Oswaldo Costa
Oswaldo Costa
So, after visiting Hearst Castle, we had, as Eden surmised, a tense, white knuckled (for me) winding drive to Monterey, up and down unfamiliar mountain passes in the raining darkness. Exhausted, we ordered from room service, and experienced what might have been the worst meals of our lives.
Thursday morning we visited the impressive Monterey Bay Aquarium, where I was reacquainted with the singular grace polychrome jellyfish in motion. In the afternoon we visited the competent Tech Museum in San Jose, the somewhat nondescript capital of Silicon Valley.
Night saw us in Olema, near Point Reyes, following the mighty footsteps of FlaJim. At Osteria Stellina, we each had a tasty fancy pizza, but the wine experience was a bit of a letdown. In characteristic fashion, FlaJim had wiped out the entire inventory of Arnot-Roberts, and there was simply no ESJ to be had. Determined to be Roman in Rome and order American, I had a strained conversation with our very nice and semi-knowledgeable waiter, and discovered that only one American red (from a list containing four pinots) weighed in at under 14%, a Syrah. So we settled on this outlier that, at 13.7%, had the lowest octane on hand (when I dont know the names, I use low alcohol as a proxy for higher acid, less maturity, etc.). The wine was served in tumblers. I protested. So the wine was served in wine glasses. But they had lips. But the ambiance was quite nice, and the whole area is ruggedly charming.
2007 Bodega Rancho Que Syrah Syrah Sonoma Coast 13.7%
Indistinct blackberry, tar and smoked meat aromas. Hot and peppery, with a sweet edge. Long finish. Relieved to find no jamminess or burnt fruit; perfectly potable in a non-hedonistic kind of way.
The waiter said that when customers order American, they have certain expectations, and the kind of wine I was asking for simply would not deliver; for those flavor profiles, he said, I would have to order foreign.
On the morning of New Years Eve we drove around the scenic Point Reyes coast and took a cheese class at Cow Girl Creamery. The afternoon saw us at Muir Woods, an enchanting place, visiting magnificent redwoods dating from when the testament switched from old to new.
That night, the long-awaited dinner at Caf Panisse was excellent, though it did not live up to my exalted expectations. The four course menu, for the vicars:
Crudits (85 pts) and sheeps milk ricotta with garlic toast and olive oil (88 pts). Fine ingredients, but banal.
Dungeness crab salad with endives and lemon (94 pts). Lovely.
Chicken breast Escoffier with truffle butter (92 pts), spinach (98 pts), and celery root puree (87 pts). Delicious, especially the spinach cooked in what tasted like chicken broth.
Pistachio and tangerine ice creams and blood orange sherbet (88 pts). Passable.
The wine list, on the other hand, exceeded even my exalted expectations. Seldom have I seen such a spectacularly disorderly assembly, even factoring the Kermit component, and much of it reasonably priced (e.g., 02 Rougeard in the $80s). The glass selections were so appealing that we didnt have to resort to bottles, and were able to pair the first three dishes with something promising:
2002 Chidaine Montlouis Les Tuffeaux
Lovely medium gold with apricot and jasmine. Deliciously zippy acidity, lovely texture and body. Slightly cloying in its ingratiating demi-secness, but shows great purity and appeal.
2008 Edmunds St John Bone Jolly Gamay Noir
Cherry/strawberry and light cured meat aromas. Excellent balance, with a distinct personality.
1998 Domaine Tempier Bandol Rouge (from magnum)
These need age to strut their stuff so this was an opportunity, and turned out to be quite enjoyable. Blackberry and leather aromas, suggestive of cab franc. Tannins are resolved and appealing, with good acid/sweet balance. Not manna from heaven, but a fine drink on the doorstep of middle age.
All in all, I found the Panisse ambiance slightly stilted, sort of faux Frank Lloyd Wright Prairie House, when I was expecting either Haight-Ashbury hippie, Esalen new age, or Universal Studios Provenal. The patrons looked like moneyed third agers, contrasting with the young and crisp wait staff at the dawn of their economic curve. The excellent jazz trio was all white. The price-to-cost ratio of the food seemed predatory, contrasting with the decent wine markups. Even though I called 30 days before our intended day and got through less than two minutes after the reservation desk opened, I couldnt get a seating that would allow us to be there at midnight. Insiders must have had first digs. When we finished, our check was brought unrequested so that they could clear the table up for the next round. It was a bit disappointing to find them so businesslike, but the problem must lie in my fantasies surrounding flower child gastronomy. A place definitely worth going to, but on regular days, and more for the stupendous wine list than for the very good food.
New Years day we did touristy things (trolley tour, chowder at Fishermans Wharf, Exploratorium). Since Slated Door, Terroir and Baker & Banker were all either closed or booked, we went to dinner at a Slanted Door sibling, Heavens Dog. The Chinese food ranged from good to excellent, and the small but loveable wine list included Nikolaihof and Movia, signs of intelligent life after Mark Ellenbogen. Marcia had a delicious and zippy glass of 2009 Schloss Gobelsburg Gruner Veltliner (excellent balance and body) and I had a less delicious but intriguing glass of 2008 Movia Quattro Mani Tocai (grapefruit, herbs, fennel, savory), both under $10. A glass of Rare Wine Co. Historic Madeira New Orleans Special Reserve Terrantez NV wrapped things up nicely.
Sunday, today, our last in California, saw a visit to SFMoMA, where there was a surprisingly excellent exhibition on, of all things, wine, called How Wine Became Modern: Design & Wine 1976 to Now. There is no catalogue, not even a brochure, but I took some pictures and, if they come out right, this will deserve a separate post.
