Category Archives: Going Green and Sustainable

A Return Visit to Bardessono in Yountville

Posted on by 11 comments

See that little sliver atop the scallop? Would you believe it's chicken skin so crisp it's like a potato chip?

A lot has happened at Bardessono in Yountville since I last visited in 2009 a few months after the luxurious, eco-friendly resort opened.

First, it became one of only three hotels in the world to be LEED Platinum certified, the highest standard for environmental design.

Second, its opening chef, the very talented Sean O’Toole, has departed. The former group operations chef for the Michael Mina Group is now the chef and culinary director of kitchen operations at Quince and Cotogna, both in San Francisco. Bardessono is in the process of looking for a new executive chef to replace him.

Last month, I was invited to be a guest of the hotel for a night’s stay and to experience dinner in the soothing 93-seat restaurant with its towering windows that slide open to the main courtyard to let the breeze in on warm evenings.

The suites, which run about $650 or more a night, feature such touches as organic bed linens and robes, gas fireplaces, private courtyards with an outdoor shower, motion-controlled window shutters, complimentary bottles of filtered water, and enormous bathrooms that conceal massage tables.

The look is loft-chic with hard, industrial surfaces softened by natural wood and soft, natural fibers.

One of only three LEED Platinum certified hotels in the world.

The relaxing courtyard.

The resort sits on five acres of gardens and vineyards. Take a stroll around and you’ll find all manner of herbs and greens growing in the garden even in winter. They’re featured in the restaurant’s dishes, which are built on local ingredients.

Read more

Terrific Tuna

Posted on by 27 comments

A silky lemony sauce coats every strand of these heavenly noodles.

Canned tuna doesn’t normally elicit a whole lot of excitement. Mostly, you grab it mindlessly out of the cupboard because it’s convenient for making a quick salad, sandwich or casserole that you’ve made a hundred times before.

But imagine a canned tuna that actually makes you sit up and take notice not only because it has really deep seafood flavor, but also because it is low in mercury and is caught in a sustainable way.

That’s what Raincoast Trading canned tuna is all about.

Indeed, Greenpeace Canada just released its first sustainability ranking of 14 major canned tuna brands. Only two garnered a passing grade: Wild Planet Foods and Raincoast Trading.

A canned tuna to feel good about eating.

The Vancouver, Canada company is run by a fourth-generation fishing family that catches wild-caught tuna and salmon in the Pacific Northwest. Each batch of tuna is tested for mercury, a heavy metal present in almost all seafood that can be harmful in large doses for pregnant women, nursing mothers and young children. The amount of mercury in Raincoast Trading’s tuna registers well below the allowable levels in the United States and Canada, according to a company spokesperson.

Read more

The Art of Ubuntu

Posted on by 19 comments

Ubuntu's gorgeous and delicious potatoes with sauerkraut mousse.

Are you sitting down?

Meat Boy went vegetarian.

OK, it was only for one evening, but yes, my ultra-carnivorous husband actually ate an unprecedented meatless meal recently.

He figured if he was going to take that bold step, he might as well do it at Ubuntu in Napa, the veggie-centric restaurant that has garnered critical acclaim far and wide, including a Michelin star.

Ubuntu “is an ethic or humanist philosophy focusing on people’s allegiances and relations with each other emphasizing community, sharing and generosity,” according to its Web site. It’s also unique in that it boasts a yoga studio on its mezzanine level that’s fronted by frosted glass. Indeed, if you peer toward the back staircase, you can often spot mat-carrying students on their way to and from class.

If that all sounds a little too touchy-feely, granola-loving, Birkenstock-ish, you’re in for a surprise. The food, with much of the ingredients sourced from its own biodynamic garden, is a revelation.

