Five Days of Gastronomy, California Style (Days 2-3)

The Amazing Variety of San Francisco Food 

&

Down the Coast to Rancho Arroyo Grande

(Subtitle:  Cousin * Cousine * Cuisine)

Our second day, Jack and I spent the morning walking ALL over San Francisco, seeing, smelling and tasting good food everywhere we went.

San Francisco's Chinatown is the largest Chinatown outside of Asia, and such fun to stroll through, meandering in and out of shops and street vendors' tables. Jack bought a hefty Chinese chef's clever, for just $10, at one cooking supply shop. It has turned out to be a terrific knife - sharpens easily, cuts well and is easy to hold and maneuver. He's been using his purchase since we returned home.

Chinese pates, stuffed buns and other goodies.

Different varieties of chickens, quails and other birds for sale.

Fish of every description!

Crazy cucumbers

 Dried roots (?) or fungi (?)

 Aromatic (!) dried shrimp (not my favorite scent).

Our visit to Fisherman's Wharf was something of a disappointment, since it seemed very touristy. We did watch some delivery vans unloading fresh fish and shellfish, such as the lively squirming crabs pictured below.

And we visited Boudin Sourdough Bakery (their facade, above), which was great eye candy!

Next we walked to Ghirardelli Square, and I was blown away by the hot chocolate we ordered in the Ghirardelli boutique. It was so rich, so chocolatey - hands down the best hot chocolate either of us has ever tasted. I wouldn't be surprised if it was made with heavy cream - it was that rich! Thank goodness we both ordered smalls, as I think larger sizes would have done us in.

We bought our evening's dessert at Kara's Cupcakes in Ghirardelli Square.

San Francisco's trollies are electric - great for the environment. (photo source: Google images)

Taking the trolley back to Union Square, we spotted the huge open-air Farmers Market on the Embarcadero in front of the Ferry Building. The driver kindly let us off at the last minute, and said that our ticket was good for the entire day, so we could continue our journey whenever we were ready - wow!

I had never before seen so many different varieties of peppers!

Inside the renovated old Ferry Building is an amazing food lovers dream: the entire building is dedicated to gourmet foods, and every shop displays items you think you just can't go another step without tasting!

Boccalone Salumeria has a huge selection of cooked and cured meats - a pork lover's heaven!

At Cowgirl Creamery's Artisan Cheese Shop, our enthusiastic salesperson, who was so interesting to talk with about the cheeses she sold. (We ended up buying way too much!)

One of our favorite cheeses from Cowgirl Creamery in Marin, just outside of San Francisco, sinfully rich triple creme Mt. Tam ended up in our basket.

(By the way, you can buy this south of Boston, at Bloomy Rind, in Hingham).

After Drake joined us, we packed our food for a picnic and hit the road south to Arroyo Grande.

I just can't describe how good this salami was, but I think the label kind of gives you the idea!

Picnic somewhere south of San Francisco, with our purchases from the farmers market and the Ferry Building - three cheeses, salami, head cheese, ham, fresh fruits and veggies (carrots with the dirt still on them), olives, French mayo & mustard. Dessert was chocolates we had purchased earlier at Ghirardelli.

Heading south toward Arroyo Grande, to visit my cousins, we drove through so many acres of lush farmland, including the artichoke capital of the world....hundreds and hundreds of workers in the fields picking vegetables. It's no wonder this area is called "the salad bowl of the nation".

We arrived at Rancho Arroyo Grande, my cousins' ranch, just in time to taste a variety of their wines with Chris (my cousin Ann's husband), who did not hesitate to open and pour copious amounts of every one of their labels. This was just before 6 o'clock. Then Ann arrived and we all cooked together, and lingered over dinner - incredibly flavorful steaks, which the guys had grilled outdoors, and Ann's special oven roasted veggies, as well as something Drake invented on the spot: steamed potatoes sauteed with green grapes, fresh herbs, butter and crunchy sea salt. We then visited the wine cellar (a few minutes' walk from the house), before returning to the dining room for the cupcakes from Kara's Cupcakes, whose boutique at Ghirardelli Square had been impossible for us to resist. (Ann's and my favorite was the dark chocolate with fleur de sel.) More than a couple of bottles of Conway wine were consumed. Six hours later, we were finally falling into bed, although I understand Drake and Chris stayed up talking on the terrace for at least another hour!

