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Showing posts from September, 2010

Difficult wine pairings with Japanese non-sushi at Himawari

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My favorite Japanese non-sushi in the Bay Area is now officially Himawari . Filled with Japanese families, this hole-in-the-wall place in downtown San Mateo has not disappointed yet. Their ramen soups, agedashi tofu, and fried chicken are just some of the perfectly executed dishes served. But it's notoriously non-obvious which wines to pair with them, outside of the always-safe Champagne. So I asked my friend and wine director at Donato Enoteca - Eric Lecours - for recommendations. Given that Eric has lived in Japan, is married to a Japanese, and was the one who introduced me to Himawari, who better to ask for wine pairing advise?! Here is what he suggested. Delicious spinach ("goma ae"), amazingly non-stringy and non-chewy texture (as spinach can easily get), with the intensely good sesame dressing. Paired with: Napa Sauvignon Blanc (slightly grassy with a bit of residual sugar). Best-ever fried chicken ("chicken kara age"). I guess this is Japanese version of

Bay Area sushi secret revealed - Ocean Blue Lounge in Sunnyvale

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To my wine friends, pairing wine with sushi is old news. They will often forgo Sake and opt toward extravagance - grand cru white Burgundy, Sancerre, even Pinot Noir (quite nice with tuna and unagi). I often stick with Sparkling. This full-bodied Ca'del Bosco Franciacorta "Prestige" Cuvée from Lombardy, Italy is wonderful and relatively affordable for a Champagne-quality sparkler (under $40). And here is a gem of a place that is a total hush-hush secret in the Bay Area... Even on Friday nights, you don't need reservations - there is plenty of space, a row of Japanese-trained Korean sushi chefs (who speak both Korean and Japanese), an army of good-looking Asian waitresses to take care of you, and even a mega-screen playing Asian pop videos. I know I will be kicking myself for revealing it, but for you my readers, I must! The place is called Sushi Club Ocean Blue Lounge and is located on El Camino Real on the border of Sunnyvale and Santa Clara in the hole-in-the-wall

Converting the Chinese into wine drinkers, one at a time

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My Chinese mom-in-law ("maya") drinks beer. Sometimes Shaoxing wine , when pops-in-law is here. They drink Shaoxing sweetened with dry fruit, ever since they poured it to Rona when she was a kid. Ironically, maya doesn't really like sweet - she likes bitter. She didn't grow up on proper red wine. The other day, Kathy O. (a friend) made this luscious chocolate raspberry cake for A.C.'s birthday party, and they gave me a chunk of that gorgeousness to take home. Chinese generally don't like rich, sweet, decadent desserts (just go into any Chinese bakery to see what I mean). I had some Super Tuscan left over from the Oasis visit the day before. I forced maya to have a bite of the cake and a sip of the wine. You should have seen expression on her face. Shocked: "it's not sweet", and then "gen hao chi" ("delicious!"). The 2006 Badia di Morrona "Taneto" Toscana (Super Tuscan), a blend of Syrah, Sangiovese, and Merlot, t

Jazz up that linguine with melted brie and creamy Chianti

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It seems almost every one of my last few posts mentioned cheese. I didn't plan it, but it just so happens in an evolution of a wino that the love for cheese blossoms to wine-like proportions. How can it not, when cheese makes ordinary foods taste extra-ordinary?! Take for instance this simple linguine with diced heirloom tomatoes, basil, garlic, olive oil, salt-n-peppa. Now imagine melting a (un)healthy helping of triple-cream brie cheese (with rind removed) into the dish! The result is marvelously decadent and creamy pasta, out of this world (courtesy of Karen R., thanks!) This would pair well with many Italian reds, but I would recommend the super aromatic and creamy 2006 Felsina Chianti Classico Riserva ($24). Got cheese?

