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Punk rock enthusiasts may mourn the loss of Force of Habit, the record shop that inhabited the space that is now wine bar 20 Spot, but the winos in town can rejoice. The wine bar, from owners B…
SFoodie

Clockwise: Alter, Accarrino, Evan & Sarah Rich

It’s once again time for voting in Food & Wine‘s annual People’s Best New Chef contest. The California nominees are once again stacked in favor of NorCal, and as we’ve seen in past years, one or more of these chefs may already be in consideration for one of the magazine’s coveted ten editorial picks for Best New Chef. They are Matt Accarrino (SPQR), Kim Alter (Haven), Jacob Burton (Stella in Truckee), Justin Cogley (Aubergine in Carmel), Thomas McNaughton (Flour + Water, Central Kitchen), and Evan and Sarah Rich (Rich Table).

From L.A., there is also Michael Voltaggio (ink), Kris Yenbamroong (Night+Market), Ari Taymor (Alma), and Jordan Kahn (Red Medicine).

This is a second time being nominated for McNaughton and Voltaggio.

Notably absent from this list are Nick Balla of Bar Tartine and Belinda Leong of b.patisserie, whom we wagered were in the running after they were both featured in this recent book from Food & Wine, America’s Greatest New Chefs. Also, Danny Bowien was nominated for the People’s prize last year, and has not yet been a magazine pick, despite having a really huge year, career-wise. They, along with the others mentioned above, are all eligible to be editorial picks for Best New Chef as well.

Voting starts today and continues for just one week, until March 18. As in the past, chefs with loyal Twitter followings (and TV fame, like Voltaggio), have an advantage. A total of 100 chefs are nominated, and the chef with the most overall votes will be featured in the July issue, along with the editorial picks. The People’s prize winner will be announced March 19, and the editorial picks should be out the first week of April.

Over the past three years, at least one young, prominent Bay Area chef has been among the ten, with James Syhabout, Joshua Skenes, and Corey Lee all getting nods. The award brings with it a lot of national recognition, and tends to attract investors too.

People’s Best New Chef – California [Food & Wine]
Earlier: Corey Lee Among This Year’s ‘F&W’ Best New Chefs [Updated]
Napa’s Perry Hoffman Beats Michael Voltaggio for People’s Best New Chef

Read more posts by Jay Barmann

Filed Under: awards, evan and sarah rich, food and wine, haven, kim alter, matthew accarrino, rich table, spqr

Grub Street San Francisco

Copita. [Photo: Aubrie Pick]

THE BRUNCH BUNCH — Sausalito’s slice of Mexico City known as Copita (739 Bridgeway) will serve brunch on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. starting on March 3. Opening dishes include a trio of ceviches, “divorced” chilaquiles, and black bean sauce enchiladas, and featured cocktails are a michelada, Bloody Maria, and pitchers of tequila and rum-spiked house punch. [EaterWire]

COMING ATTRACTIONS — Wine Road Northern Sonoma County’s annual barrel tasting takes place at various wineries on March 1-3 and March 8-10. Meet winemakers, sample their liquids, and purchase futures on discount. More info is behind this link. [EaterWire]

THE MISSION — Kronnerburgers come with beats tonight (March 1) as Namu Gaji’s David Lee and others spin from 10:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. inside the Pussycat Lounge at Bruno’s (2389 Mission). The party shall recur every first Friday. [EaterWire]

BEERWIRE — Master Cicerone Rich Higgins hosts a spring beer tasting from 7-9 p.m. on March 6 at 18 Reasons (3674 18th St). Pours will be paired with foods such as asparagus, lamb sausage, and artichoke. Tickets are and may be procured right hurr. [EaterWire]

Eater SF

My name is Leslie Sbrocco and I’m the host of Check, Please! Bay Area. Each week, I will be sharing my tasting notes about the wine the guests and I drank on set during the taping of the show. I will also share some wine tips with each episode.

Check, Please! Bay Area guests drank the following wines on the set of episode 712:

Secco Rose, Italy
I love pink bubbles (I’ve even tattooed a glass of sparkling rose on my leg…now that’s adoration.) So, when i find one that’s affordable and delicious, it makes me grin from ear to ear. This affordable pink sipper made with Italian red grape Raboso and some Pinot Noir, is a smile-maker. It’s a wine to buy by the case for the holidays.

2010 Irony Chardonnay, Napa Valley, California
From the Indelicato family whose wine roots run deep, this medium bodied, light on-its-feet white is an all-purpose wine. It will make those who don’t like heavy Chards happy along with those who enjoy crisp, bright styles. Pair with dishes from roast chicken and sweet potates to creamy cheeses.

2009 Chateau Ste. Michelle Merlot, Columbia Valley, Washington
I call Merlot the cashmere of the wine world because of its smoothness and this wine captures that telltale softness. Succulent dark berry fruitiness marries with the supple texture in a wine that over-delivers for its price.

Related posts:

1. Check, Please! Bay Area: Wine Tips – Navigating Wine Lists
2. Check, Please! Bay Area: Wine Tips – 4 S’s of Wine Tasting
3. Check, Please! Bay Area: Wine Tips – About Stemware

Check, Please! Bay Area

‘Raise your glass if you figured you were getting dumber anyway!’

