VinVillage

The search for a GREAT burger in San Diego continues.  The most recent burger eatery stepping up to the plate (unbeknownst to them and I want to thank the members who told me about them) was Tioli's Crazy Burger on 30th.
All in all, it was a good burger, but unfortunately, not GREAT.  Now you must understand that I am seeking that perfection burger that combines the perfectly cooked patty, the crisp, fresh toppings, and the bun capable of standing up to the juices that should flow from the perfect burger.  Lest you think that I am not capable of bestowing the perfect 10 on a burger, I point to burgers I've had in NYC, SF, Park City, Utah, and Wolf Point, Montana. 
Let me tell you what went wrong and right at Tioli's.  First, they use a good quality piece of ground meat listed as Angus and I have no reason to doubt that.  In fact, I believe that the beef was perfectly fresh.  I also believe that the patty had been cryo-vacuum packed to keep it perfectly fresh.   Here's the deal about that packaging.  It compresses the meat and causes it to flatten out kinda thin on one side.  That's no problem if the conscientious burger cook, upon removing the patty from the plastic packaging, will gently re-shape it so that it has uniform thickness.  Unfortunately, my cook did not and so half my burger was thin and over-cooked.  Everything else was fine and my son loved his.  He said it was second only to a cajun burger he had recently in Park City.  The search continues.  Next week; Rockys in PB.
 
Mark your calendar for Sunday, July 20th.  I'm cooking paella at my place.  You're bringing wine to pair with the paella.  I'll have salad and some chocolate for dessert.  Very casual.  Helpers welcome.
 
Clheers,
Chuck
Leader, VinVilage, San Diego
Chef/Owner, Chuck Samuelson Catering

First let me say that however much I love traveling (and I really do!), it was sooo nice to sleep in my own bed last night after 10 days on the road.  I haven't done a trip like that in years.  It was great, but it's good to be home.

I think that much of the perception of food quality on the road or anywhere else has to do with the expectation.  That is to say that if you're in a 5 star restaurant you might give them demerits for having regular butter, when you know that establishments of a certain caliber (price) should be serving butter with a noble pedigree.  Likewise, when you are tired and hungry from driving many hours straight, hot food served hot seems perfectly wonderful.

So, with that in mind, the worst meal I had on the road was in a fine establishment that got nearly everything wrong to one degree or another, and the best single dish was in a bar in Vegas that promised little but delivered much.  I'm wishing I had one of those Vegas strombolis right now.

Anyone who's spent any amount of time on the road can tell you that trying to eat healthy usually ends with being asked what kind of dressing you'd like on your iceberg lettuce.  We are sooo lucky to live in SD.

For our Paella Pairing Party on July 20th, you can bet that I will serve a salad that would make your mom and your trainer, proud.  In addition, I'll have at least two kinds of paella and something chocolate for dessert.  You bring wine and your appetite.  I'll also have a couple of wines that I've hand selected to pair with the paella.  See what you think.

See you there,

Chuck

Leader, VinVillage, San Diego

Chef/Owner, Chuck Samuelson Catering

It's Monday and I've been on the road since mid-day on Friday.  I drove from San Diego to Salinas that first day.  Saturday was spent in San Francisco.  Rob, our VinVillage CEO and I attended an open house at CrushPad.  Michael and his team have done an incredible job.  Most wineries/winemaking operations can handle up to 15 different wines or so, tops.  CrushPad makes 1500 different wines for their custom winemaking clients.  VinVillage now has our own barrel of Syrah from the Eagle Point Ranch Vineyards in Mendicino.  I am very familiar with the Zins that come from there and I can't wait to taste this Syrah from the 2007 vintage.
 
After the reception, I drove up through SF and across the Golden Gate Bridge on the 101 to Sonoma.  One of my oldest friends has a restaurant, Lattitudes Grill, in Rohnert Park.  We had dinner and drinks and catch-up conversation at the restaurant.  Dave has always had a talent for seeing the big picture, while at the same time being really good at taking care of the details.  The restaurant is gorgeous in a way that takes you right to the tropics.  I'm going to make a point to get back soon.
 
