The Gourmet Club Returns to the Sea

We love Chef Bernard Guillas and so back he comes to The Gourmet Club to chat about his recent travels, cooking classes and the menu transition from summer to fall at The Marine Room. I saw him most recently at the Taste of Slow Food San Diego where he was handing out bowls of vibrant orange cold carrot soup with crab and caviar. Oh, the flavors and textures in that refreshingly sweet chilled soup on that warm summer night!

And, since it's the first Wednesday of the month, we'll be hearing from Mike Mitchell with his Mitchell Report on the best of the new restaurants that have opened.

If there's time, I'll share some of the highlights of the Taste Pavilion at Slow Food Nation in San Francisco last weekend as well as the experience of being at one of the most astounding farmers markets I've ever seen -- The Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. The size of the market and the breadth of the offerings were a revelation. And, fortunately, I was making dinner for friends that evening and got to actually buy wonderful products to use later.

And, Maureen and Robert will fill us in on their latest culinary adventures.

So, tune in for the hour. The Gourmet Club is the tastiest meeting in town. Join Robert Whitley, Maureen Clancy and me this Wednesday morning on signonradio.com from 11 a.m. to noon Pacific. You can also podcast the show and listen at your convenience.


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The Gourmet Club Heads to Roseville

If you live in Point Loma, then you must have heard the news that George Riffle (Laurel, Blanca, the Ivy Hotel) has opened a new French-Mediterranean-style restaurant called Roseville. With Chef Amy DiBiase, Riffle has created an upscale brasserie on Rosecrans that serves classic duck confit, Carlsbad mussels, frites and seasonal dishes.

It sounded intriguing to us, so Riffle and DiBiase will be joining us this week on The Gourmet Club to talk about this new venture and its unlikely neighborhood location.

Mike Mitchell of The Oceanaire will be calling in with his Mitchell Report. Tune in to hear about his latest gastronomic adventure in town.

And, Maureen has ravioli, raviolo and raviolini on her mind. Confused? Well, tune in and find out what the differences are between the three and what unique versions are so deliciously distracting her. Yes, I know I promised this last week, but we ran out of time. This week Maureen unravels this pasta conundrum.

The Gourmet Club is the tastiest meeting in town. Join Robert Whitley, Maureen Clancy and me for our regular Wednesday morning gathering on signonradio.com from 11 a.m. to noon Pacific. You can also podcast the show and listen at your convenience.


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The Gourmet Club Goes Baja

We've got great flavors to talk about this week on The Gourmet Club. Chef/owner Javier Plascencia of Romesco in Bonita will be with Robert Whitley and me in studio to talk about Baja Mediterranean-style cooking, which you'll find not only at Romesco, but at one of the family's other restaurants in Tijuana, Villa Saverios.

Maureen Clancy will be calling in from New York, where she attended this year's James Beard Foundation Awards at Lincoln Center. Apparently, Kim Cattrall and Bobby Flay got down and dirty with their hosting duties. And, a former San Diego chef, Gavin Kaysen, now of Cafe Boulud in New York, won the rising star award. Maureen will tell all!

And, we'll have Mike Mitchell from Oceanaire on to talk about the new places he's been trying out. We'll also ask him how the restaurants in town are doing sans tomatoes.

It's going to be a busy meeting of The Gourmet Club. Join Robert Whitley and me for our regular Wednesday morning gathering on signonradio.com from 11 a.m. to noon Pacific. You can also podcast the show and listen at your convenience.

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The Gourmet Club Takes The Foodie View

Robert's back from Italy. Maureen's just back from Germany. All is right with the world of The Gourmet Club.

This week we'll have Howie Wang, host of foodieview.com, in studio with us to talk about this cool website where you can search for recipes and restaurants, read great food bloggers and get the lowdown on the latest cookbooks on the bookstore shelves.

Mike Mitchell of Oceanaire, of course, will call in to report on his latest new restaurant experience.

And, we'll find out what's on the menu right now in Germany. Rumor has it that it's asparagus morning, noon and night.

