The Good Food Italy at Your Table event.by Filippo BartolottaI know it looks like I have been a bit of a lazy bum, but let me assure you: it ain't like that!In the last six days we have travelled four times zones and held six Italy at Your Table events:New York, San Francisco, Saint Antonio, Santa Barbara. Yesterday Benedetta and I decided to rent a standard car and drive on highway 101 and 1 to San Francisco. My standard Car:) just kidding!

We had to stop in Carmel as we ran out of batteries!!!This wasn't too bad an idea though, as you can see by yourself:)

At last a little rest, fresh and clean Ocean walks and some time to work on the back office of Italy at Your Table. In a few days we have to be in Sonoma -with Lisa and Diana- and then at the Napa Valley Reserve for other important events.I will give a chronological account of the Road Show trying not too miss all the great people, chefs, foods and wines I met! Meanwhile thank Aj for the great Falafel and the great wines in NYC, I still need to give a full report on the major 1960's tasting of the Old-World we had together!This is an example of what we have opened:1961 Faiveley Latricieres Chambertin

Then I had the craziest Italian Oldie ever tried in my life with George: Solaria Jovine Primitivo Passito 1958, who got this special bottle fromItalian Wine Merchants. Thanks George.

Then in Texas with Sandy, Bob and Aaron after our Italy at Your Table events we went rather wild, check it out: Chateau Mouton Rothshild 1959, which as a friend of mine would say...didn't suck! Thank you...

I'll write about all this pretty soon. Meanwhile I left you all in NYC last week on my way to SF for the Good Food Award Project with Sarah Weiner.

We got into town after a very early flight from NY.

After looking after Italy at Your Table products we made our way to Sociale to meet with Tia Harrison.

Over the phone Tia sounded a bit in a hurry and I almost had the feeling she was a little too busy to meet.

No wonder she sounded busy. Tia is the chef at Sociale and she is a one of the three owners of thefirst US women owned and runbutcher shop AVEDANO. She is also the founder of the Butcher Guild, which I'll tell you more in the next one.

We first look at each other and we go straight to discuss her dish for the event to be paired to our wines:

Caramelized duck pate profiteroles with bourboneurod figs, rucola, house made fennel pollen mustard.We both agreed that the dish was very good, but also a little too sweet for the wines and complicated for the guests of the show to prepare it back home. Tia answers the problem in a split second throwing some pasta in the water -it was 5pm- and transforming the duck pate in a pasta sauce. She added some white wine, rocket salad, Parmigiano and rocket salad and ...and I looked very perplexed! I mean I just walked into your restaurant and you make an Italian pasta with duck pate??? Gotta be kidding! No! She goes for it with no fear and the result is superb. We begin to have fun and we discover that we have an important friend in common: Dario Cecchini.I tell I can taste the wine in the sauce. She says: yep, I did put some wine remember? I meant...The day after a the W Hotel I thought she made an amazing pasta for our 70 guests!

She can read in my eyes that I want to see thebutcher shop so she tells me to wait outside to go see it:)Tia is a "natural chef", a very understated type of person with a great character, sense of humor and a sexy flair!She is very proud of her butcher shop AVEDANO, run with her two partners: Melanie Eisemann, and Angela Wilson.

We have a tour of the shop with Melanie who takes us under her wing to taste "Tonno del Chainti" by Dario Cecchini made by Chris Arentz.Avedano is a real butcher shop with no fake Italian-sounding or Italian-looking gimmick! They sell the best meat, make wonderful panini and give butcher master classes!Melanie takes us with her 1970's car to the Bart where we have a "deliciously dirty" Burrito on the Mission. Thank you Melanie for looking after us:)We go straight to the XYZ Restaurant to meet with Paul Piscopo and try his cuisine.Paul greats us very warmly with his Grilled acme batard, la quercia prosciutto,hot pickled okra and sieved egg.

This is a very delicious crostini dish made with the simplest attitude and the best ingredients, like all Paul's dishes. He loves to fetch for local products and to change the menu according to what's available in the season and in the market. The Good Food Award Prosciutto La Quercia was just spectacular. I must say that this is a great competition to Parma Ham! Ye you hear it. This Prosciutto isn't sold as a fake Parma but as a product with its own American trade mark. We also tried some option with the Gran Deposito Aceto Balsamico Giuseppe Giusti. The guest loved it to the point they were tasting it almost by the glass!!!Paul during the show: he just rocked!Although Benedetta and I were very shuttered at this stage we decided to go and say hello to our friend Charles Phan at Slanted Doors. We had a quick bite a beer and went straight to bed!Morning after I managed to scroll some jet-lag off with a run on the marina. It worked!A light breakfast and ready for William Werner of The Tell Tale Preserve.William works in an immaculate, spacious and bright workshop not too easy too find. At first I thought we were given the wrong address as we just see a big grey wall! Then someone answer the bell and we go upstairs. We walk in the mega cooking studio and William is ready with stuff to try: Caramelized brioche withred hawk cheese, cocoa nib and carrot.Also William has been kind enough to compromise on the degree of sweetness of his dish to help the wine pairing. William is a very talented chef. His love for pastries gives him a full 360 spectrum which allows him to giggle like a kid in the playground. He looks for flavor blast, contrast and analogy, texture and length.In doing so he has managed to switch a pan brioche dessert dish into a savory tantalizing appetizer. He is just a wizard.William gives us a little present: a magical cappuccino fudge spread which made everyone in Saint Antonio fell in love with it!Before heading back to get changed for the evening we go for a quick Dim Sum fix business lunch at Yank Sing in the Financial District. This was my friend Miriam's tip! I love here: clean, serious Dim Sum no frills!Benedetta making believe she is working:)Our event finished with the fantastic Antica Dolceria Bonajuto's Chocolate.The wine pairing was perfect, the chefs helped a lot making sure it was all paired well. Everyone was impress the magic we made working together at miles distance from each other.Like always, people ask me the Italy at Your Table food and wines we served at the Good Food Award Event.Here is the list. You can buy the Italy at Your Table case at www.italianwinemerchants.comPairing by Filippo Bartolotta with:Arnaldo Capraieuro25 annieuro, Sagrantino di Montefalco DOCG 2005BellavistaFranciacorta Cuve BrutCastello RomitorioBrunello di Montalcino DOCG 2004Dal Forno RomanoValpolicella superiore DOC 2004Fattoria delle RipalteAlea Ludendo, Aleatico delleuroElba DOC 2007Feudi di San GregorioGreco di Tufo DOCG 2009FontodiVigna del Sorbo, Chianti Classico DOCG 07Isole e OlenaChianti Classico DOCG 08PetraPetra IGT TOSCANA 2006PrSoave Classico DOC 2009Propriet SperinoUvaggio, Coste della Sesia DOC 2007Sandrone LucianoNebbiolo DeuroAlba Valmaggiore 2007Acetaia GiustiAceto Balsamico di ModenaAntica Dolceria BonajutoModica ChocolateNext I'll take ya'll to Texas where everything is bigger.This is for you Karee:)Yours Truly,FilippoPS: Meanwhile I'll do some wine-yoga before hitting the road again:)