An easy thing to bring is a Spanish Tortilla. If you have more time, try making Empanadas. One other dish that is VERY easy to bring... find a really good Spanish Chorizo (cured), pre slice it. At the party over stove top... simmer the chorizo in red wine and a bay leaf for about 10 minutes. Serve with some toasty bread.
Cheers,
Angela
Wineunleashed.com
Not sure if I would agree with some of the recommendations above but here are my favorite restaurants:
-Piperade
-Perbacco
-A16
-Ame
- La Taqueria... my favorite Taqueria
Yes, you must go the Ferry Building and check out the scene.
If you go on to SFgate.com and check out the the food section's top 100... that will put you on the right track for sure.
Cheers,
Angela
WineUnleashed.com
If any of you have read "My Life in France" by Julia Child, she talks about visiting the cheese lady and her vegetable lady. She built a relationship with these two purveyors. They knew their products and looked out for her best interest. This is possible today. You just have to find the right supplier for YOU. Don't go the way of points only.... it will only lead you to frustration.
Cheers,
Angela
wineunleashed.com
I never expect the celebrity chef to be there but what I do expect is there style and their touch on the food. They got to be at the top because they are excellent at their craft and have developed a style and know how to delegate their talent.
Cheers,
Angela
WineUnleashed.com
Is Tiny's still open? They were on Fulton.
Those were monster and delicious!
One hour!! To shop and cook?! I would buy prepped salads, grab some deli meats and rolls and some rosé. But most captains of boats will only allow white wine. I like aromatics that crisp and clean on a boat. Try a sauvignon blanc, viognier, riesling or even an Albarino.
Cheers,
Angela
If you are trying to learn about what goes best together I have a recommendation for you. Every time you open a bottle of wine... open TWO bottles. Taste each wine first then taste the food with it. It is the best way to learn about wine and about pairings. If you are concerned about "wasting" the wine look into a simple soda pop lug and a can of air such as Private Preserve. You then can extend your open bottle life a couple of days.
I think it is time you move beyond Pinot Grigio. There is a world of wine waiting to be explored. You have some great adventures ahead of you. Have fun.
Cheers,
Angela
author of The Wine Wheel® and owner of Wine Unleashed
My signature would have to be more of a style... cooking is always a culinary adventure. I never go for the ordinary. I rarely make something more than three times. I strive to find a dish that I can call my own but it just never happens. Once something has been mastered I just tend to move on to something new.
And yes, my guests always know they will drink great wine at my house. I guess that is part of my signature.
Cheers,
Angela
www.wineunleashed.com
ok... now I know where I spending my next Bday. I am leaving SF and heading to NY for dinner! OMG!!!
My favorite tapas dish is baked goat cheese and tomato sauce with crostini to spread it on. Yum!
Hillary
Chew on That
One of the BEST Tapas bars is in Cambridge, Massachusetts called Dali. They have this amazing grilled pork sausage served with fig sauce that will absolutely curl your toes.
i third, fourth and fifth la taqueria. if you're in the east bay, i used to absolutely adore lalimes in berkeley. and chez panisse is still one of the best restaurants in the country.
@ WineUnleashed: I second La Taqueria!
A taco or burrito (depending on my level of hunger) + watermelon or pineapple agua fresca is one of my favorite things to get in the city.
Well, I have to add my complaint. Even though the food was wonderful and our female waiter was very nice..... when I made the booking, the woman I spoke with insisted my husband would have to wear a coat and tie, that Blue Hill was "formal but casual" -- What does that mean? Then, the day before our reservation, she called me three times in an hour to confirm my reservation. I kept telling her "you just called me" but somehow she or the computer kept forgetting that I had just confirmed this reservation. We arrive there the next day and every man, except one was not wearing a coat and tie and the only other man was just wearing a sport jacket. All the other men were far more than casual - one was even wearing a bowling shirt. I had dressed up also. We were mortified. At least my husband was able to take off his jacket and tie but I was left dressed in a cocktail dress that I wouldn't have worn in this very casual restaurant had the woman been honest.
Then, the waitstaff decided we should both be seated on the same side looking out towards the room instead of across from each other. No other couple was seated that way.
To top off this unfortunate meal, two of the male staff decided it was appropriate to make fun of me and the way I was dressed. How do I know this? Since my mother was deaf, I learned to read lips with her. The one male staff member said to the James Carville doppelganger don't look up quickly, but the fat woman to my right in the corner is falling out of her dress. Well, I had a baby two weeks ago and yes, I had major cleavage and hadn't lost my baby weight (only celebrities lose weight that fast), but to do that in an obvious way in the middle of restaurant -- that I couldn't ignore. I will never go to that restaurant again.
If I go to a restaurant owned by a celebrity chef, I expect that the food will be in his style, the recipes either designed by him or at least in conjunction with him, and I expect that part of his reputation depends on the quality of the food produced by his restaurants.
I have certain expectations of a restaurant owned by a celebrity chef. But if I go to a restaurant owned by a different celebrity-- oh, like a basketball player -- I don't expect the basketball player to be in the kitchen, and I actually hope he isn't.
For anyone who takes this point of view as valid, try a google of the author Jasper Gerard. It's clear from the history of his articles he makes a name for himself by negative spins on popular establishments including Premier League soccer, Elton John, and others.
He's nothing more than a negative hack (who apparently may have been sued and settled for libel while at the Observer). Take it for what it is and from the source...
Our dinner at Blue Hill practically ruined us for food everafter. It was a level of freshness, creativity, and wonderful tastes that we've never experienced before. We had mostly the same items listed above, although we had the good sense to mention that we loved butter and hen-of-the-woods mushrooms (hence a butter tasting and This Morning's Egg served with sauteed mushrooms). The wine sommelier was engaging and served us up a phenomenal 2004 Colin-Deleger Premier Cru Chassagne Montrachet. After dinner, they asked us if we would like our dessert outside, which, of course, we did. The floor show from thousands of lightning bugs on the hillside were the perfect ending to a fantastic evening.
These chefs have paid their dues... they built those restaurants. They are now business owners and just like any other successful business owner, they deserve to enjoy the fruits of their labor.
That does not mean they have to be a grunt in the weeds in the kitchen frying up cheeseburgers...
The author's logic is Flawed to begin with.
Kurteye's got the right idea...
I view the head chef as the designer of the menu and the food on it. They need to develop the recipes.
They then need to ensure that those preparing the food are completely up-to-speed on everything to do. But, as someone previously said, Steve Jobs doesn't assemble your laptop.
If I go to a restaurant owned by Gordon Ramsay, I expect a completely different style, both in the cuisine and the atmosphere, from one run by Jamie Oliver. It is their styles and influence that I go to experience.
I can't afford the price to have either of these chefs to cook for me personally. So, I am happy with dishes designed and perfected by the celebrity chefs.
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Website: http://www.wineunleashed.com/tidbits/index.php
Location: San Francisco
About: I am a certified sommelier, and author of The Wine Wheel® and an upcoming book on food and wine.
Favorite foods: Anything with pork or Chorizo. Go crazy for foie gras. Also love simple things like meatloaf and PB&J (not together though) ;-)
Last bite on earth: The jamon terrine from Piperade in San Francisco