San Francisco Chronicle Food Stories


		Sunday, August 22, 2010

Napa offers wide variety of wines from valley Jon Bonn� Napa, the city, is a nexus for virtually everything grown in Napa Valley - from the austere Cabernet of Stags Leap to the berried Pinot Noir of Carneros, plus sparkling wine, Zinfandel and even Roussanne. You'll get a... Napa comes into its own as a destination spot Jon Bonn�, Chronicle wine editor For years, Napa - the city, that is - was a blip on the way to the core of the Napa Valley. More down to earth than the picturesque wineries up the way, it served as a sort of practical anchor for the valley's agrarian... Best of the best tasting rooms in Napa Sarah Fritsche, Chronicle Staff Writer Napa Valley is home to hundreds of wineries, a land of plenty for wine lovers. The city of Napa itself hosts both estate wineries and a growing number of downtown tasting rooms. Here are our top picks for Napa tasting... Stags' Leap/Quixote vintner full of novel ideas Carey Sweet, Special to The Chronicle In the 40 years that Carl Doumani has lived in Napa, he has seen a good amount of uproar as the place evolved from a sleepy, blue-collar town to an opulent community known for often theatrical wineries. Doumani can be... Napa's Etude is a thorough study in winemaking Stacy Finz, Chronicle Staff Writer At Etude, you don't make wine; you grow it. Sounds like a slogan for any winery, but these vintners in Napa's Carneros district are determinedly all about the vines. Ten years ago they planted seven Chardonnay clones,... Top places for dining in Napa Michael Bauer, Chronicle Restaurant Critic It's phenomenal how the dining scene in Napa has been transformed in the past few years. When Table 29, now Bistro Don Giovanni, opened in the early 1990s it was considered way down valley; most of the action was in... Teaching Dave: When a plan comes together Sophie Brickman Editor's note: This is the conclusion of Teaching Dave, where food writer and professional chef Sophie Brickman teaches her boyfriend to cook in four weeks - at the same time the couple has uprooted themelves from New... Saison offers an unusual, intriguing mix Michael Bauer In just a year, the Mission District's Saison has gone from popup to permanent. And that says a lot about life in 2010. A new generation of talented chefs is making their mark, and casualness is replacing formality at... Poaching chicken works for all seasons Lynne Char Bennett, Chronicle Staff Writer Summertime meals often mean something thrown on the grill - quick and mess-free. But there's another easy cooking method that doesn't require much energy, and it's suited to all seasons: poaching. Poaching is an often... WHAT'S NEW / High design at SoMa's Bar Agricole Paolo Lucchesi Walking into the decidedly-polished Bar Agricole in SoMa is an abrupt change from an otherwise nightclub-laden block of 11th Street. Patrons enter the bar/restaurant through an enclosed courtyard - complete with planter... Restaurant openings: Tony's Coal-Fired Pizza and Slice House: Paisan Paolo Lucchesi Tony's Coal-Fired Pizza and Slice House: In North Beach, Tony Gemignani has claimed the space adjacent to his ever-popular Tony's Pizza Napoletana to install an homage to Italian-American fare. Actually, several... L'Acajou Bakery & Cafe opens in S.F. Sarah Fritsche Open just a couple of months, L'Acajou Bakery & Cafe is a pleasant discovery. Morning offerings include house-baked pastries such as savory cheddar chipotle scones, as well as De la Paz drip coffee. For lunch, options... Discovery of shiitake powder opens chef's eyes Eric Gower Many years ago I tossed a few whole dried shiitake mushrooms into my blender, just to see what would happen. What happened completely changed the way I cook. I discovered that finely pulverized shiitake powder can... New Mexico green chiles headed to Bay Area Tilde Herrera, Special to The Chronicle His cravings for New Mexico green chile began when he attended college in Santa Fe. Trevor Logan relocated to San Francisco but the cravings followed him and his friends, a group of New Mexico transplants who'd return... Australia: Grenache's hidden wonderland Jon Bonn� Shiraz has been Australia's boon and bane. It has taken blame for the tanking of the market for high-end Australian wine - cursed as the grape that strove to be both fancy and populist at the same time. (Memo from J. Lo....