Inspiration!

This is absolute divinity. Here's the fabulous, not fussy, fare Chef Lisa Hines will be serving at the HUGE Tam 100 party this Sunday.

THE MENU

Passed Hors d'ouevres:
~Nori-sesame seared salmon bites with cucumber salad in ceramic spoons

~Rosemary skewered lamb tenders with pomegranate-dijon glaze

~Caramelized onion and pear tarts with lavender honey drizzle

~Barbequed Beasusoleil oysters with chipotle bbq sauce

~ Blue Point oysters, on the 1/2 shell, with lemon, champagne mignonette and cocktail sauce

Dinner:

~Salad of baby spinach and spring mix with lemon vinaigrette, white truffle endive, radish and fennel slaw, gorgonzola truffles and potato crisps

~Grilled chicken breast with balsamic vinegar-shallot reduction

~Spring asparagus, Sweet 100 tomatoes, artichoke confetti, and Mediterranean olive ragout

~Israeli couscous scented with saffron + Herbs de Provence, roasted peppers and wild mushroom cream

On the tables:

~Housemade grissini, cheddar-chive biscuits, onion flatbreads, petite loaves of garlic bread, sourdough baguettes with sweet creamery butter

Dessert:

A California chocolate fountain!
With passed Sabre cookies

and Palio Private Roast coffee + Mighty Leaf teas

Behind the Scenes

Not in dimness, but dining in the dark! Click here to watch Lisa, behind the scenes, preparing her 3-course dinner for SF Dark Dining.

From the Press Files

We're just dining in the dark
by Leslie Harlib, Marin Independent Journal
September 20, 2007

At first it looked like a torture scene: a huge, echoing room with blacked-out windows, 100 blindfolded people sitting at black-clothed tables and black-clad people bristling with night-vision goggles looming over them.

But it was San Francisco's inaugural Dark Dining event, and it was one of the most entertaining food fests I've experienced in years.

The unlit culinary adventure, featuring a three-course meal by San Rafael-based chef and caterer Lisa Ruggieri Hines, at San Francisco's Fort Mason, was the bright idea of A.K. Crump.
Crump's a Web TV maestro (he founded Taste TV in 2004), and publisher and producer of the first San Francisco International Chocolate Festival in July. The San Francisco resident decided to launch a Bay Area version of dark dining, a phenomenon that began in Zurich in 1999, after reading about a growing trend toward dark dining taking place in various cities in Europe as well as in New York, Los Angeles and San Diego.

"I was sure people in the Bay Area would find it a fascinating concept," he said. A fan of Ruggieri Hines' cooking, he asked her to design the menu.

Dark dining is about entirely blocking out a diner's vision so other senses - touch, smell, taste, even hearing - more acute. This lets you experience the act of eating in new ways.

To do this, restaurants either black out windows, turn out lights and offer blindfolds (or napkins, as it was handled for the maiden run at Fort Mason) or set up separate windowless rooms for the dinners.

In Zurich's Blinde Kuh (Blind Cow), the original concept was to give work to blind waiters and allow diners to sample a crumb of what life - and dining - is like for the blind.
Most dark dining events hire sighted servers, who wear night vision goggles to maneuver around the room.

"I like this; I'll be lucky if it doesn't give me a migraine," said server Mathew Blair, as he donned the head-hugging goggles to go out on the floor.

"It sounded fascinating. I've never done anything like this," said Mill Valley resident Cindy Storman, who attended with pals, including Francess Mudge-Lisk, also from Mill Valley. "I'm curious and excited."

Ryan Bagnule of Charlotte, N.C., was in San Francisco on business and heard about the event. "It's an exercise in trust," he said over a pre-dinner amuse bouche of ahi tuna in phyllo pastry cup. "I think we'll be able to relax fear so we can be in complete darkness eating with strangers we don't know. Darkness is comforting."

In the dimness, it was disappointing to realize we could still see each other, albeit in silhouette. Crump suggested that those who wanted to experience total darkness tie their black napkins around their eyes. What a difference. With the tightening of the knot we were plunged into the Stygian dark that spelunkers understand. It felt like being on a journey.

Unlike at many events where people at a large tables talk only to the person they came with or make small talk with the folks to their left or right, groups immediately developed rapport.
My gang of seven quickly slid into a game of truth or dare that we continued for more than two hours. We got so involved in challenging each other we could have happily lived without the live background music, which was intrusive.

As for the food, Ruggieri Hines' substantial meal included two heavily dressed salads, both of which featured nuts and cheese; entrees of either roast chicken breast with pomegranate sauce, truffled mashed potatoes and green beans or wild salmon with corn and bay shrimp risotto and spinach; and a choice of one of three desserts.

Silverstone wines from Paso Robles were poured. We gingerly fingered along the tablecloth until we found the glasses and sipped without difficulty. I didn't hear any groans about spillage.
I found that I didn't enjoy using silverware, which in my sightless state made the food feel too remote, so I shifted into messy mode as I ate every dish with my right hand.

