“We are born for meaning, not pleasure, unless it is pleasure that is steeped in meaning.” – Jacob Needleman

It’s been quite a week with the ongoing party of SF Chefs and more high profile restaurant openings (Commonwealth, Benu, Bar Agricole). At SF Chefs, besides attending numerous seminars, tastings & parties (recap in next issue), I was one of three judges at a Top Chef Happy Hour in the W Hotel (former Top Chef contestants from the show facing off for best cocktail). I also emceed a chef demo at Williams Sonoma’s flagship store with Chef Jason Berthold and Pastry Chef Nick Flores of RN74. A delightfully exhausting week!

On the home front, Top Tastes highlights new SF openings, molecular experimentation, Boston-style roast beef sandwiches and duck confit tacos. Around the Bay reviews a slew of new (and not so new) eats in Wine Country, from Morimoto Napa to Spoonbar.

Now for Tales of the Cocktail and New Orleans coverage: a rundown of most memorable moments in On the Town. On the Town Part Two covers winners along with my photos from Tales‘ Spirited Awards Ceremony (Mad Men celebrity shots included). Imbiber lists the most memorable cocktails at Tales.

Wandering Traveler eats and drinks through the French Quarter with proper cocktails, Italian Creole cuisine, burgers at 3am, and divine Creole Cream Cheese Red Velvet Cake ice cream.

I’d love your feedback on any spots visited from my site. Please tell your friends and have them sign up for the newsletter. As your personal concierge who tells it to you like a good friend would, I also create personalized itineraries: trips, meals, explorations (under “Services“).

Let me guide you to the perfect spot!

Virginia

Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ThePerfectSpot

Here’s recent entries in my SF Bay Guardian column, Appetite:
Three Gourmet Cheap Eats in Sonoma
Tales from Tales in New Orleans
SF Chefs returns
Two Sodas for the Epicure

**Unless otherwise noted, all photos by Virginia Miller**

Top Tastes, rather than a list of all-time favorites (another thing altogether), are among the best eats since my last newsletter, often from new openings. Many don’t make the cut, being a revisit previously written about or simply not as stand-out as dishes mentioned.

MID-RANGE RESTAURANTS

COMMONWEALTH, Mission – I’ve been a fan of Mission St. Food (Mission Burger and Mission Chinese Food, too) since inception, so I made an immediate reservation (second day after opening) at Commonwealth from Anthony Myint and the awesome MSF team. It’s great to see former Bar Tartine chef Jason Fox back on the scene as chef here. Though I mourn the closure of the free-spirited St. Food and Burger concepts, I am glad to still have these guys on the scene, now in an uber-chic, cozy space serving $60 tasting menus with molecular gastronomy touches.

I chose to order more affordably a la carte so I could try more dishes (the whole table has to order the tasting menu), even as I wanted the tasting-menu-only Salt-Cured Foie Gras and Goat cooked in hay.

I started with a liquid nitrogen aperitif, The Narwhal ($11 – visions of LA’s The Bazaar in my head). Slushie-like, it’s a frozen blend of Floc de Gascogne, sake, ambrosia melon and lime. It awakened the taste buds, packing a boozy bite. If only there were more ‘cocktails’ like this on offer (they only serve wine and beer, though it’s a fine selection).

The meal started off high with Crispy Pig Ears ($5) on a julienned pile of carrots and radish. Spiced with chili, they were essentially entirely addictive, fatty chips. Shishito Peppers ($5) come in an unusual presentation of goat cheese foam and cream-colored rose petals.

Compressed Watermelon ($10) held loads of flavor, accented by nori, tofu, cucumber, wild greens and togarashi spices.  Potato Gnocchi ($11) does what gnocchi should: it dissolves in your mouth with a buttery sigh. This gnocchi is accented by corn, maitake mushrooms, sage, Parmesan and truffle oil. Fluke Crudo ($14) is a minuscule few slivers of fish but memorable with peach and jicama slivers, rose gelee, and Douglas fir tips. You know I get jazzed by this kind of free-spirited creativity.

A couple cutting-edge pleasers are warm Corn Custard ($15), dotted with sea urchin, chorizo chunks, jalapeno and foamed with lobster emulsion. Then there’s Marrow-stuffed Squid ($12), juicy with tamarind pork, shelling beans, black garlic and cilantro. Marrow oozes out of plump squid and all is right with SF’s dining scene (far from “figs on a plate”?)

Summer Squash ($9) comes in the form of a chilled soup, refreshing and nuanced with vadouvan spices, though the star is delicate, melting fried squash blossoms on the side. More, please.

The dishes I was less enthused about are Brown-butter poached Skate Wing ($13), fine enough with cauliflower and sea beans in a dashi broth, but not particularly memorable compared to the rest of the meal. Young Hen & Spot Prawn ($16) sounded exciting (I adore spot prawns), but I couldn’t quite taste the chocolate or almond in the emulsion and spinach and artichoke bits did little to enhance it. Also, where was the hen?

Dessert ($8 each) left a final impression of balance with Cinnamon Mille-Feuille, a cardamom marshmallow, chocolate ganache and burnt honey ice cream. The cardamom lingered with me throughout the night. A playful take on a White Russian was coffee ice cream, vodka gelee, raw milk mousse and genoise cake. Each part came together seamlessly, evoking the spirit of that dessert cocktail.

