Carolyn Tillie

We are getting a lot more grape clusters: But there is a fear this week as our weather has been in the 90's - heat we usually don't feel until August!

I have a pronunciation question - which is it?: Ōh-con-a-miyaki or Ōh-kōh-nōh-miyaki Thanks!

A word of warning -- I did this all way too fast and was expecting to see the Code at the end, during the transaction. It is needed up front! I've now purchased way more certificates than I need at their full price and am trying to get the company to reimburse me.

That is FABULOUS! Will I get to use it, when I move in?!?!?

When I was driving up from SoCal to "do the wine country" the trick I learned is to plan your timing to arrive in the valley BY 9:30 or 10:00 a.m. - before the traffic! Stop at Oakville Market or Dean & Deluca (if in Napa) or Sonoma Market (if in Sonoma) and pick up some picnic items for lunch. DO NOT waste your time eating lunch at a restaurant, but snack on your picnic items (a little meat, some good cheese, nice bread, maybe some cornichons) at a number of the wineries that are amenable to picnics (there are several). Think about it -- the opportunity for open wineries is really only about six hours. Considering that the best meals take at least two hours, you are chewing up an awful lot of time eating if you decide to break up the day with a seated meal. Pay a bit more money for dinner and you'll get the most out of your day = Five to Six hours visiting wineries (then you are not limited to only two or three, but possibly as many as five or six), then a relaxing, elegant meal where you won't feel rushed to "get out to one more winery" before the day's over. If you get dinner reservations for an early seating (5:00 or 6:00), you can be back in the city, lounging in a lovely bathtub or massaging a loved one by 9:00. The best way to "Do the Wine Country in a Day" = Twelve Hours Rule: Arrive before the traffic and leave after the traffic. Trust me.

I believe first cite--I've no OED--on the word "Chowderhead" was in a Three Stooges episode. Does that help with your mental image? PJ Here's the OED definition of Chowderhead: dial. = CHOWTER - HEADED 1819 SCOTT Lett. 15 April in Lockhart, "I hesitate a little about Raeburn... [hc] has twice already made a very chowder-headed person of me." 1851 H. MELVILLE Whale xv. 73 "What's that stultifying saying about chowdered headed people?"

This, I agree with completely. A wine that has been 'adjusted' to fit unnatural marketing parameters is not one I'd be interested in trying. i don't find myself interested in trying most BV wines to begin with. You've never tasted a BV Private Reserve, Georges de Latour, have you? Here's some tasting notes (in order of preference) I was lucky enough to sample that might be worth your time: 1968 - Garnet lights, mature nose with some heat. A sweetness that gives the impression of port. Excellence balance, sweet, and long with no remaining tannins detectable. 1970 - Good, dark ruby color and aromas of plum, spice, and berry. Velvety tannins and a chewy finish. 1978 - Smooth, ripe, and spicy with complex plum, currant, olive, and cherry flavors, Understated. 1966 - Brick red. Herbaceous nose. Light body. Well-balanced, short, sharp finish. 1974 - Nasty. Just plain nasty. 1985 - TCA, sadly.

