Hello,

I would like to find a good place to buy fresh truffles, particularly
Italian white truffles, in the San Fernando Valley, preferrably in the
West Valley (i.e., Woodland Hills, West Hills, Calabasas, Topanga,
Canoga Park, Chatsworth, etc.). I have searched high and low,
including the East Valley (Tarzana, Encino, Sherman Oaks, etc.) without
any luck. None of the high-end markets (Gelsons, Whole Foods, etc.)
carry fresh truffles. In fact, a telephone call to Wild Oats Market in
Pasadena led me on a whild goose chase, and I eventually realized that
their so-called "truffles" were really chocolate truffles!

Currently, my only sources for fresh white truffles are rather far on
the westside:

Bay Cities Italian Deli in Santa Monica -- $125/ounce
The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills -- $225/ounce

* Note: I found that the truffles sold by Bay Cities Italian Deli were
superior to the ones sold by The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills, which
probably charges $100/ounce more because of its location. To be fair,
however, I must add, that the Cheese Store does carry some very unique
and delicious cheeses in addition to these absolutely wonderful baby
peaches in truffle oil as well as the best sun-dried tomatoes in olive
oil.

Anyway, getting back on topic . . .

There must be an Italian deli, gourmet or specialty store in the valley
that carries fresh truffles around this time of year. I just don't
know where this wonderful little store is located. I did try Domingo's
Italian Grocery, next to Nicolosi's Bakery, on Ventura Boulevard, but
they only carry truffle oils. They used to carry fresh truffles, but
they said that their supplier went out of business. There are other
suppliers out there, and somebody in the valley is probably being
supplied! The question is: "Who?"

I would rather not have to order truffles by mail, as I would prefer to
see and smell my truffle before I buy it. Can anybody suggest where to
buy fresh truffles in the valley?

Thank you!
Alex

wrote:
>
> Hello,
>
> I would like to find a good place to buy fresh truffles, particularly
> Italian white truffles, in the San Fernando Valley, preferrably in the
> West Valley (

Try a search on Oregon white truffles.

JJ

Thanks JJ,

Unfortunately, Oregon white truffles pose the same problem as the
Italian variety: I have to order them online.

What I'm looking for is the convenience of a good gourmet deli in the
valley, where I can buy cheeses, infused oils, olives, hams, and of
course, fresh truffles. My local Whole Foods carried Oregon black
truffles, but the white ones were way too expensive, so they never
ordered any. Since I was looking for Italian truffles, and I could
order the Oregon variety online if I wanted to, I didn't bother placing
a special order. Also, while I don't want to get into a debate about
whether Italian white truffles are better than Oregon white truffles --
I'm sure that each has its unique qualities -- I would really prefer to
find the "real deal" (i.e., from Piedmont, Italy).

Nonetheless, since you brought up Oregon white truffles, does their
taste and aroma bear any similarity to the Italian variety? I would
expect not, since they are different species and are grown in different
habitats.

Regards,
Alex

wrote:
> Thanks JJ,
>
> Unfortunately, Oregon white truffles pose the same problem as the
> Italian variety: I have to order them online.
>
> What I'm looking for is the convenience of a good gourmet deli in the
> valley, where I can buy cheeses, infused oils, olives, hams, and of
> course, fresh truffles. My local Whole Foods carried Oregon black
> truffles, but the white ones were way too expensive, so they never
> ordered any.

Did you ask them? If you ask them they will probably order them for you,
if you are willing to buy them.

