Interesting story in the New York Times. Now I know the paper is trying to aid the destruction of the American Dream, Democracy and the family, all the while supporting terrorism and not supporting our troops, but this is an interesting piece.
Anthony
IN 1947, Bing Crosby summoned his pals to Pebble Beach, Calif., for a boozy golf tournament by the bay. The event, officially the revival of the National Pro-Amateur Golf Championship, was called the Clambake. But no one came for the cuisine.
Over 60 years later, golf remains Pebble Beach’s bread and butter; tee times at its namesake course sell out a year in advance. But this scenic coastal stretch two hours south of San Francisco is staking a claim beyond its fairways. With an influx of headline chefs, a splashy culinary festival and restaurants that showcase the region’s bounty, Pebble Beach is trying to rebrand itself as a golf mecca gone gourmet.
The biggest news springs from Pebble Beach Resorts (
www.pebblebeach.com), which in late March hosted the first Pebble Beach Food and Wine festival, a four-day alignment of culinary stars. The festival drew more than 250 wineries from around the world and a roster of such leading chefs as Thomas Keller, Todd English and Jacques Pepin.
Patrons paid $4,750 for all-inclusive access to a rare wine auction, wine-pairing dinners and cooking demonstrations. At a charity golf tournament with celebrity chefs that opened the proceedings, Dom Pérignon and lobster sandwiches were served near the first tee.
True to its reputation for extravagance, Pebble Beach has added other culinary programs priced and pitched toward upscale travelers, the idea being that golfers who spend $475 on a tee time might want more than hot dogs after a round. For those who ask, the Lodge at Pebble Beach will set up leather chairs beside the 18th green of the Pebble Beach Golf Links, a tranquil spot to sip rarefied spirits or smoke a pre-embargo Cuban cigar.
At Club XIX, an elegant restaurant overlooking the course, the new chef, Ressul Rassallat, formerly of the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills, has revamped a French-accented California menu with prix-fixe dinners that can include anything from foie gras ravioli to braised short ribs with truffled potato purée.
Mr. Rassallat has dotted the restaurant’s calendar with special events, including a June 12 appearance by Michel Escoffier, great-grandson of the famed chef Auguste Escoffier. He and Mr. Rassallat will serve a $105 five-course dinner based on classic Escoffier recipes. In mid-October, the start of spiny lobster season, Mr. Rassallat will offer a special menu featuring the coastal California catch.
Pebble Beach is well positioned to play a greater culinary role. It is in Monterey County, one of the largest wine-grape-growing regions in California, with over 45,000 acres of vineyards, and the Salinas Valley, which runs through the county, is known as the state’s “salad bowl.”
A sign that food may attract more visitors to the area lies a few miles inland from Pebble Beach. Michel Richard opened a branch of his Washington restaurant Citronelle at Carmel Valley Ranch (
www.carmelvalleyranch.com) in January. Similarly to Mr. Rassallat, he offers what the ranch calls “a delectable union of French elegance and regional California flavor” on the grounds of a (recently renovated) golf course.
“People around here will always think of San Francisco first when it comes to food,” said Ming Tsai of Blue Ginger in Boston, another top chef who attended the event. “But Pebble has the ingredients to become a serious culinary destination.”