Sunday, October 18, 2009
This month's gathering of the wino's theme was "Wines From Navarra & La Mancha, Spain"
The host's went all out and made Paella for the crowd. It was excellent and not much was left. Everyone seemed to enjoy this food dish. Remy really went out and cooked an excellent main dish. The appetizers and desserts were good also. People seemed to make a little bit more effort to bring food that had a Spanish influence to them.
There were 32 bottles of wine on the table. A few duplicates but I was surprised that the "wino's" on the most part went out of their way to get wines from these districts. I would say 95% of the wines were good. A few clunkers.
A good time was had by all, good food, good wine and good friends. It doesn't get better than that.
Looking forward to next months gathering. A 9 year vertical of McKeon-Phillips BVP Cabernet.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Delius' Passport Tasting
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Every year (2nd Sunday of October), Delius Restaurant in Signal Hill hosts their annual "Passport Tasting". For $50 you get access to a minimum of 36 wines and a light buffet along with passed appetizers. It was a sellout this year so next year they plan on closing the restaurant and using all the dining areas for the tasting including the Prix Fixe room. That will spread the wine and the people out and it will be easier to deal with the crowd. They do limit the number of people attending but with Delius keeping the bar open and the prix fixe dining area open for reservations it shoved a lot of people into a smaller area
I usually take advantage of the discount prices of the wines being offered but this year I have glut of wines and I am trying to pare down to a comfortable number.
The food was good and the wines were good. Most of the wine vendors bring decent wines to this event. At some events the wine rep's bring the low end wines but not at Delius. Which is to everyone's benefit.
Every year (2nd Sunday of October), Delius Restaurant in Signal Hill hosts their annual "Passport Tasting". For $50 you get access to a minimum of 36 wines and a light buffet along with passed appetizers. It was a sellout this year so next year they plan on closing the restaurant and using all the dining areas for the tasting including the Prix Fixe room. That will spread the wine and the people out and it will be easier to deal with the crowd. They do limit the number of people attending but with Delius keeping the bar open and the prix fixe dining area open for reservations it shoved a lot of people into a smaller area
I usually take advantage of the discount prices of the wines being offered but this year I have glut of wines and I am trying to pare down to a comfortable number.
The food was good and the wines were good. Most of the wine vendors bring decent wines to this event. At some events the wine rep's bring the low end wines but not at Delius. Which is to everyone's benefit.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Ante's Croatian Restaurant
Saturday, October 10, 2009
CJ's Wine & Dine group met tonight at Ante's in San Pedro. We have dined here many times before. The food seems to be a mix of many cultures, Germanic, Italian , Greek and the Baltic countries.
We started out the the "Antipasto" platter - salami, ham, cheese, pickled carrots, radishes, celery etc. I only eat the meats and cheese. I find everything else does not come close to pairing with wine so why screw up my palate for something I can do without.
Next we were served "Sauteed Shrimp and Sauteed Calamari Steak". The garlic butter sauce is to die for. Best with hunks of bread soaked in it. Both of these dishes were excellent. There were a couple of white wines that paired perfectly with these dishes.
We were then served a "Dalmatian Salad". Just lettuce with a few other things in it. I passed on the salad. It had a vinaigrette dressing and unless you have a very low acidic wine you cannot drink a wine with this and have a "wine & food" experience.
The entrees served were "Cevapcici" - seasoned mince meat shaped into kebab rolls and served with raw onion. This is CJ's favorite dish. I find that is a tab too dry for me. I will eat one or maybe half but I am a "just this side of dead" meat person and meat cooked dry simply does not appeal to me. And the raw onions are another wine turnoff.
"Sarma" was served - seasoned ground beef and rice rolled in cabbage leaves. It had a very light tomato sauce on it and this is one of my favorite dishes. I had "cabbage rolls" a lot growing up and I suppose it might be said that it is "comfort food" for me. I just missed the potatoes that we always had with cabbage rolls.
Bowls of "Kisell Kupus" were put on the table. Sauerkraut, pork, sausage and vegetables. I have always liked this dish because they cook the sauerkraut dry. But I had a hard time finding "vegetables" in this dish and very little sausage.
Lastly bowls of "Mostacciolli" were served. One with a meat sauce and one with garlic, olive oil and bay shrimp. There is nothing great about these dishes, but nothing negative also. To me they were "fillers".