Oasis burger and why Facebook matters

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If you are in the mood for a satisfying non-gourmet burger, in Napa Valley you certainly head out to Taylors (now renamed to Gott's). On the SF peninsula, you head to In-n-Out Burger, but in Palo Alto, you go to a place you would drive by a million times and never pay attention, next to Stanford Shopping Center on El Camino, there is a buried Oasis , frequented only by locals in-the-know, a total dive of a place that's been there for 50 years and it looks it, with all the charm of a 50 year old rugged good-hearted sailor. (Reminds me of the Garret in Cupertino, but Oasis has more personality IMHO). I came there for an el-cheapo burger and fries, but I hadn't expected the crispy, smoky bacon overload of the awesome Blue Burger ( blue for cheese). Nice fries too. I brought my own bottle of vino - don't expect a place like that to have killer selection. For $10 corkage, you'll be the only person in the whole damn "beer garden", sipping wine. But so be it. M

Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru with Brillat-Savarin triple-cream anyone?

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Ahh, living on the creamy edge of high life...! North Berkeley wine is a full-service importer, retailer and wholesaler that specializes in fine wines from France, Italy and Chile. At their portfolio tasting last week, I checked out a few Burgundies and Italian goodies from the Fall lineup (sounds like a fashion show, doesn't it?!), out of 100 or so different wines. Not many shook my world, but here are a few that are worth mentioning IMHO. Two red Burgundies were head and shoulders above all French wines at the tasting: 1. Wine of the Tasting - Frederic Magnien 2007 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru . While in general I find most 2007 red Burgundies to be lacking power and plushness, even struggling at the Grand Cru level, this one was balanced, elegant, and quite good and charming, though not a powerhouse either, but one of the better red wines from Burgundy in 2007. Price? Don't ask! ($180/btl). 2. Gerard Raphet 2008 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru "Les Combttes" - good intens

The history of Gaja Gromis property

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Warning Warning - wine geekiness alert!... In a recent Gaja and Burgers post, I talked about Gaja Gromis Barolo 2000, and raised a question about the connection of Gaja Gromis and Gaja Dagromis. For the wine geeks such as myself this connection needed to be explored. And since there was little-to-nothing on the internet regarding this topic, I emailed Gaia Gaja, the daughter of Angelo Gaja. She and I had recently met at a dinner at Donato Enoteca . Dear Gaia, ... I need a clarification. From my research on the internet, it is not clear what is the relationship between the Gromis Barolo, the Gromis Conteisa Cerequio Barolo, Conteisa Langhe and the Dagromis Barolo, and when some of the labels changed. Dutifully Gaia responded. Here is the fascinating Gaja trivia that I learned. In 1995 Gaja bought a propriety in La Morra. The property is 10 hectares, almost all included in the Cerequio vineyard. The winery (an obsolete building which they do not use) had a stock of older vintages. It to

Celebrating September 11 softly with my family

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September 11 is my lucky day. It's my birth day. Or is it my un-lucky day? After 2001, I am not sure anymore. At least, everyone thinks it's memorable. I always feel mixed. This year Rona was sick, so mom-in-law flew over to help take care, and I headed for a few hours to my grandma's in San Francisco to have dinner with my folks, whom slowly over the past several years I've been bringing into the world of fine wine. I suppose decades ago they brought me into the world of not-so-fine Ukraine, so it's only fair that I do something for them now. Even my 87 year-old grandma (and doing fine, thank you very much), who treated alcoholics for 30 years as a doctor in Odessa, and has given me many a raised eyebrow when hearing me talk about wine, doesn't mind sipping on some fine Barbaresco herself anymore. What's the world coming to!!! Russian-Jewish meals always have an appetizer course, family-style, with lots of dishes overwhelming the table. Marinated herring is

Gaja and Burgers

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Angelo Gaja is an icon in Italy. His single-vineyard Barbarescos sell for over $300 a bottle on release. Since the 1970's , his impact on Italy's image as a world-class wine power has been felt perhaps more than that of any other Italian producer. Several years ago, Lynette, a friend of friend, went on a buying spree and bought a lot of Gaja. With no space to store it. That's where Dan came in and generously offered to store the lot in exchange for once a year Gaja uncorking. Lynette agreed but only if Dan hosted a cozy dinner with gastronomic accoutrements worthy of Gaja. And thus the annual "Gaja and Burgers" night was born. Of course, Dan the gourmand would not make just any burgers. His are from special grass-fed beef, with all kinds of garden herbs inside, thick and grilled on a smoker grill to a juice-dripping perfection. Served on a bun with slices of heirloom tomato, shiso (in place of lettuce, this is a key move), and marinated pickles, with just a sp

