In a space that housed Julia’s and Winterland, both which received wide culinary acclaim yet had extremely rocky soap-opera like pasts, it was a delight to dine at Cassis, hopefully the last reincarnation at the corner of Sutter & Steiner.

The charming co-owners, Jerome and Stephane Meloni, had me at “Bonjour,” (although the grand-opening complimentary Blanc Cassis cocktail, a white wine cocktail mixed with crème de cassis liqueur, certainly didn’t hurt matters!)

The Meloni brothers grew up with an appreciation for good food and wine from their Italian father and French mother, and share more than 20 years of combined food and hospitality experience. Before opening Cassis, they previously owned and operated two restaurants in Antibes, France.

Here in San Francisco, they look forward to sharing with their guests the authentic home cooking inspired by their childhood in the South of France. (It was adorable to see Manager Jerome’s eyes light up when he recommended the Tuna Tartare and then launched into a story about how he used to go fishing with his father “who caught one this big,” or when Chef Stephane came out of the kitchen enthusiastically regaling us with all the ideas he had for upcoming menus.)

Cassis offers traditional bistro food from the South of France, including both French and Italian-inspired dishes from the owners’ hometown of Nice. The menu features regional dishes such as a decadent Duck Confit, Pissaladière - the traditional Niçoise onion tart (and one ot the best I’ve ever had) and a hearty Daube Niçoise (beef stew cooked with red wine and herbs), along with a variety of pasta dishes and Neapolitan-style thin crust pizza. (I definitely am going to try the brick-oven baked lasagne or rigatoni casserole next time.)

I’m not sure if the pizza tasted extra-specially good because of the freshness of the ingredients on the thin, blistered crust or because it’s called ” La Pizza!” And no matter what entree you order, be sure and beg for a side of the ethereal zucchini gratin.

This unpretentious yet stylish bistro is exactly what Pac Heights was needing, and I bet that their Tarte Tatin, alone, is all that is needed to break the corner’s curse.

Cassis serves dinner Tuesday through Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 5:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m, and Sunday from 5:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. (closed on Mondays). Lunch service and outdoor sidewalk seating is expected to be added in the near future.

Cassis is located at 2101 Sutter Street, San Francisco, California 94115.
Reservations: 415.440.4500.
For more information, please visit www.RestaurantCassis.com.

Mountain View, Where?????????? Part 1

I have to meet an old friend of mine for dinner next week (who’s definitely NOT a foodie — I let a few sneak between the cracks every once in a while, and since he’s a great musician…) who lives in Monterey and we decided we will split the driving difference and meet in Mountain View, Ca. He said he wanted either BBQ or Pizza …which was a complete deja vu moment, since a few weeks ago, could I have taken him to the perfect spot! Only one problem… it was in Mountain View, Arkansas!

When I was writing about my Little Rock trip, I was saving the best for last, which is for the ultimate “time-travel” getaway. Mountain View, Arkansas is one cool quirky lil’ place to have heaps of good southern food and tons of good clean fun! Take the whole family for a rollicking vacation that will have you reliving the John Boy Walton Good Ol’ Days-but it’s for real!

ONE WARNING… (which I so wish someone had told me in advance, so I could have snuck in supplies!) M.V., Arkansas is a completely DRY territory — for MILES around. Shamelessly, I bribed some ol’ timer with a little kiss, (only on the cheek) in exchange for a little of his moonshine!

I’m covering my best meals in Part 1 (natch!) and in Part 2, I’ll let you in on a wonderful place to stay and take in the local sites!

The dinner spot for my friend I was referring to is Tommy’s Famous, which is a funky small-town place with a mighty big (and well-deserved) rep for serving not only the BEST Pizza around, but also the BEST BBQ! So, this is what folks living in the Ozarks call a balanced meal: One of Tommy’s pizzas (the “Fatboy” came so heavily loaded with goodies that you could barely lift it up to your mouth) and a rack of Hickory Smoked Baby Back Ribs surrounded by sides of meaty BBQ Beans, Coleslaw, and corn muffins!

(As a nod to all you “dieters” you can save some calories and still get all the flavor when you order Tommy’s special “BBQ” Pizza-the best of both worlds!)

It does take a little getting used to — trying to decide if you want to wash down all this goodness with a Dr. Pepper, Mountain Dew, or Non-Alcoholic Beer (yuk)!

