Saturday, May 18, 2013
Margie's Fun Wine Activity event for May started off atThe Wilmore, a small wine tasting bar in the Bixby Knolls area.
We had 4 wines and nibblies. A NV Louis Perdrier Champange, Nice wine. The second our was a 2011 Domaine Mureaux Sancerre. To me this was the best wine of the tasting. Third wine was a 2011 Luli, Santa Lucia Highlands, Pinot Noir. I found this wine to be relatively weak Not much going for it. The last one was a 2020 Dragonette "Seven" a blend of 7 Rhone grapes. This also was a good selection.
Ernie, the owner, put out a nice selection of cheeses, salami, olives, etc.
After finishing at The Wilmore we headed down the road to Phil Trani's restaurant. This place has been in business it seems forever. The original one in San Pedro was a hang out for a lot of sports figures and some of the memorabilia is on display in the bar of the restaurant. They have redecorated the restaurant which is good because it was in dire need.
We had a large round table which was good because of all the glasses and bottles that were on the table. A wide variety of food is available here. Everything from steak to Italian dishes. Several people order fish. I had the herb crusted Chilean Sea Bass which was very good.In retrospect I should have ordered it without the herbs. Dinners came with soup or salad. I had the house salad which consisted of romaine lettuce which was very cold and crisp and choice of dressing. Nothing special but because the lettuce was so crisp it was nice. After the salad and the nibblies at the Wilmore I cold have stopped eating at this point and been quite satisfied.
Phil Trani's used to have no corkage but had raised it to $10. Margie did talk them into $5 per bottle since we bring out own glasses and open the bottles and basically are self sufficient when it comes to taking care of our wines. We had a good selection of wines.
NV Piper Heidsick , California, Sparkling
2006 Clos Pepe, Sta Rita Hills, Pinot Noir
2003 Thomas Fogarty, Vallega Vineyard, Yountville, Napa, Cabernet Sauvignon
2007 Halter Ranch, Paso Robles, Viognier
NV Veuve Du Vernay, France, Brut Rose
Bret Brothers, Vive-Classe Cimat-La Verchere
2008 Grand Vin de Bourgeone
2010 Argiolas S'elegas, Italy, Nuragus di Cagliari
2009 Argiolas, Perdera, Isola dei Nuragau (blend of 3 Monica grapes)
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Andrew Murray Wines & Delius
Friday, May 17, 2013
Sold out dinner tonight at Delius. Andrew Murray was in attendance and pouring his wines. I was seated at the table with Andrew and Kevin Butler of the Henry Wine Group. It had been quite a few months since I have seen Kevin. Another wine geek that knows more about wine than most people.
Andrew was running a little late so they poured us a glass of the newly released Viognier. I am not a big fan of white Rhone wines but this actually went very well with the Sea Bream
First Course: Crispy Skinned Mediterranean Sea Bream, Roasted Marble Potatoes and Roasted Apricots - served with a 2011 RGB (Roussane - Greanche Blanc) - you could really get the Grenache Blanc out of this wine and the Roussane was just a bit player. The fish was excellent, moist, and cooked perfectly, The lightly salted skin had a nice crunch to it.
Second Course: Roasted Fig and Pork Cheeks - full of flavor and tender - Wine paired with this dish was 2011 Esperance. Again a very good pairing.
Third Course: Braised Rabbit, Cassoulet, Squash Blossom Fritters. I love rabbit and wish more restaurants would have it on their menus. The fritters were to die for. Paired with a 2011 Tour les Jours Syrah.
Fourth Course: Rack of Lamb, Blackberry Rosemary Compote, Fava Beans, Creamy Polenta. . Very good dish except that I am not a Fava Bean lover. I ate them but I would not have missed them if they were not on the plate. The polenta was very creamy. Lamb was cooked perfectly for me.. Served with a 2011 Watch Hill Vineyard Syrah. Excellent pairing.
Dessert was an Espresso Panna Cotta, Chocolate Sugar Cookie, Caramel Sauce.
At the end of the meal I was stuffed. Pours of the wine were generous. A bonus wine thrown in. Food was great. Service excellent. And had great conversation with Andrew and Kevin.
