Wednesday, December 18, 2019
Last wine dinner of the year tonight. Restaurant is packed, large crowd and tables put everywhere. I have never seen so many people here for a wine dinner. Napa Valley & Bordeaux comparison. 12 wines, 6 courses and dessert. At the price of $69, Biggest bargain of the year. All wines were good but I and the people I was with all agreed that Bordeaux had the edge. Some of the pairings left a little to be desired. Don't know who did the selections but they missed the mark on several pairings.
Assorted cheeses paired with Scattered Peaks, Napa Valley and 2015 Chateau Blaignan, Medoc. 3 cheeses, one a smoked gouda that did not pair with the wines.
Herb Meatball with Truffle oil, bok choy and slivers of yellow and red pepper. Large meatball but mine was under cooked. I could not taste the truffle oil but I could get a real hint of chile. I wondered if someone in the kitchen grabbed the wrong oil.. A very definite bite . The two wines were St Supery, Rutherford and 2014 Chateau Dufort-Vivens, Margaux.
Roasted root vegetable salad with greens, oregano and sage. Baby root vegetables were very good but I felt that if we had a plate of just the vegetables and it was warm it would have paired much better with the wine. Nevers, Left Bank Red and 2015 Chateau Malmaison, Moulis-en-Medoc.
Beef broth with beef, chives and sour cream. This was a winner. Simple but effective in flavor. 2016 Hall, St. Helena and 2014 Chapelle de Meynay, St. Estephe.
Petite Filet with asparagus and Roquefort cheese , balsamic reduction. Cooked perfectly Reduction had loads of flavor. 2016 Whitehall Lane, St, Helena and 2017 Chateau Mongravey, Margaux.
Grilled Rib Eye with diced Yukon potatoes, green beans and a Bordelaise sauce. Again meat was cooked perfectly. Richard has upped his game in cooking beef. Always been a fabulous seafood, lamb, duck cook but had a tendency to over cook beef. 2015 Clos du Val, Stags Leap and 2015 Chateau Clarke, Listrac-Medoc.
Dessert was a chocolate mousse with macaroons.
Thursday, December 19, 2019
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
Bubbles and Bites at Gelsons
Tuesday, December 10, 2019
First time going to the expanded wine bar at Gelsons market. www.gelsons.com. Have not been in this grocery store in years. Wine/Beer bar sits 10 at the higher level and has a low set up for 2 because of ADA requirements. This was a Champagne tasting on the medium to higher scale. Bottles were available for purchase, which many people did, but I found the "special tonight prices" to be on the high side. The Clicquot Yellow Label special price was $55. Regular price was listed at $65 - I know several places that it can be purchased anytime in the $43 to $45 range. But Gelsons is a high end market and prices reflect that.
We were served a plate that had 4 cheeses and 4 proteins. Each set was to go with a particular wine. All the pairings worked well together
First in the line up was Veuve Clicquot Yellow Brut along with Campofrio Jamon Serrano Spanish Ham and Brillat Savarin (triple Brie) cheese.
Veuve Clicquot Rose with Les Trois Petits Cochons Duck Mousse and Emmi Gruyere Cheese.
Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial with Creminelli Varzi Salami and La Tur Mixed- Milked Cheese (slightly funky)
Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial Rose with Les Trois Petits Cochons Duck Confit and Red Cow Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese (too much hard rind that was uneatable)
Ruinart Blanc de Blanc with Lobster Salad Slider.
Ruinart Rose with Chocolate Covered Strawberry (huge).
I preferred the Ruinart Blanc de Blanc. All the wines were very good but that one was my favorite of the evening.
The wine bar is a nice set up. You can have lunch there and order a glass or wine or beer (tap). Great if you live in the neighborhood.
First time going to the expanded wine bar at Gelsons market. www.gelsons.com. Have not been in this grocery store in years. Wine/Beer bar sits 10 at the higher level and has a low set up for 2 because of ADA requirements. This was a Champagne tasting on the medium to higher scale. Bottles were available for purchase, which many people did, but I found the "special tonight prices" to be on the high side. The Clicquot Yellow Label special price was $55. Regular price was listed at $65 - I know several places that it can be purchased anytime in the $43 to $45 range. But Gelsons is a high end market and prices reflect that.
We were served a plate that had 4 cheeses and 4 proteins. Each set was to go with a particular wine. All the pairings worked well together
First in the line up was Veuve Clicquot Yellow Brut along with Campofrio Jamon Serrano Spanish Ham and Brillat Savarin (triple Brie) cheese.
Veuve Clicquot Rose with Les Trois Petits Cochons Duck Mousse and Emmi Gruyere Cheese.
Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial with Creminelli Varzi Salami and La Tur Mixed- Milked Cheese (slightly funky)
Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial Rose with Les Trois Petits Cochons Duck Confit and Red Cow Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese (too much hard rind that was uneatable)
Ruinart Blanc de Blanc with Lobster Salad Slider.
Ruinart Rose with Chocolate Covered Strawberry (huge).
I preferred the Ruinart Blanc de Blanc. All the wines were very good but that one was my favorite of the evening.
The wine bar is a nice set up. You can have lunch there and order a glass or wine or beer (tap). Great if you live in the neighborhood.
Monday, December 9, 2019
Christmas Dinner at The Silver Trumpet
Saturday, December 7, 2019
Silver Trumpet Restaurant at the Avenue of The Arts Hotel
Last dinner of the year arranged by Margie. Beautiful restaurant, Silver Trumpet in Costa Mesa.
www.silvertrumpetrestaurant.com. Hotel was decorated beautifully for the holidays.
We had the choice of regular menu of a prix fixe. Opted for the Prix Fixe. 3 courses and it was more than enough for me. I chose the onion soup which was very good for a starter.
My main was lamb chops which were very flavorful and cooked perfectly along with a medley of vegetables.
For dessert I chose the Tiramisu. Had favor but was the strangest Tiramisu I have had. Round, tall stack with what looked like crushed Oreo cookies.
Wines were an interesting mix. Some never made it to our end of the table so I did not get a chance to taste them. I brought a 2011 Tercero, "The Climb", Petite Syrah and Syrah. Bigger, bold flavors, Soft and elegant on the palate. Went very well with the lamb.
2017 Merry Edwards, RRV, Meredith Estate, Pinot Noir - did not taste
2016 Zosia, Diamond Mountain District, Napa Valley, Red Blend - interesting blend, medium body.
NV Beau Joie, France, Brut Champagne - copper clad bottle, very impressive. Slightly yeasty, a tad acidic, good wine.
2016 The Hilt Vanguard, SBC, Chardonnay. - Very slight oak on the back palate but overall the taste was similar to Chablis.
2012 Saxum, Broken Bones, Syrah blend - Saxum is always big and good. Bold flavors.
2016 Schramsberg, Calistoga, Brut Rose - this wine is always a winner.
2018 Weiussenkirchen Riesling, Austria - Nice, clean Riesling.
2013 Dragonette, MJM, Syrah - did not taste.
2012 Sea Smoke, SRH, Seaport - a port style from Pinot Noir grapes. A bit on the sweet side, not rich in flavor.
2014 Melville, SRH, Syrah - good balance, soft tannins, drinking very well now
2015 Story of the Soil, SM, Pinot Noir- very light in color and taste, light cherry
Silver Trumpet Restaurant at the Avenue of The Arts Hotel
Last dinner of the year arranged by Margie. Beautiful restaurant, Silver Trumpet in Costa Mesa.
www.silvertrumpetrestaurant.com. Hotel was decorated beautifully for the holidays.
We had the choice of regular menu of a prix fixe. Opted for the Prix Fixe. 3 courses and it was more than enough for me. I chose the onion soup which was very good for a starter.
My main was lamb chops which were very flavorful and cooked perfectly along with a medley of vegetables.
For dessert I chose the Tiramisu. Had favor but was the strangest Tiramisu I have had. Round, tall stack with what looked like crushed Oreo cookies.
Wines were an interesting mix. Some never made it to our end of the table so I did not get a chance to taste them. I brought a 2011 Tercero, "The Climb", Petite Syrah and Syrah. Bigger, bold flavors, Soft and elegant on the palate. Went very well with the lamb.
2017 Merry Edwards, RRV, Meredith Estate, Pinot Noir - did not taste
2016 Zosia, Diamond Mountain District, Napa Valley, Red Blend - interesting blend, medium body.
NV Beau Joie, France, Brut Champagne - copper clad bottle, very impressive. Slightly yeasty, a tad acidic, good wine.
2016 The Hilt Vanguard, SBC, Chardonnay. - Very slight oak on the back palate but overall the taste was similar to Chablis.
2012 Saxum, Broken Bones, Syrah blend - Saxum is always big and good. Bold flavors.
2016 Schramsberg, Calistoga, Brut Rose - this wine is always a winner.
2018 Weiussenkirchen Riesling, Austria - Nice, clean Riesling.
2013 Dragonette, MJM, Syrah - did not taste.
2012 Sea Smoke, SRH, Seaport - a port style from Pinot Noir grapes. A bit on the sweet side, not rich in flavor.
2014 Melville, SRH, Syrah - good balance, soft tannins, drinking very well now
2015 Story of the Soil, SM, Pinot Noir- very light in color and taste, light cherry
Saturday, December 7, 2019
Haewah Dal Korean restaurant
Friday, December 6, 2019
New restaurant in the Belmont Shore area of Long Beach. www.haewahdal.com. There were six of us tonight. We all had good opinions of the place. Interior is beautiful, table settings are upscale and the wine glasses are good quality. Service was very good. Food was excellent. But I do think that this will be a short lived restaurant in the place it is at. It is too pricy for the area. The area is "walking". The foot traffic will bypass it because of the pricing. It is a great destination restaurant and would be better suited someplace else.
There were six of us tonight. We all had good opinions of the place.
All of us choose the six course tasting menu at $80 per. plus $20 corkage for each bottle They did give us a few "amuse bouches" along with the six courses.
Started out with a Heirloom tomato marinated in 2 year aged plum juice. The marinating took the acidity out of the tomato. Next we had fried oyster in squid ink with mustard grain aioli And a dish of sweet potato fries, Very thinly sliced and salted. Presentation is everything.
A bowl of Seaweed soup with Kimchi fritter and spinach. Great flavor.
I choose for my tasting menu Diver scallop, mushroom, roasted beets and butternut squash. Scallop cooked perfectly. Flavors were great. This is a three bite dish.
Tuna tartar, trout roe, Korean pea and seaweed cracker. A tasty morsel. Again 3 bites. But with the long gold metal chopsticks it became a few more.
Chilean sea bass with Doenjang marinade (soy bean paste) berry chutney, green beans, Korean black raspberry wine reduction. Again a extremely good dish. This one was about four bites.
3 day processed braised short rib with gingko nut, dikon radish. I was a bit disappointed in this dish. Meat was tender and flavorful but a bit on the dry side.
Lastly came Bansang. Small side dishes served with rice.. Kimchi, spinach and a few other bites. There was sauce that you mix in with the rice along with some shredded vegetables. I ate a couple of the side dishes and left the rest. At this pint I was full. Dishes were small in portion but I was full at this point and we did have dessert coming.
Two desserts were served. Cheesecake ice-cream with raspberry compote and a Red bean gelee with chestnut.
There were four wines tonight6 I brought a champagne from Reims, France. Parker and Co. Fiurst year imported into the US. Bought a six pak at a tasting a few months ago. It was as good as I remembered. Everyone seemed to agree.
2015 Arbe Garbe, Sonoma, blend of bianco, tocai and ribolla gialla..
2016 Mail Road, Sta. Rita Hills, Pinot Noir
2017 Williams Selyem, Russian River Valley, Pinot Noir
New restaurant in the Belmont Shore area of Long Beach. www.haewahdal.com. There were six of us tonight. We all had good opinions of the place. Interior is beautiful, table settings are upscale and the wine glasses are good quality. Service was very good. Food was excellent. But I do think that this will be a short lived restaurant in the place it is at. It is too pricy for the area. The area is "walking". The foot traffic will bypass it because of the pricing. It is a great destination restaurant and would be better suited someplace else.
There were six of us tonight. We all had good opinions of the place.
All of us choose the six course tasting menu at $80 per. plus $20 corkage for each bottle They did give us a few "amuse bouches" along with the six courses.
Started out with a Heirloom tomato marinated in 2 year aged plum juice. The marinating took the acidity out of the tomato. Next we had fried oyster in squid ink with mustard grain aioli And a dish of sweet potato fries, Very thinly sliced and salted. Presentation is everything.
A bowl of Seaweed soup with Kimchi fritter and spinach. Great flavor.
I choose for my tasting menu Diver scallop, mushroom, roasted beets and butternut squash. Scallop cooked perfectly. Flavors were great. This is a three bite dish.
Tuna tartar, trout roe, Korean pea and seaweed cracker. A tasty morsel. Again 3 bites. But with the long gold metal chopsticks it became a few more.
Chilean sea bass with Doenjang marinade (soy bean paste) berry chutney, green beans, Korean black raspberry wine reduction. Again a extremely good dish. This one was about four bites.
3 day processed braised short rib with gingko nut, dikon radish. I was a bit disappointed in this dish. Meat was tender and flavorful but a bit on the dry side.
Lastly came Bansang. Small side dishes served with rice.. Kimchi, spinach and a few other bites. There was sauce that you mix in with the rice along with some shredded vegetables. I ate a couple of the side dishes and left the rest. At this pint I was full. Dishes were small in portion but I was full at this point and we did have dessert coming.
Two desserts were served. Cheesecake ice-cream with raspberry compote and a Red bean gelee with chestnut.
There were four wines tonight6 I brought a champagne from Reims, France. Parker and Co. Fiurst year imported into the US. Bought a six pak at a tasting a few months ago. It was as good as I remembered. Everyone seemed to agree.
2015 Arbe Garbe, Sonoma, blend of bianco, tocai and ribolla gialla..
2016 Mail Road, Sta. Rita Hills, Pinot Noir
2017 Williams Selyem, Russian River Valley, Pinot Noir
Thursday, November 21, 2019
Prisoner Wine Dinner at Arte Cafe
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
Dinner tonight was sold out. Big crowd in spite of the bad weather. Start time was 6:30 but we did not get a first pour of wine until about 6:40 - staff is running around ragged.
Started out with a Spinach salad with sliced almonds, goat cheese, Dijon vinaigrette and Tempura Shrimp. I did devour this salad. The dressing is what really made it. Paired with a 2016 The Snitch chardonnay. $35. Decent wine, bit oaky but not too much. It also had bit of Roussanne in the blend. Gave it a silky mouthfeel. Tasted like ripe pears.
