VMBrasseur

Favorite Waters? Why Alice, of course. I do Brita-filtered at home, when I drink plain water at all. Aside from that it's normally plain Oakland/Berkeley tap water for tea. Yes, I know the filtered would be better. But my Brita pitcher doesn't hold enough to fill my kettle, so I just use all tap rather than go halfway. --V

I cook dinners at home at least five times a week, breakfast (old-fashioned put it in a pot heat it and wait a while whole grains) at least twice a week. Lunch is almost always leftovers from dinner earlier in the week. I used to go out even more often, but since I've admitted how much I enjoy cooking (which, not coincidentally, coincided with me getting my own kitchen again) I try to stay at home and cook. Practice makes perfect, after all. My fridge is always waaaaay too stocked with produce and such things. Plus, when I do go out I like it to be to nice places. Which, in this area (SF Bay), are rarely cheap. So limiting it to once or twice a week helps keep costs down. Which is a good thing, considering how much I spend on groceries every two weeks. --V

I use the overnight soak method, since it's more "fire and forget" than the boil/sit method. Low-impact is good. I'd imagine that the beans would be cooked in their frozen state. I can't see how thawing them would really help/hinder all that much. I cooked a bunch of black beans this weekend (which is what got me thinking about this matter). It took, oh, an hour and a half or so for about a pound of beans. I see the logic in your theory that the frozen pre-soaked beans might cook slightly faster. And yeah, they'd be mushier I bet. I guess personal preference would kick in here. Another use for this occurred to me last night: falafel. For falafel, a lot of recipes call for pre-soaked uncooked garbanzo beans. If you have some hanging out in the freezer already it'd help streamline that process a bit. Of course, this is a situation where you'd probably want to thaw the little buggers. I'd hate to think of the damage that can be done by a frozen garbanzo bean accelerated to food processor speeds... --V

I've read of at least two benefits of soaking them. The most popular and obvious one is that it takes less time to actually cook the beans. However, considering that the soaking itself takes time I'm not sure how this is a big advantage (aside from the fact that the soaking is entirely unsupervised and the cooking is not). The second benefit I've read of is that soaking helps to lessen the gas-causing enzymes in the beans. I'm not sure how much the soaking lessens it, and actually don't particularly care either way. Has anyone else heard this about soaking? Myself, I tend to soak them because I normally don't have huge stretches of time during which I'm in my apartment for long enough for unsoaked beans to cook. It's hard enough lately to find the time for tending the cooking of soaked beans. --V

I was making a pot of black beans this weekend. It's just something I do once in a while, then I take the cooked beans, measure them out and freeze them in 1 or 2 cup bags. It makes it really easy to just grab what I need when I need it. While I was doing this I wondered, "What's to stop a person from just pre-soaking these and then freezing the soaked beans rather than cooking them right then?" That way, assuming I had the time to devote to cooking them fresh at that time, I could do so. Has anyone ever done this? I currently don't see any reason why I'd need to, but I'm curious as to whether it's advisable. Just in case I ever decide to try it. --V

Tickets? I don't need no steenkin' tickets. I live in Oakland. Napa is practically in my backyard. So do they just not answer the phone? Or do they give you the runaround when they pick up the call? I'd already been expecting to plan waaaaay in advance for this, so a bit of a wait on reservations isn't a problem. --V

So what exactly did you have to go through during those weeks of getting a reservation? I've been toying with the idea of trying it myself lately and would like to know what sort of an ordeal to expect. --V

I'm looking forward to reading what you have to say. Even though it's just the other side of the Bay Bridge, I never seem to get over to San Francisco. Not even for the great food. This way I can live vicariously through your culinary experiences. --V

Google is a thing of beauty: La Folie Webpage Their page unfortunately doesn't include a wine list. And here is the SF Chronicle Review. They appear to have greatly enjoyed their meal. Enough to give it three stars. However the service is apparently a little lacking. According to CitySearch, they have a very good wine list. When are your reservations? I hope you get the chance to report back after wards! --V

