"Inside the Kitchen" At The Ritz: A Closer Look At The Four Star Dinner

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As you know, I spent the entirety of last weekend in Half Moon Bay attending the second annual "Inside the Kitchen" at the Ritz-Carlton.   The result was an enormous mountain of work waiting for me at the office upon my return Monday morning, which took me until late yesterday to finally clear off of my desk.   Now that that's out of the way, however, let me turn back to more important matters -- like sharing some additional observations about last weekend's event.

As I mentioned in my last post, the Four Star Grand Cru Wine Dinner held on Saturday evening was a fantastic event.   Headlining the night were the four four-star chefs -- i.e., Ron Siegel, David Kinch, Hubert Keller and Roland Passot -- each of whom contributed one dish to the six-course meal that we were served.   The cheese course, meanwhile, was provided by Navio Chef de Cuisine Aaron Zimmer, and the desserts were prepared by William Werner, the Pastry Chef for the Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay.   I asked Hubert Keller how the collaboration was done, and he indicated that Xavier Salomon -- Executive Chef for the Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay -- coordinated and orchestrated everything.   He was the one who contacted the four chefs, asked them each to submit a few ideas for their respective courses, and then conferred with all of them to arrive at an overall menu that made sense.

Here is the menu that we were served:

Tuna Sashimi, Golden Osetra Caviar, Geoduck Lemon Terrine
Chef Ron Siegel, The Dining Room at The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco
2000 Trimbach "Cuvee Frederic-Emile" Riesling, Alsace, France
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Monterey Bay Abalone in its own Bouillon, Foie Gras
Chef David Kinch, Manresa, Los Gatos
2004 Domaine Christian Moreau "Les Clos," Chablis, France
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Butter Poached Lobster wtih a Fricassee of Fall Vegetables
in a Mini Pumpkin with Sea Urchin Broth
Chef Roland Passot, La Folie, San Francisco
2003 Jacques Gagnard-Delagrange Batard Montrachet, Burgundy, France
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Roasted Colorado Lamb Loin and Braised Lamb Cheek Cannellonis
Chef Hubert Keller, Fleur de Lys, San Francisco
2002 Chateau Haut Brion, Graves, France
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Bleu D'Auvergne with Endive, Dried Pears and Spiced Walnuts
Chef Aaron Zimmer, Navio at The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay
1994 Chateau D'Yquem Sauternes, Bordeaux, France
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French Butter Pear Nage
Pain d'Epice Ice Cream, Creme Fraiche

Smoked Chocolate Plaque
Vanilla, Coconut and Aged Rum Pearls

Petit Fours
Chef William Werner, The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay
1977 Dow's Port
~ ~ ~ ~ ~There's more...First up was Ron Siegel's Tuna Sashimi, with Golden Osetra Caviar and Geoduck Lemon Terrine.   I must confess that I was initially disappointed when I learned that Siegel would be providing the first course, only because I've had such wonderful dishes from him at The Dining Room and was hoping to see a more prominent role for his cuisine on this menu.   Then again, I thought, Siegel is the youngest of the four featured chefs, and the later courses would certainly be left in good hands.   The tuna sashimi itself was excellent, the citrus and briny notes from the terrine serving to accentuate the flavorful fish.   The Osetra caviar provided an elegant finish, and the portion was just perfect to whet our appetites.   As I finished the dish, it occurred to me that this was classic Siegel -- precisely the type of satisfying opener that I expect whenever I sit down to a meal at The Dining Room.