First course is a Blackened Sea Bass with mushroom risotto. Fish was cooked perfectly. The risotto needed a bit more time cooking. Just a tad. A 2017 Saldo, A Zinfandel, $35, with some Petite Syrah and Syrah in it. Very dark in color and lots of dark fruit flavors. Bit of spice. Soft finish. I did not expect it to pair well with the Sea Bass but surprisingly it did.
Up next is a Roasted Cornish Game Hen (half) glazed with warm apple and pear jam. A bread stuffing and wild rice in the hen. Again the rice was a bit al dente. Good flavors. Served with a 2016 Cuttings, Napa, Cabernet Sauvignon. $55. Dark cherry, a bit of cocoa, coffee.
Third course is Prime New York medallions in a peppercorn sauce with mashed potatoes. Excellent flavors, tender, cooked perfectly. Paired with a 2017 Eternally Silenced, Pinot Noir. $50. Grapes were sourced from 5 areas in California. Very good wine. dark fruits, good structure.
Dessert is a Black Forest Cake with a cherry sauce. Good but not outstanding. I found the cake itself was very light.. I prefer denser cakes. A 2017 The Prisoner, $49, (red blend) was the paired wine. I do like this wine. A blend of Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Syrah, Syrah and Charbono. Dark cherries, chocolate, fig.
Be interesting to see if Richard throws in another wine dinner during the holidays.
Dinner tonight was sold out. Big crowd in spite of the bad weather. Start time was 6:30 but we did not get a first pour of wine until about 6:40 - staff is running around ragged.
Started out with a Spinach salad with sliced almonds, goat cheese, Dijon vinaigrette and Tempura Shrimp. I did devour this salad. The dressing is what really made it. Paired with a 2016 The Snitch chardonnay. $35. Decent wine, bit oaky but not too much. It also had bit of Roussanne in the blend. Gave it a silky mouthfeel. Tasted like ripe pears.
First course is a Blackened Sea Bass with mushroom risotto. Fish was cooked perfectly. The risotto needed a bit more time cooking. Just a tad. A 2017 Saldo, A Zinfandel, $35, with some Petite Syrah and Syrah in it. Very dark in color and lots of dark fruit flavors. Bit of spice. Soft finish. I did not expect it to pair well with the Sea Bass but surprisingly it did.
Up next is a Roasted Cornish Game Hen (half) glazed with warm apple and pear jam. A bread stuffing and wild rice in the hen. Again the rice was a bit al dente. Good flavors. Served with a 2016 Cuttings, Napa, Cabernet Sauvignon. $55. Dark cherry, a bit of cocoa, coffee.
Third course is Prime New York medallions in a peppercorn sauce with mashed potatoes. Excellent flavors, tender, cooked perfectly. Paired with a 2017 Eternally Silenced, Pinot Noir. $50. Grapes were sourced from 5 areas in California. Very good wine. dark fruits, good structure.
Dessert is a Black Forest Cake with a cherry sauce. Good but not outstanding. I found the cake itself was very light.. I prefer denser cakes. A 2017 The Prisoner, $49, (red blend) was the paired wine. I do like this wine. A blend of Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Syrah, Syrah and Charbono. Dark cherries, chocolate, fig.
Be interesting to see if Richard throws in another wine dinner during the holidays.
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
What Jason Learned in Israel Dinner at the Playground
Tuesday. November 19, 2019
Interesting themed dinner at the Playground tonight. www.playgrounddtsa.com. Jason, owner and chef went to Israel for a wedding. He brought back an array of ideas from that trip. I have been looking forward to this experience tonight. 12 courses and 2 desserts. I was not disappointed.
Our cocktail tonight consisted of Vodka, spiced apple, Suze, (French Bitters) and lemon. Wonderful flavors. The tartness of the lemon with with spices was addicting.
We started out with a trio of "Salatim" (salads).
Shredded carrots with green chile, pickled lemon, amba (mango) and golden raisins. Very slightly sweet with a tiny bite to it.
Shredded beets with tahini and dill. Beets are on the sweet side but this was exceptionally good. Shredding the beets gave it a whole new dimension in texture.
Kohlrabi , radish and green apple, all paper thinned sliced with Israeli sumac and parsley yogurt. Tangy and sweet at the same time.
Two types of fresh house made bread were served. Druze Mountain and pita. Both were some of the best bread I have eaten. These breads were served with two dipping sauces. Hummus with crispy spiced oyster mushrooms, labne (yogurt cheese), dates and pine nuts. And a Tarama made with creme fraiche and smoked cod roe. Both were excellent. I favored the Tarama .
Lentil masbacha made with chick peas and olive oil, green chile, tomatoes, red onion and 7 minute eggs.
Slow baked Hawji ( wild carrot) marinated black cod, harissa yogurt, persimmon, arugula dressed with Sumac. Cod was exceeding tender and the persimmon was very thinly sliced. Perfect dish
Suckling lamb chops, (lamb never had anything but mothers milk) cooked to perfection, red just the way I prefer them and a pom molasses syrup.
Roasted whole cauliflower with cumin tahini, zhoung (cilantro pesto) and almonds Again loaded with flavor.
Roasted whole baby sweet potatoes, served the the skins on. Open them up and eat with the creme fraiche and gray salt. These potatoes are roasted for hours at 200* and them crisped at a 425* temperature.
Braised Wagu beef skirt steak with carrots and green tahini. Beef was moist and succulent.
Desserts were different. A Malbi (which means stew). It was cooked raspberries with peanuts and a cookie crumble. Not overly sweet but definitely heavy. The other was Knafeh made with buffalo mozzarella, pistachios and saffron syrup. More savory than sweet. Both were good but not what I would order in a restaurant. Neither knocked by socks off. But that is my personal preference.
Wines tonight were:
Tyler, Santa Barbara, Rose
2017 Judean Kills, (Kosher) Tzora Vineyard, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc blend
2017 Penville, Enz Vineyard, Lime Kiln Valley AVA, Monterey, Mouvedre
2018 Arnaud Lambert, Samur Champigny, Terres Rouges, Cabernet Franc
2008 Chateau Musar, Lebanon, Gaston Hochar, Red Wine
2014 Robert Sinsky Vineyard, Los Carneros, Late Harvest, Pinot Gris
Interesting themed dinner at the Playground tonight. www.playgrounddtsa.com. Jason, owner and chef went to Israel for a wedding. He brought back an array of ideas from that trip. I have been looking forward to this experience tonight. 12 courses and 2 desserts. I was not disappointed.
Our cocktail tonight consisted of Vodka, spiced apple, Suze, (French Bitters) and lemon. Wonderful flavors. The tartness of the lemon with with spices was addicting.
We started out with a trio of "Salatim" (salads).
Shredded carrots with green chile, pickled lemon, amba (mango) and golden raisins. Very slightly sweet with a tiny bite to it.
Shredded beets with tahini and dill. Beets are on the sweet side but this was exceptionally good. Shredding the beets gave it a whole new dimension in texture.
Kohlrabi , radish and green apple, all paper thinned sliced with Israeli sumac and parsley yogurt. Tangy and sweet at the same time.
Two types of fresh house made bread were served. Druze Mountain and pita. Both were some of the best bread I have eaten. These breads were served with two dipping sauces. Hummus with crispy spiced oyster mushrooms, labne (yogurt cheese), dates and pine nuts. And a Tarama made with creme fraiche and smoked cod roe. Both were excellent. I favored the Tarama .
Lentil masbacha made with chick peas and olive oil, green chile, tomatoes, red onion and 7 minute eggs.
Slow baked Hawji ( wild carrot) marinated black cod, harissa yogurt, persimmon, arugula dressed with Sumac. Cod was exceeding tender and the persimmon was very thinly sliced. Perfect dish
Suckling lamb chops, (lamb never had anything but mothers milk) cooked to perfection, red just the way I prefer them and a pom molasses syrup.
Roasted whole cauliflower with cumin tahini, zhoung (cilantro pesto) and almonds Again loaded with flavor.
Roasted whole baby sweet potatoes, served the the skins on. Open them up and eat with the creme fraiche and gray salt. These potatoes are roasted for hours at 200* and them crisped at a 425* temperature.
Braised Wagu beef skirt steak with carrots and green tahini. Beef was moist and succulent.
Desserts were different. A Malbi (which means stew). It was cooked raspberries with peanuts and a cookie crumble. Not overly sweet but definitely heavy. The other was Knafeh made with buffalo mozzarella, pistachios and saffron syrup. More savory than sweet. Both were good but not what I would order in a restaurant. Neither knocked by socks off. But that is my personal preference.
Wines tonight were:
Tyler, Santa Barbara, Rose
2017 Judean Kills, (Kosher) Tzora Vineyard, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc blend
2017 Penville, Enz Vineyard, Lime Kiln Valley AVA, Monterey, Mouvedre
2018 Arnaud Lambert, Samur Champigny, Terres Rouges, Cabernet Franc
2008 Chateau Musar, Lebanon, Gaston Hochar, Red Wine
2014 Robert Sinsky Vineyard, Los Carneros, Late Harvest, Pinot Gris
Saturday, November 16, 2019
Caymus Wines at Arte Cafe
Thursday, November 7, 2019
Arte Café in Cerritos hosted a Caymus wine dinner tonight. Loads of people but not quite sold out. A few empty tables. I have noticed since the price of the wine dinners went up about $10 some of the "regulars" are not attending anymore. Which is OK by me as they seemed more in talking and socializing throughout any talks given by the wine owners / distributors. Made it difficult to hear what was going on if you were sitting close to them.
Started out with a Shaved Pear & Goat Cheese Salad with roasted zucchini, mixed greens and a horseradish vinaigrette. Good flavors. Paired with a Emmolo Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc. Not to acidic better than most.
Second course is a Thai Curry Roasted Butternut Squash Soup. Excellent . The curry gave it just the right amount of punch. Wine is a Conundrum Rose. Very light wine. Not much to it but it did pair well with the curry.
Next is a Five Spiced Seared Duck Breast with braised greens, crispy parmesan polenta and ripe plum. Duck was a bit over cooked for me and part of the skin was not crispy. Flavor was there and amazingly the cooked plum added the right touch. The parmesan polenta was very good. A Emmolo Napa Valley Merlot was the choice. I am not a big fan of merlot but this was decent.
Main course is a Herb Crusted Roasted Lamb Chop with French lentils and charred Delicata Squash. Lamb was a tad over cooked for my taste. I like to see pink and there was none. The squash was quite good but I have no opinion on the lentils because I just plain do like them. It is a texture thing with me on lentils, lima beans etc., Paired with a Caymus Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Good pairing, wine was good.
Dessert consisted of Cinnamon Baked Granny Smith Apple topped with shipped crème fraiche and a pumpkin spice. Fall flavors big time. Wine is a Conundrum Sparkling Rose. I liked the pairing. The lightness of the wine offset the heaviness of the dessert.
These wines tonight are the lower end Caymus wines. But for the $65 price tag you can't expect the real high end wines. Dinner was good, wines were decent and we had a great time. Looking forward to the "Prisoner" wine dinner in a few weeks.
Arte Café in Cerritos hosted a Caymus wine dinner tonight. Loads of people but not quite sold out. A few empty tables. I have noticed since the price of the wine dinners went up about $10 some of the "regulars" are not attending anymore. Which is OK by me as they seemed more in talking and socializing throughout any talks given by the wine owners / distributors. Made it difficult to hear what was going on if you were sitting close to them.
Started out with a Shaved Pear & Goat Cheese Salad with roasted zucchini, mixed greens and a horseradish vinaigrette. Good flavors. Paired with a Emmolo Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc. Not to acidic better than most.
Second course is a Thai Curry Roasted Butternut Squash Soup. Excellent . The curry gave it just the right amount of punch. Wine is a Conundrum Rose. Very light wine. Not much to it but it did pair well with the curry.
Next is a Five Spiced Seared Duck Breast with braised greens, crispy parmesan polenta and ripe plum. Duck was a bit over cooked for me and part of the skin was not crispy. Flavor was there and amazingly the cooked plum added the right touch. The parmesan polenta was very good. A Emmolo Napa Valley Merlot was the choice. I am not a big fan of merlot but this was decent.
Main course is a Herb Crusted Roasted Lamb Chop with French lentils and charred Delicata Squash. Lamb was a tad over cooked for my taste. I like to see pink and there was none. The squash was quite good but I have no opinion on the lentils because I just plain do like them. It is a texture thing with me on lentils, lima beans etc., Paired with a Caymus Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Good pairing, wine was good.
Dessert consisted of Cinnamon Baked Granny Smith Apple topped with shipped crème fraiche and a pumpkin spice. Fall flavors big time. Wine is a Conundrum Sparkling Rose. I liked the pairing. The lightness of the wine offset the heaviness of the dessert.
These wines tonight are the lower end Caymus wines. But for the $65 price tag you can't expect the real high end wines. Dinner was good, wines were decent and we had a great time. Looking forward to the "Prisoner" wine dinner in a few weeks.
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Washington Wines at Arte Cafe
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Chateau St. Michelle was the wine house for tonight's dinner. They have numerous labels under their roof so tonight's dinner featured several of them. Richard has gone up a bit on his price for dinner. It is now $65 which is still a bargain in today's market. Always has raffle items, bottles of wine etc., included.
Started out with appetizers of a Shrimp in pastry and Mushroom & Cabbage Spring Roll. Both were quiet good. Wine was a Domaine Ste. Michelle Sparkling Brut. Good choice to start dinner with.
Then onto a Shredded Chicken with apples on arugula with a Riesling , Olive Oil dressing and Parmesan cheese. Nice flavor. Chicken was moist. About half way through I decided I was starting to fill up so I took the remainder home. A 2016 Chateau Ste. Michelle, Canoe Ridge Estate, Horse Heaven Hill, Chardonnay was the paired wine. Again a very nice pairing. Wine was not oaky and had a nice restrained crispness to it.
Second course is a Butternut Squash Gratin with Leeks, Duck Confit and Thyme. Excellent flavor, heavy dish as it is fall and time for the heavier foods for our hibernation. I forced myself to eat the entire dish. But I am really full for some reason and I did not have any bread or rolls. Paired with a Spring Valley Vineyards, "Nina Lee" Syrah, Walla Walla, WA. Apparently "Nina Lee" was a vaudevillian who married the founder of Spring Valley Vineyards. Nice catch. Good pairing also.
Third Course is a Filet Mignon with Lump Crab Meat, fresh Asparagus, Truffled mashed potatoes and a Bernaise Sauce. Ate about one third of this dish and boxed it up to take home. A first vintage, 2015 Col Solare, Cabernet Sauvignon was the selection. This is a wine made in conjunction with Antinori from Italy. Very good wine and it was a 94 pointer from Wine Advocate.
Dessert is a Pumpkin Cheesecake with a Pecan Praline Topping. Heavy duty. Great flavor but so rich I could only get through about two thirds of it. This entire meal was on the heavy side. Paired with a Eroica Gold Riesling. Not fond of the pairing. Two much acidity in the wine and it was a sharp contrast to the creaminess of the cheesecake.
