COFFEE

Grand Coffee, 2663 Mission Street (at 23rd), 415-206-1238 – My favorite new coffee spot in a city rife with them? Grand Coffee in the Mission (the neighborhood that sickeningly gets all the great coffee… well, SoMa follows close on its heels). Owner Nabeel Silmi is works hard all day, every day behind the counter, creating a fine cappuccino or cup of Four Barrel coffee from his three-group paddle La Marzocco Linea. Besides refined coffee basics, Silmi has a couple specials not found elsewhere in town.

A Liquid Affogato presents itself like a layered Pousse Cafe, with Four Barrel espresso, cane syrup, and Clover half and half. You can also order it shaken, cocktail-style as a refreshing Iced Coffee.

My NY egg cream cravings are satiated (not an easy accomplishment in this town), with Silmi’s Brooklyn Egg Cream ($2.75), a glass first drizzled with Fox’s U-bet chocolate syrup, followed by milk, then seltzer water, culminating into frothy refreshment.

COCKTAILS

Cantina, Downtown – Those who know me know one of my go-to cocktails is the Negroni. The perfect aperitif and a favorite because of Campari’s bitter crispness balanced with gin, my typically adventurous palate has seen no reason to vary from the simple, traditional, already perfect recipe.

Duggan McDonnell at Cantina showed me another way… and it is as revelatory as a classic Negroni. He replaced gin with pisco for a Pisco Negroni (ask for it!) It’s lush, almost caramel-y with his lovely Encanto Pisco and that favored bitter tart of Campari still shining through.

Cocktails

RICKHOUSE, Financial District – It’s been a rewarding Summer thus far for Rickhouse and its talented bar manager, Erick Castro. First, Castro won one of two mixologist of the year awards at StarChefs Rising Stars (see On the Town), then Rickhouse was nominated for three awards (more than any other SF bar) in an international nominees list for Tales of the Cocktail: Best American Cocktail Bar, World’s Best Cocktail Menu, World’s Best New Cocktail Bar.

So it seems as a good a time as any to re-visit Rickhouse to try their brand new Seasonal Summer Cocktail menu with eight original drinks plus one new punch, especially when they’re as good as Ginger’s Trois ($8). This was tops of the few new drinks I tried last week, effervescent with sparkling wine, smooth with Plymouth Gin, fresh lime and mint, balanced with bitters, lightly spicy with ginger. I hope this is a permanent menu fixture. A Cherry Blossom Cobbler ($8) is a sno-cone tower of ice, topped with a cherry, rich with Yamazaki 12-year whisky, organic cherry blossom jam and lemon juice.  On the spirituous side is a Paper Plane ($9), refreshingly strong with bourbon, Aperol, Amaro Nonino and lemon juice.

AZIZA, Outer Richmond – Aziza’s one-of-a-kind cocktails are often fascinating and unlike anyone else’s. There is a section on their Mixology menu for spirits from Pisco to Brandy. My latest visit entailed these three beauties (all $10):

- Tequila, garden fresh and bright with celery, sage and agave
- Gin, intriguingly grainy and balanced with blackberry and ginger
- Bourbon highlighted with apricot, barley malt and cinnamon

PROSPECT, SoMa -  See my rundown of a return visit to Prospect in Top Tastes. Cocktails ($10-11) by the one-and-only Brooke Arthur were all high quality from a tart, bracing Mr. White (Pueblo Viejo blanco tequila, St. Germain elderflower, strawberry mint shrub, lime) to a robustly refreshing Prospector (Wild Turkey Rye 101, Zirbenz Stone Pine Liqueur, Drambuie, pineapple gum, lemon).

CLOCK BAR, Union Square – Clock Bar’s fairly new GM, Phillip Barcio (formerly of Ramblas), launches his first seasonal menu, one of three throughout the year (“seasons” being grouped by produce): a May-September/berry season menu ($12-14 per cocktail).

At a preview night on 6/21, it was a joy to witness farmers and producers congregated at Clock Bar who provided much of the produce or ingredients for the menu’s cocktails. The menu is ambitious, playful and farm fresh, with every drink featuring a different spirit and seasonal produce or local and house-made sodas and syrups.

