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Spontaneous Wine Trip to Napa

I woke up on Monday and wondered what to do. I had the day off and wanted to escape somewhere. Oh yeah, it’s before 10am and I’m craving wine… time to head to Napa!

For a day spent in Napa this might be the fewest number of wineries I visited; 3. Got to the first one around noon and finished dinner around 7.

The first stop was Pride. I hadn’t been here since they well before the put in the new tasting room. All my memories were of the small wooden bar in the small building on the side. Russell hosted and he was great. Another car nut like myself he whipped out the latest Robb Report to show Pride in the background (and a few cars I can’t dream of affording in the foreground). We started with the 07 Chardonnay. It was good but unremarkable. Not much distinctive about it but it had pretty good balance. Could have used a little more acidity IMO. From there we walked into the caves to taste the 06 Merlot and Cab with a special treat of barrel tasting the ‘07 Merlot and the Vintner’s Select Cab. We ended with the Mistelle Di Viognier. Pure honey, almost overpoweringly so. It reminded me I still have some I picked up in 98 and 99 their first two years making it. With the high alcohol content it should have aged well. May find out tonight. Finally I walked up the hill at Pride to the picnic area to check out the views. It was an amazingly clear day and gorgeous. I could have stayed there all day with a few bottles to enjoy.

The next stop was down the hill a bit at Charbay. Although they weren’t technically open Susan was nice enough to pour the full gamut of Charbay wines anyway. I love the creativity in all their products. I wish they would allow tastings of their spirits (permit limitation) but still the wines were great! I don’t remember all the wines but I left with 7 bottles including one of their wine-based pomegranate apertif. They had a “masculine rose” that was pretty good. Definitely unique and interesting. If the sun comes out today that’s what I’m opening. I know I picked up 2 ports as well. I thought they reminded me a bit of the Schweiger ports… Susan mentioned Andy uses their brandy so it makes sense. This was the biggest surprise and probably the nicest experience of the day. One to remember for future visits to Napa.

Stopped at Sunshine Foods for a quick sandwich break. Mmmm, prosciutto on soft sourdough. Out of this world good!

Finally did a cannonball run across the valley floor into Angwin to “Outpost” as per Andrew McNees’ recommendation. Wow, this place is out in the boonies but it’s worth the drive. HUGE, powerful Howell Mtn wines. The Petite Sirah is a monster and the Cab is exactly what you’d expect from Howell Mtn. Huge, extracted, inky. The view rivals Pride’s as well.

Dinner at Ad hoc was good. Not extraordinary like my first time there but good all the same. It started with a great spring salad. Although not a salad person somehow I always love the ones at ad hoc. The duck “ham” was tasty. The smoke was a little over the top and a little less would have made it perfect. The buttermilk fried chicken was perfect! exactly what ad hoc is all about, simple food done perfectly. I was a bit too full to enjoy the black butte cheese and blood orange jam but the little bite I had was good. The hazelnut roulade dessert was forgettable. Just kinda boring for what I expect from ad hoc.

All in all a great trip, especially for waking up on a Monday and thinking “What should I do today? oh yeah… go to Napa.”

April 7, 2009 Posted by Alex | Life | booze, napa, trips, wine | No Comments Yet

Stone fruit and gin dinner at OrsonSF

The menu looked promising and I got excited about the event. I should have known that was a bad sign. I had high expectations and unfortunately this dinner didn’t live up to them. The menu is below along with my thoughts at the bottom. I will say however, meeting Elizabeth Faulkner was by far the highlight and saving grace of the evening. She came by our table as she was leaving, in street clothes, and was very pleasant and humble.

Onto the meal, but first… cocktails

touch of evil
“The strangest vengeance ever planned” ~1958
bourbon, mint, lemon juice,
absinthe, rhubarb syrup

I started off with a cocktail. Seemed simple enough and everyone on staff was bragging about the mixologist. This drink tasted like watered down absinthe with a squeeze of lemon. The other flavors didn’t mesh well and were nondescript. Big disappointment as I’m always on the lookout for new mixed drinks with absinthe.