Sold out dinner tonight at Delius. Andrew Murray was in attendance and pouring his wines. I was seated at the table with Andrew and Kevin Butler of the Henry Wine Group. It had been quite a few months since I have seen Kevin. Another wine geek that knows more about wine than most people.
Andrew was running a little late so they poured us a glass of the newly released Viognier. I am not a big fan of white Rhone wines but this actually went very well with the Sea Bream
First Course: Crispy Skinned Mediterranean Sea Bream, Roasted Marble Potatoes and Roasted Apricots - served with a 2011 RGB (Roussane - Greanche Blanc) - you could really get the Grenache Blanc out of this wine and the Roussane was just a bit player. The fish was excellent, moist, and cooked perfectly, The lightly salted skin had a nice crunch to it.
Second Course: Roasted Fig and Pork Cheeks - full of flavor and tender - Wine paired with this dish was 2011 Esperance. Again a very good pairing.
Third Course: Braised Rabbit, Cassoulet, Squash Blossom Fritters. I love rabbit and wish more restaurants would have it on their menus. The fritters were to die for. Paired with a 2011 Tour les Jours Syrah.
Fourth Course: Rack of Lamb, Blackberry Rosemary Compote, Fava Beans, Creamy Polenta. . Very good dish except that I am not a Fava Bean lover. I ate them but I would not have missed them if they were not on the plate. The polenta was very creamy. Lamb was cooked perfectly for me.. Served with a 2011 Watch Hill Vineyard Syrah. Excellent pairing.
Dessert was an Espresso Panna Cotta, Chocolate Sugar Cookie, Caramel Sauce.
At the end of the meal I was stuffed. Pours of the wine were generous. A bonus wine thrown in. Food was great. Service excellent. And had great conversation with Andrew and Kevin.
Himalayan With The Boys
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Last week at Nayada, Terry piped up and asked if CJ & I were available this week to go back to the Himalayan Grill. www.himalayangrill.com. Thursday was selected and Henry joined us.
Henry who is Chinese raved about the sauces on the meat and vegetables, He took a small container of the Tikka Masala sauce home to his wife, Evan, to show her how good it was. Indian sauces are so different from the Chinese sauces.
We had a small plate of appetizers, did not want to spoil our dinner. The Himalayan makes the best Samosa's. Very light and delicate dough around the potato, pea mixture.
We ordered Tibetian Lamb which is always good and tonight for some reason just tasted better than normal. We also had the Saag Paneer, Chicken Tikka Masala and Vegetables Korma.
Again our wines were good.
2006 AP Vin, Keefer Vineyard, Pinot Noir
2006 Kosta Browne, Sonoma Coast, Pinot Noir
2006 Williams Seylem, Hirsch Vineyard, Pinot Noir
2007 Vie, White Hawk, Syrah
It was good to see Sanjiv , the owner back. He was trying to open another place in Los Alamitos but ran into problems and backed away. The place was crowded tonight and people were still coming in after 9:00 pm.
After a night of good food, good wine and great company, we decided to go back to the Seafood Palace next week,
Last week at Nayada, Terry piped up and asked if CJ & I were available this week to go back to the Himalayan Grill. www.himalayangrill.com. Thursday was selected and Henry joined us.
Henry who is Chinese raved about the sauces on the meat and vegetables, He took a small container of the Tikka Masala sauce home to his wife, Evan, to show her how good it was. Indian sauces are so different from the Chinese sauces.
We had a small plate of appetizers, did not want to spoil our dinner. The Himalayan makes the best Samosa's. Very light and delicate dough around the potato, pea mixture.
We ordered Tibetian Lamb which is always good and tonight for some reason just tasted better than normal. We also had the Saag Paneer, Chicken Tikka Masala and Vegetables Korma.
Again our wines were good.
2006 AP Vin, Keefer Vineyard, Pinot Noir
2006 Kosta Browne, Sonoma Coast, Pinot Noir
2006 Williams Seylem, Hirsch Vineyard, Pinot Noir
2007 Vie, White Hawk, Syrah
It was good to see Sanjiv , the owner back. He was trying to open another place in Los Alamitos but ran into problems and backed away. The place was crowded tonight and people were still coming in after 9:00 pm.
