Tolosa Wines and Arte Cafe

 Friday, June 25, 2021

Not sure why Richard keeps having these wine dinners on Friday nights.  Really prefer the old day of Thursday. I expected the place to be packed and it was only about half full and part of that was due to a band playing on the outside patio.  Tolosa is a winery in the Edna Valley area inland from Pismo Beach. Take Price Canyon Road out of Pismo, drive 20 minutes and the valley opens up.  A lot of good wineries in the area. 

Dina the wine rep was there with her "board" of information. But no raffle prizes. Maybe a new trend ?  Also noticed that the waitstaff was not as generous in the pouring of the first wine. Usually we end up with 2 to 3 glasses of the cheaper offering. Today only one unless you stood up and flagged someone down. Maybe they are trying to keep the price of dinners down to make them more attractive to more people. Tonight's dinner is $65,  4 courses and dessert , 4 wines.  With inflation setting in I can understand. You still have to have that margin of profit to stay in business. Cut back or raise prices. 

Started out with a Shrimp Kabob with mushrooms,. zucchini, celery. Excellent flavors but my shrimp was just this side of raw.  Tail was pink but flesh was still grey. If the waitstaff had not been running ragged I would had sent it back. But I have eaten raw shrimp before.  A 2018 Tolosa "No Oak" Chardonnay was the wine selection. I have had this wine at the winery before and really liked it but tonight if the bottle had not had "no oak" on the label I would put money on it that it was barrel fermented. It smelled and tasted oaky to me. Made me wonder if there was  a label mix up at bottling. 

Second course is a Mediterranean watermelon salad with greens and Feta cheese.  Very good   and a nice refreshing taste after the rich shrimp kabob. Paired with a 2019 Tolosa Rose of Pinot Noir. Nice, very slightly sweet wine. More on the dry side but not overly. Went very well the with watermelon and feta.

Third course is a Spicy Chicken Flatbread. It had a bit of a bite to it but not much. Loads of flavor. A 2017 Tolosa, Edna Ranch. Syrah was poured.  A good pairing.

Main is steak with garlic mashed potatoes and sautéed spinach. Good flavors but nothing special.  Richard said the steak was a New York but I have big doubts on that.  A 2016 Perinet, Priorat,  Red Blend,  (Merlot, Syrah, Grenache and Carignan). Apparently Tolosa has bought this winery in Spain.  It was a nice wine and went  with the beef.

Dessert is a Brownie with a cream sauce and a light custard. A bit dry, I did not finish mine. Was not impressed. 

OK dinner, decent wines, good company so no real complaints. 

Dinner at Gingers

 Thursday, June 17, 2021

Ellie's Cafe in Long Beach had started a prix fixe dinner 3 nights a week in a room next to the restaurant. It is called Gingers. www.ellieslbc.com.  Right now it is open for 8 people but that will be changed back to 12 as the restrictions ease up. Communal dining, private room. Reservations only.  $75 for dinner and $40 for wine pairing. Tonight we had 7 courses, dessert and 7 wines. Chef / Owner Jason Witzl has done a great job at both restaurants, Unfortunately the location demands alternate transportation. In a high density residential area there is  literally no parking.

 We started out with a Amuse Bouche. Arancini. Fried perfectly a with a whipped cheese, scallion sauce. Then onto a mixed green salad with butter stuffed  radish and Paddlefish Roe.

 A Delamotte Brut Champagne . and a Scarpetta Prosecco were paired. Generous and numerous pours

A plate of charred baby corn on a bed of Masa, black truffle and chili crisp. Excellent flavors.  The chef is also using a lot of calabrian chiles in his sauces. Paired with a 2017 Domaine Weinbach Pinot Blanc.

Third course is Maine Lobster over a Tallow cake, Shiro Dashi and black garlic. Really liked the Tallow Cake, Interesting. Wine was a M-A-N Family , South Africa. Chenin Blanc. Good pairing.

A plate of sautéed  Sea Scallops, white asparagus and Trubo Onion. Scallops cooked perfectly. A 2020 Giant Step. Yarra Valley, Chardonnay was selected. A very good, non-oaked wine.