Last evening, Bombdog, his girlfriend, Lynn, Shawn, and I dined at Pilar's, the newest star in Napa's firmament. Opened a whole five days, early press releases already had the town buzzing. Located at 807 Main Street (a few doors down from Zuzu's another local fav), this as yet un-signed building front only hints at the treasures found wihtin. Husband and wife team, Didier Lenders (formerly Meadowood's executive chef) and Pilar Sanchez (formerly executive chef for the Wine Spectator Restaurant at the CIA Greystone) have presented what will ultimately become a true marvel in this stodgy town - an ever-changing menu based on the the finds of the local Farmers Market and the season. Although Bombdog made 8:00 reservations for us, that is considered late in this sleepy hamlet and it seems that as the last turn of the evening, we had quite a wait, patiently hoping previous diners would forego their desserts to free up a table. Jimmy, their front-of-house man, thanked our patience with some complimentary bubbly after our long wait (a little less than half hour). What came afterwards proved well worth it. Jimmy was quite a character and extremely accomodating: The menu is relatively small -- we tried four of the five appetizers: Lynn had the butter lettuce salad with Maytag blue cheese, roasted apple pears, with a golden balsamic vinaigrette: I did not get any of the roasted apple pears, but the lettuce I tasted was incredibly fresh and complimented the cheese quite well. Shawn ordered the Tortilla soup with Dungeness Crab and avocado: I found it a slight too spicy with pepper for me, but I'm a wimp. It was beautifully served and while Shawn also indicated that it seemed spicy at first, as he dug down to the crab on the bottom, the flavors melded together quite elegantly. I ordered a Spring vegetable "Pot au Feu" with asparagus, fava beans, baby carrots, artichokes, blue lake beans, and English peas: A surprisingly simple concoction -- the sort of thing that makes one say, "I could do this at home" but never seem to and the home version is never quite as elegant. The broth was delicate and I licked up every drop. I was a true joy to taste the essence of Spring in all these vegetables together. The piece de resistance was Bombdog's serving of sauteed foie gras served with a spicy kumquat compote, French toast, and sesame seed brittle: The foie gras was considerably larger than I expected, considering its $13.00 price tag and was perfectly seared to a golden crisp on the outside and meltingly tender on the inside. Bombdog was initially shocked by the spiciness of the kumquate compote, but apparently he got the only really spicy bite. The sesame brittle was an interesting dichotomy of texture with a sweet crunch contrasting the silky foie gras and gooey compote. I didn't get a taste of the French toast, however. Our server for the evening as Nini, an absolute delight: We paired all the appetizers with an additional bottle of bubbly: a Zardetto Prosecca. For dinner, Shawn and I brought in a well-aged 1998 Gundlach Bundschu Merlot. Pilar's wine list, however, was exciting in its variety. Not tremendously large, but enticingly laid out with the left-hand column showcasing some of California's finest and a complementary right-hand column of imported wines. Shawn was quite sad that one of the most anticipated entrees was unavailable: Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit; grilled, braised, smoked, and confit with sage spaetzle, braised mustard greens, and a mustard sauce. That left us ordering the remainder of the entire menu, Shawn having a Zinfandel-marinated Hanger Steak with green garlic, Yukon gold potato gratin, spinach flan, and spring onions: Lynn's dish was one of the few photographs that was unprintable, but we all enjoyed her local Halibut filet served with a Yukon gold potato puree and a citrus and basil salad. Bombdog was served a beautiful Colorado Rack of Lamb with root vegetable ratatouille that included turnips, parsnips, rutabagas, and salsify with a mascarpone cream, marjoram, and amb jus sauce. I believe it was a true toss-up who had the better course, Bombdog's lamb, or my Ivory King Salmon, sauteed with brussels sprouts and applewood smoked bacon, topped with a gelato of olive oil and lemon: We all tasted and contemplated the secret of the lamb's sauce (it was the mascarpone!), the brilliance of topping an amazing fish with a savory sorbet, and the fact that the salmon itself was albino! Since there were five desserts, we figured it would be best to just go ahead and order all five. Here is where our great impression of the evening's savory offerings were blown away by astonishing dessert. Baked chocolate mousse with Tahitian vanilla bean gelato: This was less a mousse and more a decadent miniature concentrated flourless chocolate cake that had intense, rich flavor. Crepes and port-poached pear with zabaglione: It was incredibly hard to not lick this plate clean. Hazelnut gelato with warm cajeta caramel sauce: Based on its description, I probably would have not ordered this -- and now that I've tasted it, I would have regretted not ordering it! Amazingly smooth with a combination of flavors that enticed the tongue. Mango sorbet with fresh tropical fruit salad: The only served course of the evening that was not on pristine, white plates. The tropical fruit salad consisted of papaya, kiwi, passionfruit, and mangos. The miniature 'crisps' were (we believe), a sweet dough, perhaps a simple pate sucree. Roasted banana souffle with chocolate gelato: Light, fluffy, served with the gelato plopped into the souffle immediately at the table. Rich, warm banana flavor. So here's where it got a bit embarrassing. We were moaning excessivly at the originality of the desserts; "Thank god! No Tiramisu, no Creme Brulee!") The flavors were innovative while harkening back to the standards of comfort desserts. We were obviously enjoying the dessert so much, that Pilar herself came out to our table, hearing our exclamations of rapture: We asked about some of the discrepancies that appeared in the early press vs. the prepared menu. It seems that they has every intention of changing the menu on a weekly, or daily basis, if need be, depending on what is available. One early articles hinted at dishes like Carrot Risotto with Grilled Portobello Mushrooms, Hobb's Bunderfleisch with grilled Asparagus and preserved Meyer lemons, and a Straus Creamy panna cotta. Another article mentions Wild Mushroom Lasagna with Bellweather Farms ricotta and crescenza, a Meyer lemon souffle, red grapefruit crepes and roasted pineapple tostadas. It seems they reached back into their bounty of recipes and are still deciding what to prepare and writing their press releases. Pilar indicated that there might be venison on the menu next week and the evening's lack of rabbit was due to the suppliers limitations. I look forward to going back often and dearly hope the menu does change often. Having eaten through the entire menu once, while I would enjoy it again, I so marvel at Pilar's skill that it would be that much more exciting to be able to experience something new at each visit. So many of the Napa restaurants have gotten themselves into ruts by never changing their menu. Let's hope Pilar and Didier continue in their schizophrenic path -- to the joy of us all!