After a night of good food, good wine and great company, we decided to go back to the Seafood Palace next week,
Nayada
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Terry, CJ & I met tonight at Nayada. Terry shortened his 6 week road trip to 2 weeks and we were anxious to hear about it.
Since it was only the three of us we just ordered 3 entrees and shared. Interesting selections and none that I had had before.
Thai Basil Scallops - scallops were sweet and tender and the dish was heavy on the basil. The Thai people really get into herbs.
Thai Baby Back Ribs - excellent, tender and full of flavor.
Lime Leaves, Chou Chee Prawns - again excellent flavor with basil and lemongrass.
With just us three the wines were good and we finished all 3 bottles over the course of 3 hours or so
2005 Williams Seylem Rochioli Riverblock Vineyard Pinot Noir
2006 Kosta Browne Russian River Pinot Noir
NV St. Clair Winery, Gerwurztraimer, Denning, New Mexico - Terry bought this on his road trip and it turned out to be a really good wine that ent excellent with the spicy Thai food.
Terry, CJ & I met tonight at Nayada. Terry shortened his 6 week road trip to 2 weeks and we were anxious to hear about it.
Since it was only the three of us we just ordered 3 entrees and shared. Interesting selections and none that I had had before.
Thai Basil Scallops - scallops were sweet and tender and the dish was heavy on the basil. The Thai people really get into herbs.
Thai Baby Back Ribs - excellent, tender and full of flavor.
Lime Leaves, Chou Chee Prawns - again excellent flavor with basil and lemongrass.
With just us three the wines were good and we finished all 3 bottles over the course of 3 hours or so
2005 Williams Seylem Rochioli Riverblock Vineyard Pinot Noir
2006 Kosta Browne Russian River Pinot Noir
NV St. Clair Winery, Gerwurztraimer, Denning, New Mexico - Terry bought this on his road trip and it turned out to be a really good wine that ent excellent with the spicy Thai food.
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Buon Gusto Recon
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Buon Gusto is within 3 blocks of where I live and I have to admit I had never been. This restaurant moved from Long Beach and started out on the opposite corner of where it is now as a very small place with a big takeout business, Outgrew that location very quickly and when another building became available moved there. There is always people waiting to get in and weekends are really crowded.
Paul, Margie and I decided to check the place out to see if it would fit into one of Margie's monthly wine activities. Buon Gusto charges no corkage for wine bottles brought in. Which is a huge plus for the wine group.
Inside the acoustics leave a lot to be desired. All hard surfaces and loud. They do have an outdoor area but that would be only feasible in warm months.
I stared out with a grilled artichoke with aioli. Good. Nothing anything different that numerous other Italian restaurants. Paul & Margie both had salads which were huge. They were a meal in themselves. They both liked their salads.
For Dinner I choose the Veal Oso Bucco, Margie had the Pasta Carbonaro and Paul had the Veal Marsala. The "bowls" that they were served in were very large. The servings were large. Large enough to split between two people. A small dish of chocolate gelato finished the meal.
Looking around the place we noticed that all the meals except pizza was served in the large "bowls". Margie asked the waiter if everyone took home the "doggie bag" and he said yes, no one finished their meal there. Prices were reasonable. My oso bucco was $16.95. or $2 more you can get the house salad to go with it. The food was good, the service was good so this is a definite place to be put on the list. The place is not upscale but the portions and quality of the food make up for it.
I brought a 2007 Sinor-LaValle, Anniversay Cuvee, Pinot. The other two wines were a 2011 Martin Codax Albarino and a 2007 D'Bruno Sangiovese. (the sangio grapes used to be sourced from the Stolpman vineyards but not sure if they still are).
Buon Gusto is within 3 blocks of where I live and I have to admit I had never been. This restaurant moved from Long Beach and started out on the opposite corner of where it is now as a very small place with a big takeout business, Outgrew that location very quickly and when another building became available moved there. There is always people waiting to get in and weekends are really crowded.