Waddling my way to bed, like a Peabody duck, I was amazed that after a great night’s sleep, breathing with all that fresh Ozark mountain air, I woke up ready to take on a country breakfast… which worked our perfectly since that’s where we were headed. When you order the Bluegrass Special Breakfast at Country Time Dining & More, (complete with REAL PROFESSIONAL waitresses) your eggs come with your choice of meats and hash browns and biscuits and country gravy (for $4.29). But you’ll hate yourself if you don’t save a little room for a slice of their homemade pie (only $1.95!). We stopped at the display case on the way in, eyeballing all the flavors, and settled on sharing a slice… of every flavor! (At Only $1.95, why not?) Though they were all delish with their incredibly flaky old-fashioned lard crusts, my favorite was the mile-high coconut cream!

TOMMY’S FAMOUS Detroit-style (ingredients under the cheese, thick crust) pizza, barbecued ribs, great cole slaw.
A: Highway 66 West, Mountain View, AR. No alcohol.
T: 870-269-3278

COUNTRY TIME DINING &ampp; MORE
A: 503 Sylamore Drive, Mountain View, 75260
T: 870-269-4136
A place where you will find good country food and Ozark hospitality!

Photo Caption: Mountain View locals keeping it real with Diet Drinks!

Mountain View, Where?????????? Part 3 Night

There are a variety of good spots to stay while visiting Mountain View, Arkansas, including some lovely B & B’s. Country Oaks Bed & Breakfast gives you a choice between their Victorian farm house and an oak timber-framed Carriage House, nestled among 69 acres of majestic oaks, pastoral fields, and a large private lake. Good choice if you want peace and quiet.

But next time, I’m staying right in town at the brand-spankin’ new Pinewood Cabins. These immaculate cabins provide the perfect Pioneer ambiance with every modern convenience imaginable — cable tv, fireplaces, full kitchens, & swimming pool. Each is tastefully furnished with period pieces, homey quilts, local arts and crafts–even your jaded teens would love it! (Tip: with prices starting at only $75/nite, I’d suggest getting them their own cabin and reserving one of your own, perhaps one with a private Jacuzzi for a little old-fashioned romance.)

But before you get too cozy in your cabin, walk down main street, as the sun is setting on the town square, for the musical experience of a lifetime- “Pickin’ in the Park.” You’ll soon appreciate why Mountain View is called the “Folk Music Capital of the World.”

At the end of the day, when the weather’s right (which includes almost any night except possibly if a tornado’s coming), this small town of under 3,000 people comes alive with pickers and listeners congregating at their favorite corner. There are no tickets to buy (it’s all free), no stages (if you don’t count one group of musicians consisting of a sheriff, a retired lawyer, a music teacher, and a teenage girl, who had driven up from Louisiana to join in the pickin’ from the back of their old pickup truck), no booze (most folks bring their own folding chairs to sit a spell, maybe sip a cold soda, and definitely break for a double scoop ice-cream cone).

From babies to old geezers, fun was had by all, and it was easy to get lulled into their version of channel surfing. When you got tired on listening to one group, you simply pick up and mosey down the block hear another sound. You’ll pass signs like “Aunt Minnie’s Pickin’ Porch-all Pickers Welcome” or BBQ Stands selling green fried tomatoes, or hot Frito Pie (which when I asked exactly what it was, the reply was “Honey, you ain’t lived till you try a Frito Pie, bless your lil heart”).

Melodies range from country ballads to bluegrass, folk to gospel, played on a variety of instruments: mandolins, guitars, dulcimers, banjos and the occasional Dobro. It was hysterical watching a local 5 year old boy belt out his “Here, Rattler, Here” song, complete with a wide range of animal noises, backed up by his family playing the “Lord’s Music”, as well as listening to some famous old- timers with scores of their CD’s available at the town music shop, playing alongside folks “from off” who have moved to the Mountain View area just to be part of the music scene.

Read this in-depth gem of a story on the music scene here.

How To Become A Cheese Whiz :: Sara Vivenzio’s The Cheese School, San Francisco

If Pink is the new Black, then Cheese is the new Wine, and Sommeliers will have to make room for Affineurs*. And if you don’t know what an Affineur is, then Sara Vivenzio’s The Cheese School of San Francisco will make the perfect alma mater.

I don’t think I’ve ever taken more notes or learned so much, or left a class with such a happy belly. Intimate classes are held in a bright, sunny room, and include detailed handouts, plentiful tasting samples, red and white wines, and a variety of “go-withs” such as fresh and dried fruit, Marcona Almonds, breads and preserves.