If you’re expecting fresh, but rather tame and uninspired food, you couldn’t be more wrong. The dishes here are like a Versace fashion show on a plate — a riot of vivid colors and forms that make you sit up and take notice each time one is set down on the table. The flavors are shockingly bold, developed and complex. This is not timid tasting food in the least, despite the fact that there is no meat, poultry or seafood present whatsoever. There’s also no tofu or seitan — mainstays of most other vegetarian restaurants — at least not on the current menu. Instead, it’s all about the stellar vegetables and great technique.

Yes, there is butter and plenty of cheese used here. But you can opt to get many dishes vegan-style.

I was invited to dine as a guest of the restaurant a week ago. It was my first time to this four-year-old restaurant. I wish I had tried it when opening Chef Jeremy Fox (who went on to become creative director for the Tyler Florence Group for five months) was still on board, just for comparison’s sake. But Executive Chef Aaron London, seems to be carrying on splendidly. He cooked for awhile with Fox at Ubuntu, before leaving for a spell to work at Bottega in Yountville. London also has worked at such acclaimed establishments as Blue Hill at Stone Barns in New York. Ironically enough, like Fox, who was known for his meat and charcuterie skills when he worked at Manresa in Los Gatos, London also helped open the meat- and foie gras-centric Au Pied du Cochon in Montreal.

Read more

Fermenting a New Approach to Sauerkraut

Posted on by 14 comments

Kathryn Lukas, who wants to change the way you think of sauerkraut.

As a young girl, Kathryn Lukas remembers her Irish grandfather serving her hot dogs piled high with sauerkraut, just the way he liked it. And each time, she would push the shreds of pungent, fermented cabbage off to the side, trying hard not to make a face.

She may not have been a kraut fan then. But now, with more than 25 years in the restaurant industry, Lukas has grown into a kraut evangelist, bent on a mission to change the perception most of us have of the age-old condiment.

In 2008 in downtown Santa Cruz, she started her own business, Farmhouse Culture, which specializes in artisan contemporary kraut — made with local, organic and sustainable ingredients in intriguing, seasonal flavors such as Smoked Jalapeno, Apple Fennel, and Horseradish Leek.

Her raw, uncooked sauerkrauts can be found at nine Bay Area farmers markets, as well as local retail stores such as select Whole Foods, where they sell for about $7 for a 1-pound jar. For those outside the Bay Area, you’ll be glad to know that you also can buy the krauts on Foodzie.

Horseradish Leek sauerkraut.

Lukas knows sauerkraut may not be an easy sell to some palates, but she’s been pleasantly surprised by all the old-timers who come up to her to tell her they remember their grandparents making kraut or by the college students who have become regular customers at her farmers market stands after developing a new-found addiction to the stuff.

“I can’t tell you how many times a day people walk by our farmers market stands and say, ‘Sauerkraut? Ewwww…,’ ” Lukas says. “We talk them into trying a taste. I’d say 75 percent get converted. They tell us they hated sauerkraut their whole lives, but love ours.”

Read more

Fruit and Veggie Delivery Made Easy

Posted on by 15 comments

Organic dried black eyed peas for the new year.

That’s just what San Francisco’s The FruitGuys does.

The 12-year-old company delivers boxes of fresh fruit and vegetables — grown by small family farms — to offices and homes nationwide. Think of it as a convenient way to bring a taste of the farmers market right to your door.

Three years ago as a way to give back, the 12-year-old company also launched its Farm Stewart Program to support sustainable family farming. The company donates 88,000 pounds of fresh fruit annually to non-profit groups and regional food pantries.

Its gift boxes, which start at $39, make thoughtful presents for anyone who appreciates gourmet eats. The boxes can include items such as handpicked apples, pears, citrus, honey-roasted cashews, cinnamon pecans, regional honey and the Philo Apple Farm’s apple cider vinegar.

A sample of The FruitGuys' new TakeHome box.

Just before New Year’s, I had a chance to try a sample of The FruitGuys’ new TakeHome box, which starts at $24 and is filled with farm-fresh, regional organic produce. Choose from all fruit, all veggie or a mix of both.

Read more

« Older Entries Recent Entries »