Wednesday, April 11, 2018
Taste restaurant in Long Beach, www.taste-wbk.com, hosted a wine dinner tonight with Stephen Ross wines from the San Luis Obispo area. When I have been in the Edna Valley wine tasting I have seen the signs for the winery but never visited. It is at the far end of the Edna Valley and I usually leave before I get that far. They have a vineyard but source most of their grapes from others.
I was pleasantly surprised how much I did like his wines. So much so I did buy a few bottles which is something I don't do too often at wine dinners.
We started out with a 2016 Albarino from the Spanish Spring Vineyard, which was just my style. It was a perfect match to the Spicy Thai style fried rice. the rice had carrots, fresno chilies, scallion, shallot and lime and was topped with an organic quail egg. Dish had a slight bite to it but flavor was very good. I thought the quail egg was slightly over cooked by a few seconds.
Second course was a Grilled Octopus salad with warm herbed fingerling potatoes, arugula, shaved celery and pickled red onions. The octopus had a slight fishy taste to it which was a first for me. usually I don't get that. But it was cooked nicely and very tender. The potatoes were great. A 2014 Edna Valley Chardonnay. Nice nose but a bit oaky for me. It did pair well the the food.
Third course is a Braised Duck Ragu with torchiette pasta, shaved parmesan and sauteed mushrooms. Excellent flavor but I would have liked to see less pasta in the mix. Pasta fills you up quickly. But the ragu was wonderful along with the wine. A 2014 Santa Lucia Highlands, Olson Ranch, Pinot Noir. A very well made Pinot, bright fruit, soft mouth feel and a burgundian style.
Main dish is a Slow Roasted Pork Short Ribs with a creamy smoked polenta and grilled sweet peppers. I had two bites of the meal and had it packed to go. The pasta in the previous dish filled me up. What I tasted was excellent. Good flavor, tender meat. Wine was just as good. A 2015 Dante Dusi Vineyard, Zinfandel was the choice. This was a great Zin. Slight pepper, spice but still jammy without being over.
Dessert was a Rose Spiked Cheesecake with macerated strawberries, coriander and toasted almonds. Not sweet but rich. Paired with a 2017 Edna Valley Rose of Pinot Noir. This was the only wine that I did not care for. It had a flowery note to it and just was not my style of Rose.
Taste is now getting all the vegetables from a organic garden in Long Beach. They do not sell retail. The two owners of the gardens , Roy and Adam were seated next to us. They also provided the organic quail eggs.
A fun evening. Kathy and Janice was there celebrating Jan's birthday. Hope to see them at the upcoming Stolpman dinner. This was their first wine dinner at Taste although they do dine there often.
Thursday, April 12, 2018
Tuesday, April 10, 2018
Sunday With The Boys
Sunday, April 8, 2018
Normally the boys and I do Dim Sum on Mondays at the Seafood Palace. www.seafoodpalacerestaurant.com. but with CJ starting to work again we need to change our schedule a bit. So we opted for Dim Sum on Sunday. But it seems that the Dim Sum cooks are on vacation right now and there are no replacements. Seems that good Dim Sum cooks are very highly regarded and restaurants don't want to alienate them by stand ins. Seafood Palace only has one set of Dim Sum cooks and they are went on vacation at the same time. So it was lunch.
Only 4 of us today but we nabbed a large table for our bottles and wine paraphernalia.
Started out with Salt and Pepper Calamari which is one of my favorites. But was I disappointed. Calamari were not nearly as tender as they have been in the past and the salt and pepper were definitely missing.
The Honey Walnut Shrimp was excellent. Just as it should be. Very flavorful and tender and very large shrimp.
Our complimentary bowl of sweet sour soup arrived. A bit more spicy than normal.
A platter of Cantonese style beef with fat noodles and baby bok choy was served. Good dish. Meat was tender and full of flavor I am partial to fat noodles so I was happy.