Makes sense AND is helpful. You go, girl! --V

So what you're saying, Tommy, is that I need to add "just enough." OK, maybe I'll experiment with this a bit in the next couple of weeks. With the amount of garlic I use, I think I'll have plenty of chances to try this out. I might need a larger mortar though (mine is tiny, mostly for dried herbs). Time for an Ikea run! --V

So about how much salt do you have to add, Adam? --V

I've occasionally read about someone chopping garlic while adding salt in order to get some sort of a garlic paste. I tried this last night on a whim and just ended up with minced garlic. Which wasn't so bad, I guess, but not what I was expecting. So how exactly is this done? And what would I use this concoction for? --V

I tried putting the bread on its side when cutting with my current knife (recap: it's an Oxo Good Grip). Even with the slightest pressure though, I ended up squishing and mangling the bread. Not a good scene. I'm now of the mind that my current knife is now and always has been far from sharp enough to deal with the kinds of bread I like best. --V

Maybe I just have always used craptacular garlic presses, but I can never get any sort of garlic at all to squeeze through those tiny holes. Is that actually the intended goal of the press? Or is it just to squish the dickens out of the clove? --V, who still just doesn't get it

Since they were mentioned, could someone please explain to me the facination with/usefulness of garlic presses? I've just never seen the need for them, myself. --V

Ooooh...Forschner... An ex-roommate had one of those and I absolutely LOVED it. Until ya'll mentioned it was from Victorinox I had no idea how to locate one. And it's relatively cheap from KnifeMerchant.com. I think I might have found my knife. Thanks, everyone! While we're on the subject of knives, has anyone ever actually gone into a store with a loaf of bread, a bag of carrots or what have you and asked to try out different knives? I know I suggested it above, but there weren't too many comments on it. --V

Thanks, jaybee! I'll keep that website in mind! I'm in the SF Bay area, so I have options as far as places to buy are concerned. I guess I'm just not entirely sure what to look for. --V

I have to admit never having thought of "technique" where bread slicing is concerned. I do use a full sawing motion with little pressure, so I think I might be OK. It's just that the serrations on the knife I use don't really "catch" very well. In addition, there's no edge to speak of (serrated or otherwise) on the first 1/2" or so of blade (at the tip), which makes it a chore to get through the tougher bottom crust. Perhaps if I held the knife at less of an angle it would help, but it wouldn't be very comfortable for me. --V

A couple of years back I asked for a decent bread knife for Christmas. What I got was an Oxo brand knife. Some of their other utensils might be good, but this one is not. It takes a serious amount of effort to get through the crust of the artisan loaves I like to buy. So I'm now so fed up with it that I'm willing to shell out money for a new one. Not too much money, mind you (maybe $30-40). Does anyone have any recommendations? I've thought about bringing a loaf of bread to Sur La Table and asking to try out a few knives. How well received do you think that request will be? I don't want to get stuck with another bum knife if I can help it and I'd feel a lot better about buying something if I can have the chance to test-drive it first. --V

Answering a question about how I learned to cook would be premature. It's only recently that I've started fostering my interest in cooking. My mother, although from a large German-Italian farm family, never really cooked anything spectacular. It was all good, in that homey sort of way, but it was your standard bland American Midwestern meat and potatoes fare. And as kids, my siblings and I weren't to bug Mom while she was cooking. Therefore the chances to learn by watching were few. When I went off to school I didn't have either money or time. This kept me from trying my hand at cooking too often. But somehow I always had the money for cable, so I watched cooking shows when the opportunity would arise. I also was introduced to ethnic foods and discovered that there's more to the world than hamburger and macaroni and cheese. Now, after a number of years in "the real world," I find myself in a position to finally start applying myself to learning to cook. I have the time to do it and the money to buy the gadgets and doodads (in moderation; I ain't made of money yet). It started small and rough, hacking together meals out of stuff I thought ought to work well. These normally ended up tasting like mud, when they were tastable at all. Now I'm trying to pick things up from books, magazines and--of course--eGullet. I've learned that it's better to read and follow recipes for a while, until I've gotten a better handle on what's happening in the kitchen. My main problem now is that there's just SO MUCH that I want to make. I'm having a hard time focusing on improving on any one dish/technique because there's always something else I want to try. So I'm trying to put things into rotation (like fish, which I didn't even eat at all until a couple months ago) in order to give them at least SOME attention. --V

