Thursday, August 23, 2018
PS
I forgot in my post about Trefethen. They gave all of us a small gift bag that had a stopper and foil cutter in it. There is a card but I did not open and read what it said yet. Nice touch.
Trefethen Wines at Chianina
Wednesday, August 22, 2018
What better way to celebrate my fathers birth, 111 years ago than to have a great wine dinner. He would be proud.
I have missed the last 2 wine dinners at Chianina due to prior commitments. I was surprised at all the new staff. A few hold overs but new people. Way more female wait staff than before. And Michael Dene the owner was no where around. He usually pops in at these wine dinners and makes the rounds. Makes you wonder what is in the air. I have noticed at a couple other dining establishments that there seems to be a big turnover in staff the last few months.
We started out with a Tagliatelle with Dungeness crab, Meyer lemon and fine herbs. This dish was my favorite of the evening. Loads of flavor, light lemon and the pasta was perfect. Paired beautifully with a 2017 Trefethen, Napa, Dry Rielsing. Just a hint of sweetness. I really liked this wine, Judy thought it was too dry.
Second course is a Tasmanian Ocean Trout with smoked trout rillette and grilled summer squash. Tasmanian ocean trout looks like salmon and has the same consistency in the flesh. The squash was very small "buttons" of yellow and zucchini and a puree of squash poured onto the side of the dish. Flavors blended well. The wine is a 2016 Trefethen, Napa, Chardonnay. My favorite again - too damm oaky for me. The fattiness of the fish did help cut the oak. But again we had to listen to the rep tell us how fabulous butter, vanilla and oak are in Chardonnay. I drank the wine with the food but I would never drink a glass of this by its self.
Next is a Superior Farm Lamb, a piece of loin and a piece of "lamb belly". Top fat and meat underneath like pork belly. It was good. Served with Romano wax beans and Greek yogurt. I had part of this dish and had it packed to go. We have steak coming up and I am starting to fill. A 2015 Trefethen, Napa, Cabernet Sauvignon was the selection. A nice cab for a cab. It was a good pairing.
Fourth course is a Filet of Chianina Beef, creamed corn, summer truffle and roasted new potatoes. Perfect piece of beef. I originally thought I would take part of this dish home but decided I needed to savor that meat so I forced myself. So glad I did because the something would be lost in the translation if I reheated this dish. Paired with a 2015 Trefethen, Napa, Dragons Tooth, a bordeaux grape blend. My favorite wine of the evening. Very balanced, velvet on the mouth, dark fruit, low tanins. A very nice drinking wine.
Thankfully the dessert was light and small. A scoop of housed made Apricot sorbet. Very creamy and a light apricot flavor. Perfect ending to the meal.
I outdid myself lately, in 12 days I have had 6 wine dinners and a wine tasting. I can rest for a bit. I will say it was getting to be slightly over whelming. I have had so much rich food that I think a few days of soup is in order. Only one more event in August then we will see what September brings beside dinner at Nayada, Fuego and The Playground.
What better way to celebrate my fathers birth, 111 years ago than to have a great wine dinner. He would be proud.
I have missed the last 2 wine dinners at Chianina due to prior commitments. I was surprised at all the new staff. A few hold overs but new people. Way more female wait staff than before. And Michael Dene the owner was no where around. He usually pops in at these wine dinners and makes the rounds. Makes you wonder what is in the air. I have noticed at a couple other dining establishments that there seems to be a big turnover in staff the last few months.
We started out with a Tagliatelle with Dungeness crab, Meyer lemon and fine herbs. This dish was my favorite of the evening. Loads of flavor, light lemon and the pasta was perfect. Paired beautifully with a 2017 Trefethen, Napa, Dry Rielsing. Just a hint of sweetness. I really liked this wine, Judy thought it was too dry.
Second course is a Tasmanian Ocean Trout with smoked trout rillette and grilled summer squash. Tasmanian ocean trout looks like salmon and has the same consistency in the flesh. The squash was very small "buttons" of yellow and zucchini and a puree of squash poured onto the side of the dish. Flavors blended well. The wine is a 2016 Trefethen, Napa, Chardonnay. My favorite again - too damm oaky for me. The fattiness of the fish did help cut the oak. But again we had to listen to the rep tell us how fabulous butter, vanilla and oak are in Chardonnay. I drank the wine with the food but I would never drink a glass of this by its self.