Lots of raffle prizes. No winner here but someone did get a Riedel decanter along with a bottle of the Cabernet.
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Charcoal - A Love Affair Dinner at the Playground
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Back to the Playground. www.playgrounddtsa.com.. I did this themed dinner earlier in the year and liked it so much I had to do it again. I also knew that the food dishes would be completely different. 13 courses and 2 desserts tonight.
We started out with a cocktail made from Gin, Genepi, Citrus simple syrup and Charcoal Tincture. Dark grey in color and had a very slight smoky taste to it. Quite good.
Started out with a bread that was very dark grey/black in color. They took the flats of housemade dough and grilled them. Bread puffed up nicely. Had a really interesting taste to it. Served with their housemade butter.
Grilled dates with chicken liver mousse, pistachio, berbere, (Ethiopian Spice Blend) candied lemon, mint. Grilling dates makes them far more interesting and it really brings out the sweetness of them.
Charrred eggplant, tahini, pine nuts and zhoug. ( A green paste made with middle eastern spices, chilis, cilantro, parsley and garlic). I am not an eggplant fan but had seconds of this dish. It was that good, I would had more except I knew the amount of food that was coming up.
A Poe, Rose, Sonoma County was served with these dishes.
Grilled and chilled flank steak with grilled labne (Lebanese cream cheese) and crunch tabbuleh.
Grilled Gem Lettuce, pumpkin seed miso, lime and agave vinaigrette, radish, corn puree, grilled corn, tomatoes, cranberry and cotija. Salad was a kitchen sink - very good, loads of flavor.
14 day aged Kingfish sashimi, charcoal oil and puffed rice. Supple and flavorful.
Grilled Sea Bass, bone sauce and XO. (dried innards coked with shallots, garlic, chili and oil)
2017 Domaine La Ruse, Puligny-Montrachet, Premier Cru La Garenne was the wine with these dishes.
Christmas Lima Beans with charcoal butter, grilled scallions and chives. Not a fan of lima beans but these were smaller and I had seconds and took the leftovers home.
Grilled pork jowl ( so good)
Hen of The Woods mushrooms, marinated in oil and grilled.
Grilled suckling lamb chops, vadovan (spice blend) yogurt marinade and pomegranate molasses. Lamb was cooked perfectly. I did not expect anything other..
2016 Once & Future, Contra Costa County, Oakley Road Vineyard, Mataro (Mouvedre) was the pairing.
Grilled cabbage with shiro-lime emulsion and Bubu-Acacia. (nuts)
Grilled A5 Wagu Beef.
2005 Hendry Vineyards, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon.
Lemon Sorbet
Chocolate caramel tart with charcoal cream.
San Rafael, Spain, Jerez-Xeres. Sherry
All the food is outstanding at the Playground. I have never been disappointed in anything. It is hard to describe how innovative the food is here. There go oit of their way to make sure dishes are not repeated on their themed dinners. Looking forward to "Road Trip, Israel next month.
Tercero Wine Dinner Al Fresco
Friday, November 11, 2019
Larry Schaffer of Tereco wines brought an array of his wines tonight. Dinner outdoors at Chef Louise's. www,cheflouisecatering.com. Weather is absolutely perfect for tonights dinner.
Started out with Salmon Mousse and capers on toast and a spicy meatball. Wine was a 2018 Tercero Mouvedre Rose. One of my favorite Rose wines.
First course is a Chipoltle Aioli Crabcake. Great flavor with just the right amount of kick in the Aoili. Paired with a 2015 Tercero Granache Blanc. One of the few white Rhone wines I like.
Next is a Creamy Mushroom-Walnut soup. This was a standard at Delius. Forgot how good it is. Earthy and supple. A 2014 Tecero, Roussanne, Zaca Mesa Vineyard. I am not a fan of this grape but Larry served the wine just slightly chilled more towards room temperature and I found it to be more pleasant on my palate.
Third Course served is a Crispy Skin Duck Breast with Rhubard Gastrique and Acorn Squah-Farro. Duck was cooked perfectly and the gastrique was a good foil for the duck. A 2016 Terecro, Cinsault was the paired wine. Nice pairing.
Entree is a Coffee Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Red Wine Pan Sauce and a Leek, Cauliflower, Potato Gratin. The Gratin had a great creamy texture to it. Paired with a 2016 Tercero, Sryah. Again a very good pairing.
Dessert was a Banana Cake with sliced bananas in a caramely sauce and ice cream,
Dave brought out a few wines from his cellar, 2000 Tobin James, Charisma (Zinfandel. LaVie Vineyard, Plum Chardonnay and a 2004 Asagass Syrah.
Perefc t evening for Al Fresco, great food and wine and a really good group of people to share it with.
Larry Schaffer of Tereco wines brought an array of his wines tonight. Dinner outdoors at Chef Louise's. www,cheflouisecatering.com. Weather is absolutely perfect for tonights dinner.
Started out with Salmon Mousse and capers on toast and a spicy meatball. Wine was a 2018 Tercero Mouvedre Rose. One of my favorite Rose wines.
First course is a Chipoltle Aioli Crabcake. Great flavor with just the right amount of kick in the Aoili. Paired with a 2015 Tercero Granache Blanc. One of the few white Rhone wines I like.
Next is a Creamy Mushroom-Walnut soup. This was a standard at Delius. Forgot how good it is. Earthy and supple. A 2014 Tecero, Roussanne, Zaca Mesa Vineyard. I am not a fan of this grape but Larry served the wine just slightly chilled more towards room temperature and I found it to be more pleasant on my palate.
Third Course served is a Crispy Skin Duck Breast with Rhubard Gastrique and Acorn Squah-Farro. Duck was cooked perfectly and the gastrique was a good foil for the duck. A 2016 Terecro, Cinsault was the paired wine. Nice pairing.
Entree is a Coffee Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Red Wine Pan Sauce and a Leek, Cauliflower, Potato Gratin. The Gratin had a great creamy texture to it. Paired with a 2016 Tercero, Sryah. Again a very good pairing.
Dessert was a Banana Cake with sliced bananas in a caramely sauce and ice cream,
Dave brought out a few wines from his cellar, 2000 Tobin James, Charisma (Zinfandel. LaVie Vineyard, Plum Chardonnay and a 2004 Asagass Syrah.
Perefc t evening for Al Fresco, great food and wine and a really good group of people to share it with.
555 East Steakhouse
Thursday, November 10, 2019
Five of us tonight for dinner at 555 Steakhouse in Long Beach. 555east.com. A great array of wines and food. 3 of us shared the Chateaubriand. Which was naturally outstanding. Along with mushrooms, spinach, potatoes etc. I had the fresh oyster, 2 each of Coromandel, Island Creek and Copps Island. Can't beat the quality or the "no corkage". But the wines tonight were the star of the evening. All showing extremely well. Hard to pick a favorite
2008 Henriot, Millisemme, Champagne
2012 Williams Selyem, Drake Estate Vineyard, Brut Rose
1990 Robert Mondavi Winery, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon
1990 Jordan, Alexander Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon
2005 Shafer, One Point Five, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District, Cabernet Sauvignon
2010 Saxum, Paso Robles, Broken Stones, Blend
1009 Chateau Rieusse, Grand Cru Classic, Sauterne
Five of us tonight for dinner at 555 Steakhouse in Long Beach. 555east.com. A great array of wines and food. 3 of us shared the Chateaubriand. Which was naturally outstanding. Along with mushrooms, spinach, potatoes etc. I had the fresh oyster, 2 each of Coromandel, Island Creek and Copps Island. Can't beat the quality or the "no corkage". But the wines tonight were the star of the evening. All showing extremely well. Hard to pick a favorite
2008 Henriot, Millisemme, Champagne
2012 Williams Selyem, Drake Estate Vineyard, Brut Rose
1990 Robert Mondavi Winery, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon
1990 Jordan, Alexander Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon
2005 Shafer, One Point Five, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District, Cabernet Sauvignon
2010 Saxum, Paso Robles, Broken Stones, Blend
1009 Chateau Rieusse, Grand Cru Classic, Sauterne
Wednesday, October 9, 2019
Oktoberfest at Jagerhaus
Saturday. October 5, 2019
Margies monthly dinner selection was the Jagerhaus in Anaheim. www.jagerhaus.net. Small group tonight which was good as the restaurant was packed. Everyone celebrating Octoberfest. The fest runs from late September to the first Sunday on October. This is probably why the restaurant was packed with people on the first Saturday. Unfortunately it showed in the service which was very slow tonight.
A wide variety of items were ordered for dinner. I had the venison which was very good. Came with potatoes and red cabbage.
The wines that were brought tonight are a real mixed bag. Lots of whites. I tasted a few but since the white wine was kept in a cooler on a back table it was really a big inconvenience to get up every ten minutes or so and get another pour. Hence I drank from the bottles that were within easy each for me. Aside from a few I can recall the name of that I drank I cannot remember much of what I drank. Labels are confusing and with an overkill on white wines I wasn't that interested. For people bringing mostly white wines my Dornfelder was a huge hit with them.
2012 Huber, Sta Rita Hills, Dornfelder
NV Pin Piu, Mosel, Petnot, Sparkling Riesling
2014 Cardinal Cusanus, Stiflswein Brauneberger, Juffer Somnenuhr, Mosel, Riesling Spatleste
2014 Assmann Shauer, Hollenburg, Spatburgunder, Kabinett Trocken
2018 Graacher Himmelveich, Riesling Spatleste
2015 Cotes du Rhone, I.V. Fleury
NV Weingut Lothar Keltern, Spatburgunder Rose . Sekt
2016 Shine, Gewurztraminer
2017 Von Winninz, Sauvignon Blanc
2016 Rotwein, Trocken Spatburgunder
2018 Credia, Monterey, Gewurztraminer
2015 Fess Parker, Sta Rita Hills, Pinot Noir
2016 Castello di Amorosa, Anderson Valley, Gewurztraminer
2016 Heitz, Napa, Chardonnay
Margies monthly dinner selection was the Jagerhaus in Anaheim. www.jagerhaus.net. Small group tonight which was good as the restaurant was packed. Everyone celebrating Octoberfest. The fest runs from late September to the first Sunday on October. This is probably why the restaurant was packed with people on the first Saturday. Unfortunately it showed in the service which was very slow tonight.
A wide variety of items were ordered for dinner. I had the venison which was very good. Came with potatoes and red cabbage.
The wines that were brought tonight are a real mixed bag. Lots of whites. I tasted a few but since the white wine was kept in a cooler on a back table it was really a big inconvenience to get up every ten minutes or so and get another pour. Hence I drank from the bottles that were within easy each for me. Aside from a few I can recall the name of that I drank I cannot remember much of what I drank. Labels are confusing and with an overkill on white wines I wasn't that interested. For people bringing mostly white wines my Dornfelder was a huge hit with them.
2012 Huber, Sta Rita Hills, Dornfelder
NV Pin Piu, Mosel, Petnot, Sparkling Riesling
2014 Cardinal Cusanus, Stiflswein Brauneberger, Juffer Somnenuhr, Mosel, Riesling Spatleste
2014 Assmann Shauer, Hollenburg, Spatburgunder, Kabinett Trocken
2018 Graacher Himmelveich, Riesling Spatleste
2015 Cotes du Rhone, I.V. Fleury
NV Weingut Lothar Keltern, Spatburgunder Rose . Sekt
2016 Shine, Gewurztraminer
2017 Von Winninz, Sauvignon Blanc
2016 Rotwein, Trocken Spatburgunder
2018 Credia, Monterey, Gewurztraminer
2015 Fess Parker, Sta Rita Hills, Pinot Noir
2016 Castello di Amorosa, Anderson Valley, Gewurztraminer
2016 Heitz, Napa, Chardonnay
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Charles Krug at Arte Cafe
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Arte Cafe in Cerritos hosted a dinner featuring Charles Krug wines which is now owned by the Mondavi's. Riana Mondavi was in attendance to show case these wines. Large crowd tonight but not packed full as the last dinner was.
My biggest complaint was the music. A live band playing outside on the patio was so loud that you could not have a quiet conversation. Sure glad I was not an outside diner tonight.
We started out with a Seared Sea Bass with greens, blue cheese crumbles and a Sauvignon Blanc vinaigrette. Interesting to have warm sea bass with cold greens. But it worked. Paired with a 2018 Charles Krug Sauvignon Blanc. Way to acidic for my taste. More in the line of New Zealand Sau Blanc which are not on my favorite list.
Second course is a Grilled pork loin with apple cider cream sauce and couscous with herbs. A very good dish. sauce was excellent. Pork was cooked perfectly for me. The couscous was perfect. A 2017 Charles Krug Chardonnay was paired with this dish. Slight Oak but drinkable.
Main course is a grilled flank steak with blue cheese butter, to die for and some greens along with a roasted potato and Brussels sprouts. Good flavors. Wine selected was a 2016 Charles Krug Merlot. For a merlot this was good.
Dessert is a dark chocolate cake with raspberry puree and fresh raspberries. Cake was light and a good ending to a very good dinner. Wine paired is a 2016 Charles Krug Cabernet Sauvignon. A OK pairing .Wine was good.
Good dinner, a fun time and Arte Cafe 's wine dinners are the bargain of the year compared to other restaurants.
Arte Cafe in Cerritos hosted a dinner featuring Charles Krug wines which is now owned by the Mondavi's. Riana Mondavi was in attendance to show case these wines. Large crowd tonight but not packed full as the last dinner was.
My biggest complaint was the music. A live band playing outside on the patio was so loud that you could not have a quiet conversation. Sure glad I was not an outside diner tonight.
We started out with a Seared Sea Bass with greens, blue cheese crumbles and a Sauvignon Blanc vinaigrette. Interesting to have warm sea bass with cold greens. But it worked. Paired with a 2018 Charles Krug Sauvignon Blanc. Way to acidic for my taste. More in the line of New Zealand Sau Blanc which are not on my favorite list.
Second course is a Grilled pork loin with apple cider cream sauce and couscous with herbs. A very good dish. sauce was excellent. Pork was cooked perfectly for me. The couscous was perfect. A 2017 Charles Krug Chardonnay was paired with this dish. Slight Oak but drinkable.
Main course is a grilled flank steak with blue cheese butter, to die for and some greens along with a roasted potato and Brussels sprouts. Good flavors. Wine selected was a 2016 Charles Krug Merlot. For a merlot this was good.
Dessert is a dark chocolate cake with raspberry puree and fresh raspberries. Cake was light and a good ending to a very good dinner. Wine paired is a 2016 Charles Krug Cabernet Sauvignon. A OK pairing .Wine was good.
