Anthology

Not Just For Pies & Jam!

by: Casey Pukl

It was all hands on deck here when I issued a farm fresh pick of the week challenge: rhubarb. There was only one rule— no pies. Everything else was fair game. I’m so excited to share the amazingly tasty dishes and cocktails that our staff has come up with! Hopefully this will inspire you to do some experimenting with this tart and versatile root.

Chef Todd Allison had delicious ideas for a three-course meal using rhubarb from beginning to end. Not only is this meal refreshing, but it also highlights all of the different flavors of rhubarb. But before we get into the recipes, there’s one major note when using rhubarb: do NOT use the leaves. Only work with the stems, as the leaves are not meant to be consumed! Read the rest of this entry »

An Interview with Celino Romero

by: Casey Pukl

It’s not every day that you get to interview a super jolly classical guitarist in the middle of a soccer field, but fortunately for me, yesterday was just that day! Los Romeros, also known as The Romeros, have been dubbed the “grand masters of the guitar” for good reason. Spanning generations, this legendary family of classical guitarists is still making waves world-wide. I had the chance to catch up with Celino Romero yesterday and get the scoop on what’s on the agenda for 2012 and beyond!

CP: What have you guys all been up to lately?

CR: We just finished off 2011 with The Romeros’ first Christmas recording for Deutsche Grammophon in Germany. We had a big tour in Germany, it was a great success, and it was really great to see the family. Christmas is really big, all the kids each play a song, and it’s really big for the Romero family. Finally we have a Christmas CD out there, and it was a great success, so we’re looking forward to our first concert of the year! Since that tour, we had a little break for the holidays, and now for 2012, we’ve got a whole month in Europe planned. We’re also heading to Asia, just non-stop. It’s special because we’re kicking off 2012 with Anthology as our first concert.

CP: Excellent!

CR: We couldn’t think of a better place to be than our hometown of San Diego, well at least Lito and my hometown. My father and Pepe of course consider Spain their hometown! (Laughs)

CP: (Laughs) It’s just a little further away.

CR: Exactly, but it’s going to be a really great start. We’re really happy with what we’ve done in 2011, and we’re happy to be going into 2012. The Christmas album was so special to us, and it’s a really nice thing to have in our collection. Read the rest of this entry »

An Interview with Albert Lee

By: Casey Pukl

Albert Lee is one of the most accomplished guitarists of our time, yet also one of the least recognized. Eric Clapton called him, “The greatest guitarist in the world.” Emmylou Harris once declared Lee, “a brilliant guitar player. His sound is unmistakable—often emulated, never equalled. When Saint Peter asks me to chronicle my time down here on earth, I’ll be able to say (with pride if that’s allowed) that for a while I played rhythm guitar in a band with Albert Lee.” 

But the guitar legend remains as humble as ever. I had the chance to speak with him about his upcoming show here at Anthology tomorrow night, as well as his grueling upcoming tour schedule for 2012. This 69 year old is still hitting the road hard, and wait until you hear what’s next!

CP: What’s in store for 2012?

AL: Well, it’s more of the same, really. I work a lot in Europe with my own band, and I also work with Bill Wyman’s band in Europe. When I get back here to California, I do what I can, but this particular stint at home has been great! I’m actually home for two months this time, which is quite unusual. I’ve got a lot of gigs and sessions and all kinds of things going on, which is exactly what I wanted. I have to stay around California more. But after about a month, I’ll be going back to Europe again, and I’ll be working all over Europe with my band. I’m doing more work now than I’ve ever done.

CP: Certainly sounds like you’re keeping busy! Read the rest of this entry »

Anthology Continues to Keep It Fresh

by: Casey Pukl

Because of Executive Chef Todd Allison’s farm to table philosophy, our menu changes often.

This week, Chef Allison added a few new dishes to the menu, and I’d love to introduce you to them.

In our “small bites” category, Chef Allison has added a dish of Grilled Sausages & Mustard. This classic combo contains spicy Italian sausage, Spanish chorizo, and Allison’s housemade Sauerkraut.

In our “starters” category, we have three new noteworthy additions. The first is our Octopus Carpaccio served with shaved cucumber, radish salad, and topped with a yuzu vinaigrette. Next is an incredible dish of Sake Steamed Black Mussels cooked with ginger, mint, basil, and hearts of palm. Words cannot express how much I love this Asian inspired dish. Our third addition to the starters category is a spicy Harissa Marinated Swordfish Skewer. These skewers are topped with a balsamic glaze, and served with a traditional Sicilian relish, also known as Eggplant Caponata. The relish is made with eggplant, capers, olives, anchovies, and tomato.

We also have added two new entrees that beverage manager, Marc Canzoneri, recommends pairing with some of our latest additions to the wine cellar.

Our Pan Roasted Sea Bass is served with baby carrots, English pea quinoa, and topped with Sherry butter. Marc recommends pairing this dish with our Conundrum White Blend. Conundrum is made with five different grapes; Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat Canelli, Viognier, and Semillon. This unique blend has elements of a buttery chardonnay, fruity notes of pineapple, peach, melon, and grapefruit, and aromas of vanilla and honeysuckle. What more could one ask for?

Lamb Chops? How about some Grilled New Zealand Lamb Chops served with sauteed fennel, fingerling potatoes, parsnip puree, and topped with a bing cherry demi-glace. Marc recommends pairing this dish with our latest Zinfandel addition— Tobin James “Ballistic” Zinfandel. This red is very fruit forward with subtle notes of cola and tobacco on the finish.

Stay tuned here for more updates, as we’ve got a ton of new wines and dishes coming your way in the next few weeks! While you’re salivating over the menu features, how about heading over to our calendar to pick out which shows you’ll come in for! We’ve also got an awesome playlist to preview some of our upcoming singer/songwriters, and as always, remember that Spotify is free!

Anthology’s Upcoming Shows

Spotify Preview of Upcoming Singer/Songwriters

An Interview with Chuck Loeb

by: Casey Pukl

Guitarist, producer, writer, and all-around smooth jazz powerhouse, Chuck Loeb, is taking a new direction. Inspired by his earliest influences in more straight-ahead jazz and bebop, Loeb’s latest solo release, Plain ‘n’ Simple, takes a trip back to the organ trios of the 60’s. I had the chance to speak with Chuck about everything from his current position in Fourplay to his formal music education, and even his most recent decision to start his own record label.

CP: What have you been up to lately?

CL: There have been quite a variety of things happening in the last two years. I’ll be coming into Anthology this time around with an organ based project from my CD called, Plain ‘n’ Simple. I did a whole bunch of touring with the same kind of band last summer in Europe. The CD came out in July and I was on tour in Europe doing the music from this project. Actually, let me back up a little bit. My other project that I’ve been involved with for the last two years is playing with Fourplay with Bob James and Nathan East, a native San Diegan by the way, and Harvey Mason. Actually, the last time I was at Anthology was with Fourplay. So in between all of that time, although I had this CD out in July, I was touring with Fourplay so much that I hadn’t really had a chance to go out in the states with the organ project. Read the rest of this entry »