All the "entrees" seemed to pair well with a variety of the red wines. There were at least 24 wines on the table and by reason of "sanity" I need not try them all. After all I had to navigate the "Vincent Thomas" bridge, downtown Long Beach, Belmont Shore, Naples, Seal Beach and Sunset Beach to get home. All popular places for "Johnny Law" to hang out.
A good group this evening but one of the earliest Wine & Dine dinners endings. Most of us were out the door around 9:00 pm. Some of the die hards were going to a another local "watering hole" to prolong the evening.
Next month The Wine & Dine group meets at my favorite Chinese place - Doung Son.
CJ's Wine & Dine group met tonight at Ante's in San Pedro. We have dined here many times before. The food seems to be a mix of many cultures, Germanic, Italian , Greek and the Baltic countries.
We started out the the "Antipasto" platter - salami, ham, cheese, pickled carrots, radishes, celery etc. I only eat the meats and cheese. I find everything else does not come close to pairing with wine so why screw up my palate for something I can do without.
Next we were served "Sauteed Shrimp and Sauteed Calamari Steak". The garlic butter sauce is to die for. Best with hunks of bread soaked in it. Both of these dishes were excellent. There were a couple of white wines that paired perfectly with these dishes.
We were then served a "Dalmatian Salad". Just lettuce with a few other things in it. I passed on the salad. It had a vinaigrette dressing and unless you have a very low acidic wine you cannot drink a wine with this and have a "wine & food" experience.
The entrees served were "Cevapcici" - seasoned mince meat shaped into kebab rolls and served with raw onion. This is CJ's favorite dish. I find that is a tab too dry for me. I will eat one or maybe half but I am a "just this side of dead" meat person and meat cooked dry simply does not appeal to me. And the raw onions are another wine turnoff.
"Sarma" was served - seasoned ground beef and rice rolled in cabbage leaves. It had a very light tomato sauce on it and this is one of my favorite dishes. I had "cabbage rolls" a lot growing up and I suppose it might be said that it is "comfort food" for me. I just missed the potatoes that we always had with cabbage rolls.
Bowls of "Kisell Kupus" were put on the table. Sauerkraut, pork, sausage and vegetables. I have always liked this dish because they cook the sauerkraut dry. But I had a hard time finding "vegetables" in this dish and very little sausage.
Lastly bowls of "Mostacciolli" were served. One with a meat sauce and one with garlic, olive oil and bay shrimp. There is nothing great about these dishes, but nothing negative also. To me they were "fillers".
All the "entrees" seemed to pair well with a variety of the red wines. There were at least 24 wines on the table and by reason of "sanity" I need not try them all. After all I had to navigate the "Vincent Thomas" bridge, downtown Long Beach, Belmont Shore, Naples, Seal Beach and Sunset Beach to get home. All popular places for "Johnny Law" to hang out.
A good group this evening but one of the earliest Wine & Dine dinners endings. Most of us were out the door around 9:00 pm. Some of the die hards were going to a another local "watering hole" to prolong the evening.
Next month The Wine & Dine group meets at my favorite Chinese place - Doung Son.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Chinese Again
Saturday, October 3, 2009
We made another trip to Doung Son in "Little Saigon" in Westminister. Since I did not take any notes with this dinner I am going by my memory. The food I remember the wine I am very sketchy on.
"Garlic Prawns" - very large prawns split in half an cooked with a heavy duty garlic sauce. As always, very good.
Duck Two Ways - Roast duck with "pillows" for peking duck and then mixed with rice noddles and other mysterious ingredients and wrapped in lettuce leaves.
Fred Tofu with a vegetable sauce.
Chow Mein - a new dish for me. Nancy requested a dish with "crisp noodles". It was interesting, had a sauce with mushrooms on it. I would eat it if it was ordered again but I would not specifically ask for it.
Sauteed baby pea shoots. We had this at the last dinner and this dish I did ask for. Very light delicate taste.
Beef with Chinese broccoli.
Desserts were a "seaweed" tapioca pudding, fresh cantaloupe, fresh Jack fruit and because it was the "Harvest Moon" we were served a special cake that they make only once a year for this event. It was very good.
I did bring a 2003 Sea Smoke Botella which was showing very well. There was a Silverado Cab, a Tempranillo, 2 Chardonnays, a Sauvignon Blanc, a 2007 Loring Rancho La Vina Pinot and a Ken Brown Pinot. This is all from memory so I don't remember the years or some of the labels. All the wines were good and everyone had a good time which is a "given" when we dine at Duong Son. Hopefully we will get another dinner in before the end of the year.
