Beringer Wine at Arte Cafe

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Unusual to have  a restaurant host a wine dinner so close to the holidays but tonight Arte Cafe was full with both dining areas being used.  www.artecafe.com.

Started out with 3 glasses of the Beringer Napa Chardonnay. A tad oaky but not that undrinkable. They served this with a  Diver Scallop, cooked perfectly, and Pistachio nut cream sauce Very good dish.

Next up was a Scottish Salmon wrap with braised leeks and potatoes in a creamy vanilla sauce. This again was an excellent dish. Salmon was moist and wrapped with thin slices of potatoes. Paired with a Beringer Private Reserve Chardonnay. Not as oaky as the first wine. Went well with the dish. Only had two glasses of this wine.  They are very generous tonight with their wine pours.

Third course is a Lamb Shank Ossobuco . Lamb was very tender and slid right off the bone. Good flavor A Beringer, Knights Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon was the wine choice. Again two glasses. A good pairing.

Main course I did not eat. Had them box it up for me to take home. I had reached the saturation point.  It was a Petite Filet with pearl onions and fingerling potatoes. Watching the others eat it looked very good. Cooked medium rare and was very tender by the way the knife cut through it. Pain getting old and cannot indulge like I used to. But I just cannot force myself to keep eating after I reach a certain point.  They paired a Beringer Quantum red blend (bordeaux). This was a very good wine. It was chewy and talked to you. Another two glasses. I ended up splitting a six pack. Priced very well.

Dessert was just what I like. A Chocolate Mocha Ice Cream. Just enough to cleanse the palate and not enough to fill you up.

So the food was very good tonight. Service was better than it usually is. And even the wine nazi server was more generous than usual. Maybe because  it's the holiday season and it  is rubbing off on people Nice evening, good dining companion. 

Dinner for 12 at the Seafood Palace.

Wednesday, December 7, 2016.

People have been asking when Henry would be doing another dinner at the Seafood Palace. We have not had one in a couple of years for a larger group.  We decided to keep the dinner to two tables of six. Better conversation and more room for wine and glasses.  Henry did the menu so everything was in place when we arrived. No arguing about what to order.

We started out with Salt & Pepper Calamari, one of my favorites and Honey Walnut Shrimp. Two good classic dishes.

Then onto a bowl of the spicy, sour soup. Cold evening so that fit in nicely. Then the platters of Peking Duck arrived. One of the better ducks I have had, Cooked perfectly, moist with crisp skin. The table next to us must have exceptionally hungry because there was not a bite left on the platter.

Next dish was extra good also. Stir Fried Steak, French Style, Meat was very tender and flavorful. We are really on a role with the quality of the dishes. Also a week night and they were not overly busy. Makes a difference when the chefs can take their time.

String beans with white fish filet was up. Again really good flavor to the green beans and the white fish was very moist.

A new dish for me, Chicken and Tofu in Hot Pot. Interesting combination of flavors.

Last dish before dessert was Pork Chow Mein Hong Kong Style,  We were supposed to have Fried Rise Cantonese Style but Henry decided to eliminate that dish. We were really full and satisfied at that point.

Chinese are not big on dessert. We had the almond pudding with fruit cocktail. I ate a couple of bites but that was it.

I brought a 2019 Clos Pepe, Sta Rita Hills, Pinot Noir and it was showing well. I was happy with that selection.. I also brought a 2010 Verve Janka, Dry Gewurztraminer Dessert Wine. Not overly sweet. A good choice. Other wines were:

2013 Stags Leap, Napa, Petit Syrah- nice and chewy.

2014 Failia, Sonoma Coast, Pinot Noir - a little young

2012 Anglim, Cense, a blend of Grenache, Mouverde, Syrah and Viognier.  Nice, well balanced.

2015 Woolridge Creek Vineyard, Applegate Valley, Dry Gewurztraminer - did not try.

NV, GH Mumm, Maison Fondee,  En 1827, Brut, Cordon Rouge - nice bubbly, enjoyed several pours.

2009 Sea Smoke, Sta Rita Hills, Ten, Pinot Noir - well made and balanced, good complexity.

2013 Clos Pepe, Sta Rita Hills, Pinot Noir - needs a few more years.

2013 Robert Mondavi, Maestro 50th Anniversary, Cabernet Sauvignon - disappointed in this wine, expected more.

2013 Cass, Rockin One, Paso Robles - did not try, I believe it was a white wine.

2013 Seghesio, Sonoma, Zinfandel - did not try but Seghesio is usually good.

2007 Mont Louis, Sur, Loire, Clos Habert, Chenin Blanc - very nice wine.

2006 Stolpman, Santa Ynez, Sangiovese - off and it is really not that old.

1993 Oakford Vineyards, Oakvile, Napa, Cabernet Sauvignon - old and going away but still had color and light fruit and a git of tanins - interesting to taste these older wines.

Recon at Indian Grill

Wednesday, November 30, 2016

5 of us met tonight at the Indian Grill in Cypress to check out new dishes for Margie's January dinner

Won't go into the dishes we had because they are all showing up on her menu for dinner.  If someone reads the blog that goes to the dinner then there is no surprise.

But we did have a good selection of wines. I brought a 2010 Evening Land, Sta Rita Hills, Pinot Noir and was a bit disappointed in it. Just lacked something.

There was a 2010 Banshee, Napa Pinot Noir that was the hit of the evening.  Other wines were 2012 Lincourt, Annie Dyers, Sta Rita Hills, Pinot Noir, 2015 Belle Gros, Pinot Blanc, NV John Michael, Artist Series, Blanc de Blanc and a 2015 Dragonette, Santa Barbara, Rose. I could not handle the Rose - just was not my style, I prefer mine drier.  Good selection.