David Kinch provided the next course, Monterey Bay Abalone with Foie Gras served in a Bouillon.   Over the years, I've come to regard Kinch's culinary approach as being best described as "restless."   By that I mean that while some chefs (like Passot and Keller) have plied their trade by predominantly exploring within French cuisine, and others (like Siegel) have traveled far down the road of infusing California-French concepts with Japanese influences, Kinch seems to be perpetually in search of interesting ideas -- no matter where in the world they may come from.   Thus, an evening at Manresa might offer up a classically French dish, a course with Catalan roots, and a creation with Asian undertones -- all in a single tasting menu.   Kinch's contribution to the Four Star Dinner menu was perfectly in line with this philosophy, and this time he took us on a gustatory journey to Thailand.   A slice of foie gras sat in a small bowl next to piece of abalone of roughly the same size, and both were almost fully submerged in a deep broth flavored with Kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass.   The foie and abalone paired remarkably well with one another, the flavor and texture of each serving to amplify the flavor and texture of the other.   But it was the delicious bouillon that really took this dish to another level, showcasing Kinch's talent for bringing the unexpected to the table with real panache.

As we were waiting for the third course, Roland Passot's Butter Poached Lobster and Fricasee of Fall Vegetables in a Mini Pumpkin with Sea Urchin Broth, I excused myself from the table for a moment and stepped out into the hallway outside the dining area.   There, I discovered the elaborate staging area that the chefs had set up, with Roland Passot standing at the end of the line saucing and inspecting each plate before a server whisked it away to the dining room.   Immediately behind Passot, David Kinch put the finishing touches on the next batch of sauce, periodically handing Passot a full pot whenever the one his hand had been emptied.   Further up the line stood Ron Siegel, inconspicuously positioned among a sea of lesser-known chefs and performing the seemingly mundane task of adding a few component ingredients to each plate before sliding it on down the line.   Although I could have easily stood there for hours watching the scene without growing tired, I decided that I had better return to the table to rejoin my friends.

Passot's menu at La Folie always seems to include some form of butter-poached lobster, frequently served with a medley of vegetables alongside.   Thus, when I first read what Passot would be making for the Four Star Dinner, it made perfect sense.   When the plate was set down before me, I couldn't help but be impressed.   A miniature pumpkin was stuffed with carrots, onions and asparagus, creating a crown of sorts that rose above its surface to hold two succulent pieces of lobster.   An array of root vegetables sat on the plate next to the pumpkin, and every ingredient glistened from the buttery sea urchin sauce that Passot had spooned on top just moments earlier.   This dish was wonderful, the delicate taste of the tender lobster enhanced markedly by the decadent butter sauce in which it had been enrobed.   Another nice touch here was that the pumpkin had been cooked through, allowing us to savor its distinctive flavor in combination with the lobster -- a decidedly inspired pairing.   Finally, the nicely prepared vegetables in this course added some welcome balance.

The meat course for the evening, Roasted Colorado Lamb Loin with Braised Lamb Cheek Cannelonis, would be provided by Hubert Keller.   Having witnessed the impressive plating process for the lobster, I could not resist the temptation to pay another visit to the staging area.   Although I expected to see Keller firmly planted at the end of the line as Passot previously had been, he was instead constantly on the move.   First he was at the end of the line inspecting plates, then he was off to one side finishing a sauce, then he was on the other side of the table observing chefs on the line as they added components to the plate.   In short, Keller was an organized and efficient flurry of activity -- everywhere at once, making sure that the finished dish was assembled precisely to his exacting standards.   Passot and Kinch stood next to one another near the end of the line, Kinch patiently arranging on each plate a string of tiny carrot spheres and Passot spooning on top of them a rich brown sauce.   Siegel stood on the other side of the line, tirelessly stirring a pot of the same sauce and periodically switching the whisk from one hand to the other.

I made it back to my table just seconds before the arrival of the lamb dish, and it was certainly a sight to behold.   A juicy, pink-centered lamb loin sat in the middle of the plate, Kinch's ellipses of carrots positioned below it.   Off to one side sat a perfectly-cooked canneloni in a creamy sauce;   on the other side was a small ceramic box filled with lightly-dressed greens.   The rich brown sauce Passot had added to the plate was accompanied by a drizzle of vanilla oil that, at least at one point, Keller himself was adding to each plate.   This dish was absolutely spectacular.   The lamb was prepared beautifully, and its outstanding flavor was sent into the stratosphere by the rich, deep brown sauce and the fragrant, floral vanilla oil.   One bite of this and I was transported back to one of my favorite meals at Fleur de Lys, when Keller served up another brilliant meat dish using vanilla -- a beef filet with a Vanilla Pinot Noir reduction.   The canneloni on the side was outstanding as well, its soft shell yielding a creamy and utterly delicious interior.   Even the greens were nicely done.   I have to say that although all of the courses from the four-star chefs that night were truly excellent, Keller's dish gets my vote for being the first among equals.

