You cannot imagine my pleasure in discovering BarBersQ restaurant! I miss really good Southern-style barbeque, and I absolutely love the food at BarBersQ!

On my first visit, I tried the Vande Rose Memphis Pulled Pork Sandwich. The pork was absolutely exquisite – very lean, tender and deliciously smokey! And the sandwich was huge. It was served on a very soft bun with their barbeque sauce (yum) and coleslaw. I also tried their Painted Hills Chipotle-Braised Short Rib Sandwich (this was research, after all). This sandwich was also served on a nice, soft bun with chopped romaine, horseradish sauce and coleslaw. The meat was so tender and delicious without the fat that you normally find with short ribs.

And, of course, I had to try their collard greens (delicious) and ridgecut cornbread (excellent, too), as well as their wonderful baked beans from Rancho Gordo.

They also feature such menu items as Grilled Porterhouse Pork Chop, Long Meadow Ranch Grass-fed Flat Iron Steak, Baby Back or St. Louis Ribs, BerbersQ Chicken, as well as their BarbersQ Chili. I love the fact that they have grass-fed beef, free-range chicken and local items on their menu.

I had the opportunity, as well, to meet Chef Stephen Barber, a native of Kentucky, who got his start at City Grocery Restaurant in Oxford, Mississippi. Barber then opened Cameron Diaz’s restaurant, Bambu, in Miami. He worked for several years at Mecca in San Francisco before opening up BarbersQ in Napa.

If you love fine food and have a thing for Southern-style barbeque and the trimmings that go with it, you must give BarbersQ a try! They have a very nice wine selection, as well.

BarbersQ Restaurant
3900 D Bel Aire Plaza
Napa, CA 94558
(707) 224-6600
www.barbersQ.com (Website is currently under construction. )

I recently had lunch at El Dorado Kitchen. El Dorado Kitchen is located inside El Dorado Hotel on the plaza in Sonoma. This restaurant is casual but elegant, and the food is exquisitely prepared and beautifully presented. They focus on using fresh local, seasonal ingredients. I had heard so much recently about this restaurant that I had to try it.

Executive Chef Ryan Fancher is no longer there, but the food is truly amazing and reasonably priced. Pastry Chef, Octavio Alcantar, who worked for years at French Laundry, turns out an impressive assortment of desserts daily.

We started our lunch with a cheese plate featuring Cypress Grove’s Bermuda Triangle chevre, Abbaye de Belloc sheep’s milk cheese and Bleu de Causse. These cheeses were served with poached apricots and other delicious housemade condiments. We then moved on to some of the chef’s choices. First was a salad of heirloom tomatoes (that were perfectly ripened), super sweet watermelon and a marvelous basil reduction. What an outstanding combination that proved to be! Our main course was likely the most incredible pasta that I have ever tasted. It was a bow tie pasta dish with fresh corn, chanterelle mushrooms and tomatoes in a concentrated (and extremely flavorful) corn reduction sauce.

We had two desserts because who could choose? One was an amazing peach creation with a bit of almond ice and the other was a fresh berry clafoutis. Both were specials of the pastry chef that day and were absolutely delicious.

We dined inside because there was some construction work going on outside on that particular day. However, the restaurant has a stunning outdoor patio with shade trees.

I can hardly wait to go back to this restaurant. It is absolutely worth the trip.

By the way, I also checked out the hotel while I was there, just in case I would like to have a group stay there. They have 27 guests rooms and 4 bungalows that are separate from the main building. The rooms are beautifully decorated with attention to detail and all have fine linens. The prices are not bad either, ranging from $195 to $225 per room for weekend stays, less for nights during the week.

El Dorado Kitchen
El Dorado Hotel
405 First Street West
Sonoma, CA 95476
(707) 996-3220
www.eldoradosonoma.com

I recently met my friend Norm for lunch at Zuppa Restaurant in San Francisco. I loved the atmosphere of this place from the time I opened the door. The rustic walls, the gorgeous windows, the wood burning oven all contribute to the overall feel of this casual but elegant restaurant. And the staff could not have been friendlier.

