Drink like a pirate
Robin Williams’ estate for sale
I hate writing about fabulous wine country estates. Because it makes me think about my own little piece of the American dream here in bucolic Berkeley and how the grout in my shower is working its way from “Needs a scrub,” to “Ooh, nasty!”
But because I am nothing if not selfless in my desire to bring you the latest news of wine country (well, not strictly speaking latest but I was busy yesterday) here are the details of actor/comedian Robin Williams’ estate that can be yours for $35 million dollars.
The house is called Villa Sorriso and is set on the Mayacama hills between Napa and Sonoma. According to the real estate listing, for your $35 mil you get nearly 20,000 square feet that includes five bedrooms, an oak-paneled library, a home theater, an elevator, safe rooms, climate-controlled cellars for your art and, of course, wine, and a tower and bridge. The villa sits on 653 acres and includes an infinity-edge swimming pool and a seven-stall horse barn. By the way, let me point out there are safe rooms in our house, too. For instance, if the basement is piled high with dirty laundry it’s safe to say I’m the only person who’s going to be down there.
The real estate listing is written quite poetically and talks up both the wildness of the property and the fact that it’s within 80 minutes of the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco, creating “a wilderness so convenient, yet so wild and haunting, that it summons even the softest city dweller.” I guess they’re going for the Green Acres dynamic there. No, I don’t want to hear about it if you’ve never heard of that show. Hey, it was before my time, too. Reruns.
Of course, if you are looking to spend $35 million in the Napa Valley, you may want to check out football great Joe Montana’s place. That went on the market a while back for $49 million but hasn’t sold and is now at the 35 mil mark.
Sorriso, by the way, is Italian for smile, which I would if I had the bathrooms pictured. Gosh, do those showers sparkle. I’d like to think that was due to Williams working away with a little toothbrush but the listing notes that “the vineyard, ranch and house are cared for by an on-site manager, so that all you have to do is dwell in your delightful domain.” So, I guess that’d be a no. Nice alliteration, though.
And, finally, I note that the listing shows a billiard room complete with billiard table. Which would be convenient if you happened to have Prince Harry visiting. Because if there’s one thing we’ve learned it’s that that young fellow needs to brush up on his billiard skills.
Cheers.
Related posts:
http://vinecdote.com/blog4/2012/02/for-sale-qb-joe-montanas-wine-country-villa/
http://vinecdote.com/blog4/2011/12/mondavi-mansion-sold-to-boisset/
Foie Gras Fallout
Since today is National Caviar Day this seems as good a time as any to update you on what’s been happening since California’s foie gras ban took effect two weeks ago. So far, it’s a tale of loopholes, a lawsuit and _ damn, I cannot find a word beginning with “l” that means boycott, so I will have to break this alliterative string _ boycott.
The law, passed some years ago, bans the forcefeeding that makes ducks and geese, usually ducks, grow the unnaturally large and fatty livers used to produce the ultra-rich pâté. There was a lag time built into enforcement of the bill to see if producers could come up with a fattening method deemed humane, but that didn’t happen.
In the U.S., a group that includes restaurant owners, farmers and major producer Hudson Valley Foie Gras, has filed suit in Los Angeles federal court challenging the law as vague, saying it doesn’t adequately describe what “over-feeding” is. The suit also claims the ban interferes with free trade.
There’s been some indications the California Legislature may take another look at the issue, which could lead to the ban being repealed. This wouldn’t be the first such takeback. A foie gras ban passed by the Chicago City Council in 2006 was repealed two years later.
In France, Philippe Martin, president of the general council of Gers, a region in Southwest France known for its foie gras, has called for a boycott of California wines in protest. This is largely symbolic, but still interesting.
Meanwhile, most restaurants have been going along with the ban, but not all. A few have been sending out tidbits of free foie gras on the grounds that they’re not actually selling it. Some are offering to prepare foie gras that customers bring in. And the Presidio Social Club is ignoring the ban altogether, saying it’s immune from the state law due to being on federal land (the old Presidio Army Base).
I am following developments with a purely academic interest having never liked foie gras — too bland.