I think it's safe to say that at this point in the meal, many people in the room – myself included – began to lower their expectations just a bit.   After all, we had just been treated to cuisine from four of the Bay Area's most successful and highly esteemed chefs, and the final two dishes would be supplied by chefs who have not yet reached the same level of prominence.   A cheese course from Navio Chef de Cuisine Aaron Zimmer was up first, a Bleu D'Auvergne with Endive, Dried Pears and Spiced Walnuts.   When I took my first bite of this, I was rendered speechless;   the components of the plate harmonized perfectly – the bitterness of the endive, the sweetness of the pear, and the pungency of the cheese all coalescing into a complex and brilliant taste sensation.   I had recently been hearing positive buzz about Zimmer, but this one dish – a cheese course, no less – instantly catapulted Navio to the top of my "must-try" list.   As for the dessert course, I'm going to save that for a separate post – so please see here.

Siegel, Kinch, Keller and Passot have climbed their way to the top of some of the country's top restaurants, earning plenty of accolades and critical acclaim along the way.   At an event like this, any one of them accordingly might have decided to limit his involvement to preparing and serving his own course, leaving the other three chefs to fend for themselves with respect to their own dishes.   After all, there were plenty of line chefs available to help out.   Yet, when it came time to plate the dishes, all four chefs were on the line – often performing the most common of tasks, but doing so with the most uncommon of attention.   Words cannot convey how focused David Kinch was as he arranged the five carrot spheres in a slight arc across each plate for Keller's lamb course, or how meticulous Siegel was as he placed the ingredients on the plate for Passot's lobster course.

Now, this was not merely a show done for public consumption;   indeed, the overwhelming majority of diners were at their tables engrossed in conversation, completely unaware that this was happening out in the hallway.   No, the reason the chefs threw themselves fully into the task at hand is simply because they care.   They care about the food itself, they care about the dish being sent out with their name behind it, and they care about what the diner thinks, feels and experiences upon receiving the dish.   And notably, they care about these things not only with regard to their own dishes, but with regard to each other's dishes as well.   Nobody in the dining room would have known if the carrot spheres on the plate were not in a perfect arc, but Kinch and Keller would have known, and that was reason enough for Kinch to devote the extra effort to get it just right.

It is that internal drive for perfection, that willingness and desire to care, that I believe results in such exquisite cuisine.   In fact, I would even go so far as to suggest that it's impossible to cook at four-star levels without it.   For one night, I had the opportunity to see for myself the passion, precision, and perfection that moves these brilliant chefs to prepare and serve such spectacular food.   For that, I will always be grateful.

I will close this post with some additional photos taken from the event.   Please visit Cooking With Amy for more photos from the evening, and Chez Pim for great shots from the kitchen itself.

The Four Star Chefs: Roland Passot, Hubert Keller, Ron Siegel, & David Kinch

Note: For purposes of full disclosure, I attended certain events during the "Inside the Kitchen" weekend on a media pass that gave me free access.   With regard to the dinner referenced above, however, I paid full price for my ticket using my own funds.   Please see the end of this post for additional details.

"Inside the Kitchen" At The Ritz: A Rising Star Emerges

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Most of the people who attended the Four Star Grand Cru Wine Dinner at the "Inside the Kitchen" event last weekend were prepared to be impressed.   After all, the headliners -- Ron Siegel, David Kinch, Hubert Keller and Roland Passot -- are all four-star chefs, and their restaurants are the creme de la creme in the Bay Area and beyond.   Against this backdrop, however, something unexpected happened:   a young pastry chef, perhaps accustomed to toiling away out of the spotlight as he builds his career, stunned the crowd with his innovative, delicious, and utterly satisfying desserts.   This seemed to be the culinary equivalent of the walk-on actor who almost steals the show, a forceful exclamation point demanding that we sit up and take notice.   So, who was this mysterious talent?   His name is William Werner, and he's the Pastry Chef for both the Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay and its flagship restaurant Navio.

