Thursday, March 22, 2018

Red Car Wine dinner at Chianina

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

This was a new wine label for me. I had never heard of them before. But I will say I enjoyed their wines far more than the Duckhorn wines at last months dinner.

We started out with a selection of canapes. Scallop chips, Crab Roll, Oysters on the half shell and Fried Pork Foie Terrine. All very good but I was really partial to the Pork Foie Terrine.  Paired with a 2016 Rose of Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast. Very light and it grew on you the more you tasted.

Second course is a Tasmanian Ocean Trout with English Peas, Fava Beans and Madras Curry. This dish was excellent. The Ocean Trout is similar in texture and taste to salmon. Skin was crispy. The accompaniments  were perfect for the fish.  A 2103 Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast was the wine selected. I did detect a very slight oak taste. Turned out to 3% in new French Oak barrels and the remainder in neutral. Very good chardonnay.

Next was Nettle Cavatelli, Slow Cooked Egg, Grana Cheese and Crispy Pancetta. Flavors were wonderful but somehow I just cannot get into Cavatelli. I think it is because it is too dense. I prefer Gnocchi.  served with a 2014 Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast. Good wine.

Fourth course is a Superior Farms Lamb Ribeye, Green Garlic Sauce, Asparagus and Morrell Mushroom. Meat was perfect. . Wine was the best of the evening. A 2014 Pinot Noir, Fort Ross-Seaview. This was a really beautiful wine. A very good pairing.

Fifth course is a Chianina Ribeye, Spring Onion, Roasted Potatoes, Bacon and Black Truffle. Again a great dish. Paired with a 2012 Syrah, Fort Ross-Seaview. 

Dessert was a Passionfruit Sorbet with Vanilla Crumble. A perfect ending to a heavy meal.

All the food was excellent. They did a great job on this dinner. Only negative was that the Salted Honey Rolls fell flat. Did not taste salt on them at all and that is what really make this roll taste good. 

This dinner was not sold out which is too bad. It was so far superior to the Duckhorn dinner in food and wine. Negative was that the winery owner did not visit out table. We had a wine rep that two a sort time and that was it. 

Wednesday, March 14, 2018

The Playground and "What Jeff Learned in Spain"

Tuesday, March 14, 2018

Another sold out dinner at the Playground 2.0 Room in Santa Ana. www.playgrounddtsa.com. Of course the 2.0 room only holds 18.  The Chef de Cuisine, Jeffery, from the Playground walk in restaurant was our chef tonight instead of the owner Jason Quinn. Jeffery had been in Spain recently and this dinner was what "he learned"..  There was not one dish that I did not like and a few I was overly surprised at.  We started out with a "Backwards Spanish Manhattan".  Delicious , I could drink a lot of these and then not be able to walk.

We had a bowl of Spiced Marcona Almonds and a bowl of Carmona Mixed Olives. Went well with the Manhattan. 

Then a plate of Pan De Cristal con Tomate.  Bread with a juicy tomato topping, grilled. Odd flavor, it would take getting used to but 1 ate a couple of pieces Then a bowl of  "Quesco picon stuffed Gordo olives. Cheese stuffed gigantic olives. Followed by a plate of cured Rib Eye that was so good. That could have been my entire meal. Extremely thin sliced rib eye. Wonderful flavor. Followed by some cured Spanish meats. Found out that they did source the cured meats (not the rib eye) from La Espanola in Harbor City. 5 minutes from where I work. I pop in occasionally and get a sandwich from the deli. La Espanola cures their meats and make there own sausages. They do a huge mail order business of true Spanish products.

There was a dish served that was not listed on the chefs list (which he gave me so I did not have to write everything down.  The list has "Tortilla Espnaol" but we were served small squares of something with an aioli and type of pole bean. So I have no idea what it was but I remember it was really good. We were served 17 courses in total. Looking up "tortilla espanol" does not show what we were ate.

One of the best dishes of the night was a sauteed chicken liver, sangria soaked  fruits and romesco sauce.  This dish was outstanding.  We also had battered and  fried artichoke hearts with a saffron aioli which I went overboard on and a Gamba al ajillo. Traditional Spanish dish, heads on shrimp with garlic. Extreme garlic.

A small cast iron skillet held "Peas in Carta Fata Paper and Ham Broth. Very small "mini"peas in a  paper bag with red peppers and  ham broth and cooked in the skillet. Loads of flavor.  Along with  grilled octopus (perfectly cooked) with Poncha beans and choricero.

A salad of arugula,  mojama, baby tomatoes and cava vinegar helped clean the palate.

Next was house made Butifarra (sausage) with Catalan spinach and pine nuts. Then a dish of Creamy Bomba Rice with mushrooms, mushroom puree and manchego. To die for.

Pulling up the end of the meal we had a cheese plate with Membrillo, Quesco Payayo, and Quesco Urgeli.

Dessert was a simple Orange curd with a red wine syrup and small slices of fresh orange on top.

Besides the cocktail at the beginning we were served a 2016 Talai Berri, Txakolina, A NV Raul Perez,  Atalier, Ria Baixas, 2016 Quim Batlle, Foranell, Picapoul, Alella,  2011 Raul Perez, Rara Avis, Albarin, Castilla Y Leon, 2015 Planetes de Nin, Pirot and a Bodegas Tradicion, Pedro Ximemez VOS 20 years, Jerez.  

Another great dinner at The Playgound.  Must go online and see what is coming up that I just have to do.

