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Title Alameda's Donsuemor Gets All PumpkinySpicy New Product Spotlight More Bacon, Bison, Salumi?...Food Trends You Can Expect To See In 2016 Reno Reborn: The Biggest Little City Goes Farm-To Fork In Style Mark Estee Opens Crown Jewel Of His Reno Empire Consume: Our Favorite Food Stuff This Week Tipping Point Lamb With Shaved Fall Vegetables
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A Perfect Day in Reno Farm to Fork Across America Less Is More - Ingredients To Aboid So You Can Have A Truly Sweet Snack Big Little City Grilled: Mark Estee of Burger Me! in Reno, Nevada Crafting and Growing a Partnership Where to Eat The Best Of Food And Drink In 2012 But The Big, Splashy Restaurant Is Not Dead Boutique Style: The Wellness Center Oven-Roasted Cauliflower Sweet On The Holidays Get The Taste Of Travel United States Of Beer, Bourbon & Beyond Petite Treat True Brew The Beer Can Revolution Reno Tap Into Reno La Toque In The Westin Verasa Napa Beauty, Bounty By The River Ski & Eat Drink Of The Week Something Tasty Is Brewing In Reno
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Alameda's Donsuemor Gets All Pumpkiny-Spicy The bakery credited with popularizing madeleines in the USA has just launched its first-ever Pumpkin Spice Madeleines Published: August 07, 2017
Donsuemor, the Alameda small-batch bakery that -- as the original US manufacturer of madeleines -- is now credited with having turned those traditional French treats into trendy American pastries forty years ago, has just launched a new seasonal specialty: Pumpkin Spice Madeleines.
"We know consumers love everything 'pumpkin spice,' and we wanted to do it just right for the season," Donsuemor's marketing manager Parshy Phillips told EastBay365.
"We’re always on the lookout for new pumpkin-spice products every year, and there is always a new take on flavor combinations.
"We love to experiment with these new flavors."
Debuting this year, made with real pumpkins -- which is clearly evident in every mouthful -each of these bite-sized, spice-speckled, amber-golden, scallop-shaped dainties is a bright burst of century-spanning, sophisticated warmth.
"We had lots of fun tasting and experimenting with various flavor combinations and kept at it until we achieved the right amount of spices, perfect flavoring, and intensity," Phillips continued.
The pastries are sold at Peet's, Whole Foods, and other establishments.
"It seems like a natural fit to go in this direction, especially during what we call the official Pumpkin Spice Season," Phillips said. "There's a short window of time that most consumers love during the fall," which many seek to spend "experiencing everything 'pumpkin spice.'"
Making this company even more local: Donseumor's CEO Susan Q. Davis was born in France, grew up in East Oakland, and attended both Mills College and UC Berkeley.
More Bacon, Bison, Salumi?... Food Trends You Can Expect To See In 2016 December 29, 2015
One of the fun things about one year ending, and another starting, is predicting how the next 12 months are going to go. So I thought I’d write up a “food trends for 2016″ blog post because nobody ever does this. OK, everybody does this, and I just don’t want to be left out. So here are some of the food trends that I think will be on the nation’s menu in 2016. The end of tipping. It isn’t that tipping at restaurants will become obsolete in 2016, but David Corsun, director of the Fritz Knoebel School of Hospitality Management at the University of Denver’s Daniel’s School of Business, makes a good argument that tipping is going to become less and less popular throughout the year. “In 2015, we saw the beginning of the end of tipping with Danny Meyer’s move in this direction,” says Corsun, and when referencing Danny Meyer, he is referring to the CEO of the New York City-based Union
Square Hospitality Group, which employs about 1,800 people and owns a number of prominent restaurants. “We’ll see this become a true trend in 2016,” Corsun predicts. “Higher minimum wages, the cost of healthcare, and threats to the tip credit will all be influential. The challenge will be for restaurants to maintain service standards as servers are no longer working on commission, or tips.” Salumi. Mark Estee is the owner of Campo, a trendy Italian restaurant in Reno, Nevada (it was named one of Esquire’s top new restaurants in 2012), and he thinks salumi will get its due in 2016. It’s a super spicy, spreadable mix of meats, mostly pork. Estee may be onto something there. Corsun says that the “nose to tail” movement in restaurants will influence buying for at home preparation. “People are going to buy cuts of beef and pork they wouldn’t have considered cooking at home a couple of years ago. This trend will be driven by cost considerations and concerns about sustainability,” he says. I have no idea if salumi will really catch on in 2016, but it’s fun to say, and if it does, I can remind everyone about this blog post and look like a genius. If it doesn’t catch on, hopefully nobody will remember I wrote this. Food safety. Corsun thinks this will be a big issue in 2016. “Consumers will be concerned… as will restaurants and municipalities,” he says. “No other restaurant groups want to experience what Chipotle has been going through.” Even if some restaurant owner out there is off his or her rocker and wants to have an E.Coli scare, they’ll have a tougher time having one, hopefully. Last November, the Food and Drug Administration released the Food Safety Modernization Act’s final rule on produce safety. The rule establishes some long overdue science-based minimum standards for the safe growing, harvesting, packing and holding of fruits and vegetables grown for human consumption, according to the FDA website. So whether you notice it or not, the produce industry will be improving its food safety methods. Bacon will continue to rule. Phew, good news; although your local cardiologist might not be as relieved. Every year, Schweid & Sons, a family-owned and fourth generation ground beef processor based out of Carlstadt, New Jersey, comes out with its Burger Trends Report. In 2016, no surprise, really – bacon isn’t going anywhere, says the report and Jamie Schweid, executive vice-president of Schweid & Sons. “Bacon will continue to thrive as the most-used protein to top burgers, but we anticipate we will see a shift to trying a variety of smoked bacons instead,” Schweid says. He adds that bacon jams are also on the rise as toppings.