Yup, that's an interesting looking model. Maybe someday I'll need to investigate fully all of my options. I have an affinity for coffee makers which don't need to be plugged in, ya see. In the meantime though, my Chemex, press pot and ibrik are doing the job well. --V

Yup, we drove home afterwards. Actually, I drove home afterwards, since I'm the one with the car. But I like driving, so I'd have to say that yes, it's something I can do easily. I can't speak for all the other members of the party, but I should mention that only half of us were coming from Oakland. The others live in Vallejo, which is virtually knocking on Napa's door. I don't mind traveling for food if it's something I feel I can't get in the general Oakland/Berkeley area (and if I don't end up having to park in SF). Or if it's a special trip--like this one--to try a new place outside of my normal stomping ground. Although I didn't take the opportunity to step inside, I can assume from the fact that the patio was packed that the restaurant itself was as well. Not being a Napa local (and therefore not having a feel for what the locals are like), I couldn't tell whether they were all neighborhood folks or others who, like me, had heard the place was good and wanted to give it a try. I'm always confident I'll like a place if I see that it's popular with the locals. Hmm...your last request is a tough one for me. I'm not sure whether I have the restaurant repetoire to be able to give a good comparison between Bistro Don Giovanni and someplace else I've been recently where I had a good experience. I was at Bay Wolf the week before, where I feel I got more for my money. There was slightly better food (much better in the case of the deserts) for the same price if not a little less, friendlier service but equally attentive. I have to admit though that the atmosphere was better at the Bistro. The weekend before I was at Steps of Rome and House of Gnocchi in North Beach. My pasta at the Bistro was better than what I had then, but the service was much better at House of Gnocchi (it's really hard to beat some of the service I've gotten in North Beach). Overall though, I've had much better experiences--food, drinks, service, ambience--at both Trattoria la Siciliana (on College Ave. in Oakland) and at Kincaid's (in Jack London Square in Oakland) than I had at Bistro Don Giovanni. It just wasn't anything special... Hold on. I've been reading here long enough to know that I need to define how I'm using that term. "Special," in this context, is something out of the ordinary as far as my current set of experiences are concerned. If it's food/drink, it has to either be unique or an exceptionally prepared standard. If it's service, it has to be attentive without looming and friendly without being intrusive. It might not have been necessary to define this, but it doesn't hurt. Now back to my regularly scheduled post... So it wasn't anything special. The food, though good, wasn't exciting either in its preparation or its originality. I can get comparable nearby. I don't see any need to go out of my way to have it again. And as a matter of fact, if I ever find myself in the Napa area around dinner time again I'm more likely to sally forth and try a different new place than tread this old ground again. Hrm. Not sure whether I actually answered any of your questions. But it's sure a long post, ain't it? --V

Hmmm...I haven't tried that. To be honest, I haven't really experimented at all with the toddy mix itself. I've cut WAY back on my caffiene intake--to one cup a day--so I'm leery about corrupting my one chance at coffee a day with an experiment which could likely go hideously awry. I've been interested in trying one of those vacuum coffee makers. I vaguely recall my parents having one when I was a kid. I wonder what ever became of it... Have you tried the Chemex maker? If you have, how does the coffee compare between the two makers (vacuum and Chemex)? --V

