NEW YEARS EVE 2010

Whether in black tie or sweat pants

Out on the town or at home

Grande Cuvee Champagne or beer or any drink in between

Celebrate

Black Truffles, 2005 Chateau Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon ...the makings of a great dinner...the prime dry aged Filet Mignons are resting comfortably off camera.

Outstanding meal. You can never go wrong with wrapping a filet mignon and copious amounts of sliced black truffles in puff pastry. Roasted to medium rare and served with Sauce Perigueux.

The Montelena was classic. Deep ruby red color with red raspberry on the front opening to cherry and clove on the finish. Very Bordeaux-like. Complex with good structure.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS

Panettone

The first time I tasted Panettone was when living in NYC. I was fortunate enough to have lived in the South Murray Hill section of Manhattan (some people call it curry hill because of all the Indian restaurants on 28th) where an outstanding food shop named Todaro Brothers is located on 2nd ave. between 30th and 31st. What a great place. Packed with mostly Italian delicacies: Cheeses, meats, pasta, cookies, pastry, coffee and all the then hard to find cooking essentials like dried mushrooms and imported pistachio and tomato paste. The list is endless. The great thing abut Todaro Brothers is, it was and is a neighborhood shop. Much smaller than the eponymous Balduccis over in the village, but every bit has sophisticated in its offerings.

Which leads me to the Panettone. Around Christmas time, boxed Panettone appeared in grocery stores around the city. Now, they are even available in Southern California markets. I never knew what a Panettone was until a few culinary school classmates and I were in Todaro Brothers shopping for a dinner party. FYI: When three culinary students decide to have a dinner party around Christmas, it can get a bit out of hand. NYC apartments aren't exactly equipped with enough ventilation and storage space to do ten courses for eight people not to mention all the wine, but it was fun. Back to the Panettone. My classmates described it as a Christmas bread with dried fruit baked into it. Well, being from the south, that sounded like a fruitcake. And to me a fruitcake had dual use: either as a doorstop or a cake some family and friends somehow enjoyed. Maybe the bourbon laced eggnog common on the southern holiday table had something to do with it? Anyhow, I was skeptical. But wow was I wrong. Buttery almost Brioche-like in texture and richness with dried orange and raisins bursting with flavor. Panettone is a must around the holidays. Served toasted plain or with a little jam and a cup of strong coffee it is a great way to start the day.

Far from Todaro Brothers these days, we recently ordered a Panettone Milanese from Emporio Rulli located in Larkspur California. It is outstanding. Chef Rulli and his staff prepare each one adhering to traditional techniques and utilizing only natural ingredients. You won't find any ingredients that require a chemistry degree to pronounce; just egg yolks, butter, wheat flour, candied orange peel and golden raisins. Order early, they have been known to shut down the kitchen if they are inundated with orders.

On this rainy cool morning; life is pretty good.

Red Wine Braised Chicken

When the weather is cool and a braise seems perfect, try this.

Serves two - four depending on the weight of the chicken.

1. 2 bone-in chicken breasts. Or, 4 thighs.

2. Half bottle of red wine

3. 1 cup of chicken stock

4. 1 Tbls tomato paste.

5. 2 bay leafs

6. 4 sprigs of thyme

7. 1 cup of mirepoix (equal parts chopped carrot, celery, onion)

8. 1 Tbls flour

9. Pancetta or bacon. Cut into 1/4 inch slices

10. 3 Tbls olive oil

In a pan just large enough to place the chicken side by side (no stacking) heat olive oil over med heat and add the Pancetta. Cook until crispy. Remove the pancetta and drain on paper towel.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add to pan skin side down. Cook until golden brown. Turn and brown. Remove chicken from pan.

Add the mirepoix cook until soft.

Add the tomato paste, stir to incorporate.

Add the flour, stir to incorporate

Add wine. Increase temp to hi and reduce by half.

Add the chicken back to the pan (skin side up) and add chicken stock, bay leaf and thyme.

Cover and reduce heat to allow liquid to simmer (not boil).

After 10 minutes turn chicken pieces over, re-cover and cook until internal temp of chicken reads 155.

Remove chicken, strain sauce into a pan over med-hi heat and reduce to desired consistence. It should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low.

De-bone the chicken and add it back into the sauce to keep warm.

Serve with frisee salad with the pancetta. Goes well with rice, potato or parsley- buttered fettuccine.

Wine: Red Burgundy, Cru Beaujolais.

THE SEASON

Since the madness of Thanksgiving is over, we can now enjoy the food, drink and celebration season of the year. All the great cities of the world are decking the halls, lighting the candles and pulling corks.

