Food Coma…

I am still recouping from my whirlwind trip to Canada and have promptly put myself on a strict diet of water, air and lemons.  Sweet meats and cheeses, my Canadian hosts know how to show a boy a good time.  I was treated to some great restaurants and am still in food coma from the experience……

Meredith and her husband treated me to the most amazing family style dinner in Toronto that for the life of me I can’t remember the name of and I think Meredith is secretly keeping to herself out of fear it will get overrun with American tourists.  But seriously, the restaurant Cafe Belong is simply amazing on all levels…

CAFE BELONG – Toronto

Melissa and Erica rolled out the red carpet and took me to some excellent meals on the town in Calgary….

BLINK

WURST – Calgary

However, I don’t think any will top the EPIC dinner party that Melissa threw at her gorgeous house.  15 courses (yup) with wine pairings … it was amaze balls and about half way between, I had to lie down and take a little nap.  It truly was a culinary experience to the likes I will doubt I will see again….

Now if you excuse me, I need to run a marathon to lose the weight I gained.

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Pairing Beer & Sausages…..

The weather this weekend in the Bay Area was glorious!  Warm, sunny with a hint of breeze – the type of weather that all but forces you to barbecue.  If I had not been elbow deep in mulch, potting soil and plant debris I would have certainly fired up the grill!  However, my burning urge to finish the planter boxes along the retaining burned hotter than my urge to grill some meat.  Speaking of the planter boxes, they are DONE!  I am excited to show them to you all this week.

As I took a break from the sun, I flipped through the Pottery Barn catalog and ran across this great little snippet on how to pair beer and sausage.  Thought I would share since it seem appropriate with some many of us planning to fire up next weekend….

Chicken and White Veal Sausages

Just like when you serve white wine with a chicken dinner, light sausages go with a light beer.  Sausages like bockwurst and bratwurst should be paired with pale beers like a pilsner or wheat hefeweizen larger.

Suggestions: Pilsner Urquell, Sierra Nevada Summerfest, Pyramid Ales Hefeweizen and Odell Brewing’s Easy Street Wheat

Spicy Sausages

Think of the beers you drink when you eat a plate of spicy Indian food or wash down your favorite spicy chicken wings.  Those are the same types of beers that go well with spicy sausages like Louisiana hot links.  Again, turn to your beer friend, the pale ale for an easy pairing.

Suggestions: Flying Dog Doggie Style Classic Pale Ale , Sam Adams Pale Ale and Stoudt Pale Ale

Lamb, Garlic & Herb Sausages

The market is flooded with a variety of sausages with interesting meat combinations and stuffed with fresh herbs.  For these richer sausages, go for an medium-bodied amber ale (i.e. “Steams) or for the more adventurous the more bitter and deep flavors of a porter.  A simple rule of thumb to follow is – the darker the sausage is when cooked, the darker you can go with the beer.

Suggestions: Anchor Steam, Fly Dog Old Scratch, Steamworks Steam Engine Larger & Mountain Goat Steam Ale

Smoked & Black Sausages

These sausages pack a ton of flavor, so they need a strong companion beer.  In these cases, think dark – stouts and barleywines.  These beers are almost meals to themselves, so plan your menu accordingly!  The rich, sweet, oaky and complex flavors of these beers are excellent with the these types of sausages.

Suggestions: Guinness, Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine Style Ale, Bell Brewery’s Third Coast Old  Ale & Rouge Shakespeare Stout

However, even with all the beers I just suggested to you, I still am a sucker for a nice cold Blue Moon with a slice of orange floating on top……

Via

(I so want one this afternoon after  I finish my homework!)

But regardless of what you pick, just be sure it’s cold and plentiful!  I hope you get the chance to crack open a cold one with friends and family this weekend, sit back, relax and enjoy the long weekend.

With that said, let the countdown to the long weekend begin!!!

So In This Alley You Will Find…..

One of the questions I consistently get now from friends and family is “So where do you eat when you go out to dinner?”  Well that question has one major fault at its crux as a student, my restaurant excursions are limited to a occassional burger or burrito or what The Partner wants to treat me to on the weekends.  During the school week, I am pretty resigned to eating the food prepared by the different classes at school.  First and foremost, school food is free.  (Don’t forget, I am paying for the CIA out of my pocket).  Second the food at school, for the most part, is on caliber with many moderately priced places in the Bay Area.  Last, the company of my fellow classmates, can’t be beat.  But if I am really feeling the urge to venture out and have something local, my choice is Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen. 

Photo Credit: Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen

Located literally on a backstreet off of St. Helena’s main drag, the restaurant is a fixture for locals and a well-regarded stop for tourists between wine tastings.  The restaurant is the creation of Cindy Pawlcyn, the James Beard Awardwinning cookbook author, chef-owner of Napa Valley’s Mustards Grill and Go Fish.  As a side note, Chef Pawlcyn’s influence can be felt across Napa as she also helped in the creation of Fog City Diner, Brix and Tra Vigne to name a few other restaurants. 

As for the food it is by no means, mind-blowing, but the food is comforting and delicious.   The cuisine is a spin on casual California with an electic selection of worldly flavors.  However, what brings me back mostly is the feeling you get when you arrive……it reminds me of how a sweet gentile Southern hostess would welcome you into her home.  Guests enter through the brick patio which in the spring, summer and early fall is teeming with flowers and foliage — it’s quite beautiful and relaxing, so its the perfect mood  altering experience before sitting down to dinner.  Tables are dressed in crisp white linens and everything has the feel of an upscale bistro. 

 

When I go, I like to start off with the Backstreet Fry which is the house take on calamari.  Lightly fried with red onions and okra, this is the perfect dish for two.  I then follow it up with the Grilled Quail — moist and delicious, it is served with creamy polenta.  As for desert, I haven’t had the opportunity to order my own yet since I am normally am too full from dinner. But if you do order dessert, just know the dessert menu is seasonal, so you get to be surprised when you visit.  However, last time I was there, they had this wonderful berry crumble that made me giggle like a school girl.  

My only complaint about Cindy’s is that they really squeezed in the maximum number of tables they could into the space, so at peak hours it can feel a bit squished.  On more than one occasion, I learned WAY too much about my fellow diners’ intimate home affairs thanks to the proximity of the tables.  Additionally, because tables are so close, at least twice our orders have been off because  the server gave us food for the next table over. 

Aside from that, I think Cindy’s is the perfect place for a casual weeknight dinner or a weekend brunch. So I suggest next time you are wine tasting visit Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen. Just be sure to invite me along……. 

Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen 

1327 Railroad Avenue 

St. Helena, CA  

707-963-1200