Saturday, December 31, 2022

Pairing Cab Franc Perfectly in Paso

The best laid plans of writers and procrastinators.... This post should be much more detailed than it will be, given the dinner it's about happened December 3 and it's now nearly a month later with lots of holidaying under the bridge. But I would be greatly remiss if I didn't praise the warmth, kindness, and delight of an evening spent at the home of Kunal and Neeta Mittal of LXV Wines. They graciously hosted a slew of media folks and fellow winemakers as a way to kick off Cabernet Franc Day, the bulk of which happened on December 4 at Cass Winery, and which, thank god, I already wrote about. (Plus I had notes. It's so hard to take notes while trying to be a good dinner guest, it just seems rude.)

Above is the wine line-up for the evening, so that might be a bit of the reason I don't have total recall of everything ate and drunk. Not that I was the latter, but still. I certainly recall the delicious odd duck (no, not cold duck) of a welcome wine, the LXV 2021 Blanc de Sangiovese, and yes, you read that correctly. The couple had a similar wine once in Italy so insisted on trying one of their own, made with the least amount of skin contact possible from fruit from Santa Barbara County's Whitehall Vineyard. The result is racy, playful, rich, quaffable. A conversation starter and a bottle-finisher all in one


On to the many amazing courses of food. Neeta loves working on pairings, and her hope with the menu was to connect with Cab Franc's core notes of floral aromatics (often violets), fruit (generally strawberry and raspberry), vegetal character (bell pepper), and earthiness (crushed gravel). So above, we begin with that floral note by echoing it with a raclette cheese griddled to gooeyness, piled with seared sous vide octopus and then drizzled with lemon and violet oil. I have to admit I generally am not a fan of over oiling the flavor onto a dish (all those years of crappy truffle oil ruined me), but this combo was perfection, especially when it got an extra splash of the violet oil. This paired perfectly with the LXV 2020 Reserve Cab Franc, a very California-style version of CF, hearty but balanced and redolent of all sorts of aromatics, from lavender to sage.


Course two was Boeuf Bourguignon with an island of scallops potatoes amidst the sauce. Starting as a standard interpretation even Julia Child would appreciate, Neeta gave it a personal twist with a hit of green cardamom (and let's face it, Bourguignon usually could use something to give it lift, as after the first few bites it can get pretty samey) plus some miso in the stock for extra umami and richness. That paired with one of my favorite wines of the weekend, Union Sacré 2020 Cabernet Franc. Go read the other post to see what I thought about it.


So, that's a lot of food with two courses to go. Luckily we next just had a little lamb, atop two street tacos. The meat, braised in herbs, was tender and earthy, the roasted vegetables adding some smoke and brightness at once. A complex dish, it deserved and received a complex wine, Austin Hope 2021 Cellar Select Cabernet Franc. A big boy (as one expects from Austin Hope) at 15% ABV, it came off as controlled power, savory and spicy.


For course three we turned to Cuernavaca for a dish dear to Neeta and Kumal's hearts from a time they stayed in Puebla--chicken mole with rice. Evidently XLV has a masterful Martha in its kitchen who knows the multi-ingredient secret blend for this mole that suggested all sorts of flavors depending upon your bite, from cocoa to coffee to all spice to anise, and a semi-serious kick of chile hit, too. It successfully paired with J Lohr 2017 Cuvee St E, a take on St. Emilion featuring a blend of 63% Cabernet Franc, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, and 1% Malbec, which no doubt is what makes the blend. Seriously, it's a serious wine with plenty of time in new French oak to give it a robustness while not masking any of the wine's nuance.

Given that wine, it wasn't too surprising that the affable Steve Peck, Director of Winegrowing at J. Lohr, also brought along a real Right Bank Bordeaux...with maybe a few more years on it than the rest of the wines we drank that evening. He even got the cork out clean. As often is the case with such a bottle, it was more an experience than deliciousness, all that cedar and graphite, but still some fruit. Peck had a story about how the bottle had been given as a gift up and down Willow Creek Road from different wine fans, and he figured it was time to share it with all. Which only goes to show the generosity of the wine community. While Cab Franc pairs well with a wide range of foods, it pairs even better with memorable hospitality.

Tuesday, December 20, 2022

Tyger Tyger Burning Bright in the Funk Zone


You have to appreciate how Acme Hospitality never rests on its laurels. Sometimes it hits from day 1 (The Lark), sometimes it has to re-brand and give a bit of a ramp up time (La Paloma), and sometimes it just heads in another direction, say Gold Rush country, to open historic hotels (National Exchange). Now it's doing a clever re-think of the Funk Zone's Tyger Tyger, shifting to a mostly plant-based menu if keeping the generally Southeast Asian vibe going.

Consulting chef Jasmine Shimoda helped shape the menu but the day-to-day operation is led by Trevor Lamance. You have to hand the team a whole lot of credit, for they're helping bring food to Santa Barbara that hasn't been here up to now. And lord knows we could use more plant-based options--better for the health of our own selves and the planet. (Yep, I'm a hypocrite and still eat meat, but I try to eat a lot less of it.)

The menu isn't huge, but it grows as the day goes on. I still have to check out the breakfast, which sure reads tasty, from the obligatory avo toast to the breakfast sando that features an egg omelet you can sub with a tofu scramble, bacon you can sub with tempeh bacon, and then pickled Fresno chiles, spicy cilantro oil, house fermented hot sauce.

