food is fun
Here are our favorite, just-discovered recipes, links to foodie websites, restaurant recommendations, thoughts on dishes and food “experiences.” It's fun, free-form, and our way to remember that wine is meant to go with food.
You, reader, are most welcome to contribute to our “Food Is Fun” page.
Jay Hemingway's Cured Green Olive Recipe
SERENI BALSAMIC VINEGARs
Dabbling in specialty food products is an added bonus at the First & Main shop. This, and putting together a fun and dynamic spirits selection, is new to me. For example:
Acetaia Sereni balsamic vinegars are a natural addition to our fine wines. Artisan to the core. From Modena, Italy. True balsamics are one of God's gift to flavor hounds. I tried the whole line last May and was enamored. Out of the dozen I tried, I picked based on style, quality and value.
SERENI Balsamic Vinegar 5 Year "Riserva" ($19/250 ML bottle), aged five years in barrels of different woods, is intense, pretty suave, sweet, complex and multi-functional in the kitchen. Have fun with it by finishing a sauce, perking up a soup, or sprinkling just a little on your steamed vegis.
SERENI Condimento Balsamico "12 year Sigillo Oro" ($59/100 ML bottle) gets ethereal and mystical while still being somewhat reasonable priced. This is a balsamic you carefully pour a tiny puddle onto you plate alongside your grilled steak, strong fish or fine Proscuitto. Thick as molasses and smelling of old country and all its customs, a Balsamic like this puts you in the fiels of Southern Italy on a beautiful Indian summer day. All you need is a great bottle of local wine. We can help you with that too.
Hot Dog weekend 2008
July 5th & 6th
Hot dogs three ways: Classic, Kraut and Chili. Wine to match with each:
With The Classic, we served a Zinfandel-based blend by the Clif Bar folks ("The Climber" 2004). Most preferred. Folks LOVED it. There's more, $16/bottle.
Hot dog not included.
Kraut Dog came with Ecker Gruner Veltliner 2006.
It's a charming, crisp, wonderfully balanced Gruner for just $14 for a Litre bottle. How great is that?
Chili Dog. Another winner: Tres Ojos Old Vine Garnacha 2006 from Spain, only $10 a bottle.
Holly and I made all the dogs. We can't look at another one, much less eat another, for at least a month. Thanks goodness for freezers as I bought a few too many. I'm good at that.
Seventeen Year old california chardonnay? No way!
June 20, 2008
Had my best food & wine experience of the season, and it was at home! Holly made these amazing crab & scallop cakes with a roasted poblano hollandaise sauce. We don't conjure up such delectables at home every night, but sometimes we treat ourselves. I brought home a gift from the Leightons of Kalin Cellars: Kalin Chardonnay "Cuvée LR" Sonoma County 1991. Absolutely amazing. Ripe and round and luscious. I'd have guess it was a 2002 White Burgundy. Mrs. Leighton said to drink it with lobster, so I knew we'd have a great match on our hands. I'm breaking a salesman's rule of touting a wine I don't have to sell, but it was so darn good, I had to tell you in the spirit of great eating & drinking. Maybe, if I share this report with the Leightons, I could get just a little (for myself?)...
Really good Petite sirah and a tri tip sandwich
May 24, 2008
Every restaurant that prides themselves on their steak sandwiches, whatever version, should serve Petite Sirah. I'm convinced of this. As I was re-tasting RUSINA Petite Sirah Alexander Valley 2006 ($31/bottle. Here are my notes on it) A local, fellow wine fanatic, and BBQ dude, brought me a tri-tip sandwich for lunch. Good fella he is indeed. With it, he brought a very nice, not-too-fancy stone ground mustard with ample vinegar in it. Like Sonny and Cher, the wine and sandwich were meant to be together. Smoky, garlicy, rustic beef, zing of the mustard, toasty bread vs. briary dark berries, cracked black pepper, smoke and malt of the Petite. Just give me a patio chair and secluded, sunny spot and with this duo and color me contented, please.
TXAKOLI and fish tacos
April 15, 2008
Most of the Spanish wines we tasted at a recent Friday night tasting flattered themselves to no end. See our notes from this "Taste of Spain" here. One that did not show well was the Ameztoi Txakoli, a very crisp, low alcohol white from Basque Country that I can best compare to a dry German Riesling. "Food wines" struggle in a wine-only format (we do make top-notch cheese plates, I must mention here).