As the disco ball in the rafters above added sparkle to the dining room, I left expectant of what this restaurant could become in the SF dining scene.

ZERO ZERO, SoMa – I visited the new Zero Zero twice after opening week to get a good feel for Bruce Hill’s latest, as he’s behind spots I’ve long loved, like BIX and Pizzeria Picco in Marin. This hip new SoMa space feels like one ongoing party, both on the packed Monday night I first came in, and an even more mobbed Saturday night visit. I am more a fan of upstairs or the bars (love that they have a bar both upstairs and down), whereas my second visit I was initially sat in a booth  in the corner downstairs by the kitchen. It felt almost corporate and non-descript in that corner, and we were surrounded by three tables full of families with little kids. Not my ideal for a Saturday date night with my husband.

Upon request, they graciously moved us upstairs, surveying the bustling crowd below. Though it’s noisy everywhere, the vibe is more grown-up upstairs under a fabulously creepy mural of food and Pinocchio (look for it!) Here I was energized by that festive spirit once again.

I am as weary as any food reviewer of the overdone Neapolitan pizza craze, though I could never tire of pizza. And Zero Zero‘s are fun (if sometimes bordering on soggy), rounds of blistered crusts and heartwarming toppings. Market Pizza ($13.50) has house mortadella, Padron peppers, mozzarella, roasted garlic and oregano. I prefer the simple, oozing goodness of Margherita Extra ($13.95) with buffalo mozzarella, Parmesan, basil, De Padova olive oil and tomato sauce.

On the appetizer front, Crudo ($9.75) are delicate, if minuscule, fresh tastes of the sea. Of Albacore Tuna Crudo (with Padron pepper bits, sea beans and coriander aioli) and California Halibut Crudo (with long pepper, lemon, crispy shallot and olive oil), I’d take the latter, the fried shallot adding a savory onion dimension to the fish. Pressed Watermelon Salad ($8.95) didn’t impress as much, but Ricotta-stuffed Fried Squash Blossoms ($6.95) satiate with a winning broccoli raab pesto.

I was won over by Sweet Corn Agnolotti ($12.95) with country ham, pickled peppers, Straus butter and capers, even if portion was quite small. It’s pillowy, buttery and meaty. Soft-serve Straus vanilla, chocolate, or swirl ice cream is an inspired dessert choice, not because you

haven’t seen it on menus before (such as the one at Pizzeria Picco), but because you haven’t seen it quite this way in hip SF restaurants of this nature. It’s a mix & match dessert menu, where you can order soft-serve on it’s own ($4.95), with a base like cinnamon waffle or double chocolate cookie (another $4), and a range of toppings (50 cents-$1 each) from caramel to candied peanuts. There’s also toppings you see at Pizzeria Picco, my top choices: Da Vero Olive Oil & Sea Salt or Strawberries & Manodori Balsamic Vinegar.

One big misstep for me in these initial two visits has been the cocktails. I’ve tasted four and all but one came off watered-down and lacking flavor. It’s not my mode to send things back unless they’re awful (and I’ve only done that twice in my lifetime, though I eat out a good 10 times a week). I actually considered sending these drinks back. But the complaint of “not being strong enough” never comes off well, even if it was true over both visits.

It’s too bad as the drink menu sounds delicious: Plum Smash ($10) muddles plum (a welcome slant) in my beloved bourbon with  lemon and mint. But despite the use of 100 proof Old Forester bourbon, the cocktail tasted like bourbon-scented water, not something I usually run across in this drinking town. A Jalisco Sour ($12) treated me the same, but redemption came in the form of The High Smolder ($10): Tres Agaves Anejo, pineapple gum syrup, lime, and nectarine jalapeno marmalade. This one had robust flavor and brightness.

Better to stick with fine choices from wines on tap or by the glass (in nice range of glass through 1liter options). I adore fruit and bread notes of a 2009 Palagrello Bianco “Caiti” Alois from Campania ($12 a glass), and found a 2007 Nebbiolo Langhe Cascina Ca ‘Rossa ($12 a glass) from Piedmont an ideal pairing with the pizza.

CHEAP EATS

SYCAMORE, Mission – Sycamore, oh, Sycamore… besides being an ideal Mission fit of casual eatery with good beers and wines, happy hour prices and sliders (I like the BLT Slider – $3), the real highlight is Sycamore’s Famous Roast Beef Sandwich ($8) on grocery store-reminiscent sesame buns with BBQ sauce and mayo – a sandwich tributing the roots of the native Bostonian owners. The beef is pink, shredded, both soft and dense, dissolving in your mouth. It makes me feel like a kid again.

PAPITO, Potrero Hill – Papito surprised me. From the Maktub Group, behind Chez Papa/Maman (yes, French background), I guess I wasn’t exactly expecting authentic Mexican food.

This is certainly a fresh take on Mexican, but I was delighted at just how palatable their Tacos (2 for $8) are. Duck Confit Tacos (Carnitas de Pato) are sweet (with tamarind sauce) but meaty little beauties contrasted with house pickles, habanero peppers, mint, cilantro and chipotle. I am picky about fish tacos since So. Cal. days. Their Baja Fish Taco doesn’t disappoint. In a Negro Modelo beer batter, there’s no fishiness to the rock cod with chipotle remoulade and purple cabbage slaw.