We were there for dinner and over-ordered (but this stuff does take home and eat well the next day, promise, at least the salads and noodles). We kicked off with the daigaku imo, shown above, Japanese sweet potatoes soft on the inside, crisp on the out, sitting in a scrumptious slather of tamari-maple glaze. You need to be sure to cover each bite of your potato with this sweet-salty sauce and then get a healthy sprinkle of the scallions, too. Simple yet totally rewarding.


This is the tea leaf noodle salad, seemingly simple too, but full of bright flavor, from the cilantro to the peanuts to the fried shallot, and the fermented green tea dressing is what you'd always hoped Green Goddess might be, something with a bit of soul. 


Here's the show-stopper, a fried yuba sandwich, or TT's answer to Nashville Hot Chicken by way of Saigon. Instead of fowl, that's "chicken-fried" tofu skin, so you get all the delight of crunch and texture without any of the guilt of eating an animal. It's one of those "barely-fit-in-your-mouth" monster servings on a tasty brioche bun, if you can't tell from the photo, so worth sharing. While it's doused in some chili-maple and yuzu ranch dressing, it was a teensy bit short of the heat it needed to become truly transcendent. But it's a delight to munch on, and could convert any meat eater to the vegan way.


For the pescatarian in tow, there's cha ca la vong that comes with the local catch of the day--this evening a black cod--marinated in a vivid turmeric-dill sauce with plenty of aromatic fresh dill atop. Consider this Tyger Tyger in a bowl-shell, as it were, food that makes you pay more and more attention to it, drawing you in to its direct pleasures, especially with the springy vermicelli noodles awash in a singing nuoc cham bringing oodles of umami. 


Desert is a daily special and we got to enjoy a perfectly purple ube "cheese"cake that was vegan thanks to coconut milk doing the dairy-work. Creamy and delightful.

Monday, December 12, 2022

Cab Francs for the Memories


One way to think about Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon is to compare them to Muddy Waters and The Rolling Stones. (Note--if you're a blues fan, ymmv with this analogy.) CF is the genetic daddy of CS (along with Merlot and Carmenere), but isn't as well know among the masses. You could argue CS turned up and popularized the volume on CF, in the same way that Mick and the gang (perhaps, in this case I should say Keith and the gang?) upped the ante on everything. (At least there's no race issues and appropriation concerns when it comes to the grapes.)

So it's good to know someone cares to blow Cab Franc's trumpet, which is what December 4th's Cabernet Franc Day in Paso Robles was all about. This inaugural event featured a seminar on Cab Francs around the world and then, not surprisingly, drove the CF point home with a tasting from 16 producers from Paso Robles. Lori Budd of Dracaena Wines was the instigator of this event, partially because she makes a very fine CF, but we'll get to that.

First there was the seminar, hosted by Kunal and Neeta Mittal (in the middle and right in the above photo) of LXV Wines. (Bet you can guess what one of their favorite varietals is.) To their left was the presenter of the seminar, Wes Hagen, who is as quick with a quoted quip as he is with a reasoned guess at the amount of stem inclusion in a particular pour. In many ways he was a perfect host as his storied career has centered in Santa Barbara on Pinot Noir--as a double outsider he brought refreshing, new insights to all things CF. He even had his own musical metaphor to kick off, calling CS heavy metal and CF jazz. And he also offered this wonderful "theory" of drinking: "I drink beer standing up, wine seated at the table, and spirits between the table and the floor." (He tasted with us pacing, so maybe presentational consumption created its own categories.)


We got to taste along in a global trip through six CF producing regions, kicking off with its classic representation, one from the Loire. This was the 2018 Vignerons de Saumur Rouge "Les Epinats," a lighter style of the grape, with lots of dusty tannins, pepper, and mineral notes.

 

Wine #2 took us to the right bank in Bordeaux for a 2018 Château Bel Air St. Emilion. This was a bit of a cheat as it's a 50/50 CF/Merlot blend, and it turns out the two bring out fine qualities in the other. Despite its practically slutty color it's an elegant pour with just a hint of brett; Hagen argued that helped age it faster in a way, an "acceptable flaw" at such a slight addition. The wine didn't suffer from any Band-Aid nose, that's for sure.

Wine #3 was my favorite of the international six and a true surprise, as I haven't imbibed much from Hungary, to be honest. But the 2017 Havas & Timár, Franom, Eger Region offered plenty of the varietal characteristic strawberry on the nose and palate, but gave a twist on the typical bell pepper notes by bringing some red bell pepper. (What else from the land of paprika?)
 
 
We moved to the New World with wine #4, a CF from the Garage Wine Co. (yep, the so on-the-nose version of garagiste led to numerous Hagen jokes), Pirque Vineyard, Maipo, Chile. Hagen hailed it as the most varietally typical up to that point (take that, France), discussing what calling something a round wine meant to Germans--not to describe a zaftig wine, but one that told a full, beginning, middle, end story. This Maipo had that narrative flow down, especially bringing the characteristic pyrazines. That hint of green pepper is often (not always) a signature of CF. The Maipo even had a kick of mint to it.


