Happy Memorial Day from Rosati Family Wines

 Happy Memorial Day!

Exotic, yet balanced, are the qualities that best describe the flavorful meals I have enjoyed for many years at Tamarine Restaurant in Palo Alto. Just a few years ago, while dining there with our family, it suddenly came to all of us that Rosati Cabernet would pair exquisitely with this Asian fusion cuisine. Soon thereafter, Tamarine became a partner of ours.

Tammy Huynh, the Chef and Co-owner of Tamarine, adheres to the time-honored traditions of Vietnamese and Thai cooking while infusing influences from French and Chinese kitchens. Tammy and her family were early Vietnamese immigrants to the Bay area via Jakarta and Lodi, California. Their home town in Viet Nam is the beautiful seaside village of Vung Tau near the mouth of the Saigon River about 125 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City. This is a natural harbor town so named “Bay of Ships” in Vietnamese.

Her sister, Nhan Huynh, along with her husband, Anthony Le, and her mother, Chac Do debuted the first of The Vung Tau Group’s Restaurants in 1985 in San Jose. Their first restaurant could comfortably seat 32 people. Two busy years later, prompted by much success, they opened their second restaurant on East Santa Clara Street that can today accommodate 150.

While her mother and uncle were busy serving the public in San Jose, Tammy was earning her biochemistry degree at UC Davis and her doctorate in pharmacy from the University of the Pacific. For nine years following graduation, she worked as a pharmacist.

In 1996 Tammy’s brother, Victor Huynh, asked Tammy to join him as his partner in a restaurant of their own. As Tammy said, “it’s more fun to create food than mix compounds and deliver prescriptions in the hopes of curing an illness”, so she accepted his invitation. Their initial foray was in Milpitas. Vung Tau #2, though, was focused on Vietnamese, rather than Thai, menus. Tammy and Victor, thought this would be an interesting regional shift. Not too much later, another restaurant location was offered to them in Fremont and Pho Tam was established.

Thai and Vietnamese cuisines share many principles in their spices-the nutrients, colors and sensory perceptions. Among these are: spicy, bitter, sweet, salty, sour; mint, lemongrass, cilantro, soy beans, chiles, ginger; and white, red, green, yellow, black. Traditional Vietnamese and Thai cooking is admired for fresh and healthy ingredients. The forces of yin and yang are always at work in the preparation, presentation and enjoyment of food at Tamarine.

In 2002, Tammy decided she wanted to move from the east bay to Palo Alto. She scouted the area for just the perfect site for her newest establishment. She approached the owners of Perry’s as she liked the specific location. They had no intention of moving at that time, but, being a determined entrepreneur, Tammy would not take no for answer. She proceeded to make them the offer they could not refuse. She then took on the mission to elevate and refine her menu to serve the upscale clientele she knew she would attract.

Today, Tammy and her loyal team rewrite the menu every three months with 15 or so new recipes at each change. She still incorporates some of her mother’s recipes with new and seasonal dishes. In her off hours, she cooks and tries out new concepts at home. Once satisfied herself, she does staff tastings. The new recipes are added to the updated menus only after they have been critiqued and modified to suit everyone’s palette.

Mickey Clevenger is Tamarine’s highly talented Sommelier who prefers not to be at the center of the limelight. Mickey’s 25 year career in the food and beverage field began when he was young. Like many people in this sector, his entry was a humble one-his first job was as a dishwasher. Not too much later, he began waiting tables.

Mickey was raised in Orange County. In his late teens he was asked by friends of his family to join them and work with them in their home in the English countryside. This year caused a dramatic shift in Mickey’s life. Being exposed to European culture at an early age influenced him greatly. He gained an appreciation for the classical and cosmopolitan aspects of life.

Upon returning to the U.S., he decided to take up photography studies in Los Angeles. But, his professional calling to the epicurean world was much stronger. He left Los Angeles and moved north to San Francisco. The Ritz Hotel hired him as a server. Here he worked for Gary Danko in his early 20s for several years. Gary taught Mickey proper food preparation and how to serve the public in a highly fast paced, yet elegant environment. At 26 he was recruited to join Hubert Keller at Fleur de Lys. Over the course of nine years, Mickey was fortunate to adapt to Hubert’s penchant for creating grand and luxurious experiences. He said that one of the best lessons he learned at this Michelin rated restaurant was how to make each person feel as if they were the only one in the room. At Fleur de Lys Mickey became educated in directing the wine program.

Before Tamarine, Mickey worked, as well, at other premier San Francisco restaurants as a Wine Director and as a General Manager. He helped to open up Azie, Frissant and ran Bacar.

After six months of consulting with Tammy and, her partner and niece, Anne Le, Mickey settled in as the Beverage Director. Knowing great talent, Tammy and Robert Beisheim, the General Manager, recruited Mickey; the two had met and worked at Fleur d’Lys and Bacar. Together this multi-faceted ensemble of gifted professionals, ensure your enjoyment from the moment you step through their doorway.

There are hundreds and hundreds of reviews on the restaurant. Many of the comments mirror the opinions held by our family and our friends.

Shaking beef-amazingly delicious. Perfection-a food lover’s heaven. I can’t even describe how delicious the food was-I want to try EVERYTHING on the menu. Not overhyped-just as good as people say it is.

In addition to the shaking beef, the most popular dishes seem to be: caramelized prawns, salt and pepper calamari, shrimp croquettes, lemongrass sea bass, roti with red curry, honey soy roti chicken, hoisin lamb chops, long beans sautéed in red chili, basil tofu, empress rice, coconut panna cotta, chocolate volcano cake, and banana beignets.

For us, each time we sit down at Tamarine, we are faced with multiple surprises and hard decisions on the ever-changing menu. We have never been disappointed-quite the contrary! And, of course, we encourage you to sip a glass of Rosati Cabernet when you settle in for a relaxing and pampered evening. In Mickey’s own words, our wine is almost feminine. It is soft and embraces the outside influences of food. It is not a wine that overpowers the palate. It is approachable and does, indeed, pair well with Tammy’s passionately and expertly crafted appetizers, main courses and desserts.

May you have a wonderful and safe Memorial Day.

Salut!
Danelle and Mario

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