Beachfan

Here's what I found Burgundy Wine Co

Yes. I'm still waiting for those who think a $21 bottle is expensive to show me a fine restaurant with a better wine for less. Most places mark up their inexpensive wine much more than 200%.

It slips my mind, but it's in the article in Vogue. They just started doing peaches.

We get them at the Thousand Oaks farmers market (our hometown in So Cal). I'm going to try getting some of Steingarten's recommendations shipped later in the summer.

This months Vogue has a very interesting article on peaches. How the sugar and acid interrelate to form the best peaches. Also the results of a 3 year taste experiment on the best peaches in the US. California won, and a few growers who ship are named. PS The supermarket peaches in California are usually poor but the farmers market's have some excellent ones.

Great tip Steve. Not only the restaurant, but I should shoot Stuart Y a note. Merci beaucoup!

I've read many of the posts with gusto. However, my focus is narrower than average: my wife is a vegetarian and I don't eat red meat (unless it's in little pieces and has a lot of nitrates and is a minor ingredient; don't ask). We're happy to provide advance requests. For example Buerheisel was incredible. My wife's meal was perhaps even better than mine.. And mine was one of the best I ever had They had a preplanned vegetarian tasting menu. At the other end of the spectrum was Ducasse in Paris. I had the best food and the worse meal due to their treatment of my wife (after confirming her diet needs by fax). We will be landing in Lyon with 6 days before we go back to Paris. A natural would be to wind up in Avignon and take the TGV back. The fact that the 2000 vintage in the Southern Rhone is exceptional doesn't hurt. And we really loved Christian Ettiene's place last time. So, any thoughts on which of the all stars might be suitable? Also, we have just as much fun at the Bib Gourmand places as we do at the fancier places. At those places, my wife is happy with a salad, so vegetarian friendly is less of a concern. Great wine lists would be a plus. Also, anyone have experience at the Lyon Hilton? I wind up at these chains because I have status and points due to business travel (and it isn't all bad, the Strassbourg Hilton is outstanding). Michelin seems to talk reasonably well about it.

Steve, I would have never guessed you were so photogenic based on your brim-down avatar! The first question of the million I have: Are Vancouver prawns better than the ones from the Redneck Riviera? Second question: If yes, do you know of a place that will mail order them? Safe travels Beachfan in Beachland

I had dinner at Pacific Cafe last night, the best restaurant on the half of Kauii that I visit. Some very interesting innovations there. Last night the meal was stellar. No doubt because chef Jean Marie Josselin was there. I had shrimp/scallop dumplings with Tomato Edamame Vinagerette. Actually the sauce was separate from the tomtato edamame. The sauce was excellent, the dumpling very nice (needed a higher ratio of filling to skin), the tomato edamame didn't do much. My entree was a verison of their "surf and turf", Grilled Ahi, Seared Scallps and Fois Gras, with a cherry port glaze. An excellent dish; I had it with Mahi Mahi instead because I've had so much ahi lately. Ahi is a better match but the fois gras with the hawaiin fish was delicious. The sauce, with liberal use of dried cherries, pulled the ingredients together very well. My wife had the vegetarin twin towers. While not on the menu, it's always available. The difference in vegetarian food when a chef cares is amazing. Because it's so much food, my wife had the first tower brought as an appetizer the second as an entree. First tower: Roasted Garlic Potato Soup - the best example of this we've ever had. Redolent of garlic but not over the top, a perfect consitstency and balance. Wow! Roasted Tomato over Broccholi Puree So often Heirloom tomatoes disappoint. This one was top notch. The broccoli puree was a great pairing (interestingly, it's the first time I've seen this besides my wife making it). It seems very rich, but it isn't at all. Bruschetta with heirloom tomatoes and Edamame/wasabi puree. No worries about repetition of tomatoes; when they are this great, keep 'em coming. The edamame/wasabi puree was a first (anyone else seen it before). Just enough wasabi to let you know it's there without overpowering the tomatoes. Very interesting. Second Tower Roasted eggplant with Soba noodle Very tastey, noodles very good (but not artisanal, the dinner conversation turned to Bouley bread at that point; see the Bouley lunch post). Well executed, not overly exciting though. Grilled Kabucha pumpkin with Faro and edamame/wasabi puree. Faro, I was told, is am Egyptian grain. Interesting (didn't make me forget cous cous however). Perhaps Jean Marie was getting tired with the edamame puree repeat. However, the pumpkin was EXTREMELY EXCELLENT, and the puree was a good match with it. Grilled asparagus and beets over diced (brunoise) vegetables. A simple but exceptional Chez Panisse type dish, with the quality of the vegetables winning our hearts. The bread was a pleasant dark grain olive bread. The wine was exceptional, a 1997 Kistler vineyard Kistler Pinot Noir. The best California can offer in Pinots. Could have use a couple more years to let the grape power integrate a little more, but it was just outstanding. The one desert we craved wasn't available, so we went next door for a couple of cookies. Other Jean Marie Josselin innovations Wok Charred Mahi Mahi (garlic, sesame crist, lime butter buerre blanc) Thai Coconut Curry soup with Ahi, scallops and prawns (the Ahi is the innovation) Sweet Shrimp and Imu Duck Lumpia I haven't had the last one, the first two are excellent. Aloha Beachfan in Beachland

I need to amend my post above. I think my favorite, based on tonight's meal, must be Kona Brewing Company's Pale Ale. A little like Tsing Tao. But if you're drinking it, you must be in Hawaii. Then there is St. Pauli Girl, probably my favorite easily available beer. It clearly is superior to American beers; beyond flavor, it appeals to my prurient interest at point of sale rather than in advertisements. I can talk about wine forever. However, with beer, my attention span is...., hmmmm, was I saying something?

