tanabutler

Kwak me up.

Well, we went again yesterday, for a double-barreled reason. One, to take my daughter and her friend to celebrate the conclusion of their sophomore year. Two, to meet friends. The friends took my advice once, and had a romantic evening staying at the Hotel Majestic, then went to the Ferry Plaza, where they ate every oyster in the building, presumably to fortify themselves for more romance. Anyway, we arrived at about three o'clock. The girls, who were very hungry, went to Taylor's (Since 1949) for a hamburger and chicken sandwich. I got an order of the deep-fried calamari. It was tender but the breading wasn't crisp or brown enough. Then I left them to finish their meal and wander, and went to Hog Island to meet the friends. They had just finished two dozen oysters and a bottle of wine, and we ordered two dozen more (yum to the Effingham oysters from British Columbia) and another bottle of the same. And at the insistence of our very good waiter, Ben, we shared a bowl of clam chowder that my friend, Nikki, proclaimed the best she's ever had. (I didn't agree: that honor is still claimed by River's End in Jenner.) Still, it was made to order and simply choking with sweet clams. A very good bowl, indeed. We wandered around some more and did some photo shoots. (Nikki is an amazing portrait photographer, and we had two teenaged beauties with us.) I came home with a loaf of oyster bread from Acme Bread Company; a sampler of Scharffen Berger chocolates; a slab of "happy underpants" (Red Hawk) cheese from Cowgirl Creamery; some handmade ravioli stuffed with prosciutto, and Italian gorgonzola from the Italian deli; and some very nice memories. Nikki bought a three-bottle set of zinfandel from Wine Merchant (whose logo I love), for her daddy for Father's Day. They graciously poured three glasses for us to taste/share. Good move resulting in a decent sale of amazing wine. Sorry, I wasn't taking notes, just enjoying the day. Best of all, my daughter said, "I just love it here. I have to come to San Francisco more often." Well, yeah.

Don't wait. Have at it! I had the good fortune to have happened to be there on opening night last year. It was a total fluke, but there I was. I met the chef, Joseph Kohn, and loved my meal. (Try the salmon with the green beans. They offer the same thing at the Habana Yacht Club.)

Cool! When were you thinking? (By the way, when I was in Havana I had mojitos at the little bar La Bodeguita del Medio, where they were supposedly invented and daiquiris at La Floridita, where they were supposedly invented! Both bars also play up the fact that Hemingway hung out there, but not being a fan, I was more interested in the cocktails!) Cool. We can both not be Hemingway fans together, okay? I was thinking of not reading For Whom the Bell Tolls again this summer. Do you want to not read it with me? Not sure about when I'll be up for SF next. I was there again yesterday with my daughter. I'm about to post in the Ferry Plaza thread. (Surprise!)

Hey, maybe I'll join you at Habana. The mojitos are the best.

NOTE: Oceano website with menus.

Café Fiore is good. It's in Incline Village. It might even be worth it to get over to Reno, for two reasons. (It's only an hour away.) Go to La Vecchia My write-up from last year: We just went there again. Let me endorse, resoundingly, the seafood ravioli. I was perishing with jealousy until he shared his sauce with me. It's fabulous. Go on a night when Patricia is there, if you can. Also, and trust me on this, the new seafood place at the Peppermill, Oceano, is just great. I had an oyster sampler for only $7.50 that was as good as anything I've had in San Francisco. Also, to continue with that theme, an oyster po-boy that was delicious and huge. Bob loved his crabmeat/shrimp sandwich. It was a ton of food. Next time, we'll split the po-boy and order an appetizer instead. Or maybe eat at the sushi bar. The decor is just surreal, like an underwater neon dream. Big and sensationalistic neon against black reflective surfaces. Psychedelic, even. Highly recommended. Seriously. I expect we'll go there for lunch or dinner every time we go to Reno. The staff was crackerjack, with the exception of a little nitwit hostess who tried to tell me (former head busser at TGI Friday's) that there were no tables available for twenty minutes because that's how long it would take to clear one off (and you could plainly see thirty empty tables behind her). I could have turned her into a balloon animal, but instead I just went over her little pinhead to the manager. If you're going to lie, do it convincingly.