Next is a Superior Farm Lamb, a piece of loin and a piece of "lamb belly". Top fat and meat underneath like pork belly. It was good. Served with Romano wax beans and Greek yogurt. I had part of this dish and had it packed to go. We have steak coming up and I am starting to fill. A 2015 Trefethen, Napa, Cabernet Sauvignon was the selection. A nice cab for a cab. It was a good pairing.
Fourth course is a Filet of Chianina Beef, creamed corn, summer truffle and roasted new potatoes. Perfect piece of beef. I originally thought I would take part of this dish home but decided I needed to savor that meat so I forced myself. So glad I did because the something would be lost in the translation if I reheated this dish. Paired with a 2015 Trefethen, Napa, Dragons Tooth, a bordeaux grape blend. My favorite wine of the evening. Very balanced, velvet on the mouth, dark fruit, low tanins. A very nice drinking wine.
Thankfully the dessert was light and small. A scoop of housed made Apricot sorbet. Very creamy and a light apricot flavor. Perfect ending to the meal.
I outdid myself lately, in 12 days I have had 6 wine dinners and a wine tasting. I can rest for a bit. I will say it was getting to be slightly over whelming. I have had so much rich food that I think a few days of soup is in order. Only one more event in August then we will see what September brings beside dinner at Nayada, Fuego and The Playground.
Wednesday, August 22, 2018
Summer Wine Tasting at Arte Cafe
Tuesday, August 21, 2018
Arte Cafe in Cerritos hosted their 16th Annual Summer Wine Tasting today. After doing these tastings numerous times over the years I have seen a big drop off in the number of distributors participating. Looked to me that there were approximately 8 tonight.
The quality of wines are not there either. Mostly lower end in the $10 to $25 range. A few in the $40 to $50 but not many. I was not taken by most of them. Another big drawback is that if you are interested in buying then it is by the case only and that is not a mixed case either. I am not interested in buying a case of any one wine. The rep's kept talking about how much cheaper the pricing was in relation to the store pricing but at the store I can buy one or two bottles and be done with it.
The passed appetizers were very good, spring rolls, deep fried mozzarella sticks, fried tofu cubes, chicken salad on cucumber rounds, cheese stuffed potstickers, chicken on skewers, prime rib on toast rounds. And they were very good about bringing them out of the kitchen regularly.
It was nice weather and the event was held outside so it made for a pleasant evening. Plenty of chairs for sitting and a duo playing music. Approximately 40 wines and food for $35. A bargain.
Arte Cafe in Cerritos hosted their 16th Annual Summer Wine Tasting today. After doing these tastings numerous times over the years I have seen a big drop off in the number of distributors participating. Looked to me that there were approximately 8 tonight.
The quality of wines are not there either. Mostly lower end in the $10 to $25 range. A few in the $40 to $50 but not many. I was not taken by most of them. Another big drawback is that if you are interested in buying then it is by the case only and that is not a mixed case either. I am not interested in buying a case of any one wine. The rep's kept talking about how much cheaper the pricing was in relation to the store pricing but at the store I can buy one or two bottles and be done with it.
The passed appetizers were very good, spring rolls, deep fried mozzarella sticks, fried tofu cubes, chicken salad on cucumber rounds, cheese stuffed potstickers, chicken on skewers, prime rib on toast rounds. And they were very good about bringing them out of the kitchen regularly.
It was nice weather and the event was held outside so it made for a pleasant evening. Plenty of chairs for sitting and a duo playing music. Approximately 40 wines and food for $35. A bargain.
Monday, August 20, 2018
Saxon Brown Wines at Taste in Long Beach
Sunday, August 20, 2018
Sold out dinner at Taste in Long Beach. www.taste-wbk.com. Small restaurant holds maybe 36 people. Saxon Brown is a new winery for me. In the Sonoma area. Jeff the owner, winemaker and jack of all trades was in attendance. The name Saxon Brown came from a female character in a Jack London novel "The Valley of The Moon".
Interesting evening. One person at my table became ill and had to leave. An elderly lady sitting at the family style table slid off her chair/stool and landed on the ground She seemed to have partially pass out. It was hotter than normal tonight inside and I had asked them to crank up the air because of the stale air. Perhaps the stagnant air that was the cause of both incidences.
