La Playa Knows How to Play

The upcoming La Playa Wine Festival Saturday, Aug. 21, looks like a ravishing value for wine lovers. Master local and Napa crafthouses—like Opus One, Caymus, Quintessa, Stags Leap, Jordan and Rubicon—all pour tastes and offer deals.

Can I get a hell yes from the assembly hall.

Meanwhile the Edenesque gardens charm, Richard MacDonald supplies sculptures to contemplate and Exec Chef Bunyan Fortune rolls out "gourmet" appetizers.

I've seen tickets like this go for upwards of $75. This one's $35 for four hours of indulgence at La Playa Hotel, Eighth and Camino Real in Carmel. 624-6476 x488.

Here's a look at the complete list of vinos:

Robert Mondavi Winery • Franciscan • Rubicon • Beringer Vineyards • Chateau St. Jean • Rodney Strong • Quintessa • Opus One • Joseph Phelps • Stags Leap Wine Cellars • Chimney Rock • Antica • Caymus • Chalk Hill • Jordan • Clos Du Bois • Cuvaison • Ferrari Carano • Gary Farrel • Mumm • GH Mumm • Perrier Jouet • Ravenswood • Bernardus • Groth • Pine Ridge • Paraiso • Pessagno • Charles Krug • Clos Lachance • Stags Leap Winery • Sanford • Rutherford Hill

Believe It: Friday Just Got Better

Everybody loves a discovery. There's one to be made above Seaside with Bayonet-Blackhorse's clubhouse grill (899-5954).

The revelation was inspired by BB's infant Friday Afternoon Club. From 4-6pm Fridays, draft pints like Black Horse Ale (by Red Hook), English Ales Fat Lip and Sierra Nevada are but $2. Local wines are $4. Well drinks run $3 and a nice lineup of appetizers—inferno hot wings, chili verde nachos, Monterey Bay calamari, etc.—are a 5 spot. Worthy burgers, a grilled Caesar chicken sandwich and barbecued tri-tip sandwich (each with fries) are $6.

Blue collar local lyricist Donald Carroll and I tried the honey mustard chicken strips ($5), a big basket of long, panko-breaded, thin-sliced chicken strips with twice-fried potatoes that stayed nice and hot.

The Texas chili potato skins ($5) didn't do it as much for us just because the beans in the chili deadened the flavor, the cheese wasn't melted and they were hard to eat. But the bacon was thick and crisp and the potatoes tasted fresh.

The real treat, then, was the underpopulated, oceanview patio and window-heavy bar-dining area. Whether there's a discount going on or not it makes for a great mid-Seaside/Marina/Salinas stop off for a scenic sipper and maybe a little play on the putting green.

Play through.

Chefs + Local Organic Start-ups = Good

Truly eating locally ain't easy, but it can be immensely satisfying and flavorful, as I learned when I did it for 15 days. (Man, I missed Tapatío.)

Thing is, on the advice of savvy sourcing chefs like Dory Ford, I gave myself an 150-mile range. The inspired benefit for big-dreams, small-means Agricultural and Land-based Training Association Sunday, Aug. 22, at the sparkling Monterey Peninsula Country Club in Pebble Beach, is permitting a 40-mile perimeter for the meats and vegetables going into a menu assembled by MPCC's Colin Moody, Corral de Tierra Country Club's William Bennett, Aquaterra Culinary's Esteban Jimenez and the aformentioned Ford.

Do-gooders can await chilled tomato and watermelon gazpacho consommé; braised leek, walnut and bleu cheese canapé; Grey Goose- and Grand Marnier-compressed ALBA strawberries on bamboo fork; and line caught pacific tuna in ALBA avocado tartar in a black sesame cone with ALBA red radish crème fraiche.

And that's just the appetizers. This sucker's five courses, with regional wine pairings, emceeing from Alan Richmond and silent auction action.

ALBA would be best described as an inspired small farm incubator whose alums include local notables/farmers market pillars Universal Organics, Rio de Parras Organic Farm, La Milpa Organic Farm and Tastes Like Chicken Ranch.

(BTW: I lived for TLC bacon while local dieting; they are currently selling heritage whole and half pigs as part of Aug. 25 and late September harvest groups and a late September harvest group with discounts for repeat pig customers. Log deposits at the TLC website.)

"We subsidize in the beginning and that decreases over time," Deputy Director Gary Peterson, "That's the point of the incubation. To generate a viable local small farm economy. To provide economic development and skills development."

