Last supper

August 29, 2008

After Living Light and Fort Bragg, we headed down the coast to Sonoma to visit some more wineries. By then, we should have had a bumper sticker with "this car may stop abruptly for wineries" as that seemed like the story of our journey. Again, Dave covers this in his blog so I won't say too much to steal his thunder.

The landscape down the coast and in Sonoma is absolutely stunning with beautiful vineyards and rolling hills in the background that look like smooth camel humps. And the landscape and roadway is just one winery after another, each with their own story which you have no idea about when you enter their tasting room. And the people are so warm and friendly, like they really want to see you and help you. You gotta love that, and then there's the dogs... don't get me on that subject.

We headed back to San Francisco as we were heading home soon and to escape the scorching heat that was almost unbearable... I believe it was around 110 degrees F?! I kept on hearing different reports from people but we all agreed that it was **&^!!! hot. The grape harvesting was starting at some vineyards and most of them had to stop to wait for the heat wave to be over.

Where did we go for my last supper in California? Well, back to the beginning. Dave and I were unanimous about Millennium. We both love the food and crave it when we can't get it. It's Slow Food Nation weekend in San Francisco and Millennium was participating with a special menu, with some proceeds from the menu price, about 1/3, going to a nature conservation organization, so I took that as it contained many dishes that I have not tried. The menu is constantly evolving and there are new separate menus each week, in addition to special events like the special heirloom tomato dinner that they held this week with the tomatoes picked by the staff.

Slow Food Nation is this weekend, August 29-31, and it's a special weekend showcasing the slow food and local food movements with a large exhibition at Fort Mason Centre, special events and displays around town like the Civic Centre Slow Food Garden, and well known speakers in the slow food and local food movements like Alice Waters, Michael Pollan, etc. speaking at Fort Mason, and restaurants and shops around town promoting and supporting the festival in their own ways. I wish I had planned our trip to take in this as well had I known about it in advance, but it is San Francisco, so there is always something interesting around the next corner, especially related to local and sustainable food and practices.

We were not disappointed by our last supper at Millennium. Our food was superb and delightful and Chef Eric came to speak with us during the evening, and even to discuss what we were eating and where it came from, which is always very exciting and rewarding. And, that's probably one of the reasons why I decided it was important for the chefs at my dinners to come out at the end of the evening to discuss the food that people have been consuming all evening and answer questions. There is something special when you hear about how the food was prepared, where it came from, what was what, and have the opportunity to ask the questions you have been wondering about all along, and servers just don't seem to have adequate answers for or come back from the kitchen with one word curt answers that never seem very satisfying. This is not usually the fault of the servers as they are extremely busy and can't be bothered by the often long explanations, details and complicated words given by the people in the kitchen about the food. Short sound bites are not the specialty of someone in the kitchen who has spent several hours or days trying to make that one dish or ingredient in a dish.

I believe it's special and important to meet the person behind the concept and preparation of the food before you. If you are buying a piece of art or craft you want to hear about the person who made it and it's even more exciting when you meet the person that actually made it, so why is it any different with gourmet cuisine then? I believe we need to connect the dots and take out the mysteries from farm to table, so we understand better the hard work and passion that went into making that tomato organic, and how that tomato is transferred into the chef's hands, and then on to your plate. Now, that's an interesting story in my books, especially as it's something that you are consuming, putting into your body, not art work that you are hanging up on your wall or music that you are listening to, but actually something that you are digesting that is filled with energy, life and stories. Well on to more food and stories when I get back home...