American Wine and Food Festival 2008: The dog ate my homework

late. It used to be Palate.

This year, I swore, was going to be different. I would write in exhaustive detail about the American Wine and Food Festival. Not only because I’m covering it (as much as you can cover a food festival after the fact) (and because, really, What Kind Of Food Blogger Do You Think You Are If You Can’t Get A Good Blog Post Out Of This), but also because every year I re-remember how much I love this event, more than (it must be said) all the other food and wine hoo-hahs put together.

Not that other food fests aren’t wonderful (they are), but beyond the sheer, bludgeoning scale of the AWFF, and the extraordinary amount of care and expense chefs put into their presence each year, what makes me wax goofy is the giddy (goofy is the new giddy!) of the evening. You run into friends and chefs and chef friends and you remember seeing them from the year before and you exult at how good the Pinot was and marvel at the weather and being on the world’s most impressive studio backlot and feel lucky and happy to be alive.

Really. And even before the stock market made the worst kind of history, that feeling is hard to find and should be preserved at every opportunity.

So, I took notes. Sort of. I did my best to collect a card or other remembrance from every booth and stand I sampled. I already know I didn’t succeed; worse, my dog literally ate some of my handiwork. (In addition to consuming half of the Palate Food + Wine business card, above, I am presuming he also ingested the napkin I snagged from Jasper White’s Summer Shack. God only knows what else he got.)

Anyway, here we go:

Jasper White’s Summer Shack. Fried clam bellies and a lobster roll were delicious, but the homemade pickled beets and the horseradish-spiked coleslaw were full-on knockouts.

Tea Forte. You’d think they’re all about presentation — the "unique handmade pyramid silken infusers" (sheesh), the business-card-as-flipbook — but I’d be happy to buy their teas in unmarked baggies. The white ginger-pear iced tea leaves behind a delicious taste.

Malbec. A tasting of four Malbecs from VineConnections.com. All Argentina, all impressive.

Tantara. Pinot Noir winery from Santa Maria. Tasted a flight of them and the Lindsey’s Vineyard was a knockout — we’d leave, try others (including a really feh Pinot from the makers of Caymus) and come back to Tantara for more.

The Modern. Beautiful cauliflower custard topped with shiny black caviar. I love that combination, but have to say it tasted better than it looked looked better than it tasted; there was a bitter undertaste I didn’t understand or like.

And now I’m getting concerned for Hambone’s digestion because I know I had a thicker pile of cards than that. The rest will have to be from memory:

Corn vichyssoise with crab from Fearing’s in Dallas. The amazing Kalin wines — 1994 Pinot and Chardonnay. Bonny Doon’s Albarino. (I feel for Bonny Doon — they’re still trying to reestablish the brand as a boutique now that they’ve turned all the lesser labels over to Trader Joe’s. But TJ’s is so ubiquitous that it’s a bit of a deal with the devil.) An extraordinary hamachi ceviche on top of chilled lemongrass cream. A terrific selection of Austrian wines, including a dry Riesling that I want more of. (Can’t remember the name, but Dan Fredman will; he repped them.)

And now if you’ll excuse me, I may have to take my dog to the vet.

Fancy, legal speedballs: What to expect at the LA Chocolate Salon

Hi. I’m writing again. More about that later.

So, did you know that the LA Chocolate Salon is, like, three weeks away? Did you know there was such a thing as an LA Chocolate Salon? Me either! And I would have remained ignorant if it weren’t for the fact that, for the last week or so, I have received another box or package every day bearing some new and heretofore unknown fancy-ass chocolate, along with a note that reads, "Hope to see you at the Los Angeles Chocolate Salon Oct. 5th!"

It’s at the Pasadena City Center. There was one last year, too. And it’s all about the aforementioned confections and, apparently, wine. Which is a little weird to me because wine and chocolate are often two great tastes that would rather not have anything to do with each other; in fact, would just as soon pretend the other doesn’t exist. But then you consider the zippy effects of chocolate and the torpor induced by wine tasting and you realize the salon is actually an afternoon of fancy, legal speedballs, which should make the event very popular indeed.