In my restaurant days, the period from Thanksgiving to New Years Day was the busiest, craziest and most fun time of the year. Every night was a new adventure. The guests were out to indulge their every whim and we were there to stretch our culinary muscles. Truffles, foie gras, oysters, venison, duck, goose, caviar, racks of veal, morels, chestnuts, wild boar, sauce poivrade, sauce perigourdine, squab, quail eggs, chocolate souffle, Champagne granita... I loved it all. Our menus were complex and labor intensive. Every real cook loves every minute of it.

The glow of the December dining room was unique. Regular guests, dressed to the hilt, stopped by en route to parties to share a glass and set plans for dinners to come. Familiar faces with out of town guests filled our room wanting, demanding to be wowed. Every city I cooked in had her own style but the electricity was universal. New York, San Diego, Atlanta and Joigny France were all great spots to play in and practice the craft of holiday gastronomy. I was lucky.

We've started our season and I hope all of you have as well.

Cheers!

Thanksgiving

Good luck to everyone cooking at home today.

Remember

When in doubt ...add butter

Always keep some chicken stock on hand to moisten any dried out dishes

Neither Michelin, AAA nor Mobile travel guide inspectors will be stopping by to dissect your menu today.

And

Two fingers of Makers Mark, a few ice cubes and a splash of soda cures most ills.

Happy Thanksgiving

Cheese, Fromage, Formaggio, Queso

Cheese is wonderful. Alive like wine. The flavor and texture are the result of the passion and skill of the cheesemaker, the quality of the milk and the diet and geographic home of the cow, sheep and or goat. The best thing is, cheese can be served anytime and for any course. It goes well in salads, melted on top of soup, in pasta, on a hamburger, in an omelet, as a pre-pastry course in a formal menu or for desert. I once worked for a Chef who served a lamb chop with a melted disk of goat cheese on it and a quenelle of tapenade on the side. I was skeptical. Yea...try it.

Finally, after many years of living in a vacuum in the United States, we have joined the rest of the cheese loving world and are importing and producing great artisan cheeses. Thanks in large part to Steven Jenkins. With his 1996 book, Cheese Primer, the demand for local and chain food markets in the US to offer real cheese, not the industrialized orange plastic that was sold here under the lie: cheese, has skyrocketed. I had the pleasure of working with Mr. Jenkins as an assistant during one of his cheese classes in NYC. I've been a devotee of fine cheese ever since. In his classes, the group had the opportunity to taste many outstanding offerings. The most important aspect I took away from the experience though, was advocacy. He empowered and motivated us to DEMAND quality artisan cheese from our local markets. It worked. I was in a large corporate grocery store recently and there was a cheese counter that contained the likes of Roquefort, Gruyere and Morbier. This was unheard of twenty years ago. From the local cheese shops well stocked with once unattainable offerings, up scale food shops to chain grocery stores, we are now able to enjoy one of the great foods of the world.

The next time you have some quiet time on a Saturday afternoon, tear off a hunk of baguette, slice it open, smear some demi-sel butter on it, place a healthy slice of Comte or Emmental in it, pour a glass of Cotes-du-Rhone, flip on Dave Brubeck's Take Five and enjoy. You'll understand.

VETERANS DAY - 2010

To those who slip away in the night

To do what needs to be done

The BONES

The shooters and comm-guys

The coxswains

The head-shed and butt-shed

CHEERS

The Bacchus Report- Early Fall

Wow, we've tasted some great reds this fall. I've done something a little different recently in terms of purchasing wines though. Direct purchasing from distributors has become very easy in the past few years. Two companies that I find very fun are Kermit Lynch and Garagistewine.com. Kermit Lynch is based in Berkeley CA. and specializes in french wines, but other regions are available as well. By signing up for their newsletter, buyers receive email alerts as well as the monthly newsletter. Outstanding descriptions of the offerings accompany the emails along with prices. Purchasing is as easy as calling in, placing an order and a few days later the wine arrives. Right now they are offering pre-arrival orders for many outstanding Burgundies that will ship in January.

Garagistewine.com is slightly different. After signing up to receive their daily (sometimes multiple) emails, purchasers receive descriptions / price notes directly from Garagistewine.com in France. As he travels from vintner to vintner, emails are sent to the subscription list. Purchasing is accomplished by sending an email to garagistewine.com's home base in Seattle. Shipments only go out twice a year: Once in the fall and once in the spring.

Both are great companies and bring outstanding offerings to the home wine lover. This is not to say I don't support the local wind shop, I do, however finding the great mid-priced drinkable Burgundies that I loved when living in Joigny, France is difficult to find in many shops.

