Fuego in The Heat Wave

Saturday., September 4, 2015

Margie's wine/dinner group met tonight at Fuego at the Maya Hotel on the bay in Long Beach. In the middle of the miserable, humid heat wave we are experiencing this week it was a welcome respite. Dinning outdoors next to the water was what we needed. We had a good, lively group tonight. A very pleasant evening.

The hotel had several functions going on tonight. A child's 6th birthday party took the honors with the best entertainment. Polynesian dancers gave quite the show. A wedding reception was also being held but in comparison it was damm boring.

We had a choice of 3 starters, 3 main dishes and 3 desserts. Normally I do not eat salads at a wine dinner but because of the heat I opted for that over the Chicken Tortilla Soup and the Argentine Beef Churrasco. Tried the Churrasco two months ago and it was a bit dry for me. But good flavor. The soup I had last year. I will say the salad was very good. The lettuce was extra cold and crisp and it came with Hearts of Palm, Roasted Mushrooms, Peppers, Red Onion, Blue Cheese, Lemon and Olive oil.

For the main we had a choice of Polla a la Parrilla, Prime Short Rib or Pan Roasted Chilean Seabass. I decided on the chicken. It was chili rubbed with a Poblano Ginger Sauce which was excellent. Several people choose the Seabass were happy with it. A couple opted for the short rib which they said was a bit on the dry side.

I had the Salted Caramel Cheesecake and it was very good. I took half of it along half of my chicken home. Way too much food for me. Other options were Coconut Flan, Molten Chocolate Cake .

Maybe because the hotel had so much going on tonight it may have reflected in the food. The dry beef. My chicken was not quite as moist as it was two months ago.

Because of the heat a lot of white wine showed up tonight. I brought a 2014 Longoria Albarino and a 2014 Tecerro Albarino. Grapes sourced from the same vineyard. Different winemakers. The Longoria is made by Rick Longoria who has made the Albarino for years. The grandfather of Albarino in the Santa Ynez area. Larry Shaffer is the new kid on the block. This was his first Albarino. Side by side was an interesting comparison. The Longoria won the tasting by a small margin. A softer wine not quite as acidic as the Tercerro. Both had a nice lemon taste to them. We will see what Larry Shaffer does in the upcoming years with this grape.

I tasted some of the other whites and a couple of reds.   I will not offer any comments about the wines. Frankly most of the whites and all the reds did not do it for me. Way to hot for me  to really enjoy. Exception being the Cava. Always the right time for sparkling.

Other wines were:
2013 Williams Selyem,  Chardonnay
2011 Roar,  Sierra Mar Vineyard, Viognier
2012 Patricia Green Cellars, Pinot Noir
2012 - 3 Rivers, Columbia Valley, Malbec
NV   Renie Barbier, Mediterranean Rose Brut-Cava
2010 Graham Beck, Game Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
2014 Life From Stone, Sauvignon Blanc
2013 Anthill Farms, Peters Vineyard, Sonoma Coast, Pinot Noir
2012 Chaeau St. Michelle, Riesling
2012 Alchemy, Cachapoal Valley, Chile, Carmenere
2012 Jordi Oliver, Emphora Blanc, Spain, Granacha/Macabeu
2012 Cuveler, Los Andres, Mendoza, Malbec (compliments of the hotel)
2005 Grgich Hills Estate, Violetta, Napa Valley, Late Harvest