We made another trip to Doung Son in "Little Saigon" in Westminister. Since I did not take any notes with this dinner I am going by my memory. The food I remember the wine I am very sketchy on.
"Garlic Prawns" - very large prawns split in half an cooked with a heavy duty garlic sauce. As always, very good.
Duck Two Ways - Roast duck with "pillows" for peking duck and then mixed with rice noddles and other mysterious ingredients and wrapped in lettuce leaves.
Fred Tofu with a vegetable sauce.
Chow Mein - a new dish for me. Nancy requested a dish with "crisp noodles". It was interesting, had a sauce with mushrooms on it. I would eat it if it was ordered again but I would not specifically ask for it.
Sauteed baby pea shoots. We had this at the last dinner and this dish I did ask for. Very light delicate taste.
Beef with Chinese broccoli.
Desserts were a "seaweed" tapioca pudding, fresh cantaloupe, fresh Jack fruit and because it was the "Harvest Moon" we were served a special cake that they make only once a year for this event. It was very good.
I did bring a 2003 Sea Smoke Botella which was showing very well. There was a Silverado Cab, a Tempranillo, 2 Chardonnays, a Sauvignon Blanc, a 2007 Loring Rancho La Vina Pinot and a Ken Brown Pinot. This is all from memory so I don't remember the years or some of the labels. All the wines were good and everyone had a good time which is a "given" when we dine at Duong Son. Hopefully we will get another dinner in before the end of the year.
La Parolaccia Osteria
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
There is this small Italian restaurant in Long Beach that has great food and a couple of owners that are as "mad" as I am. La Parolaccia Osteria. (the name means "dirty words"). It has been quite awhile since I have attended a wine dinner there.
One of the nice touches about this particular place is that the owners are hands on and that they always give prizes out at their wine dinners. Usually from 6 to 10, including T-shirts, aprons and bottles of wine. I managed to score a nice bottle of Italian wine this evening.
The restaurant usually has a wine rep at dinner but tonight Stephan and Nick were winging it. They decided to do a dinner with their favorite wines. Some pairings work and some did not.
Appetizer was "Crostini de ricotta e cotto" - Toasted bread with a mousse of ricotta cheese, Italian ham and anchovies. The wine paired with this dish was a Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi, Monteschiavo. This wine was similar to a Sauvignon Blanc and it did pair well with the appetizer.
Next up was "Ditaloni alla Viareggina" - Large tube pasta with Manila clams, black mussels, light broccoli cream sauce with roasted bell peppers. For some reason I had in my mind the seafood would have the shells on which was not the case. I think it would have made for a much better presentation. Messier to eat. This was a generous portion and by time I finished I felt that it should be the end of the meal. The wine was a Orvieto Campogrande, Antinori. A white wine that seemed to be softer in style than the previous wine and I did like it better.
Third dish was "Insalata di patate e cipolle" - Potato salad with red onions, black olives and oregano. This is the third starch we were served. It was overkill. I did not finish this dish. Flavor was good but I think I would have preferred the potatoes to be on the warm side to bring out the other flavors more. This is where the wine pairing went down the tubes. It was served with a Neprica Tormaresca, Antinori. It clashed with the food. I did have some of the Orvieto left and it was a much better pairing.
Main dish was "Ossobuco di cinghiale con polenta" - Wild boar ossobuco, cooked in red wine with vegetables and polenta. The polenta was formed then either baked or lightly fried, which is the way I like it. The boar was good. The meat was slightly dry but that is the way boar is. It does not have the "fat" that a domestic pig has. Flavor was good and the whole dish was done well. This was paired with a Lacrima di Morro, Monteschiavo. A red wine from Puglia. I felt the first red , the Neprica went better with this dish. The Lacrima was not as well balanced wine as the Neprica and it had a washed out back palate.
Dessert was "Soffici di fichi" - A puff pastry filled with figs and Sambuca. I am not a big "fig" person but this was a well made dish. I had 2 bites and took the rest home. The starches were starting to really get to me.
I truly wished that they had substituted one of the starch dishes with a vegetable dish of some type.
The dinner was fun and on the whole good. Hopefully I can do the next dinner they have which should be before the end of the year. The dining room was closed to sold out for the dinner. The other dining area had a huge group of about 20 people (noisy) and the third dining area was busy all night. The price of $50 for the wine dinner has something to do with it. For a Tuesday night they should be happy with the turnout. A lot of restaurants in town should so lucky.