ALBA's chef friends rallied for what represents a coming-out of sorts for an inspired nonprofit that hasn't had a fundraiser like this. "While we will uphold the dress code [at MPCC]," Peterson says, "It will be a little bit different crowd for them…

"We want to introduce ALBA to the community in a way we haven't before—to increase the number of folks who are turned onto our work."

Cost is $125 per person, a portion of which is tax-deductible. If you can't swing that, seek out ALBA alumni at local farmers markets—and these other local providers. If these chefs are using them, you want to be using them too. Tickets may be purchased through Brown Paper Tickets or by calling 758-1469.

Oh yeah: the entrees (which, along with the appetizers and the ALBA trio dessert, make up the five courses).

1. Line caught fennel-dusted Pacific halibut, ALBA artichoke-chèvre custard, ALBA roma tomato-citrus confit, Opal basil oil

2. Pan-roasted Hain Ranch chicken breast, leg confit, heirloom summer squash, roasted pear tomato, natural jus

3. Potted farmstead Paicines Ranch beef with stewed ALBA pipérade and S&K Ranch liver grill bread with garden-fresh sauce verde

Small is beautiful.

The Niners Run With Forrest

After practicing at CSU Monterey Bay last week, the San Francisco 49ers took 138 players and staff to Bubba Gump (373-1884) for a little post practice carbo-loading.

On the strength of an insider tip alerting us to the semi-secret seating, local contractor-Niner fan Adam Serrano and I got there ahead of their reservation to secure strategic seats in the bar to soak up the proceedings without getting in their mugs.

The NFC West champs-to-be were running tardy so we figured we better settle in. A Lt. Dan's Pomegranate Punch for my friend, I told a very accomodating Diane—Pama Pomegranate liqueur, Malibu Rum, pineapple juice, cranberry and Sierra Mist in a commemorative glass ($9.95); a Delta Sunset margarita ($7.95) for me.

"This thing is pumped full of booze," Serrano said.

The Cajun shrimp ($8.99), sautéed in an addictively oily hot and spicy Cajun butter sauce with dip-ready garlic bread, seemed a must-do. Very glad we did.

And the calamari ($8.99) was surprisingly good, with fried jalapeños, bell peppers and other veggies mixed in.

(A quick note: Dishes like this speak to why the Coastal Luxury Management team gave this place careful attention before they moved Cannery Row Brewing Company here, and how it earns the respect all of the local restaranteurs, Tony Tollner included, after they have to compete with them. I still haven't discerned why the 49ers chose here to eat, though.)

For entreés, more shrimp. (You guessed it.) Like the Baja shrimp tacos ($11.50), three spicy set-ups that come either flash fried or grilled, served with Mayan salsa, avocado tomatillo salsa, and Mexican-style sour cream.

And the coconut shrimp ($17.99).

Only problem: The Niners were an hour late and I had an unmissable meeting coming down the pipe. There was only one thing to do: Order the "I'm Stuffed!" shrimp ($17.25).

Packed with crab stuffing, baked in garlic butter, and topped with Monterey jack, it's served with jasmine rice—not Jerry Rice, who was enshrined in the Hall of Fame this very weekend, telling people like Serrano and I, ""I love you fans, especially the greatest fans in pro football, the 49er fans," as part of his induction speech.

Diane was kind enough to agree to deliver the stuffed shrimp to All-Pro Niner middle linebacker Patrick Willis with a personalized message. "Patrick Willis, this stuffed shrimp is for you, to help you stuff the run all year long."

Seeing as it wasn't on the luncheon menu they were served—from which insiders say there were a lot of Bubba's Bucket of Boat Trash (with deep-fried shrimp, mahi mahi topped with a steamed lobster claw and fries) and Cajun-style catfish ordered—I'm thinking it was a hit on par with the one he's laying on overmatched Pittsburgh Steeler Hines Ward in the above photo.

Go 52 bomber. And go Niners.

Velvet Underground: Inside a Semi-Secret, Wholly Symphonic Dinner

Local free-range chef Mike Whalen recently applied for two jobs on the same day—one scheming optical engineering for NASA (at their request) and one cooking at Saratoga's celebrated Plumed Horse restaurant.

Yes, the dude has a unique skill set. The dinner he prepped last week for a small group of friends was similarly unique.

