Balsamic & Oil Tasting at Antica & Dinner at Nayada

Saturday. January 30, 2016

CJ hosted a Balsamic Vinegar and Olive Oil food pairing and tasting at Antica in Los Alamitos. www.anticaoliveoil.com. 18 people in attendance. All food and wine provided.

 We started out with a Goat cheese and peach chutney. Chutney hard excellent flavor. Paired with a NV Segura Vindas Brut Cava.

Next was a salad of mixed greens, tomatoes, onions and feta cheese. I ditched the onions and tomatoes. A Tuscan Herb olive oil with a traditional balsamic vinegar made the dressing. Oil was put on first to coat the greens so the balsamic would adhere to the greens and not end up at the bottom of the bowl.  A 2014 Famille Bourgier Chenin Blanc and a 2014 Trimbach Pinot Blanc were the wines of choice. Both paired well with the salad,

Third dish was Hummus with Crackers. Plain hummus drizzled with a Persian Lime olive oil. Did like the flavor of this oil.  The wines were 2015 Jules Taylor Sauvignon Blanc and a 2014 Meiomi Pinot Noir. I did not like the pairings. Wines were good on their own but paired with the food did nothing for me.

A turkey sandwich made with turkey breast, Fontina cheese, cucumber, red onions, lettuce, herb de Provence olive oil, herb de Provence spice on a marble rye bread was served. . Ditched the cucumber, way to thick and the red onions . Paired with a 2014 Aliane Cotes de Provence Rose and a 2013 Byron-Nielson Pinot Noir. Decent pairing. The rose was the winner here.

Fifth dish was a Cream Cheese with Fig Balsamic Jam and crackers. Jam was very good. Wines were a 2011 Cline Ancient Vines Zinfandel and a 2013 Murphy-Goode Liar's Dice Zinfandel. Pairing was ok but nothing exceptional.

Last dish was a Mixed Fruit Bowl, chopped bananas, strawberries, grapes, apples and oranges. Dressed with a Peach Balsamic Vinegar which was very good and blended well with the fruit. A NV Segura Viudas Brut Rose Cava was the final wine and it did pair nicely with the fruit.

A nice tasting and pairing. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Four of us decided to go out to dinner afterwards. I had brought a bottle of wine with me  just in case this would happen.

Went over to Nayada on Carson across from the Long Beach Town Center.  No one was starving but we felt we needed something else to eat. 

Ordered Garlic Chicken Wings, Spring Rolls, Chicken Satay and a order of Beef with Garlic and Pepper. More than enough to eat. Had a 2009 Sea Smoke Southing Pinot Noir and a 2009 Rusack Anacapa (Bordeaux blend) Both wines were showing quite well. Made it an early night. Big day tomorrow.