• Last weekend was an extra-busy one in Napa and Sonoma as grape-growers scrambled to harvest the late-to-ripen fruit before Monday’s rain. Many are saying 2012 should be a great vintage. [St. Helena Star]

• Here’s a review of the swell tasting room and grounds at small Dry Creek winery Truett Hurst. [Chron]

• According to a new study, the often discussed practice of “moderate drinking,” i.e. a couple of glasses of wine a day for men at least, has been shown to “have profound effects on the structural plasticity in the adult brain,” and can have a significant impact on our ability to learn new things. Terrific. [The Atlantic]

Read more posts by Jay Barmann

Filed Under: oeno-file,

Grub Street San Francisco

My name is Leslie Sbrocco and I’m the host of Check, Please! Bay Area. Each week, I will be sharing my tasting notes about the wine the guests and I drank on set during the taping of the show. I will also share some wine tips with each episode.

Check, Please! Bay Area guests drank the following wines on the set of episode 705:

2007 Trione Chardonnay, Russian River Valley, California
From third generation grape growers in Sonoma County, this beautifully aged Chard meshes the core brightness of Russian River fruit with the lushness of the vintage. It’s a wine to sip poolside with nothing but your suit, or table side with everything from fish to fowl.

2009 Lasseter Family Winery “Chemin de Fer,” Sonoma Valley, California
You know the name, John Lasseter of Cars and Toy Story fame. Add one more credit to John’s resume — vintner — as he and his wife Nancy are the proprietors of Lasseter Family Winery. In a nod to their Francophile passions, they focus on French-style wines including this Rhone blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre grapes. It’s succulent, spicy and simply superb.

Related posts:

1. Check, Please! Bay Area: Wine Tips – 4 S’s of Wine Tasting
2. Wine Tips: Pairing Dessert Wines
3. Wine Tips: About Shiraz, Syrah and Petite Sirah

Check, Please! Bay Area

Wednesdays are “Butcher Days” at A16, so SFoodie sat down with Wine Director/Owner Shelley Lindgren as cleavers smashed, saws swished, and the butchers worked through one-and-a-half pigs. We, meanwhi
SFoodie

Russian Hill: Luella (1896 Hyde) is offering a pretty good deal on wine during “wine month”: glasses and bottles, Sunday through Thursday through March 31. [Eater]
Potrero Hill: A little café called Front Café is coming to 150 Mississippi Street, between 17th and Mariposa. [Grub Street]
Noe Valley: The aforementioned frozen yogurt shop Sweet Spot (4028B 24th Street) coming to the former Cosmic Wizard now looks like it will be called Easy Breezy, according to planning documents. [Grub Street]
SoMa/Downtown: Ever want to learn how to make your own cocktail tinctures and infusions? Fifth Floor chef David Bazirgan and bartender Brian Means are teaching a class on the afternoon of March 31. Tickets are , and space is limited. [Grub Street]
Oakland: Want to learn how to pickle? Or open a coffee bar? The Food Craft Institute is coming to Jack London Square to teach such things. [Chron]

Walnut Creek: Corner’s Tavern is ready for its debut in the former Bing Crosby’s space within a couple weeks. [Scoop]
And Ferry Building Japanese delicatessen Delica is expanding to Walnut Creek by summer. [Scoop]

Read more posts by Jay Barmann

Filed Under: neighborhood watch, deals, delica, empire building, fifth floor, food craft institute, foodievents, front cafe, luella

Grub Street San Francisco

2009 Mark West Pinot Noir, California
A must-buy bargain bottle that captures Pinot’s elegance and juicy red-berry fruit flavors at a price that will please. Stock up for the holidays to use as a house red or to give as gifts.

2010 Astrolabe
“Voyage” Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough
Newly landed on our shores, this unique Kiwi wine delivers a ping of zestiness layered with citrus notes and whisper of fresh herbal aromas. It’s a classy Sauvignon Blanc worth seeking out.

2006
Iron Horse “Classic” Vintage Brut, Green Valley of Russian River
Valley, California
Iconic bubbly producer Iron Horse is California royalty, crafting world-class wines to rival the best of Champagne, France. Aged for years before release, the Vintage Brut sparkles like a Cartier jewel. Lush, yet lean, focused, and fresh, this is a wine to savor.

Related posts:

1. Check, Please! Bay Area: Izzy’s Steaks and Chops, El Huarache Loco, Helmand Palace
2. Wine Tips: Pairing Dessert Wines
3. Wine Tips: Texture in Pairing Food + Wine

Check, Please! Bay Area

“I can open a bottle with no hands!”

• Can’t find a corkscrew? A “lady MacGyver” at Jezebel offers several tips for opening a wine bottle without one. [Jezebel]

• Due to an archaic law in Canada, it’s still illegal to ship wine across provincial lines, but a new policy change might allow residents of Ontario to carry in one case of wine with them, by hand, from another province. [Vancouver Sun]

• Meanwhile, hybrid red grape varieties, which were bred to be hardy in cold climates — like those in Canada — continue to face prejudice for having “foxy” or herbaceous flavors. [Montreal Gazette]

• Strange weather during this growing season has created a divide among French winemakers about how early to start the grape harvest. And, critics say that some have started too early. [Reuters/NYT]

• This week’s obscure choice of grape from the NYT tasting panel: Blaufränkisch, a native of Austria, which “makes a spicy red wine that can be graceful yet intense.” [NYT]

• Someone in China just paid 0,000 for 25 cases of Chateau Lafite-Rothschild. [WSJ]

• A new book, Naked Wine, and a new documentary, Wine From Here, shed light on the growing natural-wine movement in California, which emphasizes the use of native yeasts for fermentation and a more restrained use of sulfur. [SF Bay Guardian, PR Newswire]

• Noted cookbook author and PBS chef Joanne Weir is launching a wine label: Joanne Weir Wines. [Grub Street]

Read more posts by Jay Barmann

Filed Under: oeno-file, joanne weir

Grub Street San Francisco