Monthly Archive for September, 2008

Dinner and a Movie

Published on September 29, 2008 in Events and Joanie Hudson. 0 Comments

With summer over and the daylight hours shortening we are going to be spending more time inside after the sun goes down.  The Bistro is currently offering free movie passes with the purchase of any entree.  This provides the perfect opportunity to test out the new menu full of tapas and the recently expanded wine list. The pass is good for all Metropolitan Theatres through 2008 (See www.metrotheatres.com for theatre locations).  This offer is available Sunday-Wednesday and the pass is good for all movies before 6pm and all non-special engagement movies after 6pm.  Reservations are required.  

Come and see Flamenco guitarist Chris Fossek on Thursday evening and enjoy an oozing gourmet grilled cheese pressed sandwich.  Chris just returned from a three week trip to Italy and has plenty of stories to tell…

Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery

Watermelon Fun

Published on September 26, 2008 in Farmer's Market, Restaurant News, Rose Moradian and Vegetable Garden. 1 Comment

Rose Moradian on Watermelons

The apex of Summer is lowered now, to the beginning of Autumn; Harvest Time! I’ve been waiting for an entire season to pick and eat Watermelons at the Lafond Garden! Today, I pulled out the watermelon vines and disconnected the melons which are now basking in the sun awaiting consumption.

I now have two large parts of the garden that are finally done , the Winter Squash and Watermelon fields. I’ve had the water off for 6 weeks, as well as the tomatoes, to help ripen the fruit and enhance the flavors, much like wine grapes.

Now I can begin to plant the Winter Vegetables! I chose to plant is Cream of Saskatchewan, an heirloom variety from Russia that is better adapted for cooler climates, like in the Santa Rita Hills. Watermelons are thought to originate in Africa. In Egyptian tombs, watermelon seeds are found with Pharaohs.

African slaves brought seeds with them to the new world, thus the popularity of the fruit in the Southern US. China was and is the biggest producer of watermelons, though the Vietnamese claim they discovered it first. In Asia, Russian and parts of Eastern Europe, watermelon rinds are pickled. To this day in China, roasted Watermelon seeds are the most popular snack.

The seeds are very high in good fats, protein and good oils. Watermelon is the most alkalinizing food ever. Here are some interesting and colorful facts about watermelons from Wikipedia: Art related to the Mexican holiday Dia de los Muertos commonly depicts watermelons being eaten by the dead or shown in close conjunction with the dead.

This theme appears regularly on ceramics and in other art from the holiday. Watermelons also appear as a subject in Mexican still life art.The Oklahoma State Senate passed a bill on 17 April 2007 declaring watermelon as the official state vegetable, with some controversy as the watermelon is a fruit.

The Citrulline which exists in watermelon (especially in the rind) is a known stimulator of of nitric oxide, NO is thought to relax and expand blood vessels, much like the erectile dysfunction drug, Viagra, and may even increase libido,however no one knows how much watermelon you would have to eat to see similar results to these drug products. This explains why the rind is so popular in other cultures!

Rose Moradian Gardener Extraordinaire

Certified Sommelier

Published on September 24, 2008 in General Information, Joanie Hudson and Restaurant News. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Zach Blair, the Bistro’s Wine Buyer, passes second of three steps to becoming a Master Sommelier.

Zach Blair has moved one step closer to becoming a certified Master Sommelier. Zach has worked part time in the tasting room for about three years while working full time in the high end restaurant service industry. He has worked locally for the Wine Cask, Louie’s, and Ruth’s Chris. Most recently, he is working at Pierre Lafond Bistro helping to develop and manage their extensive wine list.

This past weekend the Court of Master Sommeliers held the second of three stages to attain the title Master Sommelier, the Certified Sommelier Exam. Zach earned the right to take this test by passing the first Introductory Sommelier Course last year, a two day intensive filled with instruction and a written exam. The most recent challenge was a one day exam with three portions: blind tasting, written exam, and service exam. At the end of the day Zach was among the select participants to receive certification by the American Court of Master Sommeliers. He has one more very difficult and time consuming step to become a Master Sommelier.

So what does this mean? The Court of Master Sommeliers was established to encouraged improved standards of beverage service and evaluate knowledge for hotels and restaurants. The first exam was held in the United Kingdom in 1969, while the American Chapter was established in 1977. Only 96 professionals hold the title Master Sommelier in the American chapter: 81 men and 15 women. The lengthy process takes the most committed, skillful and knowledgable professionals through rigorous testing that ranges from basic knowledge of viticulture practice to blind tasting evaluation skills. It is the only internationally recognized certification that a wine and service professional can attain.

For those who are interested in getting a sense of the extensive knowledge that Certified Master Sommeliers must possess, go check out The New Sotheby’s Wine Encyclopedia and scan through each section. Most likely, any Master Sommelier will be able to answer almost any question out of there if you just opened it, pointed to a sentence and asked them about it. If they don’t, at least they will have the ability to skillfully deflect and talk for an hour about a related area of interest.

Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery

Rose and Abelmoschus

Published on September 23, 2008 in Restaurant News, Rose Moradian and Vegetable Garden. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Rose Moradian rhapsodises about Okra

I love pretty flowers and delicious healthy vegetables, and Okra fits the bill for both! A traditional food plant in Africa, this little-known vegetable has potential to improve nutrition, boost food security, foster rural development and support sustainable landcare. Okra is in the Abelmoschus or Hibiscus botanical family, Okra is valued for its edible green or sometimes red fruits.