BURGUNDY

2008, Bruno Colin - Bourgogne, FRANCE

2008, Regis Bouvier - Bourgogne en Montre Cul, FRANCE

COTES DU RHONE

2009, Maxime - Francois Laurent - Il Fait Soif, FRANCE

ZINFANDEL

2008, RIDGE - LYTTON SPRINGS, NAPA

2007, RIDGE - THREE VALLEYS, NAPA

Culinary School-Basic-Part II

The Basic curriculum was full of terms and techniques that had to be mastered. After a week or so my class began to get in the grove and we felt pretty good about our performance. Then it happened. It seems that when my partner and I were preparing sauce diable we were a little out of sync. Sauce Diable is a reduction sauce that is made up of veal stock, white wine, tomato puree, lemon juice, black peppercorns, cayenne pepper and finished with parsley. Two novice cooks battling through school, stressed and short on time (time constraints were placed on all activities at FCI to develop "restaurant speed" ability) probably shouldn't be allowed around cayenne pepper. Our sauce burned Chef Denis' mouth so bad he had to dismiss the class early. We think, after a quick chalk talk, that we both seasoned the sauce...at least twice. He really didn't say much to us other than a rather LOUD explanation about why a Chef has to be able to taste everything throughout a shift and we pretty much ruined that for the day.

Oh Well.

Culinary School - Basic - Part I

The first phase of the French Culinary Institute Cuisine track is, or was when I attended, called Basic.

When attending the FCI I lived on 32nd street between 2nd and 3rd avenues. It was a great neighborhood. Full of young professionals and med students who worked at the nearby NYU medical center. Good bars and locals restaurants made up 2nd and 3rd avenues between 28th and 36th, my neighborhood. So, every morning I walked the few blocks up to Park and 33rd to board the 6 (local) train. The ride to my stop in SOHO at Spring St. took about twenty minutes, then three blocks and into school. Sometimes I'd jump on the 4 or 5 train (express) at 33rd and if my timing was perfect I could cross the platform at the 14th street station and get through the closing doors on the 6 local just in time and cut my transit time in half. For non-New Yorkers or anyone who has never lived in the city, that move doesn't mean anything to you. But, it's a skill that pro strap hangers execute every day all over the city. As a matter of fact, last winter when I was in NYC my instincts took over and I used the local and express trains / platform cross maneuver with ease...I still have it.

Basic is a bit nerve racking at first. The goal is to start everyone from the beginning, literally how to turn on stoves and ovens, boil water, etc. Nothing was assumed. Each person in class is paired off with another class mate and the daily routine began. Every morning, we would set our stations and wait for Chef Denis. He would lecture then demonstrate and we would work. This went on all day. Every technique and piece of equipment was explained and demonstrated before we did anything.

A station was a cutting board, knives and small equipment like spoons and peelers etc. We learned real quick the proper way to work is left to right. Raw ingredients on the left-work on the board- finished prep placed in a bowl or other container on the right and scraps placed in a container that was placed directly at 12 o'clock. God help you if you put anything on the prep table. All products pre or post prep had to be kept in some sort of container. To this day I still work like this anytime I cook. From day one cleanliness and organization was stressed beyond belief. The hierarchy of professional kitchens, especially ones run by Europeans is very strict. A cook's reputation is made by working fast, clean and precise. FCI trained us in this philosophy from day one.

A few terms that a beginning cook at FCI quickly learned was "mis en place," "in the weeds" and "shoemaker." Mis en place is translated as "everything in place." Sounds fairly benign but it's not. The meaning con notates having all your prep done in a timely manner (prior to meal service). Cooks over the years have invoked poetic license that would make E. E. Cummings proud with the use of the term mis en place. "Do yo have your place ready" (are your prepped for service?), "F%*&! my mis is blown from last night!" (I used all my prep last night during service, I am so screwed right now), "I'm placed pretty good" (my station is fully prepped and ready for anything), "Your mis is S#&*!" (your station is a mess and your prep is sloppy). Yes there is quite a bit of gutter mouth in the kitchen, but usually in a interesting way. Straight up cursing really isn't a good image for a professional cook and cursing in front of the Chef is considered disrespectful. "In the Weeds" means a cook is totally behind schedule in getting ready for service, as in: "I over cooked all my haricot verts, now I'm in the weeds. Shoemaker: one of my favorites. I first heard this from a second phase Chef- Instructor that cooked at the venerable Russian Tea House during it's heyday in the 1980's. A shoemaker is simply a bad cook. If ever referred to as shoemaker, it would be recommended that a career change was in order, like being a waiter.