But if they ever try to ban liverwurst …
Cheers.
Related posts:
http://vinecdote.com/blog4/2012/07/foie-gras-lawsuit-california-french-wine-ban/
http://vinecdote.com/blog4/2012/06/chefs-protest-california-foie-gras-ban/
UPDATE: Foie Gras Fighting, France weighs in
French producers of foie gras are striking out at California’s ban on the delicacy.
Philippe Martin, president of the general council of Gers, a region in Southwest France known for its foie gras, is calling for a boycott of California wines in protest.
I cannot say that I’m aware of a huge French market for California wines, but this is obviously a matter of principle. French producers say the California ban is a mistake and damages the image of the foie gras industry.
Read the story (in French) here. Google will translate for you, but, trust me, you are going to be thrown off by the references to “professionals fatty liver.” Kind of makes you think twice, doesn’t it?
(Related note: On a recent trip to France I ended up being served foie gras, which I don’t care for, at just about every meal. Which caused me to complain loudly to friends post-trip. “Foie gras four days in a row! It’s too much!” Needless to say, I was rightfully and mercilessly mocked for my First World problem. But I digress.)
California banned production of foie gras under a law passed in 2004 that regulates how poultry can be fed in California. (It didn’t take effect until this month to give producers a chance to come up with a “humane” alternative to gavage, the process in which ducks or geese are fattened up by being force-fed through a tube inserted down their necks.)
On Monday a suit was filed in Los Angeles challenging the law as unconstitutional. See the San Francisco Chronicle story here.
The suit was filed against the state on behalf of Hot’s Restaurant Group, another group representing farmers and distributors, and Hudson Valley Foie Gras, a major producer. Lawyers say they’ll ask for a preliminary injunction halting imposition of the law.
Proponents of the ban say force-feeding, in which bird livers expand to 10 times or more normal size, is cruel. Opponents disagree, saying the process isn’t particularly tortuous and, to a point, mimics the birds’ natural habit of gorging themselves before migration. Specific to the new law, the suit alleges it doesn’t give a clear enough definition of what constitutes over-feeding and also interferes with free trade.
Related post: http://vinecdote.com/blog4/2012/06/chefs-protest-california-foie-gras-ban/
Parisian politesse
One of my favorite lines in the Pixar movie Ratatouille occurs when the young chef and his chic Parisian girlfriend have to leave a roomful of people in a hurry and she announces bluntly, “We hate to be rude … but we’re French!”
Who doesn’t chuckle at the thought of those brusque, supercilious Parisians?
So I feel a little strange having to report that during my recent trip to Paris I encountered … nice, helpful, extremely polite people.
My experience started with the taxi in from the airport. My driver was a native of Cambodia who spoke French and Mandarin fluently, very good English and could hold his own in Spanish. And that wasn’t all. Finding out I was a wine writer by trade he proceeded to launch into a description of the six classic grapes of Bordeaux. (Thank goodness I finally remembered petit verdot or I would have been properly embarrassed.) The kicker, we get to our destination and it turns out I haven’t made it clear that I want to pay with a credit card; he takes only cash. Is there a blow-up? A disappointed sigh? Nope. Pas de probleme. We nip around a corner to the closest ATM and all is gas and gaiters.
And that was just the start of it. I got lost quite a bit and never failed to find a shopkeeper or waiter willing to help me out in English or the very slow French that I can comprehend. Some came outside the business to point me in the right direction. A time or two cars even stopped to let me cross in the crosswalk! OK, this may have had something to do with the fact that my companion was a tall, stunning, blonde. But, still, people. City drivers giving way _ not an everyday occurrence.
I don’t know if the rude Parisian was always more a creature of fiction than fact, or whether this is the result of a campaign to brush up Parisian politeness, which kicked off in 2007 after reports that polite Japanese tourists were being traumatized by their experiences in the City of Light. But I do know that Paris compared very favorably with some other European countries I’ve visited. I’m looking at you, Italy … with the exception of that time on the Rome train when a rather handsome fellow helped me lift my case onto the overhead rack after I had tried, failed and spontaneously blurted out a rather bad word.