Fifth course is  Gnudi, spring peas, mushroom's and Australian  white truffles.  At this point in dinner I had to stop eating so this was packed for me to go. Everyone said flavors were very good.   Wine is a 2018 Comtesse de Malet, Roquefort, Bordeaux. Earthy flavors melding together. 

Last is a roasted Lamb Loin with whipped feta, peppered lentils and pickled green strawberries. Again a dish I could not eat. It will lunch tomorrow along with the Gnudi. A 2018 Opolo, Paso Robles. Mountain Zinfandel was poured. I am sure it went well with the lamb loin. I will never know since I couldn't take the wine home. By not eating the last courses is leaves room for dessert,

Dessert is a French Vanilla Gelato with pickled cherries and Saba. Saba is similar to Balsamic. The pickled cherries were surprisingly good.

All the food was good. Some strange combinations but they all worked. Lots of Calabrian chiles used in sauces. Not overly but just on the edge. Did add a lot on interest to the sauces. Wines were on the medium side with a couple of stands outs,  The price for dinner is a bargain. The price of the wine pairing is really a bargain  since they were extremely generous . Chairs at the table were upholstered and comfortable. Long wood communal table. Dishes are set out for two to share.

I hope some day they will move to a better location. I would frequent them more.  Parking is such an issue in this part of town.

Lunch with The Boys

 Tuesday, June 15, 2021

Henry was able to get away from his full time care duties to his wife for a few hours so an impromptu lunch at the original Seafood Cove in Garden Grove.  At 11;45 no one was in the restaurant. At 12.00 noon it was packed.  This is the original Seafood Cove and probably the dumpiest. But food is good and best for us is no corkage as Henry has "face" here.  We were seated at a large table toward the back side of the restaurant and had an open door near us. For a hot day it was very welcome.

Started out with a sweet, sour, spicy soup which was better than a few weeks ago. A bit more spicy which adds to the flavor.

Next is one of Henry's favorite dishes, Beef Chow Fun. Strips of beef with very wide noodles and onions.

Thai scallops with green beans was full of flavor. Scallops were extremely tender.

French Style Chicken. small cubes of dark meat chicken, light batter with a bit of honey in it and stir fried on a bed of lettuce, onions and tomatoes. 

Very juicy navel oranges for dessert.

3 wines today. 2015 Schaefer-Frohlich, Blanc de Noir, Troken. very dry Rose which was very good. 

2018 Sanford, Sta. Rita Hills, Pinot Noir and a 2011 Tercero Verbiage. A blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mouvedre and Viognier.

Margie's Monthly Dinner at Mahe

 Saturday, June 12, 2021

14 of us tonight at Mahe in Seal Beach, This building has been a restaurant ever since I was a small child. It used to be the Glider Inn and had a glider plane on top of the roof. I was always fascinated on how that plane landed on the roof of the building and why they didn't take it down. I know I was less than 10 years old when we first drove by it. 

Mahe is a seafood restaurant but they are known for their sushi.  They have a sushi bar inside if you are not interested in sitting at a table. 

I ordered a bowl of clam chowder. It was OK but I have had so much better elsewhere. It was a disappointment.

I do not eat large portions so I ordered the Queen Roll Sushi,  Cajun Shrimp, Shrimp Tempura, Albacore inside soy paper topped with avocado and green onions.  Also ordered the Asparagus Tempura. Excellent flavors on both dishes. 

14 people and 19 bottles of wine. There is no way I can taste 19 different wines. After I saw the list of wines brought I was disappointed that I did not get to taste some of them.  Margie had everyone pass their bottles of wines down the table but for some reason 80% of them ended up mid table and sat there. I always ask to sit on an end because it is so much easier for me to maneuver.  But I am cutting myself short on the wines making it down to the end. Such is life. Somehow I will survive. I am not a big fan of Chardonnays and Sauvignon Blancs  so I would not seek those out anyway. 

2014 Trump, Monticello, Charlottesville, VA, Sparking Rose - surprisingly  a decent wine

2019 Soldier Creek, Fort Dodge, Iowa, LaCrescent - a white grape and a new one for me , tart on the front palate and then it fell off dramatically. 