Elote Asadao ($5) is a juicy cob of corn, burnt and hardened on the ends, but sweet and juicy overall, covered in mayo and queso cotija cheese with lime and chili salt to add as desired. Instead of being smothered in mayo and cheese, as is traditional, this version has a light covering allowing all tastes to come through without overwhelming.

As Papito is near my work, I look forward to returning for Churros with chocolate ($5 – they were out on my first visit), Guacamole Papito ($6) and Enmolada ($13) – braised chicken with Oaxacan mole. The space is tiny and the kitchen a bit slow when busy, but it’s a surprisingly welcome Potrero Hill addition.

BAKED GOODS

GOODY GOODIE, SoMa – Goody Goodie is a delightful bakery window in SoMa, ideally paired with Vega’s (next door) Blue Bottle Coffee or fine Macau Iced Coffee. I enjoy their cookies (kudos for a mini option), especially “The Circus” with candy popcorn and semi-sweet chocolates. But a couple weeks ago, I was more intrigued by an Olive Cocoa Nib Wafer ($4.50 per paper-thin slab). Olive oil cured, it’s bitter chocolate, earthy and light. As the owner described meat and cheese pairings, I could almost taste the blue cheese or duck confit on top. Yes.

BAKER & BANKER BAKERY, Pacific Heights – I’ve already written of this wonderful restaurant, one of the best to open last year, both in this newsletter and for the Guardian’s 2010 Best of the Bay issue. In the last two weeks, Baker & Banker finally opened their next door bakery. Four Barrel coffee awaits along with ridiculously buttery, goopy Cinnamon Rolls, rich Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars, scones, cookies and cakes. You won’t hear me complaining.

WINE COUNTRY

View from a Spoonbar table

HEALDSBURG

SPOONBAR – I could write a piece on the cocktails alone at brand new Spoonbar in the h2hotel off of Healdsburg’s town square. You’ve already heard me mention Scott Beattie many times over the years.

He truly is one of our country’s great bartenders and his cocktail menu at Spoonbar is a revelation. Yes, you’ll get waylaid by the initial menu, but don’t let that stop you from asking for the additional one. It’s a glory of new creations, featuring edible flowers and the herbal, produce-driven beauties Beattie has perfected since his Cyrus days. But there’s the added bonus of classics done with a Beattie sensibility. I get giddy at the site of three versions each of Old-Fashioneds, Negronis, Manhattans and Sazeracs, the holy foursome of cocktails. I sampled five, each exquisite. Stay tuned for next issue’s Imbiber for details on these cocktails – it feels right seeing Beattie behind the bar again.

But the joys at Spoonbar are many as the food and wine list are likewise robust, the space open and airy (playful with hints of mid-century modern), the price point a nice mid-range. In early opening weeks, this has automatically become my # 1 Healdsburg spot for drink or food (since I can only afford Cyrus for a special occasion), and one of my tops in all of Wine Country.

Where to start? There’s wines on tap, a trend I am happy to see growing from an environmental and casual accessibility standpoint. Let Wine Director, Ross Hallett, choose and you’ll likely get a nice range of local and international wines. With dinner, he paired a dry 2000 Villa Claudia Gattinara and a full  ’05 Savuto Odoardi that yielded spice notes when paired with the Spoonbar Burger. For dessert, he poured thoughtful choices like Rare Wine Co.’s New York Malmsey Special Reserve Madeira, rich with earthy, coffee notes, and Ratafia de Bourgogne, a sweet but balanced liqueur.

The food? With Moroccan and Mediterranean influences, Chef Rudy Mihal’s menu shines as fine bar food with cocktails or as multi-course dinner. Appetizers offer all kinds of goodness, like addictive little Fried Smelt Fish ($8) dipped in a caper aioli. Or how about skewers of plump, grilled Calamari ($12) in a preserved lemon vinaigrette? You’ll find me equally hyped over imported Burrata ($13), creamy heaven in a pool of fine olive oil with melting, soft brioche and finely diced beet tartare.

On the entree front, the lamb/beef mix is right in the Spoonbar Burger ($15), albeit small, on a house-sesame bun with a mini-bucket of fries. Kudos for a restrained but permeating burger topping of sweet tomato confit, cucumber chutney and spiced yogurt.

Though I am easily bored with chicken, their signature Moorish-style Brick Chicken ($24) is rife with flavor from herbs and spices, tender over grilled lemon couscous. Definitely a highlight.

Restaurant Manager, Darren Abel, runs a relaxed, festive restaurant that truly is the whole package. I’ll be plotting my next chance to get to Spoonbar when up that way – at the very least for cocktails and apps. If only this place was in the city…

SIMI WINERY – Simi is one of those venerable wineries rich with colorful history.

Founded by Italian brothers, Giuseppe and Pietro Simi, in 1876, their cellars date from 1890 on one half to 1904 once they doubled in size. When both brothers died within four months of each other, Giuseppe’s daughter, Isabelle, a savvy eighteen year old, took over the winery, making and storing wine even during Prohibition.

I’m fascinated by this young girl’s ingenuity, which eventually led to a successful winery she first popularized by giving away free samples on the side of the road pre-tasting room days. Isabelle planted a grove of redwood trees around the grounds and a tribute rose garden with bushes for each president during the days she ran the winery (except for one… take their interesting tour to hear the whole story. I’ll give you a hint: he was the one who helped usher in Prohibition).