We started out with a Savory Fig Tart,. goat cheese mousse, toasted hazelnuts, local honey and vanilla vinaigrette. This was damm good. Interesting combination. Paired with a 2012 "Fighting Brothers" Semillon. Good wine, a bit too cold at the beginning but really blossomed as it warmed a bit. A little on the "sweet" side but it was a perfect pairing.
Second course is a Shrimp Bisque with Poached Lobster, crispy pancetta, tarragon, Joelle olive oil. Just wish I had a large tureen of this instead of a bowl. A 2012 "Green Acres Hill" Chardonnay was the choice. Way to oaky for me. Not my preference in Chardonnays
Third course is a House Smoked Pork Tenderloin, market plum sauce, Grist & Toll polenta, arugula salad. Removed the rabbit food from the top. Flavors were very good, pork was tender and moist but I like my pork with a pink color inside. The wine was excellent. a 2013 Ferrington Vineyard Pinot Noir. Best wine of the evening. Balanced, dark cherry and dark fruits, soft tannins, velvety mouth feel.
Next we had a Lamb Shoulder Ragu, pappardelle pasta, tomato-red wine sauce, pearl onions, bacon. Good home cooking style flavors, Pasta was perfect. I had a few bites and had them box it up for me. Will eat the rest for lunch tomorrow. Paired with a 2009 Parmelee-Hill Camp Block Syrah. Nice wine but it didn't knock my socks off.
Dessert was strangely good. A Spiced Chocolate Cake with summer berries, fresh bay leaf ice cream and zinfandel syrup. The chef has a bay leaf tree in his yard and these were fresh from that tree. Way better flavor than those dried things in the stores. An odd combination that worked really well together. A 2013 "Fighting Brothers" Zinfandel was the wine. Went extremely well with the spiced cake.
Another good dinner at Taste. They will not have another wine dinner until the end of the year because of the wine grape harvest coming up. Winemakers are busy at that time of the year. Taste always likes to have the owner or winemaker in attendance. Not just a rep.
Sold out dinner at Taste in Long Beach. www.taste-wbk.com. Small restaurant holds maybe 36 people. Saxon Brown is a new winery for me. In the Sonoma area. Jeff the owner, winemaker and jack of all trades was in attendance. The name Saxon Brown came from a female character in a Jack London novel "The Valley of The Moon".
Interesting evening. One person at my table became ill and had to leave. An elderly lady sitting at the family style table slid off her chair/stool and landed on the ground She seemed to have partially pass out. It was hotter than normal tonight inside and I had asked them to crank up the air because of the stale air. Perhaps the stagnant air that was the cause of both incidences.
We started out with a Savory Fig Tart,. goat cheese mousse, toasted hazelnuts, local honey and vanilla vinaigrette. This was damm good. Interesting combination. Paired with a 2012 "Fighting Brothers" Semillon. Good wine, a bit too cold at the beginning but really blossomed as it warmed a bit. A little on the "sweet" side but it was a perfect pairing.
Second course is a Shrimp Bisque with Poached Lobster, crispy pancetta, tarragon, Joelle olive oil. Just wish I had a large tureen of this instead of a bowl. A 2012 "Green Acres Hill" Chardonnay was the choice. Way to oaky for me. Not my preference in Chardonnays
Third course is a House Smoked Pork Tenderloin, market plum sauce, Grist & Toll polenta, arugula salad. Removed the rabbit food from the top. Flavors were very good, pork was tender and moist but I like my pork with a pink color inside. The wine was excellent. a 2013 Ferrington Vineyard Pinot Noir. Best wine of the evening. Balanced, dark cherry and dark fruits, soft tannins, velvety mouth feel.
Next we had a Lamb Shoulder Ragu, pappardelle pasta, tomato-red wine sauce, pearl onions, bacon. Good home cooking style flavors, Pasta was perfect. I had a few bites and had them box it up for me. Will eat the rest for lunch tomorrow. Paired with a 2009 Parmelee-Hill Camp Block Syrah. Nice wine but it didn't knock my socks off.
