Sanford Wine Dinner at Arte Cafe

 Friday, April 23, 2021

A big turnout for  dinner tonight. Inside dining area was full and much closer than 6 feet apart for tables. with chairs and people sitting in them. The outside was about half filled.  People are so tired of staying in. Wines were from Sanford Winery. The rep was a chef with Teralto, which is a conglomerate He brought fresh ingredients down from the Santa Barbara area and did the menu.  Unfortunately he and was the only one talking about Sanford and the wines. It was hard to hear what he was saying because he was straddling two areas and so you got maybe one half of the verbiage. 

For some reason everything tonight seems to be bit frenzied. But slow about pouring wine. Just not enough hands to go around.  After dinner was over, Richard the chef/owner was sitting by the kitchen. He normally walks around and talks with people. He made to remark that he was really tired tonight.  Bet he doesn't have someone do a menu for him again. I think the kitchen and staff taken by surprise.  Ambitious menu, more plating details than usual,  and lack of wine reps to help pour. 

First Course is called the "Tail of Two Fish". Dry aged wild caught Ahi and Fresh Ahi, sesame crusted with a Strawberry Balsamic Gastrique and sticky rice. Excellent, fresh, good flavors.  Paired with a Sanford , Sta Rita Hills Rose. 100% Pinot grapes. LaEncanta and Sanford-Benedict vineyards. Decent wine. Not to overly sweet as some Rose's are.

Up next is a "Sashimi Trio". Santa Barbara Spot Prawns, tempura head, dry aged wild caught salmon and fresh wild caught salmon with truffle essence. A lot of plates left the kitchen without the truffle essence. waitstaff had to come to each table and add it. Shows the kitchen is overwhelmed. The tempura head of the prawn was good but the raw body was not to my liking. I have had this issue before is sushi bars. For some reason raw shrimp gets bigger in your mouth as you eat it.  Plating was beautiful.  Wine is a Sanford, Sta Rita Hills, Chardonnay.  A non-oaked wine which I appreciated. For a chardonnay it was good.  This wine was also poured with the third course.

Third course is "A Grazer". Santa Barbara greens with a Ginger-Miso dressings and seared pork loin. Dressing was very good, The greens are nightmare to each because of all the "tentacles". I am not into any "greens" that have lots of small leaves off the stem. Not into the texture and it feels like you have green things hanging out you mouth, Even if you try to cut them into smaller pieces. I know it is the "in thing" but I am not interested in tendrils. The pork tenderloin was OK  but not as good as I can make at home.  Rather bland and a bit dry.

Main course is "Where The Surf and Turf Meet",  Filet Mignon topped with Santa Barbara fresh crab with a Miso butter and a Wasabi mashed Hawaiian purple potato. My filet was cooked perfectly and had good flavor. The crab was shredded. The potato was something new for me. I have had purple potatoes before but done that was "Hawaiian" Interesting color or the plate but it was a potato. Paired with a Sanford, Sta Rita Hills, Pinot Noir. Good wine. Not great. Frankly I am a bit disappointed in the wines tonight. I expected better.

Dessert was more like an appetizer. A piece of toasted Brioche with Santa Barbara Uni. A savory dish. tasted good but not impressed as a "savory dessert".  Paired with a Sanford, Sta Rita Hills, Sparkling Cuvee Brut. OK wine but nothing to rave about. 

 I doubt if Richard will let someone else do a menu again. What should have been a great dinner was slowed down by plating details, time consuming  ambitious menu,  overworked staff and only one wine rep with his friend who helped pour but knew not much about the wine.

The Playground

 Thursday, April 16, 2021

Took off for the Playground in Santa Ana tonight for dinner with a friend, www.playgrounddtsa.com. Outdoor dining again but the weather was cooperative.  Also had the same waitperson that we had last month.  I was also surprised at how busy they were. Which is a very good sign.

We shared plates again. Started off with Grilled Asparagus with garlic, lemon and Parmesan cheese.  Good flavors. Then onto Sweet Potato Tacos. Had no idea what we were getting but sure glad we ordered them.

A  Masienda Tortilla with a roasted baby sweet potato, Salsa Seca (nuts and seeds), Crema, Cilantro,  pickled red onions and lime. This was so good. Flavors were outstanding. So glad we ordered this dish.

