Rebel Rose

And here's a link to a previous discussion on steakhouses, particularly the Acme Chophouse.

Well, I'm late and I've got the wrong vintage. Nevertheless, I am enjoying an interesting glass of the 2000 Trimbach Riesling. After searching in Los Angeles and the Central Coast, I finally found Trimbach in a tiny store in Olympia, Washington. It's called the Wine Loft, but it's a stand alone, one-story brick building on a large, empty lot, with a school bus parked outside. ::shrug:: The tiny, tiny store was stuffed with precarious racks of wine and wooden boxes filled with wine on the floor, just right for tripping over. I loved it. The aroma has no honeysuckle at all, I'm afraid. Instead, the approach is fresh-dried alfalfa bales, animal musk and white balsamic, with a faint whiff of citrus. At first I thought it might have gone off, but then I tasted it. There's plenty of acid, and a cascade of lime, pear, white grape, kiwi, and then butterscotch, with a finish of Meyer lemon at the back of my tongue when I swallow.

Oh, shoot! I just visited five wine shops in Olympia, Washington and actually found one place that had 2001 Sanford Pinot Noir. But it was the Santa Rita Hills for $45.00, and I thought, surely not. It can't be this one! (Forgot to check eGullet before I left.) And I passed on it. Nevertheless, I will be home in California later this month and I get the wine directly from the winery. $45. Wow. I bought the L'Ecole No. 45 Seven Hills Vineyard Estate Merlot.

Incredible notes, Brad. Good effort, even though you didn't get through them all! Now I know why you call it the 'Stupor Bowl.'

My sister just returned from New Zealand, where she encountered Cat's Pee on a Gooseberry Bush. No lie. It's the name of the wine.

Inspired by the "24 karat taste buds" thread, here's a link to an interesting discussion on cat piss in pinot grigio. What other words and phrases are used to describe fine wines that would normally evoke a disgusted shudder, or at the very least a perplexed look? Pencil lead. Mm, is that with or without the wood and yellow paint? Any eraser dust in that? Tar. I often get a perplexed look from customers on this one. They say, "You mean asphalt?" Compost. A common descriptor for Pinot Noir. City folk don't get it.

So where's the denim and work boots? Syrah, I hope. Actually, over 60% of the wine buyers in retail stores and groceries are women. Nevertheless, these writers may be the training wheels for the next 20%. Nothing wrong with world domination.

Andre, these are great notes on an interesting variety of vintages. It's edifying to hear about wines that aren't quite balanced, as well as what happens when a wine is kept a little too long. Did you enjoy these wines with friends and food?

Wine haiku. What a nice idea. A juxtaposition of nature, spirit, and imagery. Anyone up for it? The sun rises! I run to catch the vintage. Inspired by Andrea Sottimano

Huh? He gave one of our syrahs an '89' and said "those who walk on the kinky side of life may rate it one or two points higher." And he described one of Linne Calodo's wines as "liquid Viagra for intellectuals." (I think he had a good time on his last vist here . . . ) But picking out varietal and production components in wine is often a matter of palate education as well as ability. Practice, practice, practice, I always say!

Good news. Our forum host, melkor, is amenable to the idea of a panel discussion and we will be approaching the suggested speakers. At the moment, however, the Calendar & Events Team is refining the materials provided to suggested speakers, so it may be a week or more before they are even contacted. In the meantime, I like Andie's idea that we find out more about rancho life was like . . .

I think that's a great idea. I will talk to our forum host about it and maybe we can arrange it for later this spring. In the meantime, I am curious to know if there are any other restaurants or chefs working with the California Rancho Cooking concept. And while Maison has a point about the historical purity of true rancho cooking, I'm perfectly happy to discuss it's modern variations, as I have no desire to pluck my own chickens or render bear fat!

Rancho Nipomo, and Rancho el Paso de la Robles . . .

Here is an eGullet-Amazon link to The Blond Ranchero Book synopsis from the Arroyo Grande Historical Society. While not entirely about food, it is a first person account of life on the Nipomo Rancho by the youngest of Captain William Dana's 21 children. It includes many casual mentions of the livestock, gardens, and dishes of the time. A fascinating account that includes driving buckboard wagons over the Cuesta Grade to get supplies, and having to dodge bandits on a route I now take for granted.

I wasn't expecting much at our farmers' market in January. In fact, I was even happy to have one at all. But a sunny day beckoned and I found myself wandering through the stalls admiring the brassica, root vegetables, and cool weather greens, and . . . oh, lookee here! A squash that's already sliced open, flashing bright orange like a neon sign. No hatchet or chain saw required to get at the succulent flesh—and there are still seeds attached. I love seeds. So at this point I'm thinking, hmm, squash soup with toasted seeds as a garnish. Then I see some leeks. And shitake mushrooms. So it becomes a squash and caramelized leek soup, adorned with sautéed shitake and a few more leek curls, and garnished with toasted seeds. I also stop to get some Brussel sprouts. One stalk for dinner, and one for the SO to snack on, raw. Herschel (the headless) reports that Brussel sprouts will be coming on for several weeks yet. His family farms are in Paso Robles, Arroyo Grande, and Santa Maria. Then I stop at Maria's green stall. As always, she is yelling at people. You stop eating her sample, she yells at a young professional couple. You get your own! Hey, she yells at me. You like those pea tops? They good for salad. She throws a handful in a bin of greens. They good for stir fry. Another handful gets tossed on top of the snow peas. They good for you! You try one, now! So I leave Maria's stall with snow peas, pea tops, winter spinach, and arugula. Good thing they're light, because I don't have a cart—just a red canvas bag. After a few more stops to pick up local honey, olive oil and jam, I'm starting to waddle with my red bag and knock little old ladies over. A nuisance to society, I return to my SUV. The soup was great. Also loosely categorized as fresh . . .