Dessert was strangely good. A Spiced Chocolate Cake with summer berries, fresh bay leaf ice cream and zinfandel syrup. The chef has a bay leaf tree in his yard and these were fresh from that tree. Way better flavor than those dried things in the stores. An odd combination that worked really well together. A 2013 "Fighting Brothers" Zinfandel was the wine. Went extremely well with the spiced cake.
Another good dinner at Taste. They will not have another wine dinner until the end of the year because of the wine grape harvest coming up. Winemakers are busy at that time of the year. Taste always likes to have the owner or winemaker in attendance. Not just a rep.
Sunday, August 19, 2018
Tercero Wines at The Winery in Newport Beach
Saturday, August 18, 2018
Larry Schaffer of Tercero wines posted on Facebook about this private dinner at the Winery Restaurant in Newport Beach. www.wineryrestaurant.net He indicated a few seats available and I grabbed one. I had the evening available as this was the first year since it's inception that I did not attend the Wine & Fire weekend in Lompoc/Sta. Rita Hills. I had such a rough time last year with my knees and hips that I decided it might be time to hang this event up. Everything comes to an end at sometime.
Driving down the coast to Newport PCH became a parking lot. I think everyone in CA was heading for Bolsa Chica beach. I did make it by 6:10 which wasn't too bad considering.
I had not been in the building since it was the Villa Nova years ago. I will say that they did a great job of transformation. The wine cellar when you walk in is 2 stories high and quite a sight. I definitely need to come back and have dinner in the dining area.
We started out with a glass of 2017 Aberration in the bar area before being seated for dinner.There were 20 of us tonight and we were seated in a side room. Lot of people, lot of voices and extremely noisy.
The menu was Prix Fixe with a couple of choices. I started out with the Scallop and Watercress Parmesan Risotto. Excellent. Loads of flavor. Scallop cooked perfectly. Four wines were poured for this course. 2010 Grenache Blanc, a lot of Petrol on the nose but paired well with the scallop. 2104 Grenache Blanc, a bit more acidic. 2013 Verbiage Blanc and 2014 Verbiage Blanc. All wines went well with the food but I am not a fan of White Rhone wines. The other selection was a Wild White Shrimp with wild mushroom risotto
Next was a salad course. I chose a Arugula with fresh figs, balsamic vinaigrette and goat cheese because I am not a fresh tomato eater. The other salad was a tomato with burrata. Again 4 wines were poured. 2015 Mouvedre Rose, 2017 Mouvedre Rose, 2015 Cinsault and a 2016 Cinsault. Preferred the 2015 Rose over the other three selections. The 2016 Cinsault went better with the salad than the 2015 Cinsault.
Main course was Angus Beef short rib with zinfandel reduction over black truffle mashed potatoes and asparagus. A lot of flavor in this dish. Meat was very tender and flavorful. Almost went for the rack of lamb but I just had lamb the other night at Arte. Of course we had short rib also at Arte. Only the powers know why I choose what I did. Wines for this course were 2010 Verbiage Rouge, 2014 Verbiage Rouge, 2007 Grenache Watch Hill Vineyard and a 2013 Grenache Watch Hill Vineyard. My preference was the 2010 Verbiage Rouge.
For dessert we had a cheese plate with toast and some fruit. A 2006 Grenache Blanc was the wine. Very light Petrol on the nose and the palate.
A really nice dinner and interesting conversations with people that know a lot more about wine than I do. An enjoyable evening. Larry is doing a dinner Sunday night in the Pasadena area and Jolie will be the cougar at that one. We like to share.
Larry Schaffer of Tercero wines posted on Facebook about this private dinner at the Winery Restaurant in Newport Beach. www.wineryrestaurant.net He indicated a few seats available and I grabbed one. I had the evening available as this was the first year since it's inception that I did not attend the Wine & Fire weekend in Lompoc/Sta. Rita Hills. I had such a rough time last year with my knees and hips that I decided it might be time to hang this event up. Everything comes to an end at sometime.
Driving down the coast to Newport PCH became a parking lot. I think everyone in CA was heading for Bolsa Chica beach. I did make it by 6:10 which wasn't too bad considering.
I had not been in the building since it was the Villa Nova years ago. I will say that they did a great job of transformation. The wine cellar when you walk in is 2 stories high and quite a sight. I definitely need to come back and have dinner in the dining area.
