Buzzed Blog

New Orleans Report: A Spirited Dinner at August

Christine Ryan — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 01:26:52 GMT

Thursday night, I was fortunate enough to have wrangled an invitation to one of the many spirited dinners going on throughout town, in which fine food and cocktails were paired on a fixed menu. Then my good fortune continued as I was able to end up at a table with Jen Colliau (sorry about the blur) of the Slanted Door, John Santer of Beretta, and Jill Santer of Laszlo. Always nice to dine amongst friends in a distant place . . .

Jen, John and Jill

This dinner was at Restaurant August, the home of renowned Louisiana chef John Besh. Besh's upscale yet homey food was paired with cocktails engineered by two brilliant mixologists: Gina Chersevani of Rasika (and other places) in Washington, DC, and Charlotte Voisey, the crack brand ambassador for Hendrick's Gin. It was a great time, featuring amazing food (crawfish agnolotti, watermelon soup) and drink (Hendrick's, Domaine de Canton, lavender syrup, lemon cucumber, lavender bitters; another with tomato water, Milagro tequila and "bacon dust") in a gorgeous old brick building just off the French Quarter.

I'm not the world's biggest fan of cocktail and food pairings, but this was a simply delightful evening. I highly recommend August if you're ever in New Orleans.

New Orleans Report: Oyster Po'Boys and Abita Beer (to Go)

Christine Ryan — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:25:00 GMT

Just a block from the Monteleone was the famed Acme Oyster House, purveyor of New Orleans seafood since 1910. I stole over there one day by myself for lunch and sat at the bar for an oyster po'boy. Gulf oysters are not my favorite--a little big and mushy for my taste--but they're good when baked, sautéed or, in this case, fried. Despite the sandwich's almost ideal appearance, I didn't love it. Even a whole layer of extra dill pickles didn't save it from being a little bland and soft.

You will also notice the beer (Abita) in a plastic cup. Plastic cups are ubiquitous in New Orleans because, I believe, you are allowed to walk around with alcohol in your hand. So, say, you scarf down your oyster po'boy before you've even finished your beer, but you have to dash back to attend a seminar on the history of drink in Canada (yes, there was such a seminar). You can just take that beer right on with you.

New Orleans Report: A Happy Hour to End All Happy Hours

Christine Ryan — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:05:00 GMT

One night at Tales of the Cocktail, there was a massive walk-around happy hour. Bars and bartenders from everywhere had various tables and attendees were free to just stroll around and sample the wares, as I did with fellow SF writer Rebecca Chapa. There must have been at least 50 different drinks to choose from in the crowded and raucous room.

Naturally I was thrilled and surprised to encounter Martin Cate (below), the brilliant tiki mind behind Alameda's Forbidden Island, with his own table, pouring one of the best drinks of the evening.

Behind other tables I found other surprising types such as the Thirsty Traveler, King Cocktail Dale DeGroff, whiz Eben Freeman of New York's Tailor, and--serving some of the most delicious drinks with a trio of different heirloom tomato and vodka shots--the chef of Restaurant Zoe in the New Orleans W hotel, Roberto Bustillo (below).

While I'm not typically a fan of walk-around tastings with food and wine, when it came to cocktails, the format worked perfectly.

New Orleans Report: The Hit Restaurant, Cochon

Christine Ryan — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:25:00 GMT

The hit restaurant of the festival was Cochon. It seemed to be where everyone was going all the time. With its slightly elevated down-home Cajun cuisine, Cochon represented a pinnacle of well-executed but un-gussied greatness. It was where I went within 30 minutes of getting to my hotel. Scott Beattie of Cyrus fame went with me, and we ran into Amanda Washington, a bartender at Rye along the way (the Big Easy was so loaded with SF bartenders that, wherever you went, you couldn't swivel your head without seeing at least two or three).

Several things stood out on Cochon's menu, particularly the baked oysters, fried alligator with chile-garlic aioli, fried pig's ears, rabbit and dumplings and hen-and-sausage gumbo (below).

But if you regularly read this blog, you know that I'm a big root beer fan, and so I was mightily impressed that the menu had its own root-beer section. First I've ever seen, though you will note that the selection is not so exciting.

Furthermore, I drank good old Abita Select and a Sazerac made with Hardy's rye, which was a surprisingly good match with that dark and charred gumbo. My first meal ended up being one of the best.