During dinner, Chris told us "spooky" stories of an underground crypt, and asked if we were brave enough to visit it. So between dinner and dessert, we laughed as Chris put on his best macabre attitude, and led us through the dark outside, to the mystery location. With an ancient looking key scraping in the locks, we entered through two heavy doors that creaked on old iron hinges, increasing the eerie atmosphere. Once inside the room, which turned out to be the wine cellar, of course, all eeriness fled as we reveled in the gorgeous cellar, whose walls are covered in some of the shell fossils found all over the property.

Although the ranch is over ten miles from the Pacific Ocean, it was underwater a millennium ago, and the property is rich in shell fossils, inspiring the Conways to name their Deep Sea line of wines, as well as Coquina Vineyard.

 Early the next morning - the view from Jack's & my bathroom door, of fog burning off the hills.

Although we had to get back to San Francisco the next day, we did have time for a leisurely breakfast, including huevos rancheros - poached eggs with black beans, cheese & salsa on a flour tortilla. Then we toured a small part of the ranch before heading south to the winery. (On our next visit, we'll make time to see the vineyards, up close and personal.)

Drake, Jack and Chris on the deck of the environmentally green building the Conways built - a recording studio for The Bravery (John Conway is keyboardist for the band). The building is constructed of hay bales, covered in cement, and looks adobe-like. Apparently this construction is very efficient, and of course, uses natural materials - very cool! The upstairs space can eventually be used for wine tasting events, etc.

A gorgeous building of totally green construction.

The Conways cold press and bottle two varieties of olive oil from their own trees. They kindly gave us some to bring home for our salads - a great memory of their beautiful ranch!

Jack, picking pink peppercorns. The trees, right outside our bedroom door, were incredibly abundant with pepperberries.

We picked and brought some home to the East Coast, for cooking.

There is nothing like an apple just off the tree!

Zefferino Vineyard, below, one of several different vineyards on the ranch, is simply gorgeous! Of the 3,500 acres that comprise the ranch, 250 acres are currently planted with vines. After purchasing the property a few years back, the vines - which had been neglected for several years - had to be severely pruned back. Also, the Conways are now growing their vines in the French style, so the vines' growing patterns needed to be changed, as well.

The Conways - Ann, Chris, kids, grandchildren and dogs.

(Both photos above from the Rancho Arroyo Grande website.) 

Conway Family Wines is owned and operated by the entire Conway family, and is the full-time job of three of the five kids. The winery is about a half hour south of the ranch. 

Freshly picked chardonnay grapes being loaded into the press (above)...

...and their juice pouring out (below).

Me, Ann, Chris, Jack and Jonathan Medard, their French winemaker.

Jonathan gave us vat and barrel tastings from several vintages. Above, chardonnay.

I always love tasting wine, as it's changing and maturing before being bottled. Jonathan explained a lot of characteristics to us about each different sample. (Note the chardonnay grapes on the floor.)

Cabernet or Pinot Noir (can't remember).

Drake and I amongst the barrels.

Outside, the empty buckets that had contained the chardonnay grapes. They were picked and brought into the winery, throughout the night before.

5:45 PM Gotta run - Jack just came into my office to tell me that he's drinking the Conway Deep Sea Red, and he's REALLY impressed with how good it is... Hey, Jack, wait for me!!

Stay tuned for more on our California food and wine adventure tomorrow.

Five Days of Gastronomy, California Style (Day 1)

 

Farallon - Our Introduction to San Francisco Cuisine

It all began with our youngest son, Drake, and his CIA (Culinary Institute of Technology) student externship in San Francisco. As part of their culinary studies, all CIA students complete a 5-6 month externship working in the industry, while constantly learning, studying and filling out copious homework assignments for the school. This accounts for one semester's worth of credits, and invaluable hands-on experience.

