Wine

Every once in a while it’s good to get out of San Diego to see what the rest of the world is eating. Recently, Buzz tripped up to the Monterey Peninsula.

In the Monterey/Pacific Grove area…great, fabulous coffee at Acme, in Seaside, two minutes north of Monterey. Owner Larry Thurman opened this tiny place four years ago in a garage with the motto “Resist Corporate Coffee”. Here you won’t find those over-the-top concoctions that mask the taste of good coffee. You will find small batches of beans from small growers, roasted in-house, ground to order and made into espresso–properly, as shots–or as regular coffee made in a simple contraption called a drip bar that allows for the coffee to made fresh in the cup–with the coffee of your choice. No stale canister coffee here. Thurman cleverly names his blends: Motor City Espresso, Valve Job Blend, Road Dog Blend, you get the picture. Try the natural Ethiopian as espresso, it’s rich, not burned and almost sweet but very satisfying. Barista Chris and Larry both know how to make very good coffee. Located just off Broadway on Contra Costa and Palm, Seaside, 831-393-9113, Monday-Friday 6:30am to 5pm, Saturday 7am to 3pm, closed Sunday.

Down in Pacific Grove, two minutes south of Monterey, you’ll find a walkable town with many historic Victorian homes and friendly people who acknowledge you with a smile or a good morning as you wander the streets to the ocean. At the corner of Lighthouse and 18th you”ll find Fournier’s Bakery Café. Owner/chef Kevin Fournier turns out featherlight focaccia for sandwiches and panini, not too sweet dense cocoa brownies, almond paste bear claws and lots more including custom wedding and specialty cakes. 650 Lighthouse Avenue, Pacific Grove, 831-655-1447. Open daily 8am to 5pm.

Just a few blocks away on Lighthouse, is Mélange, one of the very few places with small bar–if you don’t want to sit at a table. Open for dinner only, the small menu changes with the whim of chef/owner David Frappiea and the seasons. David describes his menu as world fusion (and I would add, without, thankfully any confusion). He resists overdoing flavors but isn’t afraid to tempt the palate with an offbeat take on a dish. Always great is the house-made fettuccine with wild mushrooms, simple and very flavorful with a mélange of seasonal ‘shrooms in a light butter sauce with tomato and fresh basil. A lovely shrimp risotto and even veal sweetbreads and braised rabbit starters appear on this small and well-priced (mostly mid $20’s) menu. A thoughtful and interesting wine list pairs with the food and David’s fiancée Dorothy has a terrific palate for wine/food pairings. For my taste, however, I prefer to have my reds not at room temp (usually 65 or 70 degrees), but slightly cooler, as if they came directly from the cellar, to enhance the wine’s flavors. Dinner only from 5:30pm to 10:00pm, Closed Sunday, 542 Lighthouse Ave., Pacific Grove, 831-333-0301.

Looks like sushi is a big draw for Fifth Avenue. As noted here Azuki has opened at Juniper and Fifth. Up the street at Olive, Hane Sushi (the soon-to-be second location of the well-known Sushi Ota) will sandwich Avenue 5 Restaurant & Bar with Mukashi at the corner of Nutmeg. Ota signed a 10 year, $1 million plus lease. Can you believe it, two sushi joints in the same block? Buzz tried Mukashi when it opened and will soon try Azuki.

A nd over at the now defunct Gemelli’s at Fifth and Laurel, the liquor license is transferring to Restau, LLC. Stay tuned to see what happens in this prime corner space. Opposite corners are home to Laurel Restaurant & Bar and Bertrand at Mr. A’s (with one of the best rooftop views of the city),

Regardless of price, it seems that high-end wine dinners are all the rage. Even if $200 per person for a Rhone wine dinner seems steep, wine geeks will love this lineup at Winesellar & Brasserie‘s June 5th event. Four courses and six spectacular wines that include 2006 Yves Cuilleron, Les Chaillets, Condrieu, 1996 Chapoutier, Le Pavillon, Ermitage and many others. For reservations and information call 858-450-9557.

And by the way, another well attended $200 dinner took place at Blanca where Caymus wines were paired with seven courses from chef Wade Hageman. Buzz heard about this dinner from an attendee who raved about it….

