Sunday, December 16, 2012

Seal Beach Winery & Francos

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Met at a small winery tasting room, Seal Beach Winery, in the Los Alamitos area. 11 of us sat in the barrel room and had a great tasting. The winemaker, Mike, was very informative.  Of the 5 we tasted all were good but not great. They put out a nice spread of appetizers for us and everything was decorated for Christmas. I plan on going back some weekend soon and taste some more on their list. May change my mind about the quality.

Next we headed down the street to Franco's. Our favorite Italian restaurant. We had no need for appetizers as we already had some ,so right to dinner we went. Almost everyone had the butternut squash soup which was excellent. I ordered the fillet which was cooked perfectly.

Margie had arranged for everyone to bring a bottle of wine for a gift exchange. She also handed out "favors" which turned out to be a  soap shaped and decorated like a chocolate Christmas tree and "champaagne" lip balm. A nice touch to end the evening.

A big selection of wines are spread across the table.

NV J. Lorenza Champagne,
NV Pommery Champagne
2006 Il Falcon Riserva red blend
2006 Mocali Brunello di Montalcino - excellent
2010 Macchia Amorous. Lodi, Sangiovese
2009 Frescobladi Castiglioni Chianti
2008 Gattavecchi Vino, Nobile di Montepulciano
2010 Palmima Tocai Friulano
1982 Ricon Famoso
2000 Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon
2007 La Castellina Riserva, Squarclalupi, Chiantio Classico
2011 Colle Solato Umbria Ind:ozione Gergrofica Tipica Blend
NV. Windsor Port. This wine was at least 30 years old and was excellent. Someone gave this to me several years ago and they had had it for a least 20 years or more.



Gondola Through Naples

Thursday, December 13, 2012

ABC Wines in Long Beach hosted a gondola ride through Naples to see all the fantastic Christmas decorations the homeowners in that area do every year. The big parade is on December 15 this year.

Three wines and three beers were served. I frankly thought all the wines were terrible. The beer was good.

The company was fund. Four younger females who really got into the mood were great. The gondoliers both sang and it was a great evening.

Seafood Palace

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

The "boys" and I met tonight for a year end dinner at the Seafood Palace in Westminister. Six of us.

As always the food, company and wines were good.

We started out with the sweet/sour soup which I had two bowls of. That is probably why I came to a stand still eating later.

Next was salt & pepper calamari. The coating was a little thicker than normal but the quality of the calamari was excellent.

Shrimp with Chinese broccoli was served.

Stir fried lobster with noodles was served and we made short work of it.

Next was a deep fried tofu with vegetables and pork.

Last was a beef with spinach.

2002 McKeon Phillips BPR Cabernet Sauvignon
2005 Clos Pepe Pinot Noir
2006 Clos Pepe Pinot Noir
NV Robert Moncuit Grand Cru Champagne
2006 Justin Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
2007 Ladera, Howell Mtn, Cabernet Sauvignon
2007 Robert Mondavi, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
2005 Testarossa, Garys Vineyard, Pinot Noir

Champagne Tasting at Total Wine

Wednesday, December 5, 2012.

Margie had a group of ten and her friend had a mass of females attending a private Champagne tasting at Total Wine in Huntington Beach.

The other group was rude, loud and generally not respectful of the other people or the person leading the seminar. I hope I never encounter that horde of "b-----s" again. They really ruined a good tasting for the rest of us.

The seminar was very informative and the champagnes were all good.

Among the wines that we had the strand out for me was a Robert Moncuit Grand Cru Brut. This winery sells their grapes to Salon in the years that Salon makes champagne. They do not make champagne every year. I bought a couple of bottles but I think I need to go back and get six or so. Excellent bubbly.

Christmas Brunch

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Had 30 people in today for a brunch. Do this every year but at my age this may be my last or I will have to scale the number of people invited down.

Weather turned and it started to drizzle so all the wines had to come into the house. Makes it very tight.

I put out 4 egg casserole dishes, ham and sausage & peppers. We had so many side dishes brought but the really big hit was Margie's biscuits & gravy. Everyone raved about them

Numerous desserts. We could have fed a 100 people with all the food that was brought.

People let about 5:30 today, probably because of the weather, That made it nice for me to be able to clean up and get to bed at a decent time. I am still working so I need my sleep.

Dunera

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Back out to Anaheim to the Romanian restaurant, Dunera. Have not been here in a couple of years. Looking forward to it even tho I am starting to feel the effects of numerous dinners in a short period of time and I have 30 people coming in for Brunch tomorrow.

We started out with several appetizers and then everyone ordered their own main entree. I had the cabbage rolls which are excellent. Six rolls served with "corn meal & sour cream". Like Polenta or grits. It is the main starch dish of Romania.

Good wines were on the table. 2001 Sextant Blend, 2006 Sea Smoke Southing, 2005 Beau Carine Estate, Napa, Cabernet Franc, 2006 Testarossa Sleepy Hollow , Pinot Noir, 2009 Canyon Road, Pinot Noir, 2006 Sequal, Washington State, Blend and a Jaffelin Cremant Rose, Brut which was excellent.



Champagne Dinner at Delius

Friday, November 30, 2012

The annual "champagne" dinner was held tonight at Delius. Usually sparkling wines but last year it was all champagne so it varies.

Kevin Butler of Henry Wine group along with his wife and Megan from Henry Wine group were at the table I was seated at. I have not seen year in a couple of years. He is one of the most knowledgeable people about wine and food I have come across. A truly wine geek. His wife told me that their youngest son is just like him only the kids interest is in trains.

We started out with an Amuse: Coho Salman Tartare, Bini, Scallion Creme Fraiche - excellent. A 2010 Kila Cava, Spain was served.

First Course: Kumamoto Oyster, cucumber mint granite and Fanny Bay Oyster, yasu granite.  What can I say about oysters. I could eat a dozen with no problem. A Les Rocailles Savoie Brut, France was paired with this dish.

Second Course: Winter Squash Soup, spiced croutons, cinnamon foam. Glad to see Louise is back cooking the wine dinners. I missed her soups. Wine was a Bisol "Jeio" Rose , Italy

Third Course: Duck Confit, swiss chard, cipollini onions, cherry grastrique. OK dish but I was not wild about it. Served with a 2011 Pederzanna Lambrusco Grasparossa, Italy.

Fourth Course: Pan Roasted Rack of Lamb, pommes puree, root vegetables, lamb demi & micro int. Good dish. Paired with a 2000 Graham Beck Rose RD, South Africa

Dessert: Champagne Poached Pear, white chocolate mousse napolean. Excellent. Wine was a Graham Beck Demi-Sec, South Africa.

Food was good, wines were good and Delius is all decked out for the holidays.

Himalayan

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Oliver who set up this dinner, bailed. So Terry, his two daughters, husband, boyfriend and I met at the Himalayan for dinner. It was already on Terry & my calendars so we were not going to sit at home.

The Himalayan has been written up at least three times in the last month in the papers  The food is excellent. We need to go more often

We ordered Lamb chops, Aloo Gobi , Malta Kofta, Chicken Curry, Shrimp Saag. garlic nann.

All the dishes were good and I am glad to see lamb chops starting to appear on menus again.

Wines we consumed tonight were: 2001 Stolpman Angeli, 2010 R2 Grenache Blanc, 2006 Da Na Cabernet Sauvignon, 2005 Krupp Brothes Stagecoach Cabernet Sauvignon.

Brix Wines & Fish Camp

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Margie's monthly wine event was held tonight. A wine tasting with appetizers at Brix Wines in Sunset Beach. 5 wines and appetizers for $20.  Wines were good for the price and the food was very good.

After the tasting at Brix we went across the street to the Fish Camp for dinner. A fish market & restaurant run by King's Fish House.

I had the sand dabs which were very good along with sauteed spinach and garlic bread. You get 2 sides of your choice with dinner. Everyone seemed to like what they ordered and all said they would come back .

Wines tronight were:
2006 Domaine Zind Humbrechet Pinot Blanc
2009 Zocker, Edna Valley, Gruner Veltliner
2010 Prieure de Montezargues Rose
2009 Poppy. Monterey, Pinot Noir
2010 Signaterra Bella Luna, Russian River , Pinot Noir
Laguna Canyon Brut sparkling
2009 Clos Pepe barrel fermented, Sta Rita Hills, Chardonnay
2006 Alfonso Curran, Rancho Vina, Pinot Noir

555 Restaurant

Saturday, November 16, 2012

6 of us met tonight at 555 East in Long Beach. 555 is a steak & chop house and the food is really good, Not cheap but good.

