If you missed yesterday’s “Restaurant Roundup” on the airwaves of KQED’s “Forum” program, you missed out.
But not to despair.
You can catch the nearly hour-long podcast to hear what yours truly, along with Restaurant Reviewer Michael Bauer of the San Francisco Chronicle and Jonathan Kauffmann, San Francisco editor of Tasting Table, dished about Bay Area restaurants, chefs and dining trends.
Last year at age 28, Roland Micu passed the last of four rigorous exams to become the youngest certified Master Sommelier in the world.
To get a sense of the weight of that accomplishment, consider that since the Court of Master Sommeliers was established in 1969 that only 197 people around the globe have attained that certification.
For most candidates, it takes multiple tries to pass the daunting Level IV exam, in which six wines must be tasted blind in 25 minutes to identify the varietal, country of origin, district and appellation, as well as vintage precisely.
Micu did it on his first attempt.
If Tiffany’s recast itself as a restaurant, it would resemble The Sea by Alexander’s Steakhouse.
All vestiges of tiki-dom have been thoroughly excised from the former Trader Vic’s on El Camino Real in Palo Alto. In its place, the upscale The Sea launches itself in a shimmery, sophisticated palette of watery blues, grays and white. There’s a glass-fronted kitchen and one wall in the dining room with insets for vases of striking white orchids.
As the name infers, The Sea is the newest concept by the owners of Alexander’s Steakhouse, with locations in Cupertino and San Francisco. Even before it opened, The Sea experienced some troubled waters, what with the abrupt letting go of Jeffrey Stout, the founding chef of Alexander’s and chief operating officer. But if my recent visit as a guest of the restaurant was any indication, The Sea seems to be navigating a smooth course in the hands of Executive Chef Yu Min Lin, whose impressive credits include a stint as chef de cuisine at Providence in Los Angeles, as well as stages at the French Laundry in Yountville and Manresa in Los Gatos. He’s also a trained sushi chef.
This is a restaurant that definitely pays attention to the details. You are provided hot towels at the start to pamper your hands. The table is de-crumbed after every course. The bread is made in-house and there are several to choose from. Coffee service at the end of the meal comes on its own compact tray, complete with a chocolate bonbon.
It used to be that if you got a hankering for Asian food in the Napa Valley, it was slim pickings.
But the offerings just got a little wider with Solbar Lounge now offering an Asian-inspired menu through March 31. The lounge is next to Solbar restaurant in the eco-conscious Solage Calistoga resort.
It’s in contrast to the restaurant, which serves elegant seasonal California cuisine, including lighter dishes for those watching their diets.
The new lounge menu offers an array of Asian-inspired specialties such as a Solbar sushi roll (cucumber, avocado, sweet potato and sticky rice; $8); Niman Ranch pork and ginger gyozas ($13); steamed buns with Chiang Mai pork sausage, saw-tooth herb and Chinese mustard cream ($10); and ramen with roasted pork belly ($16).
The 12th annual “Dine About Town San Francisco” event kicks off Jan. 15-31, in which participating restaurants will offer a prix-fixe two- or three-course lunch for $18.95 and a three-course dinner for $36.95.
Among the more than 100 restaurants participating will be: Amber Dhara, Chaya Brasserie, Sociale and Waterbar. For a complete list, click here.
To get the excitement going early, the San Francisco Travel Association is hosting a launch party, 6 p.m. Jan. 10, at City View at the Metreon in downtown San Francisco.
If you’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting New York Chef Suvir Saran, no doubt you reveled in his bold, colorful and magnetic personality.
Not surprisingly, this dish is very much like him — it makes a big impression from the get-go.
“Roasted Manchurian Cauliflower” is from his cookbook, “Masala Farm” (Chronicle Books), of which I received a review copy. Suran, owner of Devi restaurant in New York, wrote the book with Charlie Burd, his long-time partner. It includes recipes and stories about their time shared in their upstate New York farmhouse situated on 67 acres with three ponds, goats, chickens and an abundance of fruits, vegetables and herbs.
The recipes are farm-to-table, but done often with Indian flair.
This cauliflower dish has been a signature one since his restaurant opened. It’s sort of like Chinese sweet-and-sour, but with cauliflower, not pork, and boasts a spicy kick.