My Fleet Week Visit to Original Joe's in North Beach San Francisco October 2024

The conservative media's doom loop narrative is largely a bunch of manufactured propaganda. The truth is that San Francisco is largely doing well these days. Even if downtown is slow because more people are working from home, most neighborhoods are flourishing, including Chinatown and North Beach, as I witnessed this past weekend. 

It costs a lot of money to go out these days. I'll be straight with you: a lot times, it just doesn't seem worth it. I can cook. My lady can cook. All of my friends can cook very well, thank you.

Then there are times when you're reminded when you might want to splurge, and step out to dinner. 

What makes it worth the spend? For me, it's a combination of things. 

I want good service. Pamper me. I expect good, attentive service. A lot of restaurants deliver on this front, some do not.I want good food. I want better food than I can cook at home. Maybe even better drinks than I can make at home. I'm not too shabby at that, either.

The last thing, and maybe the most important thing, is that maybe I want to feel like I'm going out, maybe getting dressed, being seen, and experiencing other people, being absorbed into the fuzzy, white noise buzz of a busy city. I think that might be the most essential part of dining out.You can get that in San Francisco.

I was offered a comped lunch at Original Joe's North Beach location recently and decided to take them up on the offer. It was fleet week, one of the few occasions when I often make it to North Beach, I love that neighborhood, but it's not easy to get there from Oakland.

I made a reservation for Saturday on a Fleet Week Saturday, hoping to catch the Blue Angels air show after lunch. I knew if was a longshot, but Alexis from Wagstaff made it happen. Took BART from West Oakland to Powell Street Station, met up with my friend Sean, and we hoofed it through Chinatown to North Beach.

Original Joe's has a few locations around the bay, and for whatever reason the Westlake version seems especially popular. I visited the North Beach location last year for an afternoon cocktail, and was struck with what a well-oiled machine this restaurant, and I guess just the overall professionalism of the whole enterprise. Nursing a second martini in the packed restaurant, I just kept marveling at how smooth everything was running.

Joe's Margarita with Grand Marnier Float

House Tanqueray Gin Martini with Blue Cheese Olives.

The place was PACKED. Occasionally you'd hear a glass break. Not one server was fazed for a moment.

My girlfriend and I talked about it afterwards (she worked in food and beverage for a long time). She said "You'll always get the best service in the restaurant that is busy all the time. It's the places that aren't busy where you get the worst service."

When you think about it, it makes a lot of sense. Places that do steady business attract the talent, and the talent wants to hustle and make some money. Slow restaurants have servers that are staring at their phones.

As expected, on my most recent visit to Original Joe's in the middle of a fleet week weekend a few days ago, the service was on point. Never overbearing, just ultra-professional. Never an empty glass, never an abandoned plate. We had a Dungeness Crab Louie  salad, and a delicious Prime Rib Dip sandwich (with fries included, of course). We told the waiter we were splitting them, and our server directed the kitchen to split the order onto separate plates (extra points for that). These are half portions:

Prime Rib Dip Sandwich (1/2 Serving)

Crab Louie Salad (1/2 serving)

Everything was great. The sourdough table bread they get from Boudin Bakery was just right: chewy, crusty and a great example of how superb the baking culture is in the bay. 

The service was above and beyond all of my expectations, but that's what you get when you have waiters wearing bow ties and vests, as well as a GM that is seriously checking in on every table.That's probably more than anyone should expect these days, but it is not a lost art. It's something you can still get at some of the old school places in San Francisco, like Original Joe's or House of Prime Rib. 

For anyone visiting San Francisco and wanting the legit experience, or even if you're a native, Original Joe's delivers. You get booths, servers in vests and ties, and remarkably big servings. I'm talking superb Crab Louie salad, expertly picked with zero shells (which is kind of a big deal for me), killer martinis, the whole shebang, all served with a smile, making you feel like you're the most important person in the world. Maybe that's what makes it worth going out these days. 