An Oregon 609 is complex but bright with Bols Genever, olallieberry marmalade, Cynar, Benedictine and lemon, though maybe my least favorite of the three I tried. Carl is a lighter take on absinthe (featuring Swiss Kubler absinthe) with apricot reduction and a zippy house root beer.

Nutty, creamy dessert comes in the form of a Mission Flip with Pampero Aniversario Rum, house cane syurp, Mission fig reduction and a whole fresh egg. It seems a locally-embracing new season has dawned at Clock Bar.

SERPENTINE, Dogpatch – See my rundown of a return visit to Serpentine in Top Tastes.

I was pleased with the silky, smooth layers of a myriad of ingredients in The Acadian ($10.50): Michter’s Rye whiskey, Plymouth Sloe Gin, rosemary, absinthe, honey, lemon.

PICKLED at ABSINTHE

Yes, it’s a pop-up bar called Pickled, happening on the last Monday of every month in Absinthe’s private dining room, with ever-changing drinks created by bar manager Carlos Yturria. I stopped in inaugural night, June 28. A wide range of spirits are represented, from armagnac to mezcal ($10-12 a cocktail), and there’s also a revolving offering of bar bites to go with. Pisco showed itself beautiful in Carlos’ crushed ice presentation with figs, sage, lemon and a candied fig chip on top. Kudos for using my new local favorite, Encanto Pisco. Close the night with a little finish of Carlos’ candied strip of rhubarb.

Soda

TAYLOR’S TONICS – Almost savory, spicy, herbal, Taylor’s Tonics are local sodas available at Rancho Parnassus (see Top Tastes). Chai Cola has elements of a traditional chai but a soda effervescence and strong, pleasant bitterness. And they are local. Check out Imbibe magazine’s story of this wonderfully unique soda and it’s creator, Taylor Peck.

Wine

Slow Food’s GOLDEN GLASS – At the June 12 wine and food event at Fort Mason featuring sustainable worldwide wines, highlights included:

- Breggo Cellars in Boonville, CA – 2009 Anderson Valley Pinot Gris with key lime and honey accents, contrasted by bright, white pepper acidity;I’m impressed by their small production, old world mix with sustainable technique; eager to try more of their wines
- Paul Dolan 2006 Deep Red and 2007 Cabernet in Ukiah, CA – organic and biodynamic wines; the first is earthy and round with red fruit; the latter ripe but aided by notes of spice and anise
- Raina in Montefalco, Umbria: 2006 Sagrantino di Montefalco DOCG is rich with blackberry, spice, dry balsamic notes
- Bodegas Abanico Eternum Viti 2007 in Spain – Imported by Grapes of Spain, toasty oak hints, blackberry, leather
- Tenuta San Rocco 2008/09 Poggio Marcigliano Grechetto di Todi DOC in Central Italy – a white surprisingly sweet on the nose but dry to the taste

Cocktails

TWO NEW STANDARD-SETTING BARS

(From my print article in the Spring SCENE issue of the SF Bay Guardian): These two new bars debuted at the end of May, quietly ushering in what I hope might be a new “trend”: mellow, sophisticated bars creating expertly-crafted cocktails, both classic and contemporary… without attitude, exclusivity, and, dare I say it (?), mobs of douchey crowds turning an otherwise fabulous bar into a place to be avoided unless it’s 5pm on a Tuesday (and sometimes even then). I want to see these bars thrive but hope they won’t lose that wonderfully executed vision they’ve begun with as places where community happens lingering peacefully over fine drink.

BURRITT ROOM, Downtown/Union Square

If I could imagine a dream “speakeasy”, it would be one tucked away from the masses (maybe in the second floor of a hotel), rich with atmosphere (brick walls, chandeliers, a piano, black and red accents on velvet stools, couches, pillows), a reasonably-sized menu (say, 18 rotating cocktails?) of classics and inventive new drinks, classic jazz floating softly from the speakers, and a complete lack of pretension or “sceney” obnoxiousness. Enter Burritt Room, which quietly opened upstairs in the Crescent Hotel in the shadow of the Stockton Tunnel.

