Hurley's

Seared Ahi Tuna with sesame crust.

The problem with short trips is that you feel like you're trying to cram too much into too little time. Thank goodness Ethel and Matt were willing to come up to Napa to hang for a couple of hours. They asked where I wanted to eat and since I only know The French Laundry, I left it up to them to select a nice place that's kid friendly.

So after homework and baseball practice, they trucked up from Marin for a little respite at Hurley's. Thanks guys!


Mussels.



Croquettes.



Ethel and Hilve.

Bistro Don Giovanni

Bread for olive oil and balsamic.



Jackie and Michelle.



2007 Clos du Val Cabernet Sauvignon.



Ana.



Aaron and Jackie.



A little Bolognese.



Some fries.

Model Muffins

Red Velvet Cupcake.

Aaron called to tell us that they were at Model Bakery in St. Helena. I knew nothing about Model so when we arrived, Aaron and Michelle "encouraged" us to try the english muffins - labeled "the best" muffins in the world.

Honestly, I'm a Thomas' English Muffins kind of guy. Give me that fork split goodness, burn it in a heavy toast, slather it with butter and I'm very happy. I've tried other "english muffins" at different restaurants and they never got the right texture or the "nooks and crannies".


The "World's Best" English Muffins.

There are no nooks or crannies in a Model English Muffin but these are some seriously good muffins when given a hard toast, slathered with butter and then a layer of jam. Amazing. From what I've been told, part of the key to these muffins is that they are cooked on a griddle to give it the proper crust.

However they are made, I like them and am even happier that I can buy them online.

Paul Hobbs

The tasting room at Paul Hobbs.

Before jetting out to California, I was caught up in a bit of a conundrum (not Caymus, they're pretentious and arrogant) - what wineries to visit in the Napa Valley?

I first started visiting Napa back in 1988 when the valley wasn't encroached by the development and tourism it is today. Back then, a trip to Robert Mondavi was still a small and relatively casual affair. Go there today and it's massive group tours and commercialism. Whatever the case, I knew relatively nothing about wines then and, to be honest, my understanding of wines really has not improved some twenty years later.


Ana ready for a tasting.

Lately, I've been drinking more French wines. Specifically Cotes du Rhone and Chateauneuf du Pape, and maybe a smattering of California zinfandels, but the Napa Valley? I really was coming up short. Two years ago, we went back to visit Caymus (where they were as pretentious and arrogant as possible), Raymond (fun) and Silver Oak (impressive building).

This time I thought about a few others, like Pezzi King (Healdsburg? Too far!), Vineyard 7&8 (no available tastings) and Orrin Swift (I like their Saldo), but still the question of "where?" reigned.


Emily leading us down to the processing buildings.

That's when James and Austin of Swirl Wine in Timonium suggested Paul Hobbs. Hmmm, sounded like a good idea and set up an appointment.

The terrible irony is that I first decided against visiting Pezzi King, even though I am a fan of their 2005 Old Vine Zinfandel, because they are in Healdsburg in Sonoma County - an hour or so drive from Napa. I wanted to keep the tastings along the 29 in the Napa Valley.

Of course, I didn't bother to check that Paul Hobbs is located in Sebastopol, about fifteen minutes south of Healdsburg, and an hour and ten minutes from our next appointment at Orrin Swift. Without realizing it, I had set myself up for failure.


Fermentation tanks.

Tastings at Paul Hobbs are by appointment only and it's not easy to find along the highway. There's a simple boulder, surrounded by trees, with the address affixed to it. No large signs to alert you of the magic happening to your right. Once located, you pull in and it's fourteen acres of rolling vineyard and a stunningly modern house with sculpted and manicured lawns.

Emily was there to greet us and as it turns out, we were the only two tasting that afternoon. For those of us used to the mass tours of Mondavi, or the open tasting rooms of Chateauneuf, the quiet of a private tasting is both inspiring and slightly off-putting.


Barrel aging room.

Admittedly, I knew little about Paul Hobbs, the man. After starting off education in medicine, he discovered a love for wine and switched to the oenology program at UC Davis where he wrote his thesis on wine barrels and was wooed by Robert Mondavi himself to help start up Opus One. Not a bad way to begin a career.

From there his genius gives way to slight insanity. The man is obsessed with the details of winemaking. While other winemakers are content to buy fruit from farmers, Paul Hobbs dictates which row(s) of the vineyard that farmer will cultivate for his purchase. Sun, soil and more all play a significant role in his decisions and Paul is involved in every step of the process.