That expression, by the way, turns out to need no translation.
Here is a link to a few other, rather more polite and advisable. phrases that may be of assistance if you are traveling to France this summer.
Bon voyage!
Drew Barrymore, wine-starter
The wine-drinking world is made up of three kinds of people. Those who think the idea of a Drew Barrymore wine is just peachy; those who wouldn’t be caught dead, dead, drinking Drew Barrymore wine. And me, whose first thought on getting a sample bottle (which came with a delightful little handwritten note) was, hmmm, can I get a blog post out of this?
Barrymore’s first wine is an Italian pinot grigio made by the Decordi Winery from grapes grown in the northeast corner of Italy. Pinot grigio is generally considered a rather bland varietal, but this wine defies that stereotype with a zippy, fresh profile.
Here’s my take.
Barrymore Pinot Grigio 2011: A charmer from the get-go, the bottle gleams palely green with a handsome label emblazoned with a B in the style of a family crest. Not much of an aroma, although some peaches/apricots if you sniff hard enough. Taste-wise it delivers a lemony, tart punch that could probably stand up to an ice cube or two on a hot afternoon, always a plus for a summer sipper. Alcohol is on the moderate side at 12 percent. Suggested price is $19.99, which is not outrageous, but a little bit out of the everyday range. A fun wine to take to a party or serve at a movie night dinner. Goes well with Italian food, especially dishes on the light and creamy side.
What movie to watch? Well Ms. Barrymore has quite the eclectic oeuvre, from E.T. to Grey Gardens. Or, if you want to broaden the choices to the family in general _ and feel like having your heart broken _ there’s her paternal grandfather, John Barrymore, as a tragically washed-up actor in Dinner at Eight or as a light-fingered and ill-fated baron in Grand Hotel. A little popcorn, a little pinot gris, a lot of Kleenex … sounds like a plan to me.
Cheers, thespian-ly.
Le Big Mac
Fair warning, foodies. Look away now for today we are going to talk about committing a gastronomical gaffe of the first order.
Yes, this is the I-went-to-Paris-and-ate-at-McDonald’s post.
What can I say? I was standing on the Champs-Elysees, taking in the Arc de Triomphe, when suddenly my eye was caught by an arch of a different color, something golden and oh-so-familiar.
Could I? Should I? Reader, I did.
McDonald’s is known as McDo’s (mac-doze) in France and it’s not considered the McDon’t you might think despite being in the land of haute cuisine. Quite a few people I met talked about occasionally popping in, especially if they had children. I think it’s the novelty concept plus the appeal of quick service.
I usually eat at McDonald’s once a year on our annual pilgrimage to Lake Tahoe, so it’s not like I’m a core consumer. But I’ve always been interested in the company’s ability to consistently maintain a certain level of quality, something a lot of restaurants can’t do for a 50-seat dining room, let alone 12,000+ franchises.
I wondered, does that consistency spread all the way to France?
Yes and no. McDonald’s abroad isn’t quite the same. The outlets I saw in France often had separate coffee bars selling macarons and other pastries along with some not-bad coffee. You’ll also find variations in sandwiches, such as the recently launched McBaguette, tailored to appeal to French diners.
But if you want your basic fries and burger, they’ve got it. At the Champs-Elysees branch I ordered a Royal cheese, aka a Quarter-Pounder. It tasted fine although would have been better if it hadn’t been sitting under the hot lamp quite so long. But the fries were awesome and I wasn’t ashamed to dip them in le ketchup.
Let’s give the last word on this to a well-known philosopher, relevant part starts 40 seconds in.
Foie Gras Fervor
Starting July 1 it will be illegal to forcefeed fowl to produce foie gras in California, and a lot of top chefs aren’t at all happy about that.
A number of high-end restaurants have held elaborate, all-foie-gras dinners in the months leading up to the ban to express their dissatisfaction.
The process was banned by state law on the grounds that force-feeding fowl, usually ducks, to produce unnaturally engorged livers is cruel. The bill came with a seven-year delay to give the industry a chance to find another way to produce the fatty livers, but so far that hasn’t happened.