Anyway. Here’s some of the samples I’ve received so far.

Chocopod Passionfruit Caramels by Chuao Chocolate
Dark chocolate with an eccentric TANG! that mellows out to a buttery caramel.

Downey’s Chocolate
Billed as "A Luxury Experience You Won’t Want To Share." Either the tagline or the chocolate needs some work — they’re nice chocolates, but they don’t induce my hoarding instincts. Also offers vegan options.

The Chocolate Traveler
It’s a round, lidded tin filled with eight wedges of bittersweet chocolate. I like the idea of keeping this at my desk — tidy, within reach but not too obvious — but there is no way I am putting any container of chocolate in my purse unless it comes with a titanium lock. You just know that tin would burst open and promptly begin melting at the slightest provocation.

Firecracker by Chuao Chocolate 
"Dark chocolate bar chipotle, salt and popping candy." Chocolate, Pop Rocks and an afterburn. You’ve been warned.

James Beard made me do it: Gluttonpalooza

In the fall, there is a movement to fatten us up like pigs for slaughter.

SEPT. 23: Outstanding in the Field goes head-to-head with a fundraiser for Slow Food Nation at Campanile, with Alice Waters hosting with chef-owner Mark Peel. Waters’ table is already booked; seats were $25,000 each. You can still pay $250 for a less lofty seat, or $1,000 for said seat and the cocktail reception that precedes it. 

SEPT. 28: Steak. Steak will help you get ready for Saturday’s American Food & Wine Festival. Wolfgang Puck will host "Red Hot Friday" at Red Seven (Pacific Design Center) with contributions from CUT, Wynn Hotel’s SW Steakhouse, Craft and others. A ticket is $150. Like the festival, proceeds go to Puck-Lazaroff Foundation, earmarked for Meals on Wheels.

The same night is the inaugural launch of James Beard Foundation’s Taste America, billed as a national food festival. In L.A., that means dinner at Providence, with chef Michel Richard (Citronelle, Washington, D.C.) working with Providence’s Michael Cimarusti. It’s $150 per person; $200 with wine pairing. Some proceeds go to yep, Puck-Lazaroff.

SEPT. 29: Nancy Silverton does a cooking demonstration at Williams-Sonoma in the name of the Beardies. Her sister will also be on hand with samples from her Gelato Bar in Studio City. In the evening, there’s a cocktail party on the Universal backlot.

OCT. 7: A week later, it’s Savor the Season for Break The Cycle. At this point that sounds like a directive, but it’s a benefit for teens facing dating violence. Restaurants include Jar, Bin 8945, Tanzore, Water Grill, Il Grano and Violet. Tickets are $100, $250 for VIPs.

And with that, let the trussing begin.

Outstanding in the Field.
Slow Food Nation, Campanile. www.slowfoodla.com or (323) 938-1447
Red Hot Friday. (310) 777-3707
American Food and Wine Festival. www.awff.org
James Beard Foundation’s Taste America, Providence. (323) 460-4170
Savor the Season, Exposition Park. Savortheseason.org or (310) 424-2805

Wolfgang Puck, the amusement park: American Food and Wine Festival

Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio has some of the world’s highest and most elegant roller coasters. I mention this because if Cedar Point was a food festival, it would be Wolfgang Puck’s American Food & Wine Festival on Sept. 29.  And last year’s sold out.

A small sampling of confirmed chefs to date: David Burke, Tom Colicchio, Nobu Matsuhisa, Mark Miller, Michael Mina, Mark Peel, Paul Prudhomme, Nancy Silverton and Lydia Shire.

And when a chef confirms for Puck, he or she shows up. It’s Stephan Pyles and Jimmy Schmidt and Jasper White dishing out their own food, which probably explains why what you’ll eat here is as good as anything you might get in their restaurants.

For the wine, expect to see (among others) Au Bon Climat, Domaine Drouhin, Frank Family, Havens, Hitching Post, Jordan, Justin, L’Aventure, Melville, Rosenthal, Silver Oak and Qupe.