Master bartender behind Burritt is Kevin Diedrich, whose experience ranges from East (PDT and Clover Club) to West (Clock Bar and Bourbon & Branch). He sets the welcoming tone, devoid of snobbery, appealing to cocktail aficionados and those who want a classy, mellow place to sip a beer alike. There’s other fine bartenders on board here, like Kelli Bratvold (Bourbon & Branch, Rickhouse). You might want to ask for Bratvold and Diedrich’s off-menu creation, Black Rose, an unusual mix of Bols Genever and Junipero Gin with Creme de Yvette, rose water, blackberry simple syrup, splash of Maraschino liqueur and a rose/pepper tincture (most cocktails $10).

Pull up to the bar or get cozy on a red couch with a layered Evening Shade: cognac, Grand Marnier, lemon, orgeat, peach bitters. I’m impressed with the seemingly light (but it sneaks up on you), refreshing Hitachino Sour: bourbon, orange marmalade, lemon, sugar, orange bitters, topped with Hitachino White beer. A Champagne Julep comes beautifully frosty in a proper julep cup, bourbon intriguingly switched out for sparkling wine and cognac. I will always prefer a traditional julep, but this is a pleasing change of pace.

A spirituous, boozy Kentucky Stinger has a hefty hunk of Kold Draft ice allowing the punch of rye and cognac to stay strong, the drink accented with Amaro, dashes of Angostura and chocolate bitters, and a creme de menthe rinse apparent on the minty finish. End an evening here with the awesome Smoked Peach (scotch, sherry, lemon, muddled peaches) and just try not to fall in love with this place.

COMSTOCK SALOON, North Beach

Comstock Saloon is truly a beautiful space in a 1907 building on the Barbary Coast trail restored to the glories of its past with antique mahogany bar, Victorian furniture, wood-burning stove (faux, though it may be), upright piano and the bar’s original spittoon. Jeff Hollinger (author of The Art of the Bar) and Jonny Raglin both came from Absinthe, bringing a mastery of cocktail classics to their own bar. Here you’ll find straight-up classics, the kind found in pages of The Savoy Cocktail Book or Charles H. Baker’s Gentleman’s Companion, the latter displayed (first edition) in glassed-in shelves lining the wall, along with other historical cocktail memorabilia… a mini-Museum of the American Cocktail, if you will.

Besides making perfected Sazeracs and South Side cocktails, they’ve honed other lesser known classics, like a Hop Toad, with Jamaican rum, apricot brandy, lime and bitters ($8-12 for cocktails). Though Comstock, like Burritt Room, is an ideal place for lingering on plush Victorian couches, or in wood booths, it is also much more than bar.

It’s a restaurant with full menu, offering lunch and dinner, from Chef Carlo Espinas, formerly of Piccino Cafe. At first glance, a Beef Shank with Bone Marrow Pot Pie ($17.50) may look like a store-bought pot pie, but just sink your fork into flaky crust with a meaty, heartwarming interior and you’ll taste the love.

I also adore tender Potted Pork ($12) with a side of country ham, mustard, veggies and warm bread to spread it on.

A welcome addition to North Beach, this comfortable saloon is also a loving tribute to turn-of-the-century SF history and cocktails popular back in our wild Barbary Coast days.

NEW YORK CITY COFFEE

In a world-class city like New York, I’ve always been shocked that a proper coffee, whether it be straight-up cup, a cappuccino or espresso, is in such short order, especially given the Italian influence on the town. From that Italian perspective, coffee is as crucial to daily life as wine and one would not dream of serving Folgers or Sanka (!), which, even local friends have told me they’ve seen being used in fancy espresso machines at fine dining NY restaurants… for $6 a cup. For shame.

My hunt in years past for a proper NY coffee was essentially a fruitless effort. When dining at Mario Batali restaurants, like Lupa, I’d ask what kind of coffee they used after being burned so many times, and they were offended I’d even ask. I’m not quibbling as to why quality coffee is not the general standard here, like it is on the West Coast, but more why it’s been nearly non-existent in a city of such size and culinary magnitude, rife with gourmands and Italians… it shouldn’t be this hard. Thankfully, times, they are a changin’… and Brooklyn, no surprise, is at the forefront. I’ll have to save Brooklyn coffee explorations for my next visit.