I will do my best not to be a catty Californian about wine #5, from Virginia. You have to hand it to the Stinson Family for making a quaffable CF 10 miles from Monticello, where Jefferson struck out trying to make wine from any grape centuries prior. So they've got that on one of the Founding Fathers. This 2020 had less of the usual fruit than the others, so they made up for that with other notes, like whole berry fermentation (if destemmed) and probably more oak.


We closed with Napa, and the biggest of the wines, because, as I wrote, Napa. The 2016 Crocker and Star is officially a "Red Wine of Cabernet Franc" as it's 68% CF, 23% CS, 7% Petit Verdot, and 2% Malbec. This one was a teeth-stainer, dark dark red and by far the oakiest of all the pours. Definitely for a certain taste, but it pulled that velvet hammer pummeling successfully.


All in all, a delightful trip around the globe in a series of CF glasses, such as the one Hagen contemplates above. One of his closing comments certainly left us all with something to consider; he said, "Wine is the only time machine that works...it's quantum." And getting to go to Hungary five years ago while sitting on my ass in Paso certainly proved that.

Between the global tasting and the Paso tasting there was a quick Paso panel that featured Stasi Seay, Director of Vineyards at Hope Family Wines, Michael Mooney, President/Winemaker at Chateau Margene, and Steve Peck, Director of Winegrowing at J. Lohr. Hagen, as moderator, kept it quick and the panelists kept it clever. Mooney was sure to point out that "Paso is not Paso--it has 11 sub AVAs reflecting differences from altitude, proximity to the ocean, soil composition." And to set us up for the Paso tasting, Peck admitted, "At J Lohr, about our best wine in the cellar is a Cab Franc, and about our worst wine in the cellar is a Cab Franc." So volatility can be expected.

Not that what anyone was pouring from the Grand Tasting was anything less than good--actually 8 of the 16 wines poured were already sold out (thanks for sharing, kind wineries!). Perhaps it comes down to CF being an easier grape to grow than something fussy like Pinot Noir; perhaps it's because a winemaker has to love the grape to want to make it, given consumers aren't busting down the door to buy it (heck, there's slightly more CA acreage of Petit Verdot than CF)(sure that's mostly going into blends, but still).



That said, the standout for me was Union Sacré, a small producer that generally focuses on Alsatian wines that's based in Tin City. Their website wonderfully announces: "These are not wines of privilege and power, these are wines made from a lifetime of labor for the untelevised tables that unite the very heart of the world." So, consider their CF as literate. Bright and balanced, plenty of fruit but also violets, spice, just enough earth to keep things grounded. A gorgeous effort.


And I promised you I'd get back to Dracaena. (BTW, there's science and stars and dragons and dogs in the name--go to their website to get the full story.) Their 2019 Classic CF (they do a reserve, too, but that's long gone) gets a bit more backbone with 8% Petit Verdot, and it all comes together in wine delivering dark cherry and plum with some cocoa and a rich mouthfeel--particularly good on a bit of a blustery December day. Also notable is their NV Phoenix that blends 77% Cabernet Franc, 18% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot as a way to deal with the smoke taint in their vineyards after all of the fires in 2020. The wine does have a hint of smoke--but as a mezcal and Islay lover, that's kind of fun in a wine, now and again. So if you want something a bit unusual....

And I'd be remiss not to discuss the great food pairings put together by Neeta Mittal and chef Charlie Paladin of Cass Winery (where the event was held). The grazing bar offered all sorts of spreadable, from a smoky baba ghanoush to a hummus of some depth thanks to fried garbanzos, but it was the passed apps that really starred, from South Indian lentil cakes to a dusk breast seared rare with a cherry demi-glacé. Every bite proved what a versatile wine pair Cab Franc can be.

There were lots more fine wines, some of which I'll get to whenever I get to part two of the story covering a special media and friends celebration dinner the night prior. But in the meantime, here's the view for the grand tasting, wine country winter in all its ragged glory.


Wednesday, December 7, 2022

A Review of "The Last Days of Roger Federer"

 


Some lines from Robert Christgau about Lloyd Cole have always stuck with me: “So what if he can’t stop talking about books and movies and gathers his material on day trips from his walkup flat? Does that make him so different from you?” I was reminded of those lines while reading Geoff Dyer’s The Last Days of Roger Federer, as it’s a book replete with ruminations about books, movies, art, music, drugs, and, yes, tennis, thematically tied by the biggest baddie of all—death. Or, as Dyer puts it, “quitting,” but that simple word can mean so many things. 

Now, if my first sentence, dropping in both a rock critic who himself is famous for his often cryptic, ever epigrammatic reviews and a semi-obscure musician (his best known tune, “Are You Ready to be Heartbroken?” might be the most famous because Camera Obscura wrote the answer song, “Lloyd, I’m Ready to be Heartbroken”) was off-putting, this Dyer book might not be for you. For that’s often his method, allusive to the point it’s easy to feel you need an auxiliary reading list to school yourself to read The Last Days and be fully rewarded. The odds are good you won’t have enough days to accomplish your assignment.

Care to read the rest then do so at the California Review of Books.

Tuesday, November 22, 2022

A Review of "Orwell's Roses"

 


Think of Rebecca Solnit’s Orwell’s Roses as a whydunit. Beyond admitting how much he influenced her as a writer/journalist/activist, Solnit was also moved to learn of the rose bushes Orwell planted by his countryside English cottage in Wallington. Planting fruit trees made a certain practical sense, but roses fed no one. 

