source for verjus in SF?

Does anyone know where I can buy verjus in SF or closeby? I searched the archives, but couldn't find anything.

---Matt

[ti ti]

I found it at Andronico's in the Inner Sunset in San Francisco.

[wolfe]

I was also going to suggest Andronico's but Matt found what he wanted but it was not as useful as he hoped 3 1/2 years ago.

Here's what I found:

Bryan's Market on California Street: "Verjus from Perigord". about $15 for 750ml.

Draeger's San Mateo: Maggie Brew (Australia). about $12 for 375ml. has a synthetic cork which doesn't easily fit back on the bottle after opening it.

Draeger's San Mateo: Eric Bur (France). about $13 for 350ml.

all 3 had very similar tastes, but if pressed to choose a favorite i'd have to go with the Eric Bur. i'll likely stick with the offering from Bryan's since it's easy for me to get, and economical.

i was looking into this as an alternative to wine or vermouth for deglazing, but unfortunately i haven't been able to match the results with verjus.

---Matt

Verjus is more a substitute for vinegar or lemon juice.

[Paul H]

Some flavors are alcohol soluable. That's why there is no real sustitute for wine/vermouth in deglazing

I just bought some here in LA at a terrific chef's supply store called Surfas. They sell on-line and ship. The verjus comes in white and red and is from Australia. Now, the question is -- what do I do with it? I bought it to assist in preparing a fruit reduction for foie gras but am wondering about other uses. So far, I have to say, other than the frisson of saying "verjus" I don't find it that exciting so far.

Link: http://www.surfasonline.com

Since that's not a local question you should probably ask on the Home Cooking board.

Farmstead Cheese shop at the Market Place in Alameda carries Verjus. Haven't tried it but most everything he carries is outstanding.

link to Navarro's verjus cookbook

Link: http://www.navarrowine.com/verjus/ver...

Robert Mondavi Jr. started a company a few years back making Verjus under the "Fusion Foods" brand. I believe that's the one the Shuna is talking about. It was intended for cooking as an alternative to vinegars when very strong acidity was not needed.

Link: http://www.verjus.com/napa.html

That's the stuff I tried recently. Nasty-tasting, used it in one dish, which it halfway ruined, poured out the rest.

Navarro's verjus, on the other hand, is great stuff.

Rob Mondavi had nothing to do with Fusion Verjus. I started the company and own it!

It is available in the Bay area from Pacific Gourmet 415.641.8400

I saw it the other day at the pasta shop in oakland. it was the company Verjus i think....the Navarro is amazing but I wouldn't want to cook just anything in it, it's deelish enough to drink.

I got some stuff in a box recently and it was awful. Get the Navarro.

I found it at Drager's in Menlo Park shortly before the holidays.

Oops, I meant in San Mateo.

I've seen Navarro's verjus at Boulette in the Ferry Building.

Also, if you order it from the winery via Ground shipment, it'll arrive in the bay area the following day.

Thanks for the tip. I just gave them a call. They sell it for $20, and it's usually only $8.50 according to Navarro's website!

I called up Navarro. they only 2 stores they know of in the area which stock their verjus are the Mill Valley Market and the North Berkeley Wine Store (on MLK). the Navarro winery itself is out of verjus, so they're unable to fulfill any orders right now. my best bet might be Boulette's after all.

Thanks,
---Matt

The bottle of Navarro verjus doesn't cost much, but I remember the shipping charge being high when I ordered from them about five years ago. It's so well packed to avoid breakage, obviously. At the time I hadn't tried verjus before and didn't want to risk ordering more than one bottle, but if I had known how good it is I would have ordered more to make shipping worthwhile. Next I tried Consorzio or maybe Fusion and it was awful. So much for easy availability. Between retail markup and Ferry Bldg. location and most prices a little higher there anyway, Boulette's price for Navarro verjus might not be that bad. Did you catch how much shipping was from Navarro's? I'd order it again if I needed some.

Navarro's shipping is $9 for 1 to 3 750ml bottles, $10 for 4 to 6, $14 for 7 to 12. So if you order one $9.75 bottle, it's $18.75 delivered; if you order 12, after the 10% case discount it's $9.94 per bottle.

But they're currently sold out of verjus.