Now, I have never studied the confectionary arts, nor am I an expert in the field as are some of my favorite bloggers.   What I can tell you, however, is that I can't remember the last time I was so excited by the flavor combinations that a pastry chef incorporated into his or her desserts, and so impressed by the creativity that he or she displayed in doing so.   Indeed, nothing that Werner served that night was ordinary, and everything tasted fantastic.   If Werner keeps this up, I guarantee you that he will end up leaving a lasting mark on the art of making desserts.

The first dessert for the Four Star Dinner was French Butter Pear Nage with Pain D'Epice Ice Cream and Creme Fraiche.   With the richness of butter, the distinctive taste of pear, and a smooth ice cream having the perfect amount of gingerbread flavor, how could this not be spectacular?   I also liked the fact that Werner was mindful of texture, combining ice cream, foam, nage and a crispy sugar wafer to wonderful effect.   The presentation for this dessert was beautifully done, the thin wafer perched on top of the ice cream and a frothy foam and creamy sauce lying on the surface of the plate below.   The second dessert was equally satisfying, a Smoked Chocolate Plaque with Vanilla, Coconut and Aged Rum Pearls.   A small brick of dense chocolate sat offset atop a rectangle of moist cake, a quenelle of vanilla bean-specked cream and a smoky chocolate wafer off to one side.   At two locations on the plate, Werner placed a tiny mound of translucent tapioca pearls -- a clever visual reference back to the caviar in the Ron Siegel dish that kicked off the meal a few hours earlier.   Here again, the flavors were wonderful.   The deep chocolate was punctuated by unexpected bursts of salt, while its decadent richness was cut by the bright and airy cream on the side.   The tapioca pearls provided another surprise, delivering a potent punch of rum -- and yet another texture -- to the overall mix.  Simply put, both of Werner's dessert dishes were spectacular.

At this point in the meal, the kitchen usually sends out a parade of mignardise -- tiny tartlets, financiers, macarons, and marshmallows.   Yet, even here, Werner's innovative streak shined through.   We were treated to crunchy chocolate cones with a small scoop of coffee ice cream, mango cream bonbons, chocolate caramel cookie rings spiked with hot chili pepper, and small chocolate cylinders with a eucalyptus-infused filling.   As you can see, there was none of the tired fare that even the best restaurants trot out after the "real" desserts, and every last item had been the subject of great care and attention.

I mentioned in my last post that I hope to revisit Navio soon, given that Chef de Cuisine Aaron Zimmer contributed an outstanding cheese course to the Four Star Dinner menu and has also has been generating some buzz.   But even putting those factors aside, the opportunity to experience William Werner's magnificent creations once more is reason enough for me make the trek down to Half Moon Bay.



Note: For purposes of full disclosure, I attended certain events during the "Inside the Kitchen" weekend on a media pass that gave me free access.   With regard to the dinner referenced above, however, I paid full price for my ticket using my own funds.   Please see the end of this post for additional details.

Dining Notes: The Slanted Door

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Ever since the The Slanted Door moved into its current location in the San Francisco Ferry Building, I seem to dine at the restaurant much less frequently.   Reservations are virtually impossible to get without significant advance planning, service is sometimes less than fully attentive, and the host staff frequently gives off the impression that they're doing diners a personal favor.   Now, don't get me wrong, I don't begrudge Chef-Owner Charles Phan the enormous success that he has achieved, and it's been fascinating to watch the restaurant evolve from its humble beginnings on Valencia Street to the juggernaut that it is today.   But any notion I have of dining at the restaurant is immediately accompanied by thoughts of the sheer hassle of it all, and that is usually enough to dissuade me from actually doing so.