 That would be the too facile conclusion one might have before reading Solnit’s lovely, hopeful book. Despite relatively harrowing, clear-eyed passages about our current climate crisis and about the vicious Stalin-led starving of Ukraine in the 1930s, Solnit also succeeds at what she claims Orwell accomplishes. Both calm yet crusading writers help us witness “imperfect and unidealized beauty.” That is, see the world we live in.

Care to read the rest then do so at the California Review of Books.

Tuesday, November 8, 2022

Delicious Dia de los Muertos at La Paloma

 

(photo by Chryss Yost)

In some ways who better than La Paloma Cafe & Restaurant to hold a Dia de los Muertos celebration given the spot is a resurrection of a previous restaurant (the 1940-1983, pre-Paradise Cafe, La Paloma). Given November 1st is considered the day the veil between the living and the dead is most diaphanous, sure, let's break out the sugar skulls, paint our faces, set up an altar to those we care to honor, and, of course, do some serious eating and drinking.

While I'm pretty sure spirits don't gain weight, it's pretty definite we did that evening, feasting to the memories of those we loved and lost. Things kicked off with the cutest of mini-cocktails, a Calaverita in a skull shot glass, but its size belied its kick, what with both tequila, mezcal, a hibiscus-cinnamon-ginger piloncillo syrup, and lime and ginger beer. Adorned with flowers and a tajin rim, the only thing wrong with it was you wanted to imbibe much more.

I'm going to avoid a complete rundown of each dish, but La Paloma seems to have completely found its stride at this point, even on a special evening with lots of customers (particularly for a Tuesday). Indeed, some friends got seated outside on the uncovered back patio, and when a shower let lose (see, spirits had to be involved to cause rain in Santa Barbara), they were quickly ushered inside and received a gratis dessert to comfort their slightly wet selves. Just one way the service was shining along with the food.

I'd be remiss not to mention the music, by a combo whose name I missed (sorry). But they kept things buoyant and bubbly with classics ranging from "Besame Mucho" to "La Bamba," adding to the festive feel.

Still, it was the food that made the evening truly special. An appetizer crudo sang of the sea; the crispy Brussels sprouts brought smoke from the red oak grill and earthy funk from a syrah-porcini mushroom reduction. And to single out one main, the evening featured a special Chili Colorado, beef tender and braised with such depth of flavor in a sauce no doubt made with numerous kinds of chiles offering their orchestra of heat notes. Wow. Wrapped in tensile homemade tortillas, the dish was a kind of simple heaven.

Matched by a dessert, a Mexican salted chocolate tart that's as good a chocolate dessert as I've had. Too often such plates get either too much or boring five-forkfuls in, but this had such a perfect balance of sweet, heat, cocoa, caramel, and salt you keep going back for more. It could tempt the dead.



Sunday, November 6, 2022

Meet Loquita’s New Chef Sergei Simonov

 


It’s only been about six months since Sergei Simonov started leading the Loquita kitchen as executive chef, but it’s felt like 10 years already. “This summer, we’ve done the biggest business since the restaurant opened,” said Simonov, who tells us more about his circular culinary journey below. 

 Mentored by Jason Paluska: Simonov moved from the Bay Area to attend culinary school at Santa Barbara City College in 2011, then landed a sous chef job at The Lark under Chef Jason Paluska. “I still call him about things like how to cost out a dish,” said Simonov of his mentor. “He taught me A to Z, not just the flavor profile and palate.” He still borrows from Paluska’s plating style and love of pickled elements.

Want to read the rest then do at the Independent's site.

AR Social Club's Crazy, Boozy Zoom Room


It's not every day I've been convinced to add maple syrup to what's billed a margarita, but not only do you only live once, you might only once partake in the AR Social Club's Halloween spectacular that truly helped put the spirits into the spooky season. But, being a boring straight white guy, I'd never taken part in a kiki before, let alone one Zoomed into my house from hipster Brooklyn. By now my guess is you're confused, so let's take s step back to set the scene via informative Q&A.

Q: What's an AR Social Club?
A: Let's hope you've got those last two words--I can't explain everything to you. But the AR stands for AskRonna, an advice podcast hosted by Ronna Glickman (@ronnaglickman) & Bryan Safi (@bryansafi). Not only are they IG account-forward, they are more or less characters created for humorous now consumption--Glickman is a long time persona for Jessica Chaffin, while Safi went by Homosensual on his podcast Attitudes! It's all very fabulous and very New Yawk. 

You actually get a monthly box of booze and other goodies (for Halloween those included plastic fangs with stage blood, two full-sized Snickers, and two full bottles of liquor...more on those in a bit). Reminded me of the moment when Major Kong in Dr. Strangelove opened the survival kit and concluded, "A fella could have a pretty good weekend in Vegas with all that stuff."

Q: Do these subtly famous funny folks know about booze?
A: They don't have to! That's because Conor McKee from Fiasco! Wine & Spirits puts together the packages that feature artisan liquor and then comes up with each episode's cocktail. He really knows what he's doing, and the other people in the shop even get you the Zoom link if somehow you never got yours. So, A+ for Fiasco!