I'm writing this from a resort in Reno, NV. where I stopped last night.  I've got more to say about road food and the worst drivers in the world, but that will wait.  I want to make sure that I talk about our next VVSD event.  I've been wanting for a while to do a paella and wine-pairing event.  In fact, I've wanted to do it since the Chefs of Del Mar charity event.  At that event, Rob and I teamed up with Susan Sbicca from Sbicca in Del Mar to host a VIP reception prior to the charity auction.  We served seafood and vegetarian paellas paired with Beringer Vineyards "Alluvium Blanc" 2005 and Chateau St. Michele "Nellie's Garden" Dry Rose 2006 (96% syrah).  Well, the pairings were great, but I've wanted since to do a BYOB event wherein I do the paella and perhaps a green salad, and members bring wines to pair with the paella.  The date is Sunday, July 20 from 3-6 at my place in the UTC area of La Jolla.  We'll use the clubhouse.  Space is limited so please sign up early.  Volunteers are welcome and appreciated.
 
More from the road later.  See you soon,
Chuck
Leader, VinVillage, San Diego
Chef/Owner, Chuck Samuelson Catering

We had a great time at Anthology on Tuesday, last week.  Over 175 wine, food, and music lovers showed up to check out what has been called one of the top 5 jazz clubs in America www.anthologysd.com .  The club did a great job and Barbara Tobler www.barbaratobler.com was fantastic.  Both the club management and the artist agree that we need to do another one, asap.  We’re looking at dates in early August and will let you know just as soon as we have more details.
 
Be on the lookout for a wine blending class in late July.  We discussing dates with CrushPad www.crushpad.com to have one of their people come down from San Francisco and lead this class.  Macys Cooking School is the likely venue. www.macys.com
 
I’ll be in San Francisco on Saturday for an open house at CrushPad to announce our VinVillage barrel.  We’ll have some fun events scheduled around the barrel soon.  It’s one stop on a 10 day road trip that will take me through northern CA, Utah, and Idaho before returning home.  If the new laptop and broadband plan work as promised, I’ll blog from the road about food, wine, etc.
 
I haven’t been on a road trip like this in years and it should be interesting.
 
Cheers,
 
Chuck
Leader, VinVillage San Diego
Chef/Owner, Chuck Samuelson Catering

When I had my restaurants, I donated many dinners and gift certificates to local and national charities.  As any business owner will tell you, companies are the targets for every worthwhile cause imaginable.  In order to make the most impact with my limited resources, I focused my donations on charities for children.  Over the years I rarely made exception to that rule.  One of the exceptions that I made on an annual basis was for La Patronas.  This group of La Jolla women has over the 62 years of the organization, done an amazing amount of good works through their fund-raising and generous gifts to needy and often under-funded charitable entities.
 
It’s a relationship I’ve gladly continued after selling my cafes.
 
How it relates to a column about food and wine, is that this past weekend I catered dinner for 13 in the home of the couple who so graciously purchased my donation of a catered dinner at last year’s Jewel Ball.   This is the premier event put on every year by La Patronas.
 
I thought it would be fun to show what I do when the only object is to showcase my food for a wonderful cause.  Before I list the menu, let me say that I’ve been paired up the last couple of years with the best event planner in America, Steve Norton of Steve Norton Perspectives.  He makes the setting magical and provides a backdrop that makes my food shine.  As a special treat for the host and hostess, Steve and I had the soprano Barbara Tobler sing for dessert.  She was such a hit that they asked her for several encores.  www.barbaratobler.com
 
Here’s the menu and wine pairings from the cellar of our host.

 
 
Cuvée Rosé Brut, Laurent-Perrier, Champagne

New potatoes w/ smoked salmon & cucumber/dill crème fraiche

Miniature lobster grilled cheese sandwiches

Gorgonzola/leek tart w/ pecan crust

Grilled procuitto wrapped asparagus, meyer lemon aioli

Truffle mousse pate crostini w/ shallot marmalade

First course

Cakebread Cellars, Sauvignon Blanc, 2006

Yellow tomato gazpacho w/ lump blue crab salad garnish

Second course

Gianni Voerzio, Langhe Chardonnay/Arneis, Piemonte 2006

Tower of sashimi grade Ahi tuna, Ponzu sauce

Third course

Chassagne-Montrachet, erCru-LaGrande Montagne, 2005

Seared day-boat scallops w/ orange/saffron braised fennel

Fourth course

Chateau Montelena, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, 1999

Double organic Colorado lamb rack chop, shallot new potatoes, sugar snap peas

with mint

Dessert

Rozès, Vintage Porto, 1977

Chateau De Malle, Sauternes, 1999

Chocolate brownies

Chocolate cookies

Hand-made chocolate truffles

Fresh local strawberries

Miniature strawberry shortcake

Barbara is singing at WOW tonight at Anthology in Little Italy.
I hope you can make it.
 