Slightly discouraged, I took the remainder of the bottle home and shared with Holly, who had just made fish tacos. The Txakoli was a totally different wine, and a perfect match with the halibut, cilantro, lime juicy, red cabbage, jalapenos and toasty corn tortillas we devoured. "Food wine" sounds like an apology for a wine that can't stand on its own two feet, as it were. But not true. Like two soul mates, food and wine, when well-matched, need each other to be their best. And their best is very, very good.
What's the perfect guacamole wine?
March 2, 2008
I'm trying to perfect guacamole. This became a goal in 2006 when my friend Cheryl taught me the importance of salt in my "guac." It needs more than you think to find the perfect balance.
I make guacamole in a mortal and pestel. I mush up all the ingredients except the avocado, which goes in at the end and is smashed to a small chunk. I don't have quantities of each (I leave this to your judgment): garlic, green onion, cilantro, serrano pepper, lime juice, salt and avocado. When in season, fresh tomato chunks are nice. I'm getting pretty good at this and am toying with serving it at the new wine shop come May.
The perfect wine with guacamole depends how one makes it, and of course is subjective.
My choice, until I change my mind, is fruity, dry Rosé. The red fruit flavors hold up to the strong pepper/garlic/onion flavors, and the acidity cuts through the fatty avocado.
Just this afternoon, Holy and I enjoyed a mortar-full of this my favorite lounging snack with a glass of PSYCHEDELIC ROOSTER Rosé Napa Valley 2006 by T-Vine Cellars ($13/bottle). Click the wine, please, to read my tasting notes. So good. I highly recommend it.
Beating the Winter Chill
January 24, 2008 (By Ryan Graham)
As I write it is a cold, gray, rainy afternoon here at Back Room Wines.
How to shake off the winter chill, you ask? I am enjoying a big bowl of steaming hot, homemade spicy bean and ham soup with a tasty glass of Patassy Pinot Noir, and the the match is superb. The red fruits and spice of the wine are really complimenting the thick richness of the soup, and I am warming up as I compose. Now, if only I were able to talk Dan into a wood stove......
Best-ever winter bean soup
1. Go to your local food purveyor and buy one of those 15 or 16 bean soup bags. Do not follow the directions on the back, and whatever you do please quickly throw away that little "ham flavor" packet that comes with (ham flavor? Doesn't sound natural to me.) After rinsing, soak beans in plenty of water at least overnight, and preferably for 24 hours.
2. In your biggest soup pot, sautee 1 large yellow onion, 1 entire fist of chopped garlic, several ribs of chopped celery, and several chopped carrots in a few Tbsp. of olive oil. I like to put a chopped jalapeno and serrano pepper in there as well, but admittedly I like things spicier than most. Omit if you can't take the heat.
3. When the veggies have softened, add 2 1/2 quarts of chicken stock, 1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes, the rinsed then soaked then drained and rinsed again beans, a lot of coarsely chopped ham*, and several small golden potatoes cut into 1/2 inch chunks. Salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste (see the end of step two.) Bring to a boil, and then drop the heat to low and simmer for several hours until the soup has thickened, and the flavors have married, stirring occasionally.
4. Serve with crusty bread and a delicious bottle of wine from Back Room Wines.
*ham
I know I am a little nutty, especially when it comes to food and wine, but I have found for soup making purposes it is always best to have an entire ham broken down in the freezer at all times. I buy a big one at Costco every so often, and cut it into several large chunks and make Floyd seal-a-meal it into indivdual bags, and then when I am ready for my next pot of soup all I have to do is go to the garage. (I do actually have two refrigerators and two freezers at my house. You'd think I had kids or something.)
Pressure Cookin' and New Year's Resolutions
January 8, 2008 (By Ryan Graham)
I always spend a good deal of time at the first of the year coming up with constructive ways to better myself, as most do. 2008 is no exception, and I am back at the gym with a renewed vigor, and back cooking from my low fat cookbooks. Last night we paired a ground turkey breast and low fat ground beef meatloaf (sounds gross, but was actually really good), roasted garlic and rosemary mashed potatoes, and hericot vert with THREE SAINTS Syrah Santa Ynez Valley 2005 ($17), currently one of my favorite house wines. It was delish. Incidentally, the mashed potatoes were cooked in 5 minutes in my new Spanish pressure cooker, my most used Christmas present. I am experimenting with all sorts of things in it, and am sure I will have more to report soon.
Ringin' in the new year with champagne & caviar
January 1, 2008
New Year's Eve gustatory recap. The day before we cruised the San Francisco Ferry Plaza and stocked up on Caviar from Tsar Nicholai (American Paddlefish, $35/ounce!). To go with, Egly-Ouriet Champagne Brut "Tradition" Grand Cru M.V. ($75). I hadn't truly enjoyed an Egly-Ouriet, a classic big-boned bottle of bubbles, for ten years!
