Tuesday, December 15, 2015
Could not pass this dinner up. Price was so right. $39. Four courses and three wines. Was not expecting it to be over the top and it wasn't. Good and adequate for the price. Arte Cafe in Cerritos was packed for this dinner. www.artecamellia.com, so others wanted a bargain also. 6 tonight for dinner. Knew the wine rep, John from previous dinners around town. Nice to chat with him for a few minutes. He is going to be working on a dinner at Delius next year.
Started out with fresh Bay Scallops, Brie Cheese Raviloi. Bay scallops to me have very little flavor. All the flavor from this dish was the ravioli which was quite good along with the sauce. This would have been standout dish if they would have used sea scallops. Wine selected to go with this dish was a Oakville, Elizabeth Rose, Rose. Blend of Syrah, Grenanche and Cinsault. Mixed reviews at the table. I did not care for this wine. Others did. But we all agreed that it was not the best pairing.
Second course was a Fresh California Stripe Bass with grilled vegetables and Dijon cream sauce. Fish was cooked perfectly. Only complaint was they left the skin on one side and had that side on the bottom of the dish in the sauce. Skin gets very moist this way and is really not tasty. Vegetables were good and the mustard cream sauce was excellent.. A Oakville, Elizabeth Rose, Chardonnay was poured. Clean, crisp wine and went well with the fish. This wine also would have been much better with the scallops.
Main course served was New York Steak, dry cherry and Cabernet jus with mashed potatoes, mushrooms and avocado egg roll. Steak was excellent. Had a good sear to it and lots of flavor. Jus was good but I did not even venture to the egg roll. I noticed several people at the table took one bite and put it down. Paired with a Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon. Wine was high in alcohol and to be had a bitter taste.
Dessert was a Berry Souffle with a berry cream sauce. Very good dessert.
Nice, enjoyable inexpensive evening out. Company was good. Food had ups and downs as did the wine but the price was right.
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
If It's Monday It's Dim Sum
Monday, December 14, 2015
Six today to partake in Dim Sum. The usual suspects met at the Seafood Palace for lunch. Place was crowded today. A lot of offices having their employee holiday lunches.
A lot of white wine showed up today for some reason so we ordered heavy on the seafood
Started out with Steamed Shrimp Dumpling and Pork Shu Mai. Then our complimentary bowl of the hot, sour soup. Glad this came early. The weather is cold and it really tasted extra good today.
White fish with Bok Choy is always winner then another dish with Bok Choy - Shrimp with fat noodles. Lots of vegetables today.
Henry ordered the Stir Fry Lobster with special noodles. We all agreed this dish was better two weeks ago. It was still good but not quite the same. Could be a different cook.
Had to have a beef dish as we had 2 red wines on the table. So Beef with Snow Peas was next.
Dessert was our usual Daan-taat - egg custard tarts.
Wines were interesting.
A Louie Bouillot champagne and a Perrier Joulet champagne to start with.
2014 Chateau La Gordonne, Cotes de Provence, Rose. Nice wine
2011 Tourine Val de Loire, Sauvignon Blanc - excellent with the soup
2010 Alma Rose , Sta Rita Hills, Pinot Noir - Richard Sanford does make good wine
2008 Thorne, Rio Vista Vineyard, Sta Rita Hills, Pinot Noir - excellent wine
Six today to partake in Dim Sum. The usual suspects met at the Seafood Palace for lunch. Place was crowded today. A lot of offices having their employee holiday lunches.
A lot of white wine showed up today for some reason so we ordered heavy on the seafood
Started out with Steamed Shrimp Dumpling and Pork Shu Mai. Then our complimentary bowl of the hot, sour soup. Glad this came early. The weather is cold and it really tasted extra good today.
White fish with Bok Choy is always winner then another dish with Bok Choy - Shrimp with fat noodles. Lots of vegetables today.
Henry ordered the Stir Fry Lobster with special noodles. We all agreed this dish was better two weeks ago. It was still good but not quite the same. Could be a different cook.
Had to have a beef dish as we had 2 red wines on the table. So Beef with Snow Peas was next.
Dessert was our usual Daan-taat - egg custard tarts.
Wines were interesting.
A Louie Bouillot champagne and a Perrier Joulet champagne to start with.
2014 Chateau La Gordonne, Cotes de Provence, Rose. Nice wine
2011 Tourine Val de Loire, Sauvignon Blanc - excellent with the soup
2010 Alma Rose , Sta Rita Hills, Pinot Noir - Richard Sanford does make good wine
2008 Thorne, Rio Vista Vineyard, Sta Rita Hills, Pinot Noir - excellent wine
Holiday Dinner at 555
Saturday, December 12, 2015
Fourteen of us tonight for Margie's monthly dinner at the 555 East Steakhouse in Long Beach. www.555east.com. Apparently a change in seating arrangements by the restaurant. We were seated at a long table instead of two round tables. Conversation was limited to those right next to you or straight across the table. I found the restaurant to be very noisy. They were filled to capacity and also had a piano player plunking away on the keys.
