Teich.Net :: All In

From now on, if I feel like the king of the wine world with my ~60 bottles of $20 wine, I’ll think of this guy.

Awhile back I told you about the beginning of my first endeavor in house-made liquer. After a month in the cellar and several days for gravity to work its magic with filtration (rushing makes it cloud), we now have several bottles of a surprisingly strong pink liquer. It’s sweeter than I’d like. I wasn’t sure how much sugar to cut when using tart tangerines in place of bitter oranges; the anwer is more than 50 grams. Still, it’s pretty and refreshing and oh so gratifyingly home-made.

Vin d’Orange is drunk all over France as an aperitif and light after-dinner drink. Mme Durandeau’s recipe is posted in her own handwriting by her daughter-in-law, Lucy, on eGullet. Many thanks to them both, as well as to the Opinionated About community for their tips on making this recipe. Read the rest of this entry »

We’re visiting my grandparents in Naples, Florida this week. These trips tend to turn into a sort of sadistic competition for who can be the bestest, sweetest, caringest family member with the most holiday spirit. On the food front (one of the primary judging categories), Oren and I are holding strong this year with our preparation of Santa Barbara Sole and baked apples on Monday night, several delicious odds and ends, and red beans and rice tonight. My mom entered the race strong last night with grilled lamb with a fantastic English mint jelly. Best of all though may be what my grandparents themselves brought to the table this year (with some strong suggestion): a bottle of 1990 Opus One.
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The Hidden Vine, a dark, clubby little space tucked into the back of the Fitzgerald Hotel near Union Square, is one of many wine bars that have opened in San Francisco in recent years. Although it’s not the biggest, or the showiest, or in the most likely location, or even have the deepest cellar, it has generated more buzz than the rest of the pack. The throng of young, attractive female customers after Daily Candy spread the word had me thinking this was the ultimate destination for my single male friends. (For those of you just now heeding my recommendation, I imagine the prevalence of that particular demographic must has since leveled off.)
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Tequila Restaurant, in the sleepy town of San Jose del Cabo, is more than just the drink of national pride and joy. It’s also one of the most highly regarded additions to the local gourmet culture. The restaurant is well-versed in both, with an offering of over fifty varieties of its namesake drink by the glass or bottle, conveniently sorted by aging classification and rated and annotated, and a killer menu. Both are carried off with great service in a palm and giant mango tree garden scattered with rustic lanterns and filled with salacious smells from the kitchen.
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Last night was dinner number two at The French Laundry. We had a wonderful meal, though it was a small notch below our first, out-of-this-world experience there in May. I’m already planning our next visit, but will be keeping two new lessons in mind.
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We had an outstanding lunch at Pilar yesterday on our way up to Yountville for our second dinner at The French Laundry. The biggest challenge of this lunch was passing up some of the fabulous things on the menu to leave room for dinner a whole seven hours later.
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If ever there was an event to make me feel like a real gourmet glutton–with all the good and bad that phrase implies–it’s a visit to the Warehouse Sale at le Village on a day when not too many other people are out shopping. On such days, I can peruse the goods without being jostled or needing to rush or having to wonder whether my finds are really worth the hour-long checkout line. Saturday was just such a day. My haul: an obscene amount of chocolate, cheese, more cheese, butter, Petit Suisse yogurts, roasted peppers, and dried mushrooms.
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Michael Bauer of The San Francisco Chronicle included La Folie in his recent roundup of “The Magnificent Seven,” saying this four star destination is better than ever. With one truly memorable dish from my last meal there a a few years ago and not a single thing to really “wow” in the new dining room, I beg to differ.
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