CA  94965
(415) 331-2426

In making homemade cocktails, I start with great ingredients.  That typically means a trip to my garden or else to the farmers market for seasonal fruits.  In this recipe, I use strawberries but you can substitute other fresh fruit, as well.  Don’t be afraid to experiment.  As long as you have a fruit (such as strawberries), an acid (such as fresh lemon or lime juice), simple syrup (equal parts water and sugar) and a high-quality alcohol (good Tequila), you are good to go! 

I make my own simple syrup and have it available in the refrigerator.  To make a batch of simple syrup, I combine two cups of water and two cups of sugar.  I heat them slightly and stir to melt the sugar.  Then I refrigerate in an air-tight container until I am ready to use it. 

Ingredients
1/2 Meyer lemon (for wetting glass rims)
Sea salt (fleur de sel) for the rim (optional)
4 parts fresh pureed strawberries
1 part simple syrup
1.5 parts Meyer lemon juice
2 parts Tequila
Ice
Fresh lemon verbena for garnish

You will also need:
2 margarita glasses
Shot glass
Cocktail shaker

Instructions
Rub the rims of the glasses with the Meyer lemon half.  Place rim-side down onto a bed of sea salt.  Twist slightly to make sure you have salt on the rims.   Set aside. 

Using the shot glass, measure the strawberry puree, simple syrup, Meyer lemon juice and Tequila and pour them into the cocktail shaker.  Add ice and shake vigorously for 15 seconds. 

Pour into the prepared margarita glasses.  Garnish with the lemon verbena sprigs. 

Sip S-L-O-W-L-Y.    Serves 2.

We recently went to Bottega in Napa Valley (Michael Chiarello’s restaurant in Yountville).    The polenta with balsamic-wild game sauce, the rabbit sugo, the gnocchi and the burrata were all outstanding.  (It is truly wonderful to experience Michael Chiarello’s cooking again in Napa Valley!)

We decided to order the Chiarello Family 2006 Bambino Cabernet Sauvignon to accompany our meal.  This wine was a true find.   It was earthy, with hints of vanilla, blackberry jam and ripe black cherries.  Although it is a young wine, it was very drinkable.  I looked up the wine when I got back home and found out that Spectator gave it a 91 rating.  This wine sells for $40 per bottle at Napa Style and on the Chiarello Vineyards website.

I tasted this wine recently at my friend’s wine cave in Chateauneuf du Pape, and it just blew me away!  This wine is 100% Roussanne and the grapes are from 80 year old vines.  It has been aged in oak.  It tasted like a beautiful vanilla caramel, and I wanted to savor it for hours.  I bought a bottle and paired it with a sea bass with fennel.  It was luscious!  It sells for about $36 Euros per bottle and is available from http://www.caveduverger.com/ .

We recently enjoyed another wine discovery brought to us by Marcy Roth of Bacchus and Venus Wine Shop in Sausalito.  This time it was 2002 Le Bizou from Falcor Winery in Napa Valley.   This wine is a blend of 44% Merlot, 29% Cabernet Franc, 24% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Petit Verdot grapes.  This wine is full of ripe blackberry fruit flavors balanced nicely with tannins and new oak.  It also has hints of cedar and tobacco with a subtle earthiness.  It has a long finish.  I chose this wine to pair with our Braised Lamb Shanks but was worried that it would overpower the food.  It did not at all – it was a lovely pairing.  This wine sells for $40.00 per bottle and is available at www.bacchusandvenus.com .

I just received my new shipment of wines from Cave de Verges des Papes in Chateauneuf du Pape.  I tasted all of these wines when I was at my friend’s cave back in February.  They are superb and I cannot wait to serve them to my friends and family.  Here is a brief description:

2005 Vielle Julienne – This is one of my favorite wines – deep red, lush and rich.  We still have a bottle of 2004 left and I am savoring the mere thought of opening it.  This is the 2005 release.  This wine is made from Grenache grapes from 80-100 year old vines and has hints of cherries, pepper and spice. It received 90 points from Robert Parker.

