April Madness

April is going to be a busy month for us... Sunday, April 23rd is our three year anniversary open house. Everyone is welcome to stop by for a glass of vino and some food.

April 27th is the "Favorites from menu's past" dinner. We will be participating in Rivers of Chocolate at the Mountain Winery on April 30th (www.riversofchocolate.org) and also at the 60th anniversary Via Ball (www.viaservices.org/viaball1.html) on Friday May 5th.

I highly recommend attending some or all of these events. I will give a special prize to anyone I see at all four events!

Oh Also, I should be on "Dining Around with Gene Burns" on Saturday April 8th on KGO radio (www.kgoam810.com) to help promote the Rivers of Chocolate Event. I think I will be on between noon and 1pm.

This is my favorite radio show, so make sure to tune in. I listen to this show almost every Saturday morning, it's highly reccomended!

Winemaker Dinner

Last night we had the Storrs winemaker dinner. The menu was as follows:

Chef’s Delicacies – Crab Fritters with Dijon Aioli, Ginger Chili Marinated Calamari and Apple Goat Cheese Canapés
2004 Gewurztraminer “Viento Vineyard”

Day Boat Scallop on Celery Root and Early Spring Vegetable Mélange with Meyers Lemon Confit
2004 Chardonnay “Christie’s Vineyard”

Hobbs’ Bacon wrapped Alaskan Halibut with Shaved Brussel Sprouts and Sundried Tomato Vinaigrette
2002 Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains

Citrus Granita

New York Steak Medallions with Smoked Sweet Peppers, Caramelized Onions and Crispy Potato Cakes
2000 BXR, Bordeaux Style Blend, San Francisco Bay

Duo of Sitlton and Pecan Stuffed Poached Pear and Dried Fig Chocolate Truffle
2003 Zinfandel, “Lion Oaks Vineyard”

I love Storrs wines, so it was easy to write an interesting menu. Thanks to all who attended!

Spring? Almost...

English peas, fava beans and asparagus are starting to show up due to a warm January. The freezes over the last few weeks may play havoc with the full flush of spring veggies. Green garlic is here and great! Winter bloomsdale spinach and citrus are my current favorites.
Happy cooking!

Knives and all things sharp ...

A question came from a regular customer asking if I use Global knives. I'll post my response:

Global is good, I use some global… My favorite however is Shun. I use the “Classic: series. They are as thin as global, but stiffer and seem to hold an edge better. They also make a stainless handled knife, similar to global. Check out http://www.kershawknives.com/ and you can see the whole lineup. I also use some German stuff and also some old (circa 1960's) carbon steel knives. The carbon steel holds a razor sharp edge, but can rust if it is left wet. Bottom line, use what you like. I don't reccomend buting a "set". Find a chef knife, bread knife and a paring knife you like and that is a good start. If you need to butcher, get a boning knife also.

One BIG thing to remember is keep your knives sharp! Go visit Perfect Edge Cutlery in San Mateo. They do the best job for professional sharpening services... Oh yeah, they also have one of the best selections of knives for sale in the Bay Area.

Be Safe!