Out There :: Wining & Dining Around the Bay

An acquaintance of Out There's who grew up in Santa Rosa was describing nearby Healdsburg back in his salad days, and how his crowd hung out at an old dive bar there that has since been gentrified into mixologist heaven. When we were offered the chance to spend a day exploring the new Healdsburg last month, we jumped at the chance.

Our first stop was Healdsburg SHED, a beautifully designed new complex housing a cafe, fermentation bar, home-and-garden store, pantry, and modern grange hall. SHED showcases locally sourced foods in a larder stocked full of cheeses and breads, charcuterie, and condiments. An Austrian pine-encased stone mill churns out whole grains. Most of the produce on offer is grown within a 10-mile radius of the place.

From the fermentation bar we sampled a "Shrub," a delightful drink made with peaches harvested at SHED's "home farm" in Dry Creek Valley. Then we were treated to lunch in the cafe highlighted by a salad of spiced delicata, kabocha and butternut squash with barley, tahini-yogurt dressing, cilantro and sesame seeds. Our Kasespatzle mixed egg noodles with chanterelle mushrooms, Gruyere cheese and herbs, yum! The Grange room upstairs hosts community dinners honoring local farmers, workshops on composting and cheesemaking, and classes on watershed issues. This is a farm-to-table operation clearly committed to the roots of agriculture and winemaking in its own backyard.

Next we toured the unique luxury accommodation Wheelman House, a classic Quonset hut converted into glamorous junior suites on offer to the Inspirato destination club. The half-barrel ceiling from the original building converts quite nicely into a cathedral vault-style interior arch, fitted with wooden panels. Each suite has its own private courtyard with a water feature, garden and art. This is inspired recycling and repurposing of vernacular architecture, from corrugated metal to first-class luxe.

A trip to Wine Country wouldn't be complete without dipping into a few tasting rooms, so we visited the new hot-spots Valdez, Banshee and Cartograph, each offering impeccable Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs in commodious spaces right off Healdsburg's charming town square. We followed up with small bites paired with vinos at Partake by K-J, and finally a long and luxurious dinner at Chalkboard, the new must-try dining room in town. Thanks to all of our gracious hosts, and to the Hotel Healdsburg, which put us up for the night in fine style, because we certainly were in no condition to drive back to the city!

Naked Wine

It was a marathon week in sampling the treasures of the Bay Area for Out There. No sooner were we back in town than we joined handsome winemaker Fintan "Fin" du Fresne from Chamisal Vineyards for a progressive lunch and wine-tasting at Americano restaurant in the Hotel Vitale. Chamisal was the first vineyard planted in the Edna Valley around San Luis Obispo, and has been producing wines since 1973. Created without the use of any oak or malolactic fermentation, Chamisal's Stainless Collection is fermented in stainless steel over several months, then goes straight into the bottle so that the pure characteristics of the wine shine through. As du Fresne said, it's like drinking Pinot Noir "naked" - the only unoaked PN in America we know of - without the fruit-forward, high-alcohol qualities we've come to expect from modern vinos. OT has had our fill of buttery, oaky chards, so we're right on board with the Chamisal technique. TV goddess Oprah once called San Luis Obispo the "happiest town in America," and maybe this is why.

The next night we were invited to the Hyatt Regency San Francisco for its holiday media preview party. We're always excited to see the holiday "snow" wafting down into the Hyatt Regency's lobby, which makes the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest atrium lobby in the world. And that's not just the holiday egg-nog talking. Let it shnow, let it shnow, let it shnow.

Very next day we were thrilled to be a part of the press lunch as new Executive Chef Parke Ulrich unveiled his menu at Epic Roasthouse on the Embarcadero. Renowned for his elegant preparations of seafood at Waterbar, Ulrich brings similar techniques to Epic's justly famous meat-based fare. We began with housemade charcuterie washed down with Heidrun, a naturally sparkling mead from Point Reyes. Four courses and dessert followed, paired with a Riesling, a Viognier blend, and Epic's own Napa cabernet. Salads and sashimi gave way to bone marrow & Dungeness crab gratin, braised pork belly, Dover sole and roasted swordfish. Then came the serious meats: pork "stinco" with spaetzle, roots & porcini gremolata; wagyu short ribs "a la Ficelle"; dry-aged New York bone-in steak and cote de boeuf, these last two procured by famed SF butcher Bryan Flannery. Sides, such as Ulrich's mom's "Julia Child potatoes," and desserts, such as a honey roasted pear cake, were deluxe as well. Epic's cozy dining room, with its fantastic views of the Bay and its Bridge, and the simpatico company of fellow pressies, put the seal on a truly memorable meal.

Our marathon of press events didn't end there, as the following night brought the inauguration celebration of NEMA's luxury rental complex on 10th St. at Market. We were curious to tour the furnished model units - one came complete with a male model splashing about in his bubble bath - and their spectacular 16th-floor views. The party was on the third-floor "urban terrace," featuring a heated saline pool, outdoor TVs and a fire pit. Costumed stuntmen and women roamed the celebration, and libations poured. Welcome to the Twitter neighborhood.

We'd like our city to boast these luxe units, for young techies and others who can spring for them, as well as truly affordable housing, for the rest of us. Driving away the creative if non-moneyed classes - writers, artists, editors, landscapers - will make the city a dullards' delight, no matter how fabulous the view.