In the Beginning

Sweet Peach and Lobster
grilled peaches and spiced lobster gazpacho

Minted Marble
right gin, manzanilla sherry, mint, lemon, syrup

First

Broiled Hamachi
apricot, smoked pork belly, puffed black rice, togarashi

Fairly Jaded
right gin, kubler absinthe, ceylon tea, pineapple, lemon, mint

Second

Whole Roasted Duck Breast
plum and duck confit tart, peppercress, pistachio

Amber
right gin, aperol, dubonnet rouge

Intermezzo

Summer Snow
white peach and lychee soup, lemon verbena sorbet, kubler absinthe foam

In the End

The Golden Forest
rainier cherries, dark chocolate, cinnamon, kirsch, gold

Smokey Quartz
right gin, smoked cherry syrup, coffee

Executive Chef Elizabeth Falkner

Chef de Cuisine Ryan Farr

Mixologist Jacqueline Patterson

The first course was the sweet peach and lobster gazpacho. Looks GREAT on paper. When it was brought to the table I felt like the guy in the “what is this, elf food?” commercial. It was a very small wedge of peach, thinner than my pinky and a single piece of lobster tail meat the size of a 50-cent piece. To whichthe waiter poured a light gazpacho. It had great flavor, I just wish there was more than one bite. The minted marble was mediocre, forgettable and very disjointed from the dish. Almost a poor attempt at a gin mojito.

The broiled hamachi was good, but there’s no way it was broiled. Pan roasted more than likely but it lacked the crust created when broiling under high temperature. Great taste and doneness just not what I expected from the description. The apricot was outstanding but the pork belly was really lacking. IMO it needed to be cooked longer and better seasoned. The fairly jaded was again forgettable with the anise flavor of the absinthe taking over any other complexity.

Ahhh, my favorite course of the night. The duck breast was cooked perfectly and the confit tart was perfect. I could have had 5 plates worth of this easy. The Amber paired well and complemented the dish. I’d come back for a full portion-sized version of this dish.

The white peach and lychee soup reminded me of the fruit salad dessert often served at japanese restaurants. It was okay, but certainly nothing special.

The chocolate mouse “finger” for dessert was rich and tasty, however the cardamom ice cream was horrible. Second only to the drink that accompanied this course. The smokey quartz was so bad I couldn’t even swallow. I don’t think a tenderloin tranny could have swallowed. Who’s idea was it to ever make tobacco syrup and put it in a drink? Uggh, left a bad taste in my mouth all night, literally.

I might go back sometime but would skip the special dinner. The regular dishes coming out of the kitchen looked quite good and seem worthy of a second visit.

June 12, 2008 Posted by Alex | Life | booze, food, me | 1 Comment

MIA but I’m still not having kids!

Sorry for the lack of posting lately. There’s been a lot going on, and unfortunately because of NDAs much of it I can’t talk about. I already got blasted by a few folks for my NetworkWorld post on the new iPhone. However, I did finally sign the contract for my new book. It’s slated to come out in Q12009 and tentatively titled “Office Communications Server 2007 Unleashed”, based on the upcoming OCS 2007 R2 code. I’m also replacing the current Cisco CallManager solution of a client with OCS as their sole VoIP solution. Should be interesting…

That aside, I’m also trying to have some fun. Life can’t be all about work and stress. I played in the “Old School” Harbor Beach Open tournament over the weekend and had a great time. Greg and I pulled the “Gonzo’s” in the first round and got trounced but followed up with a strong, but mostly fun, rest of the day. The great food from El Palomar and free beer doesn’t hurt either!

Finally, Why I’m Never Having Kids. A.P. Taylor wraps up completely my chief reasons for never wanting to have kids. Sex is important, mmm kay. It’s one area where more is almost always better

June 3, 2008 Posted by Alex | Life | blog, me, sex, volleyball | 1 Comment

California Wine Pioneer Robert Mondavi Passes at 94

Robert Modavi passed away today at the age of 94. He was a true pioneer in the California wine industry and the first to make a big splash with international partnerships in his Opus One venture with Baron Phillipe Rothschild. Robert Mondavi Winery is still, by far, the most visited winery in Napa valley in spite of now being owned for years by giant Constellation Brands.

