The new restaurant (Bottega ) kept me hopping with more than our share of business, especially now that the outdoor dining is in full swing and a fireplace centered outdoor lounge is in use. On top of that I finished taping a new series for Bravo, Top Chef Masters (no I can’t tell you who won…your going have to watch starting June 10th) where I am up against some stiff competition as we try to win $100,000 for our preferred charity. I picked Clinic Ole (http://www.clinicole.org ), the incredible non profit health clinic serving the Napa Valley community. Tune in and root for me and for Clinic Ole!
What I’m cooking now: The Spring menu at Bottega has me jazzed! It includes Green Eggs and Ham (olive oil poached Delta asparagus with crispy soft cooked egg, cambazola fonduta and prosciutto bits), Raw Fish Crudo served AQ on a cold pink salt brick, Pacific halibut with grilled artichokes and fishermans sauce baked in a parchment bag. Berry crostata with basil gelato, Sand Cake with balsamic marinated strawberries!
In the vineyards: After a slow start to spring and a cold spell, the buds let loose and the shoots are almost 12” high on the Giana Zinfandel already! We are celebrating on May 16th at our annual Chiarello Vineyards Budbreak party (http://www.chiarellovineyards.com/pressevents/index.html ), much to do, including lots of tractor time, and getting stuck in the mud, which my son loves!
Until next time.
- Michael
Last Updated ( Friday, 08 May 2009 )
How a New Napa Restaurant Tackled Wine Prices - by James Laube
Tuesday, 17 February 2009
In the ongoing experiment of wine list pricing at Bottega, I’ll let James Laube weigh in with his readers for me. It’s a hot topic and an interesting challenge for restaurants. What do you think?
- Michael
Last Updated ( Friday, 20 February 2009 )
Does anything sound more fun than...
Wednesday, 11 February 2009
Does anything sound more fun than a pint of polenta poured out on a toasted board like steaming lava, with old world pork meatballs cooked tender in a tomato sauce and a fist-full of sauteed vineyard mustard greens floating on top? The answer is no! And doubly so when the polenta is ancient grain red polenta, rediscovered and given to me by my vineyard organic farming friend, Amigo Bob. The idea of taking something we love (creamy polenta) and presenting it in a totally new fashion with killer ingrediants is what gets me truly excited about being back in the restaurant business at my new place, Bottega Napa Valley. Watching heads turn in the dining room as the cedar boards are wielded around the room is just unbeatable, and terribly fun!
Second to the fun of surprising people with the food is my own discovery of new wines in creating our wine list and pairings. What I have been pouring lately with the antipasti course is a fabulous white wine, normally from the Alto Adige region of Northern Italy (an Alpine region also famous for Grappa), brought here by George Vare and planted in Napa Valley. Both the Ribolla Gialla and the Bianco are personal favorites. Uber lovely food wine that you will remember for a lifetime.
The above polenta with the Elyse Nero Misto (mixed black) wine is a perfect complement in your left hand to your soup spoon or oversized fork of polenta in your right hand. And I’ve rekindled my love of sparkling Lambrusco, a big spring time winner to enjoy in a latte bowl (parmigiano style) with a plate of paper thin prosciutto wrapped around crispy focaccia dough (pasta fritta), shown here. Buon appetito!
-Michael
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 11 February 2009 )
Bidding for a great cause, Sun & Stars Montessori 26th Annual Auction Feb 7th. St. Helena California
Thursday, 29 January 2009
Okay bidders, this is your chance to pick up a seat at my next interactive cooking and wine blending event in Yountville, in addition to other great auction lots such as: a Guest Appearance on the Ellen De Generes show in LA, spectacular and rare wines from Colgin (2 etched magnums), Trefethen , Schafer , Heitz , Chateau Montalena , 5 nights at a 5-star lodge in Jackson Hole, a private luau and pig roast, Meadowood and French Laundry , and more! You may bid by proxy, and also bid online as well! If you can’t make it, be sure to get raffle tickets for some exquisite Italian designed/made Jewelry worth $7,000. Great fun for a great cause! See you there! - Michael
It warms my heart to see all the positive emails we’ve received about our Chocolate by Moonlight Valentine’s Day feature story – and I hope you all enjoy the recipes as much as I have over the years. But it’s interesting. Regardless of where I hear it – online, from friends, customers or co-workers – the one question most often asked of me around this time of year is, “How do I pair wine with chocolate?”
The general rule of thumb is to go light-to-light, dark-to-dark. I love white chocolate and pink champagne. Or milk chocolate and merlot. Then as we get closer to the bittersweets, I look for wines that have the illusion of sweetness – without being sweet. Ripe often tastes sweet, so a ripe zinfandel is a great pairing for bittersweet chocolate because it fills in one of the layers of flavor. It doesn’t compete. I look for contrasts in the flavors, not perfect matches.
For example, many people like cabernet with chocolate. I’m not nearly as fond of it because the tannin in cabernet is similar to a tannin-like flavor in chocolate, so you’re matching that kind of astringency – it’s bitterness with bitterness. Now, bitterness as a flavor is very important, but when you’re matching the two you tend to accentuate one. So a young cabernet matched with a bittersweet chocolate brings out that bitterness in the tannins, which, to me, makes the wine taste like it needs to age another 10 years – not the effect you’re looking for.
I’m always looking for flavors to crescendo. Building layers. So, let’s take and taste a zinfandel with a bittersweet chocolate: It starts with the cocoa butter flavor, then you get a softer tannin layer right up above that, then the richness of the chocolate kicks in, followed by the fruitiness of the wine, followed by a little acidity at the end to clean it all up – which gets you ready for the next bite. Perfect.
-Michael
Bottega - Opening Night
Monday, 08 December 2008
Opening night in a restaurant is always such fun and such a party! Before service, the congratulations bouquets start to arrive, then the Jerabaum's start to arrive from winery guests, and a double magnum of vintage Krug Champagne from Thomas Keller. Friday and Saturday night were full of locals and wineries, from Magrit Mondavi to Rich Frank (Frank Family Vineyards), Rombauer and the Turleys, the Halls from Longmeadow Ranch, the Policys, Dan Duckhorn, Fleury Winery, The Altamuras, Mitch Cosentino, Brown Family Vineyards, Darryl Sattui, Cary Gott, Daryl Corti, Michael Polenske from Blackbird and the just opened Maisonry up the street. Renowned local artist Lowell Herrera joined a large table group of 10, and the marble chef's table was occupied by Brian Larky and his Dalla Terra team, who import spectacular Italian wines. Yountville locals included the Mayor and Vice Mayor, GM of Villagio, and GM of V Marketplace. A few nearby holiday parties spilled over into the bar, which was knee deep all night, and the outdoor fireplaces were a hit despite the frigid temperatures. Fans traveled from as far as Miami to be with us for the weekend of opening activities.
Outdoor lounge & looking into the glow of the bar.
Hostess stand made of Himalayan Salt Rocks.
Ready for our first guests.
Dena Marino from renowned D19 in Aspen joins the team for the weekend to open with us!
I’ve worked in restaurants since I was fourteen years old so until I left Tra Vigne in 2000 and put my love affair with running a restaurant on hold, I’d never really paid full pop for a restaurant meal.
I try to buy local as much as possible – luckily, in New York, we have seasonal farmer’s markets that guarantee fantastic regional fruits, vegetables, herbs, fish and meats and even some dairy products for most of the year.