I should add that the portions were pretty huge. The fries that came with the prime rib dip were well-cooked and crispy. I detest under-cooked french fries, and these were not that. The fries were perfectly browned and crispy, and well-seasoned.

We left the restaurant, walked a couple of blocks toward the bay, bagged a couple of Stellas from a corner store, and pretty soon were told that the Blue Angels show had been cancelled due to clouds. Temporarily dejected, we walked back toward toward downtown, making a quick stop at Li Po in Chinatown, one of my favorite SF haunts (you can skip the Chinese Mai Tai, trust me). 

I could have used a deafening, dramatic airshow, but all-in-all, it was a pretty damn good day in San Francisco.

 

 

Interview and tasting with Bibiana González Rave, Winemaker for Cattleya, Alma de Cattleya and Shared Notes

On September 17, 2004 I did an interview and tasting with Bibiana, a winemaker that has been on my radar for several years because she makes truly outstanding wines. 

We were supposed to meet up in 2020, and if your 2020 was anything like mine, you won't be surprised to hear that things didn't exactly work out as planned. It was nice to finally meet her, if only via Zoom this year (video below). She's a genuinely interesting person and a winemaker, so I hope you watch some of the video. This is my first video interview for this blog so this one started a bit late and it's a little sloppy, but I will try to improve these video interviews and video editing skills...

We tasted a handful of wines that she makes in very small quantities under the Cattleya and Shared Notes brands (most of these wines are 100 to 150 cases per wine). These are pretty expensive wines, but they are so good that they do have an overseas audience. We discuss this in the Zoom interview (link below).

Bibiana also makes some very affordable wines under the Alma de Cattleya label that are produced in a bit larger quantities that sell for $25 to $30 a bottle. They are well worth seeking out if you are an American consumer. They are fresh, direct, and beautifully-made Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Rosé wines that over-deliver for the money.

She has worked at a calvacade of outstanding wineries. Her first internship was at Haut Brion in Bordeaux. She worked at Ogier in Côte Rotie, did time in Burgundy, Peay and Lynmar in Sonoma. That's a sick CV, and her experience shows in every wine that she makes. They are technically excellent, terroir-driven wines with great acidity and balance that reflects her knowledge of what great wines should taste like.

The Shared Notes wines are made in partnership with her husband Jeff Pisoni, himself a second-generation winemaker from the Central Coast Santa Lucia Highlands. The Shared Notes 2023 Sauvignon Blanc is a good argument for two heads are better than one rather than there are too many cooks in the kitchen. We talked about this a bit as well.

Here are some reviews of recent releases as well as an un-edited recording of most of our interview, including painful footage of me trying to work through a wax capsule on the Shared Notes Sauvignon Blanc.

 Here is most of my Zoom interview with Bibiana, and full reviews of the wines we tasted follow. (Full disclosure, I despise wax capsules.) I hope you will enjoy my interview with one of California's best up-and-coming winemakers!

Also note... as we cut into this conversation, Bibiana is discussing how it's tough for the best California wines to find a place in New York, but they're finding an audience overseas in Japan and the UK. 

WATCH THE CONVERSATION HERE:

https://youtu.be/8nyUfsCOct8

Shared Notes 2023 Les Pierres Qui Décident Russian River Valley ($90) A brilliant example of contemporary California Sauvignon Blanc with honeydew melon, gooseberry, grapefruit, and lemongrass notes. It is unfiltered, unfined, and mouth-filling, but racy and mouth-watering with a pH of a bit over 3.0. Killer. Only 99 cases produced. (95 Points)

Cattleya 2022 The Temptress Chardonnay Russian River Valley ($75) Tempting indeed. Like the best Contemporary California Chardonnay, this is luscious, decadent, and also focused and grounded. It shows a good bit of fine french oak in the decadent hazenut and caramel notes that hit you right away. Then you get orange, apricot, and lemon curd flavors that carry through the nutty finish. This is a very California wine, and not nearly reductive and Burgundian in technique as, say, a Chardonnay from Ramey. It's expressive, cozy, and delicious. 185 cases produced. (94 Points)