Q: You get full 750ml bottles? And the stuff is good?
A: Hey, that's two questions in one ask. Yep, two full bottles. (And before you ask, a single kiki+box is $125, but it's $100 if you sign up for at least three.) I can only vouch for this box, but the two products were tasty and unusual. DE-NADA provided a bottle of their tequila blanco that's additive free and bright and clean as a mercury beam. The blood orange aperitif came from Elsewhere--that's actually it's name--created by bespoke R&D Matchbook Distilling out on the non-snooty end of Long Island. Made with NY organic corn, CA organic blood oranges--8000 pounds of them, cut by hand, a party everyone wants to be invited to next time--and then enough roots/botanical to practically make this an amaro: quassia, pink peppercorns, cloud forest cardamom, gentian, Indian cinnamon bark & wild cherry bark. It's a bit too much of a kick as a sipper, but it gives a cocktail that good deep depth, if you know what I mean.

Q: You actually got info during this event?
A: Yes, if highly interrupted and played for corny comedy gold. For instance, when Paul Monahan from Matchbook was talking about the north fork of Long Island where they're located and said it had less fancy developers than the folks in the Hamptons, Ronna cut in, "Those developers were called Pilgrims, dear." And, of course, the two college buddies who developed DE-NADA got lots of gruff for going to Tulane, not that they didn't run with it. One of them joked he majored in Liver Destruction. But, yes, people from both liquors were on the Zoom.

Q: Was it worth an hour?
A: If you like madcap and manic, sure. It's clear there's an in-group learning curve trying to suss out the loving/sparring duality that is the Ronna and Bryan relationship, and then other Zoom-ers are allowed to pop in like the cherished annoying neighbor on a sitcom, along as they are also a somebody--this episode that was comedian Naomi Ekperigin. Otherwise we were advised to keep our mics off, which really just makes sense or a Zoom with five screens of participants can become chaos. not that people didn't fire off their opinions in the chat that never let up. 

Q: Is that a butt on the blood orange aperitif label?
A: Why, yes. There might have been a crack or two about that.

Q: Are you sorry?
A: Do you know me by now? Never apologize for puns or scoring two full bottles of good booze.



 

Wednesday, November 2, 2022

Santa Barbara Wine Auction Grows into Weekend Affair

 


Though Direct Relief might be the fifth-largest charity in the United States (according to Forbes Magazine), that doesn’t mean the Goleta-based nonprofit never endured lean times. In speaking about next weekend’s Santa Barbara Wine Auction, Direct Relief’s vice president Heather Bennett explained, “[Winemakers] Jim Clendenen and Frank Ostini started this connection between the Santa Barbara Vintners Foundation and what was then Direct Relief International, and they helped us pay the bills when we really needed the support.” 

That was way back in 2000, the year of the first Wine Auction. While the Vintners Foundation’s biennial gala continues to support Direct Relief’s internationally minded efforts two decades later, it now also directly helps the region’s farmworker community by benefiting Community Health Centers (CHC) of the Central Coast.

Care to read the rest then do so at the Independent's site.

Friday, October 28, 2022

House of the Rising Hilt

 

It's only fitting that famed architect Howard Backen gives off a beneficent golden glow, as he's designed so many beloved spaces, from Robert Redford’s Sundance Institute to George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch, from MGM Studios Theme Park to Meadowood Napa Valley. He's also become a go-to for wineries who want comfort and style shy of outright ostentation, from Cliff Lede to Harlan Estate to, now right here in Santa Barbara, The Hilt Estate. That's not too surprising, as The Hilt's owner, Stan Kroenke, already had Backen design Screaming Eagle for him (even if it's closed to the public), so bringing a favorite architect south made all the sense in the world (especially when money is no object). 

The property recently celebrated its first year open to the public with a to-do featuring Bracken himself, folks from his team, and also many craftsmen and builders from Grassi & Associates, including founder Mark Grassi and partner Paul Niles. The evening was a well-earned love fest for everyone involved, as it's a gorgeous project, managing to provide plenty of space for high-end tasting while still remaining appropriately sized for the property. It doesn't hurt it's one big property, as Rancho Salsipuedes is 3,600 acres nestled into the elbow where Santa Rosa Road meets Highway 1 at the far western end of the Sta. Rita Hills. Only about 200 of those acres are vineyards.

The Barn took the place of old historic barns and mimics them a bit, with wall lumber set about a half inch apart to let the air in. But then you look closely and realize that now everything is screened off, so that flow happens without any buggy accompaniment. Such details abound. Take the two over-sized metal stoves in the two side tasting rooms (which, of course, open to the main room but can be shuttered off if the space needs that)--they provide a kind of hearth that's unique, homey, almost big enough to climb in. You don't just warm a backside in front of one, you get a full-body heat hug.

And, of course, it's an indoor-outdoor space, as this is Santa Barbara, even if one of its more chilly locales, just 13 miles from the Pacific. The wide open side of The Barn frames the low-lying Puerta Del Mar Vineyard and in the distance the Imerys diatomaceous earth mine glitters like a snowy mountain (and hints at the property's own diatomaceous earth that makes the Radian Vineyard such a horrible and therefore wonderful spot to plant grapes). You feel placed here.