That is YOU????? OHMYGOD! A treasured book on shelf, tobesure! I had no idea...

Congratulations... couldn't have happened to a nicer person!!! I'm sure your blog will be full of your inimitable wit and erudite references (at least that is what I am hoping for)!!!! Also, can't wait to see your picture of... ta - da !!!! Coffee Milk!!!!

And don't forget the Guiness & Hard Cider! Poor Man's Black Velvet...

50/50, as far as I know...

yeah.... actually they do

In this morning's Wine Spectator, France to Consider First New AOC Classification Since 1935 .

That is SO funny!

Welcome, Mary! When I lived in LA, heading to Paso Robles was an easy wine fix for me and I made friends with the Beckmens' whose winery is in the Los Olivos area. I would be curious if you guys have had any more scare about the Pierce's disease. I remember when it wiped out the San Diego wineries and there was scare about it moving north. Now that I am in Napa, I haven't heard much about it and wonder if it is still a worry in the Central Coast.

Welcome, Jean! Funny about the Minnetonka thing... is it a huge wine community? It is where my bosses are from. They left Minnesota just recently after purchasing a winery here in the Napa county. You can see me blogging their winery here. Because of their Minnesota connections, we have a LOT of customers from that neck of the woods. Glad to have you onboard!

Do you do custom jewelry? My specialty is designing and producing one-of-a-kind pieces! I'm actually considering a food-related line... I made a miniature sterling silver tagine for Paula Wolfert (when opened, one found seed pearls as couscous and larger, mishapen brown pearls that looked like bits of squab) and my original teacher, Cheryl Forberg has a brooch of a copper pot from which dangles a fish, a slotted spoon, and a fork on which is inscribed, "Allez Cuisine!" I've also made a series of brooches from plaque du muselet, those tins found atop Champagne bottles. Perhaps I should consider 14k gold carrots or sterling pea pods of something... What would you like made, dear Lucy? Just ask... You both sound like wonderful women with interests (obsessions?) that are right up my alley. I love this New York-based jewelry designer Michael Michaud and if you haven't seen his work, you should look him up! If you google him, you will find a number of galleries selling his work online (plus amazon!) but here is one link to get you started. His basic style is cast bronze/silver/gold (casts taken from natural items) with pearls or gems to represent fruit/flowers. I recently saw his new collection at a little shop in New Hope, PA and it is all little fruits & vegetables! I don't see it online anywhere yet, but it's quite amazing. Ah, the cave! I was waiting with baited breath. (I guess that's where Carolyn will be staying?) Yes, I know Michaud's line well (owning his Olive earrings and a now-discontinued Grape set consisting of necklace and earrings). When I was really into mysticism, I had a pretty decent business of producing jewelry with that theme. Here's my website of that work: Carolyn's Jewelry) I haven't updated that website in almost 5 years so the jewelry I have since made isn't on it (but give me a good excuse to work on the website, eh?) I'll take the cellar!