Dragonette Wine Dinner at Taste

Monday, March 12, 2018

Wine dinners are starting with all the local restaurants. There seems to be a season just and after and just before the holidays. Usually on the first days of the week so not to interfere with the weekend diners. Tonight it was at Taste in Long Beach. www.taste-wbk.com .  And  Dragonette Wines. The tasting room is in Los Olivos and they source their grapes from Sta Rita Hills and the Santa Ynez Valley area.  John Dragonette was in attendance. Sold out dinner tonight so the restaurant was extremely noisy. Dinner was scheduled for 6:30. Did not get a glass of wine poured until after 7:00

Started out with a Grilled Gem lettuce salad, heirloom baby beets, charred goat cheese medallion, pistachios and a creamy lemon-garlic dressing. Pulled aside several grilled romaine leaves. Was not that appetizing to me. The dressing was excellent as were the beets.   Wine was a 2017 Happy Canyon Grenache Rose.  This wine had only been bottles a few weeks before and it showed. Personally I don't think they should have poured it. Still in bottle shock and did not show well as it would in a couple of months.

Second course is a Crispy Potato Wrapped Salmon with sauteed spinach and red wine mushroom sauce. Again a excellent dish. Salmon was cooked just right. A 2015 Radian Vineyard Pinot Noir was paired. Big wine. I  tasted it at the Wine and  Fire in August.  I am starting to really like the  Radian vineyards fruit. Needs some time.

Next is a Seared Scallop Raviolio with carmelized onion soubise, basil, blistered tomatoes along with a Cast Iron Duck Breast, wilted swiss chard, tart cherry sauce and confit turnips. No complaints at all about the food. The chef, Brad Neumann  does and excellent job. A 2015 and 2016 Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir was served. Blend of Radian, LaEncantada, Fiddlestick, Cargassachi, Duvarita and Sebastiano grapes.  I preferred the 2015. It had a year more aging. I don't think the 2016 should have been poured. It is only 2 years old and needs a few more years on it. But I find at wine dinners they do pour newer wines because that is what they want to sell you. 

Last course was a Mixed Roasted Root Vegetable Tart, puff pastry, ricotta and rosemary along with Roasted Elk Loin, smoked carrots, carmelized shallot puree and black pepper wine sauce. I had not had elk since the mid 1970's. I forgot how good it is.  Both dishes gain were excellent. Paired with a 2012 and 2014 Sta Rita Hills Pinot Noir. The 2012 was a big disappointment. Not much can be said about it because it just wasn't there.



They gave each of us a box of cookies to take home instead of serving dessert.

Wednesday, March 7, 2018

Baba Ghanouj for Margie's March Dinner

Saturday. March 3, 3018

17 of us tonight for dinner at Baba Ghanouj a Lebonese restaurant in  the Bixby Knolls area.  www.babaghanoujrestaurant.com,  I did come a few minutes early to snag a parking spot. This area is known for lack of parking. I noticed a few other people in the group had the same idea. 

We started out with a quartet of appetizers, Hummus Be Tahini, Sam Busek (like and Empadada), The Monk  (fire roasted eggplant with garlic, lemon and yogurt) and Cheese Borek ( cheeses stuffed in a rolled dough and fried). All of them good and served with baskets of Pita bread. This was my  dinner. I liked the Sam Buesek with best and the Monk. I am not a eggplant fan but this was very good. I would order it again.

Main course was a plate with Beef Shawarma (thinly sliced grilled beef with tomato and garlic), Shish Taouk ( cubes of marinated chicken breast, charbroiled with garlic sauce) Shrimp on A Skewer ( large shrimp marinated in garlic, lemon and olive oil) Sauteed Potatoes (with garlic, lemon, chili, cilantro and tahini) and Basmati Boiled Rice.  It seems all ethnic restaurants like to overcook their meats and poultry. A cultural thing but not my thing. Beef was ok, the chicken had a little moisture in it but not much and the shrimp should have come off the barbie a few minutes before they did. Flavors are wonderful with all the garlic and lemon. The potatoes were awesome.  I had them pack my dinner up to take home. The appetizers were more than enough for me. (I got two meals off that dinner plate)

For dessert it was Baklawa (Baklava). Do not think this was housemade but bought from a purveyor. A bit on the dry side. Judy Dunlap's Baklava is so far superior to this.

Wines were an interesting bunch.

I brought a 2012 Sinor-LaVallee, Talley-Rincon Vineyard, Pinot Noir which was showing really well and a 2015 Wolff Vineyards, Old Vine Chardonnay.

There were a couple of bottles of Lucien Albreacht, Cremant D'Alsae which is always a pleasure to drink and a Graham Beck Sparking for bubblies.

2014 Liomer, Niederosterreich, Mustkateller - nice wine, clean and pleasant
2014 Foursight, Charles Vineyard, Pinot Noir - new label for me, light wine
2014 Rombauer, Napa, Merlot - OK but I am not a Merlot fan
2013 LaFond, Sta Rita Hills, Syrah - did not taste
2016 Story of Soil, sauvignon Blanc - did not taste
2013 Stemmler, Carneros, Pinot Noir - ok
2007 Kosta Browne, Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, - soft, velvety, plush mouth feel but one dimensional
2014 Natalie Grave, Syrah - did not taste
2013 Augusr Kesseler, Riesling - nice wine, not to sweet
2013 Foley, Sta Rita Hills, Chardonnay - did not taste
2015 Rideau, Chateau Duplantier - did not taste
2010 Chaterau Garraud, Lalande De Pomerol - disappointed
2013 Evening Land Pinot Noir - disappointed
O'Neill Arius, Pinot Noir - new label, nice wine