Then a plate of Fried Chicken Pot Pie. Croquettes filled with chicken pot pie, deep fried with Black Truffle Zest. These were a 2 to 3 bite delight. Have no idea how a creamy filling gets rolled up and fried but they were delicious. 

Jolie brought a 2019 Kings Carey, Spear Vineyard, Rose, 100% Grenache. James Sparks is the winemaker and this is his label. He also is the winemaker for Liquid Farms. Very nice, dry and light hints of strawberries and fruit. My style of rose. Wine Enthusiast gave this a 91 rating.

I brought a 2014 Tercero, Verbiage Rouge,  blend of  Grenache, Syrah, Mouvedre and Cinsault.  Larry Shaffer is the winemaker.  Robert Parker gave it a 93 rating. Showing very well and could go a few more years easily. One of my favorite Tercero wines. 

Margie's Monthly Dinner at The Red Table

 Saturday, April 10, 2021

Margie was able to get seating for 15 of us tonight at The Red Table in Huntington Beach. Outdoors, a bit cool but we were up against a wall which really helped. Not like last month at Kings Fish House when we were right along side the street. 

We had heaters and the wall. Since there was 15 of us there were 3 tables of 4 and a table of 3. The 3 all being single.  No issue with that but I had a big issue that the table for 3 was at the very end of the line of tables. We were really a bit isolated from the others. I felt a bit isolated and rejected. If the table for 3 was in between 2 tables of 4 we would have felt like we were part of the group. Yes some people did come down with their wines to share but somehow it just did not seem like we belonged. I wonder if we were 13 people with 1 single where that single would have been seated. At a table for 1 at the end ?  The tables were for 4 people. That is what the restaurant had outside so it was a situation that was not under anyone's control except for the restaurant. Nice to have 15 people but I really would have preferred to be inside at the Red Table in the middle with 11 or 12 people. 

CJ and I decided ahead of time to share appetizers for dinner. We have Roasted Brussel Sprouts with French Fried Onion Rings, Roasted Beets, Crispy Calamari Rings, Meatball Sliders and Garlic French Fries. Most were very good. I would not order the Calamari again. Too rubbery and the meatball slider had  an off putting taste to me. Fries and beets were great. 

I brought a 2012 Grassini, Articondo, from Happy Canyon AVA. Blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Verdot, Big wine. I decanted it for about 2 hours after opening. It was still very tight at dinner and did not begin to open up for at least another hour at dinner.  Probably be really good tomorrow. But a very good wine. Other wines brought were:

2011 Walter Hanzell, South Slope Vineyard, RRV, Pinot Noir - very good

2018 St, Supery, Napa valley, Sauvignon Blanc.  Not to acidic.

2014 Sanglier, Boars Camp, Sonoma, GSM,  did not taste

2016 Wrath,  Sansaba Vineyard, Monterey, Chardonnay - did not taste

2015 High Dive, Napa Valley, Red Blend - did not taste

NV   Marquis de la Mysteriale, Champagne - very good , yeasty

2017 Brewer-Clifton. Sta Rita Hills, Chardonnay - bit oaky

2015 Scott Paul, La Paulee, Willamette Valley, Oregon, Pinot Noir - very good

NV   Scharffenberger, Methode Traditionale, Sparkling - did not taste

2018 Latah Creek, Reserve, Cabernet Sauvignon - did not taste

2018 Williams Seylem, Olivet Lane Vineyard, Pinot Noir - good but way to young

2018 Wild Think,  Mendocino County. Rendevous Rose, Sparkling - OK but not to my liking

NV   Monopole Bue Top, Brut Champagne - good

2018 Eden Ridge. Mendocino County, Barrel Select, Chardonnay - did not taste

2018 Courtney Benham, Cabernet Sauvignon - did no taste.

Lunch at The Diamond Seafood Palace with the Boys

 Thursday, April 8, 2021

Been a long time since we got together for lunch. Just 3 of us today. So only 3 wines.  A NV Gruet Cuvee 89 Rose sparkling, a 2011 Clos Pepe VS Pinot Noir and a 2018 Martin Ray Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir.

