Food News February 16, 2005

You've been planning that Napa Valley trip all year. You've worn your fingers to the bone punching the speed dial button for the French Laundry reservation line. You've got your airline tickets and your spa reservation. So why not check out the health reports from a few of Napa's finest restaurants just to make sure the ones on your list are up to snuff?

"Take Yountville's French Laundry, perhaps Napa Valley's most famous restaurant. After telling me their sign was posted when in fact it was not (state law requires that the most recent inspection report is available for review), they practically threw me out when I asked to see their health report. Make an appointment, I was told...Not even when the last health inspection for the French Laundry, while giving the restaurant an A, noted a minor fly infestation, unhealthy temperatures in the walk-in fridge and food stored inappropriately? Fine dining or not, French Laundry is two points away from being a B..."
More from the Napa NewsChris Tribbey.

Love or hate him - at least he's doing something about it. "We started with the idea that school food is shit," Oliver tells Education Guardian over a glass of bottled water at his office in Hoxton, central London...And this was only the start of his problems, because for a long time Oliver was unable to bring his meals in on the budget of 37p per head - the LEA's designated set price. "It drove me fucking nuts," Oliver continues. "I spent weeks and weeks arguing and fretting over pennies. You'd be amazed at what a difference so little can make."
More from the Guardian UnlimitedJohn Crace.

Gillian Glover reviews The Perfectionist: Life and Death in Haute Cuisine, by Rudolph Chelminski. "The lucky chef who is promoted to three stars becomes an instant celebrity, and the economic fallout for his restaurant approximates to a big hit on the lottery, with clientele increasing anywhere from 30 to 60 per cent...Suddenly the same banks that had been niggling over loans come nuzzling the chef with warm, gushy kisses."
More from the ScotsmanGillian Glover.

Napa Valley Vintners (NVV) today filed a brief with the United States Supreme Court to defend its Napa Name law. The document was filed in response to Bronco Wine Company’s petition requesting that the U.S. Supreme Court overturn a decision handed down by the California Supreme Court in favor of the NVV.
This is of vital importance because I definitely need to know if a bottle of chardonnay, is from Napa or not. Some of that stuff is so nasty it makes my teeth hurt.
More from Napa Vinters.com.

Lettie Teague on the best idea I've heard of yet. Had Robert Bohr (Cru Restaurant, NYC) ever considered discounting his wines by the glass according to how long the bottle was open? Perhaps half price the second day and one-third the third...as some of Cru's selections, like the $150 glass of 1982 Pichon Lalande, were wines I wanted to try but could only afford by day four."
More from the Food and WineLettie Teague.

The first restaurant in California to become organically certified. From the salt and pepper to the burgers and beer on tap, everything is organic at Ukiah Brewing Co.
More from the News ReviewJuliana Barbassa.