 

Cattleya 2022 Belly of the Whale Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast ($85) This wine comes from the Sea ___ vineyard, which is at an elevation about 1,300 feet overlooking the Pacific near Petaluma in Sonoma County. These kind of sites are above the fog-line, and constitute a unique, exciting terroir that extends all the way up to Mendocino County. Because these elevated sites are usually pretty rocky, you usually get some nervy wines from them. I wouldn't describe this wine that way. This one is supple and plush, with black cherry, black tea, plum flavors and some mild conifer aromas. After re-visiting this wine later in the day, I appreciate its umami notes, but I find myself wondering whether it could have been picked a little earlier. It's really good, but drink sooner rather than later. 115 cases produced. (92 Points)

Cattleya 2022 The Goddess Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast ($125)  This is a spectacular wine because it separates itself from comparatively boring alternatives like a firework display. The flavor profile of this wine is all over the map. It has wild berry brambly notes, hints of pepper, pennyroyal herb, red cherry, and blackberry. If there were a mineral bit in the mouth of this bucking bronco of a wine, it might be one of the best wines I've ever had, but it's a little tame on the finish. This is a roller-coaster that you want to ride. 120 cases produced. (96 Points)

 

 

Cattleya 2022 The Initiation Syrah Santa Lucia Highlands ($70)  Bibiana did some time working in Cote Rotie in the northern Rhone, so she knows what Syrah is supposed to taste like. This wine is in that pocket, smoky, sultry, deep, and savory. It is also a very California wine at the end of the day, and it does have a bit of a syrupy finish. I experience notes of brown sugar, a hint of bacon, rasbperry, blackberry, menthol, and wood. It's rich, savory, long, and lavish. 99 cases produced. (92 Points) 

Shared Notes 2022  Les Leçons des Maîtres ($75) Bordeaux-inspired blend of 75% Sauvignon Blanc and 25% Semillon that hits all the bases. Brisk acidity and good body, with zesty lime, grapefruit notes fading into fuller honeydew melon and subtle honey notes, all within an compact frame netting out at just around 13% alcohol. There's little obvious new oak, and the wine really sings. 195 cases produced. (94)

My Nostalgia Wine: Bolla Valpolicella Classico

When I was a teen in the early 1980's, my parents had a few go-to red wines that always seemed to be on the dinner table. My folks were not wine experts, but they liked wine, and had a few daily-drivers. One was Mouton Cadet Red Bordeaux. Another was Corvo, a red blend from Sicily, and they also often bought Bolla Valpolicella and Bardolino from Veneto, Italy.

My parents were born in Kansas. Rural Kansas. Very far from wine country. But they were ambitious. My mother had worked in a test kitchen developing recipes. My father had worked at a family grain elevator, earned a music degree, joined the army and played trombone and conducted in the army band during the Vietnam war era. 

My dad got into the life insurance business, and we moved to Milwaukee when I was very young, then we moved to Louisville, KY so that he could begin to build a local agency of his own. He was relentless, and very successful.

Wine became a staple at our dining room table. This was becoming a mark of sophistication in the late 1970's and 1980's. You drink wine at dinner. My parents were social climbers, and adept ones at that. They worked hard, and were willing to learn. We had neighbors that moved in from New York, and they definitely interested my parents more in art and wine. I was just watching.

They'd usually encourage me to try a taste or two once I was 14 or so. Sometimes I was at the dinner table, sometimes my younger brother were just milling about the margins of the company. I remember liking the lighter-weight Italian wines, particularly Bolla's Valpolicella. 

My friends drank beer, so that's mostly what I drank, too. As a teenager in Kentucky, you'll also cross paths with bourbon, which I largely pushed back (except on Derby days) until I was in my forties. 