Those in favor of keeping to the old method say the ducks have, for the most part, a much better life than many animals raised for food and accuse the pro-ban side of having a bigger agenda of banning meat consumption altogether.
In the force-feeding process, a rubber tube is inserted several inches down the bird’s neck so that feed can be pumped directly into its stomach. I wrote a story on this when the foie gras fight started and visited a producer to see it in practice. I can’t say it was the most horrifying thing I ever saw on a farm. On the other hand, I cannot stand foie gras, so I guess I come out somewhat neutral on this one.
If, unlike me, you are a foie gras fan, here’s what the Chaya Brasserie in San Francisco will be serving June 18-30 to for it’s “Au Revoir Foie Gras” event.
Foie Gras Beignet
with Cinnamon-Port Wine Reduction
Shaved Foie Gras Torchon Salad
with Haricot Vert, Frisée, Kumquats, and Sherry-Dashi Gelée
Pan-Seared Foie Gras
with Corn Relish, Jalapeño-Green Onion Cornbread,
Miso- Barbeque Sauce
Oakwood Grilled American Wagyu Beef Zabuton
With Seared Foie Gras, Marinated Japanese Eggplant, Baby Bok Choy and Wasabi Beef Jus
Smoked Warm Magret Duck Breast Yamagobo + Watercress Salad, Burdock Root Ribbon, and Walnut-Sherry Vinaigrette
Seared Foie Gras Nigiri
with Fresh Wasabi, Sweet Soy, Sansho Pepper
Slow-Cooked Duck Breast Caterpillar Roll
with Crab, Avocado, Cucumber, Horseradish Aioli, Balsamic Reduction
Reservations—which are recommended—can be made by calling CHAYA Brasserie or by visiting www.thechaya.com or www.opentable.com.
Bon appetit, or not.
Golden Gate Bridge Turns 75
For a 75-year-old grande dame, the Golden Gate Bridge is looking pretty good. So, it seems only fitting that the special span should have a party with all the trimmings.
Events are planned through the fall, but the main event is Sunday, May 27. It was on this day in 1937 that the bridge first opened to pedestrian traffic.
Exhibits, parades, music and dancing are scheduled from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. along the waterfront from Fort Point/Crissy Field to East Marina Green. Fireworks are scheduled at about 9:30 p.m. Additional public activities are being held at The Main Post of the Presidio, Fort Mason Center, Ghirardelli Square, San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, Fisherman’s Wharf, and Pier 39.
Highlights:
· International Orange Exhibition: 10am–7pm (Fort Point)
· Vintage Maritime Display/Parade: 11am-3pm (St. Francis Yacht Club)
· Road Trip through History: 11am–5pm (East Crissy Field)
· Crissy Field Center Future Fair: 11am–7pm (East Beach)
· Bridge History Tent: 11am–8pm (West Crissy Field)
· USS Nimitz Arrival: 1pm (San Francisco Bay)
· Fireworks: 9:30-9:50 pm. Optimum visibility from Fort Point to East Marina Green. Soundtrack aired live on KFOG 104.5
Here is a story I wrote with a bit more on the bridge’s history. And here is a link to the official festivities website.
Things to note:
Try to take public transit to the area, traffic and parking are likely to be an absolute bear. Note that the bridge will be open most of the day but closed to people and traffic during the fireworks.
Bridge fun facts:
The bridge’s color is not gold but International Orange.
Originally, officials wanted it painted yellow with black stripes for ultimate visibility.
Everyone loves the bridge now, but when it first opened a lot of people called it ugly and a blot on the landscape, including famous photographer Ansel Adams.
It’s a myth that the bridge gets painted every year and when they’re done it’s time to start over. Touch-up is done as necessary, but a 1980s redo of a water-borne zinc primer with an acrylic topcoat is holding up well.
By the Numbers:
4: Years it took to build the bridge
6: Dollars it costs to pay the toll using cash
11: Men who died during construction
4,200: Feet in the main span
600,000: Rivets in each tower
2 billion-plus: Vehicles that have crossed the bridge