Bacon on your bison burger. Estee thinks bison meat may become a more popular dish in 2016. “No more bland turkey burgers,” he predicts. “It’s all about the bison, from burgers to stews.” One point in the bison’s favor. Bison meat is known to be lower fat than a burger and even a turkey burger. Bison are also free range animals and tend to be grass fed. But will they really take off? Maybe if gas prices continue to drop. Bison meat is twice the price as beef. Artisan soft drinks. If you’ve always someone who likes soda pop but have been jealous of beer drinks who get to drink unique craft beers and tour microbreweries, while you drink a Coke or Pepsi for the millionth time in your life, well, maybe you’ll have your day in the sun before too long. Last September, the National Restaurant Association conducted an online survey of 1,575 members of the American Culinary Federation, and its members listed artisan sodas as the nation’s current number one nonalcoholic beverage trend. And, indeed, some “bars” have actually opened up that sell artisan soft drinks, like Rambling House Soda Pop in Columbus, Ohio, which opened up in early 2014. They do serve beer but specialize in homemade soft drinks – and, like many bars, also offer live entertainment. In other words, some establishments are trying to make soda pop as cool as beer. Cold brew coffee. Don’t take my word for it. Take the word ofThe Gourmet Retailer, which recently declared that “cold-brew coffees are the hot new thing.” You can drink a cold-brew coffee hot; it’s just that the brewing process doesn’t require heat, according to GourmetRetailer.com. Or as a food biologist told an ABC affiliate, “It’s where you grind the grounds, and you actually steep it in room temperature water for 15 to 24 hours and then you drain off the grains and you have a concentrated brew.” The flavor is said to be bolder and sweeter, and the caffeine content is double a regular cup of coffee and many energy drinks. Even if it doesn’t sound like it’s for you, cold brew coffee may soon be hard to ignore. In 2015, cold-brew coffee sales reached $7.9 million, a 115 increase from the year before. Healthier menu options. OK, this doesn’t sound like a very edgy prediction, and it isn’t. Every year, restaurants and supermarkets are highlighting healthy food items. Predicting we’ll see healthier food items is like suggesting it might rain in 2016. But on December 1, 2016, new regulations pushed by the FDA will be enforced at restaurants and food establishments around the nation, that have 20 or more locations operating under the same name and serving basically the same menu items. (Smaller restaurants may comply voluntarily.) Calories will have to be posted for standard menu items and, if guests ask for it, offer additional nutrition information upon request.
Sure, a lot of places are doing this already, but if you’re a restaurant that really lays it on thick with the fat-laden sauces and burgers, you’d think that you might want to balance some of that with healthier options, so your business doesn’t have a reputation for being one of the least nutritionally appealing establishments in the country. You would think. So don’t be surprised if some restaurants that never appeared to care about nutrition start pushing healthier fare. Still, I doubt we’ll see Brussels sproutflavored burgers become the “it food” of 2016.
Reno reborn: The biggest little city goes farm-to-fork in style March 3, 2015
There's something distinctly different about Reno these days. Oh, the neon arch still proclaims this the biggest little city in the world, and you'll still find weary gamblers plying the slots. But the city is suddenly alive with new distilleries and craft breweries, grain-to-glass bars, farm-to-fork restaurants and a buzzy arts scene. And the newest downtown lodging is an eco-friendly, nonsmoking, nongambling boutique hotel. Instead of a casino, the Whitney Peak Hotel has a gigantic bouldering gym, and its edifice holds the world's tallest climbing wall -- so intrepid guests can gaze down at the "Biggest Little City" arch next door from 164 feet. We got dizzy just looking up. In fact, that dazed, delighted feeling lasted all weekend as we suddenly realized -- Reno has farms? And a buzzy arts scene? And a glitzy hotel sans slots and smokes? And that's not all? How awesome is it to arrive in a place you thought you knew and discover you were delightfully wrong? We ponder the question as we stroll the galleries of the Nevada Museum of Art, just a few blocks from the Truckee River, which bisects the city. Built in 2003, the museum's striking four-story building is a huge black mass with cantilevered edges and curves wrapped in crimped, charcoal-hued zinc, its lines echoing Nevada's Black Rock formation. Inside, the exhibits are eclectic, fascinating and thought-provoking. We gaze at paintings and works from the museum's
permanent collections and check out a watershed sculpture exhibit, an amazingly bizarre taxidermied art exhibit and rooms filled with watercolors and sketches of coral reef destruction in the South Pacific. There's more art outside in Reno's Riverwalk District or, as city leaders have dubbed it, "the new downtown." Parks and benches woo passers-by, ducks quack happily and murals and sculptures gleam in the winter sunlight. There's a wine walk on the third Saturday of each month -involving 28 restaurants, wine bars and boutiques. A Whitewater Park for kayakers, a fly-fishing zone, art festivals, blues festivals and restaurants everywhere. Actually, they could have just named the new downtown Mark Estee Row. Reno's celebrity chef has opened three new restaurants here in the last year alone: the rustic-chic Heritage at the Whitney Peak Hotel; arty-chic Chez Louie in the museum and cafeteria-chic Reno Provisions, his just-opened cafe, gourmet food shop, event space and commercial kitchen and bakery for all of the above. Campo, Estee's 4-year-old Italian restaurant, is a block away. The city's casino focus is being slowly replaced by other, considerably more delicious things, Estee says: "We're part restaurant culture, part startup culture, part art culture. There's food, outdoor activities, music, art, breweries, distilleries -- everything!" We're sitting in Reno Provisions on a recent Monday morning. It's the end of a holiday weekend, and the city is only just beginning to stir. There may be a distinct lack of buzzy energy outdoors, but inside, the air fairly crackles with it. A boisterous chorus of hellos and high-fives greets Estee as the chef bounds down the stairs to the big Provisions basement kitchen. Bread, focaccia and housemade crackers cool on racks. Aromatic sauces burble in pots. Sides of beef await butchering in a very chilly, brightly lit locker. And everything came from farms and ranches nearby. "The local food movement here is huge," Estee says, "and the Co-op is the most amazing thing." He's talking about the Great Basin Community Food Co-op, whose 2-year-old startup, DROPP (Distributors of Regional Organic Produce and Products), has given scores of small farms and ranches a way to connect with local chefs. The farmers and ranchers post their offerings online, the chefs shop on the site and the co-op and some of the larger restaurants facilitate delivery. "It's a tight-knit, close community," Estee says. "The Peppermill Hotel brings things back to the little restaurants. We're bringing the outside in." It's the fulfillment, he says, of a dream for everyone, including the governor of Nevada, who first voiced his vision of a Reno "food hub" two years ago and the University of Nevada's High Desert Farm Initiative. And the bottom line, of course, is on the plate -- at Reno Provisions, it's atop gleaming metal cafeteria trays, their indentations filled with wedges of organic vegetable-filled frittata, house-made sausages and a brilliant pink "super salad" of beets and quinoa. At Heritage, it's local heritage pork, grass-fed beef and craft beer from a brewery five miles away. It's all delicious. And there's nary a slot in sight. "We don't need to keep reinventing ourselves," Estee says. "We just need to tell the story." Hidden Gemsaround Reno
Chef Mark Estee may be juggling multiple restaurants, but he's had plenty of time to discover other Reno hot spots, too, including his favorite dive, a pho spot that's open until 3 a.m. Here are five of his favorite places:The Nevada Museum of Art, the state's only accredited museum houses an ever-changing array of exhibits, as well as a permanent collection; 160 W. Liberty St.; www.nevadaart.org SĂźp, a sandwich and soup spot in Midtown, 669 W. Virginia St.;www.stockpotinc.com Two Chicks, breakfast and comfort food in Midtown, 752 W. Virginia St.;twochicksreno.com South Creek Pizza Co., wood-fired pizza, 45 Foothill Road;www.southcreekpizza.com Golden Flower, a Vietnamese restaurant that's open into the wee hours; 205 W. Fifth St.; www.goldenflowerreno.com
Mark Estee opens crown jewel of his Reno empire March 2, 2015
Provisions plural noun Supplies of food, drink or equipment, especially for a journey.