I think I began to dabble in wine again in college. I specifically remember buying a cheap bottle of Valpolicella toward the end of my college stay and thinking, "I really love this!" Maybe it was just nostalgia, but in retrospect, I truly believe that Valpolicella is one of the absolute best starter red wines for anyone just beginning to develop an interest in wine. 

We all have our own paths through the universe of wine. There is an introduction, and usually, at some point, some taste of something that is a complete revelation. And then there is everything in-between.

 Thanks to my pal Shelby at Colangelo PR, I was recently able to revisit a bottle of Valpolicella Classico from Bolla.

Bolla 2023 Valpolicella Classico ($14) Medium-bodied and translucent, and fruity on the palate with violet, sour cherry, black pepper, and balsamico notes, it's a youthful (harvested only a year ago) wine that's easy-drinking and uncomplicated. It's not a great wine, but it's a good wine, definitely interesting, enjoyable, and reflective of the variety Corvina and the Veneto Valpolicella terroir. It's also a very versatile wine with food. I wish California produced more medium-weight wines like this, to be honest. It tastes like home.

Simonsig 2023 Chenin Blanc South Africa ($15)

Chenin Blanc is the classic white grape of South Africa, and the country still has over 40,000 acres planted to the grape (although that has declined some in the last couple of decades. South Africa produces some lovely Chenin, and this is a great example at a very fair price. Simonsig's is not terribly dramatic in the nose (typical of Chenin), but it's fresh, zesty, and bright with subtle asian pear and citrus flavors. It would make a great match with raw oysters or ceviche. Imported by Quintessential. (90 Points)

- Tim Teichgraeber

 

Geyser Peak 2022 Sauvignon Blanc California ($14)

This brand elevated reasonably-priced Sauvignon Blanc back in the '90s and '00s. Then, sadly, the brand was sold as part of a transaction involving many brands, and for the next twenty years the brand was kicked around to a series of owners until it pretty much bottomed-out in 2020, when Geyer Peak was acquired by Quintessential Wines, the current owner. It's nice to see the brand back in the marketplace these days, and the Sauvignon Blanc still delivers good value for an under $15 price tag. The 2022 vintage has ripe apple, pink grapefruit, and lime leaf notes delivered in a fresh, crisp style. (87 Points)

- Tim Teichgraeber

 

Raeburn 2022 High Flier Chardonnay Russian River Valley ($30)

As I've written previously, I usually find Raeburn's Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs to deliver pretty good bang-for-the-buck, and I find a lot to like in this recent release as well. On the one hand, it has fairly exotic cantaloupe and pineapple fruit flavors. One the other hand, it's a very tangy, mouth-watering citric wine. It is matured in French, American and Hungarian oak barrels. The latter can lend a fairly intense chocolatey or nutty flavor sometimes, but the oak isn't overwhelming here. I do wonder if this wine might have been acidified a bit (had some tartaric or malic acid added), just because it seems a tad disjointed, but it might have needed that mild correction (and it's hardly a crime if it makes the wine better). 88 Points

- Tim Teichgraeber

 

Sonoma-Cutrer 2021 "Les Plus Haut" Pinot Noir Russian River Valley ($70)

This is a really interesting bottling from Sonoma-Cutrer's 'Winemaker's Rease' program of limited edition releases. The name translates to "the most elevated," because the fruit comes from the highest blocks of the estate-owned Owsley Ranch and Vine Hill Vineyards. The leaner soils of these sites make for a deeply-colored, highly-structured Pinot Noir that is a far cry from your typical lowland Goldridge Loam grown Pinot Noir. This is not plush, or sweet Pinot. It is powerful and age-worthy, but still very well-balanced and correct.It's loaded with deep blackberry, red currant, and red cherry fruit, but also has nice conifer and tarragon aromas that give it some lift. It's velvety, as Pinot Noir should be, but it definitely has a backbone and a long live ahead of it. It's a gutsy, indelicate Pinot Noir that really wants some slow-cooked beef, and I have to say, I really like it. (95 Points)

 - Tim Teichgraeber