"The Life" had begun.

Pat Conroy, Education and Braised Pork

I am in the midst of reading The Water is Wide by Pat Conroy. What a great read. Yes, it does pair well with a bourbon. The book tells the story of a young teacher named Pat Conroy, one in the same, who takes a teaching assignment on a small island off the coast of Savannah, Georgia. Without ruining the story, the young idealistic teacher runs straight into a challenging situation where the student body is comprised of kids living on an island that modernity left in its wake. Being a part of the education system, I have a strong urge to share a thought on the current national buzz regarding education. Documentary film makers, politicians, First Ladies, teachers, administrators and news channel talking heads have all chimed in lately which, in my opinion is great. It is a much over due discussion and I am glad it is taking place.

This is not a scientific, academically rigorous thesis, rather, a thought. Educators, students and parents is the principle cohort responsible for education. If an English teacher you know doesn't have a house full of books and their resting heart rate doesn't spike and knees tremble when the words of the Bard are interjected into conversation, in the classroom or not, and if the same English teacher doesn't become flush with thought when the likes of Becket, Steinbeck, Whitman or Wolf are read and discussed, he or she is not an English TEACHER but rather an instructor of English curriculum. Passion, subject matter expertise and a driving desire to connect kids with learning are the qualities of real TEACHERS. These are the teachers that matter and should be revered. Parents should set expectations high and be a team player in the process. Students should be challenged and rise to the occasion with the best of their ability to learn and develop the analytic skills needed in our "flat world." To use a athletic coaching philosophy: excuses are a sign of cowardice.

Which leads me to braised pork. Hey, the prose of Conroy is a perfect marriage with the nuances and layered flavors resulting from braising. When you read Conroy, the southern United States is felt. The warm, sweet, albeit humid air, the accents and inter-coastal waterway and marshlands all are on parade for the reader's senses. Rosemary braised pork loin, radicchio, Gnocchi and a Cote du Rhone. What an evening we had. I've never braised stove-top so this was a new experience and it was well worth the effort. The result was a tender, flavorful roast perfumed of rosemary and sauced with the braising liquid bound with a small bit of Dijon mustard. The gnocchi was baked in a sauce bechamel and topped with Parmigiano Reggiano. The velvet bechamel-gnocchi combination topped with a crisp Parmesan crust was ........ yea. Wilted radicchio added a nice texture and slightly bitter and spicy flavor. Paired with the rustic quality of a superb 2007 Domain Gramenon, Il Fait Soif was perfect. The wine jumps out with sour cherries, herb and pepper which works well with the richness of the gnocchi and complexity of braised pork.

Cheers!

Recipe for The Braised Pork can be found in The Sliver Spoon, Phaidon Press Inc.

BAKERIES

Growing up in a mid-sized city in North Carolina, we had two bakeries, Rolling Pin and Townhouse. Both were independently owned and operated and specialized in classic Americana; Doughnuts, cookies, cakes, brownies, cinnamon rolls and bread. My memories are of the 70's and early 80's, so this was well before the commercially baked, chemically infused, giant sized muffin and scone craze of the 90's attacked our taste buds. Well, I have found a traditional American bakery in North San Diego that has returned sanity to the baking profession: Village Mill Bread Co., located at 12845 El Camino Real, Del Mar, CA.

Village Mill hits the right senses. Warm dry air, a full view of the baking kitchen, cooling racks right up next to the display case and that unmistakable aroma of flour, cinnamon and sugar. The beauty of the bakeries of my youth and Village Mill is they do what they do and do it well. No over extension. They are bakers, not pastry chefs, and want it that way. With a small retail area in front of the kitchen, Village Mill offers some of the best baked goods I have found in San Diego. The muffins are moderate in size and pack a powerful punch of flavor, moistness and texture. Cookies are prepared correctly, which means the sugar level is in balance with the other spices and ingredients and baked to a nice soft interior with a substantial exterior crunch. The bread offerings are traditional sandwich loaf style and sliced on the premises. I imagine the bread is more of my parents and grandparents generation, rich in flavor with substantial texture. Definitely not the mass produced grocery store bread brands that have that gummy, odd chemical taste profile. The cinnamon rolls....just try them.

Next time you are in the Carmel Valley area of San Diego stop by Village Mill and try a pumpkin or carrot cake muffin. Both offer gobs of natural flavor. Grab a chocolate chip cookie for later and enjoy the semi-sweet chips combined with a healthy dose of vanilla. At first you will probably be a bit stunned due to the lack of chemicals but give it a second and your body will remember what baked good are supposed to taste like. You won't be sorry.

