The Idea: Each month BiteClub will ask readers to submit original recipes in one of 11 categories — from eggs to beef — that use at least ONE local ingredient and showcase your originality, creativity and good taste. I’ll recipe test the most promising submissions and pick one winner each month whose recipe reigns supreme. At the end of the year, we’ll host a cook-off between the winners (but don’t be surprised if a few runners-up show up as well) for the Best Wine Country Recipe.

Best Recipes each month will be eligible for prizes — including restaurant gift certificates and having your dish show up on a local restaurant menu!

That being said, nobody needs to hear me bang the table all over again about how much I love bacon – I mean, really, who doesn’t – so I thought I’d take a different tack and offer up my Top 5 Predictions for Sunday’s big hoo-ha, and invite you to do the same:

The PK Top 5 Predictions for COCHON555

1. There will be more tattoos than pigs at the chefs’ stations.

2. There will be bacon. Lots, and lots, of bacon.

3. Not all diners will appreciate whole-hog butchery.

4. There will be at least one beautiful vegetable. But probably not many more than one.

5. John and Duskie of Zazu, the sole Sonoma chefs in the competition, will represent their County big-time, and walk away with porcine gold.

Who else will I see on Sunday? And what do you think will happen?!

[All photos courtesy of COCHON555]

This fierce competition will feature our own Executive Chef, Justin Wangler, battling against other celebrity chefs from the area. Last year’s winner will return to defend his title!

Each Chef will prepare his own gourmet gumbo dish for you to sample, and you’ll toss Mardi Gras beads to the chef making your favorite recipe. The winning chef receives the prestigious “Golden Crayfish Award” trophy which they will keep for a year. The winning chef also has bragging rights as “The King of Creole Cuisine”.

Tickets are limted and will sell out. Call Connie at 1.800.769.3649 to secure your place at the Smackdown!
Wine Club members : $20 per person
Club Member guests : $25 per person
General Public : $35 per person

Reservations are a good idea, since word is getting out fast…

February 15: Ehren Jordan, Turley Wine Cellars and Failla Wines
February 22: Nik Stez, Woodenhead Vintners
March 1: Phil Staehle, Enkidu Wines
March 8: Aaron & Jesse Inman, Romililly
March 15: Cameron Frey, Ramey Wine Cellars
March 22: Mike Sullivan, Benovia Winery
March 29: Jesse Wurtzel, Jus Soli

Reservations or additional information:
Phone: 707.526.3096

Full details at WillisWinebar.net.

A NOTE ABOUT GIFT CERTIFICATES: We are deeply sorry if you recently purchased a gift certificate-it was never our intention for this to happen. We will do everything in our power to make sure that the certificates are honored by the next owners, it will be written into the contract. Thank you for your patience and understanding, and know that we would never, ever take advantage of you.

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With just a few day’s warning, West County comfort food eatery P/30 has shuttered. On Friday, owners Patrick and Christine Tafoya sent out upbeat notes to Facebook friends and fans offering dining discounts on food and wine with promises of a last group hurrah. But come Monday, the party would be over.

Oozing with charm, family-friendly, casual and mid-priced deals, everything seemed to point to P/30′s success early on. So what happened?

The couple say the decision to close the eighteen-month old restaurant was purely about family, or rather, the lack of it during their brief stint as first-time restaurant owners. Both were almost constant fixtures at the location, while juggling the demands of parenthood and Christine’s design business. Said Patrick on Sunday night from behind his computer: “I am closing the restaurant for the sake of my family.”

Reached on Monday morning, he said he’s feeling a mixed bag of emotions about the closure. “Some moments I feel nothing but relief and excitement about the future. Some moments I’m struck with sorrow and pain from what we’re walking away from,” the chef said. He plans to take some time off and most likely return to the restaurant scene. “It’s what I am and what I know how to do.”

But already a legacy is clear: Kudos for aggressive social networking (which I personally commend and which influenced me significantly), appealing to a diverse cross-section of diners (from young winetasters to families and older couples) and Patrick’s commitment walking the walk with small local producers and pushing the boundaries on creative comfort food. While not every dish always worked, there was clearly passion and love behind the cooking. And for that, P/30 will be remembered.

But the restaurant biz can be brutal, and despite the hard work and commitment of the Tafoyas, some mixed reviews about the menu, the location and the locals may have contributed to it’s ultimate demise…

The Location: Chef insiders had long shared concerns about the remote countryside location half-way between the town of Sebastopol and Bodega. Undoubtedly one of the most charming summer and fall getaways in Wine Country, pros know the road to the coast has less appeal during cold and rainy winter and spring months — especially for notoriously fickle Santa Rosans. The closure of numerous restaurants in the location — most recently Cafe Saint Rose — speaks to the challenge. Tafoya counters: “It’s full of potential. We were never to fully capitalize on that, but in no way is this a doomed location at all.” He plans to offer his services as chef consultant if he can find a buyer.