Then there's the wine facility itself, which winemaker Matt Dees and his team thought through function first. All the dirty stuff--you know, this is a farming operation--happens outside the building, so it's spectacularly clean inside, even on what turned out to be the last day of 2022 harvest arrivals. There was some water here and there and some activity, but the most unkempt thing in the winery was Dees sporting a true mountain man beard thanks to the demands of the season. The basement barrel room is a football-field long (hey, what is that other thing Kroenke owns?), and you instantly get hit with oak and fruit as you descend the stairs. Dees points out the huge concrete space is sparse enough that if different people figure out a better way to make wine two decades from now, they'll have a blank canvas to begin with. 

Of course the evening also featured a tasting. The wine included The Hilt sparkling, a true beauty of fizz, tension, brioche, pear, and a lean, clean finish, The Hilt Estate Chardonnay (talk to Dees for a bit and he'll passionately convince you Chardonnay is the grape of SRH), almost lets you taste the ocean breeze that whips these vineyards. The Hilt Estate Pinot Noir is a bit more reserved than many SRH Pinot, but that just means it draws you in slowly and seductively to its cherry, spice, and cola. Finishing up was Jonata's Todos (Jonata is the sister property in Ballard Canyon, featuring Rhone and Bordeaux varietals, and now even some Greek grapes--Matt's always experimenting). Todos, as in "all the grapes," is a deep wonder that leads a drinker to much reflection about how full a red blend can be. Only another sip can get you anywhere near an answer.


Of course there was food, too, passed appetizers that never stopped coming, from delicate cheese-bomb gougères to seemingly just-fired arancini to the most adorable and delicious fish tacos that I was tempted to stuff my pockets with, they were so good, but luckily trays of them kept floating about the room so I didn't have to hoard. Thanks, Poe & Co., for the terrific stuff. Of course The Hilt isn't in the business of doing anything halfway, so the food had to be terrific. After all, they flew in a photographer from Sun Valley, Idaho for the gig just because he was their favorite.

Thursday, October 20, 2022

Living the Lyrical Life with Nigella Lawson

 


Being famous can get in the way of how good you are. Take the case of Nigella Lawson, who has sold more than 12 million books worldwide and is on so many “successful television programs,” as her bio proclaims, that she’s “a household name around the world.” 

 But she’s not just a comely face on our bookshelves and small screens, and no one should discount the power of her writing. Take this passage in her latest book, Cook, Eat, Repeat: “I do so love a crumble. I don’t just mean to eat, but also to make. When I stand at the kitchen countertop, with my hands immersed in cool flour, fluttering my fingers against the cold cubes of butter to turn these two disparate ingredients into one light pile of soft and sandy flakes, I feel, at one and the same time, that I’m not only repeating a process but reliving the memory of all the times I’ve done so before, and yet utterly immersed in the present, alive only in a sensation of flour and butter in my fingers, as they scutter about the bowl.”

Care to read the rest then do so at the Independent's site.

Wednesday, October 12, 2022

Delights in the Lion’s Den of Buellton


 It’s a tribute to David Walker’s passion for his project that, as he talks you through the creation of Firestone Walker’s core beer Double-Barrel Ale (DBA), his story makes the beer taste better as you drink it. That’s only fitting, of course, as his rapturous ode to DBA kicked off a Barrelworks Lion’s Den Dinner on September 24 in Buellton. And as you might know, Walker is the Lion at FW, while his partner Adam Firestone is the Bear.

Being able to attend this dinner was one of the perks of membership for the Brewmaster’s Collective, now in its second year. Think beer club for the nerdiest lovers of dark, deep, and/or sour ales, which, given this dinner was sold out at 66 pleased people, is a quite large group. The people for whom Walker joked, “You got curious and left my DBA behind.”

Care to read the rest then do so at the Independent's site.

Monday, October 10, 2022

New Barbareño Cookbook Captures a Chef’s Journey


 You won’t hit a recipe in the just-published Barbareño: Cuisine of California’s Central Coast, until page 27 and, at that, it’s just one for Bread and Butter. The author Julian Martinez, who is the West Canon Perdido Street restaurant’s chef and co-owner (with Jesse Gaddy), has been on quite a journey, and this book is all about his path of discovery. 

So prepare for thoughtful consideration of not just why anyone should open a restaurant, but of how one finds oneself in the first place. This impressive book is kind of a memoir shot through with lots of great cooking ideas, plenty of food porn photos (thanks to Carter Hiyama), and, since Martinez has done a lot of reading to develop his thinking, 70 endnotes.

Care to read the rest then do so at the Independent's site.

Saturday, September 24, 2022

Considering Zaddy's Canned Cocktails


One of the great joys of cocktails is the making of them--a tiny bit of precision, a whole bunch of taste, quality ingredients, a modicum of physical effort. Bonus points for any witty bartender banter. Boom, you've made people pleased in less than 10 minutes. How often does that happen?

So I guess I'm not the audience for canned cocktails, and based on Zaddy's website that's certainly true--I go there and feel late Gen X old in a nanosecond. That said, the cartoon skeletons featured on their Corpse Reviver are right up my Halloween loving alley, so I have to admit they've got marketing down.

As for the drinks, they aren't bad, particularly if you aren't hoping they nail a full flavored, just shaken version. The 100 calories bit is appealing but not half as much as the 4% ABV. Sure, these aren't as flavorful as a regular cocktail, but they are playing one with mighty fist of alcohol tied behind their backs. Think of them as delightfully refreshing midday sippers that are easy to take to the beach or on a hike. Or just to your "why is it still so warm" backyard.