A truly wonderful and useful family of plants; based on research on Okras cousin plant, “Kenaf” scientific name; Hibiscus cannabinus, Okra could, at least in principle, have a future producing things that are strange for a vegetable crop; being grown as a building material, for making paper, cattle feed and fuel.

Okra is easily grown with little or no care, is pest resistant or at least is a survivor of insect infestations, as I can vouch for. Okra needs water weekly before becoming established and from then on needs little water if at all. The flowers are beautiful, as you see, it really is a Hibiscus flower but with out the pests that bother hybrid hibiscus.

I use Okra as a support plant for my vining plants such as cucumbers and some tomatoes as it gets to be 4′ tall. I discovered an article that shows 8′ Okra on the web. At the Pierre Lafond Montecito Deli carries a brand of prepared Okra called “Smokra”. True to its name the Okra in Smokra is pickled with brine in a smoky chipotle red salsa. I regularly devour jars of this and keep the smoky spicy brine for making my vodka cocktails. In Egypt, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Yemen and other parts of the eastern Mediterranean, Okra is widely used in a thick stew made with vegetables and meat.

In Indian cooking, it is sauteed or added to gravy-based preparations and is very popular in South India. In Caribbean islands Okra is cooked up and eaten as soup, often with fish. Breaded, deep fried Okra is served in the southern United States and of course, Okra is the ubiquitous ingredient in Gumbo.

The products of the plant are mucilaginous, resulting in the characteristic “goo” when the seed pods are cooked. In order to avoid this effect, Okra pods are often stir fried, so the moisture is cooked away, or paired with slightly acidic ingredients, such as citrus or tomatoes.The cooked leaves are also a powerful soup thickener. Okra leaves may be cooked in a similar manner as the greens of beets or dandelions. Okra oil is a pressed seed oil, extracted from the seeds of the okra.

The greenish yellow edible oil has a pleasant taste and odor, and is high in unsaturated fats such as oleic acid and linoleic acid. The oil content of the seed is quite high at about 40%. I am using Okra right now in my Lima bean and tomato soup!

Rose Moradian on Gardens

Tapas and a new International Wine List

Published on September 11, 2008 in Joanie Hudson and Restaurant News. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Nathan Heil, formerly of Sevilla Restaurant on Chapala, is the new head chef at The Bistro. He is well known for his tasty tapas at the Spanish influenced restaurant, and how he is translating that skill and theme on the Bistro’s menu.

Tapas will now be served from 3-5pm daily.

Tapas menu

Sauteed marinated warm Olives and Baguette
Curried Zucchini Cakes with Garlic Yogurt Sauce
Prosciutto Toasts with Tomato Parmesan
Crab, Wild Mushroom and Brie Quesadilla
Sauteed Garlic Shrimp “Camarones Gambas”
Pequillo Peppers stuffed with Spinach and Raisins
Lamb Meatballs with homemade Harissa*
Grilled Calamari stuffed with Crescenza cheese**, Garlic and Chile

Harissa is a hot red pepper paste made from chili peppers, garlic, and olive oil. Crescenza cheese is made from uncooked cow’s milk and is very soft and spreadable at room temperature. It can be described as rich, creamy, and fresh.

Another exciting change at the restaurant is the new international wine list. The Santa Barbara focus will remain on Santa Barbara Winery and Lafond Winery wines, but the list will now include a selection of Napa, Sonoma, Washington, Spanish, French, and Italian wines. Zach Blair, who works in the Santa Barbara Winery tasting room part time, has taken charge in putting together a fantastic list that he is beaming about.

“For every varietal that we produce at the winery I am trying to get that same varietal from a different part of the world on the list,” says Zach. For example, he plans to have an Alto Adigian Lagrein as well as a Lagrein Rose. Santa Barbara Winery is one of the few producers who produce a California Lagrein.

Joanie Hudson, Assistant Manager, Santa Barbara Winery

Taste of the Town

Published on September 11, 2008 in Events and Joanie Hudson. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

The Pierre Lafond Bistro attended Santa Barbara’s 27th Annual Taste of the Town event, serving up shrimp with a tomato basil salad and parmesean gougeres (a French style cheese puff).  Ryan Ralston, Santa Barbara Winery assistant winemaker, also attended and poured samples alongside over 80 of Santa Barbara’s finest restaurants and premiere wineries.  The event was held on Sunday, September 7 from noon-3 at the Riviera Park Gardens overlooking the ocean and all of the proceeds benefit the Arthritis Foundation.  This organization is the only nonprofit dedicated to discovering the cause and cure for arthritis.  While helping a great cause attendees got the opportunity to embark on an “epicurean adventure.”

Parmesean gourges are delicious appetizers that are perfect your your next dinner party.  They are easy to pass around, and they explode when paired with a glass of champagne or prosecco.  The light dough used to make these little balls is referred to as choux pastry (pate a choux).  It is the same time of dough that is used to make profiteroles, eclairs, beignets, and cheese puffs.  The ingredients are quite simple and consist of only butter, water, flour, and eggs. 

Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery