Haute News & Events: SF Bay Area Sips And Bites

We know how hard it is to keep up with all of the haute drinking and dining news and events in the San Francisco Bay Area. Don’t worry. We’ve got this! From new offerings at Saison, SF’s most expensive restaurant, to the debut of Michael Mina‘s Pop-Up Series Middle-terranea to Bardessono’s upscale Dive Bar to a Summer Dining Series at the Ritz-Carlton San Francisco, here’s all you need to know to be up on the latest dining and drinking happenings in the region.

Veuve Clicquot Tour Comes to Northern California

Attention Veuve Clicquot lovers! The classic yellow hued Clicquot en Route truck will roll through the Bay Area this week. The first stop is today, July 1, from 5 p.m.until 8 p.m. at Joya in Palo Alto. Enjoy bubble and bites.

On July 2, the Clicquot en Route stops in San Francisco. From 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., enjoy Veuve Clicquot while taking in the picturesque Embarcadero from the patio of the Hotel Vitale. Guest DJ Sergio Solis will be on hand to spin some tunes while you sip flutes of Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label and Rose.

On July 3, celebrate the start of the Fourth of July weekend with Veuve Clicquot at The Carneros Inn. From 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., enjoy Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label by-the-glass or bottle or sip Non-Vintage Rosé by the glass or bottle while enjoying a game of bocce, jenga or corn hole. The outdoor lounge will also be offering pairing specials including shot of gazpacho, Royal Miagi Oyster with lemon granite, American caviar with smoked salmon or crème fraiche.

Celebrate this Fourth of July Clicquot Style at Sonoma County favorite, The General’s Daughter. Take in the 4th of July parade, BBQ and fireworks while sipping on Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Champagne by the glass and or bottle or Veuve Clicquot Non-Vintage Rosé by the glass or bottle.

Flexibility, Fun & Freedom at Saison

Acclaimed chef Joshua Skenes is revealing a new array of menus at his much-lauded restaurant Saison, which also happens to be the city’s most expensive restaurant as well. While dining here will set you back $398 a person—and that is before wine—it’s so worth it enjoy some truly rare offerings prepared in the most unique manner. Now you can expect more flexibility, fun and freedom with the new menu. In Saison’s main dining room, along with the current Discovery Menu, you can expect a new optional vegetable tasting menu focused on products coming from Saison’s own farm. The multi-course Discovery of Vegetables ($298) will showcase dishes such as heirloom tomatoes & gooseberries cured gently in the wood oven with a gelée of grilled tomatillos, and beet hung over the fire for three days then slowly grilled, sauce of the roasting juices & rose vinegar.

Back by popular demand, à la carte offerings are once again available at the Bar/Salon at Saison. You’ll be able to enjoy luxurious tastes of Saison Reserve Caviar cured with Saison’s smoked salts & grilled buttermilk biscuits or Mallard Duck roasted whole in the fireplace & a stew of the giblets without having to commit to any specific length of time or the tasting menu. The Salon Menu changes daily and Sommelier Mark Bright’s 5000-bottle wine list and cocktail selections are designed to match perfectly.

Finally, the collaboration between Skenes and Jiro Lin at the Chef’s Counter continues to evolve with the team now offering a new à la carte menu of cooked dishes, nigiri, and sashimi including grilled rockfish with ichiban dashi infused with the bones of the fish & citrus leaves and various nigiri such as golden eye snapper; bafun uni with reserve caviar; ark shell clam–to name a few.

Ritz-Carlton Summer Dining Series

Photo Credit: Cesar Rubio

This summer, The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco hosts a series of delectable dining events that are poised to be every bit as stylish and luxurious as the iconic hotel itself. Collaborating with two well-known California winemakers, Cobb Wines and Kenzo Estate Wines, as well as the American Himalayan Foundation and its Nepal Earthquake Disaster Recovery Fund, you’re invited to indulge in exquisite food and wine pairings at the hotel’s signature restaurant, Parallel 37.