We started out with a glass of 2017 Aberration in the bar area before being seated for dinner.There were 20 of us tonight and we were seated in a side room. Lot of people, lot of voices and extremely noisy.
The menu was Prix Fixe with a couple of choices. I started out with the Scallop and Watercress Parmesan Risotto. Excellent. Loads of flavor. Scallop cooked perfectly. Four wines were poured for this course. 2010 Grenache Blanc, a lot of Petrol on the nose but paired well with the scallop. 2104 Grenache Blanc, a bit more acidic. 2013 Verbiage Blanc and 2014 Verbiage Blanc. All wines went well with the food but I am not a fan of White Rhone wines. The other selection was a Wild White Shrimp with wild mushroom risotto
Next was a salad course. I chose a Arugula with fresh figs, balsamic vinaigrette and goat cheese because I am not a fresh tomato eater. The other salad was a tomato with burrata. Again 4 wines were poured. 2015 Mouvedre Rose, 2017 Mouvedre Rose, 2015 Cinsault and a 2016 Cinsault. Preferred the 2015 Rose over the other three selections. The 2016 Cinsault went better with the salad than the 2015 Cinsault.
Main course was Angus Beef short rib with zinfandel reduction over black truffle mashed potatoes and asparagus. A lot of flavor in this dish. Meat was very tender and flavorful. Almost went for the rack of lamb but I just had lamb the other night at Arte. Of course we had short rib also at Arte. Only the powers know why I choose what I did. Wines for this course were 2010 Verbiage Rouge, 2014 Verbiage Rouge, 2007 Grenache Watch Hill Vineyard and a 2013 Grenache Watch Hill Vineyard. My preference was the 2010 Verbiage Rouge.
For dessert we had a cheese plate with toast and some fruit. A 2006 Grenache Blanc was the wine. Very light Petrol on the nose and the palate.
A really nice dinner and interesting conversations with people that know a lot more about wine than I do. An enjoyable evening. Larry is doing a dinner Sunday night in the Pasadena area and Jolie will be the cougar at that one. We like to share.
Wednesday, August 15, 2018
Daou Wines at Arte Cafe
Tuesday, August 14, 2018
A good crowd tonight for the Daou dinner. Not sold out as the last two dinners probably because of the price. Tonight it is $59. Last dinner was $45. A few empty tables. Saw eleven people that I knew.
We started out with a pour of Chardonnay. Too oaky for me. I waited until the Poached Butterfish came and sipped the wine with the food. It did cut the oak a bit but not enough for me. Poured the rest of my wine into Doug's glass. The rep talked about how California Chardonnay is full of flavors that people love, butter, oak etc., He didn't bother to ask my opinion about that. I like my wines to show fruit not wood. The fish was very good. Still moist on the inside. Served with corn, leeks and baby bok choy.
Up next was an Herb Crusted Ribeye Medallions. Medallions to me are small pieces of meat the same size and look medallioney. This was just thin sliced prime rib. Quality was good and flavor was excellent. Sat on a bed of mashed cauliflower and shitake mushrooms. There was a slight bite to the demi glaze and we could never figure out what it was but gave a nice flavor to the dish. A Daou 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon was the wine selection. It was a good cab but cab's are not my favorite wine so it is lost on me.
Third course was a Lamb Loin with Japanese eggplant puree, sundried tomatoes and sesame cake. I did not even take a bite of this. I had them pack up half of my beef because I just could not shove any more food into my stomach. So the lamb got packed up also. The lamb did look good and I will have in a few days for dinner at home. A Daou "Pessimist" (blend of syrah, petite syrah, zinfandel and tannant) wine was paired. Hope they tasted good together. The wine was my favorite of the night. A nice well balanced, lush mouth feel almost velvety.
All the wines were estate wines not their higher end selections. The prices offered tonight were not that great of a deal. Total Wine and Costco have better deals on these estate wines.
Dessert was called Festive Fruit Napoleons. Mixed berries in a cream sauce on top of a couple of pieces of over cooked puff pastry which was hard to cut with a side of a spoon. Ok but not anything to get over excited about. But it was a light , refreshing dessert.
So a decent dinner with decent wines. Company was good. And the weather had cooled enough so dining was pleasant. Arte Cafe has the back room that is totally cool all the time and the front room has issues.