The Slanted Door: At A Glance
Chef	Charles Phan
Pastry Chef	Mutsumi Takehara
Address	1 Ferry Building San Francisco, CA 94111
Phone	415.861.8032
Parking	Adjacent Lot
Restaurant Website

Yet, there's one time each year when I work up the motivation to "brave the elements," and that's when my parents come to town each Thanksgiving.   The first time I took them to The Slanted Door was back when it was still in the Mission, and they have been hooked ever since.   Indeed, it now goes without saying that this is the one restaurant sure to be on their "must-visit" list whenever they make the trek from Michigan to San Francisco.   This year was no different, and so it was that we found ourselves at The Slanted Door for an early lunch last Saturday.

Notwithstanding whatever other critiques I may have about the current incarnation of the restaurant, the one thing that has always been beyond reproach is the quality of the food.   The ingredients are consistently fresh, the preparations well-executed, and the flavor combinations excellent.   Yet, even against this backdrop, the meal that we had on Saturday just blew me away.   Put simply, every dish we ordered seemed to be a cut above the usual, whether it was an old familiar standard or an entree that we were trying for the first time.

We began with the Slanted Door Spring Rolls and the Crispy Vegetarian Imperial Rolls, both of which were tasty and satisfying.   But it was the entrees that made the greatest impression.   The Shaking Beef and the Chicken Claypot, dishes that I have ordered on every visit I have ever made to the restaurant, were even more delicious than I remembered.   The former consists of tender cubes of filet mignon sparked alive with a peppery lime juice, while the latter offers an incredible caramel sauce that can hardly be described in words.   We also enjoyed the Cellophane Noodles with Dungeness Crab, the simplicity of which conceals its remarkable flavor, along with an order of a "new" entree for us -- the Lemongrass Chicken.   Sauteed with onions, jalapenos and chili paste, this spectacular chicken was quickly declared by several at the table to be their new favorite.   Rounding out our lunch were Spicy Japanese Eggplant, nicely cooked with coconut milk and green onions, and Stir-Fried Alaskan Black Cod -- with delicate fish that, though mildly flavored when compared to the other dishes, was very tasty nonetheless.

As the plates were being cleared, I found myself marveling at what we had just experienced.   When I wondered out loud whether I had merely imagined an uptick since our last visit, both my sister and Rhonda confirmed that they shared in that assessment.   Even the aspects that I have found to be wanting on other occasions were not an issue;   the host staff were pleasant and welcoming, the service was generally attentive, and the noise level in the restaurant was actually pleasant (although this was likely due to the restaurant being only half full, since we were dining relatively early).   So, has the restaurant actually stepped things up?   I'm not sure, but for the first time in a long time, I suspect that I'll be returning well before my parents come back to town.

White Truffle Dinner

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Sometime in the Summer of 2003, in a fit of what can only be described as insanity, I convinced myself to embark upon an almost absurd culinary undertaking:   the preparation and presentation of a multi-course tasting menu featuring the flavor of white truffles in every savory dish.   Looking back on it now, I can honestly say that I have no idea what possessed me to even entertain the idea.   Sure, I had previously hosted my fair share of ordinary dinner parties for small groups of friends, preparing an appetizer-entree-dessert combination by carefully following favored recipes.   And yes, I had generally partaken in multi-course tasting menus out in top-tier restaurants.   But presenting a tasting menu at home?   Never.   Designing a menu full of courses, let alone one featuring the flavor of white truffle in every dish?   Nope.   And cooking for 12 people at once, instead of a more reasonable number like 6?   Certainly not.

Nevertheless, I pressed on.   And after months of planning, weeks of sourcing ingredients, days of experimenting, and more than 30 hours of cooking, I somehow pulled it off.   It wasn't necessarily pretty;   the meal went much later into the evening than I had hoped, there were uneven delays between the seven courses, and the real-time completion of certain dishes raised complications that I had not foreseen.   Still, there were no major catastrophes, everything made it to the table more or less as I had intended, and I came out of the process having learned an extraordinary amount.   Best of all, I also managed to get my hands on some fresh white truffles from Alba, enough to shave over one of the dishes on my menu.   All in all, I have never been so completely wiped out from sheer exhaustion.   Yet, paradoxically, the experience also left me thoroughly exhilarated.