I had the filet and it was excellent. Some side order of vegetables were ordered. But there was plenty food because we had ordered appetizers before. Raw oysters and fried calamari. I have  a problem with side orders of vegetables. They are usually "odd" to me but others enjoyed them.

Wines tonight were abundant and excellent.

2005 Chateau Belan St Estephe Burgundy
2006 Da Na Napa, Caberent Sauvignon
2007 Riocioli Little Hill Block, Pinot Noir
2008 Dusty Goose Pinot Noir
2006 Jose Dhondt Champagne
2010 Peter Michael Le Carririe Chardonnay
2005 Krupps Brothers Stagecoach Cabernet
2000 Pride Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
2005 Nickel & Nickel Branding Iron Cabernet Sauvignon
2001 Stolpman Angeli

Marche Moderne & Clos Pepe

Monday, November 12, 2012

A private dinner was held at the Marche Moderne in South Coast Plaza (third level near Nordstroms) with Wes Hagen of Clos Pepe. The invite came out when I was on vacation and I did not think I was going to able to attend because it was sold out by time I got back and saw it. I did contact the host to let him know I was interested if there would be an opening for one person. Fortunately for me Wes Hagen ran interference and got me a seat.

There was 20 people attending. Five women ad 15 men.  I was seated at Wes' table along with his brother and arm candy, Wes' roommate from college, the wife of the host and a couple from Palos Verdes. Good conversation and we found out a lot of interesting details of Wes' life from his brother and roommate. It was fun.

First Course: "Salade Composee", hearts of palm, cucumber, tomatoes, asparagus, ham, P'tit Basque, avocado & vinaigrette. This was very good.

Second Course: Manila Clams Comme Dans Un Restaurant Japonais - white miso, sake, un deglace de poulet, garlic & thyme.

Third Course: Choice of Black Pepper, Blis Maple Syrup & Bourbon Roasted Long Island Duck Breast with black mission figs dressed with Saint-Agur & Marcona almond, une petite cacotte of French Flageolet. OR Shelton Farms Chicken Coq Au Vin, cremini mushrooms, cipollini onion, honey bacon and angel hair pasta. I had the duck and was very impressed by it.

Dessert: Artisan Cheese, fig jam, quince preserve, pecans & baguette.

Wines poured were the Clos Pepe Sparkling Pinot Rose, Homage to Chablis Chardonnay, barrel fermented chardonnay, 2 years of Pinot Noir and Axis Mundi Syrah.

Dinner was excellent and obviously the wines were also.

Pinot Days at The Shrine

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Held a "vip" ticket to this event. Gets you into a seminar hosted by 4 winemakers and early admission to the "grand" tasting before the crowd is let in. This is my 4th year attending this event. This year it was moved to the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. I had not been inside the Shrine in probably 30 years or more.. It still is a magnificent showpiece. The last three years the event was held in the Barker Hanger at the Santa Monica Airport.

Our seminar was hosted by Peter Cargasacchi, Scherrer Winery and two others that I do not recall their names over a month that I attended.

A smaller number of wineries this year. I would assume since the date was pushed from January to November that was a factor. Wineries are still harvesting and do not like to do these types of events in the middle of the harvest rush. I also found out that in addition to all the wine they have to bring for 2,000 people to taste they  have to pay $500 for a spot.  So aside from the rental of the auditorium, the help and providing a few other minor items the promoters are doing OK with this event. My "vip" ticket was $105. The general admission was $85. Times that by 2,000 people.

I did find a couple of new ones that I was impressed with. Pence Ranch in Buellton and Reuling Vineyard in Forestville. Good wines.

Growers Champagne Tasting



Friday, November 9, 2012

Attended a "grower's " Champagne tasting at Wine Country.  These are always fun. You are exposed to small producers that generally you would not look at in the store because they are not recognizable names. Can't remember who was on the list but I did pick up three more grapes to add to my quest for 400 varietals tasted.

Wine Makers Dinner - Lido at Dolphin Bay

Friday, November 2, 2012

This is the way to start a vacation. Left the OC about 9:20 am, stopped in the Sta Rita Hills to pick up wine at Huber and visit Norm & Traudl then up the coast to Avila Beach, Checked in about 4:30 and rushed to make the 5:30  "reception" at the Lido restaurant in The Dolphin Bay resort at Shell Beach. This was a dinner hosted by the San Luis Obispo vintners association.

Talked with several people and found it interesting that their were 2 groups from Wisconsin. Neither group knew the other. 

 After several glasses of wine and numerous past appetizers we were seated for dinner. Tables of 8 with a winemaker at each table. Since this was reserved seating I had asked to be put at Mike Sinor's table. He is the winemaker at Ancient Peaks and has his own label Sinor-Lavalle. Small production on his own label. About 300 cases per year total. I have been buying wine from him for quite a few years now.

First Course:  Salmon Carpaccio with grilled peach, lime creme  fraiche and almond tuille. Wine was a 2011 Zocker Gruner Veltliner. The peach really made the salmon stand out and the Veltliner was a perfect pairing.

Second Course: Pan Roasted Breast of Duck, black pepper and strawberry compote. It was duck - good quality but nothing spectacular. Paired with a 2009 Claiborne & Churchill Runestone Pinot Noir and a 2009 Laetitia Les Galets Pinot Noir. The Clairborne was by far the better wine.

Third Course: Roasted Leg Of Lamb with beets, fingerlings, greens and pomegranate reduction. Again a very good quality of lamb but again nothing that screamed to me. Wines were 2010 Saucelito Canyon Estate Zinfandel and 2010 Ancient Peaks Zinfandel.  The Ancient Peaks was the better of the two.

Dessert: Brown Sugar Pound Cake with roasted pear and vanilla bean ice cream. This was simple but very good. Served with a 2010 Sextant Winery Late Harvest Sauvignon Gris. Wine was not too sweet and went well the the pound cake.

Good dinner and good conversation. I had a real interesting mix of people at my table. This was the first year they did this dinner in conjunction with the San Luis Obispo Wine Fest. It would be nice if they continued this part of the wine fest.

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Wine Seminar & Lazy Dog

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Total Wine which is the "walmart" of wines has seminars on wine. This was a first time for me and I will say it was very informative and fun. This was a seminar of Bordeaux and since we were a group of 12 we paid $20 a person. Not bad for two hours of lecture, 10 wines and nibblies. I did purchase a couple of bottles because of the discount we received tonight.

This seminar was just as good as the ones I have attended at Wine Country for a much higher price. Yes some of Wine Country's  wines are higher priced but not that much more. I found the information given tonight was superior to what I have had at some of the other seminars I have gone to.

Eight of us had dinner at the Lazy Dog which was near the wine store. Noisy place but we had a nice long table in front of the fireplace.

I ordered the culotte steak medium rare. It was a lot closer to medium than rare. Next time I will know to order rare. Decent flavor. Set on a bed of mashed potatoes and sauteed spinach. Several others ordered the flat iron steak, a couple of burgers were ordered and a glazed salmon dish. Everyone was pleased with their selection.

Their is no corkage at the Lazy Dog if they do not have the wine on their list. We had no problem with that. Their wine list tends toward the inexpensive wines.

We always have a wide assortment. Tonight we had:

2008 Stolpmans Ruebens Block Syrah ( at his prime right now)
2008 McKeon Philips BPR Cabernet Sauvignon
nv    Nicholas Feuillutte Champagne (Air Frances House Champagne)
2007 Turley Rattlesnake Ridge Zinfandel
2009 Bergstrom Cummberland Pinot Noir
2007 Starlane Happy Canyon Bordeaux Blend
2009 Pear Valley Chadonnay
2005 Tobin James , James Gang Reserve Temparnillo
2007 Halter Ranch Viognier

Himalayan Again

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Six of us came tonight. We have not been back to the Hilmalyan since just before Cora passed away. Sanjiv the owner asked about Cora. He does not forget his customers.

We ordered Rack of Lamb (glad to see it back on the menu) , Shrimp Saag, Lamb Tika, Chicken Tika Marsala, Garlic Chicken, Vegetables Korma and Aloo Gobi. There was a third chicken dish but I cannot remember which one it was.

As always the food was excellent. I am sorry I have not been back sooner.

Our wines tonight as always were a mixed bag.