Paul, Margie and I decided to check the place out to see if it would fit into one of Margie's monthly wine activities. Buon Gusto charges no corkage for wine bottles brought in. Which is a huge plus for the wine group.
Inside the acoustics leave a lot to be desired. All hard surfaces and loud. They do have an outdoor area but that would be only feasible in warm months.
I stared out with a grilled artichoke with aioli. Good. Nothing anything different that numerous other Italian restaurants. Paul & Margie both had salads which were huge. They were a meal in themselves. They both liked their salads.
For Dinner I choose the Veal Oso Bucco, Margie had the Pasta Carbonaro and Paul had the Veal Marsala. The "bowls" that they were served in were very large. The servings were large. Large enough to split between two people. A small dish of chocolate gelato finished the meal.
Looking around the place we noticed that all the meals except pizza was served in the large "bowls". Margie asked the waiter if everyone took home the "doggie bag" and he said yes, no one finished their meal there. Prices were reasonable. My oso bucco was $16.95. or $2 more you can get the house salad to go with it. The food was good, the service was good so this is a definite place to be put on the list. The place is not upscale but the portions and quality of the food make up for it.
I brought a 2007 Sinor-LaValle, Anniversay Cuvee, Pinot. The other two wines were a 2011 Martin Codax Albarino and a 2007 D'Bruno Sangiovese. (the sangio grapes used to be sourced from the Stolpman vineyards but not sure if they still are).
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Annes Boutique Wines & The Alley
Saturday, April 27, 2013
This was Margie's April Fun Wine Activity event today. First we headed off to Costa Mesa to Anne's Boutique Wines on 17th St. I brought a cheese platter and Margie brought other goodies for the tasting.
We tasted 7 wines along with a Patricia Greene Pinot that Margie had brought along for Anne to taste.
Nice small wine store with an unusual collection of small wineries being showcased. I will have to go back again some day when I have more time to take a really good look around.
At 7'o'clock we met at The Alley which was just a few minutes away from the wine shop. This restaurant is a landmark in Newport. 12 of us were here tonight for dinner.
The special of the day was a prime rib with two sides for $15. Can't beat that. Several of us had this and we were all happy with our dinners. I had expected the slice of meat to be on the small side but it was quite large and I ended up taking half of it home. Of course I couldn't have been full from the mac n' cheese appetizer CJ ordered ? It was the most decadent, rich mac n'cheese I have ever had. Everyone was happy with what they ordered. there was a wide variety upon the 12 of us and no complaints. Service was good
I brought a 2005 Sea Smoke Southing Pinot Noir and a 2009 Roar Rosella's Chardonnay. CJ brought a 2006 Williams Seylem Russian River Pinot Noir which was excellent.
Other wines of the night were 2011 Clos Pepe Homage to Chablis Chardonnay, (one of my favorites) 2011 Dave Phiney "I", 2009 Stoplman L'Avion (Roussane), 2007 Turley Juvenile Zinfandel, NV Paul Goerg Blanc de Blanc Premier Cru Brut Champagne, (excellent) 2004 Pago dei Feusi Taurasi (red), 2004 Terredora Dipola, 2009 Seal Beach Winery Pinot Noir, Porque'no and a Rata Sauvignon Blanc
This was Margie's April Fun Wine Activity event today. First we headed off to Costa Mesa to Anne's Boutique Wines on 17th St. I brought a cheese platter and Margie brought other goodies for the tasting.
We tasted 7 wines along with a Patricia Greene Pinot that Margie had brought along for Anne to taste.
Nice small wine store with an unusual collection of small wineries being showcased. I will have to go back again some day when I have more time to take a really good look around.
At 7'o'clock we met at The Alley which was just a few minutes away from the wine shop. This restaurant is a landmark in Newport. 12 of us were here tonight for dinner.