There is this small Italian restaurant in Long Beach that has great food and a couple of owners that are as "mad" as I am. La Parolaccia Osteria. (the name means "dirty words"). It has been quite awhile since I have attended a wine dinner there.
One of the nice touches about this particular place is that the owners are hands on and that they always give prizes out at their wine dinners. Usually from 6 to 10, including T-shirts, aprons and bottles of wine. I managed to score a nice bottle of Italian wine this evening.
The restaurant usually has a wine rep at dinner but tonight Stephan and Nick were winging it. They decided to do a dinner with their favorite wines. Some pairings work and some did not.
Appetizer was "Crostini de ricotta e cotto" - Toasted bread with a mousse of ricotta cheese, Italian ham and anchovies. The wine paired with this dish was a Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi, Monteschiavo. This wine was similar to a Sauvignon Blanc and it did pair well with the appetizer.
Next up was "Ditaloni alla Viareggina" - Large tube pasta with Manila clams, black mussels, light broccoli cream sauce with roasted bell peppers. For some reason I had in my mind the seafood would have the shells on which was not the case. I think it would have made for a much better presentation. Messier to eat. This was a generous portion and by time I finished I felt that it should be the end of the meal. The wine was a Orvieto Campogrande, Antinori. A white wine that seemed to be softer in style than the previous wine and I did like it better.
Third dish was "Insalata di patate e cipolle" - Potato salad with red onions, black olives and oregano. This is the third starch we were served. It was overkill. I did not finish this dish. Flavor was good but I think I would have preferred the potatoes to be on the warm side to bring out the other flavors more. This is where the wine pairing went down the tubes. It was served with a Neprica Tormaresca, Antinori. It clashed with the food. I did have some of the Orvieto left and it was a much better pairing.
Main dish was "Ossobuco di cinghiale con polenta" - Wild boar ossobuco, cooked in red wine with vegetables and polenta. The polenta was formed then either baked or lightly fried, which is the way I like it. The boar was good. The meat was slightly dry but that is the way boar is. It does not have the "fat" that a domestic pig has. Flavor was good and the whole dish was done well. This was paired with a Lacrima di Morro, Monteschiavo. A red wine from Puglia. I felt the first red , the Neprica went better with this dish. The Lacrima was not as well balanced wine as the Neprica and it had a washed out back palate.
Dessert was "Soffici di fichi" - A puff pastry filled with figs and Sambuca. I am not a big "fig" person but this was a well made dish. I had 2 bites and took the rest home. The starches were starting to really get to me.
I truly wished that they had substituted one of the starch dishes with a vegetable dish of some type.
The dinner was fun and on the whole good. Hopefully I can do the next dinner they have which should be before the end of the year. The dining room was closed to sold out for the dinner. The other dining area had a huge group of about 20 people (noisy) and the third dining area was busy all night. The price of $50 for the wine dinner has something to do with it. For a Tuesday night they should be happy with the turnout. A lot of restaurants in town should so lucky.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
South Coast Winery Restaurant
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Went with friends to this restaurant in Costa Mesa. I did not know it existed. They are members of South Coast's wine club and had been to this restaurant before. Right now they have a 4 course dinner with 4 wines for $35 on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. In today's climate that's a bargain. Of course they are pouring their own wines with this dinner. At least South Coast wines are drinkable. Most of Temecula's wines are "suspect".
First course was "Corn Bisque" , garnished with sauteed Maitake mushrooms, smoked bacon, basil and paired with a South Coast 2007 Reserve Chardonnay. The Chardonnay was oaky but did go well with the the creamy, sweet taste of the bisque. They two countered each other a made for a good pairing
Second course was "Goncchi di Patate", fluffy potato gnocchi sauteed with forest mushrooms, sweet corn, baby tomatoes, sage butter and paired with South Coast 2005 Collaboration. I did like this wine and it paired beautifully with the dish. The vegetables were still very crisp and slightly warm. I felt this was the best wine of the night.
Main course was "Rack of Lamb", two ribs of lamb with warm Farro salad, scallion, pomegranate seeds, Italian Saba and served with South Coast 2005 Wild Horse Peak-4 Block Cabernet Sauvignon. The lamb was cooked the way I liked it. (just this side of dead) and the Farro (Italian grain) was very good. This wine was the weakest of the evening. I did not finish my glass. It had a very weak back finish. Fell off so you could not remember what you were just drinking.
Dessert was "Coconut Flan" with Muscat braised Vanilla Apricots, fresh berries and paired with a South Coast 2008 Muscat Canelli. This was a good pairing.