The Paddlefish caviar was not bad (although Holly found it the next day at Whole Foods for a whole $10 less...to appease her anger, she bought us a couple ounces of Salmon Egg caviar for ten bucks.) We griddled french bread slices and broke out the creme fraiche and green onions. Simplicity is nice.
The Champagne, after it lost its chill from being forgotten a little too long in the freezer (disaster avoided however), showed intense dry fino sherry and almond meat flavors. More even tempered than previous Egly's...citrus/citric note on the mid palate. Richer style most definitely, yet with great Champagne nervosity. I screwed up by chilling it too much. This is a cellar temperature Champagne for sure.
Coq au vin
December 4, 2007 (By Ryan Graham)
Now that braising season is here, I am pulling out all of my favorite wine related recipies. Last night I had a few friends over for dinner and prepared one of my favorite winter dishes, and served it with my current favorite Sauvignon Blanc, TALLULAH Sauvignon Blanc "La Femme d'Argent" Sonoma Mountain 2006 ($26). The match was a great success.
Coq au Vin Blanc 
You Will need:
1 1/2 Cups Sauvignon Blanc
1 1/2 Cups Chicken Stock
8 Skin-on bone-in Chicken Thighs
1 Lemon (Meyer preferred), pulp removed and rind cut into 4 one inch strips.
12 Cloves garlic
6 Sprigs of fresh thyme
2 Bay Leaves
2 Tablespoons capers
Flour
Salt
Pepper
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons butter
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large, oven proof skillet, melt the butter and olive oil. Dust the chicken with flour, salt, and pepper (go light on the salt because the capers can be rather salty.) Saute the chicken skin side down over high heat until brown and crispy, and then flip over and brown on the other side. Transfer chicken to a plate and set aside.
2. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan, lower the heat and add whole garlic cloves and saute until browned slightly. Add the wine and boil for about 8 minutes, until reduced by about half.
3. Add chicken stock, bay leaves, thyme and capers, and lemon zest and bring back to a boil. Add chicken thighs skin side up, and transfer skillet to the oven. Bake for 45 minutes.
4. Remove skillet from the oven and put the pan back on the stove top. Reduce sauce over high heat for a few minutes. Serve with a great bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, some mashed potatoes, and the brussels sprouts just below.
Thanksgiving Highlights
November 24, 2007 (By Ryan Graham)
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, due in large part to the copious amounts of great food and wine, and the ability to spend a day with family and friends, without the stress of buying gifts. (You will not find me lined up in front of a Wal-Mart at 4 A.M. the day after Thanksgiving ready to bum-rush a poor underpaid
greeter to be the first to save $2 on tube socks!)
This year for Thanksgiving we tried some new recipies along with the old classics as well. The brined turkey was stuffed with our good friend Kate Chomko's stuffing receipe which includes lots of sausage, chestnuts, and apricots soaked overnight in cognac and amaretto (it's usually Floyd and I that are soaked in cognac at the holidays - it was nice to let something else hold that honor this year.)
My one standby, that any holiday meal would be incomplete without however, are brussels sprouts. And not just any brussels sprouts mind you. Here is my receipe, and be sure to pair them with a nice Pinot Noir, or off-dry Riesling. We decided on both, and enjoyed the ERBEN von BEULWITZ RIESLING Kaseler "Nies'chen" Spatlese "Alte Reben" 2005 ($21) followed by the ELYSE Pinot Noir Wild Horse Valley 2005 ($45), both excellent holiday choices.
Ryan's Easy Holiday Brussels Sprouts
1. Get 3 or 4 pounds of the freshest, smallest brussels sprouts you can find and clean them thoroughly, slicing in half lengthwise and removing any undesireable outer leaves. Preaheat your oven to 325 degrees.
2. In a large oven-safe non-stick skillet, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil and saute about 1/4 lb. thick sliced peppered bacon, cut into thin strips.
3. When the bacon just starts to get crispy, add the brussels spouts, several sliced shallots and a lot of chopped garlic. Sprinkle in a generous handful of capers, and some cracked black pepper (there should be enough salt with the bacon.)
4. Sautee for a few minutes until everything starts to brown, and then put the pan in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, allowing the flavors to marry, and the bottom to crisp up a little.
5. Enjoy!
Hooray for crab cakes
October 8, 2007 (By Ryan Graham)
I have been on quite the Crab Cake kick lately. Floyd and I were in Maryland last week, and I had the largest and best Crab Cake I have ever experienced. 16 ounces of Maryland Blue Crab with a hint of Mayonnaise, a breadcrumb or two, and the perfect amount of seasoning broiled until slightly crispy on top. We ate these overlooking the Chesapeake bay, paired with a rich buttery Chardonnay. Not a bad way to spend an evening.