As a fan of Beat generation poets and authors, Drake had known for a long time that he wanted to be in San Francisco, and was lucky enough to secure a paying position at Farallon, one of the top restaurants in that city, and nominated by the James Beard Foundation as one of the best restaurants in America. He had done a lot of on-line research at school, and decided on Farallon, partly because of its reputation, but also because he loves fish and seafood. The creativity of the menu and the decor also appealed to him. With 3.5 stars, Farallon is the top rated the seafood restaurant in San Francisco. It's located in Union Square, just around the block from where we were staying.

Needless to say, Drake fell in love with San Francisco (he visited the once controversial City Lights Bookstore on his first day there) and especially loved working at Farallon restaurant, making some terrific friends there, amongst the staff. He also met and got a chance to talk with a number of other high profile chefs who dined there, including Jeremiah Tower and Jacques Pepin - so exciting!

 Drake & Jared - junior "masters" of the Farallon raw bar

Drake and Jared Eugenio, who by accidental chance were both interns at Farallon at the same time, had not previously known each other at school, but became true friends, as well as working teammates at the raw bar. Between them, they reorganized the raw bar to be even more efficiently orchestrated than it had been, and were put in charge of training new recruits before they left the restaurant last week, both to return to the CIA with tons of positive energy gained from their Farallon experience. Drake has been offered a full-time job there, when he graduates (thereby, thrilling his parents!!)

The entrance to Farallon (Drake & Jared at the raw bar in the back left) with amazing jellyfish lamps hanging from the ceiling.

The main dining room

The decor at Farallon is over the top (literally and figuratively!) With incredible sea creature lights casting a warm glow, and watery looking columns - both of which reminded me of Daum glass paste sculptures from France (which I adore) - and oceanic architecture, all evoking a feeling of being under the sea, the place immediately puts diners in the mood for fabulous seafood...

...and that is just what we got. Unfortunately, I was so excited about seeing "my boy" after 5+ months, that I mostly took pictures of him - not the food - but believe me, it was some of the freshest and best we've ever eaten.

 Above is a mixed platter of raw oysters, served at Farallon (photo source: Google images).

Below, Drake's handwritten list of the actual oysters Jack and I tasted as an opener to our meal (expertly shucked and prepared by Drake, of course). They were served with mignonette sauce (above center), but we mostly ate them plain, so we could contrast and compare the different varieties.

Jack and I ate our entire dinner at the raw bar, so that we talk with Drake and watch him in action.

Here's what our eager palates were treated to:

1 - Mixed Plate of a Dozen Raw Oysters - six different varieties -

with Lemon Wedges & Mignonette Sauce

2 - Ahi Tuna & Atlantic Diver Scallop Carpaccio with Baguette Crostini, French Breakfast Radish

& Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette

3 - Tuna Tartare with Chives, Red Onion, Lemon, Local Olive Oil & Sieved Hardboiled Egg Yolk

(a small tasting of this because Drake was making it for a customer)

4 - Picked Dungeness Crab with Avocado Mousse, Roasted Fennel and Rainbow Microgreens,

with Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette (This is usually offered as the first course of their tasting menu.)

5 - American Paddlefish Caviar (a small spoonful of this)

6 - Cedar Plank Grilled McFarland Springs Trout, with Butter Braised King Trumpet Mushrooms

and Smoked Fingerling Potatoes, with Green Curry Coconut Broth

7 - Broiled Fresh Monterey Bay Sardines with Heirloom Tomatoes, Roasted Gypsy Peppers,

Red Onion & Sherry Vinaigrette

8 - Pan Seared Maine Diver Scallops, Grilled Castelfranco Radicchio with Amaretto Gastrique,
Housemade Sweet Coppa & Marcona Almonds with Honey Roasted Pears

9 - Concord Grape Pie with Lemon-Fig Leaf Ice Cream, Candied Almonds

& Fig-Black Raspberry Vinegar Coulis

What was so cool about the whole dinner experience was that, while we only ordered a few of these items, most were presented to us as extra surprises. Sous Chef Fred Sassen, brought us something new he had invented the night before for a regular customer who always requests something unusual - a plate of scallops, radicchio, coppa (capocollo salami) & almonds and pears - which was not on the menu. It was just out of this world, with so many different contrasts going on (sweet/salty, acidic/mild, crunchy/soft, delicate/bold, wet/dry, hot/cold). It was one of the most interesting combinations either of us had ever eaten. The radicchio, with its amaretto gastrique sauce, was only slightly bitter, and was a great foil for the other items on the plate. Everything went together and complemented each other beautifully.