Rather spend your money for a good cause? Then check out the Wine & Roses charity event on Sunday, June 8 at the Westgate Hotel. $65 per ticket before June 5 and $75 at the door. It’s a terrific outdoor event (Buzz has been to a couple) with food and wine from many of San Diego’s best restaurants and wine purveyors.

Encinitas wine lovers now have Ed Moore’s second The 3rd Corner location in the Lumberyard shopping center. Buzz loves the original spot in Ocean Beach–great wine selection with an educated staff to help you choose your favorites. 897 South Coast Highway, Encinitas, 760-942-2104.

Taste tequila from Herradura at The Palm restaurant on June 12. The dinner is $95 plus tax and tip. For reservations: Cathy DeLeon, 619-702-6500.

A recent story in The Wall Street Journal addressed in depth the popularity of tasting menus paired with wines. The paper’s wine writers, Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher dined anonymously at four of New York’s top restaurants (Le Bernardin, Jean George, Per Se and Daniel) to report on tasting menus and their pairings with wine. The results were startling. Not only did the writers have day-0ld, sometimes uninspired and pre-chosen pairings, the cost was over the top at $280 for two at Le Bernardin (separate from the the $180 per person for the food tasting menu). Per Se and Daniel came out the best of the bunch, for service, wines and food pairings. While San Diego isn’t quite as pricey, tasting menus can be found at some of our top restaurants. How good are they?

What do you think about tasting menus? Are they worth ordering or are they passé ? Do you order the wines suggested or do you order by the glass or bottle? Does the service feel rushed because you’re ordering a set menu? Well, Buzz would like to hear from you. Let’s see how San Diego’s chefs and sommeliers show their stuff.

Bread & Cie’s owners Charles and Dori Kaufman plan to expand the hours of their well-known Hillcrest bakery to offer specialty pizzas, salads, signature desserts and a small selection of wines. Look for things to be in place by the end of the month. Bread ovens make perfect pizzas and Kaufman spent months experimenting with doughs and toppings for the new menu additions. Pizza available from 5:30pm to 9pm. 350 University Avenue, at Fourth Avenue.

Venissimo’s cheese loving customers can now get their chocolate fix with Jack Fisher’s fabulous bon bons. Don’t forget Valentine’s Day!

You’ll find more wine and chocolate down at the Hotel Del Coronado’s newest addition, Eno. Buzz is partial to the property (a hotel on the ocean is pretty special) and to what Eno and its director, Ted Glennon want to achieve. Whether it’s just a glass or one of many flights of interesting wines that go far beyond chardonnay and cabernet, this is the place to go. Glennon’s expertise shows with the training he gives his staff as well as his desire to share his knowledge with patrons. To pair with the wine, there are flights of cheeses, charcouterie and chocolates. There are more than 30 wines by the glass and some of Jack Fisher’s chocolates are featured here as well.

Heresy you may say to drink a white wine with a gutsy red meat. Not so as Buzz learned during a couple of dinners that featured dry German wines not usually found here in San Diego. One dinner paired a dry Riesling from the Rheingau area of Germany with braised lamb shanks and the diners were happily surprised with the duo. If you’re one who thinks (as many do) that all German wines are sweet, prepare yourself for a great awakening. While many fall into that taste category, many others are dry and quite comparable to those from France, California and Australia.

Where can you find such wines and have a quick German wine 101 tutorial while you taste? Right here at Truly Fine Wine, Inc. on Morena Boulevard (just south of Costco). Owners Damon and Sabrina import a select group of high quality, small production German wines that include pinots, Rieslings and even some very good sparklers. Buzz dragged a couple of skeptical pals (they were sure all the wines would be sweet) to meet Damon and Sabrina at the shop. We tasted and talked and the skeptics became believers!

Still not a believer? Then trust your taste buds and come try the wines this Saturday, February 9 at the San Diego Wine & Culinary Center. Truly Fine Wine will present a tasting on the wines they import. Golden Gourmet Mushrooms is also a part of event where the fun runs from 4:00pm to 6pm. For more information call 619-231-6400. If the 9th doesn’t work, Firefly Grill and Wine Bar in Encinitas will host a German wine dinner on February 19th. Call the restaurant for reservations: 760-635-1066.