Their pizza cafe is a lovely idea: held on Friday (2-6pm) and Saturday (11am-4pm) afternoons, it’s a welcome Summer respite on their shaded back patio under giant umbrellas where wood-fired oven shells out satisfying pizzas (wine is included). While I loved the concept, presentation and taste of their special Red, White & Blue Pizza (red – bacon, lettuce, tomato; blue – purple yam, blue cheese, red onion; white – corn, zucchini, onions, ricotta), my heart belonged first to their House Sausage Pizza with baked fennel bulbs.

They have a balanced (read: not jammy, punch-you-in-the-face) Zinfandel available only at the winery, a Landslide Cabernet and the mineral citrus of Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, creamy with hints of hazelnut, lemon and oak.

On August 28 (12-3pm), they’re having a party to celebrate the latest 2007 Landslide Cabernet release with dancing to New Orleans jazz  on the Terrace ($20 per person, or $10 for wine club members). You know I’d be there if I could.

NAPA

MORIMOTO NAPA - Despite the celebrity chef status of the one and only Masaharu Morimoto (yes, I love the original Iron Chef), and the high price tag, his brand new Morimoto Napa restaurant is an experience and a welcome addition to Wine Country.

The space is huge, with a sea of greys enlivened by bright, yellow chairs. There’s patio waterfront seating and an ultra-cool touch of grape vines dramatically running the wall over the bar and in the lobby, as if to say, “Morimoto is now in Wine Country.”

As for the food, it adds up fast, but thankfully there’s beyond-the-norm presentations lending excitement to the expensive meal. Like me, you may have eaten a thousand tartares, but you haven’t had one quite like this: Toro Tartare ($25) comes on a little wood tray you scrape with a mini paddle, then dip in nori paste, wasabi, sour cream, chives, or a house dashi soy, smoky with a hint of bonito. Finish with a bright palate cleanser of Japanese plum.

Green Fig Tempura ($16) is a playful change of pace on the tempura front, but the real clincher is a creamy peanut butter foie gras sauce underneath, dotted with pomegranate reduction. Again, as a big beef tartare fan, I’ve had many a version. This one stands out. Beef Tartare ($18) Morimoto-style comes with asparagus flan hiding an egg in the center. As you slice through it, it oozes over the beef, asparagus slivers, lotus chips and teriyaki sauce. Morimoto Bone Marrow ($16) is an intriguing version: one giant bone loaded with gloppy, warm marrow, perked up with caramelized onions, teriyaki and spices on top.

Entrees continued in this creative vein, though Whole Roasted Lobster “Espice” ($35) had its flaws. It’s a generous portion but the lobster meat is lost in too much garam masala spice, coriander, peppercorn, and cayenne, even though that was what sold me on the dish initially. It was over-spiced but the saving grace was a divine, whipped lemon creme fraiche, contrasting the blackened spice aspect with airy tart.

Duck Duck Goose ($36) was my preferred entree – essentially duck in four parts, from a bowl of duck confit fried rice with frozen foie gras shavings topped with duck egg, to duck soup, duck confit leg, and slices of duck meat with gooseberries. Tofu Cheesecake ($12) in coffee maple syrup with maple ice cream is a signature dish for Morimoto, but though I liked the light texture of the tofu cheesecake, it was overwhelmed by thick maple syrup. A Raspberry Wasabi Sorbet was a better finish for me, hitting strong on both key ingredients.

Morimoto sat at the table next to us with friends, surveying the expansion of his growing restaurant empire. The GM stopped by our table to see how things were going and mentioned that Morimoto loved it so much here he was staying for a couple months. Even when the novelty of his first West Coast venture wears off (he’s opening in LA next), my initial visit, merely a week after opening, suggests that this restaurant will long remain one of downtown Napa’s destinations.

SONOMA

EL MOLINO CENTRAL – In a sea of taquerias lining Sonoma’s Highway 12, there’s a new addition I’ve been excited to tell you about that opened early Summer: El Molino Central. I pulled over after doing a double take: it looks like a charming taqueria, but reads hand-painted “tortillas… tamales… blue bottle coffee” on the side of the building. “Wait… what?”

With no dining space inside, there’s a leisurely patio out back. Inside, it’s an open kitchen where you survey self-proclaimed “Mexican street food” prepared with a high level of care and quality ingredients. They hand-grind corn masa and press tortillas in wood presses. There’s even fresh tortillas and pre-prepared dishes to heat up at home. The menu offers merely a handful of items: chilaquiles, tostadas, enchiladas and delightful tamales (I like the white corn and cheese version).

What surprises is the Blue Bottle Coffee menu straight down to New Orleans’ Iced Coffee (perfect on a hot Wine Country Summer day). You can get your individual drip or a cappuccino, happily savored with a tamale made from local ingredients.

The place looks plucked out of LA with palm trees and all, but exemplifying Slow Food sensibilities. The shock is the quality level (which costs a little more than an average taqueria, though still under $10)… and the Blue Bottle. You, too, can have your Blue Bottle and homemade tamales in a Mexican food joint. Sonoma is lucky to get this lovably quirky new addition.

