Good Eats and Zin - Update from ZAPfest 2010

Last night was the best "Good Eats and Zin" ever!  It seemed that the terrible weather recently meant that eveyone who planned to brave it was rewarded by both smaller crowds and much improved weather.  Inside, the Hawaii theme made everyone smile.  And the wineries were pouring copious amounts of delectable Zin paired with delicious bites.  Everything was good!  And after the 20th winery/snack purveyor combo that I visited, I was just as happy as I was at the beginning.  Some impressions from me:
Best Wine and Food Pair: Mini PB & J Sandwiches with Mano Formate Bacon paired with Gamba Zin.  Sondra from Estate did an amazing job of combining tiny biscuits slathered with pine nut butter and jelly that incorporated the Gamba Zin into sandwiches with her magnificent Mano Formate bacon.  It made me want to sign up for a slot in her amazing Mano Formate classes!  Yum!

Most Exotic item:  Fermented Black Bean Braised Ox Tails with Oyster Sauce EOS Restaurant and Wine Bar.  I did not think I would like this, but the various elements really came together in a harmonious manner.  Kudos for creativity.  It made my favorite Accidental Pairing with my favorite new discovery.

Favorite New Discovery:  Marr 2007 Alger Vineyard, Tehama  This almost silky Zin had nice fruit forward bursts of raspberry with interesting touches of herbs and pepper.  Tehama (I had to ask) is located east of Red Bluff near Mt. Lassen.  At $15, a bargain!  Food friendly and delicious.

Most Anticipated by me:  Dogwood Cellars '06 Zin paired with Sift's Snickerdoodle Cupcakes.  This year they had custom frosting pairs with the '07 Mendo Zin too!  Bowls of wine flavored frosting!

Best Hospitality: Murphy-Goode with a Viking Horned Hardy Wallace manning the table dispensing your choice of Spicy or Intense paired with both a delectable Pork Belly Slider and Hardy's own southern fried goodness

Edmeades, Rockwall, Ravenswood ('07 contrasted to '97! Yum!), And too many delicious bites and sips to  mention.   Yum!  See you at the Grand Tasting!

ZAP is this Weekend! ZAP is this Weekend! Plus Repost of Instructive Post on How NOT to be a Drunk Ho...

ZAP is this weekend!
Finally!  If you haven't got tickets, time is running out.  Click here for more info on the festivities. 
And speaking of festival drinking.  For instructional purposes, I thought it prudent to re-post this informative "How-NOT-to..."

( Not that YOU, would ever need this---no, not you...)
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I have heard wine tastings described as "intimidating", "hoity toity", "snobby". Ha! We go out of our way to make wine, delicious wine , feel accessible to all. In fact, as long as you have not spritzed liberally with that bathroom Polo, or Aquanetted yourself into a HAZMAT violation, I welcome your curiosity, input and company on the journey to learn more about all things wine. That is unless you are a drunk ho. If you or a loved one are exhibiting symptoms, seek professional help. Here are some signs:

Falling off your Barbie heels?
Well, why were you wearing 4 inch metallic stilettos in the first place? Whatever. Dressing like you robbed a Forever 21 is seldom appropriate for Sunday afternoons. Sister, you put that mess together sober! And now you're wobbling on your aching tootsies or worse yet---you can't feel your feet. If it talks like a drunk ho and walks like a drunk ho...---well, you get the picture.

Menage a trois?
Funny. The guy who picked you up this morning has a twin? No, triplets! And suddenly the one in the middle is looking kinda foxy. Blurry. But oh so foxy. What was his name? Please resist the urge to merge right in the middle of the venue. Get a room. You're going to need it. Later. Public restroom floors can be notoriously unsanitary. And no. Those Muni Wind shelters will not do in a pinch. For either purpose---unless you are drunk ho.

Eating disorder?
Believe me. Not only do the Italians know fashion, their colorful phrase for "Yo! You're a drunk ho!" translates roughly to " Poor thing. She has not yet eaten enough," If you are attending a wine tasting, today is not the day for low carb, no carb, meal skipping nonsense. Mangia Bambina! The best of us on an empty stomach can quickly turn into drunk hos. Might I suggest some bacon?

