{"id":5716,"date":"2012-08-08T09:14:50","date_gmt":"2012-08-08T16:14:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/archives.csusm.edu\/westcoastersd\/?p=5716"},"modified":"2018-04-17T11:40:01","modified_gmt":"2018-04-17T18:40:01","slug":"plates-pints-a-brassy-business-move","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archives.csusm.edu\/westcoastersd\/2012\/08\/08\/plates-pints-a-brassy-business-move\/","title":{"rendered":"Plates & Pints: A Brassy Business Move"},"content":{"rendered":"

This column appears on pages 8 and 9 of the July 2012 print issue, which you can download or view\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A Brassy Business Move — WineSellar and Brasserie adds craft beer to the mix with addition of The Casual Side<\/em><\/p>\n

As a member of San Diego\u2019s restaurateur community, Gary Parker is anything but green. Red and white are the colors he\u2019s most associated with as the oenophile behind Mira Mesa\u2019s venerable WineSellar and Brasserie<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Originally established as a wine storage, retail facility and restaurant back in 1988, Parker\u2019s baby has matured like an exquisite bottle from Chateau Latour into a fine dining spot, despite being tucked away in an inauspicious two-story business suite. It has enjoyed a healthy foodie following and carries cred as one of the longest continuously operating gourmet spots in San Diego.<\/p>\n

Great flavor and quality in an industrial park setting? Sounds like the majority of the county\u2019s craft breweries. With that parallel, it\u2019s fitting that Parker has expanded WineSellar and Brasserie to include a new component, The Casual Side caf\u00e9 (9550 Waples Street #115). The space seats 40 and abuts the north end of the first floor wine shop. It features a full bar and wines by the glass, but make no mistake, The Casual Side is focused on craft beer.<\/p>\n

The initial bottle list\u2014curated by Shadia Alame, WineSellar\u2019s buyer\u2014is a mixed bag that includes many styles. Germanic lagers from Hofbrau and Weihensetphan share space with English ales from Samuel Smith and Fuller\u2019s; St. Bernardus and Dupont represent Belgium. Local brews are also represented from Mission Brewery and Stone Brewing Company.<\/p>\n

The draught list is five-deep, stocked with beers from local breweries that are all within 10 miles. One of those breweries, AleSmith, has two beers on, because their tasting room is a favorite off-hours hang for Wine Sellar\u2019s chef Alfred Fierro.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Dishes prepared at The Casual Side give visitors a taste of the main kitchen that\u2019s won raves for classic dishes like filet mignon with melted leeks and porcini mushroom, and sauced rack of lamb. Fierro and company know their stuff and they\u2019re not dumbing down the downstairs bill of fare one bit. Visitors to The Casual Side can down a pint of Hacker-Pschorr Weisse with house-made duck sausage and braised white beans with spicy mustard and pancetta. The richness of herbed garlic butter coating plump escargots is best cut with a Ballast Point Sculpin IPA.<\/p>\n

Everyday dishes like bruschetta, flatbreads, paninis, wings, tacos and popcorn are prepared with seasonal ingredients and conceptual twists. The popcorn is gussied-up with truffle salt and truffle oil, while tacos are stuffed with succulent duck confit, house-made salsa and radish salad.<\/p>\n

Parker\u2019s foray into craft beer isn\u2019t limited exclusively to The Casual Side; he plans to expand his offerings in the brasserie when he adds more taps later this year. He\u2019s also teamed up with Craft Beer Connect (www.craftbeerconnect.com) to offer patrons suds as part of the Beer of the Month Club.<\/p>\n

The Casual Side is open from 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, though Parker says that if someone wants a beer, they\u2019re welcome to stop in.<\/p>\n

Click below for recipes<\/em>
\n<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Warm Potato Salad with Fried Egg, Leeks and Frisee
\nYield: 4 servings<\/p>\n

12 small red bliss potatoes
\n2 stalks leeks, thoroughly washed and sliced into 1\/16-inch thick rounds
\n1 pint heavy cream
\n3 tsp unsalted butter
\n1 tsp truffle oil
\nsalt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
\n2 Tbsp butter
\n4 large eggs
\n2 heads frisee lettuce (extra yellow), yellow parts only
\n1 bunch chives, finely chopped<\/p>\n

Place the potatoes in a large pot over high heat filled halfway with water. Bring the water to a boil. Remove the potatoes when they are fork tender, after 8 to 10 minutes of cooking. Strain the potatoes and set them aside. Once the potatoes have cooled, cut them into quarters.<\/p>\n

Add the leeks, cream, unsalted butter and truffle oil to a saucepot over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes. Fold in the potatoes and keep warm.<\/p>\n