Last dish was sauteed scallops with mushrooms, snow peas, carrots, garlic and ginger. Scallops were very tender, the garlic was good but a bit too much ginger for me.
We wanted lobster but the smallest one they had was 4 pounds and at $17 a pound we opted out.
I brought a 2012 Dragonette, Fiddlestix Vineyard, Pinot Noir. Good but I was expecting a bit more.
2016 Elouan, Oregon, Pinot Noir - too young.
2015 Biecher-Schaal. Grand Cru, Alsace, Riesling - excellent wine., Bet it could lay down for 20 years. This was the hit of the day for me.
2004 BV Tapestry. Nice fruit, no tannins, soft, plush mouthfeel. It had been decanted for 8 hours. But maybe that long decanting took away from the wine. It did not evolve in the glass. Just stayed the same
So another outing with the boys. May have to start doing lunch on Sundays now.
Normally the boys and I do Dim Sum on Mondays at the Seafood Palace. www.seafoodpalacerestaurant.com. but with CJ starting to work again we need to change our schedule a bit. So we opted for Dim Sum on Sunday. But it seems that the Dim Sum cooks are on vacation right now and there are no replacements. Seems that good Dim Sum cooks are very highly regarded and restaurants don't want to alienate them by stand ins. Seafood Palace only has one set of Dim Sum cooks and they are went on vacation at the same time. So it was lunch.
Only 4 of us today but we nabbed a large table for our bottles and wine paraphernalia.
Started out with Salt and Pepper Calamari which is one of my favorites. But was I disappointed. Calamari were not nearly as tender as they have been in the past and the salt and pepper were definitely missing.
The Honey Walnut Shrimp was excellent. Just as it should be. Very flavorful and tender and very large shrimp.
Our complimentary bowl of sweet sour soup arrived. A bit more spicy than normal.
A platter of Cantonese style beef with fat noodles and baby bok choy was served. Good dish. Meat was tender and full of flavor I am partial to fat noodles so I was happy.
Last dish was sauteed scallops with mushrooms, snow peas, carrots, garlic and ginger. Scallops were very tender, the garlic was good but a bit too much ginger for me.
We wanted lobster but the smallest one they had was 4 pounds and at $17 a pound we opted out.
I brought a 2012 Dragonette, Fiddlestix Vineyard, Pinot Noir. Good but I was expecting a bit more.
2016 Elouan, Oregon, Pinot Noir - too young.
2015 Biecher-Schaal. Grand Cru, Alsace, Riesling - excellent wine., Bet it could lay down for 20 years. This was the hit of the day for me.
2004 BV Tapestry. Nice fruit, no tannins, soft, plush mouthfeel. It had been decanted for 8 hours. But maybe that long decanting took away from the wine. It did not evolve in the glass. Just stayed the same
So another outing with the boys. May have to start doing lunch on Sundays now.
April's Dinner at Prime Cut
Saturday, April 7, 2018
Margie's selection for dinner this month is Prime Cut in Orange. www.primecutcafe.com. It has been a few years since we have been here. The private room is small so only 13 of us tonight.
Most ordered some type of steak or prime rib. I had the Australian Sea Bass. I will say I was slightly disappointed in the dish. I felt the fish had been overcooked, the mashed potatoes had no flavor. Just didn't quite make the grade. I have had fish here before and it was never a problem. The Tomato Basil Cream soup was a hit. Full of flavor and the right consistency. Almost wish I had order a meat dish.
A really mixed bag of wines tonight. A Jeroboam of a 21012 Brutocao, Mendocino, Cabernet Sauvignon was brought. A Jeroboam is equal to 4 bottles. This bottle was not close to being ready to drink. Give it at least 4 to 5 more years. I drank mostly sparklings and white wines because of having fish. Drank my Pinot Noir and had a couple of taste of a few other reds. I can say I wasn't really overwhelmed with the quality of wines. Could have been my personal taste buds.