A brief rewind: After designing lenses for our best interplanetary operations, he decided to abandon the lucrative grind and Southern California for the Peninsula. After landing in P.G., he started food-writing with the Weekly (check out his thoughts on fancy menu words) and cheffing with David Frappeia at Melange before volunteering with Michael Mina's team at Pebble Beach Food & Wine—and earning an invite to cook at RN 74 in San Francisco. He took to couch surfing and crashing in his car as he completed long weekend sequences. At this year's PBF&W he coordinated food demos. "It was surreal to have [Thomas] Keller's team calling me to get things squared away," he said, "Especially a year after doing anything just to be there."

When the S.F. sofa existence got to be too taxing, Whalen shifted back to this bay. But he didn't want to stop cheffing.

As he flitted about the kitchen at Le Normandie on Lighthouse in Pacific Grove during its one night dark of the week he questioned the sanity of assembling seven courses with as many as 15 ingredients each, then proceeded to ruminate on why he did.

It's not to make money, as with most "underground" supper clubs, which were at one point proliferating secretly in Bay Area houses so restauranteurs who could no longer afford (or wanted to pay) overhead could still make ends meet.

It's a purer thing. "I love wine and food," he said, "with friends..."

"and I like the challenge—the practice, the pricing—I write the menu (above), I figure out how to make it, then I work it out."

His wife Deirdre confided that he's often making things for the first time. He traversed almost every market between here and Santa Cruz, both farmers and brick-and-mortar, before he had all the instruments to play his scribbled sheet music. The lighter wine varietals he requested for each course worked well, despite the fact that vegetables can be so fickle to pair with.

"I'm trying to creat a $135 Michael Mina tasting here at an accessible price," Whalen said.

For us it was $40 for the food and a couple of the wine pairings he furnished; we also brought the aforementioned varietals, finding out later that at least three of us stopped by Monterey Wine Market (646-0107), where George Edwards (above) remains the can't-miss master of rock solid values with plenty of personality, like the Manu he found me for maybe $12.

The first order of business: a yuzu watermelon martini welcome. A summer treat for serious grown-ups. Whalen supplies the recipe below.

His amuse bouche trio included a cube of watermelon holed out to cradle 10-year balsmic gastrique (which he defines in his fancy word article); cleverly crispy okra in a nicely salty crust with avocado-buttermilk ranch; and the coup of the collection, a labor-intensive fava bean hummus on homemade za'atar flatbread that impressed unanimously with its zippy but subtle combo of sumac, thyme and more. (Whalen said that in the Middle East the recipes for za'atar are so sacred mamas sometimes decline to give their daughters the blend.)

The freshness and flavors of the first course served notice that he was serious about the whole summer menu thing. (The all-vegetable lineup was by request after some prodigious duck and beef bourguignon tasting menus, among others.)

The chilled vegetable and herb soup took the garden harvest flavor further. Fennel, asparagus, peas, taragon, dill, snap peas, leeks, celery, watercress, arugula and carrots all went into the soup and down our throats, with a whipped creme fraiche with fennel pollen ridealong.

Heirlooms with fromage blanc (with a little basil-pistachio sauce and micro cilantro) scored top taste for a couple eaters, a testament to the power of juicy, timely local tomatoes. The zuccinni "linguini" sliced from a Japanese mandolin was clever and tasty caloric intake too.

Then came the sweet pea risotto—with a mint puree and pea shoots. Succulent stuff, no meat needed.

More bounty from the fields: A garden grill crepe, with celery heart, fennel, red bell pepper, asparagus, fingerlings, sweet corn and shaved pecornio.

The deliciousness shone in the details here—as in the carmelized vidalia onion soubise (or classic French onion-based sauce) and crispy fried shallots on top.

The simple dessert simply dominated. A "creamsicle" knocked folks back in their seats by way of homemade vanilla bean ice cream, orange granité and Grand Marnier. Some Pedro Ximenez (PX) Spanish sherry made it even better, reminding us that to pair with desserts you have to go even sweeter.

Along the odyssey we peppered Whalen with questions on how the meatlover came up with so many veggie plates ("I wanted to use fava beans—what can I do with it?" "I never tried crepes, but that could work well") or the screaming ice cream (with a little gelato maker from Lello available on Amazon).

My question: When we doing this again?

Reach Whalen for consulting or special events—one diner and friend decided he would have Whalen run a dinner he's hosting for an out-of-town VIP—at (805) 451-6023 or jibeho67@hotmail.com.

