Sonoma County Dispatch

I recently returned from a wine-soaked week in Sonoma with my mom. It was my first visit to wine country, and I'm already starting to plot when I can conceivably get back there again this year. While there was a lot to love about Sonoma, here are a few of my favorite things from my journey through wine country.

1. Everything is local. Unlike other vacations when you return from a week of eating and drinking feeling like you need to detox, I came back from Sonoma feeling, well, pretty great. The access to local produce, meat and dairy products is plentiful and knowing that everything on your dinner plate came from within a 30 mile radius makes every dish cleaner, fresher and healthier.

Picnic lunch overlooking Lake Sonoma
with Longboard Zinfandel 

2. The people. It's clear that most everyone working in wine country is passionate about what they do and deeply committed to their craft. It's evident when you visit a tasting room, chat with a wine maker or talk to local shop owner.

3. The sunshine. One day our forecast was "abundant sunshine." As someone in the depths of a sun-deprived winter in Chicago, this forecast made me tear up a little.

4. Picnics are the preferred lunch option. Why go to a restaurant when you can sit at a lush winery amid rolling hills or on top of a mountain? One of my favorite meals of the trip is pictured at right. As we were in California, it was only necessary that we tasted some Humboldt Fog (one of the Drunken Goat's favorites...)

5. The vacation souvenirs. We naturally ended up buying a lot of wine on our journey. What's fun is that every time you open a bottle once you return, you get to relive a little piece of your vacation with every sip.

Cheers from the Drunken Goat!

Best Dishes of The 2012 Hiatus

Work, travel, dinner, work, deadlines, chores, sleep, life...seasons pass and suddenly it's fall. And so is the highly uninteresting story of the Drunken Goat Hiatus of 2012.

I wish I could say the hiatus was spent in the Basque region of Spain learning new cooking techniques and taking weekend trips to San Sebastian and southern France. Sadly, it was not. It was, however, filled with a lot of delicious meals, many enjoyed with wonderful friends and family. Here are a few of the standout dishes I enjoyed most during the blogging hiatus.

Succulent Sicilian pork shoulder at Next

• Spalla di Maiale Brasato at Next: If you asked anyone who went to Next for the Sicily menu, there was one dish that was unanimously agreed to be the best: the pork shoulder. Sous-vide and braised for six hours, the fork-tender pork melted in your mouth with every bite. I'd like to find a way to recreate this dish one day.  
• Taglionini Nero with Crab and Sea Urchin at Balena: This dish is the dish that made me fall in love with sea urchin. After a not so great sea urchin experience at Nellcote (it was paired with burrata, and the texture didn't work for me), this pasta dish finally made me understand what the sea urchin buzz was all about. 
• Burger at Au Cheval: I don't eat burgers very often, so when I do, my expectations are high. Needless to say, this burger met - and exceeded - my expectations. Top it with a runny egg and Au Cheval's famous thick cut bacon to really put it over the top (but honestly it doesn't need a lot of bells and whistles). 
• Butter Cake at Mastro's: This dessert is so good it has a Facebook page for the people who love it. Served warm with a side of whipped cream, I almost had to pay the waitress to take Mastro's signature dessert away from me. 
• Fried Chicken and Mashed Potatoes at The Lady and Sons. Located in Savannah, Georgia, The Lady and Sons is the cathedral of Paula Deen and all things southern comfort food. So much butter; so much goodness, ya'll. While I had to double up on classes at Flywheel Chicago to work this meal off, it was worth every calorie. 
• Secret Hamachi at Arami: Comprised of yellow tail, mushroom and truffle oil, we had to wait a while for this simple yet incredibly flavorful sashimi dish. It was well worth the wait. Truffle can be overpowering if not weilded correctly, especially with a light and mild fish like yellow tail. The restraint demonstrated in this dish made all the difference. 



Crispy, juicy and positively sinful  

• Tea Smoked Duck Breast at Belly Q: Served with sweet buns and chinese broccoli, this dish was so good my dining companions and I ordered a second helping. 

After meals spent with good company and, let's face it, usually good wine, these were the dishes that had me thinking about them the next morning. 

What meals, dishes and restaurants have caught your attention lately? Leave a comment and let me know. 

2011: A Year in Eating

December is always a time for year end lists. Best albums. Best songs. Best concerts. Best new restaurants. Best desserts. Best new bars. It seems like there's a list for everything.  

This got me reflecting on the best things I ate in 2011. But, how to rank? How to compare an appetizer or one simple ingredient to a full entree or ten course prix fix? So in no particular order, the best things I ate in 2011: 

Fresh Brazilian starfruit
plucked right from the tree. 