Since I was looking for Italian truffles, and I could
> order the Oregon variety online if I wanted to, I didn't bother placing
> a special order. Also, while I don't want to get into a debate about
> whether Italian white truffles are better than Oregon white truffles --
> I'm sure that each has its unique qualities -- I would really prefer to
> find the "real deal" (i.e., from Piedmont, Italy).
>
> Nonetheless, since you brought up Oregon white truffles, does their
> taste and aroma bear any similarity to the Italian variety? I would
> expect not, since they are different species and are grown in different
> habitats.
>
> Regards,
> Alex
>


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wrote:
> Thanks JJ,
>
> Unfortunately, Oregon white truffles pose the same problem as the
> Italian variety: I have to order them online.
>
> What I'm looking for is the convenience of a good gourmet deli in the
> valley, where I can buy cheeses, infused oils, olives, hams, and of
> course, fresh truffles. My local Whole Foods carried Oregon black
> truffles, but the white ones were way too expensive, so they never
> ordered any. Since I was looking for Italian truffles, and I could
> order the Oregon variety online if I wanted to, I didn't bother placing
> a special order. Also, while I don't want to get into a debate about
> whether Italian white truffles are better than Oregon white truffles --
> I'm sure that each has its unique qualities -- I would really prefer to
> find the "real deal" (i.e., from Piedmont, Italy).
>
> Nonetheless, since you brought up Oregon white truffles, does their
> taste and aroma bear any similarity to the Italian variety? I would
> expect not, since they are different species and are grown in different
> habitats.
>
Have you checked Monte Carlo Italian deli in Burbank? I know they have most
of the other items you mentioned.

--
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wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I would like to find a good place to buy fresh truffles,
> particularly Italian white truffles, in the San Fernando Valley

The ones you seek by the way are the "Piedmont" white, Tuber magnatum
[pico]; or if I could suggest a back-up, the "Périgord" black, Tuber
melanosporum. These are the classic strongly aromatic truffles of
legend. (You can find out more by searching online under those
phrases; some info is in a posting "Truffles: A few basics,"
rec.food.cooking 7Aug05, ).
I've tried a couple of samples of Tuber oregonense ("previously T.
gibbosum") from Oregon, and some of the other much-less-expensive
secondary species lately popular (and occasionally found sold as the
classic species, fraudulently, in the United States). They were
creditable, unique wild mushrooms but different in aroma and 10-1000
times less intense.

But back to the practical question: When I've bought truffles, live,
in the past in California it was either direct fom an importer who
supplied restaurants, or else via a specialty food retailer having a
relationship with such an importer. If I were in a new area and wanted
to find such a "connection" quickly, I'd approach restaurants that use
truffles (preferably, after dining there!) and ask the kitchen about it
(making it obvious that it is not a case of a competitor trying to
hijack the restaurant's source). A local hotshot food writer or
journalist, reachable e.g. via a major newspaper's Web site, might be
another source of info.

Hope this helps. Good luck! --MH

wrote:
>
> Thanks JJ,

> Nonetheless, since you brought up Oregon white truffles, does their
> taste and aroma bear any similarity to the Italian variety? I would
> expect not, since they are different species and are grown in different
> habitats.
>
> Regards,
> Alex

There are a considerable number of truffle species with the classic old
sneaker/durian aspect that makes them a must for egg dishes. Thirty
years ago when I was living in Milano and Turino, I got a taste for the
Italian whites, but over the years that taste has changed. I now find
subtleties in truffles that make a difference and prefer the black
varieties generally, but the Oregon truffles are pretty good for every
day use, being on the stronger side. I once had a deli manager sell me
white truffles when I wanted black and got all bent out of shape when I
complained, not realizing that I was looking for a particular flavor
profile, thinking the scarcity value and fashion should have been the
basis for judgement.
I have been very fortunate in my truffle consumption over the years,
having a couple of private sources where the price is not prohibitive
and had ample opportunity to experiment. One of my favorites is to let a
truffle dry until rock hard and then rehydrate with sweet white vermouth
and use for a duck egg and stone crab omelets. That reminds me I have on
left in the fridge:-)

In summary, I would say that if you can tell the difference in a blind
taste test, you may still find a species that is not so fashionable that
suits your taste buds better than the French and Italian varieties. If
it is just for prestige, then fly over to Italy, the prices are cheaper
and the flights cost about the same as two ounces of Italian whites, and
bring me back some :-).