In December, as Mark Estee cut the ribbon on his culinary crescendo—Reno Provisions in Reno, NV—he took a quick moment to think about what had got him there. It had been nearly 20 years since he moved from Boston to Lake Tahoe, and 12 years since he opened his first restaurant, Moody’s Bistro and Lounge in Truckee, CA. But in those past 12 years he had opened or helped open eight restaurants in the surrounding area. He thought back to the 2011 opening of Campo, his first restaurant in Reno, which brought a modern style of dining to Reno residents. He was focused on local food then, buying as much local meat and produce as he could get his hands on. He’s left Moody’s behind, but he’s since opened Chez Louie and Heritage down the street from Campo. He’s also founder and partner in two fast-casual Burger Me! Locations—in Truckee and Reno—and his Campo brand has expanded to Mammoth Lakes, CA, where he is a partner and chef.
Now, Estee has opened Reno Provisions at a time when “local sourcing” is so commonplace that it borders on cliche. But he stays true to his philosophy, which includes partnering with local farmers. Reno Provisions is many things—a bar, a cafeteria, a deli, a grocery store, a bakery, a pasta shop and a butcher shop. But one of its main purposes is to provide Estee with buying power—a centralized operation where he can buy local meat and produce in bulk and then supply the rest of his empire. At 15,000 square feet and nearly $2 million, Reno Provision is the largest and most expensive project he has ever undertaken, he told the Reno Gazette Journal. We recently asked him about the concept.
RH: What kind of progress have you seen in Reno and what keeps you around? Estee: I moved to the Lake Tahoe area in January 1996 and watched Reno grow a bit. I looked at Napa, San Francisco and Reno, and I saw some culinary indicators that Reno was on the rise. The Whole Foods was one of the busiest in the region and a local co-op was growing to 10,000 square feet. I built my first restaurant in Reno (Campo) in 2011 and since then my group has opened seven restaurants. Campo made a big splash because it was one of the first new restaurants serving great quality food in a casual environment with fine dining service. It started to change the landscape a little bit, people started to take notice and we’ve been busy moving that dial. RH: What initially led you to consider branching out beyond full service? Estee: I realized by opening something like Reno Provisions I could really increase 10-fold my production on some things, and that helps from a business standpoint. For example, we can now produce 500 pounds of ground beef a week and we're able to upgrade the quality of ground beef at all of our restaurants. Before, Burger Me! was just buying beef from a local producer and we were using lean bull meet to fill it out. Now we’re buying all natural Wagyu trim and lean meat. We’re making steaks and are using bones to make a great, local bone broth; and we’re making organic bread for the co-op. These new sales avenues are the part I’ve learned on the fly.
RH: How would you describe Provisions to someone who's never visited? Estee: The first floor is 6,000 square feet, with a bar, a cafeteria, pastry cases, dessert cases, cheeses, pre-made salads and a retail store with all local products. We have a whole case dedicated to pasta and sauces. Everything you see in the store is made downstairs—that’s where the action is. We have an elevator and a grand staircase for the employees to get up and down. Sometimes members of our kitchen staff are running up and down the stairs 100 times a day. The whole first floor is a rentable space. People are figuring it out. We built everything and built it to last. I’m a little bit hard-headed when it comes to being in downtown Reno. Sometimes I think I should’ve done the bottom basement stuff on the outside of town where it would’ve been cheaper, but I’m a big believer in what’s going on here. RH: How’s business so far? Estee: It’s $10 for a really fast lunch in a nice, big, beautiful room. We create the tray for you. We just opened in December and it’s going to take a little big longer for people to realize this is an option. It’s also taking a little bit longer than I expected for the cash flow to get going.
RH: You’ve said in the past that you “want to figure out what local people want in food beyond just dining out.” Have you got any hints/ideas yet? Estee: We’ve been really lucky to build a good, loyal customer base that visits all of our restaurants and want to be a part of what we’re doing, which is to simply put the focus on the farmers. It’s not just about the dining experience but almost about being part of the tribe or the family. Being part of the movement and of Reno’s upand-coming. It has created a sense of community and helped shape our restaurant culture. You see a renewed bounce in everyone’s step. All of our Reno locations are within a four-block radius, so we do a lot of walking. I ask all my team members to pick up trash and say hello to people. A lot of people are doing the same thing, just maybe not as loudly as we are.
RH: "Buying local" has become a mantra for many restaurants. What does it mean to you? Estee: My local means, in simple terms: Do you know where your food comes from as both a consumer and a purchasing agent? The search for as many local products as you can get your hands on is a tireless effort. Everything we do is based on what’s available to us. The idea, to me, is about putting your money where your mouth is. Show me how much you spend in the community. If I find a new local source, I’m willing to share that with everyone in the neighborhood. That’s kind of where Provisions came from. About a year ago we moved from getting local beef to getting local pigs. A woman created a pig program for us and we’ve moved from getting two pigs every other week to getting four pigs a week, all 100-percent Berkshire. That alone is pretty freaking cool. RH: What opportunities did you gain by centralizing food production for all your restaurants? Estee: We were doing all of this—butchering, making the bread—at Campo and selling it elsewhere. I had the talent in the kitchen at Campo. During service I’d be sawing a pig or a cow and a table of 10 wants to say “hi.” Well now we just went from two 5-foot tables to 5,000 square feet and took that labor to Provisions. That allows the chefs at the restaurants to focus on the food itself. The efficiencies have been phenomenal for us; out first P&L statement from Campo (since opening Provisions) was the highest it’s been in 3½ years. RH: Any future projects in the works? Estee: Right now my focus is on Provisions … and I’ve said “no” a heck of a lot lately. I’m always looking for consulting things where we can bring the group with us. We have an army of men and women doing great things and evolution will play itself out. Reno is going to be my home and if we ever have (other) restaurants I feel pretty strongly they’ll be centralized in Reno.
