Dinner at 555 East

Wednesday, July 26, 2017

A few of us decided weeks ago to get together for some good red meat and bring some really good wines we had been wanting to share with others.  Seven of us tonight at 555 East Steakhouse.  www.555east.com.    We met at 6:00 PM except for Stan and Karen who were coming in from Santa Monica.  They left their place at 4:15 and arrived about 6:45.  That had to be a horrible drive in traffic.

I ordered raw oysters so I would have something delectable with the Champagnes. Kumumoto and Island Paradise were my choices.  Most of us ordered steak and Paul had the rack of lamb.  555 East fell short this time.  Karens's steak was cooked wrong, Paul's rack of lamb was cold. My Kansas City Strip had too much grizzle on one end. Margie's baked potato had to be sent back because of problems on the inside after it was cut.  This is unusual for 555 East.

But service was good and the wines were even better.

I brought a 2006 Sassicia (cab  and cab franc) which was so good.  I paid $100 for a few years back at a charity event. Looked up the pricing on it and now it averaged out at $268.  Which made is a little less than $12 an ounce. I found that really funny to think about how much that taste was costing me.  Glad I opened it while it is still vibrant and at the optimum taste level. These wines do go for long years of aging. But at my age I don't have time. Better to enjoy now. and best to enjoy with others who appreciate what they are drinking

All wines were showing well.

2005 BV, Georges  Latours, Private Reserve Cabernet brought by CJ.

1995 Chateau Monbousquet Saint-Emilion, (merlot) Grand Cru and a March Hebrart, Premier Cru, Brut brought by Greg.

2014 Lancaster, Samantha's Sauvignon Blanc, 2012 Kosta Browne Sonoma Coast, Pinot Noir and a Pertois-Moriser, Balnc de Blanc brought by Paul and Margie.

1998 d'Arnenberg, The Dead Arm, Shiraz and a 1997 Jones Family Vineyards, Napa, Cabernet Sauvignon brought by Stan and Karen.

Hard to pick out a favorite.  All were really good. So good food (mostly), great wines and great friends made for a very enjoyable evening

July's Dim Sum with The Boys

Monday, July 24, 2017

Only 4 of us today at the Seafood Palace, www.seafoodpalacerestaurant.com,  Henry's back from Maui so time to get together again..  We ordered our usual off the dim sum cart.  

Sweet sticky rice with shrimp and Chinese sausage wrapped in Lotus Leaves.

Shrimp Shu Mai.

Ground shrimp and pork wrapped in seaweed and deep fried.

We got our complimentary bowl of our spicy soup.

Then off to a couple of other dishes.  Shrimp in black bean sauce with fat noodles. Shrimp was especially sweet and tender today. This dish was recommended by Mr. Do who never gives Henry bad advice on what is best that day.  And since we have 2 red wines today a Beef French style with green beans.

We are getting to then pint age wise that our appetites are not what they used to me. Doesn't take as many dishes to fill us up any more.  Our Dim Sum dates are for getting together and having a good time. The food comes in third after the wine selections.  

Dessert was our usual egg tarts.

I brought a Schramsberg, Blanc de Blanc which really hit the spot in this hot, humid weather we are experiencing. .  A 201 Evening Land, Chardonnay, which for some reason wasn't oaky but did nothing for me.  A 2014 Loring, Garys Vineyard, Pinot Noir which was really good. 

 A 2014 "Game of Thrones" red wine . Beautiful gold label. Made in Paso Robles of 7 red grapes.  But the wine was not that stellar.  Very fruity on the front palate, nothing mid palate and then very acidic on the back palate.  A novel idea that will sell to people into the TV show but I was not impressed even if it was made by Bob Cabral of Williams Selyem fame.

St. Supery Wines at Taste

Sunday, July 16, 2017

First time at this restaurant in Long Beach,  www.taste-wbk.com.   Absolutely no parking which seems to be the thing in Long Beach anymore.  Found a spot a block away, another in our group parked 4 blocks away. Beyond me why the "city fathers" allow this but so be it.

Crowded, no acoustics, loud. I would come back and do another wine dinner here but not sure if this is the spot to come for a quiet dinner. But it seems to be a very popular place at the moment.