Sara was a professional cheese monger and buyer for Cheese Plus, a wonderful store a few doors down. She has recruited a talented roster of experts, such as my “teach”, Judy Creighton, an enthusiastic cheese educator and former owner of cheese and wine shops in San Francisco for over 25 years.

Novices can start at the beginning with Cheese 101, comprising of four courses: a Basic Cheese Primer, Cheese Selection, Service and Storage, and Cheese and Wine Pairing. However, true to form, I jumped in feet first, to a wonderfully stinky class: Extreme Cheese, which featured an incredible, international selection of Big, Bad Boys!

Our tasting started with Truf, a new chevre from Piedmont, Italy that was lightly infused with black truffles, and ten cheeses, later we finished with the award-winning Rogue Creamery Echo Mountain Blue cheese from Oregon. My fav, though, was an ooozing, dripping delight, Serra Da Estrela, a raw sheep’s milk cheese from Portugal, that Judy aptly described as “a thoroughbred just raring to get out of the gate.” (Priced at over $50 a pound, I’d better win big at the races to support my new habit!)

And trust me, after one two-hour class, you will be hooked. Not only will you have an enjoyable evening (some students brought their significant other–good idea for a fun & seductive date)! but you will cultivate a new appreciation for artisanal cheeses after tasting such superb examples and learning how they were made. For my next class it’s a toss–up between Ga-Ga for Goat, or For the Love of Chocolate. But I’m warning you… CLASSES SELL OUT REALLY QUICKLY! Check out their website for the latest offerings.

(*Affineur roughly translates to Master Cheese Ager.)

The Cheese School of San Francisco
A: 1555 Pacific Avenue, 2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94109
T: 415-346-7530
W: www.cheeseschoolsf.com

P.S. Wouldn’t this make a GREAT Father’s Day Gift?

A travesty of justice? A litmus test for the class hierarchy in America? Is this discussion only feeding the fires of faux celebrity? Paris Hilton’s jail sentence has been the judge’s gavel heard round the world. Diva Nation, what are your thoughts?

* A Little History 

What got her here in the first place? According to ABC News, Hilton got busted for a DUI, driving under the influence of alcohol, about a year ago. She pleaded not guilty, got a misdemeanor charge and a license suspension, which she had to sign acknowledging that she knew she wasn’t allowed to drive.

She got caught driving twice in the next two months (signed document in her glove compartment), speeding around in her new Bentley. The charges were stacking up like bundles of money in the Hilton coffers: violating probation and driving with a suspended license.

Now LA was in a pickle. They had to do something about this wayward heiress who viewed her charges with about as much respect as last season’s Prada. As you know, they sent her off to jail last Monday. 

For her protection, they stuck her in solitary confinement, a cell smaller than her sprawling closet, where she was stuck 23 hours a day for the next 23 days (those pesky other 22 days of her original sentence disappeared on the wind like furs in springtime).

* Paris Released! 

Suddenly, the next thing we knew, Paris was out of jail after only 3 days! She returned home under mansion-arrest with a fabulous little bauble on her ankle that the cops could monitor. Ouch! Forty days stuck on her Hollywood estate? Brutal! The get-out-of-jail-free card? A mysterious medical ailment, possibly psychiatric.

A media frenzy followed. Last night, on ABC World News, Charles Gibson considered this travesty of justice and told the harrowing tale of an African-American family torn apart by the same system. An anguished mother’s paraplegic son was sent to jail for smoking pot (don’t ask me how or why), and despite obvious medical concerns and the need for 24-hour care, was not allowed to return home under house arrest as a humane option. He died 5 days later.

Smarmy hot shot lawyer Mark Geragos of Scott Peterson successful defense fame objects. He, and others who may actually have souls, feels that celebutante Paris’ fame worked against her. It got her that harsh sentence in the first place. Forty-five days is unheard of for such a minor offense as driving around wasted in the killing machines we know as cars. He says, "Dont pick on Paris!" Most mortals would have been out of jail in hours, not days.

Jail is scary, and solitary confinement for a socialite is cruel and unusual. One hour a day to talk on the phone? As if!

* Er, Paris Sent Back to Jail? Huh? 