Consume: Our favorite food stuff this week March 1, 2015
… Try ▪ Donsuemor French Almond Cakes $8.22 for 19.4 ounces: Costco; www.Donsuemor.com Celebrate the new Chinese Year of the Sheep with these traditional individually wrapped French tea cakes from the Bay Area, packaged especially for the holiday. Rich, super-moist and crispy at the edges, they’re irresistible – and only available for a short time. … Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/food-drink/article11241266.html#storylink=cpy
Reno: Home to Choice Food, Spas, and Art Friday, August 22, 2014 B Y
R AY NAVI S
I’ll bet it has been a long time since you have been to Reno. It was for me, but recently I had the good fortune to revisit this Nevada gem that lies on the eastern edge of the Sierra Nevada range. Things are good here, and it shows in the opulent new casinos and restaurants that now adorn the old silver mining hub. The Setting Reno is a place you can get your arms around, unlike its large and sometimes unfriendly competitor to the south. It is also perhaps the most family friendly of Nevada’s gaming cities. Great skiing is less than an hour away along with white water rafting. The grandeur of Lake Tahoe is available with an even shorter drive of just 40 minutes. Most of the hotels and casinos congregate in the downtown area on or near Virginia Street. One of the town’s most upscale properties is just a few minutes away, and that is where we stayed on this visit. The Peppermill Resort and Casino has the spectacular design features of a top Las Vegas hotel but provided a much more “guest friendly” experience. The Resort The ambience at the Peppermill is more like what Vegas used to be. They appreciate their guests. This is not a corporate-owned casino but instead the crowning jewel of a small group of longtime investors. From the car valet to check-in, the employees went out of their way to make me comfortable in a way that is long gone from Vegas. Many of their employees are students at nearby University of Nevada, Reno, and they have been handpicked to excel in customer service. As we checked in, I was captivated by the scenes playing out on large video screens throughout the Peppermill. This video art is the creation of Joe Ness, the director of the resort’s Entertainment Electronics and Media Department. Hundreds of screens
throughout the resort capture high-definition videos of exotic lands, nature, and wildlife along with local scenery. From the Great Wall of China to the beaches in Australia, the only movement is within the scene, and the results are entrancing. You will want more of this, and you can have it on several in-house TV channels in your room. Our room was on one of the top floors in the newer Tuscany Tower, where old-world sophistication meets contemporary hotel comforts. For example, rich, thick curtains open electronically with just a slight touch, giving way to panoramic views across Reno toward the nearby mountains. Italian marble floors adorn the oversized bathrooms with Jacuzzi tubs and large showers. Did I forget to mention the LCD wall-mounted TVs encased in gold-lined picture frames? I think I could get used to this. Hand-painted Italian art and private foyers complete the experience. VisitPeppermillReno.com for complete details. The Pool and Spa Hearst Castle’s Neptune Pool came immediately to mind upon gazing at the resort’s Tuscany-inspired pool area. The two geothermally heated pools are open year-round and feature a waterfall and private cabanas. You will want to spend some time here, and maybe a lot of time if you have little ones in tow. Spa Toscana encompasses 33,000 square feet and three stories of luxury pools and treatment rooms equal to the Golden Door or Canyon Ranch. The spa menu is extensive, including the increasingly popular “Oxygen Facial” which had a soothing and long-lasting effect. The Food On our first night we choose to dine at Chi, the resort’s Asian-themed restaurant, and the result was a feast for all palates involved. The Peking duck was outstanding, as were the pot stickers and fried shrimp dumplings starter. The exotic Chinese decor included live fish tanks, home to the freshest menu choices. For lunch the next day we visited the River Walk section of downtown and dined at Campo, a Mark Estee creation. Estee hails from a Greek-Italian background, and this has inspired his menu. I choose “The Swimmer” entrée, which was red snapper that day, and it was excellent. For starters we had the warm Castelvetrano olives and a kale salad. Both were very good. The restaurant has a large outdoor patio overlooking the Truckee River in this newly redeveloped section of Reno. For further information go to CampoReno.com.
Later that evening we had the pleasure of experiencing another Mark Estee establishment when we dined at Heritage Reno on the ground floor at the Whitney Peak Hotel. This trendy downtown restaurant has the feel of New York or Chicago with a large, enticing bar area framing the open seating and exhibition kitchen. My Pacific Northwest salmon entrĂŠe was perhaps the best I have ever tasted, and the heirloom tomatoes on the side were a perfect match. Estee has a line on the freshest ingredients for all his restaurants, and you will taste this right away. Go to RenoHeritage.com to prepare for this memorable feast.
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Farm to Fork Across America: Farmer Wendy Baroli and Chef Mark Estee Bridge the Sustainable Meat Gap in Reno Posted: 05/23/2014 9:20 am EDT Updated: 05/23/2014 9:59 am EDT
Co-authored with Lee Glenn Wendy Baroli owns a small farm outside of Reno. GirlFarm provides Berkshire pork, Jacob lamb, Irish Dexter cattle, chicken, turkey, duck and produce to a CSA of 32 families. In addition, she supplies to local chefs --Mark Estee, a chef and restaurateur is one of those and has worked with Wendy for over three years. Menus from his seven restaurants are developed from what is available at local farms and ranches. He builds his dishes around what is seasonal and fresh. Raising livestock on a small farm in Reno is the easy part. The difficulty is finding a USDA approved slaughterhouse nearby, and usually a separate USDA approved facility to cut and package the meat. Back in the day, slaughtering, butchering/fabricating and packaging was done at the same place... but not anymore. Today, this process can be a logistical nightmare of additional issues for the farmer:
Industrial scale facilities, which can slaughter 390 cattle or 1,100 swine/hour (USDA figures), cannot account for a small farmer's singular head or two.  Large processing lines are not designed to carefully butcher the added value specialty cuts that financially sustain small farmers.  Opposed to large scale operations, attention to detail is more often retained at smaller facilities, to include better animal welfare standards and sanitation. A small slaughterhouse might kill only 250 cattle per year. This can lead to wait times of over a year for a small farmers harvesting. 
For the small farmer, the practice is inefficient, cumbersome and leaves a large carbon footprint. Livestock is trucked to a USDA approved slaughterhouse. After the kill, carcasses are chilled and trucked to a processing facility for butchering and packaging to order. Frequently one or both are in different states than the farm. The final product is trucked back to the farmer to be distributed to customers... no longer exactly local after so many miles. Understanding this disconnect, Wendy and Mark are joining forces to streamline access to local product and eliminate the extra cost, time and headache. I met them both in the kitchen at GirlFarm and we discussed ways to fix the problem while Mark prepared a delicious hearty farmers brunch using Wendy's farm ingredients: pastured raised Berkshire pork, eggs, freshly picked herbs and greens.
Wendy: "Since the late 60's, Wolf Pack Meats has been owned and run by the University of Reno, specializing in professor/student-raised meats. The most important thing the University of Reno, a land-grant university, can do is to serve its public. Today they're struggling to keep up with the demand of the new food movement and accommodate new farmers. Reno needs an expanded USDA approved meat processing facility to help accommodate the growing economy." "Wolf Pack Meats can do the kill, but they can't do the custom butchering and that stops all of us. They are booked for over a year to harvest animals for local farmers. If you want to get into the business of growing livestock, you have to get in line to have them processed." "When Great Basin Food Coop calls me requesting a pig I can't fulfill the order because I have to wait to harvest the pig. We need a custom butchery to service the restaurants and the public."
Mark: "I have a great relationship with Wolf Pack Meats. They can kill and refrigerate whole animals all day long, but the cut and packaging takes much more time. They are not geared to do specialty cuts for restaurants and chefs. If the cutting was done elsewhere, we could move the dial with the amount of local meat in our community. This would eliminate the backlog and decrease the wait time for farmers to bring their livestock to harvest." Mark is a multi-tasking extraordinaire... talking passionately while seasoning and frying pork chops with basil, rosemary and parsley, scrambling eggs and dressing greens. The aroma makes us all hungry. I ask him how he is handling the situation now and future plans to evolve his own restaurants: Campo Reno, Heritage, Burger Me, and Chez Louie along with Reno's food culture as a whole.