LOKAL – Just off the Sonoma square, Lokal has been getting some love lately from SF folk like Michael Bauer. I’m in when you say Eastern European/Hungarian food, difficult to find done well anywhere, much less in Wine Country.

They won me over with shelves full of records/LPs in the dining room, then with sunny, back patio picnic tables. There’s a fine selection of beers making the patio beer garden-reminiscent. Service has it’s kinks, including a pricing discrepancy on their menu it took awhile to work out on my bill, but the food is a pleasure and is now a favored stop in downtown Sonoma.

They make a mean German Potato Salad ($5), sweetened by grilled red onions, punchy with mustard, maintaining a fresh profile despite starchiness. A Summer special of White Corn Puree Soup ($3.50 a cup) is sweet and bright. Count me in on the Eva Gabor’s Pork Schnitzel Sandwich/”Rueben” ($12). You almost forget there’s no pastrami in there with a breaded pork cutlet layered with mustard and sauerkraut. There’s a satisfying savoriness here reminiscent of a great Rueben. Lightly crunchy brown bread and house pickles seal the deal.

MONDO – Mondo, a short drive from downtown Sonoma, has the largest beer selection in the area: 23 on tap and more by the bottle, with a little beer garden courtyard through the restaurant. A couple years ago, this was a sausage and burger joint.

The burgers remain but there’s also the kind of bar food that puts a grin on my face: plump Jalapeno Poppers ($7.50) oozing with cheese and shreds of carnitas (pork). There’s fatty Braised Beef Brisket Sandwich ($9.50) piled with crumbly blue cheese and shaved red onion. For a little healthy balance, try specials like Sweet White Corn Salad ($5) tossed in lime, cilantro, red peppers and red onion.

This is a welcome Wine Country respite where you can break from excess wine for beer and cheap, gourmet bar fare. 

GEYSERVILLE

DIAVOLA PIZZERIA – Though these gourmet charcuterie/pizza/rustic Italian spots are a ‘dime a dozen’ in SF, it still helps that in a town as tiny as Geyserville there’s one dining destination like Diavola. In a high-ceilinged, century-old storefront, brick walls, wood-burning oven and wood floors lend it a country kitchen feel by way of Italy.

Kudos for being open seven days a week for lunch and dinner. There’s nothing that I haven’t seen here before but it’s all done well. Grilled Asparagus Salad ($13.75) is a Cali-farm type dish we often see done superbly in the Bay Area. Here it’s asparagus and arugula topped with pancetta, truffled Pecorino cheese and a fried egg. It’s a fine Salami & Cheese Platter ($13.75), reflecting meats they’ve been making in-house with select cheeses.

Pizzas shine, and while the Sonja ($16) isn’t the best version of a fresh prosciutto, mascarpone and arugula pizza I’ve had, the Inferno ($15), on the other hand, is one of the best spicy pizzas ever, balanced with the sweet of roasted red peppers and tomato against hot Italian peppers.

Don’t go out of your way if you live in SF near many similar restaurants, but on your way up in this northernmost stretch of Sonoma County, it’s a worthy stop.

TALES from TALES: Highlights at Tales of the Cocktail

In 100% humidity at 100 degrees (with no relief at night), spending a week drinking and eating doesn’t sound like the best idea, but for eight years running, it happens every July in New Orleans at Tales of the Cocktail. For cocktail lovers and industry, this is THE drink event of the year (yes, I was at the Manhattan Cocktail Classic – no comparison in my book).

My first, or virgin, year at Tales, was as sleepless and packed as everyone said it would be, but moderation is the name of my game (at least outside of sleep). I managed to indulge without so much as one hangover from anything other than sleep deprivation.

Of course, it meant merely tasting most drinks, eating a lot (NO problem in New Orleans!) and promptly turning around upon surveying 3am crowds at Old Absinthe House, instead heading to quieter bars or the Monteleone lobby for civilized conversation.

I already feel completely alive in my skin when I’m in New Orleans. Any reason to be in that queen of cities is a good reason for me. Tales itself grew progressively better as the week went on, despite awful heat and waning sleep… mainly because I continued to meet great people which led to further excursions, tastings, dinners, parties, and as the cumulative effect added up to a host of memories and experiences.  Let me try to summarize a mere few highlights for you:

LIFE-ALTERING TASTING of 1865 & 1805 COGNAC!
7/25 The Mysteries & Secrets of Distilling in Cognac

Cognac masters, Olivier Paultes and Alain Royer, moderator Dale DeGroff, and spirited bartender extraordinaire, Salvatore Calabrese, were keepers of the surprise that awaited at the end of a fascinating, seemingly routine seminar on the methods of distilling cognac, along with a token five cognac, side-by-side tasting.

The seminar suddenly escalated to once-in-a-lifetime experience when Calabrese informed our small group that he brought not only a bottle of 1865 Rouyer Guillet & Co. cognac to share together, but also an 1805 Maison De L’Emprereur cognac he was going to make a Sazerac with!

The room erupted in applause as we stood on chairs to take photos and watch him mix what he called a “$10,000 cocktail”. We passed the Sazerac around, each savoring a profound sip.

We all had a pour of the silky 1865. I exhaled and placed my head down on the table after first taste. It was remarkably full, refined with raisin and floral notes initially, a finely balanced burn, evolving into chocolate and nutty notes. I could only begin to fathom the history wrapped up in each sip. As Calabrese exclaimed, “This was made when Abraham Lincoln was alive!”

