gastronomy

New York-based chef and author of critically acclaimed memoir Blood, Bones and Butter, Gabrielle Hamilton flew to London to cook with her British counterpart Angela Hartnett for the first of three consecutive dinners celebrating female culinary talent. Created by Hartnett and leading food writer Fiona Sims, Girls Night Out kicked off at 1 Lombard Street with the chefs cooking a heartfelt, cadent menu reflecting their shared passion for Italian food, with wines matched by acclaimed sommelier Dawn Davies. “Knowing a bit about Gabrielle’s food, I thought it was similar to what I do—it’s not about presentation, but it’s good, honest cooking,” explains Hartnett, who offered a dish of roasted monkfish tail, creamed chicory, smoked paprika and chicken wing followed by a light, textured dessert of chocolate ganache crumble, passion fruit sorbet and mint. The current holder of the prestigious title of James Beard NYC Chef of the Year for her East Village eatery Prune, Hamilton's starter of pasta kerchief with poached egg, French ham and brown butter, is a signature dish at her restaurant, whose hectic brunches set her up for the hefty task of poaching eggs for 150 people. “I did feel an instant camaraderie, I think because everyone’s at the top of their game—there’s no aspiring junior,” she says. “We had not met before, but Angela was already pulling me into her bosom, giving me a kiss on the forehead.” Neither chef will be drawn into the male versus female chef conversation, but Hartnett was adamant about one thing: “If you didn’t know who’d cooked that food would you think it was particularly feminine? No, you wouldn’t––you’d just think, ‘that’s a good dish.’”

For Gabrielle Hamilton's famous Boiled Beef Dinner recipe, visit our Facebook page. 

Sibling vintners Andrew and Adam Mariani give photographer Luke Gilford a tour of Scribe Winery, located in the foothills of Sonoma County’s Arrowhead Mountain. Founded in 2007 by elder brother Andrew, Scribe is breathing new life into a property that was once a frontier vineyard, prohibition-era bootlegging outpost and brothel, and more recently a failing turkey farm. “I see this place as a palimpsest of California history and feel lucky to be adding another layer,” says Andrew. Intent on reviving Scribe’s heritage, the winemakers released their inaugural sylvaner vintage earlier this month—the first time the wine had been produced in California for 93 years. Renowned for hosting wild parties in the beautifully decayed hacienda-style mansion that is the winery’s jewel, the Marianis specialize in Burgundian grape varieties that do well in the valley’s cool, windy climes. “We're lucky to live in a part of the world where a shit-ton of people appreciate food and wine and are really good at cooking and making it,” says Andrew. They are about to celebrate their latest riesling with a dinner this Sunday evening in the vineyard’s cellars catered by Bay Area Japanese pop-up Peko Peko. Here Andrew reflects on Scribe’s unique charm.

How did you find the property?
I had been making wine at a small winery in Greece. My family has been involved in California agriculture for four generations so I started calling around asking people if they knew of anything available. We ended up finding this nasty old turkey farm, and with a lot of work and patience (replacing 17 turkey sheds with 35 acres of vines), it's turned out to be a pretty beautiful place.

Can you give us a brief history of the place?
It was originally founded as a vineyard in 1858 by a German pioneer, Emil Dresel, when California was the Wild West. They had a successful winery called Dresel & Co. until prohibition hit in 1919; then they continued to make wine illegally and bottled the illicit juice in medicine bottles—which we still find on the property from time to time! There is still a bootlegger’s road that goes from the hacienda up and over Arrowhead Mountain to the secluded valley behind it where some distilleries were located. Legend has it that the hacienda became a bootlegger’s country outpost and brothel. 

Tell us about the parties at the hacienda.
The hacienda was built originally in 1858, and then rebuilt after the 1906 earthquake. It’s been abandoned for almost three decades and we're in the midst of renovating it back to its former glory. We have an organization called the Scribe Viticultural Society where members get together to eat and drink. If they can’t make it we send them wine so they can have their own gathering wherever they live. It's all about getting together at a table, eating, drinking and connecting.

What's your favorite season at Scribe?
We live for the fall, the excitement and reward of harvest. We often pick during the night so that the fruit is delivered to the winery cold, at sunrise. Busting your ass under the tractor boom spotlights at 3am with the harvest crew while the rest of world sleeps is a pretty magical feeling.