Perpetual Carouse

First of all, if you can't remember the greatest of all California Lottery commercials in the history of California Lottery commercials, well... bummer for you.

Anyway, wine.woot has a big-ass (that's the technical cheesemaker term right there) wheel of supremely awesome Point Reyes Blue for $35 shipped directly to your door for all your blue cheesy pleasures.

That's quite a deal, and if I can figure out what the fuck to do with 3# of tangy blue goodness, I'm all over it. And, as the site helpfully points out, you don't even need to be sober to accept delivery of your cheese!

Christopher Kimball, the nerd-king of my beloved Cook's Illustrated and America's Test Kitchen will be in the Bay Area for a few appearances next week. He'll be pimping the new America's Best Lost Recipes cookbook at 6 PM on November 14 at Book Passage in the SF Ferry Building, and down in Mountain View the next day; 7:30 PM at Books, Inc.

The great folks over at Lost Canyon are celebrating their newest wine with a release party this weekend. The 2006 Widdoes Vineyard pinot is Lost Canyon's first from this Russian River Valley vineyard, and the winemakers are calling it their Goldilocks wine... as in "just right."

Lost Canyon turns out vineyard-designate pinots and syrahs, as well a viognier, and the new Widdoes may well be my favorite out of all their stellar wines. The harvest was low, and there are only about 300 cases of Widdoes to go around. My advice? Get it while you can.

Taste the '06 Widdoes, and the rest of Lost Canyon's lineup at the release party on Saturday, November 17 from 1pm to 5pm.

Lost Canyon Winery [map]
2102 Dennison Street
Oakland, CA 94606

[Full Disclosure: I have a business relationship with Lost Canyon, but my appreciation of their wine predates that relationship. I am not receiving any compensation of any sort for mentioning their wines here. I just like the stuff, and gladly buy and drink it.]

Yesterday, we were in Oakland's Fruitvale neighborhood, hunting down ingredients for a dulce de leche ice cream I'm making for Thanksgiving. We stopped at a taco truck at 30th and International, in the parking lot of Goodwill. As we're sitting on the tailgate finishing off our grub, we notice a skinny grey-haired guy in a black leather jacket waiting in line at the taco truck, with his back to us. "That guy kinda looks like Anthony Bourdain," says my better half in between bites.

"He does, sort of," I say through a mouthful of al pastor. I go back to my burrito. Then I notice that there's a guy with a tiny DV camera roaming around the parking lot. And he's filming the guy that looks like Anthony Bourdain.

Wait a minute. Can it be?

I finish off my burrito and wonder aloud, "Do you think that's really him?" We get up, wiping grease and sour cream off our chins and head over for a closer look. I walk toward "Anthony Bourdain" laughing at myself for even thinking I'd bump into Anthony Bourdain at a random taco truck in Oakland. I come around his right side, and as I turn to face him, I say the only thing I can think of at the time.

"Holy shit, it's Anthony Bourdain."

I know... smooth like butter, right? I can't believe that's what jumped out of my mouth. The thing is, I didn't really think it was going to be him. And I had taco grease on my shirt.

He looks over at me, and gives me that half smile that celebs are so good at giving. I'm guessing it means "Don't bug me."

I extend my hand, and he reaches out to shake it. Meanwhile, he's talking to a woman who's scribbling in a notebook. He gives me a little nod. "Enjoy your tacos," I say.

Anthony Bourdain has freezing-cold hands.

And he wears a gold thumb ring.

The carnitas tacos and al pastor burritos at Mi Grullense are delicious.

[Some Googling reveals that Bourdain is in town to do a book signing at Stacey's today. Book info via Amazon.]

This post was mentioned in the 11/20/07 edition of Tablehopper, an excellent Bay Area food & wine newsletter.

I can't leave this William Maxwell novel on the street, and yet I also want this goat cheese.

- Daniel Handler, on the ultra-portability of the new Amazon Kindle e-book reader

The Kindle is getting mediocre reviews at best, and it's riddled with DRM and other usability issues, but I was amused by modern dilemmas it apparently solves, namely fitting your book and your cheese into your backpack at the same time.