Bart family Annual Thanksgiving Wine Trip 2011, Day 1

This will be a rather lame/short post, given that it is a travel day. I finished up with work at noon, and made my way to DTW to spend an hour and change with the Madre at the Delta Skyclub. Skyclubs are the way to go, especially if one is an airport drinker (you know who you are!), because $25 gives you a comfy place to watch TV and unlimited booze. Given airport prices, that is a steal!

Boarding the plan was delayed due to mechanical issues - at least we hadn't boarded yet, so we could stay comfortable in the concourse - and soon we were off to San Francisco. This year's mission: tackle some culinary hotspots in the city for two nights, and then head out to Sonoma for wine and more food. Not a bad way to spend a long weekend, and since it corresponds with Thanksgiving, there is no guilt whatsoever!

We arrived at 6pm local time (23:00 UTC), fought a bit of traffic getting into the city, and ended up at the Fairmont San Francisco. A little history on this historic hotel; it was built at the behest of Theresa Fair Oelrichs and Virginia Fair Vanderbilt (of the prominent Vanderbilt family), and named after their father: James Graham Fair. Before it was finally complete, the great earthquake of 1906 damaged most of the interior. After extensive renovations (including the improvement of the superstructure with newer building techniques to withstand future earthquakes), it was opened in 1907 and became the flagship property of the Fairmont Hotel company. 

After checking in, and bringing our luggage up to the rooms, it was time for dinner. Tonight's restaurant: Venticello Ristorante, located just 4 blocks away from the Fairmont on Nob Hill. The air was cool and refreshing, making the stroll over there delightful. Upon entering the ristorante, we were greeted by an ambiance lit only by candles and the glow of the wood-burning stove. I ordered the 2008 Silvio di Nardi Rosso di Montalcino for the table; a delightful red wine with medium body, nice tannins, and notes of currants. It also happens to hark from one of the towns we visited in Italy last year. Oh the memories of Italia 2010!

My first course: Pasta Carbonara

The primi platti then followed, with the Madre having the insalate Venticello, and I having the Pasta Carbonara. Mom really enjoyed the salad - with the honey mustard dressing being particularly fantastic - while I found the pasta delightful. It wasn't too heavy, meaning they didn't use too much cheese and any cream, so one really got the flavor of the herbs and pancetta. Delish!

The secondini platti then arrived. I had the Filetto Toscano: Fillet Mignon wrapped in pancetta with a roasted shallot Barolo sauce. The pancetta provided a salty element, contrasting nicely with the sweeter barolo sauce. The steak was cooked to a perfect medium rare, so my only complaint was the fact that the steak knife they provided me was as dull as a butter knife! While the sharpness of the blade didn't impede cutting the tender steak, it did tend to hack the pancetta. A minor inconvenience, with what was otherwise a delightful meal.

And of course there has to be desert. I had a small slice of their homemade Tiramisu, which was just awesome. The lady fingers were completely drenched in marsala wine and espresso, which provided really good flavor. They also used excellent marscapone, adding a sweet element along with the cocoa powder. This desert dish was paired with a glass of my favorite desert wine: vin santo! Needless to say, I was thankful for the walk home, as I was stuffed!

That pretty much wraps up the first day. It's one of the problems of eating after a 3 hour time change. An 8pm dinner feels to the body like an 11pm dinner. Add in great food, a bottle of wine, and all you want to do is go back and sleep. This is precisely what I did! Buona sera!