2005 Kosta Browne Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
2009 Domiane de Montielle  Mersault
2004 Crozes de Hermitage Alain Guillot
2005 Etude Pinot Noir
2008 Saxum Broken Stones Syrah
2004 Meeker Hand Print Merlot
2009 Stags Leap Artemis

Phil Trani's

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Met Margie at Phil Trani's in Long Beach for dinner. Checking the place out for another venue for wine dinners. No corkage on Mon Tuesday & Wednesday nights. They have really cleaned the place up. It has been quite a few years since I entered their doors and I was very surprised at how nice the place is now. It was getting a little seedy.

Bar is situated away from the dining area but glass doors. This is a sports bar.

The menu was quite extensive and the food was good.  I had the Beef Tornedos. Three small filets wrapped in bacon with a  mushroom cap and Bearnaise sauce, I would have liked the mushrooms cooked more and a little more Bernaise sauce but the beef was cooked perfectly.

Margie had the "pork schnitzel" which turned out to a chop with a bone. But she said the flavor was good. Side dishes were good.

Service was good and I would come back for dinner.

Passport Time

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Delius Restaurant annual Passport Wine Tasting was held today  About 36 wines were being poured from all different areas and countries. A really good spread of food, which I did not eat enough of.,

Saw several wine reps that I had not seen in awhile. Nice to catch up with them again.

I did taste some very nice wines but the real standouts were from Argentina. The price point was excellent and they were good buys.

I did get to tatste most of the wines this year. I deliberatly did not get a table. It is a pain to get up & down all afternoon. Easier to walk around.

But I am not in the buying mode right now.. With all the fall shipments arriving I have no room

The Wilmore

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Met Margie at a new wine bar in the Bixby Knolls area. Called the Wilmore.  The owner has been in the restaurant and food business and as seems to be the case now days wanted to open his own wine bar. Nice gentleman and hope he makes it.

This is a very small place with horrible parking. The lot next to the building is restricted for a restaurant and they do tow, This fact will keep this wine bar as a "local" place to go. If you live within walking distance it will a great place to drop in and have a glass of wine. I found the wine menu lacking. Decent wines but nothing special. I would not drive out of my way to stop in a have a drink.

We went across the street (in a huge downpour) to try Nico's again. This restaurant had been here forever. I remember when I was dating it existed. Gordon Ramsey had the place on his show where they go in and redo the place and try to bring it up to date.

It was interesting to see how these shows with their decoraters work with a limited budget. Some of the revamp was nice but other things looked "cheap" and thrown together.  Limited menu now but the food is still good. I am sure that helps to keep on budget with food costs.

I would go back  if I am imnthe area but I would not make a special trip.

Back to Chinese

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Eight of us gathered tonight to dine at our favorite Chinese restaurant (in the near area). 

We started out the Jelly Fish and Octopus tentacles. The Jelly fish was cut in strips, almost like a gummy worm. Everything was deep fried, very light, and very tasty. Octopus was tender. I love seeing all those little "legs"

Henry surprised us by ordering 2 lobsters. Pieces with the shell on sauteed in a wok. Makes its own sauce then served over Chinese soft noodles. One of my favorite dishes.

Third dish of the night was Peking Duck - I did without the "pillows" and just ate the duck plain. I do not want to fill up on "bread",

Beef and Broccoli,  Deep fried scallops ( a new dish) and Spicy pork strips with vegetables rounded out the meal.

At the end of all this I can barely eat anymore. We do not take huge portions of anything but it really seems to fill you up fast. The scallops tonight were very good. This was a new dish and I hope we have it again.

Our wines were a real mixed bag as they usually are. (I think I am missing 1 wine)

2007 Lucca Labonde Double Select Mendoza Syrah
2009 Tobin James Silver Reserve Syrah
2010 Pozzuoli Rosato
2005 Rolf Binder Barossa Syrah
2007 Loring Clos Pepe Pinot Noir
2005 Williams Selyem Russian River Pinot Noir
2007 Rusack Santa Maria Pinot Noir
2006 Guenoc Victorian Clost North Coast Blend
1998 Bonnezeaux Chateau de Festes Chenin Blanc Botrytis

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Hyatt & Hartford Court Wines

Friday, October 5, 2012

The Hyatt Huntington Beach (3/4 mile long resort) hosted a Hartford Court wine dinner tonight. 7 of us ventured out for this dinner. It was Paul & Margies anniversary so they got a suite for the night and Ray & Barbara stayed over also  instead of driving back  home that evening. Since I live 15 minutes away it would have been wasted money to book a room. This place is not inexpensive.

The reception was held outside and the weather was comfortable. No breeze but not hot like last week. They poured the 2010 Russian River Valley Chardonnay and had several appetizers to go with it. A crostini with cream cheese and olive tapenade, a gorgonzola stuffed grape and a stack with watermelon, pesto and topped with goat cheese.

This was a smaller crowd in attendance that the last dinner we did at the hotel. But it really made for better seating arrangements. We at least could get our legs under the table. Last time we had our knees hitting the side of the table.

They brought out bread (they do have really good bread)  with small dipping bowls filled (to the brim) with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Problem being one bowl shared with another person. So if you like to double dip this was not an accepptable arrangement. We tried pouring the oil from the bowl on the small bread plate which turned out to be a real mess. Then you did not get the balsamic. If they dodn't want to bother with cruets they should have place a bowl at each persons setting.

First up  was a Chef's Amuse which turned out to be a wine poached mini pear  with a goat cheese filling and a tart red tomato jam. Very good and had a bite to it. They repoured the 2010 Russian River Chardonnay with it.

First course was a Smoked & Seared Shetland Island Salmon with a celery root and apple mint slaw , horseradish dressing. Salmon was excellent and cooked perfectly. It is flown in from Scotland for the hotel. The "slaw" was ok - the horeseradish in the dressing was very light. A 2000 Four Hearts Russian River Valley Chardonnay was paired with this dish. I personally preferred the other Chardonnay to this one.

Second course they served a Duck Prosciutto and Argula Salad, Cherry Gastrique, Pistachios, & Drake Farm's Chevre Crouton.  I did find the duck after decomposing the salad. But you really had to look for it. The gastrique was good and the crouton was excellent.  I am not a big fan of "salads" with wine dinners. They generally do not pair well with wine and this was no exception. The wine was a 2010 Russian River Pinot Noir. Its bad enough to get a white wine with a salad but a red wine - really. And a "slaw" followed by a "salad" - odd

Main course was a Pinot Braised Beef Cheek with polenta bianca, cultivated mushrooms (as to wild ????)\,  beets, ( I thought is was butternut squash cubes) baby carrots, spicy granola and Natural Jus.  OK - beef cheeks were excellent, the granola topping interesting, the polenta was "rustic" not creamy. A good dish but not fantastic.  Wine paired with this dish was a 2009 Lands Edge Vineyards, Sonoma Coat, Pinot Noir. Decent wine. But I liked the Russian River Pinot more.

Dessert was a carmelized gala apple, rose creme fraiche, hazelnut crumble. Good flavors and the Rose Cream had a very interesting taste to it. Served with a 2010 Ole Vine , Russian River Zinfandel. I still prefer dessert wines with savory - sweet on sweet is overkill. Altho this zin was not real sweet but very fruity as most old vine grapes turn out to be.

Decent dinner - not to Michaels or Deluis' quality. And the pricing is about the same. Fortunately they validated parking with the dinner. Otherwise $19 valet parking and there is no street parking unless you want to try the street in front of the beach and walk a distance to the hotel.


Brandy Tasting at Delius

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Delius Restaurant and Wine Country sponsored  a Brandy  tasting tonight. Cognac, Armagnac & Calvados. The importer Charles Neal was there to explain and speak about these different brandies.

Cognac & Armagnac are made with wine grapes. The Calvados is made with apples and/or pears.

The line up was impressive. I did purchase a bottle of Chateau de Pellehaut Armagnac (Tenareze) which I found very clean and very smooth. I almost bought a bottle of Adrien Camut 12 Ans d'Age Calvados. But I have bought several bottles of higher end spirits lately and decided to be a little prudent in spending my money at this time.

Tonight's line up:

Cognac Dudognon Reserve - Cognac Grande Champagne   $ 45
Cognac Dudognon Vieille Reserve - Cognac Grande Champagne  $ 92
Chateau de Pellehaut  - Armagnac Tenareze  $ 54
Domaine Boingneres Reserve Special - Bas Armagnac  $ 94
Doamine de Montreruil Reserve - Calvados Pays d'Auge   $44
Lemorton Reserve - Calvados Domfrontais  $ 56
Michel Huard, Hors d'Age 90-92-99 - Calvados  $ 90
Ardien Camut, 12 Ans d;Age - Calvados  $ 90
Louis Roque Reserve La Vieille Prune   $46

Pozzuoli Wines & Prime Cut

Saturday, September 29, 2012

This afternoon we met at Pozzuoil Vineyard Tasting Room in Tustin. Their vineyards are in San Miguel but the owners live in Tustin and their sons go to high school there also. The barrels and all the wine is kept in Tustin.