The food was good and the wines were decent. It was well worth the $35. I looked at their regular menu and the prices seemed reasonable and their wine list was extensive. Mainly California wines but the prices were in line. Not over the hill like a lot of restaurants. Service was good. Did have a small problem with the glasses. After we drank the Chardonnay the serves was going to pour the red wine into the same glass. We had a problem with that and asked for clean red wine glasses. We were told that because the dinner was so inexpensive that he was told to use the same glasses for every wine. This was a management decision not the servers. We did protest and he brought a large red wine glass and did bring a small glass for the Muscat Cannelli. I could handle the 2 reds using the same glass but not a red into white wine residue. I think that management needs to be woken up a bit. This was not their best idea.
If I am in the area I would go back to this restaurant.
Went with friends to this restaurant in Costa Mesa. I did not know it existed. They are members of South Coast's wine club and had been to this restaurant before. Right now they have a 4 course dinner with 4 wines for $35 on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. In today's climate that's a bargain. Of course they are pouring their own wines with this dinner. At least South Coast wines are drinkable. Most of Temecula's wines are "suspect".
First course was "Corn Bisque" , garnished with sauteed Maitake mushrooms, smoked bacon, basil and paired with a South Coast 2007 Reserve Chardonnay. The Chardonnay was oaky but did go well with the the creamy, sweet taste of the bisque. They two countered each other a made for a good pairing
Second course was "Goncchi di Patate", fluffy potato gnocchi sauteed with forest mushrooms, sweet corn, baby tomatoes, sage butter and paired with South Coast 2005 Collaboration. I did like this wine and it paired beautifully with the dish. The vegetables were still very crisp and slightly warm. I felt this was the best wine of the night.
Main course was "Rack of Lamb", two ribs of lamb with warm Farro salad, scallion, pomegranate seeds, Italian Saba and served with South Coast 2005 Wild Horse Peak-4 Block Cabernet Sauvignon. The lamb was cooked the way I liked it. (just this side of dead) and the Farro (Italian grain) was very good. This wine was the weakest of the evening. I did not finish my glass. It had a very weak back finish. Fell off so you could not remember what you were just drinking.
Dessert was "Coconut Flan" with Muscat braised Vanilla Apricots, fresh berries and paired with a South Coast 2008 Muscat Canelli. This was a good pairing.
The food was good and the wines were decent. It was well worth the $35. I looked at their regular menu and the prices seemed reasonable and their wine list was extensive. Mainly California wines but the prices were in line. Not over the hill like a lot of restaurants. Service was good. Did have a small problem with the glasses. After we drank the Chardonnay the serves was going to pour the red wine into the same glass. We had a problem with that and asked for clean red wine glasses. We were told that because the dinner was so inexpensive that he was told to use the same glasses for every wine. This was a management decision not the servers. We did protest and he brought a large red wine glass and did bring a small glass for the Muscat Cannelli. I could handle the 2 reds using the same glass but not a red into white wine residue. I think that management needs to be woken up a bit. This was not their best idea.
If I am in the area I would go back to this restaurant.
Free Wine
It seems that a high end restaurant has a "clean out" sale a couple of times a year. You get to taste 30 wines "free" and then have the option of buying off a list which included the wines available for tasting along with many others not being opened.
I would have liked to taste the 1982 Chateau Petrus, Pomerol but somehow they deemed this wine worthy of selling but not a "free" taste. Retail was $11,500 and sale price was $5,750. If I had not bought so much "Monday Night Football" wines in Paso Robles I may have opted for a case of this jewel.
Of course they had a few lower end specimen's. Like a 2005 Marquis Phillips Merlot at $11.The 2006 Caymus SS Cabernet Sauvignon was going for $80, the NV Krug Reims Champagne was $90, the 2006 Arcadian SLH Pinot Noir was $19 and the 1996 Domaine de la Romanee Conti, Montrachet was going for a mere $3,750, Lot's of bargains for every price range.
All wines are 50% off their retail price. Of course the retail price is on the high side but factoring in 50% discount then the wines become a bargain.
This sale is apparently the biggest secret in town and I intend to keep it that way.
It was nice to have a tasting where the crowd at the tables wasn't 5 people deep. Of course dealing with the"beautiful" people is another thing. They all feel that the tasting is strictly for them and they hog the table pretending to know a lot about wine while talking with the wine rep's. They are in their own little "bubble world". I have always wondered why so many people that think they are "wine savey" hold their glasses by the bowl and warm the wine they are drinking.
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