I brought a pair of Clos Pepe, Sta. Rita Hills wines. A 2011 Estate Pinot Noir and a 2012 HTC Chardonnay. No oak in the chard. Both were drinking nicely
Other wines on the table were:
2013 Iron Horse, Sonoma, Vintage Brut - nice sparkling but a bit acidic
2015 Turley, Napa, Cabernet Sauvignon - did not taste
2014 Merry Edwards, Olivet Lane, RRV, Chardonnay - clean, nice drinking
2014 Soda Rock, Chalkhill, Primitivo - did not taste
2014 Weins, Temecula Valley, Reserve, Cabernet Franc - did not taste
2015 Markham, Napa Valley, Merlot - did not taste
2014 Robert Hall, Paso Robles, Cabernet Sauvignon - did not taste
2013 Tablas Creek, Paso Robles, Panoplie - did not taste
2014 Chateau de Chantegrive, France - not impressed
2015 Fesstivity, Sta Rita Hills, Brut Cuvee - a nice sparkling
2015 Talley, Edna Valley, Olivers Vineyard, Chardonnay - a bit oaky for my taste
2014 Addendum, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon - did not taste
Margie's selection for dinner this month is Prime Cut in Orange. www.primecutcafe.com. It has been a few years since we have been here. The private room is small so only 13 of us tonight.
Most ordered some type of steak or prime rib. I had the Australian Sea Bass. I will say I was slightly disappointed in the dish. I felt the fish had been overcooked, the mashed potatoes had no flavor. Just didn't quite make the grade. I have had fish here before and it was never a problem. The Tomato Basil Cream soup was a hit. Full of flavor and the right consistency. Almost wish I had order a meat dish.
A really mixed bag of wines tonight. A Jeroboam of a 21012 Brutocao, Mendocino, Cabernet Sauvignon was brought. A Jeroboam is equal to 4 bottles. This bottle was not close to being ready to drink. Give it at least 4 to 5 more years. I drank mostly sparklings and white wines because of having fish. Drank my Pinot Noir and had a couple of taste of a few other reds. I can say I wasn't really overwhelmed with the quality of wines. Could have been my personal taste buds.
I brought a pair of Clos Pepe, Sta. Rita Hills wines. A 2011 Estate Pinot Noir and a 2012 HTC Chardonnay. No oak in the chard. Both were drinking nicely
Other wines on the table were:
2013 Iron Horse, Sonoma, Vintage Brut - nice sparkling but a bit acidic
2015 Turley, Napa, Cabernet Sauvignon - did not taste
2014 Merry Edwards, Olivet Lane, RRV, Chardonnay - clean, nice drinking
2014 Soda Rock, Chalkhill, Primitivo - did not taste
2014 Weins, Temecula Valley, Reserve, Cabernet Franc - did not taste
2015 Markham, Napa Valley, Merlot - did not taste
2014 Robert Hall, Paso Robles, Cabernet Sauvignon - did not taste
2013 Tablas Creek, Paso Robles, Panoplie - did not taste
2014 Chateau de Chantegrive, France - not impressed
2015 Fesstivity, Sta Rita Hills, Brut Cuvee - a nice sparkling
2015 Talley, Edna Valley, Olivers Vineyard, Chardonnay - a bit oaky for my taste
2014 Addendum, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon - did not taste
Wednesday, April 4, 2018
Moffett Wines at Delius Restaurant
Saturday, March 29, 2018
First wine dinner at Delius, www.deliusrestaurant.com, under the new Chef de Cusine, John McLaughlin. John owned the At Last Cafe in Long Beach for numerous years before closing it. John's style of cooking is more "homey" than what we are used to at Delius but it is going to be an interesting year to see how the two styles finally blend together.
Trent Moffett owner of Moffett Family Wines was our host tonight. This was a new label for me. Originally it was Livingston-Moffett Wines but there was an issue with Gallo Wines over the name Livingston. Based on Oregon but they also access wine from Napa. Small production, probably less than a thousand cases total a year. I found the wines made more in a California style than Oregon.