Do you do custom jewelry? My specialty is designing and producing one-of-a-kind pieces! I'm actually considering a food-related line... I made a miniature sterling silver tagine for Paula Wolfert (when opened, one found seed pearls as couscous and larger, mishapen brown pearls that looked like bits of squab) and my original teacher, Cheryl Forberg has a brooch of a copper pot from which dangles a fish, a slotted spoon, and a fork on which is inscribed, "Allez Cuisine!" I've also made a series of brooches from plaque du muselet, those tins found atop Champagne bottles. Perhaps I should consider 14k gold carrots or sterling pea pods of something... What would you like made, dear Lucy? Just ask...

I hear that it's true..... Bah. Grand Poohbah is one hell of a stretch. I can make some pretty good drinks and I'm a reasonably competent home roaster, but that's about all I'm willing to lay claim to. Don't listen to him - the man is a Coffee God.

thank you... So, there's you, me, FatGuy, bleudauvergne (check out that amazing food blog!), and who else?

Okay, here's my résumé for adoption: I own about 1,200 books - 400 of which are cookbooks (the rest are history, philosophy, mythology, religious history, and art). More than half of them are first editions. My oldest book is dated 1842 (Sir Walter Scott's Letters on Demonology and Witchcraft. Addressed to J. G. Lockhart ; London John Murray 1830 2nd ed B&W frontis very good, new 3/4 maroon cloth w/original marbled boards 402pp B&W Frontis: "The Bow, Edinburgh-House of Major Weir", engraved by W. H. Lizars.) The cookbooks are of exceptional quality and variety. I brag there there is nothing I can't cook because all the reference material is at my finger tips. I have a Master's degree in Art (Jewelry and Metalsmithing). I graduated from cooking school. I am musically inclined (having received performance scholarships for the French Horn when I was 15). I like to think that I can write (at least that is what I'm working on now...) I know wine. I know when not to whine. I can cook, clean, shop, do nasty housework, love pets and am willing to sleep in the cellar. I have a jovial disposition. BTW, I think we should petition that you get more than your allotted 100 pics in ImageGullet. I'm going to PM somebody on that one. Please, please adopt me...

I'm less concerned about the label issues than the idea that they (the winemakers) may have to compromise their craft to "make" a wine low-carb. I have no problems with the idea that some wines are naturally low-carb, just as some food is naturally fat-free or low-carb, etc... What I find sad is the state of the world in which we live that manipulates the consumer's mind into believing what is printed on a label.

Diageo Chateau and Estate Wines (DC&E), part of Diageo, the world's leading premium drinks business, announced that three of its wine brands, BV Coastal Estates, Sterling Vintners Collection and a new brand offering, Century Cellars, all meet the definition of a 'Low Carb'alcohol beverage as recently established by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB). Sad, huh?

I want a Foie Gras Festival, damnit! Sonoma folks? Hudson Valley? C'mon - step up to plate and let the PETA people be damned! There could be hand-stuffing contest, a funnel-stuffing contest, a "who's raised the biggest liver" contest, and the inevitable Frozen-Foie Gras-sicle-Deep Fried-on-a-Stick stand! I am so there....