On Tuesday evening I had the great honor of attending Chuck Williams's (the founder of Williams-Sonoma) 90th birthday party at the expansive new Williams-Sonoma store on Union Square. I've worked with Chuck over the past 3 1/2 years on many of the Williams-Sonoma cookbooks, and hence the invitation, along with a number of my co-workers. In attendance were his friends, colleagues, and a whole bevy of who's who in the culinary world. Mayor Gavin Newsom even stopped by later in the evening.

As we entered the store, we were immediately offered sparkling glasses of kir royale and crisp white wine. I had heard prior to arriving that Paula LeDuc was handling the catering and I was excited to finally have an opportunity to sample her wares. On either side of the first floor entry, tables were laden with cheeses and fresh and dried fruits. Waiters whisked through the crowd carrying platters of hors d'oeuvres, such as crisp cones of ahi tuna topped with wasabi roe, little crepe purses stuffed with shredded short ribs and creme fraiche, and fennel crisps topped with fromage blanc and pomegranate seeds. I was in heaven.

Chuck showed up shortly after the festivities began, looking dapper as usual. He was in excellent spirits and thrilled by the turnout. A rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday" was sung by a surprise choir that appeared on the stairwell behind Chuck. A towering birthday croquembouche, built from little puffs of choux filled with cream, each delicately encased in a thin layer of crisp caramel, was disassembled and offered to all.

When the crowd again dispersed, we made our way up to the top floor of the store to begin sampling food from the "stations." At the top was a panini station where they were cranking out fresh sizzling ham and cheese panini on pan de mie and herbed foccacia, served alongside a creamy and very decadent potato-leek soup with truffle oil. Moving to the next floor down we hit the rack of lamb station. Tender chops, served with cones of crisp taro chips, were offered with two sauces: a hot, sweet mustard and a cilantro pesto.

But my favorite spread was back on the first floor, where a Moroccan theme was drawing in the crowd. Delicately spiced veal and pea tagine and creamy melt-in-your-mouth chicken with kabocha squash was served with fluffy herbed couscous and raisins, toasted Spanish almonds, and a tangy cherry tomato jam. I could have lived on this food forever. (I wish I had pictures to show you the gorgeous presentation. Now I understand why Paula LeDuc has the outstanding reputation that it has built over the years.)

Completely sated, we made our way through the glamorous, cheerful crowd. Chuck seemed in high spirits as did all of those around him. And it seemed a remarkable and fitting way to celebrate his birthday. Happy birthday Chuck!

chocolats apéritifs au fromage (chocolate-cheese aperitifs)

I know I've prattled on endlessly about Pierre Hermé and he will forever remain my favorite simply because he allowed me to walk through his doors and experience the wonder of his chocolate factory, sans wonka-vator, first hand. But I would be remiss if I didn't give fair share to some of the others, and there are many, outstanding chocolatiers in Paris.

Jean-Paul Hévin is one of them and actually the first 'haute couture' chocolate I savored here six years ago. His store rue Saint-Honoré was the most breath-taking I'd ever seen and Pierre Hermé no doubt took note of it when he designed his signature store on rue Bonaparte. There was certainly nothing like this in San Francisco when I was growing up, much less sleepy little Menlo Park, so I was in awe, a veritable 'kid in a candy store'. He now has 4 stores in Paris and 4 stores in Japan so if you are heading west, or east for that matter, check them out!

Since Jean-Paul Hévin's first award in 1979 (a gold medal at the Concours International Gastronomique--International Culinary Competition--in Arpajon, France), he has won every competition offered, hitting his crescendo in 1986 when he was awarded the highest honor possible, the prestigious Meilleur Ouvrier de France (Best Craftsman in France) award in the pastry-confectionery division.

A friend I cooked with last year at the Cannes Film Festival was in France for the vendage (grape picking) in Burgundy and swung up to Paris for a few days. She thoughtfully handed me a beautiful little box and my eyes lit up as I'd know that box anywhere. Same as if you handed me a little blue box with a white ribbon. It could have a rock in it but if it's in that little blue box... anyways, my little brown box thankfully did not have a rock but a sampling of Jean-Paul Hévin's chocolate-covered cheese collection!