We started out with a Sweet Corn Bilini with Grilled Jumbo Shrimp. Blini was nice, shrimp was just 20 seconds overcooked., but good flavor. Paired with a 2016 Rose of Pinot Noir, Yamhill, McMinnville/Carlton, Oregon. Production of 164 cases. $28. Wine was very light in style and taste.
Second course is a Seared Atlantic Salmon with Roasted Potatoes. Fish was cooked perfectly, nice crispy skin, potatoes were nice and crusty without being overdone. This was my favorite dish of the evening. A duo of wines was paired. 2016 Pinot Noir, Pommard Clone, Dundee Hills, Oregon. $50. 24 cases. And a 2016 Pinot Noir. Dijon 115 Clone, Dundee Hills, Oregon. 24 cases. $50. I preferred the Dijon clone.
Next is a Aged Venison Loin with Sauteed Mushroom Medley. Flavor was nice but I have had better vension at Delius before. Others really liked it. . Don't know if it was the cut of meat or what. The duo of wines with this course is a 2012 Syrah, (6% Viognier), Oak Knoll, Napa, California. 22 cases. $50. And a 2012 Syrah, (100%) Oak Knoll, Napa, California. 22 cases. $50.
Fourth course is a Prime Cut Rib Eye Steak with a Cabernet Reduction. Paired with a 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, Howell Mtn/St Helena, Napa, California. 74 cases. $75. Steak was excellent.
Dessert was a Rhubarb-Strawberry Crumble with house made vanilla ice cream.
All in all a very good dinner with good wines. Looking forward to the Tercero dinner next month.
First wine dinner at Delius, www.deliusrestaurant.com, under the new Chef de Cusine, John McLaughlin. John owned the At Last Cafe in Long Beach for numerous years before closing it. John's style of cooking is more "homey" than what we are used to at Delius but it is going to be an interesting year to see how the two styles finally blend together.
Trent Moffett owner of Moffett Family Wines was our host tonight. This was a new label for me. Originally it was Livingston-Moffett Wines but there was an issue with Gallo Wines over the name Livingston. Based on Oregon but they also access wine from Napa. Small production, probably less than a thousand cases total a year. I found the wines made more in a California style than Oregon.
We started out with a Sweet Corn Bilini with Grilled Jumbo Shrimp. Blini was nice, shrimp was just 20 seconds overcooked., but good flavor. Paired with a 2016 Rose of Pinot Noir, Yamhill, McMinnville/Carlton, Oregon. Production of 164 cases. $28. Wine was very light in style and taste.
Second course is a Seared Atlantic Salmon with Roasted Potatoes. Fish was cooked perfectly, nice crispy skin, potatoes were nice and crusty without being overdone. This was my favorite dish of the evening. A duo of wines was paired. 2016 Pinot Noir, Pommard Clone, Dundee Hills, Oregon. $50. 24 cases. And a 2016 Pinot Noir. Dijon 115 Clone, Dundee Hills, Oregon. 24 cases. $50. I preferred the Dijon clone.
Next is a Aged Venison Loin with Sauteed Mushroom Medley. Flavor was nice but I have had better vension at Delius before. Others really liked it. . Don't know if it was the cut of meat or what. The duo of wines with this course is a 2012 Syrah, (6% Viognier), Oak Knoll, Napa, California. 22 cases. $50. And a 2012 Syrah, (100%) Oak Knoll, Napa, California. 22 cases. $50.
Fourth course is a Prime Cut Rib Eye Steak with a Cabernet Reduction. Paired with a 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, Howell Mtn/St Helena, Napa, California. 74 cases. $75. Steak was excellent.
Dessert was a Rhubarb-Strawberry Crumble with house made vanilla ice cream.
All in all a very good dinner with good wines. Looking forward to the Tercero dinner next month.
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