Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Back Along the Chattahoochee

OK home from San Fran and totally wiped. I am not used to being "on" 14 hours plus a day. These corporate affairs with all the clients that must be socialized and stuff really take it out of me. Starts out at 7am with breakfast, then the all day conference, roundtables and break outs, then dinner. Usually don't get back to your room until 10 or 11 and expected to do it all over again the next day.

I can hearily recommend the Jardiniere in San Francisco if you want a world class meal. I am still amazed that the restaurant managed to feed a little over 100 people that all showed up at the same time an absolutely fabulous meal. We actually had the whole place and the staff and service were super.

One special highlight was the cheeses that were served as appetizers. The most notable was an Irish cheese from the area around Cork. It is named for the farm upon which it is made...Gubeen or Gubbeen is derived from the Gaelic gobin meaning the small mouthful which refers to the bay, west of Schull, West Cork on which the farm is located. Gubbeen Farm has been worked by the Ferguson family for five generations. Tom and Giana Ferguson currently make the cheese.
Gubeen is a washed rind cow's milk cheese made with vegetable rennet. The milk is pasteurised and ranges from gentle and milky to pungent and savoury depending on its age. Texture is smooth and pliant. It is one of the most amazing cheeses I have ever tasted. I won't mention the blue veined Italian raw milk cheese from Alto in the Piedmont or the Brie from New York.

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