Carolyn Tillie

Oh yes, and thanks for the well wishes! I figure that I couldn't live in a better place for such an endeavor -- if all goes badly, at least I can go out and drink myself into oblivion!

I wish I'd said that. Hey, Carolyn, welcome back! I was about to add your name to my "whatever happened to" list. ← Thank you -- I went away for a while to concentrate on becoming a full-time writer instead of a part-time, freelance writer. As I type this, I have two hours left working at a winery that has been my life for the past two years. By this evening, I will be gainfully unemployed, except for whatever writing comes my way (or I hunt down and kill), sipping a vintage 1990 Champagne to celebrate... ← Well Cheers then! Congrats on the new direction. Which Champagne is the celebratory quaff, if I might ask? ← It was a going away gift from one of our wine club members: G. Michel a Pierry - Epernay, Blanc de Blanc and, as it turns out, Shawn has to work late... so I'll probably save it now, not wanting to drink it all alone!

I wish I'd said that. Hey, Carolyn, welcome back! I was about to add your name to my "whatever happened to" list. ← Thank you -- I went away for a while to concentrate on becoming a full-time writer instead of a part-time, freelance writer. As I type this, I have two hours left working at a winery that has been my life for the past two years. By this evening, I will be gainfully unemployed, except for whatever writing comes my way (or I hunt down and kill), sipping a vintage 1990 Champagne to celebrate...

A bit on the old-world style, my favorite restaurant in the Gaslamp was always Ida Baileys (named after a notorious Victorian madam). For the midnight revelries, I would totally play it by ear and bar-hop the Gaslamp. It is a wild night in a wild area with a great many fabulous bands playing. I imagine that some packages will be available through places like the Horton Grand. You'll have a fabulous time, regardless!

Actually, rumor has it that he is spending more time in Las Vegas -- when queried about his attendance in Healdsburg, they said he had only been there two or three times in the past several months.

My recent Dry Creek Experience: Wolfert and I ate at Dry Creek Kitchen a week or two ago (for my reviewing job). We had the tasting menu which comprised the following: Amuse of Celery puree with Lemon Chantilly and Caviar; served in a small, tall thin shot glass sans spoon, forcing you to "shoot" the entire amount. Lemon and celery? Whatever Organic Tomato and Watermelon Salad Tahitian lime oil, 'gazpacho', tomato sorbet. Pretty service of two squares of watermelon (one red and one yellow) atop which sat a peeled cherry tomato (one red, one yellow). Then there was this foam. Couldn't tell what it was a foam of. The 'gazpacho' was okay - a scoop of tomato sorbet with a cold tomato soup poured tableside. Asparagus four-minute egg, asparagus injection, grapefruit confit, pistachio oil. The four minute egg was fried so it gave it an encased gritty texture that took away from the loveliness of the inside of the egg. The grapefruit confit was the fabulous part and was paired well with an amazing Y3 Sauvignon Blanc. Dayboat Scallop caramelized with cocoa, hazelnut 'tomato paste', artichoke. The 'tomato paste' was the big iffy on this one. It actually tasted like tomato paste and overpowered the scallop. The artichokes were fried slivers (I'm assuming from the heart) and while they tasted good, did nothing to add to the dish. Sonoma Foie Gras poached Dry Creek Peach, spiced broiche froth, young basil. Probably the best dish of the evening. The baby basil leaves added a nice, minty depth to the dish. Alaskan Halibut, local squid and crisp vermicelli, tomato-coconut broth. This was the downfall of the evening. The halibut was hardly fresh, the vermicelli were hard, pointless pointy things and the broth a complete disaster. There was no unifying flavor and after one bite and dissecting the dish, neither of us finish the course. I won't go into desserts as they weren't too bad but at this point, we were so disappointed in the overall service that we just wanted to leave. They make a point of changing out silverware with each course but on two occasions, the silverware was taken away, the next course arrived, and we had to ask to have silverware replaced. The timing of the courses with the wines was atrocious. For the foie gras course, the wine pairing was a late harvest sauvignon blanc that was quite nice, except that the wine arrived after we had both finished eating. On the scallop course, the wine arrived a few minutes after the scallop, but the busboy(?) had no idea what the wine was! It was only in the middle of the next course could I ask our server what the previous wine had been and he couldn't remember. One last thing; almost every course throughout the evening either included asparagus as part of the dish or as a garnish. It was a tomato and asparagus evening and asparagus is not even in season! Tasteless. BTW, I haven't written a formal review with the possibility that there may be some changes...

On the Oyster Grill, I think you do better ordering several starters and saving room for dessert. Their entrees are HUGE and a bit over-the-top. The desserts are astonishing and I commented to the owners that I think it sad that many Napa restaurants, reputed to be a better eating neighborhood, does not have as good desserts than at the Oyster Grill. Fascinating about Saffron - their menu looked intriguing and I've been playing phone tag with the chef/owner about writing it up for a review. Don't think I'll bother working so hard on that now. Too many other places I need to get around to. Need to find out about the Wine Bar. I'm trying to come up with a list of TEN of them in wine country and am coming up a few short on my list (if you can believe that!)