Now that our own long-time standard, Blue Bottle, made it’s way to Brooklyn a few months ago, and Stumptown opened in the Flatiron District (now one of Manhattan’s best coffee stops), there’s finally a decent cup to be found. But what about locally originated shops? It was interesting that in roaming Manhattan, visiting eight of the most acclaimed coffee spots, only half were actually great. But four is a success compared to past years when the now-defunct East Village Simon Sips was the finer cup I’d had in NY, and recommendations to local favorites like Grey Dog Coffee and Jack’s yielded welcome neighborhood cafes but mediocre coffee.

Soho’s La Colombe, a Philadelphia (via Seattle) based coffee company, is a clean, high-ceilinged space with grainy, modern wood and coffee served in Old World tea sets. The appeal of the shop did not cover up the needlessly snooty staff whose cappuccino not only came in an over-sized cup, but was a LATTE, not a cappuccino: milky as heck. Fail.

More promising, was the appropriately small cappuccino at Ninth Street Espresso (I visited the East Village locale), which claims to be the first specialty coffee house in NY since 2001. The hipster staff were laid back and kind… but somehow there was texture to the drink, and not the cream of an appropriately foamed capp, but more a grainy, thick, slightly off-putting texture. On the right track, but not there.

In alphabetical order, here were the best in preparation and taste out of the eight in my explorations. These are the ones most in line with Italian-quality robustness, balanced bitterness, and, when it comes to the cappuccinos, proper ratios of milk and espresso with at least decent foam.

ABRACO, East Village – Locals and Bay Area friends alike, have told me since it’s 2007 opening that Abraco is the one single great cup in Manhattan. I’d agree it’s up there. In a postcard-sized East Village shop, the cappuccinos are the quality and preparation I’m used to. No surprise that one of Abraco’s founding partners and baristas, Jamie McCormick, lived in the Bay Area 10 years working at Oliveto and, you guessed it, Blue Bottle. Partner and chef, Elizabeth Quijada, also has a Bay Area history, where she met McCormick. They make a beautiful cup.

BIRCH COFFEE, Flatiron – This quirky, lovable shop inside the funky, beckoning Gershwin Hotel, has a thrift store feel in the upstairs library, free wi-fi, their own fair trade beans, and most importantly, a lovely espresso and strong coffee.

BLUEBIRD COFFEE SHOP, East Village – Though I knew my old NY coffee stomping grounds, Simon Sips, had closed, I inadvertently wandered back to where it was housed to find it had turned into Bluebird, utilizing the same charming, brick-walled space filled with locals enjoying cozy conversation over coffee. The espresso borders on too bitter, but overall, they do a fine job, are quite friendly and the shop is a welcome addition using Counter Culture coffee.

RBC COFFEE, Tribeca – I trekked from Midtown to Tribeca on a rainy weekday during rush hour commute for coffee at this high-ceilinged shop, replete with a shiny, costly Slayer machine. I feared going out of my way for this would be a letdown, like so many others, but it was not. In fact, both their espresso and cappuccino are just what that doctor (or coffee lover) ordered. RBC and Abraco are now my top two coffee recommends (along with the impeccable Stumptown) in Manhattan.

*** Check out the current June 2010 issue of Vogue magazine for Jeffrey Steingarten’s article on coffee, including a few I’ve mentioned here (I recommend his books, too). I read the article after my trip but enjoyed the focus on actual cups of coffee and tasting profiles vs. espresso and other coffee drinks.

A fine spread with bubbly at Bubble Lounge

CHAMPAGNE

I hadn’t been to Bubble Lounge in awhile, recalling former pleasant weeknights sipping bubbly while live jazz played, but not as into sceney crowds there for DJ sets on weekends. I returned to meet with Wine Director, Sabawun Kakar, who’s passion for bubbly shows in his thoughtful selections and sabrage skills.

Food is surprisingly tasty, and welcome to settle that bubbly buzz. A “Korhogo 126″ Mini-Cheeseburger is cooked with brie, Swiss, American cheeses ($11). Favorite sandwich: Brie/Smoked Duck Breast/Fig Jam ($14). Finishing with strawberries and a mini-dark chocolate fondue (with cinnamon notes) was an obviously ideal pairing.