We started with a plate of assorted antipasti – fresh housemade mozzarella cheese, roasted peppers, roasted beets and eggplant. Then we moved on to their fresh pizza of wild mushrooms topped with baby spinach. Delicious!

We finished it all off with a tasty panna cotta for dessert.

I look forward to returning to this restaurant again soon.

The entry to Zuppa is from an alley off 4th Street between Bryant and Brannon.

Zuppa
564 4th Street
San Francisco, CA
415-777-5900
www.zuppa-sf.com

Have you ever wanted to know more about wine and food topics such as: why wines have sulfites, what makes wines balanced, what does it take to plant a vineyard and get it into production, what is barrel building, why hang-time is such an issue, what are the latest trends in wine barrels, are “wine legs” a good sign, how olive oil is made, how artisan honey is produced, what are the Thanksgiving traditions in various parts of the country, and many other food and wine related topics? If so, you must tune into Napa Valley Wine Radio. You don’t just go there and read about these topics – you actually listen to experts explaining the subject matter in a fun and educational interview format. David Topper and the folks at Napa Valley Wine Radio are diligent about the quality of these broadcasts. They make sure that each session is packed with interesting and useful information for the listener. These broadcasts come out on a bi-weekly basis, are normally kept to about 20 minutes in length and are so informative and fun. Be sure to check this out!

I was offered a taste of this cheese when I walked up to the Whole Foods cheese counter in San Francisco last week. I really loved its smooth, silky texture and the slightly acidic flavor. I just served it on a cheese plate and it got great reviews.  This cheese is a specialty of the Alta Lange region of Italy and is made from a mixture of cow’s milk, goat’s milk and sheep’s milk. The milk is pasteurized at the lowest temperature allowed. It is aged for only 15 days. It comes in 8 ounce sizes and sells for about $12 per half pound. Pair it with a nice Sauvignon Blanc.

This is a lovely goat’s milk cheese made in the gouda style.  It is produced from pasteurized goat’s milk in the Pyrenees region of Spain (in Catalonia). It is surrounded by a natural mold rind.  During the aging process,  the rind is rubbed down with olive oil.  The flavor has hints of hazelnuts.  This cheese sells for about $20 per pound.  Try it with Abraxas wine from Robert Sinskey Vineyards.  

This cheese has a very complex, rich flavor. It comes from northern Holland and is made from pasteurized cow’s milk. It is aged for more than three years and has a rich, butterscotch flavor. You will find wonderful crunchy salt deposits in this cheese. It sells for about $20 per pound. Try it with an aged Pinot Noir from a vineyard such as Willem-Sellym or with a nice tawny port.

This is a raw cow’s milk cheese that has been made in the tradition of an English cheddar. It comes from Fiscalini Farms in Modesto and has been aged for 30 months.  It has a rich, sharp flavor.  This cheddar won a gold medal at the 2007 World Cheese Awards in London.  It sells for about $24 per pound. Pair it with a big Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot.

This is a Colston Basset Dairy pasteurized cow’s milk blue cheese. The Colston Basset Dairy, located in Nottinghamshire, England, was built specifically to make Stilton cheese. This cheese has been injected with penicillium roquefortii and ages for three to four months before it is ready to eat. The affineur (cheese ager) is Neal’s Yard.  This particular Stilton has a nice balance between the richness of the cream and the tanginess of the blue.  It sells for about $30 per pound.  Try it with a luscious dessert wine (such as a late harvest Semillon) or with honey comb.

I love the floral fragrance of warm apples. This is a very simple recipe that combines a little honey and cinnamon (if desired) with the apples. It is a great side dish for breakfast.

Ingredients
2 medium-large apples, peeled, cored and cut up
2 T honey
1 t cinnamon, if desired

You will also need:
Paring knife
Small saucepan with lid
Spoon

Instructions
Place the cored, peeled and chopped apples into a small saucepan. Add the honey and stir well to combine. Cook, covered, over medium heat until the apples are tender. (Depending upon the type of apples used, you will have either apple sauce texture or the apples will remain chunky.)

Stir in the cinnamon, if desired, and serve while warm.

Serves 2.