history's greatest day: volume 32

Wonderfully creative birthday meal tonight at Commis in Oakland. Thoughtful and inventive, with a great deal of restraint. I’m still trying to figure out what exactly I tasted. The menu (because the host kindly gave us one): pacific oyster with mustard cream, mousse of pea leaves dungeness crab in green anise bouillon, wilted sprouts and sea fennel semi-dried beetroot with steamed apples, hazelnuts and burnt honey poached farm egg with sweet and savory spices and potato grilled cod with artichoke and sauce of truffles from oregon, miner’s lettuce calf’s saddle roasted in salted butter, young green garlic and grasses cara cara orange pudding and sassafras ice parsnip mousse and parsley ice milk, oro blanco jelly with cocao nib Thanks for stopping by!

emmelle master of the slopes

pliny the younger

General Mustard, Sukie Chung and I went to Bobby G’s Pizzeria in Berkeley to finally get our hands on a pint of the famed Pliny the Younger (right). For those not in the know, Pliny is a triple IPA released for two weeks in February each year by Russian River Brewing Company in Santa Rosa (no bottling). If one isn’t willing to make the trek up to the brewery, the devout are subjected to keeping their ears and eyes peeled to track Bay Area establishments fortunate enough to obtain the coveted ale. This year, I’d read about lines several hours long and Pliny disciples making pilgrimages from as far as Europe and Japan. I love effective marketing. A co-worker tipped me off that this little pizza place (great by the way) would tap a keg on the last Friday of the frenzy. We stood in line for roughly two hours. Pliny the Younger, a triple IPA colored with a rich pale amber hue is smooth and drinkable even at a robust 11% alcohol. But as smooth and flavorful as it is, paired with Pliny the Elder under an inviting winter sun, we were all borderline drunk. The Beer Advocate’s proclamation of the Younger Pliny as the second best beer in the world certainly has a great deal to do with the hype surrounding its annual release. Is it true? I don’t know; I have no idea how you quantify or qualify that kind of hyperbole. You skim their list of top 250 beers and quickly notice that Russian River beers are sprinkled generously throughout that list. It almost feels like one of those airline magazine advertorials listing the “Best Steakhouses in America” or “America’s Best Dermatologists”. I wouldn’t dare say that it’s a paid placement but established relationships, reputation – all of those elements are influential factors. But I can say it is tasty, and I’m proud that the beer is made right here in our backyard like a lot of great beers, alcohol, produce, etc. I have a difficult time envisioning where the craft beer movement will be in five to ten years, but we are definitely in a period when all anybody wants is more hops. Would I do it again? I think so, except next year you can find me at the brewery double fisting. Thanks for stopping by!

pain

For posterity's sake, 2012 season (11-4-1). Blew out the Packers, squeaked by the Falcons...one game short. Another heart-wrenching ending to the season, but filled with promise. It looks like the Niners finally have their franchise quarterback. I'd love for my future first born to have vague memories of watching Kaepernick to Crabtree just as Montana to Rice became an indelible image from my childhood. In the grand scheme of all things, this means nothing for fans. But there is an affect that all Niner fans must endure for years to come. Every time NFL Films runs this Super Bowl, you have to change the channel (unless you are some sort of sports sadist). That pains me. It already annoys me. Thanks for stopping by.