Mark: "I buy two whole pigs per week and have done so for the past 10 years. I want the whole animal because sustainability is important to me and I've grounded my cooking philosophies in the practice of Nose to Tail and Root to Stalk. I utilize every portion of an ingredient." "Other chefs are starting to embrace this idea. To accommodate the demand, my next project will integrate elements from the different touch points of farm to fork... from a back of house kitchen that will supply local restaurants, to a butchery shop that will concentrate on cured meats and specialty cuts, to educational demonstrations and a retail space that will
offer grab and go items. The plan, the design, the vision has no limits. I'm committed to bridging the gap and getting the right products into the hands of chefs to serve their customers."
"We've done a great job on the produce side, but it's hard on the protein side because it's more time consuming and the product isn't always available. I can only go local when Wendy calls to tell me she has pigs being harvested. At that point I will put a hold on standing orders from sources further away."
Wendy: "Because of Mark I could grow the farm. Right now I am growing incrementally and I don't promise what I can't deliver. If I want to scale to be sustainable, I have to expand. Though Berkshire litters are smaller and grow slower than the industrialized pink pig, their marbling is what gives this breed its flavor. Comparing the taste differences between a pasture-raised, heritage Berkshire pig and an industrially raised breed, Mark notes: "A heritage breed is like an heirloom tomato... distinguished flavor is not bred out in favor of consistency, faster growth or longer shelf life. The Guanciale, I'm curing from the cheeks of Wendy's breed provides a flavor not found in commercially raised pigs. There is so much fat and fat is flavor. The pink pigs have no marbling. The taste has been bred out of them." Mark: "Chefs and customers are asking for tastier meats that are sustainably raised. Bringing back heritage meats and rebuilding the chef/rancher relationship is the backbone to making our mission a reality. I'm currently orchestrating a call to action within the RenoTahoe Chefs community to define who we are and identify ways to accomplish change. We are rising to the challenge." To enjoy the fruits of this combined effort, we take our dishes to the kitchen's scenic back porch. The sun is warming the surroundings, while a cool breeze cascades over the water. The sweet smell of pine trees... Girlfarm terroire, heightens the flavors of the dish.
By sharing their mission over a great meal, I'm hopeful other chefs and farmers across America are inspired by their goals. For a closer look at GirlFarm and Mark Estee: watch this.
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Less is More - Ingredients to Avoid So You Can Have a Truly Sweet Snack Apr 15, 2014 @ 11:53 AM
By Connie_Anderson
We all know that healthy eating is important – both for kids and adults. But we’re human, which means that sometimes the sweet tooth takes over. And whether it’s you or your kids reaching for the cookies it’s important to keep an eye out for good ingredients to make the most out of snack time. So instead of rattling off a list of what you can and can’t have, we’ve picked out a few ingredients you should probably avoid, and included a few of our favorite snack selections too. Artificial Colors and Flavors Artificial colors and flavors abound in snack foods. From the oft-questioned caramel color to vanillin (fake vanilla flavor), artificial colors and flavors are commonly linked with ADD and ADHD. They have also been linked to migraines, allergies and maybe even cancer. In fact, many of these artificial ingredients are banned in other countries and are even referred to as the “rainbow of risk.” TBHQ Also known as tert-Butylhydroquinone, TBHQ is a preservative that is commonly used in processed foods, like those cookies and crackers we all love so much. It’s a form of butane (yes, the stuff you use for your camping stove) that greatly extends the shelf life of all types of food. And, while it is frequently found in edible items, it is also used in cosmetics and skincare products, varnish, lacquers and resins – definitely not good or good for you. High Fructose Corn Syrup Not a day goes by that the high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) debate doesn’t occur. But why? Some will insist that it’s natural and no different than cane sugar. But the fact of the matter is that HFCS is a food product that is created through the use of a chemical enzymatic process. It consists of a 55-45 fructose to glucose ratio that
requires no digestion and is therefore rapidly absorbed into your blood stream, triggering lipogenesis (fatty liver), among other negative reactions. So what should you snack on? Foods containing ingredients you know and understand. Donsuemor, for example, has been making delicious madeleines in the United States for nearly 40 years using basic, high quality ingredients like flour, sugar, butter and eggs. They come in traditional, chocolate dipped, lemon zest and even vanilla glazed varieties and they also make a mean biscotti. Another favorite is Nature’s Bakery Fig Bars. These little nuggets of goodness are all-natural, kosher, dairy- and cholesterolfree, and are made by a father-son team using stone ground whole wheat flour, dried cane syrup and real fruit. They come in a two-pack and are offered in an array of flavors ranging from blueberry to peach apricot. Angie’s Boom Chicka Pop popcorn is another amazing option that comes in lots of flavors to satisfy both sweet and salt lovers’ appetites. The Sweet & Salty Kettle Corn for example, contains only popcorn, sunflower oil, evaporated cane crystals and sea salt. Easy to understand, easy to digest.
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travel
Reno exists in the shadow of its Nevada neighbour, Las Vegas, but is well worth a visit in its own right – in a small package, it has all the goods to keep even big-city folk going for weeks.
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et’s begin by getting the elephant out of the room right away: Reno is not Las Vegas, and nor does it want to be. While both towns have definitely benefited from Nevada’s lax laws on avarice and cheap electricity, Reno differs from the power-guzzling bling-bling machine of Vegas. It has moved on from being a party town reliant on gambling and quickie divorce, reinventing itself as a city teeming with vibrant arts and cultural scenes, fine restaurants and wine bars, endless sports and outdoor activities, a city packed with a multitude of different events and live performances all year round. Even better, it has gambling.
PLAY
Thanks to its location at the foothills of the snowcapped Sierra Nevada Mountains and the surrounding alpine lakes like Lake Tahoe, it’s possible in winter to snowboard in the morning and water-ski in the afternoon, experience some living history, eat like a king, and then gamble the night away. When summer rolls around, Reno has adrenaline pouring out of every pore, hosting events like the classic car convention Hot August Nights, the Street Vibrations motorcycle rally, the Great Reno Balloon Race, the Reno Rodeo, the Best in the West Nugget Rib Cookoff, and the Reno Air Races. Being something of a sports mecca, it moves from season to season without a hitch. Apart from nearby Lake Tahoe’s world-class skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing, visitors can also take advantage of white-water rafting and kayaking in the Truckee River, which passes right through downtown Reno. There are more than 50 golf courses, and endless trails for mountain biking, hiking, rock climbing and hunting, as well as skydiving and all manner of water sports on the surrounding lakes. Downtown Reno also has the highest man-made
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climbing wall in the world, built on the side of a casino. The city is also slap-bang in the middle of historically rich cowboy country, and a few miles out of downtown is the old gold- and silver-mining town of Virginia City, a living ghost town that stands as a tribute to its Victorian-era history complete with actors in cowboy garb, old saloons, boardwalks, shops, candy stores, antique stores, museums, churches and restaurants lining its streets. It takes about 30 minutes to make the drive up through the sun-scorched landscape, and really helps put the Wild West, and the United States itself, into perspective. To fully savour Reno’s exciting urban renaissance, look no further than the Riverwalk District along the Truckee River. It’s a celebration of all the wonderful things that Reno has done to reinvent itself in the past two decades, and here you will find countless shops, bars, restaurants, lodgings, cafes, art galleries, museums and a white-water park in a safe, fun, friendly area that celebrates Reno’s arts, culture, and history all year round. It’s especially popular on the long summer nights with many bar-centric events like the Reno Santa Crawl, Super Hero Crawl, and monthly wine walks before a late-night visit to the gaming tables.