• The delice de bourgogne cheese plate at Maude's Liquor Bar. Absolute decadence. It was the dish that spurred me to launch The Drunken Goat Dispatches in May, and I'm still in love. 
• The deluxe focaccia at Avec, with taleggio cheese, ricotta, truffle oil and fresh herbs is salty, savory and more addicting than a Big Mac.  
• An authentic Brazilian fish feast prepared by the lovely people at Salto das Nuvens, a small, waterfall-side restaurant, bar and resort located in the Matto Grosso state. It was like being on an episode of No Reservations.
• Fresh starfruit picked off a tree (also in Matto Grosso) and eaten. Nature's sweet tart.  
• Mom's stuffing at Thanksgiving. So incredibly simple (bread, onions, celery, stock and pork sausage) yet delicious and flavorful. The memory of Thanksgiving leftovers is still lingering.  
• Served with crisp sourdough bread, sea salt, parsley and red onion jam, the bone marrow at Longman & Eagle is savory and rich.  
• While I love the cheese and charcuterie at The Purple Pig, the olive oil poached tuna with lima beans, fresh herbs, red onion and vinaigrette is still the dish that I keep thinking about. 
• Fetucine a la Pasquale at my family's favorite restaurant, Pasquale's Osteria in Norwalk, Conn. Homemade pasta, shrimp, ham, asparagus, tomatoes, fresh basil in a garlic red sauce with a touch of cream. It's ultimate Italian comfort food made by Pasquale, a former Vatican chef (more on that in a future post).   
• The lobster roll at B&G Oyster in the South End of Boston served just the way I like it: heaping mounds of lobster, slightest touch of homemade mayo, herbs, S+P, on a butter toasted roll. 
• I'm still blissed out from The Lair of the Minotaur burger at Kuma's Corner. The brie, pancetta and bourbon poached pear made the burger worth the wait...and the calories.    
• The cheese cart at Tru. An unpasteurized heaven on wheels.   
• The hen at Graham Elliot: a savory and memorable dish that embodied fall with every bite.

What was your favorite dish or dining experience in 2011? 

Sao Paulo Dispatch

I recently had the fortunate opportunity to travel to Sao Paulo, Brazil -- my first visit to South America. I was immediately struck by the warmth of the Brazilian people, the lush landscape and the flavorful and fresh food around every corner.

While the business trip offered little time for exploring during the day, our Brazilian hosts were proud to show us around over lunch and take us to their favorite local establishments. Like their European counterparts, Brazilians do lunch right. They take at least an hour, even if it's sitting outside taking in the warm spring air.

I didn't see one person eating a sad turkey sandwich on wheat at their desk, and I think they're on to something.

A few other observations on eating and drinking in Sao Paulo:

Coffee in style...at McDonald's?
Delicioso!

• The coffee is among the best I've ever tasted. For many, the venti-sized "to go" coffee is not an option - even McDonald's takes their coffee seriously! I was pleased to see espresso machines in several offices and conference rooms, which naturally got me thinking about whether or not I could perch such a machine on the windowsill of my office.
• The Brazilians love their pastries - especially for breakfast. Chocolate frosted cakes were a regular occurrence at my hotel's breakfast buffet. My favorite was the savory "pao de queijo." This classic Brazilian cheese bread is a breakfast staple and can be small (like an olive) or larger (like a scone). It's texture is light and airy, but it's flavor is sharp and buttery. There's nothing quite like this in the U.S.  
• I was reminded during this trip about how much I love hearts of palm. Whether served grilled with giant capers and a fruity vinaigrette or cold on a salad with parmesan cheese and frites, this vegetables takes many shapes and flavors.  
• Brazilian churrascaria (or what they call "BBQ") is quite the feast and even better than you might have had at similar Brazilian steakhouses in the states, such as Brazzaz or Fogo de Chao in Chicago. Various sausages (including blood sausage), lamb, multiple cuts of beef and the most succulent pork loin I've ever seen crossed our path over the lunch hour. The salad bar was a feast in an of itself.  



Beautiful colors of Brazilian sushi

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• Even traditional sushi has a distinctly South American flare. One of the most memorable dishes of my trip was a simple salmon ceviche flavored with thinly sliced onion lime juice and parsley, surrounded by salmon sashimi. Clean, fresh and enormously flavorful.  

While my visit was short, I was fortunate enough to try a small sampling of Brazilian staples, of which there are many. There are certain places that you visit that you just know you'll be back. For me, Brazil is one of the those places.