I suppose it's no surprise, then, that the White Truffle Dinner has since become an annual tradition.   In 2004, I moved to an eight-course format, adding a pre-dessert palate cleanser where none existed the year before.   I also decided to rotate out four of the original seven dishes in favor of new ones, just to keep things interesting and to force myself to experiment with some new concepts.   I continued that practice of turning over half of the prior menu in 2005, and I'll do the same again for this year's dinner -- which is scheduled to take place this coming Saturday.   With each passing year, some of the stress associated with the pre-party planning seems to dissipate, and Rhonda and I have probably become a bit more efficient in certain aspects of the execution.   Still, the intensity of experimenting for new menu ideas and cooking nonstop for the two days leading up to the dinner remains just as exhausting -- and exhilarating -- as ever!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~There's more...The guest list for my White Truffle Dinner over the years has been in a constant state of flux.   Space constraints at my dining table preclude Rhonda and me from inviting all of our good friends over at once, and doing the dinner twice during the limited white truffle season is simply impractical.   We have accordingly ended up holding two different parties in past years, one featuring white truffles and another focused on a different theme.   The second dinner party last year, for example, centered around dishes inspired by the Bay Area's four-star chefs.   This time around, however, we regrettably have the bandwidth to host only one dinner party, so Rhonda and I had to make some difficult choices on the guest list.

After last year's White Truffle Dinner, I intended to post a brief description of the meal here along with some pictures.   Unfortunately, a number of unexpected developments at work in January conspired to prevent me from actually doing so.   As a prelude to this year's dinner, I thought that I would finally complete the post that I intended to put up so long ago.   So, here is a quick summary of what I served last year:

Truffled Cauliflower Soup I've noted here before how much I enjoy cream soups, so it was almost a foregone conclusion that there would be one on my menu.   I particularly appreciate soups in the context of multi-course menus, as they can be finished well in advance of the meal and reheated right before service.   Cauliflower is a vegetable that I have always felt is underappreciated, so providing a platform to showcase its delicate flavor struck me as a great idea.   I finished this soup with a small amount of white truffle butter, and just enough kosher salt to make all of the flavors jump out of the bowl.

Chilled Crab with Truffled Crème Fraiche and Avocado The inspiration for this dish originated in one of the courses from my "Four-Star" dinner, namely Chilled Crab with Mango, Red Onion & Creme Fraiche.   I figured that mango would not harmonize well with the flavor of white truffle, but I had to experiment a bit before I realized that even the red onions threatened to be too overpowering.   Finding myself left with only crab and creme fraiche, I started to think about other ingredients that might work well in this dish.   Avocado came quickly to mind, and a few experiments later I found myself pleased with the result.

Manchego & Truffle Panna Cotta with Mâche in a Truffle Champagne Vinaigrette This course had its origins in two very different dishes from two very different restaurants:   Parmesan Budini at Tra Vigne, and Cauliflower Panna Cotta at The French Laundry.   I was so impressed with the former when I had it several years ago, that I resolved to figure out how to make it for my first White Truffle Dinner in 2003.   The French Laundry's Cauliflower Panna Cotta, meanwhile, had long been one of my personal favorites, and I included it on the vegetarian version of my white truffle menu in 2004.   For last year's dinner, I brought the two concepts together and replaced the Parmesan with a cheese with which I had recently become enamored -- Manchego.

American "Kobe" Beef Filet with Truffled Creamed Leeks Another food-related interest that I was continuing to explore last year related to American "Kobe" beef.   This product had been showing up with increasing frequency on the menus of upper-tier restaurants, and I had cooked with it myself a few times before.   I had stayed away from including red meat on earlier white truffle menus for fear of the truffle flavor getting overwhelmed, but Ron Siegel at The Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton had presented a spectacular veal with white truffle that gave me the confidence to give it a try.   The creamed leeks had been on both of my prior menus and had been well received, so it seemed like a natural choice for accompanying the beef.