The psychosis in cultivating just the right crop is crazy inspiring and I secretly wondered just how we might be able to export that kind of thinking to coffee production. While we currently laud an entire farm's production, could those high altitude hills in Central America and Ethiopia yield more incredible results with careful selection and cultivation? If only I possessed this guys' expertise in agriculture.


The foyer.

We tasted and then we toured. The facility is most impressive. Everything modern, everything done to a "T". Grape vines from Paul Hobbs home of upstate New York are trellised along the walkway in homage to his past, the catwalk above the stainless fermentation tanks can be removed and the facility is absolutely spotless. So spotless that I was compelled to ask Emily how it is possible that they get their staff to maintain such a rigorous regiment.

As we toured the barrel aging room, I noticed a variety of barrels from different cooperages and asked. I'm guessing that it's rooted in his thesis on wine barrels but Paul Hobbs utilizes different barrels from different cooperages to achieve a particular effect. Turns out that French Oak, Medium toast barrels vary from cooper to cooper and that they can be combined to develop specific recipes. Impressive.


By the vineyard.

As our time at the winery winded down, the light rain started to abate and even after drinking nearly a bottle of wine, I still didn't feel light headed or unprepared for the open road.

So, with two bottles in tow, we set back to the Napa Valley excited by the wines and a bit saddened that we would not be able to make our appointment with EJ at Orrin Swift. Sorry EJ. Next time, I promise.

The Boon Fly Cafe

Pom Cooler - St. Germaine, Prosecco



A set of condiments: maple syrup, butter, ketchup and Tapatio hot sauce.



World Famous Boon Fly Donuts.



Buttermilk Griddle Cake.



Applewood Smoked Bacon.



Chilaquiles - scrambled eggs, chorizo, black beans, cheddar cheese, flour tortilla chips, salsa verde & pico de gallo.



Breakfast Flatbread - two fried eggs, bacon, caramelized onions and mozzarella.

Contigo

Patatas Bravas - crispy fried potatoes with allioli and salsa brava.

I had been following the writing of Chef Brett Emerson's exploits for quite some time and the last time I was in San Francisco, I emailed him to see if his battle to open Contigo had been won. Sadly, I was a couple weeks too early and would miss his new restaurant and went to another Noe Valley institution: Incanto.

Two years later, Contigo is no longer "new" and they're sure to have worked out all the kinks. Meeting us at the restaurant is childhood friend Dennis and his new girlfriend (? - one is never really sure) Kelly. By the time we arrive, they've already secured a table on the back covered patio where the gas heaters are running at full bore.


Marinated Spanish Olives - fried marcona almonds and pickled farmers market vegetables.

Contigo is interesting in that it combines the recipes and flavors of Spain and Catalan with the sensibilities of modern-day American Farm-To-Table. It's cute, hip and appealing. The design is clean and modern while remaining warm and comfortable. There's a show kitchen as you walk in and the equipment is gleaming.

But how is the food? As you read the menu descriptions that Farm-To-Table penchant shines through with F2T buzzwords like "Fried Farm Egg" and "Pickled Farmers Market Vegetables" and the pimenton potato chips seem too cute (read:tiny) to really get into without having to bunch up a lot in your fingers and try to eat them with any semblance of elegance.


Jamon Iberico de Bellota - acorn fed spanish heritage "pata negra" ham, aged 36 months.

But everything is good - even the tripe and chorizo with chickpeas, easily the most contested dish of the evening. Everything is fresh and delicious (read: Pork Belly Bocadillo). Sadly, the beef cheeks were already 86'd by the time we arrived.

There's also a Seven Course Tapas Tasting Menu available for $40 per person, served family style. It sounds interesting but our way afforded us thirteen different plates for roughly the same amount of money, including a couple of drinks. The exploratory part of me is interested in the tasting menu, but there's something about selecting a range of dishes based on your whims that also is alluring. Maybe even more so.


A close up.

In the end, Contigo was worth the visit. The food was delicious and fresh. The staff was helpful and friendly. We ate a lot (but not too much) and we drank well (but not too much). Even with thirteen dishes, there's still a lot more to explore on the menu and we'll have to make another visit the next time we're in San Francisco.


Dennis and Ana compare jamon tasting notes.