It was also just such a kick watching Drake individually prepare tartare, ceviche, carpaccio and shellfish platters, along with sauces and vinaigrettes, throughout the evening.

Absolutely everyone we met at Farallon was so gracious and interesting to talk to. Chef/Owner Mark Franz and Ryan Simas, the Chef de Cuisine, were not there that night, but Executive Sous Chef Fred Sassen and Sous Chef Liz Hopkins both left their busy kitchen to come out and say hello and chat with us. We also had fun talking with Dale Forest, General Manager, and Peter Palmer, Sommelier ex-officio, as well as current Sommelier Jennifer Gomez, and several others - I can't remember all the names of staff who welcomed us, but we did have some great conversations. The entire team could not have been more welcoming and ready to impart helpful anecdotes about the various foods and wines.

Fred Sassen - a true mentor for Drake

Fred and Liz are both graduates of the CCA (California Culinary Academy) and have been wonderful role models and friends for Drake. A few days after our dinner at Farallon, we stopped by their house in Berkeley for a glass of wine before all heading out to Chez Panisse for dinner. We toured their small but varied and prolific kitchen garden which included fruits, vegetables and herbs, and had an impromptu vinegar tasting, as Fred explained how they make their own vinegars. (More about that night in post four of this series.)

Since I didn't photograph our food, the following are some other pictures of Farallon dishes (source: Google images):

I have had the Farallon Cookbook for years. The restaurant opened in 1997, and the cookbook was published in 2001. It is a beautiful book, loaded with gorgeous photos and recipes. Little did I imagine, when I bought this book, that Drake would someday be working there!

Click here to see the entire current Farallon Dinner Menu or the current Farallon Dessert Menu. If you live in or visit San Francisco, I highly recommend dinner (or lunch) at this lovely restaurant - you will be happy you did!

Alice Waters, the Eat Local Movement, and One Very Bright Kid

Having just returned from a 5-day gastronomic vacation* to Northern and Central California, and with the memory of a perfect meal at Chez Panisse still caressing my brain, I have been thinking again (always!) about good, honest, sustainable food and how important it is that we all pay attention to the subject.

Readers of this blog know that I am a huge fan of Alice Waters. She first fell in love with the French sensibility of appreciating the world around us through the use of our five senses, when she studied in France as an impressionable college student. Eight years after Alice opened Chez Panissse, I went through the exact same kind of revelation, during my own college year in France. Although I didn't know about Alice at the time, she has become one of my heros over the last 30+ years. (Read a previous post about this, here.)

A few months ago, I read Thomas McNamee's book, Alice Waters and Chez Panisse, and then Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food, An Eater's Manifesto, both of which got me fired up about the food and wine experiences we had planned for our California trip.

I will write another post about the amazing food we saw and ate during our trip, including that perfect dinner at Chez Panisse, but today I want to focus on the back-to-nature food movement of recent years. Several factions have worked simultaneously over the years to bring this revolution about, and Alice Waters has been from the beginning, and still is in the forefront of this consciousness raising food revolution. In fact, one could argue that without Alice Waters and Chez Panisse, the movement would not be where it is today. Alice Waters has been - not solely, but in large part - responsible for educating an entire nation about the dangers of genetically modified food by-products, carcinogenic pesticides and poisonous fertilizers. She maintains that truly good food is not for the elite, but for everyone.

When Alice returned to California, after her year abroad in 1965, she began cooking for herself and her friends, using locally raised food, just as she had seen at the French food markets. Her idea, in 1971, to open a restaurant with good home cooking, using local ingredients was definitely counterculture at that time. And it was only through sticking to their original instincts that the gang at Chez Panisse could keep the restaurant going throughout years of barely making enough money to survive. Why? Because their customers recognized and appreciated top quality food, served by a friendly staff, in a homey atmosphere...and they kept coming back for it.