I was delighted to discover that in June, they will launch a new dessert menu from none other than Elizabeth Falkner of Citizen Cake (call beforehand – currently, it looks like mid-June as a launch of the menu). I’m returning for desserts like Lemon Verrine: lemon curd, yogurt, blueberry sauce, maple crunch, champagne granita. Or Upside-Down Cherry Cheesecake with Amarena cherries and buttery graham crust.

Here were Kakar’s lovely selections. The prices reflect Bubble Lounge’s by-the-glass costs:

• 

  Sabawun Kakar & a saber

  Dampierre Cuvee des Ambassadeurs ($16 a glass) – light, earthy, a pleasant aperitif

• Henri Billiot Brut Reserve ($17) – 80% Pinot/20% Chard, structured, refined, complex – possibly my favorite out of all seven champagnes, but difficult to choose
• Jean Vesselle Millesime 1999 ($22) – 70% Pinot/30% Chard, smooth but robust, buttery, toasty, golden-hued
• Gaston Chiquet Blanc de Blancs (by the bottle only) – small producer, clean, with notes of herbal tea, tangy apple
• Pierre Gimonnet Fils 2004 Premier Cru (by the bottle only) – another small producer, vibrant, floral, mineral
• Laurent Perrier Brut Rose ($23) – 100% Pinot Noir, full-bodied, bright, berries
• Champagne Aubry Brut Jouy-les-Reims Premier Cru – toasty, dry, apples

COCKTAILS

Heaven’s Dog – I always leave happy here with exquisite drinks from Charles H. Baker’s Gentleman’s Companion of 1930’s cocktail beauties. For perfected balance with rum, try Will P. Taylor’s Hotel Nacional Special ($10), a Havana classic with Barbancourt 8 year Rhum, Small Hands Foods pineapple gum syrup, apricot brandy, lime and Angostura bitters. Bright and sweet enough, yet never too much. Giving bartender free reign with a “Freedom from Choice” and bourbon as the chosen spirit, I was served a gorgeous Whiskey Smash with lemon, mint, simple syrup and hand cut ice that barely melted throughout the time I lingered with friends.

WINES

5/3 AUSTRIA UNCORKED at Fort Mason’s Officers Club – Another of those radiant, only-in-SF days enveloped by pristine blue Bay and sky, I sipped Austrian wines in the intimate Officers Club at Fort Mason during a leisurely trade afternoon. Fairly unschooled on Austrian wines, this event was a pleasure, with more high quality tastes than not. Due to weather calamities, recent years yielded small quantity but high quality in Austrian grapes. The range is well beyond the Rieslings or Gruner Veltliners one might expect. I found myself particularly taken with Zweigelt and Blaufrankisch red varieties, loving an array of refreshing whites and the food-friendly nature of most.

• Loved the story behind Martin Arndorfer, a 27-year old winemaker who only makes around 10,000 bottles a year of all his exquisite wines – each a pleasure, from a spicy, acidic 2006 Gruner Veltliner Strasser Weinburg to a floral, mineral ‘05 Riesling Die Leidenschaft (meaning “the passion”), with hints of spice and fruit
• JURIS – family-owned and operated winery for generations, I met the winemaker for these hand-harvested grapes; highlight was a complex ‘07 Zweigelt
• Another delightful line is Jurtschitsch-Sonnhof, particularly a crisp, spicy ‘07 Schenkenbichl Gruner Veltliner and a smoky, berry ‘06 Reserve Reid Tanzer Zweigelt
  
• Rosenhof – appreciated a refreshing, just bottled 2009 ORION Eiswein (ice wine)
• Heidi Schrock – using traditional methods to make her dessert wines that no one else in the country does, these are unique; I took to an ‘ 07 Ruster Ausbruch – On the Wings of the Dawn, which manages to be both sweet and acidic, or a 2006 Shrock & Kracher Greiner Welschriesling (a white grape not related to the Riesling grape) that is fermented dry, is complex and to me tastes surprisingly of tea
• Erich Sattler – another pleasing Zweigelt, the ‘07 Reserve is dense, herbal, plum-like

5/6 SOUTH AFRICA WINES at THE BOX

• 

  Iona Chardonnay

  Iona – Iona’s 2009 Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc ($18) are both stunners for the price from a mountain plateau east of Cape Town. The Sauvignon Blanc showcases Old and New World with ripe, crisp fruit, and a mineral dry finish. The Chardonnay is creamy, nutty and balanced with a clean finish. Both these stood out – my favorite whites of the event. Iona is served at Gary Danko and should be on its way to K&L soon. $18
  

