Carolyn Tillie

Koi is my favorite, hands-down. But you did it wrong. When you get there, you get a number. If you were there for an hour and you heard names/numbers being called, you should have been able to figure out how close you were in line... I have waited upwards of an hour-and-a-half to sit at Koi. Well worth the wait.

Solid rec on the Crown Roast of Lamb for flavor and ooh ahh. I don't think David Bruce makes an Anderson Valley Pinot, but I'm not totally sure. ← I don't think so either, but I'm guessing that the "Anderson" in the name probably alludes to the appellation more than the producer. The David Bruce was just a guess... There is also the Napa-based David Arthur winery. Maybe they produced an Anderson Valley pinot in the past...

Here is where I am in total disagreement. I would never consider preparing a fruit-based sauce with a Cabernet. If the Cab is remotely fruit-forward, than you have fruit fighting fruit, usually making the wine and/or the sauce taste bitter and heightening the acids. Better to enhance the fruit in the wine with reducing some port for a base of a darker Sauce Robert or something. With fruit-based sauces, I tend to go towards Cabernet Franc, which shows far more vegetal notes (often why it is used in blending) and can complement a fruit sauce. I often make a dried fruit-stuffed pork roast that pairs well with CabFranc. Same with venison with cherries or duck with orange. Always a CabFranc but never a CabSauv. Just MHO.

I'm going to brainstorm here and guess that the Pinot in question could be an Anderson Valley offering, produced by David Bruce. Although there is a David Anderson who is the general manager for Yamhill Valley Vineyards which is a Willamette Valley pinot (although that winemaker is Stephen Cary and they usually don't name the wine after the manager). Regardless, an in-your-face meal to go with the Leonetti Cab could be something like lamb. Rich, elegant, and provides lost of variations on sauces and presentation. I'd consider a Crown Roast for the Wow factor and perhaps a wild-rice and roasted root vegetable accompaniament.

A couple of questions... Is that the only meat you are serving? And if so, how many do you expect it to serve? For us, a Muscovy duck is a hefty, solid meal for two or three with minimal sides and a nice meal for four with substantial sides. One thing to consider is the fat. With a turkey, you baste often to add fat for a golden, crunchy exterior. With a duck, you prick the skin often (say, every 15 or 20 minutes), to release the fat from under the skin. It is somewhat self-basting in this respect...

Jennifer, each PBS market 'buys' the programs they want to show. As an example, when I lived in Los Angeles, cooking shows made up exactly two hours of broadcast time which equals four half-hour shows. I recall getting an announcement that Jaques Torres was doing a chocolate program however the Angelos, in their infinite wisdom, did not see it worthwhile. Then I moved to Northern California and living halfway between San Francisco and Sacramento, I actually have access to three different PBS stations that all play different shows (albeit similar schedules). Here in NoCal, there is a whole Saturday afternoon of cooking shows, methinks at least four or five hours' worth. I was blown away at the additional shows that were available! In Los Angeles, I never new Joanne Weir(d) had a show! Or Lidia Bastianich! And I finally got to see some of the amazing Jacques Torres chocolate work... and the Johnson & Wales school shows... the list goes on!

Such a pity it isn't a KISTLER pinot! Those are terribly hard to come by and quite exceptional... Start a new thread in the wine forum on Cab pairings and we'll help you out!

They are not wine grapes. At least not any California wine grape that I know of. Cabernet and Pinot grapes (actually, every red wine grape that I can think of) is DARK purple in color and ALL will have seeds. Also, the clusters are usually very tight. Here is a very good picture.

I actually put up my confit (using Paula's recipe) two weeks ago. I would actually stay away from Cabs for confit and stick with Pinots. Unless it is a well-aged Cab (at least 15 or so years), I think that the heft and fruit-forwardness of a Cab will overpower the subtlety of the flavors of the confit. That is why Pinot is such a great match; it has the structure and heightened acidity to counter the fat as well as complement the earthiness in the aged meat. I am planning on an extensive Pinot tasting with this year's cassoulet (which is why I made my confit). However Paula made me an oven-browned confit served with a sauce that contained golden raisins she had macerated in her homemade walnut liqueur... I'm grateful I put my confit up in two batches -- one for the confit and one for this other recipe (except that I don't have the liqueur).

Holds my Tarot cards...

Hmmmm... maybe I should start a new business. $250 for a day's work might be right up my alley...