Surprised that living in Glen Ellen you didn't mention those in your backyard; Saffron, The Fig Cafe, Glen Ellen Inn Oyster Grill & Martini Bar, etc... I just recently reviewed the Glen Ellen Inn Oyster Grill & Martini Bar and if I lived there, could easily find myself hanging out there often; great surroundings and atmosphere, nice wine list, good appetizers and desserts... Still trying to get to Saffron and Wolf House. The Fig Cafe has great mussels and no corkage which is also nice.

I am an artichoke. The outside is full of thorns and hard to touch without getting hurt. Multi-layered, resilient, strong, and complex - getting sweeter as you get closer to the center, but with a soft, fuzzy, extraordinary heart once one has the patience to dig down to the center.

Barbara Haber, Curator of Printed Books Schlesinger Library Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Stuy Harvard University 10 Garden Street Cambridge, MA 02139 617-495-8647 Probably the best culinary history library in the United States. Ms. Haber is responsible for the Radcliffe Culinary Times, a quarterly literary journal on culinary history.

Start using it whenever you would use oil or butter (except on toast, I guess). You'll be surprised how quickly it will get used up. Like Abra said, if used in conjunction with butter, it makes an amazing tart shell. I've got 8 pounds in my fridge as we speak (I am making confit this weekend) and hope I have plenty of leftovers to last a while. It will keep just fine and adds amazing depth of flavor to things cooked.

I used to work for an uber-high end winery who had a lot of followers from the Tahoe area. We would get a lot of restaurant types visiting the winery for wine placement and the constant theme seemed to be that there aren't enough high-end restaurants (to warrant the quality of the wine!). Here's about it: Mirabelle 290 Kingsbury Grade, Stateline 775-586-1007 Nevada-side of the border Naked Fish 3940 Lake Tahoe Blvd., Unit 3 South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150 530-541-FISH (3474) California-side of the border Most everything else is American-style skiing food. This site lists some others...

Now I just have to find more recipes to use them. ← Although when I moved to NoCal and couldn't find these stores, I had a friend who lives near those Artesia stores I mentioned ship me a bag of Z'atar! ← Can you point me to some recipes using zatar? I will have a student from Turkey, and perhaps one from Saudi again this term. I received a generous bag of sumac from behemoth early in the year.I was glad to be able to replenish my supply. ← I've gotten into the habit of mixing a generous tablespoon or so of sumac into my hamburger meat. It adds this amazing depth of flavor, although almost undiscernable exactly WHAT the flavor is. For Z'atar - similar to what Chef Zadi posted, I use it when I am roasting meat as well as sprinkling it on plates of labne and drizzing with olive oil to be scooped up with pita bread.

Is it zatar? I visited a Penzey's in Chicago this summer and found zatar and sumac. Now I just have to find more recipes to use them. ← No, I was not referring to an ingredient, but an actual store that I frequent whose name starts with 'Z'. Although when I moved to NoCal and couldn't find these stores, I had a friend who lives near those Artesia stores I mentioned ship me a bag of Z'atar!

One of the things I really miss about SoCal is the accessibility I had to Middle Eastern ingredients. I lived in Redondo Beach and over on Artesia Boulevard, there are no less than three stores in walking distance from one another. I'm sorry I don't remember exact names or addresses -- just that they were around Inglewood Boulevard. Now here in NoCal, I am just beginning to explore an area in Berkeley that has several. of note is Indus Food Center at 1920 San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley - 510-549-3663. There is another one that I frequent and when I tried to Google around, I found this great listing. Still can't find the one I was thinking of (starts with a Z) but I'll try to remember....

In tomorrow's San Francisco Chronicle, Michael Bauer elevates Manresa to the Four Star status, his first addition to that list in over three years. Congratulations to Chef Kinch for a job well done (open only three years!) and all else involved... The entire list of Seven now reads (in alphabetical order, not order of preference): Campton Place Chez Panisse Dining room at Ritz-Carlton Fleur de Lys French Laundry La Folie Manresa Honorable Mentions (but not quite four stars): Michael Mina Masa's Gary Danko Acquerello Aqua Fifth Floor