A good crowd tonight for the Daou dinner. Not sold out as the last two dinners probably because of the price. Tonight it is $59. Last dinner was $45. A few empty tables. Saw eleven people that I knew.
We started out with a pour of Chardonnay. Too oaky for me. I waited until the Poached Butterfish came and sipped the wine with the food. It did cut the oak a bit but not enough for me. Poured the rest of my wine into Doug's glass. The rep talked about how California Chardonnay is full of flavors that people love, butter, oak etc., He didn't bother to ask my opinion about that. I like my wines to show fruit not wood. The fish was very good. Still moist on the inside. Served with corn, leeks and baby bok choy.
Up next was an Herb Crusted Ribeye Medallions. Medallions to me are small pieces of meat the same size and look medallioney. This was just thin sliced prime rib. Quality was good and flavor was excellent. Sat on a bed of mashed cauliflower and shitake mushrooms. There was a slight bite to the demi glaze and we could never figure out what it was but gave a nice flavor to the dish. A Daou 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon was the wine selection. It was a good cab but cab's are not my favorite wine so it is lost on me.
Third course was a Lamb Loin with Japanese eggplant puree, sundried tomatoes and sesame cake. I did not even take a bite of this. I had them pack up half of my beef because I just could not shove any more food into my stomach. So the lamb got packed up also. The lamb did look good and I will have in a few days for dinner at home. A Daou "Pessimist" (blend of syrah, petite syrah, zinfandel and tannant) wine was paired. Hope they tasted good together. The wine was my favorite of the night. A nice well balanced, lush mouth feel almost velvety.
All the wines were estate wines not their higher end selections. The prices offered tonight were not that great of a deal. Total Wine and Costco have better deals on these estate wines.
Dessert was called Festive Fruit Napoleons. Mixed berries in a cream sauce on top of a couple of pieces of over cooked puff pastry which was hard to cut with a side of a spoon. Ok but not anything to get over excited about. But it was a light , refreshing dessert.
So a decent dinner with decent wines. Company was good. And the weather had cooled enough so dining was pleasant. Arte Cafe has the back room that is totally cool all the time and the front room has issues.
Monday, August 13, 2018
Birthday Dinner a "A" Restaurant in Newport Beach
Sunday, August 13, 2018
Susan threw herself a birthday bash at "A" restaurant tonight. Small private room off the bar area, Two tables and approximately 12 people. Noisy, noisy, noisy and a bit warm.
I started off with the white corn soup. Excellent. They puree white corn and blend it with cream. I could have stopped here with the soup. Did not eat any bread because dinner was coming.
I had ordered a "block cut" New York strip. "A" is known for their steaks. But I think I made a mistake in this cut of beef. The flavor was good but I did not like the sinewy fat running through it. I would never order this cut again, Had a side of mushrooms which were excellent..
Dessert was interesting. The kitchen is always experimenting with desserts, This one was gooey and good but a pain to eat. The crust had to be cut with a steak knife. They called it some kind of chocolate tart. They should have left the tart off the plate. Would have been better off with a plain bowl of house made ice cream.
So I was a bit disappointed overall with my dinner. We got a big discount on everything so that helped ease the pain.
I took a bottle of 2011 Tercero "The Climb " blend of Syrah and petite syrah, Very good wine that went well with the steak. There also was a bottle of Ripasso and a bottle of Pinot Gris. Not big wine drinkers in this group.
But a nice gathering for Susan for her birthday. A big disappointment in my selections for dinner. Have had much better food here at "A":.
Susan threw herself a birthday bash at "A" restaurant tonight. Small private room off the bar area, Two tables and approximately 12 people. Noisy, noisy, noisy and a bit warm.
I started off with the white corn soup. Excellent. They puree white corn and blend it with cream. I could have stopped here with the soup. Did not eat any bread because dinner was coming.
I had ordered a "block cut" New York strip. "A" is known for their steaks. But I think I made a mistake in this cut of beef. The flavor was good but I did not like the sinewy fat running through it. I would never order this cut again, Had a side of mushrooms which were excellent..
Dessert was interesting. The kitchen is always experimenting with desserts, This one was gooey and good but a pain to eat. The crust had to be cut with a steak knife. They called it some kind of chocolate tart. They should have left the tart off the plate. Would have been better off with a plain bowl of house made ice cream.
