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Lobster Rumble rolls across the Country, hosted by Tasting Table

Local Mission Market rolls before being sliced into more manageable portions

Tasting Table’s Lobster Rumble fundraiser/tasting event rolls across the country, and recently rolled into Northern California. Its stop was San Francisco’s Fort Mason Conference Center, and the event was packed with wine, beer, cars, and of course lobster. The lobster was prepared by a variety of local restaurants, each of whom competed for attendee votes to determine whose lobster roll was the best.

The participants included:

Jack’s Oyster Bar & Fish House (serving up Maine lobster on a housemade pretzel bun with tarragon butter and hollandaise)
Local Mission Market
Anchor & Hope
Willi’s Seafood and Raw Bar
Old Port Lobster Shack
Waterbar (who had a non-stop line all night)
Frank’s Oyster House & Champagne Parlor (Seattle)
Half Moon Bay Brewing Company

To wash it down Santa Margherita Chianti and Pinot Grigio wine as well as Prosecco were served, along with cocktails, Coco Cola Life, and a variety of Stella Artois beers (with collectible glasses).

Desserts were also served, including ice cream from Humphry Slocombe and cinammon rolls from Biscuit Bender.

All of the lobster rolls were delicious, but if you are interested in the winner, here is the official statement:

The Old Port Lobster Shack took home the coveted “Golden Claw” last night at the Tasting Table’s “Lobster Roll Rumble” for the best lobster roll among 9 contenders, held at Fort Mason in the Marina.

The Old Port Lobster Shack’s crew served up more than 600 of their signature “lobstah rolls” with their classic New England presentation of a pickle, alongside of their crunchy coleslaw, another favorite.

Attorney “Greg” from last night’s event explains why Old Port’s lobster roll is his favorite. “They let the Maine lobster roll speak for itself, by keeping it the true star of the dining experience and don’t mess it up by adding a bunch of ingredients except for the grilled New England top loading bun in butter.”

The Deutsches are a husband and wife team who introduced authentic East Coast style seafood to Bay Area lobster lovers in 2007, giving New England transplants the food they had been craving and introduced lobster rolls to Californians who were unfamiliar. “After my first Red Sox game in Oakland and being surrounded by all the East Coast fans, I knew I was on to something,” said Russell Deutsch.

With three “Shacks” in the Bay Area (851 Veterans Boulevard), Portola Valley (3130 Alpine Road) and San Jose (Westfield Valley Mall/Fair Dining Terrace), these casual, family friendly, order-at-the-counter joints are the perfect balance of impeccably fresh seafood in a no fuss atmosphere.

Instagram printouts by Say Ya Photo Booth

Chianti and Prosseco from Santa Margherita

Willi’s Seafood & Raw Bar lobster roll

Frank’s Oyster House & Champagne Parlor of Seattle

Event luxury partner, LEXUS

Happy campers

The V-MODA XS Boutique DJ Headphones will grace celebrity heads at the TASTE AWARDS

Honored by the prospect of receiving their own TASTE AWARD for OUTSTANDING TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION, V-MODA has decided to carry it forward by honoring other award winners as well. That is why for the 6th Annual TASTE AWARDS, both the winner and the nominees for the Craft audio category, “Best Music – Intro or Theme Music,” will receive a pair of V-MODA XS Boutique DJ Headphones. These headphones are also known as DJ Avicii’s Favorite Milano brand.

The TASTE AWARD recipients of XS units include: A Film About Coffee, Deconstructing Dinner, Jazzy Vegetarian, and Rhythm Abroad with Brittany Pierce.

Also receiving XS sets will be Honoree Award Winners, Doomsday and Joel Kefali, who produced Katy Perry’s innovative music video, featuring dancing food and crazy fashion, This is How We Do It.

The XS was released late in March 2015 and has already received Editor’s Choice Awards from Reviewed, Digital Trends, Tom’s Guide , SoundGuys and is recommended by USA TODAY and has 4 stars with CNET.

V-MODA’s products are designed in the fashion district of Milano, and appeal to fashionistas, DJs, audiophiles and frequent travelers as a superior option to other high-end headphones

SPECS:

XS allows you “mind the gap” by minimizing the unsightly space between the headband and your head5+ years of R&D resulted in a superior fit, added comfort, grander sound and a compact profile
Fashionable form-fitting design elevates your listening experience; discover why “the fit is the sound”
Latest addition to the M-Class offers marquee sound signature characterized by its deep yet clean bass, vibrant mids, and ultra-extended clear and transparent highs
Combination of steel and metal materials lives up to the military-level standards of the MIL-STD-810G testing guidelines
Fully loaded with two Kevlar-reinforced microphone cables for universal smartphone compatibility and an exoskeleton carrying case

Cult Merlots shine at Napa Valley Film Festival’s homage to “Sideways”

Wine tasting panel taught by MaryAnn Worobiec of Wine Spectator Magazine

In honor of the film, “Sideways,” which romanticized wine tasting, elevated Pinot Noir, and looked askance at Merlot, this year’s Napa Valley Film Festival held a special Merlot Panel, as well as a Merlot Tasting event called “We’re Drinking Merlot!”

Sean Quinn, NVFF Wine Manager

The panel was moderated by Sean Quinn, the NVFF Wine Program Manager, and included panelists Jim Laube (Editor, Wine Spectator magazine), Tom Rinaldi, Chris Carpenter (Winemaker, La Jota), and Hailey Trefethen (Trefethen Family Vineyards). Warming up the well-helled crowd was the “How to Taste Like a Pro” seminar presented by MaryAnn Worobiec, Senior Editor of Wine Spectator magazine. These events honor not only the role of merlot in the film “Sideways“, also the positive impact that “Sideways” had on the increase in quality and palate of today’s Merlots.