We were taken into the barrel room and 18 of us sat down for an afternoon of tasting wine and olive oil.

We  tasted 9 wines and had a buffet of cheeses, salami's olives, crackesr etc., the standard winery spread.

I was surprised that the wines were good. I was not expecting much. These wines are not high end but very pleasant to drink and the price poinbt was very good. We were ooffered a 20% discount so I bought 6 bottles.

After the tasting 14 of us went down the freeway to Prime Cut.  Parking is not greatest as the center the restaurant is in also has numerous other restaurants along the a multi screen movie theatre, Right next to the Honda Center. But they have good food and co corkage.

We had the private dining room to ourselves. Most people order some sort of steak / prime cut because that is what they are known for. I had the Filet with Lobster Oscar. Excellent.

Since we all brought a bottle or two of wines there was not a hard time finding what you wanted to drink. But I may have missed a few wines on my list. There were 14 for dinner. I brought 3 wines, Terry brought two.. So that leaves ten wines brought  for 12 people in attendance. I also believe that Paul & Margie brought 3 wines so that would mean 8 wines for ten people. I either missed writing down all the names or perhaps a few couples only brought 1 wine for both of them. We will never know It was an enjoyable day.

2005 Huber Chardonnay
2009 Effort Chardonnay
NV   Bivio Prosecco
2008 Janell Dusi Zinfandel
2008 Duckhorn Merlot
2011 Halter Ranch White blend
2006 Kiame Meritage
NV   Domaine   ??? Tattinger Brut
2009 Santa Stefano Rutherford Cabernet
2009 Stepping Stiones Francisan Napa Cabernet
2007 Ken Brown \Clos Pepe Vineyard Pinot Noir
2010 Pozzuoli Bianco
2008 McKeon Phillips BPR Caberent
2005 Mc|Keon Phillps Leonardo
2011  ???? Geezin ???? c\annot read my own hand writing

Michael's on Naples & Battiglini Wines

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

A good combination tonight. Michael's always has top notch food and their wine dinners are always the best.

Tonight's wines were from Battiglini Vineyards in the Sonoma Area.  Father and son were pouring tonight. Guiseppe was quite a kick.

We started out with Crostino with Mission Fig jam and housemade Liberty Farm duck prosciutto. I could have eaten a dozen of these. Paired with a 2009 Battiglini Rosato.

Next two wines were a 2009 Battiglini Chardonnay and a 2009 Battiglini Chardonnay Reserve I preferred the Reserve as it was not quite as oaky. These wines were served with a Duo of Lobster - Crudo with local sweet corn and heirloom tomato salad and butter poached with chanterelle mushrooms and pancetta. Dish was good but not great.

Third course was Homemade Ricotta pasta with Devil's Gulch Lamb Ragu. This dish was the hit of the evening.  It was so good. Simple but really great flavors. The ragu was intense and the pasta had a creamy texture to it.  Served with a 2006 Battiglini Petite Syrah. This wine was so good I bought a few bottles of it.

Main course was Grilled Vintage Prime Beef with Eggplant caponata and potato puree.  The dish was god but after the dish before this it seemed lost. Two wines were served, a 2001 Battiglini Zinfandel and a 2009 Battiglini Zinfandel. The 2001 was soft and ripe but for the price difference I bought the 2009 and will age it myself.

Dessert was excellent - Laura Cheval goat cheesecake with walnut crust and bing cherry preserve. I would like to get this recipe. Served was a 2009 Battiglini Zinfandel Select .

Excellent dinner. Seated to the left of me were 3 men, one of whom I had met at MAWL Wine years back and on the right two men, one of whom I had met a Wine Country on a Friday night Tasting/Seminar. Small world but winos always seemed to find each other no matter where.

September Wino;s Gathering

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Theme today was Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, 2000 to 2009. A lot of good wine showed up today.  Thankfully there were several whites wines to help us along. The temperature was up, the humidity was up and no ocean breeze.  Miserable day for weather.  We are so spoiled in California that anything that is slightly off we complain about.

Miscellaneous for September

Barbeques, a few  happy hours, a couple of non-discript dinners, Krupp Bros. tasting, Riesling tasting. Alpha Omega tasting, two cellar cleanings at Stan's and and after party get-together to eat left over food and drink the left over wines. Numerous dentist and doctors appointments. At least they ruled out Lupus. but do not have a diagnosis for my itching problem.

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Single Malt Scotch Tasting

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Delius Restaurant & Wine Country got together tonight for this tasting. Gordon & McPhail's line up of single malt scotch.

8 scotch's - 1 Lowland, 1 Highland, 2 Isaly, 3 Speyside and 1 Orkney Island. They ranged from 8 year old to 30 year old.

Two of them were very peaty/smokey which Clyde really likes but not quite my style. A Benromach 10 year old and the Caol Ila, 1999, 10 year old.

My 3 favorites were the Bladnoch, 1993, 17 year old (which  I bought at $125)  , the Tamdhu 30 year old (loved it but at $224 what can I say) and the Mortlach 15 year old. (probably should have bought at $85 instead of the Bladnoch but the Bladnoch edged the Mortlach out on flavor for me)..

In October Delius & Wine Country are pairing up again for a Cognac, Armagnac & Calvados tasting. I do have my reservation in for that tasting weeks ago.

Monthy Gathering

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Today was our monthly get together. Host made a great grilled chicken with a rub he uses on pork. Went extremely well with the chicken.

Todays theme was French Beaujolais & Rose Sparklings. Beaujolais is  not my favorite but there was a 2009 Grange Cochard Morgan Cote du Px which was excellent.

Small group  today. Seems everyone is out of town, made for good conversation. Also everyone could sit at one long table for dinner which was nice. When there are 20 + people it gets hectic at times. Plus it has really been hot and humid for California and we don't like it.

German Wine Dinner at Delius

Friday, August 24, 2012

Delius's Annual German Wine dinner - not necessarily German food.

We started out with a glass of 2009 Von Buhl Rielsing Sekt, Pfalz which is a dry sparking wine. Pours were generous and seconds could be had.

First Course: Seafood Duo - Sockeye Salmon Tartare, Chive Cream Fraiche, Blini and a Kumamoto Oyster, Cucumber Mignonette. Served with a 2010 Schloss Hallburg Old Vines Silvaner, Franklin. Good pairing and I am always a sucker for oysters.

Second Course: Summer Squash Ravioli, Corn Pudding, Micro Pea Shoots paired with a 2008 Salwey Pinot Gris, Baden.  Pinot Gris not my favorite wine but a good pairing and the Squash Ravioli was to die for. My favorite dish of the evening.

Third Course: Red Snapper, Ginger-Tomato Consomme, Bok Choy, Red & Yellow Cherry Tomatoes and Micro Basil. The consomme had tremendous flavor. Wine was a 2008 Fritz Haag Brauneberger Riesling Kabinett Mosel. The Riesling and Silvaner were my two favorite wines of the night.

Fouth Course: Sous Vide Lamb Loin, Fines Herbes Spaetzle, Pancetta, Swiss Chard. Spatezle had great flavor. Lamb Loin was good but I am getting tired of every restaurant I go to that has lamb its lamb loin. Lamb has gotten expensive but I really miss the chops. Paired with a 2008 Schnaitmann Lemberger, Wurttemberg. Wine paired well with the food.

Dessert: Raisin Almond Fanancier, White Chocolate Ice Cream, Cardamon Riesling Caramel. This was really good.

Good dinner, big crowd, Makes for a fun evening.

Nayada

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Margie organized this dinner at Nayada tonight for 10 of us. I had not been here in several months.

We started out with Tom Yom Soup, followed  by Springs Rolls, Sarong (noddle wrapped shrimp) and Calamari.  (Springs rolls were great. I prefer the Calamari at Seafood Palace). Our main dishes were the old standby Crying Tiger Steak and the Catfish with Apples. Added some Pineapple fried rice and plain white rice and we were happy campers.

A real range of wines showed up on the table tonight.

I brought a 2004 Meeker 4 Kings ,  a Bordeaux blend which frankly I was disappointed in. It wasn't bad but it was not the stellar wine it should have been . Meeker does not make this wine every year and it is usually very good. I also had a Borgo Magredo Prosecco.