Good dinner, a fun time and Arte Cafe 's wine dinners are the bargain of the year compared to other restaurants.
Molto Italiano Dinner at the Playground
Wednesday, September 18, 2019
The Playground restaurant in Santa Ana, www.playgrounddtsa.com. hosted another "road trip" dinner. I liked the first one so much I returned.
Started out with a cocktail made from smoked tea, Contrieu and Red Rosso a vermouth style liqueur from Italy. Light and refreshing. I liked it but I noticed about a third of the 18 diners didn't drink it.
12 course tonight and 3 desserts. Up first was a plate of house made Foccacia which they make with their own sourdough starter. House made butter and fig jam accompanied it.
A salad made with frizee, radicchio and other greens, pistachios and pears along with a shallot vinaigrette . Flavors were very good. But not date night food. I
Next was a dish with various diced tomatoes, fennel and green and purple basil. None of the ingredients are on my like list. But it did have good flavor if you are into tomatoes and basil.
Cheese Financier ( almond french cake) with pinenuts, house made burrata and caviar. This I could have ate all night. Outstanding flavors and extremely addictive.
A dish of Tripanata , have no idea what that means and googling it result in nothing. Had some tomatoes among other things with buckwheat over toast. Very good but odd.
A chicken thigh in soffritto with mascarpone polenta. To die for.
Another to die for dish, Gnocchi in beure monte sauce with parmesan. Gnocchi was so soft and pillowy . Melted in your mouth. Justin is a master at making these jewels.
Escarole with caramelized onions, pork shoulder and toasted breadcrumbs. Another great flavored dish. Makes you want to like escarole. One diner (blond female) thought it was escargot. Obviously she doesn't know much about either.
Another great dish from Justin, Garlic Risotto with pinenuts. Loads of garlic Perfect texture.
Grilled sea bass with porcini sauce and grilled zucchini. Cooked almost perfectly Just a teeny, tiny off perfect.
Grilled flank steak , cooked perfectly for me. Nice red interior. Hot gill marks outside.
Hash brown with gremolata. Potato was a large rectangle with the sauce on top. My least favorite dish. I think the hash brown itself was overcooked and had a hard exterior..
Desserts were a poached pear sorbet, nice light and refreshing. Good palate cleanser. A Pistachio Lava cake with semifredo and a Budino tarte biete with whip cream.
Wines tonight are Adriano Adani Prosecco, 2018 Aia Vecchia, Vermention. 2016 Isole e Oleans, Chianti Classico, 2016 Vigneto Bordin, Barneresco, 2014 Ciacca Piccolomini d'Araga, Brunello de Montalcino. Topped off with a small glass of Amaro Montenegro. A botanical liqueur.
Another great dinner at the Playground 2.0 Room. Looking forward to the Charcoal dinner next month and the Road Trip to Israel dinner in November.
The Playground restaurant in Santa Ana, www.playgrounddtsa.com. hosted another "road trip" dinner. I liked the first one so much I returned.
Started out with a cocktail made from smoked tea, Contrieu and Red Rosso a vermouth style liqueur from Italy. Light and refreshing. I liked it but I noticed about a third of the 18 diners didn't drink it.
12 course tonight and 3 desserts. Up first was a plate of house made Foccacia which they make with their own sourdough starter. House made butter and fig jam accompanied it.
A salad made with frizee, radicchio and other greens, pistachios and pears along with a shallot vinaigrette . Flavors were very good. But not date night food. I
Next was a dish with various diced tomatoes, fennel and green and purple basil. None of the ingredients are on my like list. But it did have good flavor if you are into tomatoes and basil.
Cheese Financier ( almond french cake) with pinenuts, house made burrata and caviar. This I could have ate all night. Outstanding flavors and extremely addictive.
A dish of Tripanata , have no idea what that means and googling it result in nothing. Had some tomatoes among other things with buckwheat over toast. Very good but odd.
A chicken thigh in soffritto with mascarpone polenta. To die for.
Another to die for dish, Gnocchi in beure monte sauce with parmesan. Gnocchi was so soft and pillowy . Melted in your mouth. Justin is a master at making these jewels.
Escarole with caramelized onions, pork shoulder and toasted breadcrumbs. Another great flavored dish. Makes you want to like escarole. One diner (blond female) thought it was escargot. Obviously she doesn't know much about either.
Another great dish from Justin, Garlic Risotto with pinenuts. Loads of garlic Perfect texture.
Grilled sea bass with porcini sauce and grilled zucchini. Cooked almost perfectly Just a teeny, tiny off perfect.
Grilled flank steak , cooked perfectly for me. Nice red interior. Hot gill marks outside.
Hash brown with gremolata. Potato was a large rectangle with the sauce on top. My least favorite dish. I think the hash brown itself was overcooked and had a hard exterior..
Desserts were a poached pear sorbet, nice light and refreshing. Good palate cleanser. A Pistachio Lava cake with semifredo and a Budino tarte biete with whip cream.
Wines tonight are Adriano Adani Prosecco, 2018 Aia Vecchia, Vermention. 2016 Isole e Oleans, Chianti Classico, 2016 Vigneto Bordin, Barneresco, 2014 Ciacca Piccolomini d'Araga, Brunello de Montalcino. Topped off with a small glass of Amaro Montenegro. A botanical liqueur.
Another great dinner at the Playground 2.0 Room. Looking forward to the Charcoal dinner next month and the Road Trip to Israel dinner in November.
Sunday, September 8, 2019
Wine dinner at New Moon
Saturday, September 7, 2019
Margie chose the New Moon Chinese restaurant in Buena Park as Septembers selection for her monthly wine dinner. We were here for the first time last year. I was not impressed last year and even less impressed this year. Several people were raving about the food but for my taste I found it mediocre. Of course the price was low, $26 per person and that included tax and tip, They did not charge us corkage fee. Dinner was about an hour late getting started as we were waiting for two people who were running late.
This restaurant is right next to Portos Bakery so I had time after dinner to get a few goodies.
Started out with Cha Shu, which is BBQ pork. To me it was dry and tough. Then onto a Chinese chicken salad. This was OK but bland.
Shrimp with candied glazed walnuts in a white sauce. Have no idea where the white sauce was. This dish was also OK but that was it. OK. I have had so much better.
Mongolian Beef - a dish I never order. I associate it with Chinese fast food and I find it very unappealing in looks and flavor.
Braised green beans. Nothing wrong with these. Could have used some garlic but they did have decent flavor.
Sliced chicken with sweet basil and snow peas. I am not a basil fan so I picked it out. Snow peas were good. Chicken was dry.
Vegetable fried rice - no way can you make this dish bad unless you burn it.
For dessert they served a Chocolate dipped fortune cookie and Margie had brought a box of Godiva chocolates.
A real mixed selection of wines tonight. I tasted a few. With wines on two dining tables and a back table it is inconvenient for me to get up and down to pour the wines.
2016 Buscador, Santa Ynez Valley, Grenache Rose, I brought this wine. I prefer my Rose's to have some body instead of being a wimpy strawberry flavored liquid.
2014 Huber, Sta Rita Hills, "Hafen" a port style Dornfelder
2016 Kremser Goldberg Privat, Gruner Veltliner - good
2016 The Hilt, The Vanguard, Pinot Noir - nice medium bodied wine
2016 Schrumsberg, Brut Rose - always good sparkling
2014 Longoria, Sta Rita Hills, Blanc de Blanc, extra brut sparking - I did like this wine, nice and dry
2017 J & A Family Wines, Trisaetum, Coastal Range Estate, dry Riesling - nice
2016 Sea Smoke. Sta Rita Hills, Ten, Pinot Noir - typical Sea Smoke, big and in your face pinot
2017 Kudos, Willamette Valley, Riesling - did not taste
2016 Schrumsberg Brut Rose - two people listed this wine - not sure if there was one or two bottles
Buttonwood, Rose of Syrah - did not taste
2016 Imagine, Merlot - had a small taste. I am not a Merlot fan
2013 Dragonette, Santa Ynez Valley, John Sebastiani Vineyard, Grenache - did not taste
2017 Larner, Ballard Canyon, Rose (Syrah, Grenache & Mouvedre) - did not taste
Margie chose the New Moon Chinese restaurant in Buena Park as Septembers selection for her monthly wine dinner. We were here for the first time last year. I was not impressed last year and even less impressed this year. Several people were raving about the food but for my taste I found it mediocre. Of course the price was low, $26 per person and that included tax and tip, They did not charge us corkage fee. Dinner was about an hour late getting started as we were waiting for two people who were running late.
This restaurant is right next to Portos Bakery so I had time after dinner to get a few goodies.
Started out with Cha Shu, which is BBQ pork. To me it was dry and tough. Then onto a Chinese chicken salad. This was OK but bland.
Shrimp with candied glazed walnuts in a white sauce. Have no idea where the white sauce was. This dish was also OK but that was it. OK. I have had so much better.
Mongolian Beef - a dish I never order. I associate it with Chinese fast food and I find it very unappealing in looks and flavor.
Braised green beans. Nothing wrong with these. Could have used some garlic but they did have decent flavor.
Sliced chicken with sweet basil and snow peas. I am not a basil fan so I picked it out. Snow peas were good. Chicken was dry.
Vegetable fried rice - no way can you make this dish bad unless you burn it.
For dessert they served a Chocolate dipped fortune cookie and Margie had brought a box of Godiva chocolates.
A real mixed selection of wines tonight. I tasted a few. With wines on two dining tables and a back table it is inconvenient for me to get up and down to pour the wines.
2016 Buscador, Santa Ynez Valley, Grenache Rose, I brought this wine. I prefer my Rose's to have some body instead of being a wimpy strawberry flavored liquid.
2014 Huber, Sta Rita Hills, "Hafen" a port style Dornfelder
2016 Kremser Goldberg Privat, Gruner Veltliner - good
2016 The Hilt, The Vanguard, Pinot Noir - nice medium bodied wine
2016 Schrumsberg, Brut Rose - always good sparkling
2014 Longoria, Sta Rita Hills, Blanc de Blanc, extra brut sparking - I did like this wine, nice and dry
2017 J & A Family Wines, Trisaetum, Coastal Range Estate, dry Riesling - nice
2016 Sea Smoke. Sta Rita Hills, Ten, Pinot Noir - typical Sea Smoke, big and in your face pinot
2017 Kudos, Willamette Valley, Riesling - did not taste
2016 Schrumsberg Brut Rose - two people listed this wine - not sure if there was one or two bottles
Buttonwood, Rose of Syrah - did not taste
2016 Imagine, Merlot - had a small taste. I am not a Merlot fan
2013 Dragonette, Santa Ynez Valley, John Sebastiani Vineyard, Grenache - did not taste
2017 Larner, Ballard Canyon, Rose (Syrah, Grenache & Mouvedre) - did not taste
Al Fresco Wine Dinner with Wes Hagen
Friday, September 6, 2019
Dave and Louise who had Delius Restaurant are now doing dinners in private homes. Louise has had Chef Louise's Catering for several years. With the close of Delius and Bistro Table 301 they are venturing off into private dining experiences.
This dinner tonight was held at their home. 4 large tables are set up in their backyard. Wes Hagen, formerly of Clos Pepe and now with the Miller Family wine group was our winemaker in attendance. Was nice to see Wes again.
We started out with an appetizer of house made meatballs with a smoked cheese. It was supposed to be mozzarella but Louise was not able to procure it so she substituted a German cheese. Quite good. This was accompanied by a 2017 Ballard Lane, Zinfandel that was slightly chilled. Very fruit wine.
First course is a Kabocha Squash Quiche with oven dried tomatoes and Burrata. Very good flavors that went well together Paired with a 2018 J. Wilkes, Santa Maria Valley, Pinot Blanc. Good selection and one of my favorite wines of the night.
Next was a House smoked salmon salad, with roasted sweet corn, frisee, arugula, pickled shallots and a chardonnay whole grain mustard vinaigrette. A 2017 Ballard Lane, Central Coast, Chardonnay was the wine choice. Slightly oaked but not offensive.
Third course is a Duck and mushroom confit crepes with dried cherry relish. Loads of flavor. Paired with a 2017 J. Wilkes, Santa Maria Valley, Pinot Noir. We also have a small pour of the 2018 Pinot that has not been released yet. Nice pinots.
A braised boneless short rib with parsnip-potato puree and broccolini was our fourth course. Cooked perfectly. tender, good flavor. 2017 Barrell Burner, Paso Robles, Cabernet Sauvignon was the selection for this dish.
Dessert is a Stone fruit crumble with crème anglaise and spiced whipped cream. A light touch at the end of dinner. '
Good dinner, great dining companions. Perfect weather for dining al fresco. Wes Hagen was in his normal perfect form. We learned how everything in life from the wine press, printing, press, eye glasses, telescope etc. originated with wine. Only Wes can come up with these unusual facts and tell a great lesson in life.
Dave and Louise who had Delius Restaurant are now doing dinners in private homes. Louise has had Chef Louise's Catering for several years. With the close of Delius and Bistro Table 301 they are venturing off into private dining experiences.
This dinner tonight was held at their home. 4 large tables are set up in their backyard. Wes Hagen, formerly of Clos Pepe and now with the Miller Family wine group was our winemaker in attendance. Was nice to see Wes again.
We started out with an appetizer of house made meatballs with a smoked cheese. It was supposed to be mozzarella but Louise was not able to procure it so she substituted a German cheese. Quite good. This was accompanied by a 2017 Ballard Lane, Zinfandel that was slightly chilled. Very fruit wine.
First course is a Kabocha Squash Quiche with oven dried tomatoes and Burrata. Very good flavors that went well together Paired with a 2018 J. Wilkes, Santa Maria Valley, Pinot Blanc. Good selection and one of my favorite wines of the night.
Next was a House smoked salmon salad, with roasted sweet corn, frisee, arugula, pickled shallots and a chardonnay whole grain mustard vinaigrette. A 2017 Ballard Lane, Central Coast, Chardonnay was the wine choice. Slightly oaked but not offensive.
Third course is a Duck and mushroom confit crepes with dried cherry relish. Loads of flavor. Paired with a 2017 J. Wilkes, Santa Maria Valley, Pinot Noir. We also have a small pour of the 2018 Pinot that has not been released yet. Nice pinots.
A braised boneless short rib with parsnip-potato puree and broccolini was our fourth course. Cooked perfectly. tender, good flavor. 2017 Barrell Burner, Paso Robles, Cabernet Sauvignon was the selection for this dish.
Dessert is a Stone fruit crumble with crème anglaise and spiced whipped cream. A light touch at the end of dinner. '
Good dinner, great dining companions. Perfect weather for dining al fresco. Wes Hagen was in his normal perfect form. We learned how everything in life from the wine press, printing, press, eye glasses, telescope etc. originated with wine. Only Wes can come up with these unusual facts and tell a great lesson in life.