Chimay, but I forget what color. I think red, but it's the more expensive one. Since even the most expensive beer is cheap vs. wine, I don't know why Belgian beers aren't suitable for everyday. After Belgian beers, the English have it (Samuel Smith, Watney's, Newcastle, Old Peculiar (love that name)). After English (and very close for some) Red Tail and various Seattle bears. After that, it's a slippery slope Sam Adams, Anchor Steam, Millers High Life.... PS No slight meant by excluding the nice Asian and Mexican beers which go well with their cuisine.

Bubba Burgers? Postcards Cafe has an interesting breakfast. I go their for dinner sometimes, they often have Mong Chong.

I've only been to the new Bouley once; what I liked were: Flavor, texture, interesting variations. The novelties so to speak. I haven't had much bread from NY bakeries, when I moved to California 23 years ago, most NY bread sucked other than some brick oven sesame seed Italian bread. My standard is Acme bread in the Bay Area. It's the best I've had in the US. I don't find Polaine in Paris to be all that special. In France, my favorite is Boulangerie Kayser (in the 5th). In LA the best that's easily available is La Brea, which I regard as passable. I was really blown away by the bread in Belgium and the Netherlands. Rye and other hearty types. To each, their own. Any other votes on Bouley bread?

Hmmm, I thought the bread was pretty fine indeed.

Not much hiking, a ton of swimming/snorkeling. A little diving. I know the Kalalau trail you're talking about; in my youth, I hiked all the way in a couple times. Did you get queasy on your tour? I did a few years ago. I'm contemplating doing it again if the wind stays down.

I'm on my annual vacation to Kauii. Here, food takes on the opposite focus I normally have; simple, and healthy. Without the need for "comfort foods" and with the abundance of fruit and fish, it's easy. The big news is that Walu is now being served. Also known as butterfish. Someone at Roy's Boca Raton told me that butterfish is the same as black cod. It seems like it but the locals never heard of black cod so I couldn't verify. It's an absolutely fabulous fish. I had it at the Hanalei Dolphin, a blackened filet (the size of a filet mignon). It was flown in from Honolulu that day. I have a love/hate relationship with this restaurant. They do the best simple super fresh grilled fish on the island. They can cook these thick filets just right, which is hard to do. Usually the center is raw, or the outside is overcooked. Other great fish I've had in the last 10 days Opakapaka (a red snapper, but not the same as Caribbean red snapper). Mong Chong (a flavorful white fish; displaced Opakapaka as my favorite) Onaga (another red snapper) Shutome (broad billed swordfish) Ahi, ahi, ahi Opah (moonfish) Ono (wahoo) 8 out of 10 have been excellent. Simple but excellent. In general, I've gotten them blackened/grilled. At the only "gourmet restaurant" within 20 miles, the Pacific Cafe, I got the Onaga with a truffle red wine reduction sauce. It didn't really work all that well. I will go back and see what else they can do. Usually they are excellent. The ahi is so fresh that even Safeway can have dynamite ahi poke (which is sashimi with a light seasoning). The ono is my least favorite fish. However, the local fish store makes ono salad (like tuna salad) which is quite nice on a salad. Better yet, the sear ahi sashimi blocks which means I can have a dynamite lunch back on the balcony. I had hoped to hit mango season but it's still a little early. So I go for my second favorite fruit, Kauii sugarloaf pineapples. These are low acid pineapples, which means you can eat all you want without any lip irritation. These never get golden, they are ripe when green. For some reason, they aren't as uniformly perfect as when I was here in September; I'll have to find out whether it's a seasonal thing. Even less than perfect, they are 100 times better than the regular type. Also Strawberry papayas and lychees. Yum!!!! Pineapple and papaya daily, not bored yet!! (No rambutan, liliquoi or soursop yyet, must be too early). Let me know if you head this way, I'll tell you where to get the best smoothies. Aloha from Beach fan in beach land

For me, the cheese could have been desert. I like cheese.

I've enjoyed George's by the Cove in La Jolla quite a bit. However it's been many years since I went.

There's no one time that a wine is at it's peak. A lot depends on storage as well as individual taste. I've had a couple of my 1993's and are holding the rest a little longer.

1997 Brunello's will be at there best several years from now. They are one of the longer aging Italian wines.

Yes it is; a very nice store with great selection and knowledgable staff. The tasting bar doesn't seem to be open whenever I'm there. It's very close to the Wine Club, where the tasting bar is always open

Cabrales, consider trying lunch. At the old Bouley, lunch was always perfect, dinner wasn't.

I believe the idea is to taste the current releases. That way, one can decide what they might want to purchase.

1997 is a fabulous year for Brunello. The wines must came over. The only one on this list that I tasted was the Valdicava which was delightful. I bought some Pertamali based on reviews. The Poggio Antico Brunello 1990 should be very nice. The Rossos should be pleasant drinkers but not of the same level of the Brunello's. But it seems like there is enough wine, so you can drink light till the Brunellos get served.

Sounds like they use a blood alchohol content of .20 as the "line"