23599 Sat Apr 05 16:39:14 -0800 2003 12 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 90081 i am going to piperade (on 4-26 after the rhone rangers tasting) whats not to miss? ps i am the Chef/owner of Syrah bistro in santa rosa Sat Apr 05 16:39:14 -0800 2003 0 js@syrah 1 90105 There have been a couple of posts about Piperade in the last few months -- you can find them by doing a control F search on the board for "piperade". But I'll take this opportunity (and the fact that I had waay too much caffeine today and can't sleep) to finally make a report on the dinner some chowhounds had there back in December! Paul H invited several us to help him scout Piperade with the view to having a chowhound dinner there. He asked our waiter to put together a several courses for us, and we ended up tasting four of the "small plates" and two of the "large plates." The small plates were: Piquillo peppers stuffed with brandade Warm sheep’s milk cheese and ham terrine Sautéed sea scallops with chorizo, apple & arugula Whole prawns with garlic, parsley and lemon While there were no "losers" among them, the terrine and the scallops were the clear winners. The scallops were quite simply the best I've ever had (I'm well known among hounds I've chowed with for my dislike of all bivalves): rich and sweet, they had also absorbed a saltiness from the excellent housemade chorizo, and the crisp, tart julienned apple and peppery arugula brought the dish into perfect balance. The terrine was also notable for the interplay between the tangy creamy cheese and the salty, sweet, chewy jamon. I'm not a fan of brandade, but if you like it, this seemed to be a very good version -- smooth and creamy and with a salt cod flavor that was distinct but not overpowering. The garlic shrimp were good (how can you go wrong with garlic and shrimp?), but not as unique or revelatory as the other dishes. The two large plates were: Pipérade with sautéed Serrano ham and poached egg Braised veal sweetbreads with madeira They were both excellent. Like most of the other dishes there was a wonderful interplay of flavors and textures that all came together in a satisfying whole. I'm not sure I would want to eat a whole portion of the piperade, though -- in fact, since many of these dishes are rich and intensely flavored, I'd recommend eating like a chowhound and ordering with the idea that dishes will be shared. Finally, he brought us three desserts: Walnut and sheep’s milk cheese gratin Apple tart Gateau basque with mango coulis The oddly named "gratin" simply blew the others away. Unless you're allergic to nuts or cheese, don't fail to order this unique dessert (not as weird as it sounds: the cheese was actually very much like a ricotta, and went perfectly with the nuts). With this the waiter paired a red wine: a Chilean rendition of a Basque varietal. We also had a dessert wine, although I don't remember which one (Paul, you're the wine expert here, what was it?). I'm looking forward to going back! Link: http://www.piperade.com/about.html Sun Apr 06 03:31:35 -0700 2003 90081 0 Ruth Lafler 2 90107 Hey Ruth, I saw your name on this post, I thought to myself - uh oh, she had too much caffeine today - and right-o! Might the Chilean rendition of a Basque varietal have been Tannat, the lead red grape variety in Irouleguy and Madiran? P.S. Welcome to chowdom, Josh! Link: http://chowhound.com/chowmarket/index.html Sun Apr 06 03:41:17 -0700 2003 90105 0 Melanie Wong 3 90161 Thanks Melanie, my frend, Wolfy turned me on to this site, he had seen your write up from the syrah tasting for the wine libry thanks js Mon Apr 07 11:01:12 -0700 2003 90107 0 js@syrah 4 90343 Maybe I'll see you at the Rhone Rangers tasting, or at dinner, as I'm supposed to join some friends there. And, Andy Jacobs reported on the tasting at your restaurant. Thanks again for your generous donation. Wed Apr 09 04:55:23 -0700 2003 90161 0 Melanie Wong 2 90112 Ruth, Thanks for the report. I appreciate the nod (however mistaken it might be) as a wine expert, but unfortunately I don't recall specifics about either the dinner or dessert wine. Sun Apr 06 12:24:39 -0700 2003 90105 0 Paul H 1 90108 Melanie just reminded me that one of the many highlights of today's chowstravaganza was some Syrah ice cream made by Tucker's Ice Cream of Alameda for the JC Cellars open house at Rosenblum Winery. They periodically make small batches of wine ice cream for events at Rosenblum. I posted before about the Zinfandel Chocolate Chip they made for the last Rosenblum open house, but I think this -- made from the yet-to-be-bottled 2001 JC Cellars Syrah -- was even better. They'll have it in their shop on Park Street in Alameda until this batch runs out. The next batch (presumably more Zinfandel) will be for the next Rosenblum open house in May. It was as much fun to talk to the ice cream maker as the wine maker -- and surprisingly similar: he talked about how he makes each batch differently to bring out the various characteristics of the wine. Sun Apr 06 04:00:39 -0700 2003 90081 0 Ruth Lafler 2 90110 My favorite of the wines tasted today by JC Cellars and Rosenblum was the 1999 JC Cellars Ventana Syrah, $25. My only purchase. (disclaimer: Jeff and Alexandra Cohn, owners of JC Cellars, are friends of mine.) Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/23564#89901 Sun Apr 06 04:52:33 -0700 2003 90108 0 Melanie Wong 1 90240 I had a wonderful experience recently at Piperade. The large plate not to miss is the calamari with foie gras and grapes. This was perfect harmony. The toothsome and slightly smoky calamari, the oozy, rich foie gras, and the bright acidity of the grapes. What a marriage - an inspired dish! For starters try the mussel and bread salad. Slightly chilled mussles, red wine vinaigrette for some acid and crunchy croutons. Simple and in perfect balance. I love this place! Enjoy. Mon Apr 07 21:01:49 -0700 2003 90081 0 Chew Toy 2 90288 thank! ILOVE foie & that sounds great!!! josh Tue Apr 08 16:09:44 -0700 2003 90240 0 js@syrah 3 90332 more opinioons below Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/21407#76907 Wed Apr 09 00:57:39 -0700 2003 90288 0 vn 4 90399 The link above is from very early on in the life of this restaurant. They have changed a lot of things and the menu is much better now than when we were writing about it last September. Wed Apr 09 22:08:07 -0700 2003 90332 0 Paul H 5 90403 ok, a more recent report Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/22781#85026 Wed Apr 09 23:42:56 -0700 2003 90399 0 vn