My vote would be for the Gin(ger) Fizz first, and not just because I'm a sucker for ginger's sweet tang. It works in a register that one could easily confuse for hard seltzer or kombucha, if not for that background hum of juniper thanks to the gin. And, yes, it's the Corpse Reviver I like the least, only because I'm so partial to the real one and there's no skimping on all its moving parts, even with fennel subbing for Pernod/absinthe. 



Thursday, September 22, 2022

Santa Barbara’s Burrito Week Is Back!

 


Be hungry. Be very hungry. I got to write about El Zarape's #7 Pasilla Chile Burrito for the Independent's Burrito Week. That write up begins like this:

Full disclosure: I have eaten more El Zarape breakfast burritos than any other to-go item in Santa Barbara, only partially because I live on the Westside. Usually, I opt for the straightforward egg, rice, and beans, so this Burrito Week variation is kind of like trading in your Hyundai for a Lexus.

If you want to read the rest of this blurb and all the other blurbs by other fine Indy writers, go to their website.

Saturday, September 17, 2022

Santa Barbara Should Be Primed for Rare Society

 


Poets have the old line that the sonnet is a form that only allows for perfection. In the restaurant biz, the same might be true for the steakhouse. It’s a tight and classic genre expressed in not just impeccably seared steaks but also in all the accouterments: alpine-cold martinis, busting with butter and tarragon Béarnaise, and as much cream — that is, all the cream — you can get into every vegetable side.

Rare Society comes to Funk Zone–adjacent State Street ready to show Santa Barbara what San Diego already knows: Chef Brad Wise has a burgeoning beef empire on his hands. Wise and his team appreciate all the steakhouse “rules,” while pushing at the lines just enough to deliver a spectacular experience of muchness, at a slightly less than equally extravagant price point.

Care to read the rest then do so at the Independent's site.

Sunday, September 11, 2022

A Review of "Gangsters of Capitalism: Smedley Butler, the Marines, and the Making and Breaking of America’s Empire"


 Forget about the butterfly effect, it seems the last 130 years of U.S. foreign involvement should be called the Butler Effect. By that I refer to the now mostly forgotten—despite his distinctive name—Smedley Butler, who upon his death in 1940 was the most decorated Marine in our country’s history. Those medals were awarded thanks to his work helping create a century of empire—his first action was in Cuba, and of all places at Guantánamo, during the Spanish-American War. From that point he ended up Zelig-like at the heart of every flashpoint of America’s global attentions—the Philippines, China for the Boxer Rebellion, Panama, Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico, Haiti, France for World War I, and China again. (That leaves out his time as commanding general at Marine Corps Base, Quantico, and a brief run as Philadelphia Director of Public Safety, helping kickstart our still problematic militarization of police.) 

Perhaps we don’t really know of Butler despite his exploits in our name because we like to sweep our national ugliness under the rug of history. As just one example, remember in 1980 Ronald Reagan partially ran for president against Carter for “giving away” the Panama Canal Zone that he claimed was a “sovereign United States territory just the same as Alaska.” Reagan and all those who voted for him could have profited from reading Jonathan Katz’s eye-opening Gangsters of Capitalism: Smedley Butler, the Marines, and the Making and Breaking of America’s Empire. The book is a vivid history lesson, a corrective to national amnesia, and a somber warning that we can never feel secure our democracy is, let alone will remain, truly democratic.

Care to read the rest then do so at the California Review of Books.

Friday, September 9, 2022

Tech Team Powers Validation Ale in Santa Barbara

 

Attention to detail can be everything. Brian Deignan, co-owner of the Funk Zone’s new Validation Ale with his wife, Briana, lamented the sad state of bathrooms at too many breweries. “We built twice as many as the city asked,” Brian proudly states. “It’s like a museum in there.” 

Those palatial bathrooms are just one data point to show that this couple took their tech background and rethought the ways of beer and restaurants. The two met while at GoTo Meeting; Brian most recently worked at AppFolio, while Briana has been working at Zoom since before it was a verb, as she put it. That put them in a perfect position financially to go for their dream, but it also gave them a unique perspective. Briana says, “Coming into an industry with no experience, we got to question the status quo.”

Care to read the rest then do so at the Independent's site.

Wednesday, August 10, 2022

The Stars Align at Maui's Huihui


Too often in the restaurant world, when you get a view like the one that kicks off this post, that's pretty much all you get. How greedy should we be, after all, what with a stunning Maui sunset as you stare at Lanai in the distance, and yes, two talented musicians play and a non-cliched hula dancer prances in the foreground, too? 

Well, Huihui, the newest restaurant to open oceanside in Ka'anapali (it's 13 months or so old), wants to deliver even more. This is a paradise, after all, so might as well pile on the goodnesses. They claim the name means constellation, which is fitting given the star-studded evening skies above Maui, but appropriate in other ways too. For example, the ceiling lights in the interior part of the smartly-designed indoor-outdoor space are arranged irregularly, so the bulbs form patterns themselves. And then there's the constellation of success the spot embraces--location, a crack staff, a yummy cocktail program, and, most importantly, scrumptious food from chef Tom Muromoto. 

I didn't get great photos of the drinks, but be sure to get the Lahaina Smokestack if you like smoky cocktails. Just the name is clever, as the Pioneer Mill smokestack dominates the nearby town. In addition to its base of smoked Casamigos tequila, when they bring you the drink they infuse it with a bit of torched wood chips at the table--alas, given the sylvan breezes the smoke zips away quickly, but it's a fun touch.



We started with the appetizer above, poke holokai, which indeed does look more like a sushi roll cut up with fins of taro chips attached (that also make delicious eating implements). The poke during our visit was ahi (it's mackerel if that fish is in season, and as an oilier fish it would have been fun to taste the difference), mixed with a smidge of mayo (for creaminess more than anything) and crab and avo. The nori worked for more crunchiness and salt. 


We were a bit less impressed by the Makawao avocado and crab salad, but that's for easily fixed reasons. First, the greens were underdressed, and needed more of a punch from the citrus oregano dressing. The avo stuffed with crabmeat was spot on, and they wisely served the avocado a bit under-ripe, to make sure the eating had some integrity. Then we just weren't sure about the breadfruit croutons. Certainly novel, they weren't crunchy as much as chewy, lacking much flavor. At least they bring the local and the sustainable.


The mains kicked on all cylinders, though. Above is the tangy fish lāwalu: grilled banana leaf wrapped daily i‘a (fish), creamy abalone sauce, cilantro, pohole (fiddle fern) & ogo (seaweed) relish. That's a scoop of mashed potato on the side. Lots of local ingredients done quite traditionally, with an almost vinegarish kick, probably partially coming from those odd and wonderful orange-ish fruited lime-looking guys on the plate, the calamansi.


But the absolute winner of the evening was the Seafood Huihui, which makes sense--you name a dish after your restaurant, it better carry that weight. Think of it as some Maui-cross of cioppino and a noodle-less laksa. There's so much seafood in there you can easily split it, although perhaps I shouldn't use the word easily, what with a red sauce and the need to remove flesh from shells making it a bit of a dangerous bowl of food for anyone not sporting a bib (they don't offer any). Fish, scallops, shrimp with heads, lobster, snow peas, king mushroom--somehow each separate ingredient was cooked just to and not beyond its appropriate point, usually one of the failings in a stew presentation like this one. (C'mon, you've had the veggies from a crudité plate alongside the fish hammered to mush dish at less skillful kitchens, haven't you?)

Be sure to order rice to soak up the intoxicating sauce, as you will insist on having every drop of it. Rich but not too spicy, it warms more than burns, so while a cousin to a curry, it's not as much vivid as enveloping. What they admit goes into it is coconut milk, tomato broth (plus some actual stewed tomato), and roasted kukui or candlenut, which sounds like a more exotic and pungent version of macadamia from my research.

You can also ask the staff anything and they've got answers, about the food or the history of the restaurant nestled in the Ka'anapali Beach Hotel, almost all the way to the famous Black Rock, a distinctive outcrop that catches the last of the sun's rays and then is romantically lit by torches after dark. Timing melded Hawaii laid back--we never felt pressured to eat up--but we also never wound up sitting around waiting for a course. Plus any non-eating time was pleasantly occupied listening to the two musicians, blessedly under-amplified if anything. There's never a need to shout in this comfortable space.


But we all might scream for a banana bread ice cream sandwich. That's macadamia nut ice cream made in house amidst the perfectly moist yet integrally sound banana bread that will make you feel you're having something homemade at a stop on the road to Hana. Sure, why not drizzle some caramel, too.


Or end with another respectful take on a Hawaiian classic--pineapple upside-down bread pudding, suffused with a tequila sauce for some boozy oomph (no, it didn't remind of over-soaked rum cakes from my New Jersey youth--this was sophisticated). The bread pudding had a perfect sweet-savory, crunchy outside--creamy inside yin yang thing going.

Huihui ends up pretty much as magical as Maui itself.

Tuesday, August 9, 2022

Norman Baits Diners with Summer Menu in Los Alamos


Given I’m all ears when I hear an establishment is featuring lots of corn on its new summer menu, I hightailed it up to Los Alamos to check out Norman. Housed in the Skyview Motel perched above the 101 — and if you park in the restaurant parking by their very own vineyard at the hill bottom, you will feel every foot of that elevation (but at least get very hungry) — Norman is a mid-century-modern gem offering California comfort food with exciting twists. As Chef Dustin Badenell, who among other places previously worked at the brilliant and missed Bear and Star, puts it, “I source products at the peak of their best to create dishes that you might not think pair properly but in fact do if used correctly.”

Want to read the rest then do so at the Independent's site.

Thursday, August 4, 2022

St. Bibiana Is the New (Cindy) Black

 

Back in 2011, when chef Cindy Black opened The Blue Owl as a late-night pop-up inside Zen Yai on State Street, she’d joke, “Some nights, I’m Don Rickles with a vagina and a wok.” Eleven years later, upon opening St. Bibiana on West Ortega Street, she’s more like Louie Anderson with a vagina and a pizza oven.

You could say she’s mellowed, or maybe it’s just that the restaurant biz is very different when you’re 42 as opposed to 30. “Sometimes I don’t have the energy to give the customers hell even if they deserve it,” Black admits. “The fun banter at 30 I loved, and I miss the Blue Owl regulars and the fun chaos, but I don’t miss getting inebriated customers until four in the morning.”

Want to read the rest then do so at the Independent's site.