Last Saturday was my birthday (October 6th for those of you planning your shopping occasions for next year already), and we spent the weekend up at Harbin Hot Springs. My favorite California Crab Cakes happened to be served at a little restaurant in Middletown called The Boar's Breath. Two delectible little morsels, served as an appetizer, with a citrus burre blanc and a little basil reduction. They went really well with the Ketel Lemondrop I was drinking before we moved into a Hudson Syrah from the Scholium Project paired with a big, juicy, rare Ribeye.
September 19, 2007 (By Ryan Graham)
I am pleased to report that one of the local favorites for dining has just reopened here in Napa. Foothill Cafe has just been rechristened as Foothill Grille in the same location on Old Sonoma Road by the original owner and chef, Jerry Schaffer. Many old favorites on the menu, along with some fun new items.
We went last night, and started with crispy rock shrimp with papaya, jicima, avocado and spicy aioli, and the spinach salad with Thai peanut dressing, currants and candied pecans. Both were excellent. For the entrees we shared the Sea Bass fish tacos, and signature baby back ribs. The portions were large, and prices extremely resonable.
The atmosphere is pretty much the same as ever, with a slight freshening up. The dining room is casual and comfortable, and usually full of a vertible who's who of Napa vintners. The service was excellent as well.
We took a bottle of Atteca Garnacha with us (my favorite wine du jour) and it was really delicious with the food, especially the smoky flavor of the ribs.
Best of all is the refreshing value - we had 2 courses and our check was less than $50 with tax and tip. That is truly a rare occurance here in Napa.
August 29, 2007
Vacherin cheese is a cow's milk cheese from the Swiss or French Alps. The French version comes from Jura, a beautiful region with considerable elbow room for visitors. Vacherin is washed rind cheese with a pleasing stink for those who like stinky cheese. Each time I open the refrigerator door I get a whiff of this potent, musky, of-the-earth smell.
We just got in a good bit, and am going to take some home to have it as the French do: served slightly warm with a splash of white wine over the top. Will serve it with boiled baby potatoes, cornichons and maybe some fresh steamed green vegetables. Rich white wine and darker-hued Rosé are my preferred matches for this feast.
We're currently selling Vacherin cheese for $16/pound. Mention this email, have a taste, and if you want some, this Vacherin cheese is yours for just $14/pound. Safeway, just four blocks down the street, has your potatoes on sale with your Safeway card.
My annual installment of "more tomatoes than i know what to do with" - the burning man edition
August 21, 2007 (By Ryan Graham)
I went to the annual Heirloom tomato plant sale at Copia this past March, and spent an hour in the pouring rain selecting 5 little tomato plants to bring home with me and nurture from the 60+ different varieties that were for sale.
With the consistently warm, mild summer we've had those five little plants have grown into fruit-bearing monsters, overtaking everthing else in my garden and giving off 50 pounds of sweet ripe tomatoes a week. Short of manning my own stand at our local farmer's market, I have had to get creative with what to do with that many tomatoes.
I spent most of the day Sunday making my favorite pasta sauce, which I then froze and will take to Burning Man with me this week to serve to my friends and campmates with whole wheat gnocci and Karen Culler's Casaeda Syrah 2005 Sonoma Coast. A match made in heaven, if you ask me.
Ryan's Perfect Pasta Sauce1. Sautee several cloves of chopped fresh garlic and two chopped onions in a giant stock pot with olive oil, until soft and opaque.
2. Pour about 1/2 a bottle of good red wine in the pot, on top of the onions and garlic, and allow to reduce slightly.
3. While cooking the onions and garlic, I am par-boiling pounds and pounds of fresh heirloom tomatoes that I have cleaned, and cut a small x in the bottom of, to facilitate peeling. Once I have the tomatoes peeled and chopped, I add them to the pot. I usually just fill my gigantic pot, (about 60 lbs of tomatoes.)
4. I also like to add some meat, and usually just use whatever I have on hand. Into the pot last Sunday went a london broil and six center cut bone in pork chops. I also add about a pound of fresh chopped mushrooms.
5. Next add lots of chopped fresh Basil, a good bit of fresh oregano, a healthy pinch of chili flakes, sea salt, ground black pepper, and a pinch of sugar.
6. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered all day. 10 to 12 hours is ideal. The sauce should reduce by half, and be nice and thick. Stir occasionally as it cooks, and be sure to remove any bones and break up any large chunks of meat.