EAT
Riverwalk is also the best bet when it comes to wining and dining and the scene here is as good as anywhere in the world. You will find everything from French country cuisine to Spanish-style tapas, gourmet pizzas, Thai, sushi, and several wine bars and brew pubs; you name it, it’s here and the whole neighbourhood is abuzz with people having a good time. One place not to miss is Campo (camporeno.com), a popular casual urban-chic eatery that is jumping every night of the week. Named one of the “Best New Restaurants in America” in 2012
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by Esquire magazine, the chefs use only humanely treated meats and organic, seasonal and locally sourced ingredients. For more traditional casino-style dining, check out the Pearl Oyster Bar and Grill up on the first floor of the Silver Legacy Resort Casino (silverlegacyreno.com). Here you will find a great selection of fresh seafood and a wide selection of oysters from Japan and the USA. It’s open to the sights and sounds of the casino so you should take a seat at the bar, order a dozen freshly shucked with a couple of their trademark Bloody Marys, and let the night unfold. Across the road at the Eldorado Casino is the Brew Brothers, a microbrewery that produces eight distinct beers on site (eldoradoreno.com). Named best brewpub by Nightclub & Bar magazine, they also have great comfort food in the form of steaks, pizza and the biggest tower of onion rings you’ve ever seen. It brings in a lively crowd of locals after hours for the live rock music on stage, and when the dancing stops and the band leaves the building, head across the floor to Roxy’s Lounge for some gin-based relaxation. The bar is famous for its 102 different types of Martini – the best accompaniment for lounge lizards since piano and smooth vocals.
SLEEP
Reno spent its formative years wallowing in gold prospecting and then gaming, and it would be a tragedy if you came here and didn’t enter the belly of the beast and stay in a casino resort. This is where America dresses up in all its gaudy finery and comes to life, showcasing its opulence and wealth. Casinos are never short of cash and they lavish it on their guests with grandiose designs, massive hotel rooms, bars, restaurants, an endless run of shows by topnotch performing artists, and of course the ceaseless excitement of neon lights, slot machines and dice. Downtown, the big three would have to be the Eldorado Hotel Casino, Silver Legacy and the massive Circus Circus Hotel and Casino. These places are events, not hotels, and you need to let yourself be
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Clockwise from Way top right: The It Was Museum ; in Virginia City l Eldorado Hote in po m Casino; Ca ; downtown Reno o. sin Ca Peppermill
picked up by their tides of fantasy and go with the flow. They are starting to show their age, however, so if you want something a bit fresher and grander, the safe money is about 10 minutes back up the main road at the Peppermill Resort Spa Casino (peppermillreno.com). It has more than 1600 rooms and suites and is packed with restaurants, bars, marble, mirrors, swimming pools and slot machines, all wrapped in a faux Tuscan décor that – with its abundance of Italian frescoes, marble Romanesque statues, fountains and Corinthian columns – would make Liberace himself blush. Like the gold- and silver-rich hills surrounding the town that made the city’s name and filled its coffers in the first place, Reno is nothing if not resourceful. Its renaissance has turned a once-struggling city into a must-visit destination brimming with energy and excitement, and a place where people live their dreams rather than chasing them on the spin of a wheel. STORY mICHAEL tRAVERS
Contact visitrenotahoe.com
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Reno Additional photographs Getty Images, Corbis
Air New Zealand offers non-stop flights to Los Angeles and San Francisco from Auckland, with onward connections to Reno.
Grilled: Mark Estee of Burger Me! in Reno, Nevada MAR 14, 2014 Editor's note: Grilled is our interview series where we get to know more about our favorite burger makers and burger lovers. The column has been dormant for too long—it's time for us to ramp it up! If there you have any suggestions for people we should grill, drop us a line at burger@seriouseats.com.
Burger Me! founder and partner Mark Estee says he's motivated to serve authentic ingredients that reinforce the connection between land, farmers, food, and diners. To that end, some of his efforts include purchasing produce and buns locally and sourcing sustainably raised beef and bison from Durham Ranch. The menu at Burger Me! is pretty diverse. You can order everything from a classic cheeseburger to more exotic creations, like a Gyro Burger (a lamb patty with feta and tzatziki) or an Italian Stallion, a bison burger/Italian sandwich mashup that was recently named one of the "Top 10 Burgers of All Time" by Diners, Drive-ins and Dives viewers.
Now that you've got some background info, let's talk burgers. Name: Mark Estee Occupation: Founder and Partner in Burger Me!, plus chef and owner ofCampo and chez louie Location: Reno NV, Truckee CA, and on the road with The Burger Me! Truck What makes Burger Me! unique? Burger Me! is unique because we source local ingredients, provide fresh food fast and pride ourselves on great service. How did you first come up with the idea for a restaurant like this? The restaurant concept was born from a non profit I was on the board of for many years. We needed a space in downtown Truckee and a space became available, so I grabbed it and we made Burger Me! What's the most popular specialty burger? Which one is your favorite? Most popular are the rotating daily specials, the bison burger and the bacon cheese burger. My favorite is the Italian Stallion because it is spicy and has mortadella and salami on it! How often per week do you eat a burger? Once a week. Would you do us the favor of describing your perfect burger? Toasted wheat bun, all natural meat from Durham Ranch in Idaho (cut and ground fresh), special sauce, lettuce, tomato, pickle, and a little ketchup and I am good to go. I add an egg if I am extra hungry! What topping or condiment, in your opinion, should never grace a burger? There is no item that cannot go on a burger; it just has to make sense...meaning the rest of the items need to work together. If you build it properly, you could even have a burger with marshmallows! Anything on the side? (ie: fries, rings, or other?) I am half and half guy: fries and rings with yellow mustard to dip.