2018 Cartograph, RRV,  CA, Pinot Noir - very light, bright cherry

202? Ferrari-Carano, Fume Blanc - did not taste

2019 Vincent Vineyards, Los Olivos. V Cuvee - did not taste

2019 Beetlejuice,  (homemade) Cabernet Sauvignon - did not taste 

 2016 Lusso Della Terra, Paso Robles, Petite Verdot - did not taste

2019 Duckhorn, Sauvignon Blanc - did not taste

2013 Ken Brown. "A" Cuvee, Syrah -did not taste

2018 Vicente Farina, "Animus", Vinho Verde - did not taste

2017 Story of Soil,  Mirabella Vineyards, Sauvignon Blanc - did not taste

NV   Indio Eyes, CA,  White Sparkling - way too sweet for my palate

2016 Dancin, Brise, OR, Pinot Noir - did not taste

2017 Foley, Sta Rita Hills, Barrel Select, Chardonnay - did not taste 

2018 Carol Shelton, Coquille Blanc -A white Rhone blend which was surprisingly good

2018 Ancient Peaks, Santa Margarita Road, Paso Robles, Cabernet Sauvignon - a good wine, well made

2017 Foley Johnson,. Napa Valley, Chardonnay - did not taste

2017 Goosecross, Napa Valley, Pinot Noir - did not taste

2017 Longoria, Santa Ynez Valley, Clover Creek Vineyard, Albarino - I brought this wine and it did not disappoint

Neyers Wine Dinner at Arte Cafe

 Friday, June 11, 2021

Can't say that I have had Neyers wines before, maybe or maybe not. I cannot remember. There are so many wineries in CA you just cannot keep track of all of them.  The wine reps name was Jennifer. Personable person. But half way through dinner she disappeared not to be seen again.

We started off with a Tomato Bouillabaisse with clams, mussels, shrimp and scallops along with a couple of pieces of garlic toast. Light and very flavorful  Paired with a 2019 Neyers , Sonoma Cty unoaked Chardonnay. Stainless Steel fermented. Decent wine. I am not that big of CA chardonnay fan. But it did pair well with the Bouillabaisse. 

Second course is a Hazelnut  Pesto crusted Chilean Seabass with a salad of frisee greens and a tarragon Dijon vinaigrette.  Excellent flavors. Seabass cooked perfectly. Wine is a 2018 Neyers, Carneros Chardonnay. Some oak but not undrinkable for me with food. Without food I would not touch it. 

Third course served is a Quail braised with red wine, thyme and mushrooms over a bed of French lentils. Great flavors even for lentils. They are not high on my list. I do not cook them but I will eat them if served.  The wine selected to be paired with this dish is a 2018 Neyers, CA, Sage Canyon, Rhone Red, blend of Carignane, Syrah and Mouvedre.  Wine was ok on its own but did not blend well with the food. One of my dining companions had some chardonnay left and said it was a far better pairing than the red wine. 

Next was Flank steak with pepper cream sauce and thick frites and broccoli. Good flavors. Meat was perfect. Paired with a 2017 Neyers, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon. Wine was good. All the wines were good but nothing that would make me get up and dance much less buy. 

Dessert is a cooked custard with whole cherries and bourbon whipped cream. Exceptional flavors.  A Manhattan  cocktail of Amador double barrel whiskey and Trincheri Rosso Vermouth. Tasty and he did go well with the dessert which surprised me.

Another good dinner put away at Arte Cafe. Best bargain in town. Good food and decent prices.

Dinner at the Bungalow Kitchen

 Thursday, June 10, 2021

Five of us tonight at the Bungalow Kitchen in Long Beach.  www.BungalowKitchen.com.   Reservations were made two months ago for tonight. Indoor patio seating was requested at that time. We were seated inside. When we requested patio seating and told them it was requested with the reservation they said they could not accommodate us in the indoor patio area. It was popular and everyone wanted to sit in that area. They did move us to a "porch" like area a few steps above the indoor patio area. We were seated on the very end next to the waiters station and the door where the carts taken in. I personally felt it was discrimination because we were older than the majority of the patrons. We were not the "beautiful" people and we asked to be moved. That made us a "problem" table. 