• Stellekaya 2005 Shiraz – I love the story behind this winery run by Ntsiki Biyela, South Africa’s first black female winemaker (see a recent CNN video). The best part is her Shiraz is a true stand-out: full-bodied, lush, with pepper and ripe berry notes. $30
• Diemersfontein Pinotage – I sipped an ‘06 & ‘08 side by side, while gracious winery owner, David Sonnenberg, explained the popularity of their flagship ‘06 wine, the more refined ’sister’ of the two, while the ‘08 is the rocker sis with playful edge and cult following. Despite the negative reputation of pinotage grapes,  both were unusual, lovely and reasonably priced ($25 for ‘06, $20 for ‘08), but I took to the cult version with spicy berry and coffee notes.
• Villieria Estate – From the Stellenbosch region, I savored Villeria’s fruity, slightly woody 2008 Chenin Blanc ($14) and a vibrant 2006 Sauvignon Blanc ($21).
• Hamilton Russell 2008 Chardonnay – acidic but full, nutty, touch of fruit, gorgeous, marrying Old and New World in Burgundian style. $22

5/3 BARREL TASTING of CABERNET at Bently Reserve – One Cab blended into another at the trade/media afternoon in the Bently Reserve. I preferred to try bottled versions vs. the barrel samples,  but really just came away with two stand-outs (besides Viader, who I’m already a fan of):

• Vineyard 7 & 8’s 2007 “7″ is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, hand-picked, aged in new French oak showcasing the terroir of Napa’s Spring Mountain with mineral berries and rich tannins. I especially liked their 9, also 100% Cab, hand-picked, with hints creme de cassis, berry and smooth tannins.
• Carter Cellars stood apart with balanced cabs and Old World sensibilities, especially the 2007 Coliseum Block: floral, berry and tannin-rich.

COCKTAILS

• Neyah does it again: when I asked for a cachaca drink at Nopa, he served Sagatiba Cachaca and Dimmi, with their own house Birch Beer Bitters. Birch beer and Dimmi’s herbal/floral/grappa notes melded into a beautifully unique coctail. While you’re there, try White Whiskey as it should be imbibed in a White Manhattan or Buck with your choice of small batch white whiskeys… my Manhattan featured an as of yet unreleased white whiskey from Leopold Bros. that reigned supreme in taste compared to other worthy versions.

• Victoria D’amato-Moran’s (of Cent’Anni Cocktails) drinks often taste like vacation, and none more so than a tropical imbibement she whipped up at a recent private spirits tasting event at Tres Agaves, as well as at Taste of the Nation. Called the Yucatan Punch, it consists of Chinaco Reposado, dreamy Kalani Coconut Liquor (a 100% natural coconut liqueur that puts other coconut liqueurs to shame), D’aristi Xtabentun (a rum/honey/anise liqueur) and pineapple.

SPIRITS

Stand-outs at a recent private spirits tasting at Tres Agaves:

• Blackbull scotch – newer to the market but 30 years aged, a sherry-like whisky, certainly not a favorite but intriguing
• Briottet – surprising, ripe, elegant Creme de Cassis (blackcurrant liqueur), Creme de Banane,  Creme de Mure (blackberry)
• D’Aristi Kalani Coconut Liqueur – 100% natural, fresh, un-toasted coconut – tastes like tropical vacation – may be the best I’ve had of its kind
• English Harbor Rum – toasty, burnt sugar, complex, even at merely 5 years
• Luxardo’s Anice – clean, light anise liqueur, not syrupy or cloying
• Ypioca Cachaca – satiny Brazilian cachaca, from Crystal to smokey Gold or clean Silver

WINES

4/22 – TOAST OF THE TOWN – It was a bit surreal having the entire War Memorial Opera House filled with wine and food, live jazz, and a smartly-dressed crowd. As these tasting events so often do, it grew overly packed once two pleasant VIP hours passed and the general public entered. In those early hours, I enjoyed a number of global sips.

A stand-out was Winemonger’s German Rieslings, particularly a snappy, mineral ‘08 Neumayer Zwirch Gruner Veltliner and a fruity/floral ‘07 Johann Donabaum Riesling Offenberg Smaragd.