White Truffle Risotto with Browned Butter and Fresh Truffle Shavings Only two dishes found their way onto all three of my menus from 2003 through 2005, and this Thomas Keller risotto was one of them.   The recipe for the rice itself is fairly standard, although it's enhanced considerably by luxurious finishing touches such as unconscionable amounts of butter, Parmesan cheese, whipped cream, and white truffle oil.   But add in fresh white truffle shavings and some deliciously nutty browned butter, and the dish is transported into another realm.   This risotto epitomizes the genius of Thomas Keller, and it remains one of my absolute favorite dishes to eat.

Butter-Poached Maine Lobster with Truffled Sweet Corn & Shallots This is another course that remained unchanged over the first three incarnations of the White Truffle Dinner.   Although I've always loved lobster, it wasn't until I had my first lobster dish at The French Laundry that I realized its full potential.   Keller gently poaches the meat in beurre monte, butter melted carefully such that its component ingredients remain in an emulsified state.   The result is tender, flavorful, and buttery, without any of the rubbery attributes that develop when lobster is cooked violently.   After a few test runs back in 2003, I concluded that butter-poached lobster simply had to have a place on my menu.   The sweet corn and shallots combination, on the other hand, was an exceedingly simple side dish that I had devised long ago.   And because the pairing of lobster and corn has always held great appeal for me, this course practically came together on its own.

Lemon Lavender Cappuccino I happened upon the idea for this palate cleanser during my preparations for the "Four-Star" dinner, for which I ultimately put together an Orange Lavender Cappuccino inspired by a brilliant concoction I'd been served at Campton Place.   The basic idea was quite simple:   a flavorful liquid is partially frozen until it reaches a slushy consistency, and it's then placed in a cappuccino cup and capped with a flavored foam.   As I was experimenting with the combination of orange and lavender, I remembered a recipe that I had once tried for a delicious lavender lemonade.   When the time came to select a palate cleanser for the White Truffle Dinner, the choice was obvious.

Gingerbread Cake with Poached Anjou Pear and Crème Anglaise Dessert is the one course that I have always changed from one year's menu to the next, typically to reflect something that has caught my interest.   Few things say the holidays quite like gingerbread does, so I was curious last year to see whether I could find some flavors to pair with a small gingerbread cake.   I have long been a big fan of pears, and I had been playing around with poaching them in a variety of different liquids.   I ultimately settled on Anjou pears poached in Bonny Doon Vin de Glacière and vanilla bean, which yielded an absolutely delicious result.   And the final component here, a rich crème anglaise sauce that showcased a plump fragrant vanilla bean, complemented the cake nicely.

~ ~ ~
I first started thinking about this year's White Truffle Dinner a few months ago, and I began -- as I always do -- by looking at the prior year's menu.   After identifying certain courses that should be rotated out and others that perhaps ought to make a repeat appearance, I set off on a process of research and experimentation that ended just this morning.   The menu is now finally set, and it has a few minor twists, a few more significant ones, and a few old favorites.   It also reflects some of the food that I've enjoyed, the interests that I've developed, and the inspirations that I've drawn over the course of the past year.   I won't reveal the details of the menu just yet, but I'll provide a full rundown at a later date.   For now, I'll close with a few more pictures from last year's dinner.

Menu for Hope III

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It's easy for those of us who have the luxury to write, read, debate or opine about the finer points of great cuisine to lose sight of one utterly tragic fact:   over 800 million people on the planet do not have enough food to eat.   Well, we in the food blogging community want to do something to address this critically important issue, and we're looking to you, our readers, for help.