Kelly anticipates the next course.



Local Halibut Crudo - with seville oranges, olives, kumquats, radishes and wild radish blossoms.



Pork Belly Bocadillo - with harissa allioli, pickled onions and pimenton potato chips.



First-Of-The-Season Asparagus - with mojama, pimenton almonds and an olive oil fried farm egg.



Calamars a la Planxa - with cara cara oranges, black olives, pickled onions and spiced chickpeas.



Tripe with Chorizo and Chickpeas - from our wood oven.



Coca (Flatbread) of Broccoli Rabe - our txistorra sausage, caramelized onions and manchego.



Chocolate sorbet, vanilla ice cream and barquillo.

Contigo
1320 Castro Street
San Francisco, CA 94114
415-285-0250
www.contigosf.com

Journey to San Francisco

Across the agricultural plains along the I-5 North.

For reasons that now escape me, I thought driving from L.A. to San Francisco would be a good idea. I had never done the drive before and thought that it was a drive worth doing. Then, once I arrived in L.A. and started doing the calculations: one day up, one day in Napa, another day back, and I started to realize the folly of my ways. I wanted to fly.

Using all the tricks I know in arranging air travel, I still couldn't find a round trip cost under $700 - I always thought there were $75 commuter flights between LAX and SFO. Maybe for those who plan ahead, but the night before? No. Into the car we would go.


Seven hours later, we enter San Francisco.

I buy from a couple of farmers back in Maryland. I've visited a couple of farms too. I've heard the stories of the west coast farms but nothing has prepared me for what I was about to see. Not just acres of crops but miles of crops and cattle. Easily, we passed at least fifty miles of almond groves. Lettuce (or some sort of leafy green) is also a popular crop along the I-5, as are citrus fruits like oranges and lemons. We even snagged a bag of oranges for five bucks in Kettleman City.

It's difficult to fathom the vastness of the agriculture industry. Thousands of acres of cattle for both meat and dairy. High capacity farms with cattle mushed together getting ready for the slaughter. I'm fascinated while being slightly repulsed, but I also know that it seems impossible to continuously feed a nation of 330 million people without such scale - not to mention all the food we produce for export to feed people in other parts of the world.


Ana and her Americano.

Seeing the fields of green leafy vegetables reminded me of a conversation I once had with a friend whose family operates large-scale lettuce farming in Arizona: that the land had been farmed so much that the only nutrients in the lettuce were the nutrients they sprayed onto the crop while growing. Massive and kind of scary.

The drive north on the I-5 is long, straight and relatively boring (once you get past the fascination of miles of crops). It's tempting to push the speed to 100mph but the flow runs just under 80mph (the cut off for getting pulled over when the speed limit is 65mph) and my KIA Optima just doesn't seem up to the task of prolonged cruising at high speeds.


Four Barrel Head Roaster Tal Mor and Ecco Caffe Founder Andrew Barnett.

With only a lunch stop in Kettleman City (to pick up the aforementioned bag of oranges), we make it to San Francisco during the early rush hour and make our way to the coffeeshops of the Mission District, visiting both Ritual and Four Barrel where old friend Andrew Barnett comes to join us for a coffee or two.

At Ritual we find Ben Kaminsky behind the bar, then at Four Barrel: Zacharay Carlsen. Seems that no matter where you go in San Francisco there are coffee luminaries working and making your drink. It's actually nice to see working baristas doing what they do best.


My double shot prepared by Sprudge.com's Zachary Carlsen.

As we hang at Four Barrel, their entire company is gathering for some sort of rock concert/drinking outing. Last to arrive is Jeremy Tooker who hangs out for a little bit to chat.

In a little while, with a gift bag from Ryan Goodrow, we find ourselves back on Valencia heading to the Noe Valley for dinner and a nice welcome to San Francisco.

Eat That, Kettleman City!

Darn It, And I Bought Lunch!

LNMC #1-11

Control numbers.

While visiting Plasencia Cigars in Esteli, Mike asked gave me this prototype cigar and asked me to give it a try and my feedback on it. So, with a few hours to myself today, I took the opportunity to give it a try. Here's part of my feedback:

" Medium bodied with a nice spice without being peppery. It's the kind of cigar that I can really get into. A great daily smoke without being too heavy."



You ever seen this label?

With any luck, this cigar will make it to market someday and I'll be waiting to buy a box for myself


Ready to smoke.