Chuck
Leader, VinVillage San Diego
Chef/Owner, Chuck Samuelson Catering

I hope you can join us next week at Anthology in Little Italy for WOW. That’s Women of Wine (men also invited.) Matt Ahern, the sommelier extrodinaire at Anthology www.anthologysd.com has gotten Allie Mitchell from Rudi Wiest Selections and Krissy Lowe from Free Run Juice who will be pouring Renteria Wines as our featured Women of Wine. The winemaker for Renteria is Karen Culler, an amazing winemaker.
The featured wines for our event include: Rock & Vine, Cabernet, North Coast 2005 for $6, Hogues Beaulieu, Picpoul De Pinet, Languedoc, 2007 for $6 and Kracher Illmitz, Zweigelt Rose, Burgenland 2006 for $7. These are great wines for the price and will pair well with the menu of Ahi tuna tartar, duck confit crostini, and pan seared scallops.

The guest artist for the event is Barbara Tobler, recently returned from NYC. She'll be singing Brazilian and Spanish songs while being accompanied by guitarist Craig Stephenson. In addition, she'll be joined by rocking blues pianist Brett Shew for a set of hits from each decade starting with the 20's. If you've heard Barbara before, you know that you're in for a TREAT! If you have not, you will be blown away! More about Barbara at http://www.barbaratobler.com/

Buy your tickets on the event page for $10 plus tax prepaid or $15 plus tax at the door. In addition, Anthology has offered a 20% for additional food and beverage purchased that evening and will waive the cover charge charge for anyone wishing to stay for the main act starting at 7:30. Appearing that night is the Cedar Walton Jazz Quartet. Check out Anthology's menu and the full event calendar at http://www.anthologysd.com/ Come on down and make a night of it with VinVillage, Barbara Tobler, and San Diego's newest and best music/food venue, Anthology.

Just a quick note on pairing wines for BBQ this summer. Next time instead of that big, spicy Zin or red blend, try a German Reisling. I promise you, you will not be dissapointed. They are perfect food wines and go with anything from spicy bbq to grilled vegetables to seafood or whatever and they won’t feel so heavy on your palate. They also tend to be just a little lower in alcohol and that always makes for a more enjoyable party. I’ll be teaching some classes soon on summer food/wine pairings and we’ll try some of those combinations.

Chuck
Leader, VinVillage San Diego
“VinVillage IS where wine and food lovers connect”
Chef/Owner, Chuck Samuelson Catering

Here are some random thoughts about wine, food, and things in general.  I recently started a Meetup for the exploration of wine and food pairing.  You can check it out at http://wine.meetup.com/670/  I’m looking for ways to connect as many people as possible who are interested in wine and food pairing.
 
I’ll be teaching classes at Macy’s Cooking School again starting later this summer.  In the development stage are classes on “How to Decipher Your Favorite Restaurant’s Wine List” in which I’ll show the bargains, hidden gems, and can’t-miss selections on popular local restaurant wine lists and what foods to best pair them with on those restaurant’s menus.  In this class, we’ll also talk about the etiquette of bringing wine to a restaurant and which local establishments are wine-friendly.  Also in the planning stage is a class that I’ll co-host with one of our VinVillage partners, CrushPad, a custom wine making facility in Northern California.  In this class you’ll learn how to blend your own world renowned Meritage and I’ll pair foods that will go with your creation.
 
As you can tell by the bounty at the local farmer’s markets, it really is spring.  The stone fruits are finally smelling and tasting like they should.  Why anyone would buy them in the winter is beyond me…repeat that for tomatoes, etc, etc.  Every crop has its season and when in season they not only tasted better, but they cost less because they are plentiful when in season.  Duh!  I hate to get up on my soapbox about this, but if we’d all just start eating a little more locally and in season, we’d not only eat food better for us, but we’d substantially reduce our carbon footprint.  I could go on and on about this stuff, really, it’s not anything that we all don’t know.  I think we’re all just looking for good alternatives.  I really like the book title tag line I read the other day “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants”.  I agree whole-heartedly and this is coming from a down-to-the-bone carnivore (pun intended).
 
I hope that this Memorial Day weekend you can spend time eating and drinking with your family and/or the ones you love.  Lift a glass to my older brother, Frank, and all those who like him have served this country well.  It has nothing to do with politics and everything to being the kind of person a little kid brother always looked up to.
 
