Hello Friends,

It’s almost February – yay! I hate to rag on January but it’s the lost child in a year’s  calendar filled with celebrations and summer. Weird things always seem to happen in January – my workload is either overwhelming or too quiet – and many of the chefs and restaurateurs I keep in touch with are on vacation or hard to reach. The lull is ending, right on schedule, with the start of February. Who knows if the famous Pennsylvania rodent/marmot will see his shadow in a few days and who cares? The month is ending with the happy news that the 49ers are going to The Show. Yay again!

1. What’s Hot: Field Notes

Have you been following my Field Notes column on my blog? I’m seeing a lot of interest in my restaurant reviews and insider intel for where to go and what to eat. The column will pivot to include more of my recommendations and highlight experiences that I find most interesting. I’m kicking off with a pop-up at Saint Helena’s PRESS restaurant.  Act fast as it’s tonight!

Michelin Pop-up: PRESS x Esmé x Habitué

The Michelin culinary community is a vast one, a universe of stars strewn about the country and the globe. An opportunity to experience three Michelin chefs’ cuisine in a single evening is a gift from the Michelin galaxy. On Tuesday, January 30 in the Napa Valley town of Saint Helena, Michelin-starred PRESS restaurant, and chef Philip Tessier hosts chefs Jenner Tomaska (one Michelin-starred Esmé, Chicago) and Marcus Jernmark of Habitué, Los Angeles (formerly of Stockholm’s Frantzén, listed at number six in the World’s Fifty Best Restaurants list in 2021).  It’s just one in a series of dinners presented by Salty, a culinary magazine that curates conversations and content with preeminent figures in the culinary world.

Tickets are $295/pp An optional wine pairing, curated by Press’s Master Sommelier Vincent Morrow, $210. Will I see you there?

Here’s the 4-11

When: Tuesday, January 30, 6 p.m.
Where: PRESS Restaurant, 587 St. Helena Highway, St. Helena
Phone: 707.967.0550
Reservations: https://www.pressnapavalley.com/reservations/

2. Where My Words Appeared this Month

It’s been an epic stretch of writing for publications. (Alright, January, I guess you weren’t so bad.)

In Marin Magazine’s January issue, I not only wrote my regular New In Town (page 21) and Dine (starts on page 62) columns, but the cover story (“Timelessly Knot Tied,” pp 36-41)) and a cookbook review that dives deeply into California’s Indigenous food shed (“A Super-Inconvenient Cookbook,” pp 24-25).

For the Alcohol Professor, I interviewed Hugh Davies, the second-generation proprietor and CEO of sparkling wine house Schramsberg Vineyards, gathering his insights into usable tips for sabering bottles of bubbly. (No bubbly was harmed while writing this article!)  If you have an old sword lying around, now you know what to do with it.

And for Eater SF, I shared a few thoughts about where to eat in Santa Rosa and finally got to share my choices for essential Marin restaurants.

3. A Look Back at 2023 –  Best Bites 

As I mentioned last month, I had a hard time choosing my favorite bites of the year in 2023. The restaurant world is still teetering back to full recovery. Plenty of restaurants are playing it safe and I found myself enjoying a larger than usual amount of chicken sandwiches and French fries. Two of the best  – a fried chicken sandwich from Azalina’s in San Francisco and fries from The Lincoln in Napa – made it onto the list.

I was surprised to see how many seafood dishes landed on my list. Not only the noteworthy oyster ice cream at Aphotic but octopus at Dalida, branzino at Ditas Marin and scallops at Luce. Anomaly’s chef Mike Lanham’s Yam Royale hit the tippy top of the list for his Yam Royale with sea urchin swirled into the mix. It really was a seafood year.

To see all of my choices and all the runners-up, check out this page. And please send me your favorites. I’m compiling a list – oh! The places I’ll go (in 2024)!

4. A Spice Blend for Your Next Fondue or Raclette Party

Are you aware that melted cheese, like fondue and raclette, is a hot party trend? I, having married a Swiss, live the raclette life – melted cheese is always on-trend in my house. Other than must-have pickled onions and gherkins (not the sweet ones – sorry!), zhush up the cheese with my spice blend. A riff on a Swiss mix I tried long ago, it is the third “must” in our house when making raclette or fondue. I just made another batch. And yes, more nutmeg and pepper were requested.

5. About That Image

On a media trip to Oxnard and Santa Barbara, I was invited to try Oxnard’s Taco Trail. We stopped in at House of Tacos. Their fresh masa was pressed to a medium thickness, the better to not break into pieces, my dear. I especially liked the Oxnard Taco with blue corn masa tortilla. Of the many Mexicans whose images adorned the restaurant walls, the only two I immediately recognized were Frida Kahlo and Pedro Infante. (I’ve got a long way to go before I completely understand Mexican pop culture.)

Having an artist of her caliber and independence watch over me while I ate asada tacos was a delight, a reminder of the joy and the pain of every human’s existence. I think she is telling me to go pitch…..February, I am ready for you.

Christina