Did I experience the flavors more acutely? Certainly I did with the red wines. The difference between a pinot noir and zinfandel had never seemed more dramatic.

Ruggieri Hines said the improvised kitchen was challenged with its own moments of darkness, although though she and her staff cooked in light.

"The fuses kept blowing," she laughed. "At one point I reached for a bottle of olive oil to put it in a gazpacho; it turned out to be dishwashing liquid. We did not serve the gazpacho."

Latest News About Lisa!

Holiday Hosting 101
Flowers? No, Karaoke? Yes!

By Mimi Towle, Marin Magazine

Last fall, four esteemed local caterers gathered for a photo at the Buckeye Roadhouse in Mill Valley after sharing some of their holiday entertaining tips.

From left to right; Stan Vail, president of All Seasons Catering; Ann Walker of Ann Walker Catering, Lisa Hines of Bella Cucina Catering and Stephen Denison, president of McCall Catering.

Here’s their advice on how to host an easy, fun and memorable holiday party.

What is your go-to appetizer for the holidays?

SD: High-quality simple stuff that’s easy to eat. Iced shrimp, smoked salmon, or all the great local foods—olives, Marin cheeses, pickled garlic, Hog Island oysters.

AW: I prefer to serve “meal by the bites”—lots of little treats that can be enjoyed in no more than one or two bites. Popular choices are shiitake mushroom cakes dabbed with Chinese black bean aioli, leek and gruyère tartlets, and ahi tuna poke on sesame toasts.

SV: My personal family favorite (from my grandma) is dates stuffed with cream cheese and wrapped with bacon, then broiled. As a caterer, I like to offer roasted baby pears with fresh herbed cheese and pancetta.

LH: Dates, roasted almonds, sliced prosciutto, and shaved Reggiano with rosemary potato crostini are fabulous for grazing before dinner.

Do you have a favorite holiday party drink?

SD: Champagne—a good blanc de noir—followed by martinis and Cosmos, and then wines (I’m sounding like a lush here).

AW: Red! How about Negronis—vodka or gin with Campari and sweet vermouth? Normally they’re served in a martini glass, but that makes for messy walking, so use champagne flutes instead. Or Campari and sodas, or sparkling wine with a dash of cassis—a kir royale.

SV: A Godiva chocolate martini with Godiva chocolate liquior, crème de cacao, and vodka, shaken and stirred and poured into a chilled martini glass—mmmm. Hot mulled cider with fresh ground cinnamon, clove and nutmeg with fresh lemon zest (this is best when you’re in a hot tub). And finally, a mug of hot chocolate made with Scharffen Berger bittersweet chocolate, milk, sugar, vanilla, fresh ground cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne, served hot in a big mug…to be sipped while sitting in front of the fire.

LH: A really hearty Cabernet, a super Tuscan wine, or fabulous Champagne.

What’s your preferred timing for a party? From three to six? Five to eight? Starting at 7 p.m.?

SD: It gets dark early during the holidays, so five o’clock—no ending time.

AW: It depends which day of the week. Three to six on a Sunday, five to eight on a Saturday, and seven during the week, or if you’re offering a complete meal.

SV: Definitely starting at 7 p.m.

LH: If you are doing an open house, three to six is great. If you are going all out to do a fabulous cocktail party or dinner, 7 p.m.

Do you usually include an end time?

SD: What time does the sun come up over the bay? No, no ending time.

AW: I think it’s a good idea. It also indicates the type of party. If you’re offering appetizers only, let your guests know so they can, perhaps, make plans for dinner later.

SV: As a caterer, always. At home, never.

LH: No, parties have a life of their own!

Do you like to dress up for holiday parties?

SD: Does a sport shirt count as dressing up? (I often wear a tuxedo when working.)

AW: Absolutely. We’re a pretty casual crowd in the Bay Area, so it’s fun to have an opportunity to put on fancy clothes.

SV: You bet!

LH: Of course. Parties are a great reason to show off the latest in fashion (no reindeer sweaters, puh-leeze!).

Kids or no kids? If yes, then do you provide something for them to do?

SD: Absolutely, kids, no matter how young or old. It’s a great way for them to learn traditions and how to join in. At Thanksgiving or special dinners we don’t have a kids’ table, but instead seat everyone together at one table. Sometimes we’ve needed to clear out the living room to have a large enough table—or even tented the backyard so we can all sit together. We usually have multiple generations [over], so it’s great to have everyone together.

AW: Sunday afternoon parties are a good time to include children, and the menu must have foods that interest the children, too. How about cookie decorating for the kids and, perhaps, some adults as well? Or ornament decorating?

SV: No kids!

LH: Yes! The holidays are all about the kids, but parties that include them should be in the afternoon or early evening only. We like to set up tables topped with plates of sugar and gingerbread cookies (with lots of mommy’s helpers on hand) for the kids to decorate and take home.

To read the rest of the article go to Marin Magazine, November 2007 issue.