Over swallowing?
Today is the day to let fly the phrase: Spit. Don't swallow. You heard me. Today your personal maxim has its place. Do not chug. Do not consume 20 full pours no matter how much you like the buzz---I mean wine. And stop looking for the keg; those red party cups are Personal Spit Cups. Figure it out. Otherwise, you risk turning into a drunk ho.

Thinking you are Batman .
Over interaction with random strangers. "I love you, Chicago!" "I was just trying to be philanthropic with the sunset" And other things that so do not make sense when one is not wearing booze goggles. Challenging security. Feeling like you have superpowers.
Yes.
All these can be signs that you are a drunk ho. If you find yourself wobbling on your barbie heels on a rough plank three inches from an embarrassing plunge into the San Francisco Bay. And at that time you find yourself sassing a security guard because he/she is acting deranged, later, you will find that you, in fact, are the drunk ho. NOTE: This is not limited to female persons. Men, be aware, if you have over imbibed, you too can become, yes, drunk hos.

But in all seriousness, I have seen an alarming uptick at several events with out of control, should-be-wearing-a-toga drinking. Besides ranging from unpleasant to dangerous to downright illegal, it takes away the opportunity to learn about a very interesting topic. It also potentially jeopardizes the ability of the organizers to continue with enjoyable events. And hey, Drunk Hos, why are you travelling to events with "friends" so careless that they will let you get a ride home from the Park Police?

I'm not talking about responsible drunkityness. Or crossing the line from wine scholarship into giddy indulgence. Rosy cheeks. Laughing too hard. Getting flirty. Fine. Getting hauled off by the EMT's? You are a drunk ho.

Oh, and unless you are a Russian prince/princess with the means to fling fine champagne-flecked crystal into the fireplace of your cozy dacha, it is never appropriate to throw stemware onto the floor. It is not cute. But then you've lost your compass for cute, because, by that time, we all know: You are drunk, Ho.

Fifth Floor, San Franciso - Review of DineAbout Town Experience

Visa DineAbout season is a time when you can sample a bunch of restaurants with little risk as they offer either lunch (2 courses) of dinner (3 courses) for $17.95 and $34.95 respectively.  You can choose and reserve your spots via Open Table, which for me sometimes feels like a mission critical application.  Sure, some restaurants phone it in and offer you weird chicken/pasta but some really make the effort to introduce you to their location.  In the case of Fifth Floor, Xandria and I braved the sub arctic gales to make a dreary Monday reservation and were we ever glad we did.  Not only was the service excellent and the food delish, but they offered a thoughtful and insightful pairing to the food that introduced us to two delightful wines.

We started with an amuse of foie and shaved apples, which was delivered with a red Spanish wine of aromatic delight.  It's rare to get a Mencia and this one, Pazo de Arribi Mencia, Galicia, Spain was bright red, with flavors of spice, red fruit and was a nice match for the lamb salad.  Next, came perfect scallops in a maze of whole porcini mushrooms and a section of perfectly poached pear.  These were swathed in a cabernet sauce in which foie gras perched like Jiminy Cricket, just out of reach but omnipresent.  Matched with a fabulous 2007 Cep (the second label from Peay Vineyards) Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir which was a delightful glass redolent with cherries, red currant, cherry bark, baking spice and just a hint of forest floor to lock in the pair with the porcinis.  Yum! 

By, now our inhibitions were gone, what with the ooohing and ahhhings ,and we started photographing with wild abandon.  Chocolate tart with fried banana garnish and a quenelle of potently banana-y ice cream.  Paired with a lovely Broadbent 10 yr old Malmsey?  Delicious way to end a meal. And for a final touch? Mignardises of surpassing delight.  I am ashamed to say I scarfed down the Ladouret-like macaroon so fast, our sever brought Xandria a steak knife to divide the rest (or fend me off.  who really knows?).  Can you blame me?  Fifth Floor is located in the Palomar Hotel on (where else?) the Fifth floor, but the patient front desk folks will direct you as cheerfully as the first person wha asked them that evening.   They also offer a five course menu for $65 with a booze pairing (might include wine, beer or spirits) for additional $50. I so want to try this before seasonality removes the pork belly offering!