Backyard Dinner with Larry Schaffer and Tercero Wines

 Friday, August 20, 2021

Dave & Louise Solzman of  Chef Louise's Catering held another delightful backyard dinner at their home. This time with Larry Schaffer, winemaker and owner of Tercero Wines.  Weather was perfect, a very slight breeze and warm evening.  Dinner again limited to 30 people. 

Started out with Jumbo Scallop Ceviche with Avocado and Micro Cilantro. Scallops were perfect. Paired with a 2020, Tercero,  Clairette Blanche, Santa Ynez Valley, Happy Canyon. $33.  Interesting wine. I really preferred the taste when it warmed up just a tad. Tart but not acidic. A perfect pairing

Next is Tea Smoked Duck Breast Salad with A Dried Cherry Vinaigrette. Duck was exceptionally good, moist and tender.  The vinaigrette was the right touch for the greens. A 2020 Tercero Nouveau Cinsault , Zaca Mesa Vineyard, $30, was the chosen wine. Carbonic maceration.  Wine paired  very well with the duck but it just did not grab me.

Third course is Coq au Vin Farro Risotto. Again a very good dish. Tender chicken and the farro was a perfect play for it. Wine is a 2017 Tercero,  Carignane, a Spanish grape sourced from Camp 4 Vineyard, Santa Ynez, $38. An excellent pairing.

Main dish is a Filet Mignon au Pouvre with scalloped potatoes. Meat is cooked perfectly to a medium rare. Paired with a 2014 Mouvedre, sourced from Larner Vineyards, Ballard Canyon,  Zaca Mesa Vineyards in Los Olivos and Camp 4 Vineyards in Santa Ynez, $44. I have always liked this Mouvedre. Big, jammy with out being overly. 

Dessert is a Peach Galette with Salted Caramel Whipped Cream. A nice ending to the meal The new 2020 Outlier  a dry Gewürztraminer, Carrari Vineyards, Los Alamos. $33,  was the wine selection.  Larry has not made this wine since 2014 as his source of grapes dried up. Luckily he found another source. Wine is excellent with spicy foods but it was a perfect pairing with this dessert. 

Another beautiful night under the stars (and helicopters from the airport). I wave at the helicopters flying overhead just in case it will show up on the evening news. 

Looking forward to next months dinner. Karen Steinwachs and Buttonwood Wines. 

Silver Oak and Twomey Wines at Arte Cafe

 Thursday, August 12, 2021

Dinner is Al Fresco  tonight - too much heat today. It was pushing 100 in the inner areas.  Everyone who came decided to sit outside in the patio area at Arte Cafe.  It was a pleasant evening.  Five of us at the table tonight. Wines from Silver Oak and Twomey.

First course is called a Heirloom Mosaic - fancy name for a variety of heirloom tomatoes with mozzarella balls, oil,  vinegar, avocado and garden herbs. Ate a few of the tomatoes, When they are the heirloom and small I can handle a few. These are not as acidic as a regular tomato. Good flavors Paired with a 2020 Twomey Sauvignon Blanc. Decent Sau Blanc, nice fruit and not overly acidic. 

Then onto cured salmon with black beans ,  quail eggs, creme fraiche, bibb lettuce and housemade potato chips.  Salmon is raw but this was a bit mushy for me. Not sure why. It was cold so it was not that is sat out too long. I ate most of it but the last few pieces I left on the plate. I eat a lot of sushi so raw fish does not bother me like it does some people.  A 2018 Twomey Russian River Pinot Noir was the wine selection. Not impressed. Wine seemed flat, not much going for it.

Third course is a Duck Confit salad with grilled stone fruits, goat cheese and candied pecans. Duck was excellent. Moist and loads of flavor. The grilled fruits really made the dish. Wine paired was a 2019 Twomey Anderson Valley Pinot Noir. This wine was good, Very vibrant, nice, clean well balanced. Dark Cherry with just a hint of cocoa.

Main course is a Grilled "Bistro" steak. Have no idea what the Bistro refers to. But the streak was moist and cooked perfectly to medium rare. Nice char on outside. Loads of flavor, Served along with grilled shallot, duck fat Fingerling potatoes and broccoli. Potatoes were excellent. Biggest disappointment tonight for wine. A 2017 Silver Oak, Alexander Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon.  Wine was way too warm. Flat. Nothing to it.

Dessert is a lemon bar set on a bed of pureed raspberries, topped with vanilla ice cream and fresh raspberries. A nice touch to the meal.

You would think that the rep from the winery would know better than to serve wines at room temperature when at 7:00 in the evening it is 85*.  So not overly impressed with the reps nor the over priced wine. To me there is no excuse  for this oversight.

Margie's Monthly Dinner at Taboon Mediterranean

 Saturday, August 7, 2021

Small group of nine tonight at Taboon Mediterranean restaurant in the Bixby Knolls area of Long Beach. First time here since name change and new owners., They have spruced the place up quite a bit and a much nicer atmosphere. We were seated in a private dining area with a massive table and equally massive chairs and high ceilings.  I found the chair more on the uncomfortable side as I have short legs and could not sit all the way  back  Music was a bit too much. Wish it could have been turned down but it was piped throughout the entire restaurant. 

Food was very good and service was good.

Started out with Zahrah - which is fried cauliflower with garlic, cilantro, lemon, sumac and tahini. Very good flavors. 

Also had Baba Ghanouj, char grilled eggplant with garlic and tahini sauce. Not big into eggplant but this is tolerable because it is mashed. And the garlic and tahini really help mask the eggplant. 