New Orleans Report: Round and Round the Carousel Bar Goes

Christine Ryan — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:35:00 GMT

Ground zero for Tales of the Cocktail was the Hotel Monteleone, which is where most of the seminars took place and where most everybody stayed (I did not). But ground zero of ground zero was definitely the Carousel Bar, right off the old lobby. As you can see from the place’s publicity shot (below), it's built of an old circus piece.

The next shot (below) is what it looks like when you're sitting at it, which I and almost everyone at the conference spent more than a few hours doing at some point or other during the four-day event.

The gimmick is that the bar and stools really do rotate at a slow but relentless pace right around the central hub. This is at best surreal, as the room literally starts spinning from the moment you sit down. At worst, it's annoying, because anyone not sitting at the bar but trying to talk to someone who is has to promenade every few seconds just to remain in the conversation. It occurred to me that the bar in Purgatory probably rotates like this. The prevailing feeling as you slowly catch a buzz and circumnavigate the room is that time doesn't matter at all. And suddenly, five Pimm's Cups later, you realize you were wrong.

New Orleans: The Cocktail Convention Begins

Christine Ryan — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:40:00 GMT

Greetings from New Orleans. I think this might be a very bad time to get a cocktail in San Francisco. I'm here for the annual Tales of the Cocktail convention--as, it seems, is every serious mixologist type from San Francisco. I've counted the whole main staff of Beretta, several people from Alembic, three (including me) from Cantina, people from Rye, Range, Bacar, Nopa, the Slanted Door, and the list goes on. There's simply a ton of SF talent showing strong here. Everyone partied together last night until late, with some folks achieving mid-season form on what was only the first night. We were desperate, though, as a large group of us wandered around the French Quarter for an hour, looking for a suitable drinking establishment. Ironically in this cradle of the American cocktail, such places are hard to find, as much more common are establishments like the ones pictured here. But there will be plenty of delights at the seminars, which start today. I'll keep you posted.

Clock Bar: The Return of Marco

Christine Ryan — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:15:00 GMT

(Or, why I'm excited about the opening of the Michael Mina's Clock Bar in the Westin St. Francis)

Well, there are several reasons, but number one is the man pictured above, Marco Dionysus. One of the truly influential people in the modern era of San Francisco's cocktail scene, Marco may quite possibly be mentioned, in 100 years, alongside the iconic historical figures we talk about today: John Nichol (inventor of Pisco Punch), Bill Boothby (Palace Hotel bartender and author of 1907's The World's Drinks and How to Mix Them), etc. Marco helped ignite the city's cocktail renaissance with his cocktails both novel and classical in the early days of Absinthe and then at the Starlight Room. He has close to an encyclopedic knowledge of cocktails and spirits and--critical for a great bartender--is always good for entertaining conversation.

Despite all his cocktail prowess, Marco has been laying low for the last few years, working behind the bar at Tres Agaves. Though he humbly describes the value of that era of his life as "learning about tequila, making margaritas," working at Tres Agaves was a somewhat perplexing career move. For someone so bright to work in a bar with what is a particularly narrow focus was tantamount to retirement. It would be as if Kobe Bryant in his prime were to say "I'm leaving the Los Angeles Lakers to go play for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA development league." Or for Thomas Keller to say, "I'm stepping down from leading the kitchen of the French Laundry in order to peddle hot dogs on Mission Street." Perhaps Marco needed a break from the limelight or just wanted to keep his head down and make money for a while, who knows? But now he's back.

Not only is Marco back, but after talking to him at length the other day, I can say that I've never heard him sound as sanguine and jazzed about anything. And he has good reason to be. The bar, for one thing, is beautiful. I got a sneak peek last night (didn't try the food or read the drinks menu) and can say that any bartender would be proud to work in the plush, wood-accented space.

The Michael Mina group has spent a ton of money in designing and building what, from the day it opens (July 15), is perhaps San Francisco's most beautiful bar. While its design suggests cocktail seriousness, it's nevertheless a relaxing and comfortable environment. Marco was also thrilled to have at his disposal the amazing resource of Michael Mina's kitchen, which can supply him with all the culinary ingredients he needs--from strawberry purée to pineapple gum arabic syrup to smoked tomatoes. And, finally, the Mina Group and its cocktail guru, Noah Ellis, have given Marco lots of input in setting up the bar with regard to spirits selection. Put all this together, and it's a lot for all of us to be excited about too. The return of a happy, energized Marco Dionysus to a gorgeous bar with almost limitless potential means that there will be many tasty adult beverages in our future.

