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{ SOMMjournal.com } 89 especially dessert wines. There was one kitchen where you could go for lunch as a student and they served port with cheese after lunch. For me, tasting different cheeses and port together really blew me away, and that is why now I have such a great dessert wine section on my list. I really think having a dessert wine is a great way to end a meal, whether with cheese or as dessert by itself. In addition to being the chef, you also run the beverage program here. Although more chefs are becoming interested in the front of the house, it's still rather uncommon. How did this come to be? I've always enjoyed drinking wine, and as a chef, I'm always interested in how food complements wine and vice versa. From a personal standpoint, this is fun and I enjoy it, but it isn't business. But when you open your own restaurant, wine becomes your busi - ness. Because of this, I decided to take the Court of Master Sommeliers (CMS) Level One Course, and it really was a refresher for me—you were one of my instructors. But I had to study for it, had to dig deeply into things I'd never even thought about before. The level of detail I learned made the busi - ness end of wine more pleasurable. So, you've mentioned the CMS Introductory Course. Do you have any plans to go on and do the Certified Sommelier Exam? I really would love to do that for the educational purpose of it. It won't get me a promotion in my own restaurant, and I really don't plan on going anywhere else, but I do plan on furthering my education and that would be a great way to do it. During business hours, is your place in the restaurant firmly back of the house, or do you ever work the floor? I am out here for any wine question, or suestion for wine. I oat between bac and front, usually expediting. Occasionally I have to jump on the line and help out. It always seems that at the busiest times, the staff cant find the Ctes du hne and we've run out of ice cream base—we make our own ice cream—so, I'm simultaneously tryin to find a bottle of wine while iin eggs and sugar and cooking it. How is your waitstaff trained? Do you do the training yourself, or do you call upon your distributor partners? The distributors are a big key to training. Their personnel have come in many times to educate my staff, and I personally con - duct blind tastings with the staff using the CMS deductive tasting method. You have an impressive by-the-glass selection. Tell me a bit about the program. There are 30 wines by the glass, and with a menu that is so eclectic—from Asian food to Eastern European and so many Mexican inuences in so any dishesit can be dif - ficult to pair ust one bottle of wine with so any different aors. Thats why hain 30 wines by the glass gives us much more eibility in pairin wine with food. or eaple, we hae seeral eran ieslins by the glass that pair well with our Asian- inspired menu items. Saké also seems to play an important role in your beverage program. Can you tell me a bit about your philosophy behind saké? Having a beer and wine license and not serving liquor, just to be different, you want to have an edge over other restaurants. Some are doing saké cocktails and Sherry cocktails, but I didn't want to get into a cocktail program; I want to keep these categories pure for what they are. Saké is so good with food, and not just the Asian dishes. Parmigiana cheese and saké is a clas - sic pairing—umami and umami—so it just works with the food, and I think it gives us an edge. You have a well-chosen, balanced wine list. Is there a particular theme you follow? We are an American restaurant, so domestic wines are the largest portion of the list: California, of course, but also Oregon and Virginia are represented. But because the enu is so lobally-inu - enced, I have a lot of imported wines as well—German, Greek, Italian, some great Bordeaux and Burgundy, and all at a reason - able price point. Is there a particular sweet spot on the wine list, pricewise, that your cus - tomers gravitate to? I'd say most of the bottle sales fall into the $80–$100 range. That's a pretty good sweet spot! As a chef, do you make a deliberate effort to choose wine that pairs up well with your menu? Absolutely. Every bottle, every glass, everything is thought out to what it would or would not pair with, too. I try to stay away from wines that are too big and bold, and look for things that go well with the any sian aors ieslin, inot Blanc, etc. I have a few big Cabernet Sauvignons for the steak. What are some of your favorite food and wine pairings here? ry or off-dry ieslin with sian por spareribs is one. How about a personal favorite wine region? Piedmont. We spent only one day there, but I got a chance to have great Barbaresco and I want to go back. At the end of the shift, what is the first thing you reach for? A cold beer. In a hot kitchen, you need a cold beer. Last question: What wine pairs best with Led Zeppelin? I'd say a really jammy Zinfandel. Jammy? For long guitar jams? iht. Chef Keith Blauschild's favorite pairings are Sangiovese wines with Italian cuisine's tomato-based sauces. "The higher acidity and herbal flavors go really well with the sauce's acidity and fresh herbs like basil and oregano," he explains.