Wines were provided by St. Supery in Napa Valley.

We started out with a Heirloom Melon Salad, Lemongrass Sorbet, Thai Basil and Fresno Chilies. Interesting combination. Flavors went well together, the chilies were sliced very thin so you got just a hint of heat. I am not a basil fan of any kind. so it is lost on me.   They served this with a  2016 Oak Free Estate Chardonnay.. Decent wine but I am not over whelmed.

Second course is Grilled Squid, Garden Ratatouille Brunoise, Kaffir Lime Aioli and Shiso Peppers. Loved the Ratatouille and the Aioli. But the squid was so tough I could not get a fork into it. They had taken two pieces of squid and stuffed them with the vegetables. Good idea but it just did not work. The squid may have been tender in the kitchen but by time it reached me it was tough.  Paired with a 2015 Dollarhide Sauvignon Blanc. OK wine but too much grapefruit on the palate. It paired with the food OK but not great.

Third course was a Coffee Rubbed Duck Breast, Spiced Pommes Anna, Roasted Plum Puree, Anise Hyssop. This dish was wonderful. Loved the coffee taste on the duck. A winner along with the 2014 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon that was poured. This dish made the meal.

Next was a Lamb Belly Porchetta, Garlic and Herb Lamb Stuffing, Smoked Carrot-Orca, Bean Ragu, Black Pepper Demi Glace. I was looking forward to this dish but this is one that sounded great in the mind and did not pencil out well. I found the lamb porchetta tough. The flavors were very good but flavors only go so far.  The wine also was not to my liking. A 2013 Rutherford  Merlot. It seemed to fall short also.

Dessert was interesting. A Chilled Strawberry Soup, Summer Berries, Tarragon, and Crème Fraiche Ice Cream. Ice cream was very good, I found the berries way to large for the dish, soup was good.  But the wine was awful. A 2015 Rose, made with 5 varieties of red grapes. It was not drinkable and I was not the only one leaving a full glass sitting in front of them.

We talked with the chef afterwards and he admitted a few mistakes on his part. He has really great flavors but some of his ideas just don't pan out.  I will be going back in August for their Tamber Bey wine dinner. Will give them a second chance based on the flavors they develop.

Mitsuyoshi Japanese Restaurant

Saturday, July 15, 2017

Margie's  choice for her monthly dinner is Mitsuyoshi Japanese Restaurant in Stanton.                             www.mitsuyoshi-restaurant.com.   We did dine there last year and this is a return visit.  16 of us tonight so the seating leaved a lot to be desired.. 8 at one table and two tables of 4. Made it hard to pass wine around and chat with others. But troopers that we are we managed to have  a good time to eat and drink for several hours. Amazing what a little wine can do.

As last year I ordered the Bento Box, a wide variety of small bites. My kind of grazing. And my fingers kept the chopsticks in line. Sometimes the fingers cramp so much it is hard to handle the sticks but I refuse to eat Asian food with a fork. I wonder what really old Asian people used do when they get so much arthritis in their hands they have difficulty with the sticks. Before they were introduced to forks.

The wines tonight were a really mixed lot. Most I did not get to taste. But I did have some of most of the sparklings. A few did not make it to our table. Tables were very crowded - not much room.

NV  Mio Sparkling Sake - semi sweet
NV  Grand Cru De Margere - very good
NV  Scharffenberger Brut Excellence - very good
NV La Monca Proceso - did not taste
2015 Francis Coppola Sofia, Blanc de Blanc - did not taste
2014 Schafer-Frohlich, Rose of Pinot Noir - very good
2013 Pedrocelli, Dry Rose of Zinfandel - did not taste
2016 Eberle Syrah Rose - did not taste
2006 F. Johnson Vineyard, Chardonnay - did not taste
2009 Hillard Bruce Chardonnay - nice and clean - no oak
2014 Tablas Creek, Cotes de Tablas Blanc - did not taste
2014 Dragonette, Sauvignon Blanc - did not taste
2015 Cowhorn Spizal 26, White table wine - did not taste
2015 Alma Terra, Albarino - clean- good
2015 Old Country Cellars Albarino - did not taste
2010 Huber Barrell Select Pinot Noir - my style of wine
2012 Clos Pepe, Pinot Noir - always a winner
2012 Lloyds, Pinot Noir - did not taste
2013 Danci Vineyrads, Pinot Noir - did not taste
2014 Patricia Green Cellars, 15th Anniversary Cuvee, Pinot Noir - very good

July's Meeting of the Winos

Sunday, July 9, 2017

Time to head up the freeway to Santa Monica. Very hot today and here is hoping the weather will be cooler nearer the beach.