At Wolfert's urging, I post the following... I have been off this site for several months as I have a freelance writing job reviewing restaurants for another website and thought it might be a conflict of interest. Consequently, I have been dining VERY WELL in wine country these past few months and enjoying it immensely. However, after submitting my review of the The General's Daughter to that site, I feel confident I should expand upon its quality here. I was also reminded when I bumped into Chef Preston's wife, Nichole, at the launch of Wine Adventures, a new wine magazine, being held at the CIA in St. Helena last evening. Nichole is the FOH manager for General's Daughter and she and husband Chef Preston Dishman were lurred to Sonoma from North Carolina by The General's Daughter's owners. What this does for our otherwise staid wine country cuisine is inject fresh blood with new vision to the area. Preston is adorable as he marvels at his ability to "get practically anything he wants from vendors seven days a week!" Like a kid in a candy store, he is utilizing local ingredients like Sonoma foie gras and magret, Frog Hollow peaches, and Bodega Bay rock shrimp. "Well everyone around here does that..." I hear you saying. Yes, but we are used to being able to acquire such ingredients and for one with Southern sensibility who has not had access to such quality, the transformation is magical. While we are accostomed to seeing polenta cakes with some form of garnish, Chef Dishman instead utilizes stone ground grits to make his cake, atop which he adds his rock shrimp with a Tabasco butter. The Sonoma duck breast is glazed with an orange chipotle sauce, but his southern form of succotash is local fresh corn, bacon, and paper thin slivers of organic shiitake mushrooms. It is this southern comfort mentality suddenly having access to the country's best ingredients that is making The General's Daughter a new spot to pursue. Here's a rundown of the menu that Winesonoma, Wolfert, and I shared: - Hand-cut spicy Pacific tuna tartare with green apple and sriracha aioli - Stone ground grit cake, Bodega Bay rock shrimp with tabasco butter - Kumamoto oyster on the half shell with tomatillo mignonette 2000 Domaine Schoffitz Alsace Gewurtz - California wild king salmon from Ray Lanus farms, fava beans, cippolini onions, and wild mushrooms - Herb-roasted wild Alaska halibut with 'vegetables of early summer' - Pan-seared mountain trout, summer succotash, lobster buerre blanc 2003 August Briggs Pinot Noir - Orange chipotle glazed Sonoma duck breast with local corn, bacon, and shiitakes - Extra thick cut of Colorado lamb, French lentils de puy, and herb jus - Pan-roasted veal medallions, prosciutto, porcini risotto, and lemon sage butter 2002 Kilkananoon Killerman's Run Sybarites (60% Shiraz, 40% Grenache) - Cheese plate with fresh macerated Pinot grapes - Zabaglione with fresh fruit made with Eiswein and orange blossom honey - Brioche French toast with grilled Frog Hollow peaches and house-made butter pecan ice cream 1997 Roze's Vintage Port

You do. Consider it done. Peace and warm thoughts -- keep us informed.

I've heard really good things about The Left Bank. I know they are a chain (but a small one) and there is one in Pleasant Hill which has had good things written about it. Thanks for putting that back on my radar -- I'll have to head to Pleasant Hill soon and check it out.

Slacker, congratulations! But, (and I'm NOT being snarky, I am really curious), is it really a wine bar if you also have hard alcohol?

I've eaten at a few of Nobu's places in Los Angeles (the original Matsuhisa, Ubon - a noodle house in Beverly Hills, and another spot he has in Malibu). I am a huge of Japanese food and have enjoyed all of the offers, but Matsuhisa (his flagship?) was definitely the best. Most memorable was an offering of a scallop sashimi in the design of the Japanese cherry blossom, interspersed with slices of black truffle, centered with a cluster of tobiko. His tempura was innovative, light, and elegant, and the sushi exceptional.

They ran that show on PBS here in NoCal... I adored it. Thanks for bringing back the memory. I had completely fogotten about it!

I'm sorry no one has replied. I gotta say that when I lived in the South Bay, the NEAREST place is a specialty shop in Santa Monica at 1128 Wilshire Boulevard. It is variously known as J&T European Market, The Polish Sausage Factory, and European Sausage Kitchen. Besides sausage, they have a small grocery area where I used to pick up amazing breads, sweets, and other Polish imports. But I gotta say... the sausages ARE amazing!

I'm a military brat with my father having served from 1949 to 1974. He met my Mom at some Marine Corps party in 1952 when she was a WAC. I guess during the 1950s, the military cooks would prepare massive amounts of mutton and the mess hall would smell for days. Consequently, when I came along in the 1960s, my parents had long since even considered eating any form of lamb and I'm not even sure I knew it was a viable food source. On my 21st birthday, I had been married just over a year and my then-husband took me to the swankiest Greek restaurant in San Diego (name escapes me, but it was one of San Diego's few three-star restaurants). It was my first exposure to both Greek food AND lamb AND Retsina. I adored all of it and the world of varying ethnic cuisines opened up to me as I began tasting food I had previously dismissed (mainly Middle Eastern ones). Now there is nothing I won't try at least once and very little I don't enjoy. At least the ex-husband was good for something!

Those are beautiful, but any idea if they are food-safe? I see they are printed in some amazing colors and the idea that they are made of rice is great, but how to assure that the inks (possibly toxic?) won't bleed into the food... I clicked around the site you linked to and couldn't determine if they were food-safe or not, but I would certainly inquire into the manufacturing only because they are so stunning. And I've got one of those circle cutters... they are really hard to get the hang of! It is really easy to screw up and end up with an off-cut circle but I still use mine every now and then...