Worth far more than the $40 price of admission, the lucky few who happened to be in this seminar got an education beyond what we could have ever expected. We lived a moment that, for drink lovers, will remain a marker of earth-shattering tastes for the rest of our lives.

GREEN GORILLAS DESCENDING on the PELICAN CLUB
7/22 at The Pelican Club Spirited Dinner, French Quarter

Thursday night there were Spirited Dinners across town. I chose the one at Pelican Club mainly because of the all-star line-up of bartenders from across the country pairing cocktails with a six-course dinner: Marcos Tello – The Varnish, LA; Jim Meehan – PDT, NY; Misty Kalkofen – Drink, Boston; Peter Vestinos – Wirtz Beverage Group, Chicago; and our own rockstar, Neyah White, formerly of Nopa.

The food was not as fine as I’d hoped, but the atmosphere was convivial, festive, a warmly welcoming party. The cocktails all featured the night’s spirit: Bols Genever.

Neyah clearly had fun creating the dessert cocktail, Drum Shag: Bols, sarsaparilla, PX sherry, infused with smoke.

But the highlight of the night? A foursome of green gorillas descended on the bar during aperitif hour before we were seated at our tables. I’d seen them at the pool of the Monteleone before, or roaming the streets, surely hot and sweaty in their cheap, neon green garb. The site of these guys at the elegant Pelican bar while some of our country’s best bartenders poured them shots was a memorable image, one that somehow typifies the wacky exuberance that is Tales.

DEL MAGUEY – RON COOPER – MEZCAL
7/25 La Verdad (The Truth) about Mezcal Seminar

Everyone who knows anything about mezcal knows Ron Cooper of Del Maguey is the master, having done more to further the mezcal gospel than anyone, even being called the “mezcal missionary“. As my friend whispered to me during the seminar, describing the panel of mezcal distillers: “They’ve all drunk the kool-aid, haven’t they?” Despite the fact that I’ve already been a mezcal fan for a few years, so did I… so did we all… by the end of the session.

I’m must be honest: much as I appreciated every distiller there (Illegal Mezcal, Los Amantes, and Sombra), as has been my common experience in previously tasting these and other mezcals, none are in the same league as Ron’s entire product line. This was highlighted in a side-by-side tasting of all the above next to five Del Maguey mezcals. But all these guys were heartfelt and inspiring, while Ron himself is a small, peace-filled  powerhouse of a man… the Yoda of the mezcal world.

Every single Del Maguey mezcal is a revelation, whether the creamy, smoky sweet of Crema de Mezcal, or the chocolate earthiness of other-worldly Chichicapa. More to come soon here and in my Guardian column about his mezcals. Thanks to Neyah White, who created this menu, try Del Maguey by the shot at Nopalito, in cocktails throughout SF, or order some bottles. Once you dig further into mezcal, particularly through the Del Maguey lens, you, too, will “drink the kool-aid”.

SOUTHERN ROMANCE of DIXIELAND JAZZ under SWEEPING OAKS
7/22 William Grant & Sons Opening Party at Elms Mansion in the Garden District

Yes, by 1am it felt like it was actually getting hotter as I wilted in the oppressive humidity, but what could have been more romantic than the stately, white Elms Mansion with stunning wood carved fireplaces and ceilings, drawing room scotch bar, white lights and absinthe in the garden, and live Dixieland band playing under a white-pillared rotunda? Not much. As massive oak trees loomed over us, even larger than the mansion, I felt fully alive and grateful… I was in the South.

A SUDDEN DOWNPOUR entering the BARTENDER’S BREAKFAST
7/24 Bartender’s Breakfast – Spirited Awards after party

A second line jazz funeral was held for Sex on the Beach, a cocktail that surely needed to die, on the walk from the Spirited Awards Ceremony to the Bartender’s Breakfast, where the likes of Audrey Saunders and Jim Meehan were making us drinks. Before entering the building, a sultry Summer storm rushed through, dampening our dresses, suits and hair. A warm rain, it wasn’t exactly a respite from the unrelenting heat, but it somehow refreshed, invigorated, injecting us with energy to celebrate late into the night.

It was a privilege to attend the Mad Men-themed Spirited Awards Dinner on July 24 as a guest of The Bitter Truth gentleman from Germany, Stephan Berg and Alexander Hauck. Happily, they won for Best New Product with their incomparable celery bitters.

San Francisco represented well with the Rickhouse crew nominated in three major categories, including Best American Cocktail Bar and World’s Best Cocktail Menu.

As a Mad Men fan, it was a treat to meet Bryan Batt (who lives in Nola) and see him as a presenter. The house band played the show’s theme almost ad nauseum every time someone won an award. The ceremony, and following Bartender’s Breakfast after party, were highlights in a week full of memorable events. Here are the 2010 Spirited Awards winners and a few of my photos from the night.