CULINARY SCHOOL

After my friends returned from their trip to the east coast recently where they dined at The French Culinary Institute (FCI) in NYC, memories of my culinary school experience came rushing back to the fore. I attended and graduated from FCI, so over the next few postings I'll try to recount life as a student there.

FCI was founded in 1984 by Dorothy Cann Hamilton. The school offers six month professional programs in culinary, pastry and bread arts and also has many non-professional and continuing education courses as well. The professional program exists to prepare cooks to be technically sound entry level kitchen professionals. There are no business classes, intramural sports or any other non-culinary offerings. Many culinary programs in the United States have moved to offer Associate Degrees and entice potential students with a quasi-college experience including dorm life, sports, clubs, student unions and student government. FCI, thankfully, has not gone down that road and remains grounded in teaching culinary technique and kitchen life. The FCI curriculum is based on the 120 cooking and pastry techniques necessary to attain professional cook status in France. Since the United States does not, unfortunately, license cooks, Ms. Hamilton decided to model the school on the proven teaching process in France that prepares student to pass the Certificat d'aptitude Professionnel — CAP. Having been a Chef de Cuisine on three occasions during my career and interviewed and hired many cooks, the FCI program is by far the most realistic in its goals. The parade of applicants I have interviewed from other schools wearing embroidered Bragard (the finest Chef clothing firm in the world) jackets and discussing their culinary philosophy and thoughts on wine pairings with various ingredients that they could barely pronounce was silly if not so sad. The dirty secret American culinary schools don't want anyone to know is that the life of a entry level cook is arduous, your true worth is in your ability to perform repetitive tasks to exacting standards, low paying and no Chef really cares what any new graduate thinks about anything. That is why I chose FCI. No one at FCI misleads the students with grand ideas of what "the life" is all about. The professional kitchen is not for everyone. Like all professions there are pretenders and truly passionate people who dedicate their lives to their craft. "The life" was for me and I loved every minute of it, beginning with new student orientation- November 1994, FCI New York City.

My class all sat nervously in the dinning room of the student run restaurant, L'Ecole while various school administrators presented last minute registration information. Uniforms and equipment were issued along with a locker and ID card. Then the Chef-Instructors and Deans arrived. The nice thing about FCI students was that no matter what profession we had all left to join the food world, we were very in tune with the Who's Who of our new career. This was not so much different than a rabid sports fan knowing every NFL or NBA player and their biography. So, when Chefs Alain Saihac, Andre Soltner and Jacques Pepin walked in laughing and speaking rapid fire French, we all reacted as though Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and John Paxson had entered the room. The three luminaries all spoke to us in a grandfatherly manner about what was available to us and how the program would progress over the next six months [FCI is divided up into three two month phases, basic, prep and L'Ecole]. Then our First Phase Chef-Instructor, Chef Denis spoke. This was not grandfatherly. Chef Denis had cut his teeth in the NYC restaurant scene during the heady 1980's and early 90's. He was from the real world. Over the next two months we would learn of his time cooking at 21 Club and other NYC landmarks for Henry Kissinger, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and a host of movers and shakers- gourmands and not. **SIDE STORY ALERT**- One of Chef Denis' tasks, at 21 Club, was to make pommes souffles for Jackie O. It seems she lunched at 21 once a week and no matter who she was with, always began her lunch with an order of pommes souffles. Every guy in class instantly fell in love with her. How many women in the public eye, like Jackie Kennedy wearing Haute Couture, had the chutzpah to go to 21, dine amongst Wall Street players, jet-setters and NYC socialites and eat a bowl of souffled potato chips before lunch? That's sexy. Chef Denis' parting words to us that morning have stuck in my head ever since. He merely asked a question: "What is the correct answer to the Chef when asked to do something in the kitchen? After some feeble attempts by my classmates to respond, he provided the answer: "Yes Chef." I was in culinary school.

NEW YORK CITY AND HANGER STEAK

Two old friends recently made a college visitation trip to New York, Connecticut and New England. During a brief hiatus from campus tours they found themselves in the SOHO area of NYC. To be more exact, they had stumbled upon my culinary alma mater: The French Culinary Institute (FCI). After reading the menu of the school's student run restaurant, L'ECOLE, they ventured in for lunch. Although I am biased, L'ECOLE is an outstanding option for lunch and dinner in NYC. The kitchen is staffed by FCI students in their final block of instruction prior to the final exam. The pastry and bread served in the restaurant is made by the bread and pastry track students at FCI. The menu is developed by the FCI Chef instructors and Deans. To drop a few names: FCI Deans Andre Soltner (Lutece), Jacques Torres MOF (Le Cirque, Torres Chocolate), Alain Saihac (Le Cygne, Le Cirque) and Jacques Pepin (eminent cookbook author and teacher) all have a hand in the menu. For $28 USD and a wine pairing option, it is a great lunch deal in NYC. Luckily for my friends, Hanger steak or Onglet was on the lunch menu that day.