CJ brought a 2005 Melville Terraces Pinot Noir which was showing well.

Other wines were a NV Jose Dhondt Blanc de Blanc Brut which was really good, 2008 Eveningland Seven Springs Vineyard Pinot Noir, 2011 Halter Ranch Rose, 2008 Adeladia white Rhone blend, 2003 DeMartino Liegardo Carmenere, 2001 Gundlach Bundschu Gerwurtztraminer, 2007 Kiame R'Owns (a red Rhone blend) 2010 Pear Valley Daily White and a 2004 Lapis Luna Petite Verdot.

Pick Up Party at Clos Pepe

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Today was the pickup party at the Clos Pepe Vineyards, This is an annual event. Thankfully Wes had brought my wines down last month so I did not have the cart them around today.

Lots of pizzas being made in the outdoor pizza over, loads of cheeses,  fruit, honey, bread etc. And warm chocolate chip cookies to finish it all off.

Tasted the 2011's that just were bottled. These wines will be available in 2013 for release. Got my order in. Also had library wines being poured. Always like to see how the wine is evolving so I don't have to open mine.

When I left the Clos I headed over to Peter Cargascchi's. He is only open for special occasions. I saw a couple at the fest on Saturday night and also at the pickup party. Ran into them again at Cargascchi's. After strking up a conversation with them they told me about a tasting at Hillard-Bruce. Since it was not on any of the literature I had not heard about it before now. They said it was open to the public but was at the private home. Gave me directions and after stopping at the Ghetto to pick up wine at Loring headed on down the road. Finally found the house and hoped it was the right one.  As I approached the glass doors I could see Eileen & Scott inside. Made me feel better. I could see me knocking on someones door and saying "is this where the wine tasting is ?" and have them look at me strangely and say no.

After getting a glass of wine ( in a huge living room with 30 ft. high ceilings) I looked around and saw eyes looking at me through a small window next to a door. A big horse was staring at me. It seems that the raise Arabians and the stallion was on one side and the mares on the other. The grounds were beautiful and after a quick tour of the gardens headed back in to finish up the tasting. Bought a couple of bottles and headed back to my hotel.

All in all a very good weekend. Will head back on Monday morning after work traffic subsides and should be at my desk at work by 11:00 am.

Santa Rita Hills Wine & Fire

Saturday August 18 & Sunday August 19

Hit the road about 9:30 on Saturday morning for the 3 hour drive to Buellton. Turned out to be 4 & half hours. From Desoto in the valley to the City of Ventura it was stop & go at speeds no more than 10 miles an hour. Stopped at Ellen's and had lunch before venturing on down 246 to Lompoc. Ellens is great comfort food.  Been around forever. Had the Patty Melt which was excellent.

Hit the Wine Getto in Lompoc for a few tastings before heading to my hotel. The big festival is Saturday afternoon at 5:00 at the La Purisima Mission. This mission has the last remaining undemolished strip of the old Camino Real road that the padres made and used to travel the length of California to establish the missions and service them.

Most of the Pinot producers in the Sta Rita Hills  were pouring at the fest. Found a few new ones that I am interested in. Food was great. Shredded Pork Sliders, Mac & Cheese with Bacon, Beef Sliders. Everything was very good quality.

Saw numerous people form the LA - Orange County area that I knew. This festival brings out the Pinot lovers.

Already have penciled the date in for 2013.

Again - The Seafood Palace

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

A small group of us met tonight for dinner. Terry had to cancel because he was rear ended this afternoon and needed a bit of medical attention. So it was me and 4 guys. My kind of dinner. I have always enjoyed the company or men over women. They are more honest, not catty and their mouths open to say something not just anything. All my life my best friends have been male.

The wines that were on the table tonight - 2001 Stolpman La Croce, (excellent), 2008 Prince of Hearts Napa Blend (very good), 2005 Clos Pepe VS Pinot Noir (VS is top of the line), 2005 EOS Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, 2006 Segeshio Old Vine Zinfandel and 2009 "Goat Bubbles", Santa Maria - made by Norm Yost of Flying Goat.

Henry had brought a 1993 Dom Perignon Champagne. It had been a gift to him but unfortunately the wine was not good, No bubbles and off taste. Henry had no idea how it had been cellared before he got it.  Such a shame.

So with this small group we had Lobster over thin Noodles,  Beef & Broccoli, Shrimp with Green Beans, Spicy Pork Strips with Noodles and Vegetables, Sweet & Hot Soup and a Mango pudding for dessert. Glad to have the lobster. It is always a great dish but we only order it when it is a small group

Clos Pepe Pinot Noir "grape" Tasting

Sunday, August 12, 2012

I invited 7 people to attend a wine tasting at my "casa"  today. I provided all the wine and did ask for appetizers to be brought as I had no plans on cooking dinner. Of course I had to pick out one of the hottest days of the year so far. But with all the doors, even the front door and windows open, the fans moving the air it was semi comfortable

I am a big fan of Clos Pepe and have been buying their wines for 11 years now.

I had 2004, 2005 and 2006 bottles of Clos Pepe Vineyard Pinot Noir open. The wineries  were Clos Pepe, Loring, AP Vin and Arcadian. I also had 2008 & 2009 Clos Pepe Chardonnay to start the tasting with.

After several hours of back and forth we came to the conclusion that Clos Pepe grows  damm good Pinot grapes. It was interesting to see the different styles of wine making and also the difference in the years with the same winemaker. Brian Loring seemed to change between 2004 and 2005. His 2006 was almost identical to the 2005

We had a split decision on the best of the lot. 4 people voted the 2004 Loring best and 4 people thought the 2005 Clos Pepe was best. We all felt that the 2005 Arcadian was the least favorite. In passing this information on to Wes the winemaker at Clos Pepe he was surprised at our take on the Arcadian. He said he had heard a lot of really good comments on this particular wine.

So on a few months or perhaps after the first of the year I will again host another tasting. It will be 2007, 2008 & 2009 Clos Pepe vineyard Pinot Noir grape. We  have a different mix of people as I could not accommodate everyone at this tasting that I wanted to. My criteria for the guest list was people that buy Clos Pepe either from me or the winery = no sense in wasting the wine on people who don't. Because if they don't but they either don't like it or are too cheap to spend the money.

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Dragonette Dinner at Park Ave Restaurant

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

I vowed I would never go back to the Park Ave Restaurant in Stanton again after my first dinner there. But the lure of Dragonette Wines made me  give them a second chance. For the life of me I cannot understand why people rave about this place. The chef is said to grow his vegetables on the premises. Maybe that is what impresses them

We were seated in the "garden" which is an open space outdoors with trees and twinkling lights. A very pleasant venue. There was approximately 60 people in attendance. Our table was nice with white tablecloths and the oddest assortment of wines glasses. I will say they were generous in their pours of the wine.

First Course: Quesdadilla with Smoked Salmon and Chive Cream. This was very good. Unfortunately the other item on the plate lacked a lot. Two chicken "drumettes"  with a Soy Plum BBQ Sauce. Sauce was great. Chicken was greasy, skin was left on and it was fatty. A big mess to eat. A better idea would have been chicken cubes on a skewer with the sauce.  The wine was a 2010 Dragonette Rose Sangria. The wine had bits of fruit in the bottle. The wine grew on you, after the third glass you started to like it. The glass was an old fashioned champagne coupe. I said the glasses were odd.

Second Course: Todays Harvest Beets, Shaved Radish,  Baby Lettuces with a Dijon Vinaigrette. The vinaigrette  had good flavor. The beets were sliced thin, red & yellow and halves of a candy cane beet (red & white) . Very small portion. Doubt if it cost .75 cents to plate. Paired with a 2010  Dragonette Happy Canyon Sauvignon Blanc. Wine was pleasant.

Entree: Ninman Ranch Pork Delmonico, with Heirloom Potato Hash and buttered Brussel Sprout Leaves. And leaves is what you got. I doubt if there was a whole brussel sprout on my plate, de-leaved. The pork was very good, moist and a large thick portion of meat. The  potato hash sucked. The wine poured was a 2010 Dragonette Sta Rita Hills Pinot Noir. Wine was excellent. I was so glad that CJ brought nice pinot glasses with him. What the restaurant had was not good.

Dessert: Chocolate Cream Pie with Lavender Cream and Shaved Chocolate. Individual pie shells with a dark chocolate pudding type mixture. Lavender Cream was good. Slight hint of lavender, not over whelming. Wine was a 2010 Dragonette Sta Rita Hills "Seven" Syrah.  Nice wine.