Chartreuse swizzle and Napa sour at the Clock Bar.

I'm also pleased that there will be synergy with the bar program run by Boris Saciuk up the stairs in Restaurant Michael Mina. In what will be all of the hype about the Clock Bar, Boris should not be forgotten. Besides creating some of the most delicious drinks around (go and try his new Monk's Julep), Boris probably has the most wine knowledge of any bartender in the city. I love sitting at his bar, as I did last night, and watching him work through a busy evening service. From the wine and food to the cocktails and customer service, it's a demanding job, and Boris gets it all done at a wondrously snappy pace while still being able to carry on a conversation.

In fact, there are about to be two exceptional bars within paces of each other across the St. Francis' lobby. Tourists will hardly need to leave the hotel.

Summertime Wines

Christine Ryan — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 11:00:00 GMT

So, I spent the Fourth in Seattle with my sister, brother-in-law and little Clementine (who's almost two now). We did it right, by barbecuing these friggin' enormous steaks.

I mean, they were huge and, as if I needed it, I was given the fattest one, which you see here dwarfing an ear of corn (and, no, that's not a baby corn--it's normal sized). Needless to say, I could only eat about a third of it.

Anyway, it was a good opportunity to slurp up some big red wine. We went with a non-American one, a Sardinian wine from the grape called Cannonau, vintage 2003, the biggest vintage in the last century. We also had a nice Gigondas, courtesy of my brother-in-law, John, who as a chef and wine buyer in Seattle, truly knows his stuff. The only thing I regret is not drinking an American Cabernet. After all, with steak or some other form of beef is about the only time you can drink a lot of these monsters.

But, had I chosen a Washington red for the task, I wouldn't have picked one that's known for its extreme size. I probably would have gone for Cadence, one of the most balanced yet intense Washington wines. I've been tasting it since its first vintages in the late nineties, and it's only gotten better as the winery has evolved. You can find it here in town, holding its own against the Napa juggernaut (a testament to the wine's quality) as shops like the Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant and K&L have stocked it for years.

Cavallo Point: The Farley Bar

Andres Barreto — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 01:09:58 GMT

If you haven't yet been over to Cavallo Point, the beautiful new resort and lodge near Sausalito, right under the far end of the Golden Gate Bridge, it's worth going just to have a drink at its bar.

Named the Farley Bar after the comic strip drawn by the late Phil Frank in the SF Chronicle, the bar's appeal is not necessarily its cocktail list—which was at an early stage when I visited a few months ago, though I had a very nice gimlet and it looked like things were going in the right direction—but the bar itself, which is housed in the converted Preidio-style military building right on the main drive. It's a beautiful space, with two fireplaces, clubby dark leather chairs and couches and a sweet view out to the bay. On nice days you can take your drink and sit on a couch out on the deck and watch the fog tumble over the hills.

The best part for me, while relaxing in the evening sun with the Golden Gate Bridge sprawled out before me, was the feeling that I had indeed gotten away from the city, away from my head and in some ways from my era. It was like being able to step outside my own life and observe it from a safe distance. That much a sense of remove is possible at Cavallo Point, which is remarkable considering that all I'd done was drive across the bridge.

Americano Cocktail: The Patriot's Refuge

Christine Ryan — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 00:01:17 GMT

In the spirit of Independence Day, I want to remind you of a incredibly simple, delicious and often forgotten cocktail with a patriotic name: the Americano. Now, it's not so much a Born-in-the-USA kind of thing, as it doesn't actually use any American ingredients. Rather, it's Italian in conception and components, joining equal parts Campari and sweet vermouth. Originally, the drink was known as the Milano-Torino, since Campari is from the former and Cinzano vermouth is from the latter. But it got renamed when locals noticed that visiting Americans seemed particularly smitten by the cocktail.

I think it's nice to sip on one of these on a warm, sunny evening before dinner. It's a Negroni without the gin, making it a perfect aperitif--low in alcohol and a compromise between bitter and sweet. Garnish with a slice of orange, lemon or lime, and let the patriotism roll!