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
Justin Wine Dinner at Arte Cafe
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
Justin wines out of Paso Robles was the featured wine tonight at Arte Cafe in Cerritos. Not expecting their hi end wines as the dinner is only $49. The restaurant was packed on the inside and a lot of full tables on the outside patio area. I think way to many people. I think that when the winery hosts have to go in and out two different areas to give their spiel it distracts. Food service takes longer, the wines being poured are delayed. Arte had three additional servers tonight but it wasn't enough to have a good flow. And the noise level was deafening.
The kitchen suffered also. The first people who got served were finished with their food before the last people got theirs. It had to be very hectic inside that kitchen tonight.
We started out with Wild Board Spring Rolls. This was the best dish of the evening. Very good flavor, the dough wrapper was soft but now falling apart. No cracking of dough when you bit into them. The staff was poring two different sparklings. I chose the Rose which was a 2017 "Numdrum by the Wagner Family which is Caymus. Pleasant wine, nice light rose flavor, went very well with the spring rolls.
First course is a Cilantro Ginger Halibut. Fish was cooked perfectly but I could not get the taste of the cilantro nor the ginger. I felt that this dish was underseasoned. A new wine by Justin was featured. JNSQ Sauvignon Blanc. Too acidic for me.
Second course is a Lemon caper salmon. Salmon was very soft so it was probably frozen at one time. Again this dish really needed seasoning. Paired with a JNSQ Rose Cru. Way to much "strawberry fields forever" for me.
This JNSQ line form Justin is a lower end line. I think made to appeal more to the masses. The bottles that they were in were extremely heavy decanters. I would venture a guess and say at least half the price of the wine was for the bottle itself. I was not impressed with either wine. But I liked the heavy decanter style bottle. They did give away the emptied bottles to those who wanted them
Main dish was Beef Kabobs. Richard has really been ding well with beef lately but this fell down like the other dishes tonight. Meat had decent flavor but was a bit tough. Potatoes had absolutely no salt at all. Very bland. Paired with a lower end Justin Cabernet Sauvignon. This was was good, not great but good.
Dessert consisted of chocolate ice cream with fresh blueberries. Can't go wrong with ice cream. But by time the main entree plates were taken away and the ice cream was served was way too much time. Quite a few people had left already.
All in all a disappointing dinner and wine selection. I think that having twice as many people in attendance really hampered Arte from having a really good evening. I was told that Richard has hired an event manager. I expect to see some interesting things coming up hopefully for the better but I am not betting on that. When people go for numbers over quality something ends up giving and not always for the best.
Justin wines out of Paso Robles was the featured wine tonight at Arte Cafe in Cerritos. Not expecting their hi end wines as the dinner is only $49. The restaurant was packed on the inside and a lot of full tables on the outside patio area. I think way to many people. I think that when the winery hosts have to go in and out two different areas to give their spiel it distracts. Food service takes longer, the wines being poured are delayed. Arte had three additional servers tonight but it wasn't enough to have a good flow. And the noise level was deafening.
The kitchen suffered also. The first people who got served were finished with their food before the last people got theirs. It had to be very hectic inside that kitchen tonight.
We started out with Wild Board Spring Rolls. This was the best dish of the evening. Very good flavor, the dough wrapper was soft but now falling apart. No cracking of dough when you bit into them. The staff was poring two different sparklings. I chose the Rose which was a 2017 "Numdrum by the Wagner Family which is Caymus. Pleasant wine, nice light rose flavor, went very well with the spring rolls.
First course is a Cilantro Ginger Halibut. Fish was cooked perfectly but I could not get the taste of the cilantro nor the ginger. I felt that this dish was underseasoned. A new wine by Justin was featured. JNSQ Sauvignon Blanc. Too acidic for me.
Second course is a Lemon caper salmon. Salmon was very soft so it was probably frozen at one time. Again this dish really needed seasoning. Paired with a JNSQ Rose Cru. Way to much "strawberry fields forever" for me.
This JNSQ line form Justin is a lower end line. I think made to appeal more to the masses. The bottles that they were in were extremely heavy decanters. I would venture a guess and say at least half the price of the wine was for the bottle itself. I was not impressed with either wine. But I liked the heavy decanter style bottle. They did give away the emptied bottles to those who wanted them
Main dish was Beef Kabobs. Richard has really been ding well with beef lately but this fell down like the other dishes tonight. Meat had decent flavor but was a bit tough. Potatoes had absolutely no salt at all. Very bland. Paired with a lower end Justin Cabernet Sauvignon. This was was good, not great but good.
Dessert consisted of chocolate ice cream with fresh blueberries. Can't go wrong with ice cream. But by time the main entree plates were taken away and the ice cream was served was way too much time. Quite a few people had left already.
All in all a disappointing dinner and wine selection. I think that having twice as many people in attendance really hampered Arte from having a really good evening. I was told that Richard has hired an event manager. I expect to see some interesting things coming up hopefully for the better but I am not betting on that. When people go for numbers over quality something ends up giving and not always for the best.
Chez Lomita Wine Expo ll 2019
Saturday, August 24, 2019
Big party at private residence. A lot of bodies mingling around. Everything was basically set up in the pool area. Beautiful looks but not much passing room.
A wide array of food. I concentrated on the Ahi sliders as they were closet to the end of tables lined up. These food tables were set up on one long side of the pool. I did not venture down that path as it was less than 2 feet wide. Too close to water for me as I do not know how to swim and when walking I have this tendency to veer off the straight and narrow. I have no idea what was on the food dishes so no comments on that.
The wine table was set in a corner near the back door. Big congestion area. I did not leave that area much at all. To walk to the other side of the pool area there was a huge rug and I looked at that as an obstacle for me. People were tripping over the edges all evening.
A lot of good wine came through that door. Some I got to taste and others disappeared before I got to them. I monitored my intake as I was not eating much and did not want the wine getting to me. I do remember a 1990 Caymus Cab that was excellent. I did leave earlier than most so missed out of some special wines that were brought out by the host from his cellar.
Weather was perfect for an outdoor event. Lot a small tables and chairs lined up. Pool was beautiful with its blue lining. Very festive decorations for a fun and very sober evening.
Big party at private residence. A lot of bodies mingling around. Everything was basically set up in the pool area. Beautiful looks but not much passing room.
A wide array of food. I concentrated on the Ahi sliders as they were closet to the end of tables lined up. These food tables were set up on one long side of the pool. I did not venture down that path as it was less than 2 feet wide. Too close to water for me as I do not know how to swim and when walking I have this tendency to veer off the straight and narrow. I have no idea what was on the food dishes so no comments on that.
The wine table was set in a corner near the back door. Big congestion area. I did not leave that area much at all. To walk to the other side of the pool area there was a huge rug and I looked at that as an obstacle for me. People were tripping over the edges all evening.
A lot of good wine came through that door. Some I got to taste and others disappeared before I got to them. I monitored my intake as I was not eating much and did not want the wine getting to me. I do remember a 1990 Caymus Cab that was excellent. I did leave earlier than most so missed out of some special wines that were brought out by the host from his cellar.
Weather was perfect for an outdoor event. Lot a small tables and chairs lined up. Pool was beautiful with its blue lining. Very festive decorations for a fun and very sober evening.
Sunday, August 25, 2019
Adventures in Seafood at The Playground
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
I did this dinner a few months ago at the Playground. and was impressed. I knew the food dishes would be completely different so I signed up again. This is my favorite restaurant for food. Wish I could afford to eat here more often. They have a walk in restaurant but I always book dinners in the 2.0 Room. Holds 18 people and all the dinners are specialized. I have never had a bad dish served to me. Some may not have been my personal preference but the food is always top notch. A new wine steward and I think I like his taste in wine better than the last person. All a matter of personal preference. I am not going to make additional comments about the food or wine. Just a list of 12 courses and 3 desserts. I can add nothing to the descriptions except that it was all extremely good.
www.playgrounddtsa.com.
We started out with a cocktail made with Blinking Owl Gin, Cointreau, Kiwi, Lime and black tea.
Fish head and liver terrine, Tasmanian pepperberry, butter, mustard, lemon and herb salad
Hose made grilled focaccia
Fish eye chips with a crème fraiche (addicting)
Kampachi belly, house made soy, fresh grated wasabi, buckwheat rice
Heirloom tomatoes dressed with sardine garum (fermented fish sauce), lime, offal, XO, crispy shallots, crushed peanuts and mint
Battered John Dory, yogurt tartare sauce
Peaso-garlic grilled mackerel
Rice wine vinegar cucumbers
Twice fried octopus, tikka masala, lime cilantro, puffed rice
Baja Bay scallops, grilled corn, old bay butter, caramelized fennel, lemon
White sea bass, bone sauce, smoked fingerling potatoes
Lemon grilled broccolini, puffed wild rice
Melon sorbet with freeze dried raspberries
Plums and plum custard, hose made granola
Pistachio molten cake, plum whip
Domaine Roger Neveu, Sancerre
Salwey RS, Pinot Blanc
Albert Boxper, Edelzwicker, Reserve, blend of muscat, rielsing, pinot blanc and chasselas
2015 Caimille Giroud, Hautes-Cotes de Beaune, Au Cretal
2015 Roda, Rioja
2014 Robert Sinsky Vineyards, Los Carneros, Late Harvets, Pinot Noir
I did this dinner a few months ago at the Playground. and was impressed. I knew the food dishes would be completely different so I signed up again. This is my favorite restaurant for food. Wish I could afford to eat here more often. They have a walk in restaurant but I always book dinners in the 2.0 Room. Holds 18 people and all the dinners are specialized. I have never had a bad dish served to me. Some may not have been my personal preference but the food is always top notch. A new wine steward and I think I like his taste in wine better than the last person. All a matter of personal preference. I am not going to make additional comments about the food or wine. Just a list of 12 courses and 3 desserts. I can add nothing to the descriptions except that it was all extremely good.
www.playgrounddtsa.com.
We started out with a cocktail made with Blinking Owl Gin, Cointreau, Kiwi, Lime and black tea.
Fish head and liver terrine, Tasmanian pepperberry, butter, mustard, lemon and herb salad
Hose made grilled focaccia
Fish eye chips with a crème fraiche (addicting)
Kampachi belly, house made soy, fresh grated wasabi, buckwheat rice
Heirloom tomatoes dressed with sardine garum (fermented fish sauce), lime, offal, XO, crispy shallots, crushed peanuts and mint
Battered John Dory, yogurt tartare sauce
Peaso-garlic grilled mackerel
Rice wine vinegar cucumbers
Twice fried octopus, tikka masala, lime cilantro, puffed rice
Baja Bay scallops, grilled corn, old bay butter, caramelized fennel, lemon
White sea bass, bone sauce, smoked fingerling potatoes
Lemon grilled broccolini, puffed wild rice
Melon sorbet with freeze dried raspberries
Plums and plum custard, hose made granola
Pistachio molten cake, plum whip
Domaine Roger Neveu, Sancerre
Salwey RS, Pinot Blanc
Albert Boxper, Edelzwicker, Reserve, blend of muscat, rielsing, pinot blanc and chasselas
2015 Caimille Giroud, Hautes-Cotes de Beaune, Au Cretal
2015 Roda, Rioja
2014 Robert Sinsky Vineyards, Los Carneros, Late Harvets, Pinot Noir
Miura & Clos Pissarra Wine Dinner at Taste
Monday, August 19, 2019
Had not to Taste in quite awhile. I forgot how noisy this place is. Hard surfaces and no acoustics at all.www.taste-wbk.com, But was interested in this winery so I ventured again. Wine maker / owner Emmanuel Kemiji was in attendance and I found him to be a very interesting speaker
We started out with a Corn "Risotto", sweet yellow corn, parmesan cheese and mascarpone. No rice in this dish but the flavors were very good. Corn was extra sweet and soft and the cheeses made a delicious sauce. The wine with this dish is a 2016 Miura, Clos Pissarra, Grenache Blanc, Llum. Perfect pairing.
Second course is Pan seared scallops with a creamy tomato sauce, chorizo oil , wilted garlicky chard. Scallops are cooked perfectly. Lots of flavors going on. Paired with a 2017 Miura, McIntyre Ranch, Santa Lucia Highlands, Pinot Noir. Another excellent pairing. I liked this wine well enough to buy a couple of bottles.
Up next is a Lamb Bolognese, Cavatella pasta and house made ricotta and herbs. Least favorite dish of the evening. I am not a fan of cavatelli pasta. It always has a "gummy" taste to me. I did not think there was sufficient Bolognese sauce on the pasta. Flavors were OK buy nothing knocked my socks off. A 2013 Clos Pissarra, Monsant, Aristan was the wine. A blend of 70% syrah and 30% Grenache. A good wine that paired well with the food.
4th course is a Plum Barbecue glazed pork loin with smoked grits and grilled okra. Sauce was great, pork was dry. Grits were great along with the okra. I did not finish this dish. I asked for it to boxed up to take home and it never returned to my table. Paired with a 2010 Miura, Clos Pissarra, Priorat, Clos d'Oc. Blend of 75 % cabernet sauvignon and 25% Grenache. Another good pairing. Tonight's pairings are spot on.
Dessert is an Orange and Spice cake with roasted golden plums, pistachios and white chocolate ice cream., Interesting flavors in the cake but the highlight is the ice cream. Delicious. The wine is a 2012 Miura, Clos Pissarra, Priorat, El Nord. Blend of Grenache and carignane. Grapes come from 70 to 80 year old vines.
I like the food at Taste and the wine pairings are usually good but the noise factor is such a big turn off. To have to yell at the person sitting next to you to be heard is not my thing. This effects how often I will dine here.
Had not to Taste in quite awhile. I forgot how noisy this place is. Hard surfaces and no acoustics at all.www.taste-wbk.com, But was interested in this winery so I ventured again. Wine maker / owner Emmanuel Kemiji was in attendance and I found him to be a very interesting speaker
We started out with a Corn "Risotto", sweet yellow corn, parmesan cheese and mascarpone. No rice in this dish but the flavors were very good. Corn was extra sweet and soft and the cheeses made a delicious sauce. The wine with this dish is a 2016 Miura, Clos Pissarra, Grenache Blanc, Llum. Perfect pairing.
Second course is Pan seared scallops with a creamy tomato sauce, chorizo oil , wilted garlicky chard. Scallops are cooked perfectly. Lots of flavors going on. Paired with a 2017 Miura, McIntyre Ranch, Santa Lucia Highlands, Pinot Noir. Another excellent pairing. I liked this wine well enough to buy a couple of bottles.