Here's the martini mix...

Yuzu-Watermelon Martini
2-3 oz good vodka, depending on how strong you like it.
I like 3oz, and I like the clean, no hangover taste of belvedere.

Splash (~1/2 oz) of yuzu juice
Very tart, be careful. You can sub (strained = no pulp) lemon juice if you can't find yuzu (check Asian markets).

1 1/2 oz simple syrup, depending on how sweet you like it and how much citrus you put in. Simple syrup is 1 part sugar to 1 part water, heated until the sugar dissolves, then cooled.

3-4 oz watermelon juice.
You can squeeze your own, but really, who wants to do that? Go to Whole Foods, check the Evolution juice cooler (across from the deli) and buy some. (The Evolution juice guys restock the cabinet saturday morning and it doesn't last long.)

Take a piece of fresh cut watermelon and run it around the inside and outside rim of a chilled martini glass.
Roll rim through ultrafine (baker's) sugar. Shake off excess. everyone loves a sugar rim...

Drop of 1/2 inch cube of cut watermelon into the bottom of the glass.

Pour the martini mix into a shaker with ice and shake it-shake it-shake it to a frothy frenzy.

Strain into the glass.

Garnish with a small mint leaf.

Toast, clink, sip, smile, and repeat...

Tiny Bye Bye

The e-mail I saw on my phone was distressed.

"Do you know Miriam’s the coffee shop on Lighthouse?" cookbook author, new mom and Weekly food writer Pat Tanimurhardja wrote. "Do you know what’s up with her? She’s my go-to barista for the best lattes on the Peninsula but she’s been closed for more than a week.

"No note, no word. Any idea?"

This was forboding news. Miriam represented a lot of awesome elements—the rare young female entrepreneur, a stylish and charismatic cat who cared deeply about the provenance of her products, who leveraged maximum fun from her shoebox-size spot by hosting art exhibits and even DJ music, a community member completely woven into the fabric of Lighthouse Avenue, a relentless supporter of good local indie music and a regular presence at indigenous cultural events.

These thoughts hadn't even filtered through my frontal cortex yet as I pocketed my phone and walked onto the patio of The Crown and Anchor (649-6496)…and saw Miriam tucked away in a corner.

I showed her the e-mail. I felt the wind of the Information Superhighway beneath my wings.

She told me she was over the crazy dawn-to-dusk-and-beyond hours and the burden of making it work week in and week out, that she was cashing out and taking a part-time gig at Whole Foods in Monterey. I sensed a lil' need for normalcy. And contentment.

In the space, she says, the new owners are planning a hot dog shop.

I heart hot dogs. But I can't say I'm quite as excited as I might be otherwise.

Crucial Crumbs: Surprising Food Nuggets To Gnaw On

Pig Wizard ain't rollin' dirty no more.

Before last week Palo Colorado's Jonathan Roveto could only share his wondrous spicy Italian and manchego chicken and Morrocan lamb sausages with friends or at special events.

No longer.

Thanks to a USDA nod he finally got last week after his share of hula hoops and beaurecratic bonks, he can start sharing his tubular triumphs with restaurants, though he will need to adjust his label before he can sell uncooked links in stores.

First up—Esteban in downtown Monterey (375-0176) and Big Sur Bakery on Highway 1 (667-0520). Reveto says BSB is already serving the goods.

He told me as much in the sand at Monastery Beach on Sunday as I caught the beautiful, dusky dregs of his birthday party. For him, that meant he provided the pork and other folks furnished the beer.

As in capital "P" Pork.

Yes—he stuffed that suckling pig sucker with carrots, fennel root, onions and his own Pig Wizard sausage. That whole-roast-suckling-pig-stuffed-with-crazy-good-sausage thing is a metaphor for something profound.

I'm just not sure what.

I am sure that it was damn good.

(Read a little más about how the Wiz got his brauts banging—and took home two crowns at the Big Sur Chanterelle Cook-off—by clicking over to a recent blog post.)

School lunch can be healthy, tasty and affordable.

In a past life, as a development director for a big-hearted, small-staffed nonprofit, I used to ask one of my students, lil bug-eyed, weak-kneed Kevonne, "So what was for lunch today?"

He'd blink Bambi eyelashes over watery irises and say, "Spicy Cheetos and a Coke."

