Food & Wine

When he was honing his kitchen skills and fusion palate, superstar chef and restaurateur Guy Fieri left his imprint (and tire tracks) all over Sacramento – and vice versa.

Dan Gannon goes about his work as a farmer as if his feet are planted firmly in the 19th century.

We're back from BottleRock Napa Valley, where the flavors of wine country mixed last week with a multiday music festival.

While many people are chomping at the bit to bite into their first sun-ripened tomato, herb lovers aren't looking that far ahead.

So many home cooks are obsessed with making dishes just like the professionals do.

I was hoping someone had the recipe for the brown enchilada sauce served at Pauncho's, Kico's, Luis's Jr. and La Mission. I think all of these restaurants are related in some way and maybe they all use the same recipe. It's the best sauce for enchiladas. Thank you.

California's more storied vineyards always are at risk. They can get diseased and die, of course. They can be abandoned in the wake of economic downturns or unanticipated shifts in consumer tastes. Or they can be torn out in favor of a shopping mall, subdivision or freeway.

Well-intentioned food writers have been trying for decades to rescue parsley from the American cook's indifference. Despite the media cheerleading, the message doesn't seem to stick.

Potluck is what the name implies – an eclectic compilation of food, market and festival news.

Over the past nine months, Enotria Restaurant and Wine Bar has made a name for itself as a great dining destination, complete with artfully created food, polished service and a vast wine list.

A panel of experts today will discuss Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson's goals of making the area a "farm-to-fork" capital and the agriculture industry's impact as a regional economic driver.

BrownThumbMama makes an easy balsamic vinaigrette

A new Red Robin Gourmet Burgers restaurant opened Monday at the Palladio at Broadstone shopping complex in Folsom.

In the Bible, God gave manna to the Israelites to nourish them for the 40 years they wandered the desert. The recently opened El Manà in Carmichael is named for the heavenly foodstuff, and churchgoers who own the restaurant hope every taco and stuffed corn pupusa sold will help build a worship space of their own.

"A thing of beauty is a joy forever." English poet John Yeats was musing on romantic love, but it could have been an ode to the wine called pinot noir.

California's spring gold rush has just begun.

The Total Wine & More commercial that's all over the radio airwaves makes the small, independent wine shops sound hopelessly pretentious. We learn about a fictitious boutique shop called Wine Snobs that's overpriced, snooty, unhelpful and comes nowhere near to matching Total Wine & More's 8,000-bottle inventory.

Time for a confession. As a child, I never once celebrated Mother's Day. My parents thought the holiday was nothing more than a cheesy excuse to sell greeting cards, and who was I to argue? But after I became a mother myself? Oh. My. God.

There's something easy yet elegant about tarts.

This weekend, I caught up with Hank Shaw, who won a James Beard Award Friday night in New York for best blog.

Don't know what to do with those empty wine bottles other than toss them into the recycling bin? For ideas, go to the website Pinterest.

Potluck is what the name implies – an eclectic compilation of food, market and festival news

Buggy Whip dressing- When my favorite steakhouse, the Buggy Whip, closed last year, I was devastated.

The Sacramento Bee hosts a network of high- quality news providers and bloggers in the Sacramento region. Here is a sampling of the best of the current food and dining blogs. Check out the full postings: www.sacramentoconnect. com.

"Top Chef" watchers: Think all the way back to Season 9. The cheftestants were hot and grumpy in Texas. Paul Qui won, and one chef seemed to get off more ornery one-liners than the others: Edward Lee of 610 Magnolia in Louisville.

The winners of the 2013 James Beard Foundation restaurant and chef awards announced Monday are:

Sacramento-based Family Winemakers of California and Stonebridge Research Group LLC in St. Helena have been awarded a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant to develop plans to market and sell California fine wines in China.

The weekly farmers market at Cesar Chavez Plaza at 10th and J streets opened for business Wednesday.

Erik's DeliCafé, which has 32 franchise restaurants throughout California, will open its first Sacramento-area eatery next month in Roseville.

Bottle of Corona in hand, Lisandro "Chando" Madrigal flips some carne asada that sizzles on his backyard grill. Homemade tortillas, Jarritos sodas, grilled onions and salsas are all on standby. It's a savory-smelling preview to Cinco de Mayo, which arrives Sunday, the perfect opportunity for a Mexican-style barbecue.

Like St. Patrick's Day in March, Cinco de Mayo is an imported holiday that has taken on more importance here than in its home country. It is not Mexican Independence Day – which is in September – as some think, but rather a commemoration of the victory of a meager Mexican army over the much-better-armed French at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

In early January, on the sort of bright and balmy day that would become more rule than exception in Northern California this winter, Dave Koball is escorting us about the vineyards of McNab Ranch south of Ukiah in Mendocino County.

Cinco de Mayo's more of a time for tequila than wine, but south-of-the-border festivities are going down all the same Sunday at the Old Sugar Mill.

Potluck is what the name implies – an eclectic compilation of food, market and festival news. Send your items to taste@sacbee.com.

About five years ago, I found a rub recipe in The Bee for pork spareribs. It was called "Ray's rub for ribs." I think Ray lived in El Dorado County. I have since lost the recipe and was hoping someone else saved it. Thank you.

The Sacramento Bee hosts a network of high- quality news providers and bloggers in the Sacramento region. Here is a sampling of the best of the current food and dining blogs. Check out the full postings: sacramentoconnect.sacbee.com

Who's your favorite expert on cooking vegetables? For so many of us, it has long been Deborah Madison, she of "The Greens Cookbook," "Local Flavors," the landmark "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone" and more.

SactoMoFo 6, which was held Saturday at Sixth and X streets, drew a crowd that matched its record attendance.

By now, many of the regulars of the Market Club have begun to make peace with and mourn the bad news, that their beloved little out-of-the-way eatery was closed for good after decades of good food and service that made it seem like a second home.

The convoy of mobile cuisine is nearing touchdown. Paella, pork baos, pancit, pizza and pad thai are coming to Saturday's SactoMoFo 6 - and those are just the foods that start with "p."

Butte County is rolling out the welcome mat for its "Ag Tourism Sundays," when local farms and wineries are hosting open houses from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Sacramento-based Speciality Wine Retailers Association has changed its name to the National Association of Wine Retailers.

California lawmakers Tuesday cut off a push to keep booze flowing at bars, clubs and restaurants until 4 a.m.

They come in all ages and backgrounds, but with a common love: food.

You can order wine online when you visit the website of Domaine de la Terre Rouge and Easton Wines, twin Amador County brands founded and owned by the husband-and-wife team of Bill Easton and Jane O'Riordan.

'Wine Buzz" hoists a big glass of Barolo to Jeremiah Morehouse, a former Sacramentan who recently passed his advanced sommelier exam from the Court of Master Sommeliers.

My asparagus convalescence – from a childhood spent eating the mushy, canned stuff – began late in my adolescence, when my mother boiled fresh spears, then covered them with homemade hollandaise.

The Sacramento Bee hosts a network of high- quality news providers and bloggers in the Sacramento region. Here is a sampling of the best of the current food and dining blogs. Check out the full postings: www.sacramentoconnect. com.

Any hints about Blackbird's salad? My husband and I had the most delicious salad at the Blackbird Cafe in Sacramento. It included uncooked, thinly sliced Brussels sprouts, cabbage, lemon and quinoa.

Potluck is what the name implies – an eclectic compilation of food, market and festival news