Up next is a Lamb Bolognese, Cavatella pasta and house made ricotta and herbs. Least favorite dish of the evening. I am not a fan of cavatelli pasta. It always has a "gummy" taste to me. I did not think there was sufficient Bolognese sauce on the pasta. Flavors were OK buy nothing knocked my socks off. A 2013 Clos Pissarra, Monsant, Aristan was the wine. A blend of 70% syrah and 30% Grenache. A good wine that paired well with the food.
4th course is a Plum Barbecue glazed pork loin with smoked grits and grilled okra. Sauce was great, pork was dry. Grits were great along with the okra. I did not finish this dish. I asked for it to boxed up to take home and it never returned to my table. Paired with a 2010 Miura, Clos Pissarra, Priorat, Clos d'Oc. Blend of 75 % cabernet sauvignon and 25% Grenache. Another good pairing. Tonight's pairings are spot on.
Dessert is an Orange and Spice cake with roasted golden plums, pistachios and white chocolate ice cream., Interesting flavors in the cake but the highlight is the ice cream. Delicious. The wine is a 2012 Miura, Clos Pissarra, Priorat, El Nord. Blend of Grenache and carignane. Grapes come from 70 to 80 year old vines.
I like the food at Taste and the wine pairings are usually good but the noise factor is such a big turn off. To have to yell at the person sitting next to you to be heard is not my thing. This effects how often I will dine here.
Monday, August 12, 2019
Mama's Comfort Food
Saturday, August 10, 2019
Margie's pick for this months wine dinner is Mama's Comfort Food. www.mamason39.com. We went to the restaurant in Los Alamitos. I had been there once before and was not impressed. Almost everything on the menu is fried or sauced. A couple of fresh seafood dishes but in a place like this I would be suspect on how they handled the fish.
That being said when I first walked in there were some of the dinner party already there. One person of our dinner party was cleaning the table and the chairs. First it shouldn't have had to be cleaned, secondly someone on the staff had to see her cleaning. They should have come over and finished it themselves. Part way through our dinner I saw a staff person cleaning a table with diners seated at it, when finished she threw the cleaning cloth on a table with clean items.
Needless to say I will never go back.
I had ordered the ball cut sirloin steak. I did not eat it tonight. Took it home and had it the next day It was good, not great but good. Nice flavor, very tender and cooked to rare the way I requested. Came with a medley of vegetables but way too many pieces of green bell pepper. Not my thing. I did make a mistake when I ordered the parmesan french fries in lieu of the mashed potatoes. The serving was large and I ate about one fifth of them. If I had mashed I could have taken them home. The fries had good flavor. Dinner came with a choice of soup or salad.I opted for the soup which was a tomato bisque and was very good. But it was a bowl not a cup and that was my dinner.
The servings at Mama's are huge. I found the amount of food obscene. Most of the diners I saw were in the age group of late 20's to 50's. This is a place for people who like fried and huge. No fine dining here.
Small group tonight, 8 of us including the cleaning lady. A mixed bag of wines since there really was no theme on food so it was pot luck on wine selection. I tasted all but the chardonnay. They were all good. Nothing spectacular but good solid wines.
2015 Stolpman, Ballard Canyon,"Carbonic" Sagiovese
NV Maysara, Oregon, Sparkling Pinot Noir Rose
2015 Turley, Paso Robles, Ubberoth Vineyards, Zinfande'
2017 Cowhorn Spiral 36, Oregon, White Table Wine
2017 D'Alfonso-Curran, Santa Barbara County, Vermentino
2014 Addendum, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon
2017 Big Table Farm, Williamette Valley, The Wild Bee Chardonnay
NV 14 Hands, Columbia Valley, Brut Rose Sparkling
2017 Runcaris, Italy, Soave
2017 Terrasse du Sud de France
Margie's pick for this months wine dinner is Mama's Comfort Food. www.mamason39.com. We went to the restaurant in Los Alamitos. I had been there once before and was not impressed. Almost everything on the menu is fried or sauced. A couple of fresh seafood dishes but in a place like this I would be suspect on how they handled the fish.
That being said when I first walked in there were some of the dinner party already there. One person of our dinner party was cleaning the table and the chairs. First it shouldn't have had to be cleaned, secondly someone on the staff had to see her cleaning. They should have come over and finished it themselves. Part way through our dinner I saw a staff person cleaning a table with diners seated at it, when finished she threw the cleaning cloth on a table with clean items.
Needless to say I will never go back.
I had ordered the ball cut sirloin steak. I did not eat it tonight. Took it home and had it the next day It was good, not great but good. Nice flavor, very tender and cooked to rare the way I requested. Came with a medley of vegetables but way too many pieces of green bell pepper. Not my thing. I did make a mistake when I ordered the parmesan french fries in lieu of the mashed potatoes. The serving was large and I ate about one fifth of them. If I had mashed I could have taken them home. The fries had good flavor. Dinner came with a choice of soup or salad.I opted for the soup which was a tomato bisque and was very good. But it was a bowl not a cup and that was my dinner.
The servings at Mama's are huge. I found the amount of food obscene. Most of the diners I saw were in the age group of late 20's to 50's. This is a place for people who like fried and huge. No fine dining here.
Small group tonight, 8 of us including the cleaning lady. A mixed bag of wines since there really was no theme on food so it was pot luck on wine selection. I tasted all but the chardonnay. They were all good. Nothing spectacular but good solid wines.
2015 Stolpman, Ballard Canyon,"Carbonic" Sagiovese
NV Maysara, Oregon, Sparkling Pinot Noir Rose
2015 Turley, Paso Robles, Ubberoth Vineyards, Zinfande'
2017 Cowhorn Spiral 36, Oregon, White Table Wine
2017 D'Alfonso-Curran, Santa Barbara County, Vermentino
2014 Addendum, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon
2017 Big Table Farm, Williamette Valley, The Wild Bee Chardonnay
NV 14 Hands, Columbia Valley, Brut Rose Sparkling
2017 Runcaris, Italy, Soave
2017 Terrasse du Sud de France
Thursday, August 1, 2019
Charcoal - A Love Affair Dinner at The Playground
Tuesday, July 30, 2019
A new concept for dinner at the Playground. www.playgrounddtsa.com. Everything done with charcoal, either grilled, smoked or infused. Jason was inspired by a restaurant in Spain that does this concept. Turned out to be a smashing hit among the diners tonight. 13 courses and 2 desserts
Started out with a cocktail made from bourbon, black tea, lemon and ginger. Exceptionally good.
Then on to a charcoal flat bread brushed with smoked butter. Good flavor but a bit hard on the crusty bottom.. That is what happens to bread on a grill.
Grilled eggplant dip with pom molasses, pine nuts, mint, aleppo pepper and urfa pepper. I am not an eggplant fan but this particular dish was outstanding. Much better than the Baba Ganouj I have had in restaurants. I spread it on the flatbread. A Domaine de la Taille aux Loups."Triple Zero", Cremant de Loire Rose was the wine that accompanied these dishes. Very light. Made from the Gamay grape.
A plate of albacore sashimi with charcoal oil dressing, buckwheat, wasabi and arugula was next. the albacore was perfect, a slightly bold flavor but not overly. The buckwheat really added a nice component.The dressing was also exceptional
Then grilled asparagus with buttermilk gooseberry seed dressing, which was the bomb, and bubu which is a spice. Went back for seconds on this one.
Grilled octopus. Started out raw, not boiled ahead of time, with roasted pepper harissa, a bit of a bite to it but damm good, olive oil and lemon. Octopus was slightly "al dente". A bit of a chew but not much. Flavors were spot on.
Wine served with these 3 dishes was a 2014 Castell d'Encus, "Ekam", Albarino/Riesling bland, Catalan Pyrenees, Spain. I wasn't overly taken with this wine. Not sure if it was the blend or ?
Then onto double grilled corn cut off the cob with almond miso butter.lime and togarashi pepper. This dish was outstanding. I finished the bowl. I have never had corn taste this good. Grilled with the husks on then grilled without the husks.
A plate of Milliken Farms Japanese sweet potatoes with scallion and chile garlic crack. Japanese sweet potatoes are more white in color and have a completely different taste than our American sweet potatoes have. Another vert tasty dish.
A piece of grilled white sea bass with smoked fish beurre monte. Beurre Monte is is just melted butter with a very small amount of water added to it. Fish was succulent and tender,Skin was nice and crispy. The skin was my favorite part of the dish.
A 2016 Chateau Bouscaut, Sauvignon/Semillon blend, Graves, France. Wine paired very well with the last 3 dishes.
Mottainai Lamb ribs was next. They even had the authenticity stated on a certificate. Beautiful flavor. Cooked perfectly. A bowl of smoked Aaron Choi tomatoes accompanied the lamb. The tomatoes are covered with herbs then smoked so the herb flavor infuses the tomato. I even ate on of the yellow tomatoes. I am not a raw tomato fan. But these were very good in you are into tomatoes. A 2016 Clos Bellane, Chateauneauf-du-pape, Rhone, France was the wine selection, A decent wine but I was not enamored with it.
We had two plates of A5 Wagu beef served that were not on the original working menu. One was the Rib cap. Both plates of meat were very good examples of A5 wagu. Top of the line. Runs about $300 a pound.
Desserts were a Cherrywood smoked milked ice cream. Ice cream had no eggs in it but did have milk and cream. They took a large hunk of fire red cherrywood and with a tong put it into the mixture for a bit of time and infused the liquid with that smoke flavor. Then into the ice cream maker. Served in a metal bowl to keep it solid and poured freshly juiced red beets over it. Beets are naturally sweet and the combination was a huge success. Also a Charcoal cream rice pudding. not you gramma's rice pudding, with a flat set budino, pecan wood smoked caramel and grilled pecans, So light and so decadent.
Last wine of the day was a 2011 Anselmi, "I Capitelli, Veneto, Italy. Made from the Garganega grape. A very light finish to the evening.
Another outstanding dinner at the Playground. They really out do themselves with the food. I will be doing another seafood dinner in a few weeks and a "Road Trip" Italy next month. The set up of the restaurant and how they serve is not for everyone but it is perfect for me and the food is the best I have had.
A new concept for dinner at the Playground. www.playgrounddtsa.com. Everything done with charcoal, either grilled, smoked or infused. Jason was inspired by a restaurant in Spain that does this concept. Turned out to be a smashing hit among the diners tonight. 13 courses and 2 desserts
Started out with a cocktail made from bourbon, black tea, lemon and ginger. Exceptionally good.
Then on to a charcoal flat bread brushed with smoked butter. Good flavor but a bit hard on the crusty bottom.. That is what happens to bread on a grill.
Grilled eggplant dip with pom molasses, pine nuts, mint, aleppo pepper and urfa pepper. I am not an eggplant fan but this particular dish was outstanding. Much better than the Baba Ganouj I have had in restaurants. I spread it on the flatbread. A Domaine de la Taille aux Loups."Triple Zero", Cremant de Loire Rose was the wine that accompanied these dishes. Very light. Made from the Gamay grape.
A plate of albacore sashimi with charcoal oil dressing, buckwheat, wasabi and arugula was next. the albacore was perfect, a slightly bold flavor but not overly. The buckwheat really added a nice component.The dressing was also exceptional
Then grilled asparagus with buttermilk gooseberry seed dressing, which was the bomb, and bubu which is a spice. Went back for seconds on this one.
Grilled octopus. Started out raw, not boiled ahead of time, with roasted pepper harissa, a bit of a bite to it but damm good, olive oil and lemon. Octopus was slightly "al dente". A bit of a chew but not much. Flavors were spot on.
Wine served with these 3 dishes was a 2014 Castell d'Encus, "Ekam", Albarino/Riesling bland, Catalan Pyrenees, Spain. I wasn't overly taken with this wine. Not sure if it was the blend or ?
Then onto double grilled corn cut off the cob with almond miso butter.lime and togarashi pepper. This dish was outstanding. I finished the bowl. I have never had corn taste this good. Grilled with the husks on then grilled without the husks.
A plate of Milliken Farms Japanese sweet potatoes with scallion and chile garlic crack. Japanese sweet potatoes are more white in color and have a completely different taste than our American sweet potatoes have. Another vert tasty dish.
A piece of grilled white sea bass with smoked fish beurre monte. Beurre Monte is is just melted butter with a very small amount of water added to it. Fish was succulent and tender,Skin was nice and crispy. The skin was my favorite part of the dish.
A 2016 Chateau Bouscaut, Sauvignon/Semillon blend, Graves, France. Wine paired very well with the last 3 dishes.
Mottainai Lamb ribs was next. They even had the authenticity stated on a certificate. Beautiful flavor. Cooked perfectly. A bowl of smoked Aaron Choi tomatoes accompanied the lamb. The tomatoes are covered with herbs then smoked so the herb flavor infuses the tomato. I even ate on of the yellow tomatoes. I am not a raw tomato fan. But these were very good in you are into tomatoes. A 2016 Clos Bellane, Chateauneauf-du-pape, Rhone, France was the wine selection, A decent wine but I was not enamored with it.
We had two plates of A5 Wagu beef served that were not on the original working menu. One was the Rib cap. Both plates of meat were very good examples of A5 wagu. Top of the line. Runs about $300 a pound.
Desserts were a Cherrywood smoked milked ice cream. Ice cream had no eggs in it but did have milk and cream. They took a large hunk of fire red cherrywood and with a tong put it into the mixture for a bit of time and infused the liquid with that smoke flavor. Then into the ice cream maker. Served in a metal bowl to keep it solid and poured freshly juiced red beets over it. Beets are naturally sweet and the combination was a huge success. Also a Charcoal cream rice pudding. not you gramma's rice pudding, with a flat set budino, pecan wood smoked caramel and grilled pecans, So light and so decadent.
Last wine of the day was a 2011 Anselmi, "I Capitelli, Veneto, Italy. Made from the Garganega grape. A very light finish to the evening.
Another outstanding dinner at the Playground. They really out do themselves with the food. I will be doing another seafood dinner in a few weeks and a "Road Trip" Italy next month. The set up of the restaurant and how they serve is not for everyone but it is perfect for me and the food is the best I have had.
Thursday, July 18, 2019
Dine in LA Week at Providence
Monday, July 15, 2019
Going to be a bit more restrained this time around for Dine in LA Week. Only booked one dinner this time. Our selection was Providence restaurant. www.providencela.com. One of the best restaurants in Los Angeles. Prix Fixe menus only. And Monday's no corkage on the first two bottles. Otherwise $50 per bottle. Service is superb.
We got there early and had to wait for our dining companions so headed to the bar for a cocktail. I had some concoction that was really good. Can't remember all that was in it but it had vermouth and brandy also with a fruit enhancement. Their cocktail menu changes every few months.