In fact Robert Mondavi was the first place I visited on my 21st birthday. I still remember my first “legal” glass of wine being the Mondavi Moscato D’Oro. It’s still one of my favorites to this day, maybe for sentimental reasons alone. I won’t go into a laundry list of all my Mondavi stories, but one special story springs to mind. In the middle of a wine tasting trip in Napa I decided to stop in for a late lunch around 3 at Mustard’s Grill in Yountville. After my salad I saw an older man come in and sit down. I didn’t recognize him from the back, but it was Robert Mondavi. I couldn’t decide between two wines and as I was contemplatign both bottles showed up… courtesy of Mr. Mondavi. I went over to thank him and almost stumbled over myself realizing who had sent them. I tried to thank him, but he would have none of it, politely asking me to enjoy and thanking me for coming over. It wasn’t dismissive the way you might think from a man of his stature. He was genuine, even humble. It was a refreshing change from the usual pompous Napa air.

Cheers to you Robert Mondavi. You began my love affair with wine and changed me in a positive manner. I salute and thank you for your contribution to the wine industry and more personally, to me.

May 16, 2008 Posted by Alex | Life | me, wine | 1 Comment

Blackberry Bold Available Now!! sorta…

Earlier this week at the UCStrategies conference a peer (unnamed for his/her protection) was trying to show me something I think he knew I already knew about… It took me a day to figure out what was behind it, he was showing it to me on the new Blackberry Bold! Very cool form factor and usability seemed much improved over the pearl and similar models. I’m a tried and true Windows Mobile user, but this is a great release from RIM.

According to Engadget AT&T will get the Bold first for a retail price of $300. Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile will get it in September with the T-Mobile edition costing an extra $50.

May 16, 2008 Posted by Alex | Life, Technology | blackberry, mobile, RIM | No Comments Yet

Slanket, as if I’m not hot enough

In spite of the near-100 degree temperatures we’re experiencing in the bay area right now somehow I’m looking at the Slanket. I think I might have to crank the A/C at home and give this a shot. LifeHacker posted a review way back in 2006 under “Stuff we like”. Umm, me too! And don’t tell me people don’t look at this for a little slap & tickle with a homebrew bondage edge!

May 15, 2008 Posted by Alex | Life | home | No Comments Yet

Sex Sells but Playboy loses money?

After announcing first quarter revenues, Playboy had better pray for rain! Playboy executive vice president Bob Meyers blamed the digital group which saw revenues drop 3% to $15.2 million. Hmm, Playboy overall saw an 8% drop. Who was responsible for the other 5%?

Silicon Valley Insider thinks it might be the glut and popularity of free porn on the net from sites redtube and youporn. I’d add amateur favorite RedClouds to the list as well. Above all else, Playboy still has the brand and the mystique of being “Playboy”. And, of course, the ageless wonder “Hef”. My answer to “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Besides, when hasn’t porn been freely available on the web? I remember downloading it since the 3600 baud dialup days before I’d even heard of playboy.

In more of a show of desperation than ingenuity, Playboy announced they would be hosting their search for the next Playmate on YouTube. Here’s the catch, no nudity allowed? WTF? That’s like a bar without booze or a job without a paycheck.

May 7, 2008 Posted by Alex | Life, Technology, humor | sex | No Comments Yet

Have I always been a drunkard?

John’s been a good friend for a long time. We had some good times getting our weekly, sometimes nightly, intake of brass back in, oh, around 2000. Hehe, I still remember “Faith”. Like George Michael said, “Gotta have Faith!” John was the perfect drinking buddy, never saw a drink he didn’t like and so big we used to call him “The Big Show”. I should have gotten in more bar fights before he moved back east. Anyway, here’s a shot in the morning, I think, after a long night of drinking at my old place, aka the south park house.

May 7, 2008 Posted by Alex | Life | booze, me | 1 Comment

Volleyball in Boston? Not so much

I went to volleyball last night with high hopes. Knowing we’d miss playoffs because the slackers on the team never bother to show up. Yeah, I’m calling you out Sid and George. Alex, at least you have an excuse. If I was stuck in Brazil surrounded by hot girls in bikinis… or less… I’d stay too. So last night Nate scrolls the IVL free agent list. i should have know this was a bad sign. But I was too stoked to play to see the writing on the wall. Here’s the guy that showed up… The guy couldn’t even get his hands above the net. Worse yet he doubled more than half the balls he touched but insisted on setting. Uggh. He said he played “A” in Boston but somehow I think “A” over there stands for average; or better yet abhorent. It was bad, real bad, beyond words bad. Uggh.

The good news is Matt and I are playing a CBVA tournament Saturday. Back to real volleyball. must… forget… the horror.

May 6, 2008 Posted by Alex | Life | me, volleyball | No Comments Yet