Melt the butter in a saut\u00e9 pan over medium heat. Add the eggs, season with salt and pepper, and cook them over-easy.<\/p>\n

To serve, divide the potato mixture into four bowls and top each with a fried egg. Garnish with frisee and chives and serve immediately.<\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

Truffle Popcorn
\nYield: 2 to 4 servings<\/p>\n

3 Tbsp cooking oil
\n\u00bd cup popcorn kernels
\ntruffle salt to taste
\ntruffle oil to taste
\n\u00bc bunch chives, finely chopped
\nfreshly ground black pepper to taste (optional)
\nfinely grated Parmegiano-Reggiano (optional)<\/p>\n

Heat the oil over medium heat in a heavy bottom pan or popcorn popper. Add the corn kernels. If using a pan, place a lid ontop, leaving it slightly ajar to allow steam to escape. When the popping slows, remove the pan from the heat or turn off the popper. Transfer the popcorn to a bowl and season with truffle salt. Add truffle oil and chives (as well as pepper and cheese, if desired), toss, and serve immediately.<\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Duck Confit Tacos with Salsa Rioja and Radish Salad
\nYield: 4 servings<\/p>\n

2 cups kosher salt
\n1 cup granulated sugar
\n1 tsp black peppercorns
\n2 duck legs with thighs attached
\n\u00bd tsp crushed red chili flakes
\n1 quart rendered duck fat (or olive oil to substitute)
\ncorn oil for frying
\n16 miniature corn tortillas
\nSalsa Rioja (recipe follows)
\nRadish Salad (recipe follows)
\n1 lime, quartered<\/p>\n

Combine the salt, sugar, peppercorns and chile flakes in a large bowl. Place the duck legs in a small baking dish and cover with the salt mixture. Let stand for 2 hours.<\/p>\n

Remove the duck legs from the dish, rinse well and pat dry. Place the duck legs back in the dish and cover with the duck fat. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and place it on a stovetop burner over low heat for 4 hours. Remove the duck legs from the fat and let cool. Once they are cool enough to be handled, remove the meat from the bone, shred and set aside.<\/p>\n

Add a thin layer of corn oil to a skillet. Add the tortillas and fry, 20 to 30 seconds per side. Remove the tortillas from the skillet and drain on paper towels.<\/p>\n

To serve, stack two tortillas and arrange the duck meat in a line along the center of the stack. Spoon salsa atop the duck and top each tortilla with the radish salad. Place two tacos on a plate, garnish with a lime wedge and serve immediately.<\/p>\n

Salsa Rioja
\n1 cup dried Anaheim chiles
\n\u00bd small yellow onion
\n2 cloves garlic
\n4 tsp water
\n\u00bc tsp fresh ground black pepper
\n\u00bc tsp onion powder
\n\u00bc tsp paprika
\nsalt to taste<\/p>\n

Add the chiles, onion, garlic and water to a saucepan over medium low heat. Let simmer for 30 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a blender. Add the pepper, onion powder, paprika and salt and blend until all of the ingredients are completely incorporated. Serve.<\/p>\n

Radish Salad
\n6 red radishes, shaved or thinly sliced
\n1 jalape\u00f1o pepper, stemmed and thinly sliced
\n1 handful cilantro, chopped
\nfresh squeezed lime juice to taste
\nsalt and fresh ground pepper to tatste<\/p>\n

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl until completely incorporated.<\/p>\n

\u2014Recipes courtesy Alfred Fierro<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This column appears on pages 8 and 9 of the July 2012 print issue, which you can download or view\u00a0here. A Brassy Business Move — WineSellar and Brasserie adds craft beer to the mix with addition of The Casual Side As a member of San Diego\u2019s restaurateur community, Gary Parker is anything but green. Red […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4906,1],"tags":[831,765,830,829],"class_list":{"0":"post-5716","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-plates-and-pints","7":"category-san-diego-beer-beverage-news","8":"tag-craft-beer-connect","9":"tag-plates-pints","10":"tag-the-casual-side","11":"tag-winesellar-and-brasserie","12":"entry","13":"has-post-thumbnail"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","wps_subtitle":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pdtr4y-1uc","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archives.csusm.edu\/westcoastersd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5716","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/archives.csusm.edu\/westcoastersd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/archives.csusm.edu\/westcoastersd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archives.csusm.edu\/westcoastersd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archives.csusm.edu\/westcoastersd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5716"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/archives.csusm.edu\/westcoastersd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5716\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archives.csusm.edu\/westcoastersd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5716"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archives.csusm.edu\/westcoastersd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5716"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archives.csusm.edu\/westcoastersd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5716"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}