Today, Chez Panisse has been called one the finest restaurants, not just in America, but also in the world. Their food is not "blow your doors off" style. It is not presented as an avant garde art installation on a plate. But what makes it so good is Alice's and her staff's commitment to the best quality, freshly picked, local, perfectly cooked and seasoned "just right" food. Rather than wow diners with how unusual the food is, the restaurant presents its customers with simply delicious meals - food that tastes the way Nature intended it to! 

Another major force preaching the same tenets is Slow Food International. One of my favorite philosophical movements, Slow Food has been responsible for educating people about local, honest food since 1989. (Read my previous posts on Slow Food here and here.) Now with chapters in over 150 countries, Alice Waters is vice president of the organization (although it did start in Italy without her, contrary to what some may think.) Slow Food speaks openly about what Alice Waters exemplifies in her restaurant: that good food should be gently prepared to bring out its natural flavor and should be consumed slowly and with deep appreciation for the food as well as for the company sharing a meal. Slow Food represents a return to a lifestyle many have forgotten in this fast-paced world. It's just the way Alice Waters has always lived.

It's true, Alice has her detractors - those who say she takes too much personal credit for this food revolution. Yet, while Alice is not alone responsible for the sustainable food movement(s) of the past couple of decades, no one can deny that she has been the most vocal and hard pushing American proponent for the theme, which would not be where it is today without her. Her Edible Schoolyard project; her persistence, through several administrations, in trying to get a vegetable garden at the White House (which the Obamas have done!); her constant presence in the media advocating for better quality fresh, organic food; her never-ending talk about better gardening/farming practices; her public efforts to save heirloom fruits, vegetables and meats from extinction; her encouragement of farmers markets... I could go on and on. Thanks to YouTube, you can still watch the CBS segment that "60 Minutes" did on Alice, here.

Some of Alice's critics also say that she takes too much credit for inventing California Cuisine, which goes hand in hand with the concept of only using fresh, local, seasonable food. Be that as it may, there is no way California - or for that matter all contemporary American - cuisine would exist without her. She started out with hippie ideals in the '70's and has never wavered from her principles. We are ALL incredibly lucky to have such a strong advocate for our health, our enjoyment of real food, and for our future.

Over the years, the back-to-good-food movement has gained lots of supporters and proponents, such as Michael Pollan. I recommend all of his books. His In Defense of Food, An Eater's Manifesto was a real eye-opener, even for a longtime foodie like me. Every American should read this - after all, what could possibly be more important than what we put into our bodies for nourishment, as well as for pleasure? Genetically modified, chemical laden "food" by-products are making us sick and even die. Pollan's premise is that these are not REAL foods.

I also recommend the movie, FOOD, Inc., by Robert Kenner. Another eye-opener about how most of this nation's "food" is produced.

And a foodie friend on Facebook just recommended two others to me, which I have not yet seen: King Corn and The Future of Food, both of which now are on my Netflix list, so I'll let you know about them eventually.

Certainly the youngest, and therefore in a way, the most interesting proponent of the "eat local" movement is eleven-year-old Birke Baehr, one amazingly bright and mature (and absolutely cute!) kid. Birke recently gave a TEDx talk on the subject of our food supply and what we need to do about it. This is such a great talk on so many levels. Do yourself a big favor and WATCH his talk! (I found out about it in an email from Alice Waters - there she goes again!)

What I think is most important, though, is that Birke and others like him will lead our next generation into an era of better consciousness about the food we grow, sell and ingest. I'm going to be watching for more to come from this terrific and eloquent young man.

* I should note that, while our vacations only occasionally get planned as gastronomic tours, they somehow always end up that way. We see a farmers market - we ask the tram driver to stop and let us out. We hear about a little hole-in-the-wall French bistro that has great mussels - we just have to check it out. Well, you get the picture! Next post: our recent food and wine adventures in San Francisco and Arroyo Grande. (I'm getting hungry just thinking about it!)