Hanger steak is a personal favorite in our home. I am a bit hesitant in divulging the virtues of the hanger steak lest it becomes known and suffers the fate of monk fish, striped bass or Patagonia tooth fish (Chilean Sea Bass). In other words drastic price increases, supply shortages and "ear ring-tattooed" trendy chefs destroying the purity of the cut. Case in point: years ago a brilliant Chef in NYC named Gilbert Le Coze owned, along with his sister Maguy, the restaurant named Le Bernardin. During the 80's and until his untimely death in 1994, Chef Le Coze led a kitchen brigade that dedicated itself to all things sea food. Le Bernardin was known then as now, Eric Ripert took over after Le Coze's death, for exquisite preparations and combinations of fish that Americans had never heard of. His roasted prosciutto wrapped monk fish sliced table-side like a Chateaubriand served with a saffron, Pernod cream started a country wide demand for the fish previously known as "poor mans lobster." As monk fish began showing up in all types of restaurants throughout the 80's and 90's, prices soared and availability became scarce.

Which leads us to Onglet. Known as a "butchers cut," because the butcher kept it for himself and didn't sell it to the public. In France it is known as "Bistrot Steak" and in England, "Skirt." The consistency is similar to flank steak but with a bold flavor that lends itself to many classic accompaniments. In San Diego, it sells for approximately $8 per pound and is readily available...right now anyway. If you are interested in a great cut of meat that offers a unique texture and ten times the flavor of the venerable Filet Mignon, than the Hanger / Onglet is for you.

When preparing and serving Onglet we adhere to a strict tongue-in-cheek procedure. Close all the windows, turn up the music (a'la Tony Soprano) so no one outside hears we are serving Onglet. Pull the cork on a big red wine. Montelena, Heitz cabernet or a Burgundian pinot works well here. Season the steak with salt and pepper. Seer well in olive oil and whole butter. Turn and place paper thin slices of shallot across the steaks. When the steaks reach medium rare, remove and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes on a small over turned plate. This is done so the juices re-absorb in to the meat and the steak doesn't sit in any run-off juices which boils it and renders it well done shoe leather. Also, you don't get a big puddle of blood on the plate when you cut in, thus losing all the flavor and the perfect pink color. Present with truffled pomme darphin, a small salad and artisanal bread with demi-sel butter. Sprinkle Fleur de Sel on the steaks and enjoy. When dinner is over: open the windows, turn the music down and have your guests sign a non-disclosure agreement as to the menu and origin of this fabulous cut off meat.

Oh... this dinner screams for a single malt scotch or cognac as a closer.

ROASTED CHICKEN WITH SAGE AND LEMON

1- Free range roasting chicken

1- Small lemon, sliced

1- Small onion or shallot chopped into eighths

6- Sage Leaves, chopped

3- Tbl. unsalted butter, room temperature

2 -Tbl. Olive oil

salt

pepper

cotton kitchen twine

Roasting Pan

Preheat oven to 425

Preparation:

1. Combine the butter and sage to form a paste. Season with salt and pepper

2. With index finger, carefully separate the skin from the breast meat of the chicken to form a pocket . Do not tear the skin off the bird.

3. Smear the butter mixture on the breast meat under the skin. Try to cover the majority of the breast without tearing the skin.

4. Liberally salt and pepper the cavity of the chicken.

5. Place the lemon slices and onion segments into the chicken cavity.

6. Truss the chicken

7. Salt and pepper the entire chicken and coat the skin with the olive oil.

8. Place chicken in roasting pan breast-side up.

9. Roast in oven for 25 minutes. Reduce heat to 375. Continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer registers 160 near the breast bone and the thigh. Approximately 45 - 55 minutes more.

10. Remove from oven and let rest for 15-20 minutes. Slice and serve.

Serve with a medium bodied, fruit forward red. Examples: New world Pinot Noir, California Zinfandel, Cru Beaujolais (Fleurie, Julienas) or a Chinon.

OFFICE PARTIES

The office party is a strange bird. Often political maneuvering and playing to the boss can dampen the spirit and twist the intention of the gathering. Last night at our "office party," so to speak, neither occurred.