Serve with your favorite pasta, a simple salad, some garlic bread, and a great bottle of wine.
Now I'm getting hungry!
August 21, 2007
From a local wine salesperson and wine lover: "Just had my last bottle of Sensorium Viognier "MdR Vineyard" Paso Robles 2006 ($20) with Hopper Prawns, steamed green beans with tender dollops of Laura Chennel Goat cheese and grated carrots with raisins. I wanted a little sweetness to make that precious Viognier show so beautifully with the diversity of flavors. Show well it did." This was Nurit's last bottle, but Back Room Wines still has it!
Picadillo and Ripasso. Who knew?
August 18 , 2007
Earlier this month we hosted a Friday Night "Dip and Wine Pairing" (click here to see what all we had). Not a bad job of matching high-caloric dips (mostly) with tasty international wines.
The consensus MOST intriguing and delicious pairing was Picadillo and Zenato Valpolicella "Ripassa" 2004 ($26/bottle). I admit being embarrassingly ignorant of Picadillo. But no more. It is a Spanish spicy meat dish often used as taco filling. I'm sure there are as many recipes as hairs on my head, the one I used included almonds, raisins and the pie spices cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. We served it up warm with tortilla chips and the Zenato. What a great combination!
Ripasso method, of which Zenato "Ripassa" is one, is to stir raisined, Amarone grapeskins and seeds (just pressed off) into dry Valpolicella (an Italian, Veneto dry red "pizza wine" typically.) What you get is a spicy, jammy, robust red quite like some Dry Creek Valley Zins I've had in the past. Starting to get the picture here?
Meat, sweet spices, almonds and raisins paired with the rich, robust, spicy,
decadent red is a match if not made in heaven, then made just outside the Pearly Gates. I strongly recommend it, and will send you the Picadillo recipe I used, no extra charge.
Givin' some props to our favorite local eateries
March 20, 2007
In case you need to know where we recommend you dine near Back Room Wines, this is our list.
1. ZuZu. Main Street between 2nd and 3rd. Spanish tapas. Food is always creative and very good. Alway see too many items on the menu that you want to try. Wine list, both by the glass and bottle, is dynamic, adventuresome and full of good values. Service is usually very good. Sit at the bar for the best time (we think). Here's their website
2. N.V. On First Street between Brown & Coombs. Just went there for the first time a couple of weeks' ago, and boy can they cook! Everything that I tried (my three items along with about five others) were full of flavor, well cooked, and well thought out. California cooking, I would say. N.V.'s Website.
3. PIZZA AZZURRO. On 2nd and Franklin Streets. Outstanding thin crust pizzas. Quick service...can be out of there in under an hour no problem. Good wine and beer selection, too.
4. ANGELE. Don't go there as often as I should. Delectable French food, on the country side style wise. Good bar to for eatin' and drinkin'. Excellent Cheeseburger and Fries, too. Angele's website.
Food is fun but construction is not
January 23, 2007 (By Ryan Graham)
We are taking one for the team in downtown Napa this New Year. Apparently the floodgates of development have opened, for we have construction happening on three sides of us right now.
First they tore down the building that shares our alley to put in a new retail location on First Street. Next to fall was the parking structure and lot directly across from us, to make room for the 
headquarters of US Advisors, an underground parking structure, and another retail building. Finally, the old antique mall (formerly a perenially empty cavernous old JC Penny) went the way of the wrecking ball kitty-corner to us on First St., to make room for a new five story hotel. As I compose, the glasses are rattling on the shelves (a la earthquake style) as we lose the mouth to our driveway.
All in all a small cross to bear in the name of progress though. We are looking forward to new friends and neighbors, along with an improved view, and a bevy of new wine afficianados. We only have 18 more months to wait. Hopefully the teams of construction people all around us come in ahead of schedule on their projects.
Bonneau cuvee celestins 1990
January 9, 2007
A long-time, great customer sent me two amazing Christmas gifts.
Les Cailloux Chateauneuf du Pape "Cuvee Centenaire" 2001 still rests "in the back." The other, Henri Bonneau Chateauneuf du Pape "Cuvee Celestins" 1990, I took home to enjoy with roast leg of lamb this past Saturday. This wine is a 100 points Parker, costs big bucks on the open market, and is best enjoyed by a party of two, as long as I'm in the party.
The nose made up 75% of the wine this night. Holly and I must have pulled out 25 different aromas! Cinnamon, anise, olive, aged meat, truffle, leather and framboise are a few I recall right now. The palate was pretty, intense, and more feminine than what I expected. The meal (roast lamb marinated in rosemary, garlic, Dijon and red pepper with roast fingerlings) was simple so the wine could shine.