This was not a $75 dinner. Maybe $65. Aside from the pork chop and dessert the portions were very small.   Some food was very good and some was mediocre.Service was good on the most part. Margie had confirmed with them twice that she did not eat salmon and still had to let the waitstaff know after they served her the salmon. A screw up there.

Would I go back ?  Only if it was a winery that I was really into.

Can't Mention Names

Attended 3 functions the first week in August. Can't blog about them because some people get their noses out of joint if they were not invited.  A wine tasting, a wine cellar cleaning party and an adult birthday party.. All were good. Would have enjoyed them more if it wasn't for this allergic rash I have and can't  get rid of.. Been fighting it since April. 3 bouts of Predisone and it is still with me.The hot weather in August is not helping the situation.

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Aroma & Stags' Leap

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Festival seating tonight at Aroma in LaPalma. Ran late due to accident on the 91 freeway. Took at least 25 minutes longer than normal. But Paul & Margie got caught up in also so they were later than I was.

It has been about a year since we did a wine dinner at Aroma.

Aroma puts out a mixture of tomato sauce & butter for your bread. Strange combination but it does work well.

First Course: Pam Seared Scallops with mixed greens, thinly sliced green apples and shallots with a honey-lime vinaigrette. Scallops were small but nice and the salad was good. Refreshing with the green apples in it.  Paired with a 2010  Carneros, Napa Valley, Chardonnay. Some oak. Paired nicely with the salad.

Second Course: Eggplant Rollatino - Slice of eggplant stuffed and rolled with ground veal, ricotta, mozzarella, grated parmigiano, toasted pine nuts and simmered in  a fresh tomato sauce. To me this was the best dish of the evening. Good flavor, light texture and the sauce was light. Wine was a 2008 Napa Valley Merlot. OK for a Merlot but it did do well with the food dish.

Third Course: Spaghetti all'Amatriciana - Pancetta, onion, garlic, red chili flakes & plum tomatoes tossed with spaghetti.  Cheap dish to make. I doubt that this dish costs more than 50 to 75 cents per serving to make.  Portion was small. The pancetta was minced so small it was hard to realize it was in the dish. The chili flakes gave it a slight bite which I felt did not pair well with wine. Wine served was a 2008 Ne Cede Malis Petit Syrah. To me this was the best wine of the night.

Main Course: Petite Filet Mignon served with sauteed spinach, carmelized mushrooms and a wine reduction. The filet was very tender and had good flavor. The spinach was overcooked and I did not get much taste of carmelization of the mushrooms. Wine paired with this dish was a 2008 Napa Valley Caberent Sauvignon. Wine was ok but I have had much better Cabs than this one.

Dessert was a Strawberry Panna Cotta with Grand Marnier. Light and refreshing also tasted really good.

This dinner was priced at $80 + tx & tip. It was at least $15 too high. This was a $65 dinner considering the selection of food.  Stags' Leap wines are not that high priced. Also the pours were smaller than they should have been for the price of the dinner. Probably about 2-1/2 to 3 ounces and no refills.  So with the dinner you ended up with 2 normal glasses of wine. Even if you paid $10 a glass for the wine that left $60 for the food. For the food were served tonight I would not pay $60 for it. It was a $30 to $35 dinner. But the dinner was sold out and the dining area was packed.

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Clos Pepe & Delius

Thursday, July 19, 2012

After two years of talking with both Wes Hagen at Clos Pepe and Dave Solzman at Delius they finally got together and set a date for dinner. Had to get Bennet Traub from Wine Country involved and he worked his magic.

This was a last minute happening. Less than 2 weeks from yes this is the date to here we are. Dinner was sold out shortly after hitting the emails and Facebook accounts of Wine Country and Clos Pepe. Delius never got it posted to their website as there were no seats left.

Wes was kind enough to bring my wines down with him that I had on order. Turned out to be a really good thing as they did not have the Homage to Chablis Chardonnay with them (where is it  ? ) they raided my wines and took 6 bottles of the Homage for dinner.

Louise was not cooking tonight so the Sous Chef Pat who planned the menu was our head chef tonight and he did a wonderful job with the flavors of the food but his plating took a step backwards.

First Course: Pan Seared Diver Scallop, Citrus Salad, Blood Orange Sphere - served with 2009 Clos Pepe Homage to Chablis Chardonnay. Excellent pairing.

Second Course: Glazed Pork Jowl, Carrot Puree, Baby Carrots, Confit Pearl Onions - a 2010 Clos Pepe Barrell Fermented Chardonnay was paired with this dish. The pork was like butter. It had been Sous Vide for two days. My only complaint was that the carrots were not cooked evenly, One was correct and one was almost raw.

Third Course: Oxtail Ravioli, Carmelized Sweetbreads, Arugula.Frisee Salad - The ravioli was to die for. I felt that it needed a slight sauce of some type because he pasta itself was a little dry. But the meat was so rich it would be hard to match something with it.  The sweetbreads were good but slightly overcooked. The plating was terrible. No color at all. The wine was perfect   -  a 2009 Clos Pepe Estate Pinot Noir.

Fourth Course: Crispy Skin Duck Breast, Sweet Potato Gnocchi, Arugula Salad. Duck was good The Gnocchi great but we just had Arugula salad with the last course. The 2009 Axis Mundi Sleepy Hollow Syrah was poured and it was an very good pairing.

Dessert was small rounds of Panna Cotta with a fruit sauce. Very light and refreshing.  But not memorable. They could have done a lot better.

Wes Hagen had roasted some coffee beans that morning and had the kitchen make coffee for everyone. He insisted that it was to be served clean - no sugar or cream, It was very good, strong and robust.

After coffee Wes had the bar send in three glasses of a Tequila that he found out that Delius poured. One for him, one for Bennett and one for me. I will say it was the best silver (white)  tequila I have had.

Since Wes was down to be a judge at the Long Beach Grand Cru we are already making plans for another dinner next year when the judging starts. He gave Delius Restaurant a very high compliment when he said he thought the food ranked right up there with Michael Mina's. Would love to another dinner with Clos Pepe and Delius before July of 2013. Will have to start thinking about this. And hopefully the plating improves.


Sebastianni's & La Crema Wine

Monday. July 16, 2012

I will say that Pablo the owner of Sebastianni's has upped his game. The food tonight seemed to be
better than in the past. Glad to see that happening. They do wine dinners every month but have not been back for awhile and its only 5 minutes from my house. Makes you wonder about me.

We started off with a Spicy Ahi Tartare over thin slices of Japanese eggplant. Flavor was good. I think the quality of the ahi was ok but not primo. Dish had good flavor. The wine was a 2010 La Crema Rose of Pinot Noir. Good but not great.

Second course was a Roasted Red Pepper and a Heats of Palm soup. These were ladled into the bowl side by side so you have a color contrast between red and white. A very nice presentation and the flavors were very good. Served with a 2010 La Crema Viognier. The wine went well with the soup.

Next was a Salmon Wellington served with spinach salad. The salad was a salad. I think I would have preferred sauteed spinach but that is my own take on it. The Wellington was very good. A 2008 LaCrema Russian River Pinot Noir was poured. This was my favorite wine of the evening.

Mian course was Braised Short Ribs with a gravy and served on a bed of polenta with cheddar cheese in it. This was a very good dish. The meat was exceptionally tender. It had been cooked for 10 hours A 2008 LaCrema Carneros Pinit Noir was served. OK wine by not nearly as good as the Russian River Pinot.

Dessert follows - a Dolce Strawberry Salad with Chocolate Dressing. A light finish to a heavy meal.

So a nice evening with decent wines and good company, The place was full which was nice to see in this economy.

Preveza

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Seven of us  decided to have dinner at Preveza in Los Alamitos after attending the play "Sideways". It was an enjoyable why to end the day. Good food, good wine and great company.

The foods that were order was a wide variety. I had the "Aegean" dish which consisted of mussells, clams and shrimp in a white wine sauce over  pasta. This dish is always a winner. The food has always been good here. Along with a few other restaurants we do not get back here often enough. Uda the waitperson told us they are changing the menu and pricing. Business has declined and I did notice the place wasn't as crowded as it was when we were there previous times. They also charged us corkage of $5 per person which they had done in the past.

The wines tonight were a real mixed bag and most of them were very good.

