Lunch with The Boys at Cafe Corleone

 April 16, 2024

Lunch at Cafe Corleone

Special treat today. CJ brought a 2001 Domenico Clerico, Percristina, Barolo. Because of its age he decided not to decant it. It was drinking very nicely on the first pour but really opened up after an hour. It probably could have been decanted at the table. This bottle was just at the start of going downhill. A slight copper halo but the taste was not compromised at all. A lot of sediment in the filter.  Wine opened up quite well after an hour. A bit of smoke, dark fruit and very smooth tannins. Good mouth feel from first to last. So glad that it was shared with us today. 

We started out with the traditional garlic bread, then onto a Spinach and Mozzarella baked dip.  Good flavors and the fresh spinach really shined in this dish.

A plate of Beef Ravioli with meat sauce. I did not have any of this dish because of the sauce. It did look good. 

Next was a plate of Rigatoni Barese.  Pasta with fresh broccoli and garlic with a white cream sauce. Had decent flavor with to me it was a bit on the bland side. I expected more with the garlic. And the cream sauce was thin. 

A plate of Tortellini Emiliana was next. This I really liked. Cheese stuffed tortellini with white cream sauce, fresh sweet peas, mushrooms and ham.  Sauce was a bit thicker on this dish.  Very good flavor. Really enjoyed this. 

Good food, good friends and great wine.

Lunch At The Black Trumpet

 Friday, March 29, 2024

Have not been to the Black Trumpet since it moved from their location on Beach Blvd. 8 years ago. Tapa style bar and restaurant.  Much larger place than before. I am assuming they fill the place up but at 12:30 on a Friday afternoon it was sparse.  But it is also Easter weekend so that could be a factor.

There are 4 of us today.  Extensive menu and blackboard specials. More than 2 items confuse me so I told my companions to order and I would work around their choices. 

Started out with Patalas Panaderas which are a Spanish style of fried potatoes.  They were OK but not stellar. 

Next was fried, crispy calamari, Rings and tentacles. Again OK but not stellar. I found the rings to be on the skimpy side and not much to them.  Mostly batter. Came with an Arrabiata sauce. 

Seared Ahi on a chip. OK but the Ahi did not impress. Nothing wrong but nothing great.

We had a Pizzette Margherita, this was the best of the food items. Very flavorful. Nice small pieces but you got a mouthful of flavor. 

A tray of dessert items was presented. A plate of "dumplings" were ordered. Soft fried pieces of dough filled with a creamy, cheesy mixture. Again OK.  I had a piece of Chocolate "cake". Hard shell chocolate over several layers of cake with a cream filling between. An oversize petit four.  It was good but should have not ordered it after a meal. Way too much for me. 

A bottom of a Spanish red wine was consumed. Cannot remember the varietal but it was a good wine.

A bit of a disappointment as I remember the food at the other location being much better. But it also could be that since I have this digestive issue things do not taste the same to me.  If I had been doing the ordering I would have chosen different but I opted out of that so it is on me.  A nice lunch with friends. 

Unfortunately something really disagreed with me today and I paid the price for a couple of days.