Today, however, mighty Justice tipped her scales again and poor Paris was sent back to jail for the full, original 45-day sentence. She was re-sentenced in a courtroom to which she originally believed she could just call in and have a sort of conference call until law enforcement cuffed her up and mussed her up and brought her to court. Paris was very emotional at the surprising outcome; the Internet is awash in videos of her tribulations. The raw footage is awful.

* Paris v Martha Stewart 

Remember another famous femme who tangled with the law and lost, Martha Stewart? At dinner last night after Mona Brooks’ fabulous gallery show reception, Bridget Cunningham from San Francisco magazine brilliantly began to compare Martha Stewart’s experiences to the Paris Hilton debacle. That got me thinking about the similarities and differences between these two attacks on Divas.

That ridiculous witch hunt in which the boys of Wall Street closed ranks and sacrificed Stewart revealed another side of the Dominatrix of Domesticity. Martha summoned every ounce of her innate grace and dignity and thus served out her unjust sentence, even befriending other women in the detention center.

Enter Paris, 26 years old, perhaps oblivious to the ways of the world? Sheltered and unversed in crime, punishment and consequences? While a scattered few reports of a dignified first night in confinement for Paris exist, is the world a better place for having played a high stakes hide-and-seek jailer’s game with Paris’ psyche until she broke? Is that what we wanted? Is justice now served?

And are courts at the mercy of the media? The court overturned its decision after a grand public outcry against privielege and a clearly delineated double justice system, one for the wealthy and another for everyone else. Yet who feels vindicated amidst the squalor of raw footage of hysterical Paris breaking down in public?

* Focusing on Paris, Forgetting the G8 Summit 

And a final note: is it just me, or does massive celebrity gossip only spring up when the government wants us to look the other way? Is it coincidence that this is all happening during the G8 summit in Germany? As the US, Russia, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Italy and Japan convene, our attention is forcibly wrenched away from the real world towards an inane, insane imaginary one.

Where justice is really a travesty is here. Putin and Bush clash over a post-Cold War arms race in Europe (dude, where can I park my anti-missile defense system?); Bush again habitually avoids environmental and climate change agreements thus crushing most global efforts.

There’s that movie, Paris is Burning. So is justice, our priorities, the environment, and global peace.

Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder has coined the term "nature-deficit disorder." In April 2005, The New York Times published an article describing Louv’s concern that children these days are Growing Up Denatured. 

In light of this, I’d like to take this opportunity to tell you about a very special place that can help break the vicious cycle that is "denaturing" our children. Each summer traditional camps such as Camp Unalayee in Northern California’s Trinity Alps not only work to connect campers with the wonders of nature but also provide them with a wilderness experience that teaches self-sufficiency, self-reliance and ultimately builds confidence and nurtures a positive self-esteem.

Camp Unalayee was founded in 1949 in the coastal mountain range above Santa Cruz, California. Unalayee was originally started by the American Friends, and while an independent organization since 1956, the camp still holds peace, community and nature as high ideals.  In 1960 the camp moved to its current location in the Trinity Alps of Northern California.  In 1968 the lands around the property in the Shasta-Trinity forest were designated an official primitive area.  In 1985 when the Trinity Alps Wilderness area was officially created and their land holding was "grand-fathered" and allowed to remain private.

Their mission is to bring together children from all walks of life to learn the lessons of respect for nature and community, as well as sharing the joys of camping and backpacking. 

Children age 10-17 are picked up in the San Francisco Bay Area and driven by bus to the campsite. Once their, live in small communities of 8-10 children, called tribes. Campers sleep beneath the stars, cook their own meals over an open fire, divvy up chores and hike out to a natural lake each day. The “Leave No Trace” philosophy teaches children an appreciation for nature. These personal competencies are reflected in the four "C’s" of the camp community: compassion, contribution, commitment, and character.

We think it’s great that organizations and corporate America is “going green,” added Lowell Fitch, director of Camp Unalayee.  “We applaud and support their very important efforts but this is actually something we’ve been teaching our campers for more than 50 years.”

Here is an excerpt from a letter written by Sam a 13-year old Camp U camper: "Camp had been everything I wanted and more. I made more friends in two weeks then I normally do in a semester of school.  (At Camp U) I learned the value of simplicity. As cheesy as it sounds I felt a definite sense of fulfillment."

There is still plenty of time to enroll for summer 2007. There is space in each of the three summer sessions. To learn more about Camp U or to find out how to enroll, visit www.gocampu.org