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World’s Best Drink Selection

Bar Lebensstern in Cafe Einstein, Berlin

Best American Cocktail Bar

Death & Co., New York City

World’s Best Cocktail Bar

Death & Co., New York City

World’s Best New Cocktail Bar

Mayahuel, New York City

World’s Best Hotel Bar

The Connaught Bar, The Connaught Hotel, London

American Bartender of the Year

Murray Stenson, Seattle

International Bartender of the Year

Agostino Perrone, London

Best New Cocktail/Bartending Book

Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails by Ted Haigh

Best Cocktail Writing

CLASS magazine

Best New Product

Celery Bitters, The Bitter Truth

World’s Best Cocktail Menu

Death & Co, New York City

Best Bar Mentor

Dale DeGroff

Best American Brand Ambassador

Charlotte Voisey, William Grant & Sons Portfolio

Best International Brand Ambassador

John Gakuru, Sagatiba

Helen David Lifetime Achievement Award

Brian Rea

NEW ORLEANS

It’s a sad truth that at events on the scale of Tales of the Cocktail, it can be hard to find a decent drink… yes, it’s not easy batching drinks for hundreds of people. But whether on a smaller scale in a tasting room or with simple but robust recipes, like Audrey Saunders’ drink below, here are a couple that stood out from the fray.

Memorable Tales Cocktails

At the 7/24 Bartender’s Breakfast, coming in from a swift and steamy downpour post-Spirited Awards’ Dinner, there could not have been a more refreshing drink, handed to me with a smile, than Audrey Saunders‘ Bitter Admiral. Apparently, Wax Matman thinks so, too, calling it the best drink at Tales this year.

BITTER ADMIRAL
1 1/4 oz Plymouth Navy Strength Gin
1 3/4 oz Campari
5 oz Fresh Pink Grapefruit Juice

Add ice to 12 oz. collins glass, measure in gin, Campari, juice. Garnish with grapefruit slice and a straw.

Don Q’s Esteban Ordonez stole the show on 7/23 in the On the Rocks tasting room at the Hotel Monteleone, featuring 23 spirits. After smoking a glass over red leaf tobacco, he mixed 90% Don Q Anejo with 10% Don Q Cristal, homemade bitters and a swipe of orange rind on the rim.

Poured over an artistic ice globe from Glace Luxury Ice, it was a smoky, sultry rum cocktail, with nuance and elegance. Maybe the most exciting drink I tasted this week.

Though this grappa drink in 8/23′s Grappa: The Spirit of Life tasting room was not necessarily a favorite, I appreciated what Miami bartender, Gabriel Orta, was pairing with grappa: red pepper, raspberry, thyme. It would work for brunch, with a nice tart, round taste.

Rick Stutz created a joyous Kahlua breakfast cocktail in the Black Paloma, which was served in the Hotel Monteleone Kahlua Coffee Bar, along with some fine espressos and iced coffee every morning. This drink refreshed with hints of chocolate and lime, and a salty, bitter tinge:

BLACK PALOMA
1 1/2 pts Olemca Altos Plata Tequila
1 1/2 parts Kahlua
3/4 pts lime
1/2 pts fresh grapefruit juice
2 dashes of bitters
pinch of salt
stir with ice and top with club soda

NEW ORLEANS

Tales of the Cocktail brought me back to my beloved Nola. I’ve done articles on the CBD, Uptown, Carollton and Garden District, Fauborg Marigny and Treme neighborhoods, and on French Quarter food. Now I’m back in the Quarter with drink and food updates…

French Quarter Drinks

Loving the time-transporting atmosphere of the truly magical Jean Laffitte’s and the dank, historical Old Absinthe House doesn’t help when the drinks aren’t so good. Tujague’s fares well with history, crustiness and fine Sazeracs, and Napoleon House, famous for their Pimm’s Cup (which I find watered-down), oozes 1700′s charm. Nowhere in America do I know of bars that hold the pirating, French, Creole, only-in-New Orleans’ mystery each of these places hold.

Skip Bourbon Street (anything but live jazz at the awesome  Fritzel’s, Maison Bourbon for dixieland, and the one-and-only Preservation Hall), and head half a block off Bourbon to the delightfully divey Erin Rose, complete with crappy drinks (or cheap shots), espresso ice machine (kind of like a house Frappuccino with Irish whiskey), crusty locals, savvy tourists, and a kick-ass jukebox.

But when you need a decent drink in the Quarter? The charm of all the intrigue-laden places I’ve mentioned, sadly does not equal a proper cocktail.

BAR TONIQUE – Bar Tonique is a noteworthy addition to the Quarter, right on the purportedly dangerous edge of the Quarter and the Treme, facing Louis Armstrong Park. Pretty new to the scene, it’s now my number one recommend for drinks in the Quarter. The brick-walled space holds booths, an alcove and plenty of bar stools (even a roach that ran across the alcove floor on a recent summer night! What do you expect from 100% humidity?)

The staff are tatooed, friendly and shake some fine classics (The Last Word, Ward 8, etc…) along with cocktails like Blanche Dubois, a refreshing mix of muddled strawberry and mint with Beefeater gin, orange curacao, orgeat and lemon… the orgeat added nutty dimension. And most cocktails hover around a reasonable $7-8.

FRENCH 75 – Widely regarded as one of the best bars in New Orleans, and some say, the country, French 75 has the added (and now rare) perk of being a cigar lounge. So light up and take in the circa 1930′s atmosphere while sipping a French 75 (of course), Sazerac, or aperitif. It’s a place where I can go dressed up and have grown-up conversation, even a little romance with my drink.

French Quarter Eats

Last year I shared a few Quarter eats with you (including Coop’s, which I revisited this time around – still the best jambalaya I’ve ever had). Here’s Quarter eats from my July visit.