Dinner started out with an array of five amuse bouches. A "Summer Soup", made with tomato and lime. Had a slight fish taste to it. Very slight, not off putting but interesting. Served in a type of shot glass. Next was mini quiches made with fresh crab. Just a bite or two. An tray of cracker topped with salmon and salmon roe with horseradish. Two bites. Then the best mussels I have every had. Small, steamed, black mussels. Never had a mussel taste so good. A semi rolled nasturtium leaf filled with Kamachi collar. Again just one bite. Everything was excellent and very well presented. Almost like an art show.
Then on to the Dine in LA menu. Started off with Amber Jack sashimi with creme fraiche, rice crackers and nasturtium leaves.
Next was a piece of black cod that melted in your mouth.
For my main I chose Liberty Farms Duck, a nice piece of breast with a cherry sauce and a piece of duck sausage rolled in pastry. Excellent quality and cooked perfectly and seasoned correctly. You had a choice of salmon, duck or with an $40 supplement you could have A5 wagyu beef.
I opted for an extra - a piece of truffle brie cheese with a truffle infused dressed greens and toast. Cheese was just a bit cooler than room temperature and was perfect consistency for spreading on the small pieces of toast.
Other add ons a couple of people opted for was the Risotto with black truffles and the soft poached egg in the shell topped with Uni. Served in the cutest cup that was on a replica of a duck foot.
We had a loaf of Red Fife sourdough bread served with a salted butter from Normandy infused with kelp foraged from Santa Barbara.
Desserts were an assortment. Milk chocolate peanut butter mousse, pot a chou, tomato jam. basil infused white chocolate. Then a plate of hand painted bon bons.
We all got a housemade apple muffin to take home. This is a tradition at Providence.
All the food was excellent. Innovative, great flavors and just top notch quality. You pay for it but it is superb.
I brought a 2009 Domiane de Montielle, Les Sizies, 1st Cru, Beaune, Burgundy. Decanted it at home. Excellent wine A 2009 Sea Smoke Southing, Pinot Noir opened up quite nicely after being poured. Probably should have been decanted before. We had a 1995 Blanc de Millenaires, sparkling wine which was a bit yeasty which I like. Since there were two Pinots on the table Stan decided not to open the pinot he brought and purchased a wine off the list. NV Camille Saves, Grand Cru Rose Champagne. Outstanding wine. He said the wine list price was what the stores were getting retail on it so that is what he thought it was a bargain on the wine list. Since he bought a bottle from the wine list they did not charge us corkage for the third bottle.
Nice to go to a high end restaurant where the wait staff and sommelier's know your dining companions. I always feel we get extra attention. Maybe not because the attention that the staff gives to each diner is outstanding.
Going to be a bit more restrained this time around for Dine in LA Week. Only booked one dinner this time. Our selection was Providence restaurant. www.providencela.com. One of the best restaurants in Los Angeles. Prix Fixe menus only. And Monday's no corkage on the first two bottles. Otherwise $50 per bottle. Service is superb.
We got there early and had to wait for our dining companions so headed to the bar for a cocktail. I had some concoction that was really good. Can't remember all that was in it but it had vermouth and brandy also with a fruit enhancement. Their cocktail menu changes every few months.
Dinner started out with an array of five amuse bouches. A "Summer Soup", made with tomato and lime. Had a slight fish taste to it. Very slight, not off putting but interesting. Served in a type of shot glass. Next was mini quiches made with fresh crab. Just a bite or two. An tray of cracker topped with salmon and salmon roe with horseradish. Two bites. Then the best mussels I have every had. Small, steamed, black mussels. Never had a mussel taste so good. A semi rolled nasturtium leaf filled with Kamachi collar. Again just one bite. Everything was excellent and very well presented. Almost like an art show.
Then on to the Dine in LA menu. Started off with Amber Jack sashimi with creme fraiche, rice crackers and nasturtium leaves.
Next was a piece of black cod that melted in your mouth.
For my main I chose Liberty Farms Duck, a nice piece of breast with a cherry sauce and a piece of duck sausage rolled in pastry. Excellent quality and cooked perfectly and seasoned correctly. You had a choice of salmon, duck or with an $40 supplement you could have A5 wagyu beef.
I opted for an extra - a piece of truffle brie cheese with a truffle infused dressed greens and toast. Cheese was just a bit cooler than room temperature and was perfect consistency for spreading on the small pieces of toast.
Other add ons a couple of people opted for was the Risotto with black truffles and the soft poached egg in the shell topped with Uni. Served in the cutest cup that was on a replica of a duck foot.
We had a loaf of Red Fife sourdough bread served with a salted butter from Normandy infused with kelp foraged from Santa Barbara.
Desserts were an assortment. Milk chocolate peanut butter mousse, pot a chou, tomato jam. basil infused white chocolate. Then a plate of hand painted bon bons.
We all got a housemade apple muffin to take home. This is a tradition at Providence.
All the food was excellent. Innovative, great flavors and just top notch quality. You pay for it but it is superb.
I brought a 2009 Domiane de Montielle, Les Sizies, 1st Cru, Beaune, Burgundy. Decanted it at home. Excellent wine A 2009 Sea Smoke Southing, Pinot Noir opened up quite nicely after being poured. Probably should have been decanted before. We had a 1995 Blanc de Millenaires, sparkling wine which was a bit yeasty which I like. Since there were two Pinots on the table Stan decided not to open the pinot he brought and purchased a wine off the list. NV Camille Saves, Grand Cru Rose Champagne. Outstanding wine. He said the wine list price was what the stores were getting retail on it so that is what he thought it was a bargain on the wine list. Since he bought a bottle from the wine list they did not charge us corkage for the third bottle.
Nice to go to a high end restaurant where the wait staff and sommelier's know your dining companions. I always feel we get extra attention. Maybe not because the attention that the staff gives to each diner is outstanding.
Tuesday, July 16, 2019
Baci Restaurant
Saturday, July 13, 2019
A very small group tonight for Margie's monthly dinner selection. Baci Restaurant in Huntington Beach. www.bacirestaurant.com. With the small group it made for much better conversation during dinner. We were in the back room away from the live music. Band that was playing was good and it was nice to have it as background instead of in your face.
'I started out with a spinach salad with bacon and mushrooms. Decent but it could have used a bot more dressing .On the dry side. My main course was Risotto All'aragusto. Risotto rice with garlic, lobster, asparagus and fresh tomatoes. It was OK but not great. Seemed to lack seasoning of some sort. I just felt something was missing. Next day I had the leftovers for lunch and added some salt and more parmesan cheese. That seemed to help.
I brought 2010 Roar, Garys Vineyard, Pinot Noir. Excellent wine. Soft, elegant not in your face fruit. Someone at the table thought it was going bad but I disagree. Still have good structure, well balanced, soft tanins, good fruit but restrained. Finished it off the next day and I thought it was even better after sitting 24 hours. I had decanted it for about 90 minutes before dinner. Maybe it just needed another hour of decanting
Other wines brought.
2013 Assolati, Montecucco, D'Orcia, Italy, Sangiovese Reserva
2016 Brick Barn, Vermentino
2016 Peltzer, Barbera
NV Ditalian Canella, Rose Brut S/W
2014 Navarro Vineyards, Anderson Valley, Mendocino, Gewurztraminer
2015 Fesstivity, Sta Rita Hills, Blanc de Noirs
2015 Stolpman,Ballard Canyon, Sangiovese
A very small group tonight for Margie's monthly dinner selection. Baci Restaurant in Huntington Beach. www.bacirestaurant.com. With the small group it made for much better conversation during dinner. We were in the back room away from the live music. Band that was playing was good and it was nice to have it as background instead of in your face.
'I started out with a spinach salad with bacon and mushrooms. Decent but it could have used a bot more dressing .On the dry side. My main course was Risotto All'aragusto. Risotto rice with garlic, lobster, asparagus and fresh tomatoes. It was OK but not great. Seemed to lack seasoning of some sort. I just felt something was missing. Next day I had the leftovers for lunch and added some salt and more parmesan cheese. That seemed to help.
I brought 2010 Roar, Garys Vineyard, Pinot Noir. Excellent wine. Soft, elegant not in your face fruit. Someone at the table thought it was going bad but I disagree. Still have good structure, well balanced, soft tanins, good fruit but restrained. Finished it off the next day and I thought it was even better after sitting 24 hours. I had decanted it for about 90 minutes before dinner. Maybe it just needed another hour of decanting
Other wines brought.
2013 Assolati, Montecucco, D'Orcia, Italy, Sangiovese Reserva
2016 Brick Barn, Vermentino
2016 Peltzer, Barbera
NV Ditalian Canella, Rose Brut S/W
2014 Navarro Vineyards, Anderson Valley, Mendocino, Gewurztraminer
2015 Fesstivity, Sta Rita Hills, Blanc de Noirs
2015 Stolpman,Ballard Canyon, Sangiovese
Saturday, July 6, 2019
Lunch at the Diamond Palace with the boys
Saturday. July 6, 2017
Impromptu, unplanned lunch today with the boys. Off to the Diamond Palace in Westminister. They still have not changed their menu. Using the old Seafood Place one. Busy setting us for huge parties tonight. One smaller room with a stage and small dance floor and the really large room that holds hundreds of people. Seems to be their thing to cater to big parties. Make a lot more money that way.
We started out with egg drop soup. It is good but needs more seasoning. Does not compare to the spicy sour soup we used to get.
First dish is sautéed scallops. Fresh and moist with mushrooms and snow peas. Nice flavor. Then we got a plate of Shrimp with lobster sauce. Coud not taste much lobster in it. Shrimp were moist and tender. Cooked correctly. Both dishes were good.
Orange peel beef was next. This is always a good selection. Meat was very tender and the sauce had a slight kick to it.
A regular dish for us. Sautéed beef with fat noodles and baby bok choy. Last dish was Thin Rice noodles with chicken and salted fish.
Wines were an odd assortment today. 2017 Viu Manent, Sauvignon Blanc from Chile was the white selection. A nice clean wine.
2007 Barr, Central Coast, Cabernet Sauvignon and a 2017 Hahn, GSM. Both wines were showing nicely
I brought a 2013 Clos Pepe Pinot Noir. Showing very well.
Impromptu, unplanned lunch today with the boys. Off to the Diamond Palace in Westminister. They still have not changed their menu. Using the old Seafood Place one. Busy setting us for huge parties tonight. One smaller room with a stage and small dance floor and the really large room that holds hundreds of people. Seems to be their thing to cater to big parties. Make a lot more money that way.
We started out with egg drop soup. It is good but needs more seasoning. Does not compare to the spicy sour soup we used to get.
First dish is sautéed scallops. Fresh and moist with mushrooms and snow peas. Nice flavor. Then we got a plate of Shrimp with lobster sauce. Coud not taste much lobster in it. Shrimp were moist and tender. Cooked correctly. Both dishes were good.
Orange peel beef was next. This is always a good selection. Meat was very tender and the sauce had a slight kick to it.
A regular dish for us. Sautéed beef with fat noodles and baby bok choy. Last dish was Thin Rice noodles with chicken and salted fish.
Wines were an odd assortment today. 2017 Viu Manent, Sauvignon Blanc from Chile was the white selection. A nice clean wine.
2007 Barr, Central Coast, Cabernet Sauvignon and a 2017 Hahn, GSM. Both wines were showing nicely
I brought a 2013 Clos Pepe Pinot Noir. Showing very well.
Sunday, June 30, 2019
Dinner With The Boys at Baba Ghanouj
Saturday, June 29, 2019
Instead of our normal lunch the boys and I decided to have dinner at Baba Ghanouj. www.babaghanoujrestaurant.com. Henry had never eaten Lebanese food before and he was quite taken with the flavors and spices.
We started out with numerous appetizers. Traditional Hummus with Pita bread. Nice creamy texture and fresh made, warm pita bread.
Tabouli, made with parsley, tomatoes, onion, dried cracked wheat, olive oil and lemon. Good fresh flavors.
The Monk, which is fire roasted eggplant with garlic, lemon, yogurt, parsley, tomato, onion and olive oil. I am not a big fan of eggplant but made this way it is very good.
Warak Siam - grape leaves stuffed with rice and vegetables. Excellent flavors and the yogurt sauce was a nice add on.
Karnabeet, fried cauliflower with Tahini sauce. Loads of flavor. One of my favorites besides the potatoes. Potatoes are sautéed with garlic, lemon, chilis, cilantro and Tahini. Tahini is ground sesame seeds with olive oil.
We ordered a couple of platters of lamb kabob and chicken kabob. Chicken was tender but for me the lamb was over cooked and on the dry side.
Wines tonight pulled out all the stops. I brought a Robert Moncuit, Le Mesnil-Sur-Oger, Grand Cru Champagne. My last bottle. Need to replenish soon. Nice and yeasty.
2012 Roar, Rosellas, Pinot Noir, showing quite well. Can go several more years easily.
2005 Chateau Deaux Clos St. Emilion Grand Cru. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. A bit tart on the back palate but it would lay down for several more years. Drinking very nicely now.
1981 Chateau Margaux, Premiere Grand Cru Classic. Bordeaux Dense, deep purple color, soft on the palate. Excellent wine. It was quite the treat tonight.
Instead of our normal lunch the boys and I decided to have dinner at Baba Ghanouj. www.babaghanoujrestaurant.com. Henry had never eaten Lebanese food before and he was quite taken with the flavors and spices.
We started out with numerous appetizers. Traditional Hummus with Pita bread. Nice creamy texture and fresh made, warm pita bread.
Tabouli, made with parsley, tomatoes, onion, dried cracked wheat, olive oil and lemon. Good fresh flavors.
The Monk, which is fire roasted eggplant with garlic, lemon, yogurt, parsley, tomato, onion and olive oil. I am not a big fan of eggplant but made this way it is very good.
Warak Siam - grape leaves stuffed with rice and vegetables. Excellent flavors and the yogurt sauce was a nice add on.
Karnabeet, fried cauliflower with Tahini sauce. Loads of flavor. One of my favorites besides the potatoes. Potatoes are sautéed with garlic, lemon, chilis, cilantro and Tahini. Tahini is ground sesame seeds with olive oil.
We ordered a couple of platters of lamb kabob and chicken kabob. Chicken was tender but for me the lamb was over cooked and on the dry side.
Wines tonight pulled out all the stops. I brought a Robert Moncuit, Le Mesnil-Sur-Oger, Grand Cru Champagne. My last bottle. Need to replenish soon. Nice and yeasty.
2012 Roar, Rosellas, Pinot Noir, showing quite well. Can go several more years easily.
2005 Chateau Deaux Clos St. Emilion Grand Cru. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. A bit tart on the back palate but it would lay down for several more years. Drinking very nicely now.
1981 Chateau Margaux, Premiere Grand Cru Classic. Bordeaux Dense, deep purple color, soft on the palate. Excellent wine. It was quite the treat tonight.