I know, I'm a little slow on the draw as these came out as part of his millennium collection but better late...as they say. I'd never tasted such delights and was so excited to savor new combinations of flavors and textures, in this case chocolate and cheese and some herbs or nuts. His chocolats apéritifs au fromage (chocolate-cheese aperitifs) include, from the top clockwise:

Pont l'Evêque parsemée de thym ~ Pont l'Evêque (cow's milk cheese from Normandy) sprinkled (literally: strewn) with thyme

Chèvre parsemée de noisette ~ Goat's milk cheese sprinkled with hazelnuts

Roquefort parsemée de noix ~ Blue Cheese sprinkled with walnuts

Epoisse parsemée de cumin ~ Epoisse (cow's milk cheese from Burgundy) sprinkled with cumin.

In the interest of full disclosure and fair journalism, I judiciously sampled all of them and it's a toss up between the Roquefort and the Epoisse. My favorite cheese is Epoisse but it's hard to beat the tangy, luscious Roquefort. You'll have to order some and decide for yourself!

Now if a few morsels by mail simply won't suffice, and I can't imagine how it could, you can always fly here and completely immerse yourself in this unctuous Parisian world via 2 Bay Area chocolate afficianados!

Author David Lebovitz, former pastry chef at Chez Panisse and a fellow Bay Area expat in Paris, offers his take on the best chocolatier in Paris as well as some other notables. When he's not writing books or exploring hidden corners of Paris, David gives amazing chocolate tours and is a guest pastry chef at On Rue Tatin.

Berkeley's own Leonard Pitt, founder of the aptly named Berkeley Chocolate Club, has written a book on the history of Paris, Promenades dans le Paris Disparu. When he is on this side of the pond, he gives chocolate tours (as well as historical tours) in Paris. I'm taking his chocolate tour tomorrow. I'll report back...as soon as I recover from my sugar coma.

________________________________

Jean-Paul Hévin
www.jphevin.com
231, rue Saint-Honoré
75001 Paris
Tel : +33 (0)1 55 35 35 96
Fax : +33 (0)1 55 35 35 97

23 bis, avenue de la Motte-Picquet
75007 Paris
Tel : +33 (0)1 45 51 77 48
Fax : +33 (0)1 45 55 87 33

16, avenue de la Motte-Picquet
75007 Paris
Tel : +33 (0)1 45 51 99 49
Fax : +33 (0)1 45 51 28 19

3, rue Vavin
75006 Paris
Tel : +33 (0)1 43 54 09 85
Fax : +33 (0)1 40 46 97 51

I am constantly amazed how the food world has exploded to such a degree that one can now become an expert in so many different fields -- pastries, bread, chocolate, cheese, coffee, olive oil, and, of course, tea. I met my good friend Sina Carroll while we were both slinging cheese at Cowgirl Creamery in the Ferry Building, and even then, she was more knowledgeable about tea than your average Brit. You laugh, but I got my tea smarts from To the Manor Born, Jeeves and Wooster, Jane Austen, Agatha Christie, Upstairs, Downstairs, and everything else on Mystery! and Masterpiece Theater. Currently, I'm addicted to and primarily drink Earl Grey. Out of a bag. I mix it up a bit with some Lemon Lift, Darjeeling, Constant Comment, and even English Breakfast. However, I am quite willing to learn what I'm missing. Luckily, Sina is quite willing to teach what she knows. Here is the first part of my interview with her.

Tell me, Sina, what exactly do you do?

I am a teabar tender and tea educator at Celadon in Albany. I serve premium grade, seasonal, whole leaf, loose leaf pesticide-free Asian teas (90% Chinese, 5% Indian, 5% rest: Taiwanese, Japanese) all in a traditional Chinese tea style of service using a Gaiwan (gai = lid, wan = bowl). I use other tea tools, like a strainer to pour the tea through, a server to pour it into, tongs to pick up cups with, a water pitcher to rinse everything with warm water so all teaweares are pre-heated, and little coasters to serve the tea on. I educate people about where tea is grown, harvested, processed, how people on tea farms live, how tea is imported, graded, bought, stored, made and served. I also help people choose specific teawares for appropriate teas, and [I inform] them [about] specific steeping times and temperatures for over 70 teas. I have been learning to do this for one year.

So, you must have massive qualifications -- what are they?

I started liking and learning about tea two years ago, after I was ill and unable to drink coffee or alcohol. I specifically wanted to learn more about tea, so I made a deal with teahouse owner James Labe (the first tea sommelier in the country for the W hotel in NYC, and now owner of Teahouse Kuan Yin in Seattle): his tea knowledge in return for me merchandising his store and helping to brand his product.