Very rarely does one open a wine KNOWING it shall be remembered for a long time. This was one of those opportunities.
My Christmas Beef
December 19, 2006 (By Ryan Graham)
So I'm having my whole family in Napa for Christmas. Mom, Dad, and Sister are flying in tonight from Ohio. The in-laws are coming from Oregon. We'll be 21 total on Chrismas Day, and I just picked up a gigantic standing Prime Rib roast to serve to the group. I did one last year as well and it turned out really well. I use my good friend Dan Breit's recipe, who not only is an excellent cook, but used to be a butcher. Here goes:
Start with a really good-looking, nice slab of red meat, bone in of course, brought up to room temperature.
Rub outside with sea salt and cracked black pepper. Pack on a nice crust.
Turn your oven on as high as it will go. When it's really hot, put the roast in the oven uncovered, on a roasting rack, and sear it until you set your closest smoke detector off. (I'm not kidding.)
Immediately drop the temperature in the oven as low as it will go (140 degrees is perfect.)
Hopefully your smoke detector has stopped beeping by now......they can be quite annoying.
Continue to roast very slowly over several hours until it has reached the desired internal temperature. We like ours quite rare, usually around 150 - 160 degrees.
It is very important to let it stand for at least 1/2 hour after you take it out of the oven before slicing.
If anyone has any favorite recipies or suggestions for how you like to roast your rib, email me at ryan@backroomwines.com. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.
More tomatoes than we know what to do with
November 7, 2006 (By Ryan Graham)
We live in the Napa Valley, and things grow well here. That said, I'm always amazed by the vast amounts of tomatoes I get off the plants in my yard. I guess I'm just still not used to how long the growing season is here. After giving away copious amounts to friends and neighbors, making sauce, chili, ratatouille (I also grow eggplant, zucchini and peppers that I have to find homes for) and many Insalata Caprese, I've still got many tomatoes hanging on the vines. Sunday I picked all of my smaller varieties (green and red zebra, early girl, plum, roma, san marzano, etc.) and decided it was time for a little oven drying. This is one of my favorite things to do with excess tomatoes, and they are so good. Use them anywhere you'd put sun-dried tomatoes, or serve them on their own for a side dish or snack.
I slice tomatoes in 1/2 and lay on a foil covered baking sheet.
Brush with high quaily olive oil.
Sprinkle a little sea salt, ground black pepper, chopped garlic, and chopped fresh basil over them.
Bake at 275 degrees and watch them, for about 2 1/2 hours. Remove when they look slightly moist still, but have good carmelization.
Enjoy!
Ryan's Favorite Fall chili recipe
October 30th, 2006
I make this chili every fall, just about this time of year. I am actually enjoying a bowl of it right now while I write this. I find that a good California Syrah pairs best with it, standing up to the spice and complimenting it well. This will yield a big pot, enough to share with friends and family.
1. In a big pot, brown:
1 lb. Bacon ends and pieces, coarsely chopped into chunks
1 lb. Ground beef
1 lb. Ground mild Italian sausage
1 lb. Hot Italian sausage links, cut into chunks
2. When cooked, drain off 1/2 the fat, leaving meat and 1/2 the fat in the pot, and add:
4 Small onions, chopped into chunks
3 Bell peppers (red, yellow, orange or green......I like to keep it colorful) cut in 1" chunks
4 Jalapeno peppers sliced with seeds (you may adjust based on desired heat)
10 cloves of garlic, cut in 1/2
Stir the veggies
and cook until they soften.
3. Next add:
10 medium to large tomatoes, cut into small pieces. I like to use the wonderful heirloom tomatoes from my garden, but you may use regular fresh tomatoes from the grocery or local farmers market. If tomatoes are not in season, 2 large cans of diced tomatoes may be substituted.
1 can Cannellini beans (white kidney)
1 can Red kidney beans
1 can Pinto beans
1 can Black beans
Stir and simmer until the tomatoes begin to break down and liquefy.
4. Finally, I like to add between 1/4 to 1/2 cup chili powder, adding a little at a time and tasting as I go. After finding the right balance, I put the lid on the pot, turn the heat to low, and simmer for a couple hours stirring occasionally. Serve with freshly baked cornbread.
our Top ten napa valley restaurants
October 28, 2006
Just two merchants' opinions. We're open to constructive criticism. Thoughts?