I had ordered the small filet with baked potato and mushrooms. Meat did not seem very flavorful as before. It lacked something. You should not have to add sauce to enjoy your meat. Most everyone ordered steak but there were exceptions. I did not keep track of what everyone else ordered. I was not that interested in keeping that many notes. I did keep a list of wines. Most of those I did not taste. In fact I did not know they were on the table until I typed the list up the next day. 14 people, 20 wines. The wines did not move up and down the table well. Too much on the table, between all the glasses, wines and dinner plates it was way to crowded. I would say on the verge of confusion.
I brought a 2005 Stolpman Angeli, Santa Ynez (syrah) . I decanted it for 4 hours and it really helped it to open up. I thought it was excellent and apparently others did also. There was less than 3 ounces left in the bottle when I took it home. I also brought one of my favorite Champagnes. a NV Robert Moncuit, grand Cru, Brut.
Others wines:
1997 Chateau du Terte, Marguax, Grand Cru - just going downhill
2005 Williams Selyem, Bacigalup Vineyard, Zinfandel - one of the best wines on the table
NV J Laurens, tete de Cuvee, Clos des Demnoiselles - did not taste
2011 Lorenzi, Phantom, Temecula - did not taste
NV Veuve Cliquot, A Rems Brut - always a good Champagne for mass production
2011 Saxum, Broken Stones, Paso Robles - did not taste but I would say it still is to young
2012 Rombauer, Propetor R Selection, Chardonnay - did not taste
2012 Peter Michaels, L'Apes-Midi, Sauvignon Blanc - did not taste
2012 Longoria, Syran Vino Dulce - did not taste
2013 Dutton Goldfield, RRV, Pinot Noir - did not taste - sorry to have missed this one
2010 Antinori, Brunello - this was a very good wine - will go several more years easily
2013 Dusty Goose, Willamette Valley, Chardonnay - did not taste
2012 Prince of Hearts, Napa Red, - did not taste - this wine has shown up at the last 3 functions that I have attended. It was good. I am sure it tasted the same.
2012 Paul Hobbs, Cabernet Sauvignon - did not taste
2001 Chateau Vieux, Fortin, St. Emilion, Grand Cru - did not taste - sorry to have missed this one
2006 Lindstrom, Stags Leap - going downhill
NV Desert Florus, Late Harvest, Banfi - did not taste
2011 Puma Road, SLH, Pinot Noir - was not impressed
Fourteen of us tonight for Margie's monthly dinner at the 555 East Steakhouse in Long Beach. www.555east.com. Apparently a change in seating arrangements by the restaurant. We were seated at a long table instead of two round tables. Conversation was limited to those right next to you or straight across the table. I found the restaurant to be very noisy. They were filled to capacity and also had a piano player plunking away on the keys.
I had ordered the small filet with baked potato and mushrooms. Meat did not seem very flavorful as before. It lacked something. You should not have to add sauce to enjoy your meat. Most everyone ordered steak but there were exceptions. I did not keep track of what everyone else ordered. I was not that interested in keeping that many notes. I did keep a list of wines. Most of those I did not taste. In fact I did not know they were on the table until I typed the list up the next day. 14 people, 20 wines. The wines did not move up and down the table well. Too much on the table, between all the glasses, wines and dinner plates it was way to crowded. I would say on the verge of confusion.
I brought a 2005 Stolpman Angeli, Santa Ynez (syrah) . I decanted it for 4 hours and it really helped it to open up. I thought it was excellent and apparently others did also. There was less than 3 ounces left in the bottle when I took it home. I also brought one of my favorite Champagnes. a NV Robert Moncuit, grand Cru, Brut.
Others wines:
1997 Chateau du Terte, Marguax, Grand Cru - just going downhill
2005 Williams Selyem, Bacigalup Vineyard, Zinfandel - one of the best wines on the table
NV J Laurens, tete de Cuvee, Clos des Demnoiselles - did not taste
2011 Lorenzi, Phantom, Temecula - did not taste
NV Veuve Cliquot, A Rems Brut - always a good Champagne for mass production
2011 Saxum, Broken Stones, Paso Robles - did not taste but I would say it still is to young
2012 Rombauer, Propetor R Selection, Chardonnay - did not taste
2012 Peter Michaels, L'Apes-Midi, Sauvignon Blanc - did not taste
2012 Longoria, Syran Vino Dulce - did not taste
2013 Dutton Goldfield, RRV, Pinot Noir - did not taste - sorry to have missed this one
2010 Antinori, Brunello - this was a very good wine - will go several more years easily
2013 Dusty Goose, Willamette Valley, Chardonnay - did not taste
2012 Prince of Hearts, Napa Red, - did not taste - this wine has shown up at the last 3 functions that I have attended. It was good. I am sure it tasted the same.
2012 Paul Hobbs, Cabernet Sauvignon - did not taste
2001 Chateau Vieux, Fortin, St. Emilion, Grand Cru - did not taste - sorry to have missed this one
2006 Lindstrom, Stags Leap - going downhill
NV Desert Florus, Late Harvest, Banfi - did not taste
2011 Puma Road, SLH, Pinot Noir - was not impressed
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