Lunch at Mels Diner, afternoon at The Zeum, then off to SFO for JFK. Hope the snow has cleared.
Thursday morning we visited the impressive Monterey Bay Aquarium, where I was reacquainted with the singular grace polychrome jellyfish in motion. In the afternoon we visited the competent Tech Museum in San Jose, the somewhat nondescript capital of Silicon Valley.
Night saw us in Olema, near Point Reyes, following the mighty footsteps of FlaJim. At Osteria Stellina, we each had a tasty fancy pizza, but the wine experience was a bit of a letdown. In characteristic fashion, FlaJim had wiped out the entire inventory of Arnot-Roberts, and there was simply no ESJ to be had. Determined to be Roman in Rome and order American, I had a strained conversation with our very nice and semi-knowledgeable waiter, and discovered that only one American red (from a list containing four pinots) weighed in at under 14%, a Syrah. So we settled on this outlier that, at 13.7%, had the lowest octane on hand (when I dont know the names, I use low alcohol as a proxy for higher acid, less maturity, etc.). The wine was served in tumblers. I protested. So the wine was served in wine glasses. But they had lips. But the ambiance was quite nice, and the whole area is ruggedly charming.
2007 Bodega Rancho Que Syrah Syrah Sonoma Coast 13.7%
Indistinct blackberry, tar and smoked meat aromas. Hot and peppery, with a sweet edge. Long finish. Relieved to find no jamminess or burnt fruit; perfectly potable in a non-hedonistic kind of way.
The waiter said that when customers order American, they have certain expectations, and the kind of wine I was asking for simply would not deliver; for those flavor profiles, he said, I would have to order foreign.
On the morning of New Years Eve we drove around the scenic Point Reyes coast and took a cheese class at Cow Girl Creamery. The afternoon saw us at Muir Woods, an enchanting place, visiting magnificent redwoods dating from when the testament switched from old to new.
That night, the long-awaited dinner at Caf Panisse was excellent, though it did not live up to my exalted expectations. The four course menu, for the vicars:
Crudits (85 pts) and sheeps milk ricotta with garlic toast and olive oil (88 pts). Fine ingredients, but banal.
Dungeness crab salad with endives and lemon (94 pts). Lovely.
Chicken breast Escoffier with truffle butter (92 pts), spinach (98 pts), and celery root puree (87 pts). Delicious, especially the spinach cooked in what tasted like chicken broth.
Pistachio and tangerine ice creams and blood orange sherbet (88 pts). Passable.
The wine list, on the other hand, exceeded even my exalted expectations. Seldom have I seen such a spectacularly disorderly assembly, even factoring the Kermit component, and much of it reasonably priced (e.g., 02 Rougeard in the $80s). The glass selections were so appealing that we didnt have to resort to bottles, and were able to pair the first three dishes with something promising:
2002 Chidaine Montlouis Les Tuffeaux
Lovely medium gold with apricot and jasmine. Deliciously zippy acidity, lovely texture and body. Slightly cloying in its ingratiating demi-secness, but shows great purity and appeal.
2008 Edmunds St John Bone Jolly Gamay Noir
Cherry/strawberry and light cured meat aromas. Excellent balance, with a distinct personality.
1998 Domaine Tempier Bandol Rouge (from magnum)
These need age to strut their stuff so this was an opportunity, and turned out to be quite enjoyable. Blackberry and leather aromas, suggestive of cab franc. Tannins are resolved and appealing, with good acid/sweet balance. Not manna from heaven, but a fine drink on the doorstep of middle age.
All in all, I found the Panisse ambiance slightly stilted, sort of faux Frank Lloyd Wright Prairie House, when I was expecting either Haight-Ashbury hippie, Esalen new age, or Universal Studios Provenal. The patrons looked like moneyed third agers, contrasting with the young and crisp wait staff at the dawn of their economic curve. The excellent jazz trio was all white. The price-to-cost ratio of the food seemed predatory, contrasting with the decent wine markups. Even though I called 30 days before our intended day and got through less than two minutes after the reservation desk opened, I couldnt get a seating that would allow us to be there at midnight. Insiders must have had first digs. When we finished, our check was brought unrequested so that they could clear the table up for the next round. It was a bit disappointing to find them so businesslike, but the problem must lie in my fantasies surrounding flower child gastronomy. A place definitely worth going to, but on regular days, and more for the stupendous wine list than for the very good food.
New Years day we did touristy things (trolley tour, chowder at Fishermans Wharf, Exploratorium). Since Slated Door, Terroir and Baker & Banker were all either closed or booked, we went to dinner at a Slanted Door sibling, Heavens Dog. The Chinese food ranged from good to excellent, and the small but loveable wine list included Nikolaihof and Movia, signs of intelligent life after Mark Ellenbogen. Marcia had a delicious and zippy glass of 2009 Schloss Gobelsburg Gruner Veltliner (excellent balance and body) and I had a less delicious but intriguing glass of 2008 Movia Quattro Mani Tocai (grapefruit, herbs, fennel, savory), both under $10. A glass of Rare Wine Co. Historic Madeira New Orleans Special Reserve Terrantez NV wrapped things up nicely.
Sunday, today, our last in California, saw a visit to SFMoMA, where there was a surprisingly excellent exhibition on, of all things, wine, called How Wine Became Modern: Design & Wine 1976 to Now. There is no catalogue, not even a brochure, but I took some pictures and, if they come out right, this will deserve a separate post.
Lunch at Mels Diner, afternoon at The Zeum, then off to SFO for JFK. Hope the snow has cleared.
