A whole cup of vinegar stars in this classic Lyon dish.
If you were to peek inside my pantry, you’d spy upwards of 10 different vinegars at all times.
That may seem excessive, but each has its purpose and distinct flavor profile. And there’s nothing like vinegar to perk up and round out a dressing, soup, stew, marinade, sauce, and even cocktails.
So, when I was asked if I wanted to be one of the first to sample the new Ponti Rosé Wine Vinegar, I jumped at the chance.
This ninth-generation, family-owned Italian company selects local rose wine that meets its standards, then turns it into vinegar.
Ponti’s new Rosé Wine Vinegar.
The result is a luminous pink vinegar that’s quite sharp yet wonderfully floral, and with a pointed strawberry note.
Executive Chef Nae Ogawa at the chef’s counter at natuRe Waikiki.
Honolulu, Oahu, HI — For a truly special experience, snag a seat at the chef’s counter at natuRe Waikiki — if you can.
The two-story restaurant opened in 2022 with plenty of outdoor seating on the first floor with an a la carte menu. But the best spot in the restaurant is definitely at the 10-seat chef’s counter, where Chef Nae Ogawa and her young team hold court in the open kitchen.
I had many wonderful meals on my trip to Hawaii last week. But by far, one of the most outstanding was the tasting menu at this gem that Honolulu Magazine named “Best New Restaurant” in 2022.
To be honest, natuRe (pronounced the French way, “nah-tur) was not even on my radar. On a sun-and-sand, sandals-and-shorts kind of vacation, I wasn’t necessarily even contemplating an upscale, fine-dining dinner.
A Kumamoto oyster is one of two supplements available to the tasting menu.
But friend Sarah Burchard deserves special thanks for steering me to it. The former chef at San Francisco’s Barbacco, Burchard moved to Honolulu more than six years ago to become a successful food writer. In fact, anyone planning a trip to Hawaii should check out her online site for tips on must-visit places. When she’s not writing or volunteering her time for all manner of community eco projects, she is a server at natuRe. So, when she recommended the chef’s counter there, I knew she wouldn’t steer me wrong.
Made from Monterey grapes, the 2020 Tribute Pinot Noir.
2020 Tribute Pinot Noir
You know the Benziger name, of course, as the Sonoma winery that has been growing grapes biodynamically and organically for more than 40 years for its roster of award-winning wines.
In 2021, Chris Benziger, the youngest of the family’s seven children, embarked on his own brand, Tribute, meant to honor his iconic family and to build on his own roots.
Recently, I had a chance to sample one of its newest releases, the 2020 Tribute Pinot Noir from Monterey County. A juicy tasting wine, it exudes big notes of cherry, blackberries and strawberries with hints of leather and clove. It’s a medium body wine that is velvety on the palate.
This wine is ideal with summer salmon on the grill or pretty much any kind of pork dish, whether it be a juicy chop, kebabs or meatloaf.
A spectacular uni pasta at Afici in San Francisco.
Few good things resulted from the pandemic. But one of them is surely Afici.
This South of Market fine-dining restaurant in San Francisco grew out of the pasta-oriented pop-up and takeout that Executive Chef Eric Upper of Alexander’s Steakhouse did during shutdown. A New York City native who worked at Auerole in New York, and Joel Robuchon in Las Vegas, Upper had the opportunity to lean into his Italian heritage, having studied Tuscan cuisine at Lorenzo de’ Medici School in Florence.
The pop-up proved so popular that it led the Alexander’s Steakhouse Restaurant Group to open Afici last summer.
The result is a stylish restaurant featuring inspired Italian specialties not found easily elsewhere, including house-made charcuterie made exclusively with prized A5 Wagyu.
I had a chance to experience Afici last week, when I was invited in as a guest of the restaurant.
Afici’s bar and lounge.
With the wacky weather of late that’s brought snow to the Bay Area, it was an especially nice touch to be greeted at the host stand with cups of warm ginger-infused tea.
Seared ahi with sunchoke puree, apple sabayon and diced apples — at Coastal Kitchen.
When Chef Michael Rotondo left San Francisco during the pandemic, it was surely Monterey’s gain.
The former executive chef of Parallel 27 in the San Francisco Ritz-Carlton, former executive chef of Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago, and the U.S. Bocuse D’Or “Most Promising Chef” of 2008, moved south to open Coastal Kitchen in February 2022.
That new fine-dining restaurant at the Monterey Plaza Hotel is right next to its long-time casual restaurant, Schooners.
Unlike the latter, though, there is no outdoor dining space. The white cloth-draped tables inside Coastal Kitchen’s warm-wood dining room are spaced out amply, though.
The dining room.
This is a tasting menu-only restaurant. In fact, it’s thought to be the sole tasting menu-only restaurant in Monterey. At $145 per person (with an additional $95 for wine pairings), it delivers a lot for the buck.