The hamburger is a food item with which most Americans have strong childhood associations. Do you remember your earliest encounter with this delicious dish? I remember hockey puck burgers on the hibachi. My dad would burn the shit out of them back home in Boston! But we still ate them, I just did not know better back then. What's your favorite fast-food burger? I am a fan of In-N-Out Burger and the fries at 5 Guys. I also love Gott's Roadside. Got any burger making tips to share? Grind the meat yourself. Form a nice 8-ounce patty, but do not over pack it. Season the patty well on both sides before you cook, and also season as you are cooking. Thanks, Mark! About the author: Erin Jackson is a food writer and photographer who is obsessed with discovering the best eats in San Diego. You can find all of her discoveries on her San Diego food blog EJeats.com. On Twitter, she's @ErinJax
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THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL
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ESSENTIAL JOB SKILLS FOR 2014
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MOVING MEETINGS FORWARD
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EUROPEAN ECONOMIC REBOUND
DECEMBER 2013
CANFEST
Crafting and Growing a Partnership A popular Nevada-based canned beer festival is growing alongside the burgeoning craft brewing industry thanks to a new venue partnership. BY ROB COTTER
THE RECENT BOOM IN CRAFT BREWING has been giving beer connoisseurs extra reasons to work up a thirst. Sales in the U.S. are up 15 percent in the past year, and growth potential is huge for the nearly 2,500 craft breweries making inroads into the US$100 billion beer industry. Many festivals, such as CANFEST—“The Annual, Original Canned Beer Festival,” held in August 2013 at the Peppermill Resort Spa Casino in Reno, Nevada—have sprung up as part of the beer revolution. These events offer a sure- ire way to get word about a new brew lowing to a wider audience. “CANFEST started in 2009 as the only festival in the world strictly for canned beer,” says Connie Aguilar, CANFEST event producer and head of strategic communications at digital engagement irm The Abbi Agency. “A trend in craft beer was happening at that time, and beer festivals started becoming really popular. Out of that the little stepchild that emerged was canned craft beer, so we put on the idea for CANFEST.” Establishing a ledgling niche idea in a growing industry placed a number of demands directly on the event organizer, but these de-
mands were met through a strong partnership with a new host venue. “We saw that people inside of and beyond Reno were very interested in CANFEST, and so each year we continued to do it and knew that we could keep growing it,” Aguilar says. “But we grew out of the venues, from a little theater to one of the bigger ballrooms to an event center. Going to Peppermill in 2013 changed everything.” Peppermill of icials were able to raise CANFEST’s pro ile through the direct use of their client database, an initiative that led to an increase of attendance by 600 (30 percent), one of several aspects of the event that saw a dramatic improvement due to the new partnership. Securing Growth Another partnership coup for the event came through the venue assuming responsibility for security, freeing the organizer to focus on growing the entertainment.
“Our security team is well versed in crowd and alcohol management and all trained from the medical side,” says Pat Flynn (MPI At-Large member), executive director of hotel operations and sales for Peppermill. “We took on the responsibility to ID everybody that walked through the door and ensure that everybody that came into the venue was of legal drinking age.” Safe and secure in the new surroundings, eager beer lovers were this year served up a whole new entertainment program to complement the expanded selection of ine craft beverages on offer from almost 50 breweries. “The Peppermill provided a full buffet of great food in our VIP section—there was a band playing, a DJ was in from the resort’s nightclub and we also had a ‘silent disco’ that we recruited from San Francisco, with around 50 pairs of headphones,” Aguilar says. “We had the ability to add these elements since we could breathe easy knowing the Peppermill was taking care of security.”
BEER INDUSTRY 2012
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Rise in volume | CRAFT BREWERS Source: Brewers Association
50 THE MEETING PROFESSIONAL DECEMBER 2013
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WHAT IS A CRAFT BEER? An American craft brewer is small, independent and traditional. SMALL: Annual production of beer less than 6 million barrels. Beer production is attributed to a brewer according to the rules of alternating proprietorships. Flavored malt beverages are not considered beer for purposes of this definition. INDEPENDENT: Less than 25 percent of the craft brewery is owned or controlled (or equivalent economic interest) by an alcoholic beverage industry member who is not a craft brewer. TRADITIONAL: A brewer who has either an all malt flagship (the beer which represents the greatest volume among that brewer’s brands) or has at least 50 percent of its volume in either all malt beers or in beers which use adjuncts to enhance rather than lighten flavor. Source: Brewers Association
A successful understanding between venue and organizer tends to be the perfect pairing in the meeting industry, with communication at the core of their relationship.
No Spillage A “no spillage” attitude to waste was another success stemming from the partnership, realized through the venue taking care of signage and info sharing and the organizer’s responsibility for direct waste collection. “We’re really big on digital signage, so that there’s not any waste factor when it comes to poster boards and podiums,” Flynn says. “Throughout the whole property there’s just a ton of digital signage that we use to get the message out to our hotel guests. In addition, at check-in we inform guests of what’s going on while they’re here.” The Abbi Agency then takes care of the recycling that does need to be conducted. “We work with a group in the community that ensures every single can is recycled,” Aguilar says. “We love canned beer because it’s better for the environment; we aim to make sure that not one beer can ends up in the regular garbage.”
Bikes for Beer Extending the “no spillage” ethos to CSR, organizers also reached out to the local community through their “bike drive” initiative, seeking donations of unwanted bikes to the NFP Reno Bike Project (with each donor receiving a free ticket to CANFEST). The charity rebuilds bikes for disadvantaged children, and also seeks out venues where they can participate in some healthy sport. “Every year the bike drive raises between 150 and 250 bikes for the charity, which is the bread and butter of their shop,” Aguilar says. “We also conduct a raf le that raises around $3,000 for them, and make sure they have a strong presence on all of the PR and marketing we do up until the event.” Success in a Can While bikes and beer are the perfect pairing for CANFEST, a successful understanding between venue and organizer tends to be the perfect pairing in the meeting industry, with communication at the core of their relationship. “Leading up to the event, even four or ive months out, we spoke to the Peppermill every day,” Aguilar says. “We had meetings two or three times a month and did walk-throughs together. They dedicated themselves fully in making sure that the event would be great—you can’t ask for more than they gave.”
PAT FLYNN MPI At-Large Member
“WHAT I LEARNED” With CANFEST, I learned that by working together with a good cause you can really make a difference in improving people’s lives and benefit the community in general.
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2. Where to Eat
Campo is one of the city's most celebrated restaurants. (Photo: Courtesy of Campo)
Make your own eclectic meal at the West Street Market, which offers outdoor communal seating and several restaurants to choose from. Bowl serves all of its dishes—kale salad, Moroccan meatballs, paella— in bowls ($12–$18), while Z Pie offers gourmet pot pies ($6.75–$7.95) stuffed with everything from Italian sausage to Thai chicken. No matter what your preference, this is an ideal option for dinner after the monthly Reno Wine Walk, which allows you to sample wines from more than a dozen merchants for $20. Taste the city's most lauded Italian food at Campo, housed in one of the riverside condo buildings anchoring the fast-improving downtown district. After earning a spot on Esquire’s 2012 list of best new restaurants, this popular spot continues to impress with its handmade pastas and wood-fired pizzas (made in an oven imported from Italy), including the Bee Sting ($15), which is topped with salami, Serrano peppers, and honey. The kitchen also turns whole hogs into all types of charcuterie, some of which is bound to show up in the four-course chef’s tasting menu ($50). Tap into the local craft-beer scene at Brasserie Saint James, a brewpub in the burgeoning Midtown district. Choose from a selection of house-brewed varieties and imported bottles to pair with hearty plates of duck cassoulet ($18) or braised pork shoulder ($16). Reno averages 300 days of sunshine a year, which you can take advantage of with an outdoor meal in the beer garden or on the rooftop deck.