So I was a bit disappointed overall with my dinner. We got a big discount on everything so that helped ease the pain.
I took a bottle of 2011 Tercero "The Climb " blend of Syrah and petite syrah, Very good wine that went well with the steak. There also was a bottle of Ripasso and a bottle of Pinot Gris. Not big wine drinkers in this group.
But a nice gathering for Susan for her birthday. A big disappointment in my selections for dinner. Have had much better food here at "A":.
Lunch with the Boys
Sunday, August 12, 2018
Got home from dinner at the Red Table and had a message from Henry. Lunch at Seafood Palace tomorrow. www.seafoodrestaurants.com. Since I have a dinner Sunday night looks like no cooking this weekend at all.
Only 4 of us today. One of the boys called at the last minute to say he was not feeling well.
We started out with out small bowl of the sweet, spicy, sour soup and each of us picked out one dish to order. We ended up with Beef with fat noodles and sautéed vegetables, Beef seemed extra tender today. Maybe a different chef, They seem to have numerous chefs so you never know which one will be on what shift. The restaurants seemed very busy today with two dining areas open.
Next was a dish of Walnut Honey Shrimp. Very large shrimp today and very tender. Cooked perfectly and they had a really good honey crust on them. The walnuts huge.
A dish of Almond Chicken appeared. Chicken was tender, had good flavor, hard to find the almonds. This is a dish I would never order. But then I very rarely order chicken in a restaurant.
I ordered the Garlic Scallops. Tender, cooked perfectly and loads of garlic and some black bean sauce. I think this was the best dish of the day in flavor.
A plate of freshly sliced oranges and fortune cookies rounded out lunch. Oranges were sweet and juicy. I asked Henry why the oranges are always so good at the restaurant because the ones I get in the store are so mediocre and tasteless. He suggested buying them by the bag from the street vendors.
Wines were interesting. A Prisoner, forgot the year but it seemed it was a newer wine. Steve said he meant to grab an older Prisoner but got the wrong year.
2015 Black Stallion, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon - nice cab, not a blockbuster but good
2011 Sea Smoke, Botella, Pinot Noir - I brought this wine and was disappointed in it compared to the Thomas George
2012 Thomas George, Russian River Valley, Cresta Ridge Vineyard, Pinot Noir. Best wine on the table today. Excellent Pinot. My style,
Got home from dinner at the Red Table and had a message from Henry. Lunch at Seafood Palace tomorrow. www.seafoodrestaurants.com. Since I have a dinner Sunday night looks like no cooking this weekend at all.
Only 4 of us today. One of the boys called at the last minute to say he was not feeling well.
We started out with out small bowl of the sweet, spicy, sour soup and each of us picked out one dish to order. We ended up with Beef with fat noodles and sautéed vegetables, Beef seemed extra tender today. Maybe a different chef, They seem to have numerous chefs so you never know which one will be on what shift. The restaurants seemed very busy today with two dining areas open.
Next was a dish of Walnut Honey Shrimp. Very large shrimp today and very tender. Cooked perfectly and they had a really good honey crust on them. The walnuts huge.
A dish of Almond Chicken appeared. Chicken was tender, had good flavor, hard to find the almonds. This is a dish I would never order. But then I very rarely order chicken in a restaurant.
I ordered the Garlic Scallops. Tender, cooked perfectly and loads of garlic and some black bean sauce. I think this was the best dish of the day in flavor.
A plate of freshly sliced oranges and fortune cookies rounded out lunch. Oranges were sweet and juicy. I asked Henry why the oranges are always so good at the restaurant because the ones I get in the store are so mediocre and tasteless. He suggested buying them by the bag from the street vendors.
Wines were interesting. A Prisoner, forgot the year but it seemed it was a newer wine. Steve said he meant to grab an older Prisoner but got the wrong year.
2015 Black Stallion, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon - nice cab, not a blockbuster but good
2011 Sea Smoke, Botella, Pinot Noir - I brought this wine and was disappointed in it compared to the Thomas George
2012 Thomas George, Russian River Valley, Cresta Ridge Vineyard, Pinot Noir. Best wine on the table today. Excellent Pinot. My style,
Red Table in Huntington Beach
Saturday, August 11, 2018
Margie choose the Red Table, www.redtablerestaurants.com, for her monthly dinner. Had not been in this place in awhile. Forgot how good the food is. Eleven of us tonight and we sat at the "red" table in the middle of the restaurant.