Todays theme is CA Merlots, Sonoma or Napa and CA or French Sparklings. Not a big merlot fan but do have a couple in the cellar.

Managed to find a parking spot right across the street. Tight fit but I did make it. I am always grateful to Officer DeVries who taught me to drive when I turned 16.  Best decision my dad did  having a highway patrol officer teach me.  I can parallel park in small spaces.

The weather here is hotter than I expected. No breeze which is unusual for the area.  Stan brought out a fan and hooked it up in the yard so we could have a bit of cooling.

I drank all the sparklings but only a few of the merlots. Way to hot to enjoy big red wine. We had a big turn out today. Just about everyone in the group showed up. Some really good appetizers and numerous desserts.

NV   H. Blin Champagne
NV   Domaine Denis, Cremant de Bourgoune Brut
NV   Domaine Allimantlauger, Cremant d'Alsace
NV   Roederer Estate, Brut
2001 Gloria Ferrer, Royal Cuvee Brut
2006 Moet Chandon Rose
2013 Schramsberg, Blanc de Blanc

All were good and refreshing on such a hot day.

1996 Matanas Creek Merlot - over the hill
2002 Stags Leap Merlot - good
2003 Pride Mountain Merlot -  good
2006 Shafer Merlot - good
2010 Meeker Merlot - good
2010 St, Supery Merlot - good
2012 Charles Krug Merlot - good
2013 Simi Merlot - did not taste
2013 Duckhorn Merlot - did not taste
2013 Monticello Vineyards Merlot - did not taste
2013 Frogs Leap Merlot - did not taste
2013 Raymond Merlot - did not taste
2014 Stags Leap Merlot - did not taste

Feudi Di San Gregorio Wine Diner at Delius

Thursday, July 6, 2017

We had a table of 6 tonight at Delius,  www.deliusrestaurant.com.  for dinner. Have missed a few dinners here. Timing etc., Looking forward to the evening.

Started off with a Roasted Pear with Marscapone and Parmesan Custard, Lemon and Thyme Arugula. Very light in flavor and texture. This was paired with a white wine "Falanghina"  crisp and slightly acidic but a good pairing.

Second wine was another white "Fiano" a little more structure and creaminess to it. Served with a Grilled Octopus Medallions, Savory Orange Bread Pudding and Brown Butter Drizzle.  Pudding was good, light. But the octopus had very little flavor. It was tender but the whole dish lacked something to make it sing.

Third course is a Slow Roasted Chicken Thigh, Apple and Sicilian Olive Cassoulet and Crispy Red Onion. Great flavor on the chicken. This was a good dish, seasoned well.  Wine is a "Aglianico Rubarto".  A bit on the rustic side but paired well with the "rustic" dish.

A Sherry and Cedar Braised Short Rib with Roasted Garlic Purple Mash and Seared Rainbow Chard was the entree.  Another good dish with a lot of flavor.  Paired with a "Aglianico Taurasi". This wine was more refined that the last, better structure and flavor.  We were also served a 2008 Serpico which was a big wine. Took awhile to open up but it was worth the wait.

Dessert consisted of House Made Bing Cherry Ice Cream with Lemon Sponge Cake and Cherry Glaze. A light dessert after a heavy meal. 

Delius is opening a new place in downtown Long Beach and Patrick will be going there. I have a tendency to prefer Patrick's cooking over Kate's, who is doing the wine dinners now. Maybe in time she will up her game but tonight's dinner wasn't a big "Wow" that I have come to expect from Delius.  There just doesn't seem to be the bolder flavors that I like from her. Time will tell.