Dan's Top 10
1. The French Laundry. It is what it is.
2. Redd. Only had their bar menu, but what a bar menu! Not as fancy pants food as one might think. 
3. ZuZu. Spanish tapas restaurant is always good. And I always feel a little better looking when I'm there.
4. Mustard's. Napa Valley classic still making perfect food.
Never had a bad dish there.
5. La Toque. Great food, professionalism, friendliness.
It's a great restaurant.
6. Pizza Azzurro. Best thin crust pizza in Napa Valley if not California.
7. Bouchon. Nothing better than their Moules Frites in my book.
I'm astounded by how much $ I spend there every time I go.
8. BRIX. Fantastic food, attention to detail, and they really care. My boyhood chum is G.M. there, too.
9. Terra. Cal/Asian fusion dishes always work. Top notch service, too.
10. Wappo. Been a while since I last went, but I can taste their Chile Rellenos like it was yesterday.
Ryan's Top 10
1. The French Laundry. As much as I hate to admit it and play into the hype, it ranks among the 
most memorable meals of my life. (pictured right)
2. Auberge du Soleil. Amazing views of the Valley, coupled with spectacular food. If you aren't up for the full treatment, you can walk in and order off the bar menu and still enjoy the great food and panoramic views of the Valley.
3. Terra. The execution and flavors are always spectacular.
4.
Bistro Jeanty. I have dreams about the cassoulet, and everything else on the menu is great too. The ambiance, especially on a cool fall evening, takes you right to the French countryside. (pictured left)
5. Domaine Chandon. Great flavors, service, and wines. Excellent patio dining in the summer as well.
6. ZuZu. I have to give Mick (the owner) a nod as well. It is the favorite of locals in the Valley, who want a great neighborhood place with fresh local food lovingly prepared in a really hip environment that you can walk right in to. And they're open late night.
7. Bistro Don Giovanni. One of the places to see and be seen, it's always hopping, they do fantastic
Italian fare, and they have the best and biggest patio. (pictured right)
8. The Culinary Institute at Greystone. They stuff a kobe beef burger with foie gras and oxtails. Need I say more?
9. The Soscol Cafe. The best greasy spoon you will find anywhere. Javier Ceja, former sous chef at Meadowood, serves the best breakfast in town. It's a tiny dive with close quarters, but the omelettes can't be beat.
10. Taylor's Refresher. Ahi Tuna burgers, onion rings, and duck tacos, along with the best half bottle list in town, all for a reasonable (by Napa standards) price. (pictured above left)
Jay hemenway's olive recipe
October 26 , 2006.
Jay owns Green & Red Winery, and makes wonderful Zinfandel from his vineyards every year. It is as consistent a Zinfandel as they come. This is Jay's green olive-curing recipe. This makes fresh, fruity green olives that are best if eaten by the end of winter, in my opinion.
Pick olives when they just start to turn color. Purple olives will turn green in lye solution, but the green olives stay fresh longer.
You can cure the olives in five gallon buckets. Fill the buckets 3/4 full. You want to have extra room for the changing of liquid, draining, rinsing, and so forth. Keep the olives as cool as you can. Definitely keep them out of the sun while they cure!
Step 1. Make a solution of 1 gallon water and 3 tablesoons lye. (Amount of solution you make depends on how many olives you have. You want the olives to float in the liquid a little).
Soak for 24 hours. Rinse.
Step 2. Make a solution of 1 gallon water and 4 tablesoons lye. Soak for 48 hours or until lye has reached the pits. Rinse.
Step 3. Make a solution of 1 gallon water and 2 tablesoons salt. Soak for 24 hours. Rinse.
Step 4. Make a solution of 1 gallon water and 4 tablesoons salt. Soak for 48 hours. Rinse thoroughly. If the olives taste of the lye, repeat step 4.
Step 5. Store in ceramic crocks (preferrably...glass would do) in solution of 1 quart water and 1 tablespoon salt. Change water every 2 weeks.
Or, put them in glass jars, flavor them as you wish (garlic, peppers, I'm going to try kaffir lime leaves this year) add the 1 quart water/1 tablespoon salt solution) and refrigerate.
Hope this recipe works as well for you as it has for us!
we eat pretty well for hard working folk
October 12 , 2006.
Working long hours six days a week would seem to demand oodles of restaurant food, be it fast or slow. Sucker I am for killer burritos and an occasional fast food burger (Wendy's Double With Cheese is my preferred), I do cook at home much more often than not. Between Holly and me, we have enough experience in the kitchen to cover all the continents. Let's see, last Sunday Holly whipped up Thai Garlic Pepper Shrimp. With it we drank a simple yet lovely Mumm Cuvee Napa Blanc de Noirs. Then two nights ago, I grilled the thickest New York Strip you could imagine. I sliced, topped with black truffle compound butter and ate up with Paloma Syrah 2002 (I've bought this wine straight from the Richards since they first made it). Not bad, huh?
how to barbecue in the dark
October 3 , 2006. 