Each dinner experience is exclusively curated by Charlie Trotter alum and Chef de Cuisine Michael Rotondo and will feature multiple food and wine pairings ranging from Tuna Poke with Sun Blissed Nectarine to an Heirloom Tomato Salad with Summer Squash and Lamb Bolognese. The lineup is as follows:

Cobb Wines Dinner
Thursday, July 2
6 p.m. Reception; 6:30 p.m. Dinner

Nepal Relief Dinner
Thursday, July 9
6 p.m. Reception; 7 p.m. Dinner

Kenzo Estate Wines Dinner
Thursday, August 6
6 p.m. Reception; 6:30 p.m. Dinner

For more information on the summer dinner series, visit www.ritzcarlton.com/SanFrancisco or follow the hotel on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ritzcarltonsanfrancisco

Dive Bar at Bardessono

Photo Credit: Courtesy Bardessono

If you missed last week’s Dive Bar debut at Bardessono in Yountville, don’t worry. This haute event repeats itself for the next two months: July 30 and again on August 2 from 6:30 – 8 p.m. and late night after that at Lucy. Each time, the offerings are different but you can always expect a deejay spinning summer beats on the rooftop deck.

The July Dive Bar pool deck will be sun-soaked in Veuve Clicquot’s golden orange accessories, while copious amounts of bubbles flow. They will also be serving tastings of Twomey Cellars’ latest releases, 2014 Estate Sauvignon Blanc and 2013 Russian River Pinot Noir. For August’s Dive Bar, Ceja Vineyards returns splashing the pool party with their summer whites, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and the “Bella Flor” Rosé. You’ll sip Moët & Chandon Imperial Ice or mixed KAPPA Pisco cocktails while grooving to local Latin beats. There’s complimentary valet parking at the hotel on these nights as well—though do make sure you have a designated driver because you won’t want to miss out on these cocktail specials!

Michael Mina’s Pop-Up Dinner Series: Middle’terranea

Photo Credit: Kevin McCullough

We recently shared  news of Michael Mina‘s The Mina Group purchasing the building formerly by Cafe Claude at 2120 Greenwich Street. The latest is that the James Beard award-winning chef and chef partner Adam Sobel have set Thursday, July 23 as the debut of their Pop-Up Dinner Series, Middle’terranea, at The MINA Test Kitchen, the group’s recently acquired space in the City’s Cow Hollow neighborhood. The series will be hosted Wednesday through Saturday nights. Inspired by Michael’s mother’s ability to bring comfort and warmth through her food and the human interaction that takes place over a meal, the multi-course menu by Mina and Sobel will be served family-style, featuring a modern refresh of traditional dishes from the Middle Eastern and Mediterranean regions. Selections include laffa amuse, choice salads, fish in aromatic broth, char grilled or roasted meats, and sweets, among others. This restaurant is a passion project for both chefs and inspired by their ancestry—Mina has a Middle Eastern background while Sobel’s roots are on both sides of the Mediterranean.

Capo Adds Another Award-Winning Pizza

Will you be one of the lucky eight at Capo’s? The North Beach’s very own Chicago-themed restaurant from 11-time World Pizza Champion Tony Gemignani, is adding another award-winning pizza to its menu. Limited to eight orders each night, “The Long Con”, created by Capo’s pizzaiolo Matt Taylor, will join favorites like “Old Chicago”, “Frank Nitti” and “The Dillinger” on Capo’s menu of classic Chicago-style pizzas. The “Long Con” recently took home First Place in the Pan Pizza Division of the International Pizza Expo this year.

What’s in it you ask? This cast-iron deep-dish pizza with Vermont cheddar baked into the crust is topped with provolone and whole milk mozzarella, and house made Calabrese sausage, garlic, bell pepper, finished with a bacon-bourbon glaze, crispy fried roasted red peppers and a sweet onion jam then sprinkled with finely chopped chives.

Calistoga Ranch’s New Executive Chef

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Calistoga Ranch.

Calistoga Ranch in Napa Valley has a new executive chef. Bryan Moscatello joins the award-winning resort, where where he will oversee all culinary operations including The Lakehouse restaurant that celebrates Napa Valley’s authentic food and wine culture in a serene setting overlooking Lake Lommel. He was most recently at our fave place to stay in Aspen, The Little Nell, and has quite an illustrious culinary pedigree that includes a Forbes Five-Star award in 2015 for Element 47 and a “Best 10 New Chefs in America” honor in 2003 from Food & Wine.