My entree was grilled lamb chops which I asked for rare. Server wrote down medium rare and I got well done. Chops were thin but moist. and good flavor. Almost all "Mediterranean" restaurants I have dined at have the same issue with meat. I like mine rare and they always overcook. Probably a cultural thing. There were two types of rice on the plate along with a house green  salad, hummus, pita bread and garlic tahini sauce. Garlic tahini is so good  I really should learn to make this. Great spread for all kinds of things.

I rounded out my meal with a very large serving of Pistachio ice cream. which was very good.

Wines brought tonight were a real mixed bag. A couple really were not conducive to middle eastern foods.

I brought a 2014 Longoria, Sta Rita Hills, Blanc de Blanc sparkling. Rick Longoria made this wine for his daughters wedding a few years ago but apparently is was not ready to drink at that time so he has sold it off. Rick said too labor intensive and he would never make a sparkling wine again. Nice wine, a bit on the drier side.

2009 Copain, Anderson Valley, Monument Tree, Pinot Noir - Excellent wine

2019 Carol Shelton, Paso Robles, Coquille Blanc - pleasant drier white wine that I enjoyed

2019 Sycamore Ranch Vineyards and Winery, Santa Ynez Valley,  Estelle Vineyards, Grenache - did not taste

2014 Graywacke, Marlborough, Pinot Noir - very pleasant wine

2016 Rocche di Castellerro, Barolo, - did not taste

2019 Studio by Mirval, Provence, Rose - nice

NV   Nautilus Cuvee, Marlborough, Sparkling - quite nice, a bit on the drier side

2019 Grath, Sauvignon Blanc - did not taste

2015 Guyomar, Paso Robles, Laity,  a blend of Syrah, Grenache and Petite Syrah -  good wine with deep. dark flavors

Lunch with The Boys

 Friday, August 6, 2021

Evan's caretaker came in today so Henry was able to get a few hours in for lunch. Last minute decision. Off to  Seafood Cove # 1 in Westminister. Original and a bit dumpy but great food and always packed with locals. Not for those who insist on ambiance instead of food. 

Started out with their spicy, sour soup. A tad heavy today on the white pepper but more flavor than last lunch's soup. Depends on who is cooking that day. 

Next was assorted Seafood with Thai style noodles and Chinese broccoli. Dish had great colors and flavors. Loads of seafood. Good choice.

Then onto Scallops Kung Pao. An abundance of bay scallops with spices and peanuts.  Another good choice today.

My favorite was the Deep Fried Salt and Pepper Pork Chops. Crispy, chunky crust. Not the most healthful but such good crunch and juicy. OD'd on these.

Last dish was Beef with Thai Style Noodles. Good flavors.

I will say Thai style noodles are not the easiest to eat with chopsticks, They are wide,  flat and with the sauce very slippery. Your face is close the plate in order to get them into your mouth.

Always a plate of sliced oranges to clean the palate after a meal.

3 of us today so 3 wines.

 2013 Lando, Sonoma Coast, Pinot Noir - drinking really nice\

2018 Rutherford Ranch, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon - good wine but needs a few more years in the bottle. 

2020 Weingut, Brundlmaye, Zweigelt, Rose. Beautiful wine, dry and clean. 

Backyard Dinner with Wes Hagen and Miller Family Wines

 Saturday, July 31, 2021

About 30 people gathered in the back yard of Dave & Louise Solzman for the first dinner since 2019. Weather was nice, a bit breezy but that died down after the sun set.  Wes Hagen of Miller Family Wines was the quest winemaker.  Everyone here was regular customers of Delius when it was open. They still have a big following. One couple drove in from Redlands.

At the singles table were were treated to a surprise taste of two Optik wines, A Chardonnay and a Pinot.  Frankly I was under whelmed by both of them. The pinot was so jammey I thought it was a Syrah.  This apparently is a new collaboration headed up by Joey Tensley.  When I first about this new line I was really anxious to try them, Not to my taste.

Started off with deviled eggs as an amuse bouche Then onto the first course which was a Ricotta, Heirloom Tomato Tarte with a Pesto drizzle. Good flavors and the pesto added just the right touch.  Served with a 2020 Margerum Syvarite Sauvignon Blanc.  Did like this Sau Blanc. Not over acidic, nice ripe tropical fruits.

Second course is a Lump Crab salad with roasted sweet corn, avocado and arugula.  Not over dressed and very tasty. Paired with a 2018 J. Wilkes , Santa Maria Valley, Pinot Blanc.  Another nice white wine that went with the food quite well.

Up next is Duck Confit Farro Risotto. Cooked perfectly.  Good flavors. Wine is a 2018 J. Wilkes, Santa Maria Valley, Pinot Noir. A likable wine.

Main course a Pork tenderloin with Fig & Chili jam, parmesan potato puree and grilled whole baby zucchini. Pork was perfect, the jam to die for. Perfect touch to the meat.  I was not taken with the zucchini. Just a bit to al dente for me. Almost raw. not into having to cut a vegetable with a knife.  Paired with a 2019 Optik, Bien Nacido, Black 11D1, Syrah. 

 Not impressed with the wine. Joey Tensley is a great winemaker but have no idea where he is going with this new venture. 

Dessert is a Sunshine Cake with mixed berry gelee and lemon curd. Nice  light and airy with just a hint a sweetness., Dave did go into his personal cellar and a few of us got pours of a 2001 Sauterne. Nice ending to a great meal

Beautiful weather, great food, good wine, nice outdoor setting and fun people. Not a bad evening.