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SAN FRANCISCO
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APRIL 19, 2009
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TRAVEL
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FOR BREAKING TRAVEL NEWS, VISIT SFEXAMINER.COM TODAY’S ESCAPE: NAPA
BARGAIN
Beauty, bounty by the river By Kathleen Jay Special to The Examiner
IF YOU GO
T HAPPY HOUR AT THE BANK
$15 per person As part of the Westin Hotels’ “unwind” happy hour, the Westin Verasa Napa offers cocktails paired with the excellent menu from the Bank café. Each week, the experience changes, but on the day I was there, you could choose between a French 75 cocktail (with Champagne and Hennessy cognac) with rosti potatoes and American caviar; or a Napoleon in Moscow (Hennessy, Mandarin Napoleon and black tea liquor) served with soy-glazed pork belly with gingered Brussels sprouts slaw. — Kathleen Jay
SPLURGE
SPECIAL DINNER AT LA TOQUE
Starting at $150 per person At La Toque, a four-course meal is $88 per person; wine pairings for the four-course feast are $62 per person. However, chef Ken Frank’s menu is very flexible: a two-course meal is $49 (add $32 for wine pairing) or a three-course meal is $68 (add $48 for wine pairing).
LIFE BY NUMBERS
— Kathleen Jay
SQUARE MILES MAKING UP THE CITY OF NAPA
18.34
APPROXIMATE MILES FROM THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE TO THE CITY OF NAPA
50
YEAR NAPA WAS INCORPORATED
1872
he city of Napa — founded in 1847, current population 71,412 — is experiencing a major revitalization. Boutique hotels, high-end-but-relaxed restaurants, wine-tasting rooms and the Oxbow Public Market — a microcosm of the San Francisco Ferry Building’s farmer’s market — are flourishing in this pedestrianfriendly city located on the Napa River and Preserve (it’s not just the Napa Premium outlets drawing visitors to this area). On a visit a few weeks ago, the town was filled with visitors sampling the local gastronomy and viticulture or meandering on sunny walking trails along the river, as well as with shoppers strolling through a downtown filled with boutiques, bookstores, cafes and tasting rooms. WHERE TO STAY
Having opened less than a year ago, the Westin Verasa Napa is nothing short of a great hotel. The suites-only hotel features a large outdoor swimming pool, two p ro fe s s i o n a lsized bocce ball courts and two great places to dine: the Bank Cafe and Bar, which offers an open-air casual atmosphere for breakfast, lunch, dinner and drinks, and the excellent La Toque, helmed by Michelin-starred chef Ken Frank. When you enter the 180-suite hotel, you’ll be immediately impressed by the clean, elegant architecture — a mixture of NapaValley style and classic Craftsman design. Rooms are as large and airy as the main hall: Expect large living spaces, many of which have full kitchens, large bedrooms with Westin’s signature bedding, and
Napa
ALL: KATHLEEN JAY/SPECIAL TO THE EXAMINER
Elegant amenities: The Hog Island Oyster Co., above, is the perfect place to enjoy shellfish after perusing the markets at the Oxbow Public Market. The Westin Verasa Napa, below, is a luxurious hotel to stay in — its in-house eatery, La Toque, is divine.
marble-lined bathrooms. Valet-park your car, check in, unpack and head to the pool — an area surrounded by tables and chairs under fire torches — where you can order a glass of local wine or a cold drink and enjoy the area’s near-perfect weather. For those who enjoy a gourmet meal, there is no need to leave the hotel. La Toque — which chef Frank recently moved from Rutherford to Napa — offers a romantic dining room with a marble bar and many thoughtful touches such as beautiful bouquets of fresh flowers, intimate lighting and a bright, airy environment . The prixfixe menu changes weekly. Bargain hunters, take note: The restaurant offers a midweek, threecourse menu of Frank’s French regional cuisine from Monday to Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at $36 per person (reservations required). Without getting back into your car, you can also take advantage of the River Walk located behind the hotel’s fence — a short walk along the Napa River with unobstructed views of the valley. If you book at ideal times and prepay one week before arrival, room rates start at $139 per night. WHAT TO DO
Three blocks from the Westin —
past the Napa Wine Train Depot located across the street — is the Oxbow Public Market, a mostly indoor market with shops selling local produce, local meat, handmade ice cream, artisanal cheese and charcuterie, fresh-baked goods, and of course, Napa Valley wine. A pleasant (i.e., air-conditioned) escape from hot, sunny days that can bring the temperature in Napa during the summer to the high 90s, the market was filled with visitors enjoying casual meals, wine- and olive-oil tasting, and shopping for fresh produce, fish and meat. Some places worth stopping by include The Fatted Calf Charcuterie, Model Bakery, the Oxbow Wine Merchant Wine Bar, Oxbow Produce and Grocery, Folio To Go Winemakers, Pica Pica Maize Kitchen, The Olive Press, Three Twins Ice Cream and Hog Island Oyster Co. OFF WINE TASTING
If you haven’t had enough wine to taste at the Oxbow Market — or just want to do a vineyard tour, pick one place and enjoy it. My pick: Robert Sinskey Vineyards, a family-run vineyard and winery located on the Silverado Trail, about 10 minutes from the Westin. Known for its superb pinot noir, the tasting room offers
HOTEL: Located about 90 minutes from San Francisco, the Westin Verasa Napa is located at 1314 McKinstry St. in Napa (westin.com/verasanapa). RESTAURANTS: The Bank Café and Bar is located in the lobby of the Westin Verasa Napa. Best bets are the Bank’s breakfast and happy hour. For an intimate experience, make a reservation at La Toque (www. latoque.com). Offering a prix-fixe menu, the restaurant is nothing short of excellent. OUT AND ABOUT: The Oxbow Public Market is located at 610 and 644 First St. in Napa (www.oxbowpublicmarket.com). ONE WINERY AT A TIME: Robert Sinskey Vineyards is located at 6320 Silverado Trail in Napa (www.robertsinskey.com). PARK AND LET SOMEONE ELSE DRIVE: The very apt staff at the Westin can help you make arrangements for a car service to drive you around Napa and to nearby wineries. — Kathleen Jay
visitors an intimate food-andwine experience that may seem unexpected. For $20, expect a perfect pairing of four of Sinskey’s wines with four dishes, which are prepared in the open-air kitchen adjacent to the tasting bar. The winery — which only produces 25,000 cases per year — is a champion of bio-dynamic wines (read: organic). For those interested in discussing the process, the wine-pouring staff is very well-versed on the science behind the winemaking. Also, take a tour of the winery’s wine caves — they offer the perfect temperature for aging its wines without the use of air-conditioning. Lastly, meander around the grounds, which — in addition to vines — feature an organic garden, a large koi pond and several benches.
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