The special of the day was a prime rib with two sides for $15. Can't beat that. Several of us had this and we were all happy with our dinners. I had expected the slice of meat to be on the small side but it was quite large and I ended up taking half of it home. Of course I couldn't have been full from the mac n' cheese appetizer CJ ordered ? It was the most decadent, rich mac n'cheese I have ever had. Everyone was happy with what they ordered. there was a wide variety upon the 12 of us and no complaints. Service was good
I brought a 2005 Sea Smoke Southing Pinot Noir and a 2009 Roar Rosella's Chardonnay. CJ brought a 2006 Williams Seylem Russian River Pinot Noir which was excellent.
Other wines of the night were 2011 Clos Pepe Homage to Chablis Chardonnay, (one of my favorites) 2011 Dave Phiney "I", 2009 Stoplman L'Avion (Roussane), 2007 Turley Juvenile Zinfandel, NV Paul Goerg Blanc de Blanc Premier Cru Brut Champagne, (excellent) 2004 Pago dei Feusi Taurasi (red), 2004 Terredora Dipola, 2009 Seal Beach Winery Pinot Noir, Porque'no and a Rata Sauvignon Blanc
Pipestone Wines & Delius Restaurant
Friday, April 26, 2013
This was a full house for dinner this evening. Usually is when its a winemaker dinner.
We started out with Apricot Parsnip Ravioli with a brown butter and pine nut sauce. This ravioli was my favorite dish of the night. Paired perfectly with a 2011 Viognier, barrel sample. This wine has not been bottled yet. I am not a fan of white Rhone wines and I would not like to drink a glass of this wine by itself but it was so perfect with the dish.
Second course was Roasted Squab, Brussels Sprouts, Roasted Tomato Ragout. Good dish except I felt the Brussels Sprouts needed a minute more of cooking. I like my vegetables to have some crunch but I felt these were to close to raw. Paired with a 2009 Grenache.
Third course was Crispy Sweetbreads, Jerusalem Artichokes, Pearl Onions and Heirloom Baby Carrots. They deep fried the sweetbreads which was an unusual way of cooking them. But I really liked the way they turned out. Wine poured was a 2008 Rhone Style Red.
Main Course was Marinated Flat Iron Steak with Farro Risotto, Steak was excellent but I found that the Farro needed to be cooked a little longer. Just a tad too al dente for me. Good flavor. and went very well with the 2008 Syrah.
Dessert was a very good Frozen Lemon Souffle, Graham Cracker Tuile, Lemon Chip and Strawberry Coulis.
Very good dinner, just a couple of minor flaws for me personally. Had great conversation with the winery owner, Jeff Pipes, the rep Bert and his wife. Looking forward to the next winemaker dinner which will be Andrew Murray. Should be another sold out event.
This was a full house for dinner this evening. Usually is when its a winemaker dinner.
We started out with Apricot Parsnip Ravioli with a brown butter and pine nut sauce. This ravioli was my favorite dish of the night. Paired perfectly with a 2011 Viognier, barrel sample. This wine has not been bottled yet. I am not a fan of white Rhone wines and I would not like to drink a glass of this wine by itself but it was so perfect with the dish.
Second course was Roasted Squab, Brussels Sprouts, Roasted Tomato Ragout. Good dish except I felt the Brussels Sprouts needed a minute more of cooking. I like my vegetables to have some crunch but I felt these were to close to raw. Paired with a 2009 Grenache.
Third course was Crispy Sweetbreads, Jerusalem Artichokes, Pearl Onions and Heirloom Baby Carrots. They deep fried the sweetbreads which was an unusual way of cooking them. But I really liked the way they turned out. Wine poured was a 2008 Rhone Style Red.
Main Course was Marinated Flat Iron Steak with Farro Risotto, Steak was excellent but I found that the Farro needed to be cooked a little longer. Just a tad too al dente for me. Good flavor. and went very well with the 2008 Syrah.
Dessert was a very good Frozen Lemon Souffle, Graham Cracker Tuile, Lemon Chip and Strawberry Coulis.
Very good dinner, just a couple of minor flaws for me personally. Had great conversation with the winery owner, Jeff Pipes, the rep Bert and his wife. Looking forward to the next winemaker dinner which will be Andrew Murray. Should be another sold out event.
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