Oceanside is where I grew from age 9 to 19, when I moved to Escondido to attend Palomar College (before heading to San Diego State two years later). My Dad still lives in Oceanside so I visit often. For 30+ years, our family has been eating at what is arguably the best family Mexican restaurant in North County; Anita's on 101/PCH/Hill Street [when I lived there, it was Hill Street; now I am not sure WHAT they have named the main drag through town -- is it Pacific Coast Highway or the 101 these days???]. Instead of Ruby's, however (which IS a chain, after all), I would recommend one of the various Angelo's that exist in town. It is odd, but I believe there are three; all on PCH/101 and placed at the beginning, middle, and very end of town. Literally, if you are entering from Carlsbad, there is one there right by the lagoon, another one in downtown, and the last one right before Camp Pendleton. Or, if coming from the North, reverse it -- right after Camp Pendleton, when the town starts on PCH/101, is the first Angelo's, etc... They have amazing burgers and the most over-the-top onion rings that I've been hard-pressed to top. Lastly, don't discount wandering around the Harbor village. Restaurants have gone in and out over the years, but the Fish-&-Chips place has been there forever (it was one of my first summer jobs). The same guys own a second branch down by the water in Carlsbad and is an institution as well.

No comment on the wine, but if you serve bourguignone, I would stay away from a second course soup as they texturely similar (soupy). A bourguignone traditionally has some simply-dressed greens to accompany it. Consider starting with the eggs, then moving to the bourguignone with a salad, and then have a cheese course before your dessert. Any wines that are still open will be great to taste with the cheeses...

Yes, if you want to read the exact definition as defined by the next host, New NEW World Pinot (note there are two 'news' to differentiate), "this month's theme is to find a Pinot Noir from someplace other than France or the West Coast of the United States." My guess is he wishes to exclude Oregon Pinots as well.

I have sporadically, when I can fit it into my regular blog's theme. The next theme is New New World Pinots and I'm not sure I want to go out and hunt down an Australian or Chilean pinot just for the experience... Theoretically, I am set to host WBW next March or April or something. Lenn has the host list established a year in advance!

I always thought that area in Central California by Harris Ranch was the only Cow Town... Although I have also heard it called <sorry for this> Causchwitz

I hope still in business, although I haven't eaten there in almost two years) is my personal favorite: Ichiban 1449 University Avenue San Diego, CA 92103 (619) 299-7203 When I was going to San Diego (over 15 years ago!) this was hands-down the favorite whole-in-the wall restaurant. On cold, blustery days, nothing in the world was better than their Stamina Bowl, which would ultimately feed me for two days for around $6.00 (although I imagine the price may have gone up since then). It was so good, it was written up in Gourmet Magazine about ten years ago and included the recipe for that 'famous' Japanese salad dressing (you know, the kind that is served in Benihanas all over the world...) I still make it and love it. Someone, please go by and tell me if my beloved Ichicban is still in business!!!!

Cook and serve it to your kids. But ony if you have enough money and time to spend with them in the emergency room 'cuz I think their gonna be puking their guts out.

I'm so surprised no one has mentioned Rossetti's The Goblin Market! Okay, maybe I shouldn't be... how many folks lie around and read Victorian poetry??? It is quite long and riddled with magical food which transforms its characters. I heartily recommending reading the poem in its entirety, but to give you a tease, this is the beginning;

Instead of a Vouvray, consider throwing a Roussanne into the mix. The oillyness of the tuna against the rich viscosity of the Roussanne is stunning -- the whites you have chosen tend to be much thinner and when paired with rich tuna and caramelized onions, will become strident and acidic. The whites you named would go better with a ceviche, if you go that route. And like Jim mentioned, you could make it quite a fun evening if you make it a food/wine pairing game -- go ahead and open two or three wines for each course so that you can talk about which ones work. If your boss is really a wine geek, than it could make for an engaging evening to 'bow to his knowledge' as well as learn some stuff along the way. Fess up in the beginning that you weren't sure which wines would work and opted to try some with each course.

Okay, Jon... I can't leave that one alone. HOW is she wrong about screwcaps????

A few months ago, the folks at Beringer created a white specifically geared and marketed towards women. They called it White Lie. The premise is that it was thought up by a woman, marketed by a woman, and made by a woman winemaker. Its selling point was that it is made from "early season grapes." This just means that they are picked at a lower brix level and therefore produce a wine that is lower in alcohol. Because, of course, women don't like those giant red wines that are 15% or 16% alcohol. The resulting wine? Well, a visit with old friends April and Walt Nissen proved fascinating... The rest of the account is here...

Raw for me as well -- although on a recent trip to Carmel, only brown sugar was available and I loved the deep, rustic flavor it added. White seems too strident.

But the final photograph at the end of the journal was priceless! (Caveat - I have not had an opportunity to read it cover-to-cover, but cherry picking my way through, I'm a bit in srhcb's court on 'eh - whatever...").

I've never eaten at the restaurant but I've met the McMillens and was hoping to dine there on a recent trip that sadly got cancelled. If you happen to go in again, please send them my regards...