It’s not cheap, but even $300 a ticket is hard to regret when it benefits the Los Angeles chapter of Meals On Wheels. AWFF, 25 years; LAMOW, $13 million and counting. Tickets: www.awff.org.

(Photo credit: Cedar Point Amusement Park/Resort, copyright Cedar Fair Entertainment Company.)

Wally’s Central Coast Wine and Food Celebration: Worth It

You can drink for charity almost any weekend during the summer. However, the events that make even the jaded feel privileged to be there are relatively few. This is one of them.

Launched in 2004 to fund a UC Davis scholarship in the department of Viticulture and Enology, it’s named for Michael Bonaccorsi, the Spago sommelier and winemaker who died that year at the age of 44. Wally’s pitches a big tent next to its Westside store and lot of really fine winemakers pour a lot of really good wine. The local restaurants always bring their A-game, too; last year’s contributors included Campanile, Grace, Hitching Post (yep, the steakhouse from "Sideways") and a lot more. All that goodwill brings a good crowd; tickets are $95. It’s worth it. For tickets, call (310) 475-0606 or click here.

The Best Summer Food Festivals in Los Angeles

These are my picks for the summer’s best food festivals. (Agree, disagree or have one  I’ve overlooked? Lemme know.)

None of these should come as great surprises to frequent readers of this blog — I’ve sung all their praises at one time or another — but you have my solemn vow that you won’t leave any of these events regretting that you’ve paid three figures for a few hours’ worth of finger food.

Central Coast Wine & Food Celebration. The 2004 death of master sommelier and winemaker Michael Bonaccorsi gave rise to this august August event — a large collection of winemakers and a smaller, but no less impressive, gathering of chefs including Neal Fraser, Mark Peel and Hitching Post’s Hartley Ostini, all of whom set up shop in the Wally’s Wines parking lot. This one’s hard to match in terms of sheer wine quality; prior year’s vintners include Sea Smoke, L’Aventure and Linne Calodo, but any year is all but guaranteed to be slacker free; Bonacorssi was loved very much. The afternoon benefits the scholarship created in his name, the UC Davis Bonaccorsi Fund. ($95; Aug. 5)

American Wine & Food Festival. Not to mix entertainment conglomerate metaphors, but the Wolfgang Puck event held on Universal Studios’ backlot is the Disneyland of foodie events. Starting late in the afternoon and ending well after dark, the sheer amount of first-rate food and wine is blinding. Puck’s pull brings in chefs from all over the country, including David Burke, Stephan Pyles and Eric Ripert, as well as winemakers like Jim Clendenen (Au Bon Climat). And they’re all happy as hell to be there; not only does Puck requesting a chef’s presence represent a sort of benediction, but the benefit for the Los Angeles chapter of Meals on Wheels has earned $13 million to date. ($300; Sept. 29)   

Taste of the Nation. Benefiting hunger-ending organization Save Our Strength, this nationwide shindig has raised more than $70 million since its launch in 1998. A tiny sampling of the goodness includes Grace’s Neal Fraser roasting lamb on a spit, Wilson’s Michael wilson preparing absurdly rich polenta topped with tender pork (didn’t anyone tell him it was summer? glad they forgot) and Dr. Bob’s justly famous ice cream. A more complete list is here, but better yet mark it on your calendar for next year. There is no better way to spend $125 on a Sunday afternoon. (June)

Food festivals: Are you having fun yet?

Summer is the season for food festivals, with each weekend rallying another set of do-gooder chefs and winemakers to ply their trades.

However, good intentions only go so far. With festival tickets running $100 per person and up, a lame food festival can leave you (and the chefs) feeling ripped off.

So: How to tell the difference between the good, the bad and the  mediocre? The Knife has a checklist.

* Check out the charity.

Not that you need to dig out a charity’s tax returns, but an event’s beneficiary can make all the difference. Chefs are deluged with invitations to donate their time and energy (not to mention food costs) to The Desperately Needed Assistance Fund. Most chefs are delighted to contribute edible philanthropy, but they get pissed when their goodwill is used to promote a for-profit cause.