Today marks the launch of the third annual Menu for Hope, a fundraising campaign in which we collectively convert our passion for food into a driving force to help those who are less fortunate.   Here's how it works.   Participating bloggers from around the world have donated food-related prizes, each of which will be separately raffled off in early January.   Between now and December 22, every $10 that you contribute to the cause will entitle you to one virtual raffle ticket, to be added to the drawing for whichever prize you specify.   So, what happens if you see a prize that you simply cannot bear to lose?   Then try stuffing the ballot box by contributing $50 and applying all five of your virtual tickets to the raffle for that one item.   What if you can't pick just one prize from the many great options?   Then contribute $70 and apply one virtual ticket to each of seven different prizes.   There's no limit to how much, or how many times, you can contribute, and 100% of the proceeds that we raise will go directly to the United Nations World Food Programme.

Before I provide the details on how to contribute, let me tell you a bit about the prize that I'll be donating.   Given that this site tends to focus quite heavily on Bay Area restaurants, it seemed only fitting that my prize should be related to a restaurant as well.   But which one?   As my mind cycled through the scores of great establishments that we have here in the Bay Area, one in particular jumped out -- a place so outstanding, that it has consistently remained at the top of my list of favorites for the past few years:   The Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton.   Executive Chef Ron Siegel offers some of the most exciting, innovative, and satisfying cuisine in the entire region, served in a plush and elegant dining room by what I believe to be the best waitstaff in the city.   Now, you can certainly go to The Dining Room and have a great meal by ordering three courses a la carte, and I would never actively discourage anybody from doing so.   But there's no better way to experience the full breadth of Siegel's talents than to order one of his many tasting menus.   Whether you opt for the six-, eight- or nine-course menu, you are sure to be treated to a veritable parade of one brilliant dish after another.   Don't believe me?   Take a look at my review from last year.   In fact, here's an even better idea:   why don't you and a guest go to the restaurant and see for yourselves, on me?   That's right, my prize is a $350 gift certificate for The Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton.   Interested?   Then write down and remember this Prize Code:

UW36
And most importantly, contribute early and often!   Now, here are the instructions on what you need to do:

1. Go to the donation page.



2. Make a donation in the amount of your choosing.   Each $10 you donate will give you one raffle ticket to be applied toward the prize of your choice.   Please specify which prize or prizes you would like in the "Personal Messages" section of the donation form, making sure to use the associated prize code(s) in your note.   If you donate more than $10, please be sure to indicate how many tickets you want allocated to each of your selected prizes.   For example, for a donation of $50, you might include a note such as "2 tickets for UW01 and 3 for UW02."   And once again, the San Francisco Gourmet Prize Code is UW36.



3. If your company matches your charity donation, please remember to check the box and fill in the information so that we can claim the corporate match.



4. Please also be sure to check the box to allow us to see your email address, so that we can contact you in case you win.   Your email address will not be shared with anyone.



5. Results of the raffle will be announced on January 15, 2007 on Chez Pim.

If you want to see a summary of all of the prizes that are available from bloggers around the world, please visit this page.   If you want to see what West Coast bloggers in particular have offered up, please go to this site.   And if you'd like to monitor the donations as they roll in -- and keep an eye on how many others are applying their raffle tickets against the prize that you want -- please go here.   Thanks, and good luck!

Norfolk Wine Festival Celebrates 25 Years (VA)

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The annual fall Town Point Virginia Wine Festival returns Oct. 20 and 21
By Lauren Mack, Editor
The Daily Meal
Sep 28, 2012 @ 6:35 PM

The 25th annual fall Town Point Virginia Wine Festival returns Oct. 20 and 21 to Town Point Park in Norfolk, Va. During the two-day festival, guests can sample and purchase more than 200 wines from more than 20 Virginia wineries and vineyards. Guests can choose to sample their wines at reserved tables or in private chalets. Tickets for the event must be purchased by Thursday, Oct. 18, 2012.

Those who want to continue sampling wine can visit the newly opened Mermaid Winery, Virginia’s first urban winery and tasting room. In addition to making its own wines, the Mermaid Winery offers more than 30 artisan wines and local beers paired with a special tasting menu.

Read more: http://www.thedailymeal.com/norfolk-wine-festival-celebrates-25-years#ixzz27r7XYFBA