Yeah, I noticed that the review had been hanging around for a while. So I figured I'd solicite some more current impressions from fellow eGulleteers. Of course, I asked the question the day before going and then didn't log in to check back... Yup, that's thinking ahead. That said, let's see what I can do in the way of a review. I'm not all that experienced in this review-writing thing, so if I forget an aspect for which someone wants more info, let me know and I'll see what I can do for you. First of all, the place itself is lovely. It's surrounded by grape fields (then again, what ISN'T in Napa?) and a couple of very well tended and orchestrated gardens. There's a clever sculpture of an anthropomorphic wine opener at the main entrance. It really grabs your eye and gives the place a first impression of playful sophistication. We ate on the deck/patio, so I didn't take the chance to check out the decor and ambiance of the interior. The patio, however, was just OK. The floor was uneven, making the table wobble in a very annoying way. And, for such an open space, it was surprisingly loud. Over all though, it was a decent enough environment for a meal. Speaking of which, maybe I should actually discuss the food. There were five of us in the party, which made for the opportunity to try a lot of different dishes. And the flavor of the week at Bistro Don Giovanni appears to be fennel. Fennel in the salad, fennel in the pasta, fennel in the antipasti. Those of us who like fennel didn't mind, but I did find it odd to find that particular ingredient in so many dishes. The beet and haricot vert salad was an interesting mix of items. The earthiness of the beets blended well with the beans, but I think the salad would have benefitted more if it had been simpler. The other appetizer we ordered was...um...named something which I can't recall. But it was the standard bread/cheese/meat antipasti you find at Italian places. It was good, but there wasn't really anything outstanding about it. One of our party ordered the pasta e fagioli soup. I didn't have the chance to try it, but it looked like a respectable portion of a fairly hearty soup. He said it was good, but didn't elaborate on that at all. Appetites being what they are, we all opted against the traditional Italian antipasti > pasta > carne progression and settled for a mix of pasta and meat at the table. Everything was quite good. As often happens, I found that I liked my chosen entree less than just about everyone else's. Which isn't to say that it was bad. It just wasn't as good. In no particular order, we had: Morrel risotto with duck confit Roasted sole Grilled pork chop Penne with duck bolognese Fettuccini with porcini and pork ragu My favorite was the pork chop (I had the penne). It was very juicy and flavorful. The fettuccini was quite good and obviously fresh. The ragu had a good flavor, but I have to admit not tasting a lot of it. Pretty much everything was very good but nothing really stood out as a show-stopper. The pasta portions were deceptive, but in a good way. At first they appeared small, but by the end they ended up just the right size. Dessert was OK. It's hard to mess up strawberry shortcake, chocolate truffle cake and tiramisu. Again, nothing stood out as a star, but it was all quite good. The lemon creme fraiche in the shortcake was very refreshing. The person who ordered the tiramisu commented that it could have been "a bit less sober." Not being a big fan of the stuff, I took his word for it. The service was very helpful and friendly, if a little stand-offish. When the beet and haricot vert salad arrived without the advertised avocados, the waiter was apologetic and rapidly returned with another salad. When a half bottle of syrah turned out to be sour, at no point did one of those "Uh huh, sure, just inconvenience me" looks cross over his face. He just took it away and made another suggestion. The waiter's assistant was very accomodating when dealing with the wobbling table. You may notice the lack of a "wine" discussion. I don't really know a lot about wines or wine lists, so rather than pretend that I do I'll just say: long list. Many wines. During the course of the meal we had two bottles of a 1999 Ravenswood Zinfandel. Again, I don't know a lot about wine, but I enjoyed it. Over all, I'd have to say it was a good experience. Not outstanding, of course. I'd have to say that I feel the three stars in the Chronicle review are no longer valid. It's still a good restaurant, with good ambiance for a group of friends having a night out, with good food and service. But it wasn't as outstanding as the old review led me to believe. I'd probably have to drop the stars to maybe two and a half, but only because two and three quarters aren't possible on the Chron scale. I would recommend this place to people who will be in the area anyway, but I probably won't go out of my way (coming from Oakland) to try it again. Not with so many good places so much closer to me. --V