The Rutherford Hill team

La Jota

Sheldon Richards of Paloma Vineyard

Holly Horton, Provenance Vineyards (2010)

Freemark Abbey 2012

La Jota

O’Brien Estate 2011

MTGA

Kara’s wine-influence chocolate cupcakes

Miner Family winery

VOGA Italia releases new red wine blend branded Red Fusion

VOGA Italia has recently unveiled a new red wine, which they call “Red Fusion.” The wine is very Italian in its profile and flavor components, however it is also designed to appeal to an American wine drinker who may have a taste for Californian styles.

“Red Fusion” is a fusion blend of 65% Zinfandel and 35% Cabernet Sauvignon from Salento in southern Italy, where the terroir is hot and sunny.

You may notice that the VOGA bottle is distinctive as well, and gives the wine a nice and somewhat sleek appeal as an affordable luxury gift.

Per VOGA Italia:

Imported from Italy by Enovation Brands, Inc., Red Fusion joins VOGA’s collection of meticulously crafted, strikingly packaged wines and reflects the VOGA Italia mission to produce distinctive, high-quality wines for the modern wine consumer.

Bursting with blackberry, black cherry and black raspberry notes, Red Fusion has a jammy fruit character on the palate and a hint of mint on the nose. The tannin structure and oak aging provide balance, complexity and a long, delicate finish to this contemporary, food-friendly blend.

After years of being passed over for single-varietal wines, a new wave of red blends are winning over consumers, with Zinfandel based blends leading the charge. “Red Fusion offers consumers the choice of a distinctive blend of two popular varieties versus a conventional, single-varietal wine,” said Enovation Brands, Inc. President Alberto Pecora. “Crafted with Salento grapes, Red Fusion also provides an Italian option for California Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon lovers.”

Packaged in the VOGA Italia award-winning trademark cylindrical bottle with re-sealable cap, the soft grey minimalist graphics communicate a subtly masculine quality appropriate for this big, bold red. At $11.99 per 750ml, Red Fusion hits the category sweet spot and delivers exceptional quality rarely seen at this price point.

VOGA Red Fusion will be available nationwide starting October 2014. The roll-out will be supported by an integrated campaign designed to communicate the outstanding product quality and global brand success calling for consumers to Taste Why The World Is Talking About VOGA.

Bergerac French wine comes to the United States

La Gloire de Mon Pere, and Chateau Haut Sarthes 2011

Recently the Bergerac advocates group traveled across the United States reaching out to tastemakers and wine merchants in order to extoll the virtues of wine from the region. In San Francisco, the event took place at the famous Jackson Square restaurant, Chef Michael Tusk’s Quince

Bergerac wine is from an area in France east of Bourdeaux and north of Toulouse, and is made up of approximately 93 communes. The wine is delicious, a fact of which many North Americans are unaware, but of which the English and Dutch very much are.

At the Quince tasting, Anne Lataste of Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins de la Région de Bergerac, sponsored by UBIFrance, walked the attendees through the merits of the wines presented, as well as the region’s charms.

Paired with the wines was the following menu by Chef Lusk:

Pumpkin Vellutata

Gina, owner of Bergerac restaurant in San Francisco, and Ali Ghanbarian, publisher of SOMA Magazine

Gina of Bergerac restaurant in San Francisco, and Ali Ghanbarian, publisher of SOMA Magazine

Tortelli di Fonduta

Quince wine director Jai Wilson

Tour Des Gendres 2010

Château Haut-Sarthes 2009

Eric (Bergerac wine distributor) and Anne Lataste

Eric Stauffenegger (Vigneron Imports, Bergerac wine distributor) and Anne Lataste

Sonoma Liberty Farm Duck

Warren Pear Tart (with gold leaf)

Additional dessert tarts and truffles

Anne Lataste

DARK DINING at Joya’s Chefs Table

Recently TasteTV had the pleasure of hosting a special Dark Dining event (www.SFDark.com) at Joya Restaurant and Lounge in Palo Alto, California, home of Stanford University and a multitude of tech startups.

The Dark Dining event was at the Chef’s Table of Executive Chef Fabrice Roux, of Joya. Fabrice is a very talented chef who has worked for years in San Francisco, France, Las Vegas, and other locales. Joya under his cooking has become the culinary hot spot of Palo Alto.

Fabrice prepared four courses for the dinner party, however he went even further by making each course actually 3-4 different items. As the diners were not able to see their food, this allowed him to challenge their tasting abilities in guessing the ingredients, textures, and finally, the dish. It was a delightful opportunity for the diners to talk with directly, as well as with each other… without being able to see a thing.

Wines served as pairing were Charles Krug Chardonnay, 2012 Sokol Blosser Willamette Valley Pinot Gris, Victor Vineyards Lawson Ranch Chardonnay, and for dessert the Chocolate Shop Sparkling Wine (“red wine with chocolate notes and festive bubbles”).

CHEF FABRICE ROUX’S DARK DINING MENU:

First Course (“Amuse Bouche”)

brentwood sweet yellow corn soup shooter parmesan cheese organic popcorn

Second Course

bay scallop aguachile ceviche/ chorizo corn dog cheese mustard sauce/ caramelized apple and morcilla

Third/Main Course

pan seared walu served with roasted spaghetti squash / mary ‘s rocky junior chicken breast served with chow mein jerk sauce/ roasted pork filet mignon with spaghetti cuban sauce

Fourth/Dessert Course

Deep fried arroz con leche with dulce de leche caramel / chia mango parfait with cilantro / molted chocolate cake with black berry

NEW IDEAS FOR A NEW WORLD