Join Robert Whitley, Maureen Clancy and me for another meeting of The Gourmet Club on signonradio.com on Wednesday from 11 a.m. to noon Pacific. You can also podcast the show and listen at your convenience.


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The Gourmet Club Goes from Farm to Table

Well, after a week's hiatus, we're back--and this week The Gourmet Club welcomes Jay Porter, owner of The Linkery and a terrific food blogger. Jay's a big believer in creating meals that take advantage of local produce and The Linkery's ever-changing menus reflect that farm-to-table philosophy. This week The Linkery is moving up the street on 30th to a larger location, so we'll talk about what this move means and the market-driven movement in the restaurant scene.

We'll also have Mike Mitchell from The Oceanaire calling in to fill us in on some new restaurants he's been trying.

And, Robert is just back from Italy. I'm sure he'll have lots to report.

Join Robert Whitley and me for another meeting of The Gourmet Club this Wednesday from 11 a.m. to noon Pacific on signonradio.com or podcast it to listen later at your convenience.


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Doubling Down on Dining in Vegas

Do you have to be a high roller to eat well in Las Vegas? San Diego Union-Tribune staff writer Peter Rowe just returned from cruising celebrity chef dining rooms on the Strip--everyone from Charlie Trotter's Restaurant Charlie to Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich's Carnevino. He'll be in studio with us on The Gourmet Club to give us an idea of how much of your winnings you need to fork over for a "name" dinner.

Carnevino

Also joining us this week is food writer Maureen Clancy to chat about asparagus, everyone's favorite spring veggie.

And, we'll chat about Bravo's Top Chef with Brian Malarkey. Who bit the culinary dust this week? Well, let's just say our first Top Chef couple is now reunited. Brian, who is executive chef at Oceanaire, will give us his take on what happened, which you can also find on his Bravo blog. And, Mike Mitchell, Oceanaire's general manager, will be on to talk about new restaurants with us.

Join The Gourmet Club online on Friday from 1 to 2 p.m. Pacific on signonradio.com. Or podcast the show and listen at your convenience.

NOTE: AS OF NEXT WEEK, THE GOURMET CLUB MOVES TO WEDNESDAY MORNING AT 11 A.M.


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Back to the Ballpark on The Gourmet Club

Opening day was this week and the Padres are back swinging. Maureen Clancy, former U-T food writer and critic, will be on The Gourmet Club this week to give us the latest on what some of us think is the best part of going to a game: ballpark food.

We'll also have Mike Mitchell of Oceanaire calling in with his weekly report on new restaurants in town. And, we're going to hear from his Oceanaire colleague, executive chef Brian Malarkey, on the latest installment from Bravo's Top Chef. Brian writes a blog for Bravo, which you can read here.

It's going to be a busy meeting of The Gourmet Club. Join hosts Ron James and Robert Whitley--and me--on Friday at 1 p.m. PDT online on signonradio.com. Or you can podcast it and listen at your convenience.


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Cheese Chat on The Gourmet Club

For this Friday's meeting of The Gourmet Club, San Diego cheese whiz Gina Freize will be joining us in studio. Gina and her husband Roger own Venissimo in Mission Hills and last year bought Aniata Cheese Company in Del Mar. Gina will update us on new spring cheeses (yes, many cheeses are seasonal) and, in anticipation of St. Patrick's Day, talk about Irish cheeses. And, I'm sure that between Gina and Robert, we'll get some insights on pairing wine and cheese.

And what about pairing cheese with meat? The San Diego Union-Tribune's Doug Verkaaik will be with us to talk about the great San Diego hamburger search. Got a favorite place? Call in and let us in on your local burger preferences.

We'll also have Mike Mitchell of Oceanaire and president of the California Restaurant Association's San Diego chapter give us the lowdown on new foodie hot spots in town.

Join Ron James, Robert Whitley and me for another meeting of The Gourmet Club at 1p.m. PDT on SignOn Radio or podcast it to listen at your convenience.


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