Saturday, June 15, 2019
Gaja Wines at Michaels on Naples
Friday, June 14, 2019
Giovanni Gaja was in house to present his wines at tonight's dinner. Interesting menu and a nice line up of wines. There were five of us tonight for this dinner. They poured a glass of champagne to whet out appetites for dinner.
Started out with Polipo. Octopus carpaccio, Taggiasca olive, fried artichoke leaves. The meat was so thin and had such delicate flavor. The olives gave it just the right amount of brine. Wine was a 2016 Gaja, Chardonnay, "Rossj Bass" Langhe Piemonte. $ 95. A clean Chardonnay, slight minerality to it. Good wine and paired well.
Second course is a Vitello Tonnato. Roasted veal shoulder, tuna sauce, caper-berries and Pursulene. Meat was tender and full of flavor. The thinly sliced radishes gave it a bit if a bite but not over whelming. Tonnato (tuna sauce) was a really nice added touch. Paired with a 2015 Gaja, Ca'Marcanda, "Magari" Bolgheri, Toscano. $60. A red blend, Nice pairing but I tried the chardonnay with this dish and I liked it just as well if maybe a bit better.
Third course is a Faggiano. Roasted pheasant stuffed with chicken livers, black lentils and lardo. Lardo is cured pig fat. Fat is taken near the skin and cured over a period of time. The curing takes away the fattiness. Delicate flavor. This was a rich dish but exceedingly good. Wine is a 2015 Gaja, Barbaresco, Piemonte. $210. Rich and lush. A good foil for the richness of the pheasant and livers.
Next is Cavetelli. Hand rolled ricotta pasta, braised pork shank and gremolata.. Pasta cooked correctly. Not too al dente. You could actually bite through it without grinding your teeth. Sauce was perfect. A 2004 Gaja, Bunello di Montalcinho, "Rennina", Montalcino, Toscana. $270. Rich, opulent, bold wine.
Fifth course is Cervo. Broken Arrow Ranch vension, Weiser Farms potatoes, fava beans. Venison was not gamey at all, very tender. I really liked the flavor of the potatoes. Very small cooked with skin on.. 2015 Gaja, Ca'Marcanda, "Ca'Marcanda", Bolgheri, Toscano. $145, A red blend. Another big, lush wine. Excellent pairing.
Dessert was a Zabaglione and almond cake. Not to heavy and a nice touch to the meal. We did get a glass of a sweet dessert wine. Have no idea what it was because the brought the glass out filled.
Good food and good wine. But the prices I listed for the wines were for bottle purchase at the dinner. They printed "limited time price". I found all these wines listed at different wines stores for much less money. All of these wines a readily available in California.
The majority of time when I do these wine dinners I take home the last course so I can have dessert. I am usually very full by the end of the meal. Tonight it was quite different. I devoured everything on my plate and nothing went home with me. Portions on these dinners are usually small which suites me so I have no idea why I did not feel full after 5 courses and dessert. I had one piece of bread so I wouldn't fill up early in the meal. In retrospect I could have had several pieces.
A few of us discussed if we felt the dinner was worth $210 plus tax & tip. (about $270). We did not . Thought is should have been more in the range of $160 to $170.
Giovanni Gaja was in house to present his wines at tonight's dinner. Interesting menu and a nice line up of wines. There were five of us tonight for this dinner. They poured a glass of champagne to whet out appetites for dinner.
Started out with Polipo. Octopus carpaccio, Taggiasca olive, fried artichoke leaves. The meat was so thin and had such delicate flavor. The olives gave it just the right amount of brine. Wine was a 2016 Gaja, Chardonnay, "Rossj Bass" Langhe Piemonte. $ 95. A clean Chardonnay, slight minerality to it. Good wine and paired well.
Second course is a Vitello Tonnato. Roasted veal shoulder, tuna sauce, caper-berries and Pursulene. Meat was tender and full of flavor. The thinly sliced radishes gave it a bit if a bite but not over whelming. Tonnato (tuna sauce) was a really nice added touch. Paired with a 2015 Gaja, Ca'Marcanda, "Magari" Bolgheri, Toscano. $60. A red blend, Nice pairing but I tried the chardonnay with this dish and I liked it just as well if maybe a bit better.
Third course is a Faggiano. Roasted pheasant stuffed with chicken livers, black lentils and lardo. Lardo is cured pig fat. Fat is taken near the skin and cured over a period of time. The curing takes away the fattiness. Delicate flavor. This was a rich dish but exceedingly good. Wine is a 2015 Gaja, Barbaresco, Piemonte. $210. Rich and lush. A good foil for the richness of the pheasant and livers.
Next is Cavetelli. Hand rolled ricotta pasta, braised pork shank and gremolata.. Pasta cooked correctly. Not too al dente. You could actually bite through it without grinding your teeth. Sauce was perfect. A 2004 Gaja, Bunello di Montalcinho, "Rennina", Montalcino, Toscana. $270. Rich, opulent, bold wine.
Fifth course is Cervo. Broken Arrow Ranch vension, Weiser Farms potatoes, fava beans. Venison was not gamey at all, very tender. I really liked the flavor of the potatoes. Very small cooked with skin on.. 2015 Gaja, Ca'Marcanda, "Ca'Marcanda", Bolgheri, Toscano. $145, A red blend. Another big, lush wine. Excellent pairing.
Dessert was a Zabaglione and almond cake. Not to heavy and a nice touch to the meal. We did get a glass of a sweet dessert wine. Have no idea what it was because the brought the glass out filled.
Good food and good wine. But the prices I listed for the wines were for bottle purchase at the dinner. They printed "limited time price". I found all these wines listed at different wines stores for much less money. All of these wines a readily available in California.
The majority of time when I do these wine dinners I take home the last course so I can have dessert. I am usually very full by the end of the meal. Tonight it was quite different. I devoured everything on my plate and nothing went home with me. Portions on these dinners are usually small which suites me so I have no idea why I did not feel full after 5 courses and dessert. I had one piece of bread so I wouldn't fill up early in the meal. In retrospect I could have had several pieces.
A few of us discussed if we felt the dinner was worth $210 plus tax & tip. (about $270). We did not . Thought is should have been more in the range of $160 to $170.
Thursday, June 13, 2019
555 East Steakhouse Dinner
Wednesday. June 12, 2018
6 of us gathered tonight to have a great dinner at 555 in Long Beach. Traffic was really good so several of us were at least 30 minutes early for our reservation. It was great that they seated us instead of waiting for the others to arrive. It takes a bit to get all the paraphernalia out with the glasses, wines etc., We all bring our own glasses even though the restaurant provides them. With no corkage it best to be a good guest.
Started out with six oysters. Wellfleet and Padanaram from Massachusetts. Nice briny slippery things.
I shared an aged Chateaubriand with 2 others. 35 ounce cut of meat at $4.35 per ounce. They do not have this cut of meat on the regular menu. Only the daily aged list. So it does vary when it is available. Split 3 ways it becomes affordable. Meat was excellent. Ordered medium rare and that is how it came out. I had a side of sauteed spinach and some mushrooms with it. Was good and ate no bread or rolls. Fills you up to soon.
Unfortunately they did not have any kind of cheese plate on the menu. None of us ordered desserts but we would have loved to have some cheese to go with the Sauternes that I brought. So it did not get opened and I put it back in the cooler when I got home. Another time will come up to open it.
We had quite an array of wine tonight.
2008 Bollinger, La Grande Annee, Champagne - always good - both champagnes were emptied.
2012 Louis Roederer Rose Champagne - always good
1984 Special Selection, Caymus Vineyard, Napa , Cabernet Sauvignon - took quite awhile to open up - a bit on the downside but interesting and enjoyable.
2000 Blanket Estate, Paradise Hill Vineyard, Napa, Cabernet Sauvignon - good. full, light fruit, no tannins
2010 Saxum, James Berry Vineyard, Paso Robles, Grenache, Syrah. Mouvedre (Mataro) , Wine Spectators Wine of The Year 2010. Big, plush, heavy fruit. I would guess it will much softer the next day after sitting. I had to take my wines to work with me so I did not get a chance to decant. I think several hours in the decanter would have been best. That is why I think it will be fabulous the next day.
2012 Liparita, Grand Prize, V Block, Yountville, Napa, Cabernet Sauvignon - slightly off the peak. Could have been that particular bottle as it is only 7 years old
2012 Highlands, Napa, Zinfandel - big. fruity, lush on the palate
6 of us gathered tonight to have a great dinner at 555 in Long Beach. Traffic was really good so several of us were at least 30 minutes early for our reservation. It was great that they seated us instead of waiting for the others to arrive. It takes a bit to get all the paraphernalia out with the glasses, wines etc., We all bring our own glasses even though the restaurant provides them. With no corkage it best to be a good guest.
Started out with six oysters. Wellfleet and Padanaram from Massachusetts. Nice briny slippery things.
I shared an aged Chateaubriand with 2 others. 35 ounce cut of meat at $4.35 per ounce. They do not have this cut of meat on the regular menu. Only the daily aged list. So it does vary when it is available. Split 3 ways it becomes affordable. Meat was excellent. Ordered medium rare and that is how it came out. I had a side of sauteed spinach and some mushrooms with it. Was good and ate no bread or rolls. Fills you up to soon.
Unfortunately they did not have any kind of cheese plate on the menu. None of us ordered desserts but we would have loved to have some cheese to go with the Sauternes that I brought. So it did not get opened and I put it back in the cooler when I got home. Another time will come up to open it.
We had quite an array of wine tonight.
2008 Bollinger, La Grande Annee, Champagne - always good - both champagnes were emptied.
2012 Louis Roederer Rose Champagne - always good
1984 Special Selection, Caymus Vineyard, Napa , Cabernet Sauvignon - took quite awhile to open up - a bit on the downside but interesting and enjoyable.
2000 Blanket Estate, Paradise Hill Vineyard, Napa, Cabernet Sauvignon - good. full, light fruit, no tannins
2010 Saxum, James Berry Vineyard, Paso Robles, Grenache, Syrah. Mouvedre (Mataro) , Wine Spectators Wine of The Year 2010. Big, plush, heavy fruit. I would guess it will much softer the next day after sitting. I had to take my wines to work with me so I did not get a chance to decant. I think several hours in the decanter would have been best. That is why I think it will be fabulous the next day.
2012 Liparita, Grand Prize, V Block, Yountville, Napa, Cabernet Sauvignon - slightly off the peak. Could have been that particular bottle as it is only 7 years old
2012 Highlands, Napa, Zinfandel - big. fruity, lush on the palate
Wednesday, June 12, 2019
Margies Wine Dinner at Mahe
Saturday, June 8, 2019
For her monthly wine dinner Margie chose Mahe in Seal Beach. Building has been there forever. I remember passing it when I was a child. Used to be the Glider Inn and it had an airplane on the roof. I had not been inside in over 20 years.
Seating arrangement was a bit odd but there was not much that could be done because of the layout of the room. We have numerous tables set up in a U shape. Some people were seated on banquettes
attached to the wall and others had free standing chairs. Made it a bit awkward for conversation. But because of the facility itself that is what is was.
A selection of sushi and tempura was served as appetizers. Mahe is known for their sushi. This to me was the meal. I could have sushi and tempura and forgot the other stuff. All of the selections were very good. Then came a green salad which I passed on.
My entree selection was grilled Mahi. Came with a nice selection of julienned vegetables and a non-discript blob of mashed potatoes. Potatoes really lacked flavor. Fish was grilled perfectly and had good flavor.
There also was planks of sourdough bread available. I did pass as it would fill me up too soon. As it was I had a couple of bites of my mahi and had them box it up for take home. After all there was dessert and I do have my priorities.
Dessert was creme brulee with fresh berries on top. This was good and light.
20 wines were brought tonight. Most which I did not taste. It became a walk about to see what wines were on the table or what you wanted to share with others.
Mine were a 2016 Stolpman Rose (it is National Rose Wine Day) and a 2012 Clos Pepe Pinot Noir.
Other wines:
2015 Danien, Pinot Noir
NV Pommery, Brut Royal Champagne
2018 Spear, Onesa Chardonnay
2016 Rock Falls Chardonnay
2015 Talley, Pinot Noir
2016 Kenneth Volk Chardonnay
2015 J.Lohr GSM
2016 Peake Ranch Pinot Noir
NV Maysara, Sparkling Pinot Noir Rose
2015 Arbor Brook Sauvignon Blanc
2015 Dusky Goose Pinot Noir
2016 Occidental Pinot Noir
NV Tropical Passion Fruit Moscato
NV Mumms Napa Cuvee Sparkling
2016 Sonoma-Cutrer Chardonnay
1997 Beaulieu BV Reserve, Tapestry
2017 Robar Fume Blanc
2015 Archery Summit Pinot Noir
For her monthly wine dinner Margie chose Mahe in Seal Beach. Building has been there forever. I remember passing it when I was a child. Used to be the Glider Inn and it had an airplane on the roof. I had not been inside in over 20 years.
Seating arrangement was a bit odd but there was not much that could be done because of the layout of the room. We have numerous tables set up in a U shape. Some people were seated on banquettes
attached to the wall and others had free standing chairs. Made it a bit awkward for conversation. But because of the facility itself that is what is was.
A selection of sushi and tempura was served as appetizers. Mahe is known for their sushi. This to me was the meal. I could have sushi and tempura and forgot the other stuff. All of the selections were very good. Then came a green salad which I passed on.
My entree selection was grilled Mahi. Came with a nice selection of julienned vegetables and a non-discript blob of mashed potatoes. Potatoes really lacked flavor. Fish was grilled perfectly and had good flavor.
There also was planks of sourdough bread available. I did pass as it would fill me up too soon. As it was I had a couple of bites of my mahi and had them box it up for take home. After all there was dessert and I do have my priorities.
Dessert was creme brulee with fresh berries on top. This was good and light.
20 wines were brought tonight. Most which I did not taste. It became a walk about to see what wines were on the table or what you wanted to share with others.
Mine were a 2016 Stolpman Rose (it is National Rose Wine Day) and a 2012 Clos Pepe Pinot Noir.
Other wines:
2015 Danien, Pinot Noir
NV Pommery, Brut Royal Champagne
2018 Spear, Onesa Chardonnay
2016 Rock Falls Chardonnay
2015 Talley, Pinot Noir
2016 Kenneth Volk Chardonnay
2015 J.Lohr GSM
2016 Peake Ranch Pinot Noir
NV Maysara, Sparkling Pinot Noir Rose
2015 Arbor Brook Sauvignon Blanc
2015 Dusky Goose Pinot Noir
2016 Occidental Pinot Noir
NV Tropical Passion Fruit Moscato
NV Mumms Napa Cuvee Sparkling
2016 Sonoma-Cutrer Chardonnay
1997 Beaulieu BV Reserve, Tapestry
2017 Robar Fume Blanc
2015 Archery Summit Pinot Noir
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