JJ

I strongly endorse the suggestion of doing blind taste and smell tests;
that (and the intensity difference which is fairly familiar to people
who have some depth of truffle experience) underlay my suggestion of
seeking the classic T. magnatum or T. melanosporum. If you do not get
acquainted with the scents and tastes and uses of these fungi, then it
is all too easy to let yourself be sold something that is appealingly
cheaper, yet disproportionately blander, hence poor value by most
people's informed judgment. (Unfortunate cases exist already in some
online food fora.) Seek disinterested advice and opportunities to try.
Every case I know personally of relative criticism of the various
"new" truffle varieties comes by comparison with smell and taste
experience with the classic species, and actually and demonstrably is
unrelated to fashion or "prestige" which however surely operate there
among people who play those games, as with any pricey commodity, with
wines for instance, as you can see implicitly demonstrated every day on
today's HTTP wine fora (and occasionally even discussed explicitly, as
done for 15 years on the wine newsgroups before the HTTP fora ever
existed). In fact if taste judgment predominated over fad or fashion,
it would be harder for the less scrupulous restaurateurs and
packaged-product jobbers to sell T. aestivum fraudulently as "Black
Truffles" as they have done in recent years to the US public.
Certainly I've seen those and other secondary species, which people
didn't bother with so much in the past, become much _more_ fashionable
and prestigious in the US than they were 20 and 30 years ago, when the
classic blacks and whites were already extremely expensive. Try for
yourself and decide what you like, as always!

Thanks, I just called Monte Cralo Italian Deli, but they only carry
white truffles in water. I'm not so sure how these will taste, and
they are all rather small -- someone over there told me they look like
little "terds." Lovely.

In any case, I was delighted that the deli is located in Pinocchio
Restaurant, a place that I last frequented as a little kid. My dad
would take me there all the time, to the Westwood Village location.
That location closed long ago, and I never heard of another Pinocchio
again. Of course, my taste has probably changed, and they claim that
their menu hasn't changed at al, so I'm not sure what to expect. I
guess I'll give their restaurant a shot, just for old times' sake.

wrote:
[...]
> Have you checked Monte Carlo Italian deli in Burbank? I know they have most
> of the other items you mentioned.
>

I did ask them, and they didn't want to do place a special order for
white truffles, I decided to check out their black truffles, and I was
disappointed with the quality and the way they handled their truffles.
After what I saw, I decided not to take any chances; otherwise, I would
have insisted and tried to convince them to order me some.

First of all, their "Italian" truffles (so they told me on the phone)
turned out to be Oregon black truffles, which is fine -- I haven't
tried the Oregon variety, so I won't begin to judge them -- but they
were *tiny*. I mean, each piece was under 1/4 ounce! And they were
kept in flimsy plastic boxes, like the kind some delis use to pack
sandwiches for take-out. The truffles were stored in regular
long-grain rice, and the boxes opened up as soon as you touched them,
and rice started to pour out. I could see the truffles inside, and
they looked shriveled up and dry. To say the least, the container was
*not* air-tight! What a shame -- a total waste of potentially good
fungus!

-Alex

Thanks JJ. No, I'm not looking for the Italian kind for prestige.
It's just that I've tried both the black and white Italian variety in
restaurants and at home (bought mostly from Bay Cities Italian Deli)
and they were wodnerful. I didn't want to take any chances with the
Oregon kind without knowing what to expect. Are they about as intense
and flavorful? I don't mind a different or new aroma, but if they're
weak, I'd rather use wild mushrooms and save some money. After all,
the Oregon variety still isn't cheap!

-Alex

> ha scritto nel messaggio
oups.com...
> Thanks, I just called Monte Cralo Italian Deli, but they only carry
> white truffles in water. I'm not so sure how these will taste, and
> they are all rather small -- someone over there told me they look like
> little "terds." Lovely.


When you buy truffles, here in Italy, they put inside a pot with rice to
preserve it from umidity and to preserve its aroma.
Cheers
Pandora