View was great. Large windows looking out over the Second Street bridge and the end part of the Marina. If we had been 3 or 4  tables down the other way we would have had a view of the Marina and  the Yacht Club. 

The music was way too loud. The waitstaff had to raise their voices to be heard. We had to raise our voices to have conversation at the table. The restaurant itself has no soft surfaces to absorb noises. Between the din of the voices of the patrons and the loud music it was not a good experience.

All the staff was young and slim, male and female.  Females had clingy beige legging type pants, If you are not slim you will not be hired here. Can't  wait for the lawsuit. 

We started out with a round of cocktails. I had a " Spill the Tea", Bulleit Rye, Compari, Tamarind Chai - infused Italian Sweet Vermouth. Nice drink but small.  Maria had a Gin Martini made with Amass Gin which is produced locally in the Los Angeles area. She said the gin was very good. Not sure what the other cocktails were. I seemed to have lost ii in taking notes and pictures. It was not a relaxing evening.

I started out with what seems to be a very popular dish. Short Rib "Pop Tart".  Short Rib meat baked inside a puff pastry shell with a horseradish cream , crispy shallots and sauce Au Poivre. It was very good. Something I would order again. 4 of us had this dish.

Someone one ordered a Sweet Potato Pancakes with house smoked salmon,  creme fraiche and apple butter. There comments were favorable also. 

For dinner I ordered the Wild Mushroom Agnolotti with Parmesan fonduti and crunchy black truffle streusel. Flavors were excellent. Again a dish I would order again. But  it was was on the small side. Just barely above "appetizer" portion. 

I did have a glass of red wine with my pasta. A Jean-Luc Colombo "Les Abeilles" Grenache Blend. Mediocre wine. 4 ounce pour.  Most restaurants give 5 ounce pours. Not impressed with their wine glasses. But we did notice that a table down from us ordered a bottle of wine and they had nice large format glasses. 

Other mains ordered were a Carbonara Pizza, with crispy guanciale, Yukon  gold potatoes, Pecorino Romano drizzled with a a poached egg. 

Grilled Seam Bream with roasted cauliflower, Matbuche (Arabic for cooked salad)  pine nuts, and crispy chiles. 

Smash burger with white American cheese, tomato-onion relish, Sesame sliced potato bun and crinkle fries.

Everyone was happy with their selection and everyone said their food was good.  But again a bit on the small size for portions especially for the price except for the pizza. 

Dessert for me was a Meyer Lemon Crepe Cake with creme faiche, Hazelnut Praline, Meyer lemon Curd and fresh raspberries. Exceptionally good. 

Another dessert ordered was a Vairhona Milk Chocolate Caramel Cream Pudding drizzled with Maldon Sea Salt and crunchy toasted Hazelnuts. 

My bill for 2 small drinks, appetizer, small main and dessert was a C note.  At least they validated parking. 

Pros:  Location, view, quality of food and service.

Cons: Non existent acoustics, loud music, small portions,  higher prices

Dinner at 555 All American Steak House

 Saturday, May 29, 2021

It was so nice to be able to get out and actually eat in a restaurant not a tent. Granted we were seated in the patio area that is there all the time. Still have restrictions on indoor dining but the night was pleasant and the restaurant was packed as they could legally do. And it was like that all night. I was surprised at the number of people dining at 555. The restaurant is not the cheapest in town. We hogged the table in the corner for close to 5 hours. Food was great along with my dining companions. 

Started out with  raw oysters. I had 2 of each offered that night/ Kumumoto, Malpec and Kings Tide.

Then grilled artichoke with garlic aioli and a plate of smoked octopus. 

Main was a whole Chateaubriand. cooked perfectly medium rare and loaded baked potatoes.

Wines were an interesting group.

2012 Delamotte Champagne - good bubbly is always good

2017 Palmaz Vineyards,  Louise,  Napa Valley, Riesling  - disappointed

2010 Tablas Creek, Paso Robles, Tannat - good wine

1994 Flora Springs, Rutherford Hillside Reserve, Napa Valley, Cabernet  Sauvignon - it had seen it's best days 

2013 Pride, Mountain Vineyard, Sonoma county, Merlot - drinking really well

2011 Tensley, Noir, Syrah  -  good wine