I ordered the sweet potato fries with bacon aioli to start with. That actually filled me up. so when my dinner came I took a couple of bites and had them pack it up to go. I had ordered the braised short ribs which were excellent. Tender and moist. Good flavor. Served with "smashed" potatoes and summer squash. A wide variety of food and appys were ordered by others. Everyone was happy with their selections.
Wide selection of wines. I brought a 2007 Stolpman Angeli which is 100% syrah. It was a good wine but I will say it was a slight disappointment. Not sure why. Maybe because the LaCroce I had a few weeks ago was such a stunning wine. My expectations were too high. Also brought a 2016 "The Street" a dry Riesling made by Stolpman for the Michael Mina group and a 2012 Huber "Hafen" a port style Dornfelder.
Other wines at the table:
NV Cameron Hughes, Lot 620 Brut - nice sparkling, a bit light weight.
2016 Cameron Hughes, Lot 576, Chardoonay - a bit oaky
2014 Cameron Hughes, Lot 606, Cabernet Sauvignon - way to young to be opened, but seemed nicely balanced
2016 Hahn, Pinot Noir - ok but seemed odd for some reason
2015 Kunin, Chenin Blanc - did not taste
2016 Curran, Rancho La Vina, Pinot Noir - nice but not for me. I know Chris makes great pinots but maybe it was just to young for me - I like Pinots with a few years on them. Opening wine too soon does not do the wine any favors
2016 Talley, Olivers Vineyard, Chardonnay - not for me
2013 Iron Horse, Wedding Cuvee, Sparkling - decent but I have never been a fan of Iron Horse
2017 Duckhorn, Sauvignon Blanc - did not taste
2000 Covington Cellars, Stonetree Vineyard, Petite Syrah - a nice wine
NV Veuve Clicoquot Champagne - you can never go wrong with the widow
2014 Ken Brown, "A" Cuvee, Syrah - nice wine but nothing spectacular
Margie choose the Red Table, www.redtablerestaurants.com, for her monthly dinner. Had not been in this place in awhile. Forgot how good the food is. Eleven of us tonight and we sat at the "red" table in the middle of the restaurant.
I ordered the sweet potato fries with bacon aioli to start with. That actually filled me up. so when my dinner came I took a couple of bites and had them pack it up to go. I had ordered the braised short ribs which were excellent. Tender and moist. Good flavor. Served with "smashed" potatoes and summer squash. A wide variety of food and appys were ordered by others. Everyone was happy with their selections.
Wide selection of wines. I brought a 2007 Stolpman Angeli which is 100% syrah. It was a good wine but I will say it was a slight disappointment. Not sure why. Maybe because the LaCroce I had a few weeks ago was such a stunning wine. My expectations were too high. Also brought a 2016 "The Street" a dry Riesling made by Stolpman for the Michael Mina group and a 2012 Huber "Hafen" a port style Dornfelder.
Other wines at the table:
NV Cameron Hughes, Lot 620 Brut - nice sparkling, a bit light weight.
2016 Cameron Hughes, Lot 576, Chardoonay - a bit oaky
2014 Cameron Hughes, Lot 606, Cabernet Sauvignon - way to young to be opened, but seemed nicely balanced
2016 Hahn, Pinot Noir - ok but seemed odd for some reason
2015 Kunin, Chenin Blanc - did not taste
2016 Curran, Rancho La Vina, Pinot Noir - nice but not for me. I know Chris makes great pinots but maybe it was just to young for me - I like Pinots with a few years on them. Opening wine too soon does not do the wine any favors
2016 Talley, Olivers Vineyard, Chardonnay - not for me
2013 Iron Horse, Wedding Cuvee, Sparkling - decent but I have never been a fan of Iron Horse
2017 Duckhorn, Sauvignon Blanc - did not taste
2000 Covington Cellars, Stonetree Vineyard, Petite Syrah - a nice wine
NV Veuve Clicoquot Champagne - you can never go wrong with the widow
2014 Ken Brown, "A" Cuvee, Syrah - nice wine but nothing spectacular
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