2009 DiBruno Pinot Grigio
2011 Longoria Albarino - one of my favorite wines
2009 Clos Pepe Chardonnay - another favorite
2008 Couvillion , red blend
2007 Dusty Goose Ranbouillet - I did not taste this wine for some reason
2006 Sea Smoke Botella - good but not showing as well as it should
NV   Laguna Canyon Brut - a little to sweet for me but others really liked it
2007 Roar, Gary's Vineyard, Pinot Noir - always a winner
2006 Ken Brown, Cargassachi Pinot Noir - another winner

Sideways Play

Sunday, July 15, 2015

Nine of us met at the Ruskin Playhouse at the Santa Monica airport to attend a production of "Sideways".  Since I had seen the movie and read the book I wondered how they would be able to pull it off at a very small venue, (approx 50 seats).

It turned out to be a very well done production with the actors just feet away from you. They were good and it was a very enjoyable afternoon. During the run of this play small producers of wine had been pouring their Pinot Noirs at the play. Since this was the end of the run it was different. Rex Picket the author of the book was there and he was pouring "f----- Merlot". I thought a off the wall thing to do for the finale. In the book & movie towards the end   Miles opens his cherished bottle of wine and drinks it at a fast food restaurant. The wines turns out to be Merlot made by Sunstone.

They poured wine before the play and at intermission.  For $18 (group rate) it was a bargain. Fun day was had by all.

Seven of us headed to Los Alamitos to have dinner at Preveza to round out the day.

Tequila

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

I probably should pass posting this since I cannot remember the name of the Tequila producer. They are new, from Mexico and the names starts with a "N".  Something like "neloza"  A cute young thing was hosting. Her family has grown agave for 5 generations and just started making their own Tequila.

Interesting fact she related - that in some parts of Mexico she cannot go into a bar because she is female and females are not allowed in. So she cannot enter to sell her product.

Her tequilas were good. We muddled, drank straight and mixed. Interesting concept and it was fun. T

I have several bottles of Tequila in my bar so I did not purchase any. They ranged from $45 to $55 a bottle.

Delius' Annual Bus Trip

Sunday. July 8, 2012

Today is the annual bus trip to the wine country with Delius Restaurant.  Good breakfast at the restaurant with free flowing champagne. Lots of new faces in the crowd. Our first stop was a wine tasting room in Santa Ynez called Imagine. Artiste had occupied this space before and the theme was the same. Wine & Art.  I wasn't overly enthused about the wines. They were ok and I did buy 2 bottles of a 2005 Merlot which I thought was the best of their lineup.

I do try to buy at least one bottle at each stop because to get tasting rooms to open up to a bus of 35  people is hard. They look at a group that size and decide we are just looking for a good time and not serious about the wines. Dave always has to let them know the his patrons are into wine and will buy. If the winery has good wines we have been known to buy cases of theirs but when it is a marginal winery I do my duty, buy a bottle and vow not to go back.

Next stop was at Buttonwood where we are to have lunch. When we drove in and the host greeted us I ordered my case of peaches right then. They do sell out everyday and I wanted to make sure they held some back for me. So much better than the jink in the grocery stores. We had a tour of the fermenting room and then walked a short distance to the lake for lunch. This is also where we tasted the wines. Beautiful setting but uneven ground. Best to walk slowly. I bought several bottles of their Zingy Sauvignon Blanc. A lot of people brought home peaches from here.

A unusual thing occurred when we cam down the hill to the tasting room. There was a group of 4 to 5 people that had drove in and gotten out of their car. They  wandered around for a few minutes then went under a tree and rolled their prayer mats out and started to pray towards Mecca. Now I do not know if they stopped because it was convenient just to pray or what. If you are Muslim you do not touch alcohol. We left before they did so I have no idea if the went into the tasting room or not. But it seems to me if alcohol is forbidden a piece of ground in a vineyard should be off limits also.

Last stop was a tasting room is Los Olivos. Called Saarloos. Dutch name. They are from the Bellflower area which a one time was big dairy country. Their gimmick was to pair their wines with mini cupcakes in different flavors. I don't know if they felt the wines needed a cover up or what. They also had a "cute": story for each label. Pictures of their relatives and the wines named after them. I did not buy any wines here at all. I also would not go back. A wine should stand on its own without gimmicks and I felt theirs did not.

\Good trip - we were back in Long Beach by 8:30 without any problems.

Russo's

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Perfect weather for dining al fresco. It has been awhile since we went to Russo's. Need to go more often. But then there are so many places it is hard to get them all in.

Tonight 7 of us met. Russo's upped the ante on corkage to $10 a bottle so our extra bottles did not make the table. I managed to list 5 of the bottles but somehow missed a couple.

We decided to just have appetizers followed by a pizza and do everything family style, Easier to split the bill fairly. I don't eat as much as I used to so its my choice to take smaller portions. What I have a problem with is everyone ordering a full dinner and then the table splits the bill. I very rarely order appetizers, dessert or coffee under these circumstances but others do and then I feel I get the short end because I am helping to pay for all their extras when the entire tab is split evenly.

Tonight we ordered the "Russo's Delight" - rock shrimp, avocado and a creamy cilantro pesto on a garlic toasted baguette.  So good.

 "Stuffed Mushrooms" - mushrooms stuffed with chicken, green onion, cream cheese and herbs topped with Romano cheese and baked. Another winner.

"Palermo Crepes"  Crepes filled with bay shrimp, jumbo shrimp, roma tomatoes, goat cheese, green onions, pepperoncini & topped with a creamy Bechamel sauce. I am not a crepe person but these are the exception.

Roasted Brie with baguettes. Sent this dish back because the cheese was not Brie. They were out of Brie and substituted without telling us. CJ caught the difference right away.

Then we ordered a pizza which was excellent . I had one piece because at this time I was stuffed.

Two people ordered desserts which looked good but where they could stuff in the bodies I have no idea.  I do miss the days when I could eat like that but no more.

Our wines tonight consisted of: 23008 Coho Diamond Mtn,, Summit Ranch, Napa, Cabernet Sauvigon, 2007 Barrel Brand, Happy Canyon Valley red blend, 2005 Sapphire Hill, Russian RiverPinot Noir, 2004 Beni Duilio Castellani Brunello di Montalcino, and a 2005 Huber Chardonnay.

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

June's Gatherthing of The Flock

Sunday, June 31, 2012 (July 1)

This months theme was bring a bottle of your favorite wine of a wine you are enjoying right now. Expensive or not. As you can expect it was a real mish mash of wines and values.  Some of the wines were really good but I would say the majority of them were pulled off shelves randomly. They ranged from Napa to Temecula to Europe. Two bubblies, eight white and 10 reds.

The host made Paella. I think the flavor would have really good if he had not burned the bottom the rice. By that I mean is was black black. That burnt taste saturated the entire dish and really threw me off. Which was too bad because the dish would have tasted good. But I do not think that Remy has any competition here. Her Paella is always outstanding.

The weather was perfect for June and the event was held outside which made it quite pleasant. Lots of appetizers and desserts. The Margarita cheesecake that Judy made was excellent.

Next month (July) off to William & Patte's for Greek Wines with Greek food. That will be interesting to see if there are and if so, how many duplicates of wine are brought. Most wine stores carry about the same labels. I will have to go way out of town to try and find something different.

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Tastings

June 2012

Along with all the other functions that I attended this month I did 5 wine tastings and a champagne tasting to fill in my empty evenings.

Road Trip

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Left early am to drive to Lompoc for a "fund raiser" at Clos Pepe. My friend, William decided to join me.  Got to Buelleton about 10 am and had breakfast at Ellen's.  Always the place for good breakfast.

Hit the Lompoc Wine Ghetteo about 10:45 and tasted at Evening Land, Arcadian and Palmina. All excellent wines

The function at Clos Pepe was at 12 noon. This was a fund raiser for the local libraries. Five wineries were pouring that day along with Clos Pepe.  Ampelos, Kessler-Hawk, Huber, Transcedence along with a winery that ran out of wine before we got to it.

Lots a specialty, gourmet pizzas, farro salad, grilled vegetables, fresh grilled pineapple and mangos along with 4 kinds of brownies.

About 2:15 we left Clos Pepe and went across the road to Huber. I had wine to pick up. After talking with Norman & Traudl for awhile we headed over to Los Olivos. We tasted at Dragonette and Stolpman.

Bought wines at Stolpman, Arcadian, Evening Land and Palimia today. Stolpman has a new wine called Villa Angeli that I had not tasted yet. They did bring it out for us to taste  and I bought several bottles. Excellent addition to their "high end line".

About 5:00 we started to head back. William wanted to stop at AK Spurs and have s teak dinner but that would have added a couple of hours to the trip along with more wine.drinking. That I was not up for.