One chef told me he was disgusted when he realized that the primary beneficiary of his Saturday-afternoon efforts was a publication that, to all appearances, is doing just fine, thanks. "I found out only 10% of the profits went to charity, one set up by some celebrity," he said. "And they made me pay for my own food."

* Check out the chefs.

The names should leave you excited and curious. The ideal mix is a few celebrity chefs, a few reliable standards, a few that you’ve never gotten around to trying before and a handful of wildcards. Wall-to-wall Food Network doesn’t work; too often, promoters are counting on you being more excited by their presence than their cooking. Ditto for people who make you say, "Huh?" While these events are a great vehicle for self promotion, an event dominated by restaurants you’ve never heard of can be a sign of a subpar gathering (see above).

* Check out the corporations.

Big-boy brand names have no problem shelling out big money for the opportunity to promote their dubious-sounding rub or marinade in association with haute cusine. However, if you scroll down to the bottom of an event’s website and see that the list of supporters are dominated by the Syscos and Nestles of the world, you’re in for a rough ride.

No matter what shilling they do on their own time, the best chefs resent giving their time and energy to commercials designed as charitable events. Last month’s Taste of the Nation in L.A.  repped a best-case scenario: California Pizza Kitchen had a huge tent — off in the corner of Culver City’s Media Park, all to itself.

Tomorrow: Three L.A. events that meet these lofty goals.

K&L Hollywood grand opening: Generous pours without a cause

If you care to join the battle for the hearts and minds of Los Angeles wine lovers, buy your tickets now. K&L Hollywood (1400 Vine St.) holds its grand opening tomorrow afternoon in hopes of stealing your business from Wally’s et. al. (And tickets are $20 cheaper if you buy in advance.)  They promise to pour wines from Caymus Vineyards, Chateau Montelena, WH Smith, Talbott, Lewis Cellars, Etude, Opus One, Red Car, Sea Smoke, Cain Vineyards and Far Niente and provide "light appetizers" from the Beverly Hills Cheese Store and LOU. $65 advance purchase / $85 at the door. Call 877-KLWINES.

10 Reasons to Attend the 4th Annual Malibu Wine Classic This Saturday

1. 60 wineries, 20 restaurants, three hours, 79 bucks.
2. Score whores! The wineries include Saxum (2003 Bone Rock Syrah, Parker 95), L’Aventure (2004 Cuvee Cote A Cote, Parker 97) and Linne Calodo (2005 Problem Child, Parker 92)
3. Malibu Wine Classic founder Michael Barnes also founded law firm Barnes Morris Klein Mark Yorn Barnes & Levine (in the CAA building’s north tower). More importantly, he’s from Iowa and one reason he started the event is he missed going to state fairs. Only this is Malibu, so you have celebrities instead of farmers. Maybe even drunk celebrities.
4. In addition to locals like Il Grano, Michael’s and Water Grill, one of the restaurants will be American Flatbread, which makes what’s probably the best pizza on the West Coast. However, its only location is the otherwise godforsaken Los Alamos.
5. It’s a good cause, dammit.
6. Malibu’s weekend forecast: 73 degrees and sunny.
7. The wine comes from four counties (Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo, Santa Ynez, Santa Barbara) and include microboutique garage winemakers (next year, Barnes will probably have bottles from his own Malibu acre of Syrah, Malbec and Touriga Nacional).
8. Winemakers mean barrel samples; barrel samples mean bragging rights.
9. Barnes remembers his first wine tasting more than 25 years ago: “It was Riunite Lambrusco and Velveeta cheese on a saltine cracker. I tried to suck it down my windpipe and almost choked.”
10. Barnes admits it.

    The Malibu Wine Classic will be held Saturday March 31 from 1 p.m.-4 p.m. at Sunset Restaurant, 6800 Westward Beach Rd. on Zuma Beach. There’s also an evening session (6:30 pm-9:30 pm), but that’s more of a sit-down/silent auction thing at $250 a head.