Hence it gives me more than pedestrian hope that ace healthy-and-sustainable food samurais like Dory Ford and Esteban Jimenez at Aqua Terra Culinary have launched a school lunch program where lunches are reasonably priced at $5.95 for grades K-3 and $6.95 for 4–8. (Orders can be placed up to 6am the day the lunch is to be served or can be purchased a full month in advance.)

Of course, Stevenson School Carmel Campus—the first to sign up—doesn't have the bussed-in, lunch-ticket, innercity L.A. population Kevonne's Webster Middle School did.

But still.


Wineries and top fitness go hand in hand.

As spots to celebrate a 13-mile trek go, this doesn't suck.

Saturday, Aug. 7, the Salinas Valley Half Marathon starts at 8am—at the historic Soledad Mission—before twisting winds north along the hem of the Santa Lucia mountains and concluding at Pessagno Winery.

More than 1,200 runners and walkers from all over California and 19 other states and several foreign countries will weave through wineries, vineyards and row crops along the way; the arguably wiser spectators can welcome participants at the finish line and enjoy the free Expo and Awards Ceremony—think vendor and information booths, live music, local artists, great barbecue, wine and beer.

Wine tasting and one glass of beer will be free to registered runners (must be 21 or older). Others can taste Pessagno’s most current releases and higher-end wines, or a sampling of their award-winning Pinot Noirs for $5–$15 refunded with wine purchase. Beers come courtesy of Cannery Row Brewing Company.

More here.

MPC Farmers Market is now a Friday thing.

I see more chefs—whatcha got in the bag, Christophe Grosjean? Can I study your grocery list, Mike Jones?—at Monterey Farmers Market at MPC (728-5060) than any other local markets.

It debuts its first Friday fraternity meeting of freshness this week after 34 years of Thursdays. Celebrate the change with free cake (!) and the same fresh produce and local farmers 10am-2pm—new hours—at Monterey Peninsula College, 980 Fremont St., Monterey.

All that bubbles is not Champagne.

The dependably engaging tastings at Zeph's continue with an Aug. 17 expedition into sparkling wines.

The $25 tag is more than fair for an evening of California and international splashes and nibbles by Portabella.

"You'll find delicious flavors and great variety from California, Spain, France, Italy and more," Bill, Vince and the team writes, "without the hefty price tag of the French Champagnes."

Matt Bolton is way cooler than Michael Bolton.

The singer is several years into the whole less-hair-more-heart thing—and visiting Carmel's Sunset Center Aug. 18—and the new executive chef is just a couple of weeks into his reign at Pacific's Edge (622-5445). But I'd much more happily pay to see Matt do his thing than Michael.
One of the best showcases to do so looks to be the first ever wine dinner series at the award-winning cellar of Pacific’s Edge Restaurant he's doing with new wine director Paul Fried.

From August through December, each dinner will be devoted to a wine-growing region with seldom-available vintages from the highest profile indigenous wineries. "An Evening in Burgundy” is Aug. 17. A look at the menu of tastes reveals how they calculated a $300 tag:

Oyster & Caviar Sous Vide – Island Creek, Golden Imperial Caviar
2006 Domaine William Fevre 'Bougros' Chablis Grand Cru
~
Yellowfin Tuna Carpaccio –Australian Winter Truffle, Quail Egg, Brioche, California Osetra Caviar
2000 Michel Niellon Chassagne-Montrachet 'Champgains' 1er Cru
~
Monterey Bay Spot Prawn – Swank Farms White Corn, Chanterelle, Umbrian Summer Truffle, Chardonnay Sauce
1997 Domaine Ramonet Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru
~
Sonoma Duck Rossini – Smoked Duck Breast, Pomme Anciene, Port-Bing Cherry Jus
2002 Robert Groffier Chambolle Musigny 'Les Amoureuses' 1er Cru
~
Dry-Aged Ribeye – Cast Iron Seared Prime Beef, Heirloom Ratatouille, Sauce Bordelaise
2001 Domaine Dujac Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru
~
Epoisse, Tartuffo, Valencay – Grilled Santa Rosa Plum, Blenheim Apricot Chutney, Toasted Walnut-Fig bread
2000 Comtede Georges Vogüé Musigny 'Vieilles-Vignes' Grand Cru

The series sips on through Spain (Sept. 23), Italy (Oct. 21), California (Nov. 18, in celebration of the harvest and crush), and France (Dec. 16).