Thanks so much for writing this up. Great reportage. You should take me next time! I'll bring my new fancy-dancy digital camera. Whee!

Speaking of Cuba, I recently met a photographer who'd visited for several weeks. She told me something very interesting. The restaurants are not good, because they're institutionalized and government-controlled. She compared the food to school cafeteria food. Good produce is scarce, as much of the arable land is being used to grow tobacco. So the only good food she had there was when she was invited into peoples' homes, and if they had their own gardens. It really made me think. I would love to visit. It's easier to go as a journalist than as a private citizen, but I have heard of people sneaking in via Central America.

It is the most idiotic policy in the world, isn't it? But you can sneak in, if you fly from Central America.

Official website for Habana Yacht Club Owner Sam Duvall, a patron of Cuban artists for many years, is also the owner of Habana, located on Van Ness and Pacific in San Francisco. If the Yacht Club is anything like Habana, it's got to be great.

Ciao, Pia! I can't wait to return to bella Italia!

Great write-up, TB. Glad you got to experience our local treasure.

Bourdain experiences Chef David Kinch at special event at Le Bernadin in NYC. Now that is one great write-up. I wonder: did you bring any of your own produce to New York, David?

I like these Jelly Belly flavors: pear, vanilla, marshmallow, pink grapefruit, tangerine, coconut and margarita. Cannot abide buttered popcorn or licorice.

I love it.

I've got your back, Doc.

Sort of, yes, but not officially. One of CASCC's newest members is the head of Slow Food for Monterey Bay. It is a good match. I gotta say, the mixers we are having, bringing prospective members, are the best. Because don't you want to go to a potluck with a bunch of chefs? Ooh la la. Hey, don't you ever come to California? You should come visit. Think October 9 (that is the CASCC "Taste of Santa Cruz" Harvest Fare). And then every Thursday from August on, for nine weeks, various CASCC chefs/restaurants are pairing up with farms to do in-house dinners featuring that farm's best, in a harvest dinner series.

It's been three months since I joined CASCC (Culinary Alliance of Santa Cruz County) and my life is transformed. What was the hardest, starkest winter of my life ended before spring arrived, as soon as I became a CASCC member. All of a sudden, every spare minute is claimed. Within a month, I found myself tapped for website duties and asked to help with membership. I've got a partner in crime, Annaliese Keller, who's been involved in the food scene in Santa Cruz since she moved here (as I did) in 1989. We're the membership arm of the alliance. Today between 1-4 PM, CASCC is partnering with UCSC's Life Labs program in Summer Fare in the Life Lab Classroom Garden. We've got lots of things coming up -- including a lavish event in October, which will celebrate the harvest. CASCC founder, chef Lynn Sheehan, and chef Jim Denevan, founder of the Outstanding in the Field farm dinners and tours, are looking at pairing up for a farm dinner to benefit CASCC. That will probably happen in the autumn. Farmers are joining, restaurants are joining, and culinary professionals of every stripe are finding their way to CASCC. Our most recent monthly meeting for members took place at Live Earth Farm. When the business portion was over, we got to go to the stables and see two baby goats, born seven hours earlier. Here is a calendar of events for the next three months. And I'm off to the farmer's market!

Hear, hear.

Note: Docsconz is not remotely close to sixty. He and I are scarcely out of our teens, born four days apart in 1959. Another discussion of tasting menus that is relevant.

Never heard that one before...can I use that?? Namby-pamby comes from a literary reference, a dig at poet Ambrose Philips, from the eighteenth century. It is a time-honored insult meaning insipid, et al.

Emphasis mine. Jeff, I was hoping you'd see that and note it. I have no idea of the history between you and Robyn, or Robyn and anyone, mostly, and this is not an issue for me, asking about what one experiences in a chef's tasting. This is probably going to evolve into a new thread. I have many Tasting Menu questions to ask. Varmint? You cain't have my okra. It's all in reserve for Chef Hemant or Suvir to turn into something edible. So shush.

I LOVE THE PICKLE!!!

You own me lunch, dude.