Very limited menu due to the effects of Covid had the dining scene. Most restaurants are like this. anymore. They cannot afford to keep a big inventory of fresh food because of such a decline in diners. 

We had 3 dishes, A French Style Beef Filet with onions, lettuce and tomatoes. Beef was very tender and seasoned well.

Kung Pao Fish Filet with Squid. Good flavor but not much "kung  pao".

House Special Chicken with salted fish, stir fried thin rice noodles and scallions. Interesting flavors. I did like it.

Nice to get together again. Hoping to do it next week also. It has been too long.

Whispering Angel Rose Wine dinner at Arte Cafe

 Tuesday April 6, 2021

New winery for me. Never heard of them but that is nothing new. From Provence, France.  Small crowd tonight. Maybe 25 people at the most. 

We started out with a Moet and Chandon Imperial rose. We were fortunate to get a pour. Some people did not. Seems the wine rep, Alex,  only brought a couple of bottles.  We finished our glass before the first course arrived. No seconds here. 

First course is a Crab  and Cheese Rangoon. Very tasty. They did our the second wine with this course as well as the second course. The Palm Rose, blend of Grenache, Vermentino and Shiraz. Not to my liking. Had an odd metallic after taste on the back palate.

Second course is a Ahi Carpaccio with Ponzu, Crispy Onion and Arugula. Clean, fresh dish. Loads of flavor. Same wine as before.

Next was a Korean BBQ Lamb Tacos with Sesame, Asian Slaw and Pickled Onions. Great flavors but needed a bit of a sauce, Tad on the dry side. Paired with a Whispering Angel Rose, 10 year old vines. This wine I did like. Soft fruit flavors, a bit on the dry spectrum which I like. 

Fourth Course is a Roasted Duck with Hoisin Sauce and Black Bean Puree. Way too much black bean. Half would have been adequate. It took away from the crispy skin on the duck. Wine was The Rock Angel Rose.. 15 year old vines. I did like this wine also. Had body to it without being too over heavy.

Dessert is a Poached Asian Pear with Creme Fraiche and Macadamia Nuts. Light, refreshing. They served this with a cocktail of The Palm Rose, Jasmine Liqueur. Bitters and a Edible Orchid for flash. 

I would have bought a few bottles but they did not have any order sheets available. Seems like something is very off tonight. Not the usual super efficient Arte Cafe as usual.

Road Trip To Temecula

 Saturday, April 3, 2021

3 of us on this trip. Hired a car and driver to take us to Temecula for wine tasting. The driver came with a SUV which had a very high running board. Made it very difficult for me to get in because of my bout with Sciatica. May be a long trip.

We arrived in Temecula about 10:30 am . First tasting was at 11:00. I had not been here in over 15 years. Huge buildings housing the wineries. Looked more like sets for Hollywood. Not sure if I like it. If fact I really disliked it. 

First stop was Doffo winery. Big motorcycle collection. If you are a bike nut this would be right up you alley.  We had a flight of 4 wines. Decent wines but not putting out any money for them.

We were scheduled for lunch and tasting at Avensole.  Went inside for lunch first. It took 2-1/2 hour's so we had to forget the tasting. There was wine at the table for lunch. Tasted decent. Food was very good. We started out with an appetizer of oven roasted Brie cheese with a fruit compote. It was very good, Then a pizza style flatbread which also was very good. At this point I am full and I still have an Ahi burger coming. Burger got packed to go. Ate it the next day and it also was very good. If I would come to Temecula again I would probably eat here. 

We had a 3:00 appointment at Wiens for a Cellar Room tastings. This was held outdoors in a private patio setting. Best wines of the day but so over priced. $115 for a Cabernet Sauvignon from Temecula. I don't think so. Wine was good but should have been in the $45 range. 

On the way out we stopped at Akash. Their tasting stopped at 5:00 but we got a bottle and sat outside. They had a DJ playing music. I was not overly impressed with the wine.

Temecula is not for serious wine drinkers. It is playing to the party buses, birthday girls, bachelor and bachelorette parties etc., Loaded with wannabe's.  I am sure there are exceptions to the wineries. and probably a few really good ones, Wiens being one of them. But on the whole it is party time. Probably be another few years before I am back.