Definitely Villa Creek, as mentioned before. It's their whole concept. The website includes the menu, and recipes as well. Would anyone be interested in a "Conversation With" . . . VC owner Cris Cherry, on the topic of California rancho cooking? I bet Dave could be persuaded to set that up for us!

Katie, over time I am developing an interesting and complex view of our otherwise proper forum host. I grew up in the PacNW eating small, firm oysters. The first time I ordered oysters on the half shell in California I was disgusted by the large, slimy things that arrived--they were more like raw eggs than an oyster! Ew. That was about 20 years ago and I still remember those awful things. I couldn't eat them. I have since learned to differentiate by type and season. A little. Northwest Oysters When to eat oysters We'll be doing some herb-smoked oysters on the grill this Superbowl Sunday. Served in their cleaned shells, with a grilled pepper salsa, sage leaf, and slice of lemon.

Hmm. I checked out Ms. MacMahan's book and it looks like something we would really love to have! We think of rancho cooking as a combination of Spanish and Mediterranean influences on typical Mexican dishes, with more emphasis on the bounty of garden and farm, more seafood, and cooler climate vegetables. Definitely not the meat, beans, corn, meat, beans, corn concept. Also more of a Veracruz olive oil-and-seafood approach to many dishes. One local chef, Cris Cherry of Villa Creek, calls his approach 'Early California Cuisine.' A rancho table would probably include: Small sweet chiles, roasted and stuffed Clay pot quail and dove, or blackened quail Spit-roasted chickens, walnut-fed turkeys Butternut squash enchiladas Stuffed or fried squash blossoms Cold squash soups Wild boar meat, wild boar sausage Pit-roasted goat, pork and veal Lots of citrus and herbs Hot chiles used judiciously, and moles Jalapeno and sweet-hot jellies and preserves Crab enchiladas Prawns and shrimp in everything from chili to tacos Quesa fresca on everything Plenty of red wine And, of course, Bloody Marias—made with modern El Pato red enchilada sauce, a variety of local hot sauces, and garnished with baby corns, roasted asparagus, and local salt-cured olives.

Ah, you hooked me!

Ah, what's not to love about Tobin James? Especially the people, who are really friendly and fun. The only reason I didn't mention Toby or Art Norman is because I don't really think of them as small anymore. They are each producing 30,000 and 15,000 cases respectively. TJ in particular may be a wine you will be able to find in Vancouver in the near future.

Hmm. A thought-provoking question, and not as simple as it might appear. Although I love milk as a midnight snack with peaches or bananas, it's far too cloying as a dinner beverage. Hot teas or coffee at dinner contain way too much tannin and/or caffeine--a very unfriendly culinary combination. (Except for certain herbal teas which are very nice and digestiv.) Most juices and ice teas have too much sugar. Homebrewed ice tea is nice with dinner, but in our house, I'm the only one who would drink it, and it quickly grows cultures resembling penicillin if made in quantities of two quarts or more. Wine is a nice, romantic, and digestif beverage, when consumed in moderation. Does anyone else here remember the press flap when Jean Claude Killy was interviewed on TV regarding his wine consumption during the Olympic competitions? He was quite indignant, as I recall, and said that he had always consumed two glasses of red wine at night, and that if it that were to effect his Olympic performance, it would have prevented him from qualifying in the first place.

Sorry, waves, I haven't found the bottle. I looked at Silverlake Wines and Wades Wines in Los Angeles. Didn't have time to make it the Red Carpet. I was amazed that out of Wades' huge selection, he only carried three rieslings. Huh. They didn't even warrant a whole shelf. Maybe I can pick up one up at Equus in Seattle this week. I'm traveling a lot this month, but I'll keep looking!

Andie, thanks for the Swab Farms link. I'm all in a dither now to order "Sliced jalapeno with orange peel" and their other goodies for Superbowl Sunday. How could I have forgotten Santa Barbara Olive Company? I'll need some of their hot dilled baby corns, pickled asparagus, and olives for the Superbowl antipasto plates! (And the Monday morning Bloody Marias!)

Cool California growers and artisans. For those of us not in metro areas . . . What California artisan products and websites can you recommend? (Direct to the producer links only, please.) Cowgirl Creamery (I joined the cheese club) The Abalone Farm . . . (Article and recipe) Spring Hill Cheese Co.

Sorry, my bad. I guess it is in Silverlake, although I don't know where that begins and ends. Cafe Stella is very close to Silverlake Wines and Gingergrass, which are on Glendale Avenue, and only 15 mins. from the Westin Bonaventure in LA. And it is on Sunset. I don't know about the snails. They were fat and squeaky. I didn't even know there was such a thing as canned snails. Prices were very good--$7 to $20, and the servings were hearty.