Truffles are fun-guys

Chef Fillipini and Winemaker Michael

One of the things I really like about being a blogger is I’m considered a “member of the media”. It is an awesome designation in the sense that I get invited to things like previews and awesome events. One such preview happened yesterday, November 9, 2013 at Le Vigne winery. Owner and Chef, Walter Fillipini got in some rare white truffles from Italy, which he is using for an upcoming winemaker dinner on November 23, 2013.

White Truffle in the bowl on the left

October is the beginning of the very short white truffle season in Italy. Historically truffle hunters used special pigs to help find and dig up these little gems, but now a days they also use dogs to sniff them out because the pigs like to eat them too much. White truffles are highly aromatic, extremely expensive, quite rare, knuckle shaped mushrooms, that have been called “the diamonds in the kitchen”. In 2007 a world record price of $330,000 was paid at auction for a white truffle weighing 3.3 lb. On Saturday, Chef had an 8oz white truffle worth $2000 on display.

Shuck ’em and Suck ’em!

Oyster Festival 2013 Winners

Oysters are a bivalve mollusk that are so visually unappetizing, on first glance one must ask “why on earth would anyone want to eat THAT?” The outside shell is typically dingy, rough and rock hard; and once opened, the oyster it’s self looks like a giant, slimy glob, of greyish phlegm. Sounds MmmmmMmmm tasty! Right? Well actually, that is right! Done well, whether cooked or raw (my personal preference) oysters are, quite delicious. In this bigger is better world, my personal opinion when it comes to oysters is, smaller varieties like Beausoleils or Kumomotos are definitely better. But another variety I like, are Pacific Gold Oysters, locally farmed, and cultivated by the Morro Bay Oyster Company right here on the Central Coast.  Pacific Golds range from small to about medium-sized and are quite yummy with a fresh ocean brininess and a melon rind finish that when topped with anything from a mignonette to lemon and /or cocktail sauce highlight the natural flavors beautifully.  And right here on the Central Coast to celebrate our wonderful oysters, we had the 2nd Annual Morro Bay Oyster and Music Festival which has already been named #4 of the top 10 Oyster Festivals in the Country!