Egly-Ouriet Champagne with heirloom overload

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Last time I shared a basic formula for a slew of tomato inspired quick recipes - panzanella, bruschetta, Caprese salad, gazpacho soup that pair well with Arneis . Here is another pairing - with Champagne. Many say "Champagne goes with anything", but I think it goes particularly well with this early Fall heirloom tomato medley - a combo of gazpacho soup (has red bell pepper added to the tomato blend) served with toasted Italian rustic bread topped with a paste of heirloom tomatoes, Japanese cucumber, garlic, basil, and spicy roasted padron peppers (padrons get spicy if you let them grow bigger) -- all from my garden, with some melted buffalo mozzarella. Egly-Ouriet is one of the most respected grower Champagne producers in France right now, and is the "insider" secret of Champagne geeks. His Les Vignes de Vrigny NV cuvée from 100% Pinot Meunier is full bodied and zesty - deliciousness in a glass, perfection with tomato-based dishes. Enjoy!

Robert Chevillon "Les Vaucrains" confirms merits of the 2002 vintage in Burgundy

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The whole month of September our local wine shop Vin Vino Wine is treating wino aficionados to verticals of the greatest European wine producers. On Saturday, they featured Robert Chevillon's 2002 through 2007 bottlings of the "Les Vaucrains" vineyard in Nuits-Saint-Georges, Burgundy. The village of Nuits-Saint-Georges in Cote de Nuits is known for producing hearty, musculine red wines. Nuits-Saint-Georges does not have any grand cru vineyards, and thus it's not as well regarded as Chambolle-Musigny, Vosne-Romanee, or Gevrey-Chambertin. Nevertheless, its most prestigious vineyards of Les Saint Georges, Les Vaucrains, and Les Cailles give birth to world-class wines in the hands of great producers. For years, the top two Nuits-Saint-Georges producers have been Robert Chevillon and Henri Gouges. So being able to taste through a vertical of one of Chevillon's top vineyards is a rare opportunity. Burgundy is loved for producing wines of terroir - meaning the place wh

Jazz up Panzanella with Bruno Giacosa Arneis

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During warm days of August and September in the Bay Area, making a simple panzanella salad from fresh ingredients from my garden with a crisp glass of white wine is my late summer comfort food. Step 1. Pick heirloom tomatoes from the garden. Chop or slice. Step 2. Pick fresh basil from the garden. Chop. Step 3. Finely chop couple of cloves of fresh garlic. This is a key ingredient, just like basil - it really takes tomatoes to a whole other level. Step 4. Cut fresh buffalo mozzarella into large chunks. The quality of the mozzarella is very important. None of the cheap rubbery stuff. In the Bay Area, I find that A.G. Ferrari and Costco have excellent quality buffalo mozzarella. Step 5. Cut stale rustic bread into big chunks. Step 6. Mix everything, and dress with high-quality olive oil, sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Some people like to add a bit of vinegar, but if the tomatoes are tangy enough, I'd skip. Another delicious alternative (or addition) to vinegar is lemon

Napa Valley foodie destinations

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Folks often ask me for recommendations when going to Napa Valley. Having lived in the Bay Area for over 20 years and having visited Napa Valley numerous times during my wine evolution journey, I've written a few articles along the way. So without belaboring the much-covered topic, here are a few posts you should read before heading to the California's top food & wine destination. For me, no visit to Napa Valley is ever complete without an amazingly satisfying meal. So while my posts usually focus on wine, they always contain recommendations and reviews for awesome food joints. Read these first SATURDAY, AUGUST 21, 2010 Drinking with Elias Fernandez of Shafer - Hillside Select and Relentless http://www.chevsky.com/2010/08/elias-fernandez-of-shafer-vineyards.html THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2010 Joseph Phelps - blending 2007 Joseph Phelps Insignia (and another killer Napa Valley day-trip) http://www.chevsky.com/2010/06/blending-2007-joseph-phelps-insignia.html TUESDAY, MAY 18, 2010 Ho