I moved to San Francisco rather spontaneously, but also with a mission to learn more about tea. When I came here, I didn't have a job, but I did have a few contacts. Alice Cravens, who provides Chez Panisse and Cafe Zuni with their tea program, was instrumental in my meeting Angela Justice, the wholesale representative for Teance (the name of Celadon's tea). Angela asked if I would consider a tea-internship. Winnie Yu, the owner of Celadon, agreed to take me on simply because she was impressed that I had struck out on a quest for knowledge and would give up a more or less easy life in search of my true passion: tea.

How and when did you get into tea?

My parents never drank tea. The first cup of tea I remember having was in France about ten years ago -- it was a vanilla-linden flower tisane (herbal) tea. At one point, I was working for a coffee company in London and I attended the Birmingham Good Food Show with the coffee roasters. It was there that I saw huge bags of bulk wholesale tea for the first time. I was impressed. A few years later, I ran the Teuscher chocolate shop in Seattle and I was in charge of the wholesale ordering of Mariage Frères teas. That was the first time I ever brewed whole leaf, loose leaf tea -- it was the highest quality tea I had experienced yet. However, I was still a pretty dedicated coffee drinker. But then, I got ill and was unable to ingest certain foods and, since coffee was among them, I drank herbal tea and subsequently discovered white tea and oolong tea.

Why should more people drink tea?

I don't advocate trading coffee for tea, rather consider including tea in your day. Open yourself up to seasonal, whole leaf, loose leaf, premium grade quality tea and incorporate them into your repertoire of delicious drinks to enjoy. Personally, I still enjoy a cappuccino...

How do you feel about "bagged tea"?

I feel really sad when I think about bag tea.

At 10:15am we drove by Saigon Seafood Harbor Restaurant and the parking lot was nearly empty. Early for our dim sum date, we decided to do a quick run-through at Ranch 99, the cavernous Asian supermarket, where you can find everything from fresh Japanese ramen noodles to ready-to-steam Chinese buns filled with bean paste to pork. After our quick run-through, we headed back to the restaurant to find the parking lot nearly full, only 15 minutes later.

We were quickly whisked to a table across from the chefs who were ladling up pots of thick, steamy soup and savory stir-fried mustard greens, near stacks of fresh seafood tanks brimming with crabs, lobsters, and clams. Our friends arrived shortly after the hot pot of jasmine tea was delivered to our table, and the ordering began in ernest.

Peter and Peter (our friends who had joined us and recommended this place) had dined here many many times, so we left it to them to order. And order they did. From vegetable siu mei, little steamed dumplings filled with lotus root and mushrooms, to a plate of shredded jellyfish and seaweed salad, we ordered course after course from the carts and trays that were offered continously throughout our eating extravaganza.

I'm personally not a fan of shrimp (so shoot me) but everyone I was with was, so we ordered big shrimp balls (chopped shrimp mixed with rice), plump shrimp tucked into slippery rice noodles, puffy fried shrimp rolls, delicate steamed shrimp and scallop dumplings, and traditional steamed shrimp and pork siu mei dumplings. I tried them all, and being a shrimp-non-lover, even I thought they were good.

Little puffy steamed pork buns arrived, and I was in heaven. And then I found all the other lovely things they could do with pork: crispy BBQ pork pastries and round baked pork rolls, steamed pork short ribs, and thin layers of bean curd rolled around a pork and shrimp filling (for even this I could forgive the shrimpy shellfish).

Going to eat dim sum is like going to a smorgasbord of food, fun, and flavors. As the waiters go by, you get to choose things you only have an instant to decide whether you might love or would rather have passed by. A plate of mini red octopus (surprisingly sweet and cold but delicious nonetheless), cold poached chicken served with a heady ginger-green onion sauce, crispy-fried shredded taro root cakes, and the most delicious surprise of all, fried salt-and-pepper tofu sprinkled with deep-fried baby eels and garlic (incredibly crispy on the outside and sooooo creamy on the inside, which I could not stop eating, even after I thought I would burst).

A few things I could have lived without, like the glutinous rice steamed in a lotus leaf with chicken and mushrooms (um, oh so glutinous) or the steamed chicken with dried mushroom and some sort of glutinous gelatinous blob (are you seeing a trend here?). But overall, there were so many offerings, I only wished I could have tried more (like the beautiful seared potstickers I never got to sink my teeth into - drat). Maybe next time we'll come with a much bigger group of people--which I recommend--so we can share the bounty. But we'd better get there early, because by the time we left, around noon, it was beyond packed.

Saigon Seafood Harbor Restaurant
3150 Pierce St. (at Central)
Richmond, CA
(510) 559-9388