Early spring day in St. Helena.
It’s spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you’ve got it, you want – oh, you don’t quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so! ~Mark Twain
I think that every wine lover has secretly dreamed of owning a little vineyard somewhere. Every now and again I find myself day dreaming about tending rows of vines at sunrise and lovingly picking grapes by hand at harvest. While the fantasy is a lovely one, the reality of vineyard work tends to be much less bucolic. In fact, growing grapes is back-breaking work that demands a tremendous amount of skill and knowledge. On a recent trip to Napa I got to experience a taste of this for myself as I took part in a hands-on pruning demonstration at the historic To Kalon vineyard with Matt Ashby, director of vineyard operations at Robert Mondavi Winery. (more…)
The food memories that tend to stay with us are often the most elemental, like the smell of fresh baked bread or the taste of raspberries still warm from the sun. What makes these tastes and smells so elemental is how close they are to the source. The meal that I had with my family today was as close to the source as you can get. On the recommendation of a friend we headed to Barra de Potosi, a mostly undeveloped beach about 45 minutes from Zihuatanejo. Like most good adventures, this one involved a bit of getting lost, a few dirt roads and a bumpy ride. All of which made our first view of the 22 kilometer long white sand beach that much more amazing. (more…)
My family and I have just arrived in Zihuatanejo on the Pacific Coast of Mexico to celebrate my dad’s retirement and enjoy a family vacation. After 35 years of working as a chef in his restaurant, he is ready to let someone else do the cooking for a change. Which is exactly what brings us to Restaurante Mexicano ‘Any’ in the historic center of Zihuatenejo. I have to say that my family, having lived most of our lives in the restaurant, is an adventurous bunch with high expectations for good food. Our first taste of pozole did not disappoint. An enormous platter with a giant bowl of soup in the middle was served surrounded by all of the pozole ‘toppings’. The traditional toppings are lime, ground oregano, jalapenos, finely chopped onions, avocado, radishes, sliced cabbage, chicharrones (fried pork skin) and chiles but this can vary from region to region. (more…)
One of my all time favorite books is “Like Water for Chocolate” by Laura Esquivel. Its a love story, written more like a cookbook, with luscious Mexican recipes at the beginning of each chapter. Forbidden to marry the love of her life, the main character Tita expresses her love and sensuality through food. Through cooking, she is able to communicate her desire, her dreams, her creativity and her longing for Roberto. In one of my favorite chapters she creates a ‘mole’ using ingredients like chocolate, chiles and cinnamon. While blending the spices, she thinks of her beloved and they exchange a smoldering glance in the kitchen. The magic of that moment and the passion of her thoughts work their way into the flavor of the dish. One by one, each person at the table, overcome by the the ’secret ingredient’ of Tita’s passionate thoughts, leaves the table in a hurry. For Roberto, each bite that he takes is like a secret gift from Tita that conveys all of her sensuality and repressed love. This book always reminds me of the power of food to communicate love, to comfort us when we are down and to tap into all of our sensual desires. (more…)
For those of you who don’t speak Russian (including me!) ‘На здоровье’ means ‘Cheers’ and is pronounced ‘na zda-rov’-ye’. By far the most important word to learn before a trip to Russia. And that’s me (above) practicing my toasting skills during intermission at the ballet. What follows is my ‘toast’ to Russia. A list of some of the foodie finds and new culinary discoveries that I will miss when I am home. (more…)
Arriving in St. Petersburg, I was blown away by the sheer beauty of the city. There is an almost surreal quality to it, exemplified by the Church on Spilled Blood (pictured above), that made me feel like I had just stepped into my own personal Russian fairy tale. Founded by Peter the Great in 1703, St. Petersburg was designed to someday become the new cultural center of Russia. He suceeded on this count. From the sheer size and scope of the collection at the Hermitage to the amazing number of ballets and operas being performed nightly, the arts scene here is undeniably amazing and vibrant. It has also always been the literary center of Russia and Russia’s most revered writers, including Tolstoy, Pushkin and Gogol all lived here at various times and there are museums dedicated to them all over the city. Russians take their literature seriously and no where more so than in St. Petersburg. (more…)
On our first evening in Moscow, we discovered the Esenin Cafe, which we stumbled on by accident near our hotel. This charming and cozy restaurant is named after a Russian poet, Sergei Yesenin, and features fairly inexpensive and traditional Russian fare and live music. It turned out to be our favorite restaurant in Russia and would be worth a return trip to Moscow just to spend a few more evenings there. Since we were in Russia and since most of the tables around us had carafes of vodka on the table, the first order of the night seemed to be ordering a shot of vodka. Along with the icy shot of vodka came a complimentary shot of a currant infused vodka for each of us….another example of Russian hospitality in action! (more…)
It is hard not to fall in love with Russia. All of the preconceived notions I had of Dr. Zhivago-esque romance were, actually, quite true. It was as glamourous and intriguing and complex as I had imagined. What I wasn’t prepared for was the incredible warmth and hospitality of the Russian people. I had planned this trip with my mom, who has always been fascinated by Russian history, from the Tsars to the Russian Revolution. The plan was to spend a few days in Moscow, and the majority of our time in St. Petersburg. (more…)
One of my favorite winery stops this weekend has been Robert Sinskey Vineyards on the Silverado Trail. I wanted to learn a bit more about natural winemaking and Robert Sinskey Vineyards is one of the very few wineries that is both certified organic and Demeter certified biodynamic. While organic basically means ‘nothing but the grapes’, biodynamics is all about creating a balanced, whole ecosystem. In biodynamic agriculture, you recognize that the soil is alive and do everything in your power to keep the soil happy and balanced. It is based on following the rhythms of nature, including planting according to the position of the moon and stars and using homemade natural preparations instead of fertilizers and pesticides. Is this something new? Pseudoscience? Not at all. It is really just a ‘back to the basics’ approach to winemaking. (more…)