French highlights: 2007 Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru is a full-bodied white, alternately dry, fruity and floral.  And on the more affordable end, Mouton Cadet’s 2008 Bordeaux Blanc is a smooth, citrusy Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc/Muscadet blend.

Schramsberg has long been a local favorite for their sparkling wines in particular: it was delightful to sip their 2001 Reserve Brut with cherry notes, and their ‘06 J. Davies Cabernet Sauvignon, with Malbec, Merlot and Petit Verdot blended in.

A Cabernet Sauvignon highlight was Louis M. Martini’s velvety, rich 2005 Monte Rosso Vineyard Cab, available during the VIP tasting only.

4/29 – WINES OF CHILE - On a weekday afternoon, I visited a trade tasting held here and in Chicago. It was an education on the range in Chilean wines, which I certainly have been drinking more of in recent years. Similar to Portugal, which I wrote about last issue, the quality to affordability ratio is strong. Many wines I tried were $6-13 a bottle, ideal in these tight times. In tasting (and spitting) dozens, a few that rose to the forefront initially:

• Terra Andina – loved the whole line, from fruity, vanilla (with hint of smoke) Chardonnay, to berry, tobacco, tannin-rich ‘08 Carmenere; Andina isn’t readily available but they just got distribution in So. Cal. K&L Wines so should make their way here soon
• Lapostolle – French owners (who also own Grand Marnier) but Chilean-grown; floral/citrus ‘09 Casa Sauvignon Blanc may have been my favorite, but appreciated ‘07 Cuvee Alexandre Chardonnay and ‘08 Carmenere
•  ‘06 Carmen Reserva Carmenere/Cabernet Sauvignon – berry, earth, hint of spice
• Aliwen ‘09 Sauvignon Blanc – Affordable ($10 or less), crisp, Summery

Marcos Tello guest-bartends at Rickhouse, serving a "Pancho Sanchez"

COCKTAILS

• 15 Romolo really is one of the best bars in SF (drinks, atmosphere, staff). Mellow and soothing, I love to linger here with good friends. I’ve written about Track 42 ($12) before – but it bears repeating. If you want a nuanced, refreshing garden of a drink, this one is always a pleasant surprise: 42 Below Manuka Honey Vodka, basil, unfiltered apple juice, lemon and egg white for froth.

I adore the creamy smoothness of Amazona ($12): cachaca, coconut milk, ginger, lime, Angostura bitters, fresh nutmeg grated on top. Their Vieux Carre ($10) is about as fine a version of the Nola classic you’ll find… ditto their Pimm’s Cup. Finish with a Black Irish Flip ($10), a savory dessert of Jameson Irish whiskey with Picon Club, whole egg (yes, yolk, too), cacao nib tincture and Angostura  bitters.

• I missed Marcos Tello at The Edison when I was in LA a few weeks ago, but I got to try a couple of his creations at Rickhouse on 3/30 when he guest-bartended for the night. He made a nice, strong spirituous cocktail called Pancho Sanchez, but my favorite was a Dutch Kills recipe from NY, Infante: a mix of tequila, lime, orgeat and fresh-grated nutmeg. Nutty and refreshing simultaneously.

• Range is not only a favorite upscale neighborhood restaurant over the years, but some of the truly great, refined cocktails in SF  – it will be interesting to see if that stays true after Brooke Arthur moves on to helm the bar at the upcoming new restaurant from Boulevard. At Range, Evergreen welcomed Spring with gusto in the form of citrus and herbs: Plymouth Gin and St. Germain accompany fresh kumquats, sage, lemon. Go the tequila route with Malia: Pueblo Viejo blanco tequila, lime, egg white, cinnamon bitters and a winning quince/apple duo.

• The Alembic is one of the true joys in my new ‘hood when it comes to food and drink. How I wish Upper Haight would grow up and deepen its culinary offerings. Thankfully, Alembic is one block from me and one of the best in SF, especially during laid back “off” hours when Haight crowds aren’t making a place to sit impossible.