Actually it wasn't an office party at all. Yes the bar was well stocked and the drinks flowed, the food was very good, weather-perfect, music-OK (our "Boss" tends to sneak in some new-age country music now and again- but we love him anyway), but really: the people made it. Fifty colleagues with varying points of view, diverse backgrounds, old friends and new all congregated under the stars, left the office at the office and ate, drank and laughed well into the night.

Build-your-own cedar plank salmon tacos / burritos, chips and salsa and rice and beans made up the menu. The salmon cook deserves kudos. The well seasoned, caramelized skin-side and moist, perfectly cooked fish resulted in a great preparation. Nearing the end of the evening, out came cheesecakes. Ok, that was bold and a crowd pleaser. Only amongst friends can tequila segway into salmon tacos and finish with heavy duty cheese cakes.

Maybe the "Office Parties" revisited on the hit TV drama, Mad Men, are a relic of a different era, however, one thing remains: People make The Party a party. Perfectly cooked salmon and an open bar can't hurt though.

Cheers

FRIDAY DINNER?

After a long week, the thought of stopping by the market and heading into the kitchen to cook may seem arduous to some. To others a reprieve.

To those not fortunate enough to live in a city where the accepted Friday routine may include dashing off to a bar with co-workers for a few libations then meeting up later with someone special for dinner and a night out (memories of NYC abound here), time in the kitchen may do the trick. I no longer live in a city that relishes the buzz and energy that is Friday. No, in Southern California we re-seal ourselves in our car, sit in traffic, contemplate stopping somewhere to do something, text and plan and meet up with people sometimes. But it's not the same. So....off to the market.

Yes, Sunday lunch is a staple in Italy, France and the south. But Friday dinner can provide the same sort of atmosphere for you, friends and family and not to mention a romantic rendezvous. Turn off the cell phone, put on some Yo-Yo Ma or some Miles Davis, pour your favorite and turn on the stove. Before you know it, conversation will flow, the week will melt away and the weekend has begun.

Yesterday we did just that. A free range chicken roasted with sage and lemon; served with sauteed heirloom fingerling potatoes and simple salad. Paired with an outstanding 2007, Les Pensees de Pallus, Chinon, France: It was a perfect end to a hectic week.

BJORNSTAD PINOT NOIR

The first pinot of the season was a resounding success. Although the temperatures in San Diego have suddenly risen to summer-like conditions, we decided to venture into the red wine shelves of the storage unit.

The 2006 Bjornstad Hellenthal Pinot Noir is a fabulous wine that captures the essence of the rugged Sonoma coast terroir. The Hellenthal vineyard is located less than five miles from the Pacific Ocean where long wet and cool winters are the norm. On the nose, cassis and cherry are dominant. In the glass, the color is a deep ruby and offers good acid and tannin structure with a long finish. The bold flavors of cherry, anise and spice combine for a complex wine that stands up to various robust dishes.

We served it with a Prime-Rib eye steak, pomme darphin and a simple heirloom tomato / frisee salad. For dessert: a comte aged twelve months.

Excellent

Approximate retail price: $50.00

THE BACCHUS REPORT

With the end of summer fast approaching, a tasting report is in order. Soon the reds that are lying in wait and resting comfortably in the 56 degree storage cabinet will take center stage and the fall season will commence. First, however, warm weather favorites deserve their due. What a great summer it was for the nose and palette.

Veuve Clicquot, yellow label. A perennial favorite for those who enjoy a mid-to-full bodied Champagne. This yellow-golden wine made predominately of pinot noir and chardonnay grapes always delivers good fruit, structure and a hint of vanilla. To celebrate a special birthday in late July with a wino-dominant group of friends, we served yellow label with a pastry buffet of chocolate brownies a la Thomas Keller, strawberries, lemon tarts and Karen Krasne's Blood Orange Ricotta torte. What an evening.

Sancerre. This ever pleasing, food friendly import from the Loire valley should always be at the ready for impromptu affairs, summer dinners or whenever goat cheese appears on the table. The 100% sauvignon blanc wine is renowned for it's dry, light-to-medium body with aromatics and flavor of peaches. A personal favored menu to pair with a Sancerre is an Omelette aux Fines Herbes for two, salad of frisee, heirloom tomatoes and olives. For desert, a duo of goat cheeses: Crottin de Chavignol and Cypress Grove Chevre- Humbolt Fog or Purple Haze and an artisanal baguette...come on...unbeatable.

