The Grape Social Season Starts for This Frequent Drinker!

ok ok ok so I know the Grape Drinking social season technically starts with "ZinFest", but I was outta town on a Super Special Graduation, So my season started the other night, Friday night to be specific. So after grabbing some surprisingly cheap premium beer at the Friday Night in the Park down at Cesar Chavez and listening to !Bucho, Happy Mayfield, and Righteous Movement (all outstanding, just as they were when I went to high school with them) we then journeyed on to the Celebrity Chef Challenge! Let's predecease this by commenting on it's awesomeness of last year-from the open and engaging ability to watch competitors like Adam Pascal of Tuli, Billy Nygo of Kru, Emily Hawk of Hawk's and many more, to live music, a beautiful open air courtyard, premium vendors and full 3oz pours from all beer and wineries. Not to mention the copious amounts of ice water available all over the venue. NOW, let's speak on about this year, now I'm HUGE classic car fan, so when I heard that this years competition was going to be at The Towe Auto Museum I was excited for what the venue could offer to make this year better than before, and then I arrived at the venue. So bad lighting, HORRIBLE Audio Visual/ sound people, only 2 water DISPENSERS (not water bottles), a winding and bad mapping of the entire area that lead at the end to a SMALL crowded stage of Grocery Store Chefs- no Adam Pascal, and in his place was the chef from the DoubleTree Hotel! ewwww This was by far a large letdown from it's outstanding previous version! Now I know these criticisms can seem harsh, but when Sweetwater is serving limp, warm Asparagus Tempura, SacTown Catering is offering cheese and salami (and they don't even seem to know what kind their serving (so it's a great thing that there catering manager was a competing chef)) I call this a bad event!!!! YES, I've labeled it a bad event! Now I know we're all in a recession so this is all luxurious crap, but if people out there are paying $50 a ticket (not me, the Diva doesn't pay for tickets anymore!) they deserve better! maximize our pennies in this era of depression, even if those pennies are going on fodder and libations! Here's hoping that next year is better, cause it would be hard to be much worse!
ok, now on to the good news! hmmmmm....or not sooo bad news? So Raley's Grape Escape was the following day! the making's of a perfect wine weekend you think? your wrong! so once we get to the venue and it's crowd of uneducated (i mean about food, i'm not that mean (ok I am :) and hungry patrons we start drinking up, and came to the quick realization the reason the wine list is soooo limited is all the wine's being served MUST be available at RALEY's, I know I know not that bright, but I do know my wine. Good wine: Klinker Brick- specifically the Old Ghost they were pouring! Berryessa Gap- Check out the Syarh, you'll thank me! Maccica and their bimbo girls were there but there bustiness must have brought the crowd as there were dead soldiers on the ground and no girls in sight! Good Food: Mulvany's B&L- ended the same way the Macchia girls did, PF Changs- eww, Fat Cat Scones --YUMMY!


But the main event at this wine extravaganza was the Chef Challenge! This chef challenge did not disappoint!
YEs, that is my adorable sister!
So as Taro of Mukini and Ame Harrington of L bar go head to head in the main event things got heated!
As Taro started the event with POP ROCK's as his main ingredient and Ame used Duck Fat it wasn't surprising these innovative chefs made it to the finals. Alongside these master chefs was their Sous Chefs from another sponsor of the event, the kids at the Institute of Technology- nice gig huh? As the never aging Very old Marc S Alan was MC'ing the event the wine kept flowing and that must be why he started making some pretty outlandish comments about Randel Selland! Ame's old boss! He claimed" You all remember the Kitchen? that place that used to be booked up 24/7 like 10 years ago? You know that popular chef Randel Selland, well Ame used to run the Kitchen and Sellends!" Now I know this was supposed to be a joke, but you could tell from Ame's face that she was embarrassed he would ever say anything like that! and as there were MANY foodies in the vicinity that personally know Randel Selland--- it was hilariously awkward for everyone! Outstanding!
As the event pressed on Taro began drawing on his dishes to better his presentation, as his secret ingredient this time was RiCE! in a pasta dish!
So much to everyone's culinary surprise (note sarcasm inserted here), Ame one the grand prize, and to top it all off she's like 6 month preggers! So that ends the Journey thought the beginning of the season, but worry not fearless readers, there's more to come!