Food Network Live Event Set for Oct. 1; Online Wine Info
Pinot Provence, the restaurant that brought prestigious dining to the Westin South Coast Plaza hotel, has a new manager, Peter Rogers. He comes from the corporate offices of Christine and Joachim Splichal, the creative couple who first launched what is widely perceived as the finest restaurant in LA, Patina. They followed that with several Pinot restaurants in the LA area and even a Pinot Blanc in Napa Valley, and Nick and Stef’s Steakhouse last summer in the Wells Fargo building on Hope Street in downtown LA.
Our own Pinot Provence just celebrated its second birthday. You’ll like Peter. He’s extremely cordial and friendly, making you instantly feel appreciated and at home.
It’s always worth commenting on the food. Four of us, including Newport Beach architect Bror Monberg, attorney Donald Segretti, and our executive editor here at OCBJ, Rick Reiff, had no problem at a recent lunch polishing off salads of heirloom tomatoes and baby greens, a good-size ramekin of assorted, cured olives and some superb entr & #233;es. I might have pined for a Martini to plop some of those olives into, but we managed to behave ourselves and had iced tea instead. By the way, the olives, munched a cappella, are one of the best appetizers in the county.
If perchance, on the day you dine, they happen to offer the stewed lamb shank with couscous, don’t even consider anything else. It is marvelous and a very big meal. The couscous itself could not be better, studded as it was with raisins and soaking up the juice from the lamb. From rotisserie pork with Bing cherries, to ravioli of braised oxtail, shellfish risotto to roasted Atlantic salmon, and far beyond, this is cuisine I always remember and appreciate.
Food Network Live in OC
I advise you to call (800) 949-2433 and get a ticket to wine, dine and shine at this year’s Food Network Live event to be held on Sunday, Oct. 1, from noon to 4 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Irvine. I went to this culinary affair last year and had a good time watching cooking demos by those famous personalities who sling haute cuisine hash on the tube. They’re back, and I am sure it will be amusing again. Following the successful plan of years past, there will also be quite a lineup of our best local chefs serving samples of signature dishes from their own restaurants. Add wine and champagnes from a bevy of top wineries and, of course, you have a recipe for fun.
Personalities from the network include French chef Jacques P & #233;pin; his daughter and sometime co-host, Claudine; co-host of Bobby Flay’s “Hot Off the Grill,” Jacqui Malouf; Bill Boggs, who hosts “Bill Boggs’ Corner Table”; the host of “Nick Stellino’s Family Kitchen,” Nick Stellino himself; and the host of “Food 911,” Tyler Florence.
One of the most entertaining features each year is the “Ready Set Cook!” segment. It is patterned after the actual show of that name that pits two nationally known chefs against each other. They create a meal using the same ingredients pre-selected by audience shoppers, and the audience picks the winner. I’m not sure how national our chefs are, but I do know that watching folks like Alan Greeley, owner and chef of the Golden Truffle, compete last year was more entertaining than watching those supposed big names from TV Land.
And, the last piece of business: the price is $38.50 per ticket.
The Wine Cellar
The World of Wine Reviews: It’s a mess trying to figure out who to trust, what to read and how to remember all the wine information in the marketplace today. Who has the time? Most of us still just go into our favorite wine shop and pick up a label we already recognize.
It’s not a bad idea to know, though, that places like Rolf’s in Newport Beach and Hi Time in Costa Mesa are like best friends in helping customers expand their horizons. If you have Internet access, there are several sites offering interesting tasting notes. You can even sort out only the wine varietals you are interested in at the moment. Some sites will help you organize your own wine cellar. One place where you can get a lot of information in question-and-answer form and special columns is called WineAccess.com. In addition to having tasting notes from private groups, there’s commentary from experts such as author Stephen Tanzer and Edward Murray, former sommelier at Le Bec Fin. I like the mix of professional and consumer feedback.
The big news, however, might be that WineAccess.com has signed a two-year contract with the Beverage Testing Institute of Chicago to add its library of thousands of wine tasting notes. BTI is a 20-year-old professional wine-tasting forum that produces thousands of wine, beer and spirits reviews. They will be integrated into the site very soon.
I also like WineSpectator.com, the online version of the magazine. I don’t have to have hard copy cluttering up my office; I can just pull it up on the screen and read what happens to interest me. WineSpectator.com, of course, comes with a stellar reputation built over the years by the magazine. Its wine reviews are comprehensive.
Internet access is worth a try. Most of the wineries also have their own sites that give you information on current releases. I find it very helpful. Please tell me of any favorite wine sites that you have bookmarked.