New world Sauvignon Blanc (SB). California produces some of the greatest SB in the world. The always pleasing Cakebread SB with the pop of golden delicious apples tempered with lime and mineral offers so many culinary pairings. Local halibut, shrimp or scallops prepared with minimum interference from the cook are always a hit with Cakebread. Morgan and Frogs Leap are other outstanding picks that offer crisp and refreshing wines with notes of citrus and lemon zest. Always good to keep a case in storage.

Rose: What would summer be without classic French Rose. Tavel, the dry rose from the rhone valley is a summer staple. Venturing into the Provencal wines brings a more fruit forward tasting profile and is synonymous with warm afternoons and casual gatherings. The strawberry flavors and cleansing acidity of the Cotes de Provence offerings lend themselves to lazy days feasting on tapenade, tomato saffron poached shell fish and conversation with the sounds of Dave Brubeck as a back drop.

Yes, summer is winding down. Schools are opening soon, high school and college football teams are preparing for the season and new college freshman are in their final few weeks before the big move-in. It's almost time to trade in the Bermuda shorts for long pants and sweaters and the leaves will be changing color back home in a month or two. Great memories of summer... but...where's my decanter? The big reds are calling.

CAMBRIDGE, MA

BARTLEY'S

Oh sure, I could have loaded a plethora of photos of Cambridge, MA replete with the majestic buildings of Harvard or the serene Charles River, but Bartley's deserves top billing. With all the seriousness that surrounds the town, higher education at Ivy League institutions is serious..you know, Cambridge is very fun. In the tradition of real college towns (Ann Arbor, Chapel Hill, Charlottesville, Princeton, Amherst) Cambridge has a great mix of good traditional and new concept restaurants...and undergrad fare, beer bars, upscale drinking establishments and a broad span of hotels. Lots of coffee, of course, as well.

Bartley's is one such tradition in a town full of them. Literally across the street from the Harvard campus, the restaurant has been serving students, professors and visitors alike since 1960. Hamburgers, a full page of them, are the central focus of the menu and all are named and creatively described. I had the "Ted Kennedy: a plump, liberal amount of burger with cheddar, mushrooms and fries." There is the Mitt Romney, John Kerry, Bill Clinton: the list goes on. One offering I did take exception to was the "A-Rod: A real turkey burger w/ blue cheese and hot sauce." Ahh... those witty Red Sox fans. Two world championships since 1918 and they think they have a seat at the table. How are they doing this year by the way? Eating at Bartley's is an adventure. There is always a line to get in. The man pictured above sitting down writing is taking orders. When you reach the front door and are offered a table, your order is already in the kitchen. A few minutes later the food is served. An incredibly efficient operation. The dining room is small and decorated with posters, newspapers and pictures telling the story of Cambridge social life over the past fifty years. Great hand made burgers, fries and onion rings. A must visit.

We stayed at The Charles Hotel. Very modern and a great location. The hotel is situated two blocks from the square and right next to Harvard's Kennedy School of Government (HKS). For public policy and international relations wonks, HKS is a thrill to see. The service at The Charles is outstanding and all the amenities live up to the AAA-Four Diamond rating. With a vibrant lobby bar called Noir and the award winning restaurant: Rialto, it would have been easy to stay in the hotel during the evening. Cambridge has too much to offer for that though.

We, of course, ventured out every evening we were in town to taste and toast the town. Two restaurants of note we enjoyed were: The Red House and Russell House Tavern. Both are near Harvard Square and offer thoughtful, complex menus. The Red House is in...well... a small red house. The menu is local farm-to-table fare and expertly executed. We dined on whole lobster served with a lightly spiced tomato linguini and the New England classic, cracker crusted cod. This is great little restaurant that serves up fun flavorful dishes in a great old setting. For an after dinner drink in a vibrant and eclectically decorated setting: Upstairs on the Square is a perfect night cap for the evening.

The Russell House menu is more in keeping with the gastro-pub movement that has finally reached the United States from the UK. Gastro-Pubs offer serious food in a energized pub environment. We enjoyed a Charcuterie Plat with outstanding Rillettes, duck liver pate, Serrano Ham and Sauccison Sec. For main courses we sampled a classic Steak Frites and the Flat Iron steak with a savory bread pudding. Paired with a 2007 Lake Sonoma Zinfandel: Perfect.

Cambridge has it all. We were in town before and after our trip to Block Island and found it the perfect location for a stop-over before heading on our way. The energy and sophistication of real college towns offer good fun and Cambridge lived up to our expectations. The hotel staff was very professional and the restaurant and bar folks are polished, well spoken and very good at what they do. A great town.