The Community: Though it’s often been a polarizing discussion, restaurateurs also know that West County success hinges on keeping Sebastapolians coming back on weeknights and through the slow season. Though P/30 seemed to have consistent support within the community, the ghosts of Restaurant Eloise and West County Grill serve as painful reminders to chefs who stumble in the eyes of locals — whether by price, service, attitude or consistency. “Look,” said Tafoya, “The locals have been nothing but kind and supportive. We’ve gotten to know a lot of people and we’ve had nothing but support.”

In the end, a restaurant with so much potential closing is a loss regardless of the reason. Many of us are still smarting over the departure of the Eloise crew and understand the almost insurmountable difficulty of owning a restaurant. So here’s to taking that chance, Patrick and Christine. And here’s to hoping we’ll see you again soon.

Case-in-point: I just got off the phone with Linda, the delightful and very helpful national account manager over at Fiscalini Cheese, the producer of what I believe to be one of America’s finest cheddars as well as an exceptional smoked mozzarella (try it on pizza with spicy sausage and caramelized onions – outrageous), who took time out of her morning to set me straight on a few things:

• Fiscalini often chooses, of their own accord, to restrict distribution to Costco due to capacity constraints and Fiscalini’s need to maintain a diversified distribution base.
• Costco has always respected Fiscalini’s position and, when supply contracts have been negotiated, the economics have been fair and reasonable.

I also got to speak with Ken, the CEO of Redwood Hill (home to one of my favorite goat’s milk cheddars, which happens to be downright revelatory in my Custard Style Mac-N-Cheese, as well as a fantastic Camembert-style cheese called Camellia), who explained that their situation is a little different:

• Their foray into the Costco cheese aisle was only ever intended to be a “pilot” program (Costco apparently does quite a bit of this “rotation”, by design). Ken also emphasized that the program was a great success in terms of sales, that Redwood Hill had the capacity to keep delivering, but when the program ended (after 3 months), that was simply that.
• He also told me that he found the negotiation of the original deal to be fair and that he hoped to be on-board for another program in 2011, and at which point I’ll be stocking up on that ethereal goat’s milk cheddar.

Finally – if for no other reason than because I’d prefer not to be printing retractions all day long – I also rang the lovely Leah at Point Reyes Cheese (producer of what, with its salty tang and pitch-perfect balance between crumbly and creamy, has become my go-to bleu for salads and dressings) who again had a slightly different experience:

• Point Reyes maintains a supply contract with Costco, has the capacity (and desire) to deliver whatever Costco orders, but remains at the mercy of Costco purchasing, and Costco purchasing has historically viewed the Point Reyes produce as a “seasonal specialty item” for the holidays.

I remain in mourning for their absence (yes, I know where I can buy all those cheeses, but I like to buy good local products and I like to be efficient about it), and I sincerely wish that Costco would procure a bit more from my local faves, but I still have to credit them for doing it at all, and I certainly have to admit that my implicit characterization of the big, bad retailer abandoning the small, downtrodden supplier simply wasn’t fair. There, I said it.

If you’ve already got Champagne and caviar lying about, then by all means, use it, with neither apology nor reservation. But here is my contribution, and what all those other NYE shopping lists won’t tell say: Whatever you do, make sure you serve something that will get you lucky. As it happens – to nobody’s surprise, at least if they’re regular readers – we in the Proximal Kitchen are nothing if not opinionated, we love to speculate about which foods and wines are most likely to earn you flirty looks and messier sheets, and we think we’ve got just the ticket: A big, rich, opulent, and very sexy Sonoma County Chardonnay.

I’ve waxed previously about the sundry virtues of the smoking hot Chards fermenting over in my neighboring valley (several columns, starting here), as well what I’m pretty sure must be the only dry white wine to survive dinner service for the Clinton, Bush, and Obama administrations (reference here), so herewith a drive-by post of my Three Bottles Most Likely To Result in Tussled Hair:

