Hello Friends,
I am back from my annual summer “escape” from my newsletter – ha ha. Somehow, the time always gets filled with other projects and this year, my summer adventures were…a lot. Now, my boys (a senior and a sophomore in high school) are back at school and I am back into the rhythms of autumn. No pumpkin spice just yet – the temperatures have to drop, like, 30 degrees for me to even consider warming spices in a hot beverage – but I’ve got my eye on a few new pours and other seasonal shifts in food. More on that, below.
My travel schedule has slowed somewhat as I get my annual holiday content up and running. I’m headed to the Central Coast of California, then onto New York City and Boston for my bi-annual visits, and a few trips around NorCal. After that, it’ll be ‘butt in seat’!!
Yes, the fall/winter surge of information that I drop into your inboxes come mid-October is just about ready. My gift guides will definitely be back – I’m just about done sourcing for Foodie, Boozy, and Cookbooks and I’ll be rolling Sparklers into Boozy for a refreshed Boozy and NA Guide. I’m also working on my annual Best Bites, which drops after the new year. Some of the year’s best eating happens in December, ya know?
As ever, I’m looking for hidden gems. Got ideas? Send ’em over.
Until then, take care, eat all the things and shine on!
Christina
What’s Hot:
These are just a few of the food and food-adjacent events that have caught my attention in September.
The Pullman Dining Car on Napa Valley Wine Train
OysterFest at Waterbar (Sept 27)
One of the best things at an annual festival at San Francisco’s Waterbar dedicated to briny crustaceans (aside from the vast array of oysters) is the selection of drinks to taste along with your favorite slurp. Over 30 wine, beer, spirit and drinks companies are part of the fun, including Far Niente and their righteous chardonnays, Matanzas Creek range of sauvignon blanc, and all the reds from Stags’ Leap Winery, Daou Wines, and others.
Bites from Waterbar’s Chef Parke Ulrich and themed desserts from Pastry Chef Lori Baker will be served alongside small bites from local restaurants including EPIC Steak, Mersea, Acre, Lucania and Hurrica. There’s live music from The Cheeseballs, too.
Don’t forget your sunscreen – the event is 100% outdoors and all net-proceeds benefit the Marine Mammal Center.
12 – 3 p.m.
Donation of $125 includes admission, oysters, hors d’oeuvres, drinks, live music, games and silent auction.
Make a Reservation for OysterFest
Judgment of Paris: Tasting on the Rails (Oct 4)
The Judgment of Paris is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a series of events around Napa Valley. The Napa Valley Wine Train is honoring the legacy of The Judgment of Paris with a seated, 5-course lunch served with wine pairings curated by Master Sommelier Andrea Immer Robinson, which include:
- Château Montelena & Marc Colin, Saint Aubin “En Montceau” Chardonnay
- Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars SLV & Echo de Lynch Bages Cabernet
- TOR Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard Cabernet
Though details about the coursed meal are scarce at the time of this writing, know that your meal will be accompanied by storytelling from legendary wine personalities and everyone will leave with plentiful goodies, including a signed copy of “Reflections of a Vintner” by Tor Kenward.
11:30 a.m. departure; 2:30 p.m. return
21+ only
Reservations are required.
Make a Reservation for Tasting on the Rails
Story Behind the Bottle: Chateau Montelena (thru Dec 31)
Chateau Montelena’s 1973 Chardonnay was one of the wines at The Judgment of Paris in 1976. Nine French judges tasted California Chardonnays alongside French Burgundies. And guess whose wine came out on top?
Fifty years on, the house famous for exceptional white wines still offers daily tastings of their lesser-known reds and whites. But I think you should try The Story Behind the Bottle which digs into the house’s legacy through projection mapping and AI-enhanced historical imagery. After you are led to a semi-private bar in the cool dark of the stone estate, your host pours plentiful tastes while sharing tales of the Estate’s history and the not-so-secret magic that turns grape juice into something extraordinary.
Ask to pair your wines with chocolate or cheese to expand the experience into something even more delicious.
$75
Reservations are required.
Make a Reservation for Story Behind the Bottle
Where to Read My Work
I had a blast working on Five Salt Air Margaritas in California You Need to Try. Seriously, what is up with “salt air?” I dig into this pressing matter.
The Timber Fire is still burning but resorts and highways along Highway One in Big Sur have re-opened. An epic glamping experience at Big Sur’s Treebones reminded me that excellent eats while camping in California can be yours, even if you are sleeping in a tent or a yurt.
**I caution everyone to adventure safely – pay attention, have your Go Bag ready, and know your evacuation route, just in case.
The eggplant at my local farmers’ market are at their peak. No better time than now to cook some freaking excellent eggplant. Yes, eggplant.
There is a boom of restaurant openings in Marin – check out August’s and September’s new listings at The Marin Dish.
More next month!
Sept’s Best Bites: 7 Places to Eat Now
Napa’s BOA Steakhouse Boujee Baked Potato – photo credit Christina Mueller
For September, my look at restaurants in the Bay Area and beyond includes Chef Carlos Altamirano’s Peruvian-American hot spot and Chef Ryan McIlwraith’s new Italian winner, both in the SoMa neighborhood of San Francisco, the must-try drink and side dish at BOA Steakhouse Napa, and the restaurant I went to twice in Sonoma (it’s all about vibes).
Read September’s Where to Eat column on my website. And here’s June’s Where to Eat.
Q3 Cookbook Review: Mexican Soul
A Quest to Cook Great Mexican Food Outside of Mexico
Can you source the ingredients you need at your local supermarket to cook excellent Mexican food? Depends on who you ask. But Chef Santiago Lastra of London’s Michelin-starred KOL restaurant was determined to try. Sourcing only foods he could find at British supermarkets, not specialty or gourmet shops or online anything, he found a path to cook Mexican food – and cook it well – no matter where you are in the world.
About That Image
There’s Italian food and then there is ITALIAN food. Chefs Ryan McIlwraith and Kaili Hill are killing it at Bosco, in San Francisco’s SoMa neighborhood. There’s some classic “simple” Italian dishes but the ones that thrilled me took some risks. A dish of beets and strawberries sounds utterly humdrum but it lit up like a Fourth of July firework on the palate with creamy and smoky, then sweet and umami notes. Each bite was a celebration of the season. You might even say it is a celebration of red and purple which together make all the shades of fuchsia. Lovely to look at, even better to eat. Yum.
Thanks for reading and be in touch.
Christina