I was surprised that William had never heard of the Lompoc Wine Ghetto, which now has 19 wineries pouring there and he had never been to the town of Los Olivos. He had driven past it but never stopped. Los Olivos must have 30 wineries with tasting rooms there and its a town that is only 2 blocks by 2 blocks big.

Got back to the OC about 8:00, still daylight, dropped William off and went home to unload wine. Good day.

Williams Selyem Wine Vertical & Dinner

Saturday, June 16, 2012

There were 12 of us tonight to taste a 10 year vertical, 2001 to 2010, of Williams Selyem Russian River Pinot Noir.  Most people brought some type of food dish and several people joined forces and cooked the main dishes.  I brought the 2006 and 2007 years of this vertical.

There were also two magnums of Williams Selyem Weir Vineyards Pinot Noir, a 2000 & 2002. These magnums did not get opened as there were plenty of wine to go around. Being saved for another get together.

We started off with a couple of bottles of 2008 Schramsberg Blanc de Blanc Champagne and appetizers.  The appetizers were enough for a meal. After a plate of them I had no room for dinner.

A black olive tapenade was excellent along with vegetable Samosa's. I brought a wild mushroom, cream cheese pate which naturally pairs well with Pinot. A Borscht soup was served. Somehow I missed that. Rounding out the appetizers were Kettle chips in 2 flavors, 4 cheeses, cashews, fresh pineapple, fresh bluberries and goose pate.

Dinner consisted of grilled Copper River salmon with 3 different sauces, Paella, Lamb Stew, country style potatoes, Haricot Verts and wild mushrooms, broccoli wih vinaigrette & pine nuts.

I took a small potion of the salmon and some Paella. I was full from appetizers and could not each much.Unfortunaely for the dinner portion I will say that some of the dishes were not done well. The salmon was put in a chafing dish to keep warm. But it was put in without any liquids and it dried out. Even putting a Buerre Rouge sauce on it did not help it.

The dish labled Spanish Paella was more like Spanish Rice with additions. The chicken, shrimp & chorizo sausage was cooked separetly and you added what you want to your rice. This was the furtherest thing from Paella I have ever had. I know they took a long time and a lot of effort to make this dish was it was by no means a "Paella". I am glad I took a small portion.

I cannot comment of the Lamb stew, potatoes, green beans or broccoli because I did not put any on my plate.

Dessert was a Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake that was brought by another guest. It was excellent. This was served with a Krohn 30 year Tawny Port. I ate the cheesecake and then got a few pices of cheese to eat along with the port.  I am not an advocate of sweet on sweet. I prefer my dessert wines to be eaten with something savory.

Compaany was good and the wines excellent. It is such a shame with the effort that was put into this dinner that the results were so mediorce.

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Seafood Palace Again & Again

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Different day for us, usually Wednesday's but we chose today to accommodate Oliver. Nice thing is the restaurant is not busy or noisy. This place can really get to be extremely noisy on weekends and conversations are non existent.

We started off with Clams & Black Bean Sauce, followed by a complimentary dish of Vietnamese Sausage. Anything in black bean sauce is good.

A new dish arrived , one we have not tried before, Salt & Pepper Baby Octopus Tentacles, Really good.

Hot and Sour Soup came next and then Shrimp with Bok Choy & Fat Noodles. Always a favorite. I like anything with fat noodles. They really absorb the flavors of anything they are served with.

Beef with Chinese Broccoli and a fried Whole Fish rounded out the meal. Fresh oranges were dessert.

As usual food was good. Really liked the octopus.

Eight of us tonight. Some people have not joined us in awhile. And a new person to the restaurant. Eight is a good number for the Seafood Palace. But when we dine at the old "Duong Son" which is now the Golden Star I think the table limit will be 6. Smaller venue and 8 would be too crowded at the table. Should be having a dinner there real soon.

Wines tonight:

2005 Stolpman Angeli
2005 Stolpman L'Avion
2010 Tobin James Radiance Chardonnay
2007 LeCuvier Pinot Noir
2007 McKeon Phillips BPR Cabernet Sauvignon
2006 Sea Smoke Southing Pinot Noir
2009 Broglia Gavi
2007 Pellegrini Milestone red blend
2009 Flora Springs Trilogy
2007 Tobin James Charisma dessert wine

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Remy Beer Tasting

Saturday, Jun 2, 2012

Went out today for a "Remy" release tasting at Taps in Brea. They brew their own beer and I have never heard of them before. My friend Remy found out about it so a few of us decided to try the place.

Remy turns out to be a Russian Imperial Stout. Excellent beer. Very smooth and no bitterness to it.

So for $15 you got appetizers, a taste of Remy and a bottle of Remy to take home. A regular bottle not a large size. At $10 a bottle the price is steep. Good beer but $10 I feel is a little high.

John ordered a grilled artichoke and a pizza. The artichoke was one of the best I have had. Will have to try and duplicate the flavor some time. John also had a beer called Posideon, an IPA which he raved about.

I will keep this place in mind when I am in the area. The food was good and also the service.


Chateau Ste Michelle Wine Dinner at the Hyatt

Friday, June 1, 2011

Headed down the road tonight for a wine dinner at the Hyatt Huntington Beach. At least this was close for me. Not a lot of driving.

We arrived about 6:10 and had the mandatory valet parking. 3 hours validation with dinner and then $19 flat fee after. They really ave a captive audience this way. Any wine dinner with a wine rep goes over 3 hours. Especially when they have a reception at 6:30 and seating for dinner at 7. Food doesn't get to you for a least 20 minutes. So now we are over an hour into the 3 hour validation. But the best part was since the restaurant didn't stamp the ticket when I turned it in they waived the parking fee. Hope everyone else in the group got that break. So $5 to the valet and I was happy.

So we arrived and the hostess started to take us outside for the reception. It was cold & windy. June is always this way at the beach, Don't know what the hotel was thinking.We ended up inside and they brought our bubbly and appetizers to us. That was a real nice gesture on their part.

About 7 o'clock we were ushered into the Californian Room for dinner. There were 11 of us and we had a huge square table with a lip on it. Some people had a hard time finding an area to get their legs under the table. Mine was about even with the ledge so I could not slide all the way in..Really a dumb table for dining.

Chateau Ste Michelle wines were featured tonight.

We started out with a Seared Scallop with a deconstructed Waldorf salad and curry oil. The scallop was excellent and the curry oil led a nice bite to it. The could have left the salad off. This was served with their 2005 Luxe Brut bubbly.

A Watercress & Zucchini Soup with lemon oil & pecorino was next . This really was good.. A 2010 Horse Heaven Sauvignon Blanc was paired with this dish. It was an OK pairing. I did not care for the wine at all.

Third course was a Frisse Salad with a poached cage free egg, asparagus, natural bacon (as apposed to  laboratory made ???) simple vinagrette and herb crouton. Wine was an 2009 Indian Wells Chardonnay. Too oaky for me and it also clashed with the vinaigrette.  Oaky wines need a fat to cut the oak.

Fourth course was a wild caught King salmon, shaved fennel salad, heirloom tomatoes and white anchovy pesto. The pesto was excellent to bad their was no more than a drop of it. Salmon was good but nothing special. Paired with a 2008 Ethos Chardonnay. Another wine I did not drink. It was heavy oaked . The salmon was a little fatty but not enough to cut this massive oaky wine.

Fifth course was a Spiced spring lamb loin with a puree of english peas, feta & mint. The rub on the lamb was very good. They could have left out the mint in the pea puree.  Paired with A 2009 Canoe Ridge Merlot and a 2008 Cold Creek Cabernet Sauvignon. I did prefer the cab over the merlot.

Dessert was a Riesling poached baby pear with gorgonzola gealto, pine nut shortbread cookie. Served with a 2010 Harvest select rielsing. Pear had good flavor but was undercooked. Gelato was very good and the cookie was good. I did not like the wine.

Dave & Judy got all my wines that I did not like so they were happy. Glad I had 5 glasses of bubbly to make up for the wines I wasn't in to

Two people at our table do not eat seafood so the restaurant subsituted other dishes for them which was accommodating but they did not coordinate the serving well. We were well into finishing out dish before they got theirs. This is not good. Lack or something in the kitchen.

All told this was an OK dinner especially for the price. I did not expect the wines to be more than they were. But it sure makes you appreciate the quality of the food at Delius and their expertise in wine pairing. 

The Hyatt is planning on a few more wine dinners and I would go back and try them again. Their service was excellent. Much better than Arte Cafe where I have gone for a few wine dinners.