TAPAS 2012 Grand Tasting Notebook
“Really, you’re tired of drinking wine?”
“All the new release parties and wine events…I’ve drank enough sauvignon blanc and zinfandel to drown a beluga whale.”
“Hold on there. I can understand you are tired of drinking the same varietals from the same region. Even I get tired of over-oaked Mondovino, but to swear off wine in general is plain ridiculous.”
This is a conversation you might hear regularly this time of year. Just like when Adam Richman starts to dry heave twelve minutes into an 8 pound burrito the human palate can only take so much of the same flavors before we start to crave a little variety. Thankfully Nature has spared us from what could have been Man vs. Wine.
Oh so many years ago a clever little invention known as cross-pollination tangoed its way into the Tree of Life. For eons it has worked to promote genetic diversity so that Mother Nature can hedge her bets against crop failures that might otherwise have disrupted the food chain. As a result grape vines Read more
Cheese and Pinot Noir Pairing at The Cheese School of San Francisco
It’s been almost seven years since I moved to San Francisco and I cannot believe how much I have yet to discover in this wonderful city. Last week I had the opportunity to take my first class at The Cheese School, which is nestled inside a rather unassuming building a few blocks from the hustle and bustle of Pier 39. Daphne Zepos and Kiri Fisher are the current owners of The Cheese School, which offers a variety of evening classes for various levels of cheese enthusiasts as well as Read more
Inaugural Bluxome Street Winery “Meet” Market
Underground food markets took a hit last fall when the federal government shut down these popular events for non-compliance. With all the competition to secure space in traditional farmer’s markets many Bay Area food entrepreneurs continue to struggle to bring their artisanal goods to market. Luckily Bluxome Street Winery in San Francisco’s SoMa District saw this as an opportunity Read more
54 Mint-Vineria Ristorante
In addition to having great food and phenomenal wines 54 Mint is an ideal after-work hangout due to its proximity to BART. My friends and I recently planned a happy hour at 54 Mint and as always had a fabulous time. A special thanks goes out to Gianluca and his staff for a wonderful evening. Still dreaming about the Budino al Cioccolata.
Notebook Score: Thumbs Up
Notebook Question of the Evening: What comes to mind when you hear the term “foodie”?
Olive Bar at Berkeley Bowl West
Living in California you learn to appreciate olives which are as diverse as they are delicious. A trip to Berkeley Bowl always triggers Read more
Tony Gemignani wins the World Pizza Championships
http://insidescoopsf.sfgate.com/blog/2011/06/02/tony-gemignani-wins-the-world-pizza-championships/
Earlier this week, the 10th annual World Championships of Pizza Makers was held in Naples, Italy. The pizza competition features a bunch of different categories, and in the “Pizza a Metro” (pizza by the meter or Roman-style pizza) competition, none other than San Francisco’s Tony Gemignani took the top prize, becoming the first American to win that category.
He won with a pie he called the “Quattro Regioni”: meter-long pizza, divided into four different sections representing the cuisines of Rome, Naples, Puglia and Calabria. Naturally, it will soon appear on the menu at Tony’s Pizza Napoletana.