Earlier sunsets mean a dark drive home from work for me and Holly. Our patio is well equipped for our good ol' briquette-fueled Weber, but the lighting isn't so great. What to do? Let me tell you! Super powered spot-flashlights that attach to your head by an elastic band. We bought these for our Costa Rica adventure earlier this year, and helpful yes they were in Central America. But, the head flashlight's true calling is the light-challenged barbecue. Look out skirt steak with chimichurri, you shall be mine later this week. Now if I can only keep the BBQ smoke to punch me in the face.
Cult cabernet, school of rock and pho
September 18, 2006. 
We live in Vallejo, a town/city of a couple hundred thousand people, history, and unlimited potential if you know what I mean. Now, the best food in town is probably the Pho place about a half mile from our house. Pho is Vietnam noodle soup, and if you're in the area, check out Pho Phat 2 on Redwood just east of Highway 29 in Vallejo.
So the other night, friends and I went to a free showing of "School of Rock" on Vallejo's Mare Island (former Naval Nuclear ship and submarine yard turned
renewal project). Friends and us grabbed the Pho, set up camp, watched the movie (being a large Jack Black fan, I love this movie. I cry at the end.) The wine: HL Cabernet Sauvignon 2002, the tiny production second wine of Herb Lamb Vineyard, which in itself is really tiny. Jennifer Lamb has given a bottle of HL each vintage as a sweet gift. I think she'd approve of the setting: friends, grass, movie, Pho and a bottle of HL (and boy was it gooooood). Sometimes, the best wines are meant to drink in the most unlikely of places.
do you really like to smoke your dinner?
September 3, 2006.
I thought I liked to smoke food. The concept is cool. Holly and I are not sure anymore.
She bought me one of the vertical water smokers for Christmas 2004 (the ubiquitous type we see in many hardware and department stores), and just today, while launching this new website, I used it for just the second time. Whole chicken, with balsamic shallots on the side.
Mind you it wasn't bad, but after five hours of smoking, the joints were still bloody, so another half hour in the oven was needed. We smell like smoke, and the texture that most came to mind was leather.
Our cat enjoyed it the most.
If your first reaction is "this guy doesn't know how to use his smoker," I proudly write that the meat was moist, well seasoned, and very smoky, which I think is the point. We're just not fans.
On the other hand, the pressure cooker Holly gave me for my birthday last year is a great success...even though we've only used it twice, as well. Ooph.
My Should’a Been Blue Ribbon Chili
From a newsletter I wrote in 2003
I got this recipe from Hernaldo Garay, the Sous Chef at The Olympic Club, where I worked two years as a culinary apprentice. It’s a great chili recipe, so good I used it in a Chili Cook Off competition in Calistoga almost ten years ago. My table was next to the eventual winner (I finished second). When he tasted mine before the judges arrived, he made a dash for his spice rack. I’ve been bitter ever since. This recipe should easily serve 12.
1. Cook until done, then blend 1/4 of this and add back:
2 lbs pinto beans, soaked overnight, covered with water
1/4 cup chili powder
2 Tablespoons dried or fresh thyme
2. Set aside beans. In a big, heavy pot, heat 1/4 cup vegetable or olive oil, then add 5 pounds of your preferred meat.
Pork and/or beef is good...not too lean. Cook and degrease.
3. Add to meat and cook for five minutes, all cut as you like:
3 green bell peppers, 2 yellow onions, 1 bunch celery,
1/2 bulb garlic, 1 cup canned jalapeños with the juice.
4. Add these tomato products (quality canned products are ok):
Half gallon diced tomatoes with juice,
5 cups tomato puree
3 cups ketchup
5. Add these herbs and spices:
4 T beef base, 2 T dry mustard, 1/2 cup chili powder,
3 T Paprika, 2 T Dijon mustard, 1 T red pepper flakes,
1 T Cumin, 2 t cayenne, 2 t dry ginger, 2 t oregano,
2 t black pepper, 2 t allspice, 2 t thyme, 2 t sage,
1 t celery seed, 1 t ground cloves.
6. Add water to get a nice chili consistency, about 2 cups.
Cook for one hour. Add beans. Taste and adjust seasoning to your preference. Now serve, fridge, or freeze. I like to serve the chili with home-fried tortilla strips & sour cream.