Wine-guy Dustin Jones, the well-known sommelier at La Jolla’s La Valencia Hotel has moved on to work with Rob Barnett at www.vinvillage.com. While we’re on the subject of La Valencia, it and its sister property, Rancho Valencia Resort and Spa are for sale.

North County will soon have The 3rd Corner in the Encinitas Lumberyard shopping center. The restaurant will occupy the current Sbicca Bistro space, according to Dan Sbicca. The 3rd Corner is the brainchild of Ed Moore, one of San Diego’s best when it comes to wine and food. If you you are unfamiliar with his place in Ocean Beach, it’s a concept that works like this: Mostly a well-stocked wine store, with about 50 restaurant seats and small bistro menu that includes everything from a cheese plate to fish, pasta and meat with nothing over $19. For a modest $5 corkage, you can browse the restaurant for your wine to drink at the table. Along with a full bar, the place also offers a good selection of wines by the glass.

There are numerous wine events and wine merchants around town and if you’re not on their email lists, here are some good ones: Downtown on G Street you’ll find Bacchus Wine Market & Tasting Room and note on the website the downtown restaurants that don’t charge corkage when you buy bring in wine bought at their store. Nearby, The Wine Bank on Fifth Avenue, has renovated the place and has tastings. In Middletown there’s the Wine Vault & Bistro, with tasting and wine dinners–those in the know are on the email list.

Off Harbor Boulevard in Liberty Station there’s Mellow, a small but sophisticated wine bar with an interesting wine selection. To the north at the Barnett entrance next to the golf course is Wine Steals, with a casual, post-college atmosphere, similar to their original site in Hillcrest.

Up in the Mira Mesa area Vintage Wines, San Diego Wine Co. and the Winesellar & Brasserie are all worth getting up-to-the-minute tasting and buying information.

Do you have a favorite wine bar or wine store? If so, please share.

Buzz is saddened by the huge change at the Wine Bank, a downtown institution serving savvy wine affectionatos for 30 years. Recently sold, the new owner added an ATM machine at the front door, lots of steel institutional looking shelving, a huge liquor assortment on the first floor, knocked out walls and has the place looking and feeling like a BevMo store rather than the comfortable and well-stocked wine store it used to be. We miss the cases of wine everywhere and the homey feel along with expert wine advice by the knowledgeable staff. Expect to pay more for wine and tastings too. You may still see prior owner Mike Farres at his familiar entry perch and his nephew Brian will be around for a while, but the change is hard to take. 363 Fifth Avenue, Downtown, 619-234-7487.

In North County, The Aniata Cheese Co., opened in 2003. When Bob Stonebrook opened the storein Flower Hill Mall, he started the whole cheese craze here in San Diego. His small store features cheese, salami, oils, jams and preserves, nuts, flatbreads, boutique wines and much more. Stonebrook created The Aniata Club for a modest yearly fee of $40 that includes cheese tastings, discounts on large wheel cheeses and more. You’ll find his cheese at such wine bars and restaurants as Confidential, Downtown, Gaffney’s Wine Bar, Encinitas, and Trisler’s Wine Bar, Mission Valley. 2710 Via de la Valle, #B-138, Del Mar, 858-847-9616, www.aniata.com.

It took my sleuthing to find The Wine & Cheese Shop off the usual main drags in La Jolla since it changed its name from The Shop when owner Henry Ota got his wine license. Henry’s small selection of imported cheeses, along with prosciutto d’Parma (hand sliced) and many hard to find gourmet items including wines ranging from $9.99 to over $200 is a favorite for locals looking for specialty food items and good sandwiches too. Stop in for an espresso too. 7930 Ivanhoe Ave., La Jolla, 858-456-1010.

It's Got Bite

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
About San Diego's Food Scene

Out of San Diego: Monterey

Bits and Bites: Bankers Hill Update

Wine: Rhone, Roses and Tequila

When a Taste Isn’t

Bits and Bites: Pizza, Wine, Cheese and Chocolates

It’s Time for White Wine with Red Meat

Wine, Wine and More Wine

Whining about a wine store

Cheese and more