BAYONA – I’ve been trying to get to Bayona for years, having long heard about the illustrious chef, Susan Spicer. Granted, I only visited for lunch, but was not exactly thrilled with the rather dated (read: 1980′s) dining room and a menu not quite as varied as I’d hoped. In the end, there were two real stand-outs.

Eggplant “Caviar” Tapenade ($7) is light, enlivened by fresh feta chunks, a bit of anchovy and tomato on toasts, while Sauteed Sweetbreads ($15) are plump and vibrantly tart with lemon-caper butter, though the fried notes grew tiring after a couple bites. Goat Cheese Crouton ($10) were toasts piled with mushrooms in Madeira cream. Lots of bread in this meal.

Despite more bread inherent in a sandwich, things got exciting with their signature lunch dish: Smoked Duck/Cashew-Peanut Butter/Pepper Jelly Sandwich ($12). The duck falls apart, savory and creamy with the peanut butter. An adult’s PB&J. Dessert won over my whole table: a house special ice cream of Creole Cream Cheese (which I will never say “no” to) laced with chunks of Red Velvet Cake. If I had to exhale a slight moan with each spoonful, could you really blame me? Not if you tasted it.

IRENE’S CUISINE – First, you get a group welcome from Irene herself and waiters at the door. Then, there are multiple dining rooms, each more seductive than the last (I prefer the lush middle room with marble fireplace). Irene’s is actually off-the-beaten-path for the Quarter, yet remains a Nola institution.  They have no website and prefer to do things as they’ve always done them, which works when dishes are made with such loving-care and a sense of history.

I started “light” with a special of giant Creole Tomato slices topped with buffalo mozzarella and red onion on one half, pancetta and blue cheese on the other. Nothing wrong with that. Escargot aux Champignons ($8.75) were meaty mushroom caps cooked in butter, garlic, leek and parsley, stuffed with plump snails. Yes, thank you. Lightly-fried Soft Shell Crab, another pleaser. But even better on the fried tip? Fried Oysters & Grilled Shrimp ($10.50) sauteed in Italian breadcrumbs. On my first night in Nola this July, one bite of those flavorful fried oysters and I knew I was back.

Another highlight, besides the sweetest, most genuine service one could hope for, was a side of house-made pasta: Ricotta & Spinach Ravioli ($7.50). Delicate, melting pasta is warm with cheese and spinach, topped with shaved Parmigiano, a hint of nutmeg, and, most importantly, a divine red pasta sauce that belies their Sicilian influences.

Talking me into dessert wasn’t painful when it meant Creole Cream Cheesecake with Louisiana strawberries and amaretto syrup. If you haven’t had Creole cream cheese (which I eat as often as I can when in Nola), you are sadly missing out. Light and fluffy, it’s also tart, creamy, unforgettable. The pairing of a sweet Hungarian dessert wine, Royal Tokaji’s 2006 Tocai, made for an ideal completion to a true New Orleans dinner.

CLOVER GRILL – Two years ago, I stayed in an apartment on the edge of the Quarter/Fauborg Marigny, passing Clover Grill almost nightly, open 24 hours with darling, retro diner authenticity. In the course of Tales, one craves 3am sustenance after hours of cocktail tasting.

Thankfully, Clover Grill more than took care of my needs. The clientele is boisterous, but not obnoxious. It feels like one all-night party, though service is understandably harried with steady crowds. They grill up a surprisingly good Burger ($5.49) that reminded me of childhood, particularly fun loaded with jalapenos and cheese (an additional $1.09). Their Chocolate Malt ($3.99) is one of the maltiest and best I’ve had. An Omelette ($4.99) tasted right doused with chili ($1.09). This a classic in these parts and a mighty fine neighborhood diner.

GREEN GODDESS – Green Goddess is an odd Quarter spot. Located in an alley right around the corner from the Hotel Monteleone where I stayed for Tales, it opened in 2009 and despite a rather cheesy name that reminds me of a hippie Berkeley restaurant (and the salad dressing), a local told me this was one of the more creative new openings in the Quarter. I popped in for dinner, charmed by the sweet chef and staff, a quirky, under-stated space and alley location.

They take cochon (pig), gulf shrimp, tasso ham and other local foods, and mix in Asian influences for what often sounds odd but works. Banh Xeo ($13) is a Vietnamese rice crepe filled with crabmeat, sprouts and avocado, served with a sweet chili garlic sauce. Shrimp “Wearing a Grass Skirt” ($14) is BBQ Louisiana shrimp roasted in shredded phyllo with roasted pineapple and coconut slaw.

Not all of it works as well as fusion I’ve had in my own city or NY, but I respect the ambition and attempts of this spot to do something different, international and out of the Quarter, or even Nola, norm. I want to try more of their menu.

If I hadn’t been burnt out-completely on cocktails, I was eager to sample their eclectic mix of drinks like The Jesuit Bend ($10), a Brazilian cachaca concoction with O.N.E. berry coffee juice (not sure if that would be good or not?), pepper syrup, and Fee Bros. Aztec chocolate bitters.

I did enjoy their Mango-Banana Lassi ($6), which was thankfully tart and balanced. Particularly noteworthy was the added texture of basil seeds and a curry sugar rim.