Hanna Wines at Arte Cafe

Thursday. July 26, 2018

Another sold out wine dinner for Arte Cafe in Cerritos.. At $45 it is the bargain of the area. I had never heard of Hanna Wines before.  Small family owner winery in the Sonoma area represented by Teralta.

First wine poured was a Hanna Russian River Sauvignon Blanc. Very citrusy, tropical frunits etc., same as most California Sau Blancs.  Not my style but it pair very well with the Mango Shrimp, lemongrass and Thai basil. Shrimp well cooked correctly, not tough or mushy, served cold. I am not a fan of lemongrass or basil but the flavors lended themselves to the wine.

Second course is a Pan Seared Halibut with a beurre blanc sauce and "summer vegetables".  Sauce was excellent, halibut tasted like it might have been frozen, a bit on the mushy side.  Vegetables were cauliflower, brussel sprounts and diced carrots. I am sorry folks but cauliflower and brussel sprounts are not summer vegetables. These are considered a winter crop. I know in California we are a bit different but summer veggies are corn, tomatoes, summer squashes, green and yellow beans , peas and asparagus. The wine paired with this dish is a Hanna Russian River Chardonnay. A bit oaky but the beurre blanc sauce cut the oak. But I did not want a second pour of this wine and got it anyway.

Third course served is a Balsamic glazed steak rolled with vegetables and wild rice. The steak had no flavor aside from the balsamic vinegar on it. Rice and vegetables were good. A 2014 Hanna Red Ranch , Alexander Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon was the wine selection. Decent cab but nothing spectacular

Dessert is a Pineapple cake with whipped cream and fresh raspberries and raspberry sauce.  Cake was a bit dry and on the dense side. Did not get much of a pineapple flavor.

This was not the best dinner that Arte Cafe has done. They are capable of much better. We will see what happens in a couple of weeks when they do the Daou wine dinner.