2005 Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape Rouge – This wine is quite large and tannic now and needs to age for at least 7-10 years before drinking.  It has flavors of licorice, tar and black fruits.  It received a 94 rating from Robert Parker. 

2005 Esprit d’Henri Muscat – I buy this wonderful muscat each time I visit my friend Guy’s wine cave.  It is a Vin de Pay wine – the grapes are grown in Languedoc.  It is sweet without being too heavy.  It pairs well with foie gras and with fruity desserts.  It is also great with a nice bleu cheese.  Sensational!

2005 Domaine Marcoux – This wine is made by two sisters using bio-dynamic methods.  The grapes are: 80% Grenache, 10% Mourvedre, 5% Syrah and 5% other.  The wine is exquisite with tastes of blackberries, cherries, licorice and currants. Although it is young, it is drinking beautifully now. 

2004 Peres de l’Eglise Heritage La Calice de Saint Pierre – This wine is made of 80-90% Grenache grapes, the rest is Syrah and Mourvedre.  The grenache grapes are from vines that are more than 100 years old.  The bold wine is lush with tastes of ripe plums and currants.  It received a rating of 92 from Wine Spectator.   

1999 Domaine Grand Tinel Alexis Establet – Composed of 90% Grenache from 85 year old vines and 10% other varietals, this wine is aged 12-18 months in old and new barrels.  It was suggested that we open the wine 3 hours before drinking.  It is quite tannic initially but when allowed to open it becomes more balanced and the richness of the fruits comes through.  Tastes of dark berries with a bit of mineral on the finish. 

 These wines are all available (can be ordered online and shipped to the states) from my friend, Guy Bremond, at Cave du Verges des Papes in Chateauneuf du Pape.

For my husband’s birthday, I took him to The Monk’s Kettle in San Francisco.  My husband is a beer fan and I had heard about this new restaurant that pairs beer and local, seasonal foods.  When we walked into The Monk’s Kettle, we were greeted warmly and seated at a small table across from the bar.  The restaurant is small and cozy with a very nice bar – carved wood with lots of character and charm.  The beer menu was EXTENSIVE, to say the least.  We are no strangers to beer and we had not heard of more than a fraction of the choices. 

We started out with a salad of mixed greens, pears, Humboldt Fog goat cheese and slivered almonds with a maple vinaigrette dressing.  We ordered a side order of frites with chipotle ketchup and also a black bean cake with salsa and creme fraiche.  We chose a Radeberger Pilsner from Germany to go along with this “course”.  It was very good. 

Next we ordered Niman Ranch pulled pork with housemade barbeque sauce.  This was served on a bun with jicama slaw.  Our choice for this pairing was a coffee porter from Meantime Brewing in London.  It was full-bodied and quite interesting.  The pairing was good.  I am glad that I tried the coffee porter,  but I am not sure that I would want it again. 

We finished off our meal with their blueberry cobbler and a double-chocolate stout from Young & Co. Brewery in London.  Nice and rich! 

It was a very fun evening and a change of pace from food and wine pairings.  We will go back to The Monk’s Kettle. 

The Monk’s Kettle
3141 16th Street
San Francisco, CA  94103
www.themonkskettle.com

I am often asked my favorite wines for pairing with food. Certainly among my favorites are the 2005 Silverado Vineyards Vineburg Chardonnay and the 2003 Silverado Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

The 2005 Silverado Vineyards Vineburg Chardonnay features 100% chardonnay grapes from a single vineyard. The wine has flavors of apples, citrus and oak that create a perfect balance on the palette. It pairs beautifully with my Roasted Chicken with Roasted Meyer Lemons. The wine sells for $30 per bottle.

The 2003 Silverado Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet has aromas of blackberries, plums, cherries and chocolate. It is intense, rich and well-balanced. It is a spectacular pairing with my Filet of Beef Tenderloin Roast. It sells for $43 per bottle.