There have been recent wonders inherent when the bartenders get their hands on beets or galangal. Earthy, aromatic, balanced experimentation flow – it’s a pleasure to sample what they might come up with. See my April 21st Guardian FEAST article about a rosy beet cocktail made with beets, Rittenhouse Rye, dry vermouth, red wine vinegar, orange zest muddled with sugar, and a splash of sparkling wine.

• It’s easy: Nopa’s bar manager, Neyah White, is one of our city’s treasures and experts on superb cocktails, sherry (which he’ll be sharing in NY at a sherry class during May’s Manhattan Cocktail Classic – I’ll be covering the event), and a pioneer’s edge showcasing small batch, rare spirits long before everyone else in the artisan cocktail world catches on. Neyah and staff mix some unique beauties, including a range of white whiskey martinis on the current menu. If you’re lucky, kumquats will still be in house for a Kumquat Caipirinha ($9), which I just had last week. I’m a lifelong fan of the puckeringly tart citrus (which has been in many a cocktail lately), but Nopa’s kumquats are the best in memory, muddled and mixed with Boca Loca Cachaca, fresh lime, soda. Broken open, the citrus’ skin and flesh are sweet, sour, juicy, and I ate ever last one out of my glass. Stay tuned for Neyah’s Spring creations in coming weeks, including cocktails utilizing a Chinese rose blossom Rose wine.

SPIRITS

• On a recent rainy afternoon, after chowing down on some satisfying crispy tacos from Nick’s, The Renaissance Man and I had a craving for tequila and the place to be (always) is Tommy’s.  A happy mid-day respite included uber-hot salsa, chips, margaritas and a shot of the sadly now defunct 100% blue agave Reposado from Porfidio, listed under their discontinued Collector’s Items (page 197). Too bad. This beauty has a golden hue and caramel, toffee notes not commonly found in reposado.

• At a private scotch tasting held by Plumpjack, Impex Beverages and JVS Imports, I took an educational walk through 9 scotches from all parts of Scotland, from smoother to more peaty as we progressed. Already a fan of Scotland’s smallest distiller, Edradour, it was a delight to sip their just released Edradour Caledonia 12 year (bottled un-chillfiltered; 92 Proof): smooth, creamy with vanilla and spice notes. Another highlight was a rare 1991 Highland Park 17 year Signatory single malt with a balanced peat, whiffs of oceanside salt air, floral and earthy. I was able to try an as of yet unavailable Smokehead, but the smoke blast of this peatiest of scotches isn’t always my top choice (I like it but prefer a more balanced scotch).

I was especially privileged to meet a surprise special guest at this event, Anthony Wills, founder of Kilchoman, the first new distillery on the Scotch island of Islay in 124 years (ultra expensive and difficult to start a distillery there). Though yet to be released in the US, we tasted this already-in-demand single malt that continues to sell out, from the only Scottish distillery growing their own barley. At a young three years of age, it has the mature profile of a much older whisky. Wills stresses the point that quality isn’t always found because something is old, as early reviews of his whisky attest to. Side by side, next to 9 others, it held up to older whiskies and surpassed some with the peat Islay is famous for but also toffee, dark fruit and caramel creaminess.

WINES

One of the better deals on reds is Vidigal Douro (the same region port hails from), a smooth red that makes for good, everyday drinking at an easy $9.99 a bottle. I had a little fun with their ‘08 “Shocking Green“, a perky Vinho Verde with tart fruit and floral notes. They’re both, along with a wide range of Portuguese wines, available from Portugal Wines.

Dao Sul’s light and breezy white, 2009 DOC Grilos, tasted of Summer. Adega makes zippy, effervescent Vinho Verde. Tasting four of their similar whites side by side, I preferred the 2009 Sec. Another nice choice? Aveleda’s 2008 Alvarinho.

On first taste, my top whites at the event were both from Casa Santos Lima: ‘09 Moscatel was creatively described by the pourer as “the Chanel No. 5 of whites”. I wouldn’t go that far but it is floral and bright. Their ‘09 Sauvignon Blanc shocked with the juicy crunch of yellow pepper skins.

I like port: ideal for an after dinner sip and one of the first spirits I got into in my younger days.  Sandeman’s 30 year Tawny Port has a golden cherry hue and tastes of silken raisins, hazelnuts and vanilla. Krohn Porto 20 year is candy-like, smooth, with chocolate tones.