Chuck
Leader, VinVillage San Diego
“VinVillage IS where wine and food lovers connect”
Chef/Owner, Chuck Samuelson Catering
PS.  Mark your calendar for Tuesday, June 10 for our next event at SD's coolest music venue, Anthology in Little Italy.  Go to the events page for more info and tickets.

The godfather of California wine died this past week and will be sorely missed.   By all accounts Robert Mondavi brought a passion and a single-minded enthusiasism to the improvement of wine and the enjoyment of life.  You can read elsewhere about his story and accomplishments.  Today, I simply want to encourage you to cook a meal tonight with friends and family.  Open a bottle of good California wine and toast a man who lived life to it's fullest and then try to do the same.
 
'Wine to me is passion,' he wrote. 'It's family and friends. It's warmth of heart and generosity of spirit. Wine is art. It's culture. It's the essence of civilization and the Art of Living … When I pour a glass of truly fine wine, when I hold it up to the light and admire its color, when I raise it to my nose and savor its bouquet and essence, I know that wine is, above all else, a blessing, a gift of nature, a joy as pure and elemental as the soil and vines and sunshine from which it springs."  Robert Mondavi 1913-2008
 
Chuck
Leader, VinVilage, San Diego
Chef/Owner, Chuck Samuelson Catering
www.chucksamuelsoncatering.com
 

I hope you can join me this Friday at Art Expressions Gallery for “fresh stART”. I’ve come up with a menu that I know will pair well with the wines of Beringer Vineyards.

See you there,
Chuck

PS. Also, mark your calendar for our next event on Tuesday, June 10, at Anthology in Little Italy. Wine, women, food, and music equals WOW!

Here are the Beringer wines notes and food pairings for "fresh stART", this Friday, May 16th at Art Expressions Gallery. Don’t miss out!

- Wine-1: Beringer Pinot Grigio 2007 - A refreshing bite of juicy white peach and citrus, finishing with a flinty minerality.

- Pairing: Spicy Thai Chicken Satay Skewers w/ Peanut Sauce

- Wine-2: Beringer Napa Chardonnay 2006 - Lemon zest, apple, pear, vanilla and toasty spice aromas carry into the flavors with a refreshing tanginess and a bright fruit finish

- Pairing: Assorted Imported Cheeses, Dried Fruits, Nuts, and Bread

- Wine-3: Beringer Napa Pinot Noir 2006 - Boasting a dark ruby-garnet color with cherry, strawberry, sweet orange rind, old rose and spice aromas this wine has forward fruit aromas and flavors of sweet red cherries, sweet spice, and silky tannins.

- Pairing: Goat Cheese Stuffed Mushroom Caps w/ Pinot Noir/Herb Syrup

- Wine-4: Beringer Third Century Syrah 2005 - Beringer’s talented winemaker Laurie Hook concentrates on the Syrah variety’s plum and blackberry flavors, rather than its more aggressively spicy notes, for this full-bodied red.

- Pairing: Pork and Leek Dumplings w/ Plum Sauce and Chinese Spicy Mustard

- Wine-5: Beringer “Knights Valley” Cabernet 2005 - To maintain the unique characteristics of the different lots from varying areas of the vineyard, Laurie kept them all separate through vinification and aging. Extended maceration extracted a maximum of color, aromas and flavors. The wines were then aged in small French Nevers oak barrels (30% new) for sixteen months. After aging, Laurie blended the lots of Cabernet Sauvignon to highlight Knights Valley’s characteristically bright black cherry fruit. The wine also has toasty oak, vanilla, cedar and smoky aromas accented by a pretty background of pink peppercorn, cocoa and mint. Small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petite Syrah were added for additional complexity. A full mouth of sweet, zesty and rich black fruit is supported by nice bright acidity and ripe tannins.

- Pairing: Mini Red Wine-Braised Beef Sandwiches w/ Onion Jam & Blue Cheese Buttermilk Dressing.

Don't Miss Out!...It will be a FANTASTIC TIME!!!

I'm looking for volunteers to help with VinVillage events.  This might include manning (or womaning as the case may be) the check-in table, pouring wines, serving food, and/or whatever.  What do you get?  Good question.  Generally, you get free food, drink, and whatever other benefits that are available at each event.  I can give details for each individual event via email as each event is different and have different staffing needs.  Upcoming events are scheduled for galleries, Anthology in Little Italy, wine blending at Macy's Cooking School, and some cooking/wine pairing classes at yet to be named places/times.
See you soon,
Chuck
Leader, VinVillage, San Diego
Chef/Owner, Chuck Samuelson Catering
chuck@vinvillage.com