1. Selby Winery, 2008 “Dave Selby Reserve”. I love Susie’s wines, she’s a part of the ongoing ascent of women winemakers, and it doesn’t hurt that she and her TR staff are all tasty little numbers themselves (and, to their undying credit, won’t call me a wanton scoundrel for saying so). I particularly like her Chards, as they strike a pitch-perfect balance between creamy oak (100% new French) and crisp fruit (from the western Russian River Valley). Seriously, if the wine is good enough for the Bushes to keep serving it after the Clintons, and the Obamas after the Bushes, then surely it’s good enough to impair (or enhance, depending on your perspective) the judgment of your date?
2. Robert Young Estate Winery, 2008 “Barrel Select”. The full extent of my digital drooling over this wine may be found here, but suffice it to say that, in my personal opinion, there is not a better example of New World Chardonnay at almost any price, and certainly not for less than 2-3 times the cost of this beauty.
3. Ridge Winery, 2007 “Monte Bello”. My only pick from outside the County and, even more unconventionally, one of the rare examples of the extraordinary Chardonnays being grown up in the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA (I could just as easily picked one of the “Estate” designates from Mount Eden or Varner, but I’ve had a soft spot for Ridge since my days as a slug, and they have a tasting room right here in Healdsburg, so they win the push). Very different, in all sorts of good ways, from the Napa and Sonoma juice further north, and a great example of what cooler climate, mountain grown whites can be like in the New World (as well as the less conventional practice, typical at Ridge, of using primarily American oak). Rich and creamy, to be sure, but with a well defined and steely backbone of acidity – American’s Next Top Model, but with some muscle mass and a brain to back it all up.

If you’re still wondering what to cook with all of this, you could do a lot worse than Gently Scrambled Eggs with Naughty Whipped Cream - get some really nice, local eggs (we have lots of good local egg farmers, but my favorite oeufs come from Wyeth Acres); very gently scramble them, until the reach a custard-like consistency; and top them with some of that Salty Vodka Whipped Cream (see previous recipe link). If you’ve already got that caviar lying about, by all means, gild the lily – the salty, buttery pop of the fish roe will pair perfectly with the vodka, cream and eggs, and the contrasts in temperature and texture really complete the dish. Any of those Chards would pair perfectly, as would Champagne – particularly a blanc de blanc. And, most of all, someone is going to feel very flattered by all of this, after which you can thank me in the morning.

However, Karen & Chris Bertrand, owners of the Glen Ellen Inn Oyster Grill & Martini Bar want folks to know they’re still very much in business and are not affiliated with the Glen Elly folks.

“We woke up this morning with the phone ringing and it has been ringing all day!” said the owners, who fear that friends and customers may think they’re the ones throwing in the towel.

So be assured, their restaurant and secret cottages are still around and they’re eager to see you.

Glen Ellen Inn, Oyster & Martini Bar 13670 Arnold Drive | Glen Ellen, Sonoma, Ca | 95442
Restaurant: (707) 996-6409 | Secret Cottages: (707) 996-1174

4505 Meats Chicharrones

Schools Plus Dancing Bear Salsa
Eat salsa and help Santa Rosa’s school kids fund sports, music and art. Available at at G&G, Oliver’s, WHole Foods, Pacific Market and Molsberry’s.

Breville Pie Maker
Pie is the new cupcake. Bake up to four individual pies at the same time. $79.95 at Williams Sonoma

BR Cohn Virtual Tasting Kit
A stroke of brilliance. Bruce Cohn does a virtual wine tasting through 6 50 ml bottles of his wine. This fun kit is a great way to taste with friends or just share Wine Country. Unfortunately, the kits have been so popular they’ve sold out, but will be available again in January — so give a coupon. $22.

The Compost Cookie From Momofuku Milk Bar
Everything but the kitchen sink goes into these cultish cookies from NYC’s Momofuku. Pretzels, potato chips, coffee, oats, butterscotch, chocolate chips
butter, unbleached wheat flour, sugar, brown sugar, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, graham crumbs, pretzels, potato chips, whole oats, cream, milk powder, coffee grounds…and more. $10 tin from momofukustore.com/cookies.html

Sock monkey wine cover
Nothing says class like a sock monkey. Cover your wine bottle in style. $9.95 at Sur La Table

Terra Sonoma Verjus
A French word meaning “green juice” it is used to add zest and flavor to cooking from salads to marinades, for braising and in sauces. Use Verjus instead of lemon juice or vinegar for a more delicate acidity. Terra Sonoma Verjus is produced in limited quantities, made from green, semi -ripe wine grapes that are picked from their vineyards to allow the remaining grapes to ripen more evenly for winemaking. $18 at Jimtown Store

La Caja China Roasting Box
Our favorite chefs love these old school roasting boxes. Line with charcoal and throw the whole hog in. Several hours later, you’ve got a barbecue to remember. $319 at http://www.lacajachina.com/

What are you dying to get for the holidays?