Friday, March 26, 2010
Delius Restaurant in Signal Hill hosted a wine dinner tonight. The wines of Piedmont, Italy were featured. It was nice to have dinner with Kevin Butler of the Henry Wine group. It had been a few months since I saw Kevin. He introduced to to the new rep that will be handling the wines of Henry Wine Group in the area. It's always a good thing to get to know the wine rep's.
First Course: Hamachi with Soy Ginger Braised Daikon Root and a Wasabi-Yuzu Aioli, Kaiware. I knew about everything except the Kaiware. I figured it was the dark dots of something on the plate. I will have to research this food item to see what is was. All I know is that to take a slice of Hamachi with the Daikon , hit the Wasabi with it and taste it was an mouth watering experience . It also was a perfect pairing with the 2008 Broglia La Meirana Gavi di Gavi wine.
Second Course: Vichyssoise (cold) with Candied Brussel Sprout Leaves, Warm Pancetta Vinaigrette. What can I say. Everyone agreed that this was a superb dish. Also a great pairing with the 2007 Masanta Dolcetto Langhe. I'm not a big Dolcetto fan but this was a great combination.
Third Course: Potato-Herb Crusted Trout with Warm Root Vegetable. This dish was a big disappointment. The flavors were wonderful but the trout was really strong which detracted from the entire dish. It is not to often that I have a dish from Delius that disappoints me. The wine served was a 2007 Borgogno Barbera d'Alba.
Fourth Course: Pan Roasted Duck Breast, Duck Prosciutto Risotto, Radicchio, Pearl Onions, Blackberry-Honey Glaze. This was a big winner. The duck was cooked to perfection and all the flavors just seemed to come together like you always hope for. This was served with a 2005 Paolo Scavino Barolo. Perfect pairing.
Fifth Course: Blueberry-Mascarpone Gelato with Meyer Lemon Confit and a Roasted Pistachio Tuile. Just the right flavors and size to end the meal.
Delius' new Chef de Cuisine likes to add an Asian flair to his dishes and it seems to be working quite well. All the dishes were executed well, the wines were paired very well and if it had not been for a too strong fish flavor to the trout it would have been a perfect meal. Everyone was talking about how good everything was. Yes, the wine dinners here are not cheap but what you get and the quality makes up for it. We all like a bargain but we also have to set our standards lower to get the bargain price. Of course some peoples palates don't seem to care what the food is like as long as its cheap. These people seem to have the same palate in wines..
Saturday, April 3, 2010
March Gathering of The Flock
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Today's gathering of the winos was held in Santa Monica. A 45 minute trip took 2 hours because of the road closures due to the LA Marathon. At least we were not the only ones running late. Even those driving the surface streets from the southbay area were late.
It was a small group this month but it turned out to be a right balance for appetizers, side dishes and desserts. Sometimes we get all desserts or no desserts.
The theme today was Petite Syrah-Durif and French White Rhones. There were several wines that stood out but 2 of the ones that stood out for me was the 1998 Fieldstone, Staten Family Reserve, Petite Syrah and the 2005 Meeker, Dibble Vineyard Petite Syrah.
The ride home took 45 minutes. What a relief.
Today's gathering of the winos was held in Santa Monica. A 45 minute trip took 2 hours because of the road closures due to the LA Marathon. At least we were not the only ones running late. Even those driving the surface streets from the southbay area were late.
It was a small group this month but it turned out to be a right balance for appetizers, side dishes and desserts. Sometimes we get all desserts or no desserts.
The theme today was Petite Syrah-Durif and French White Rhones. There were several wines that stood out but 2 of the ones that stood out for me was the 1998 Fieldstone, Staten Family Reserve, Petite Syrah and the 2005 Meeker, Dibble Vineyard Petite Syrah.
The ride home took 45 minutes. What a relief.
March Wine & Dine
Saturday, March 20, 2010
The monthly Wine & Dine tonight was at Dunerea Restaurant in Anaheim. It is Romanian and we have dined there several times in the past few years. I did not attend as I was still coming off the effects of my trip to Italy. The menu that was sent out showed a few new dishes that I would have liked to try. Maybe next year
The monthly Wine & Dine tonight was at Dunerea Restaurant in Anaheim. It is Romanian and we have dined there several times in the past few years. I did not attend as I was still coming off the effects of my trip to Italy. The menu that was sent out showed a few new dishes that I would have liked to try. Maybe next year
Trip To Italy
March 2010
Spent 9 days touring Italy. This was my first trip to Europe and it was a great experience. The Euro (money) was easy to understand and even ordering from the menus was no problem. Most people spoke enough English to understand.
I was taken back with the graffiti. I always thought it was prevalent in the US but apparently not. It was disheartening to see the damage that it had done to the old buildings. Even Venice had graffiti on the walls.
When I visited the east coast of the US and went to Boston, Washington DC etc., I was surprised at how old some of the preserved buildings were and the contents were still intact. Growing up in California the oldest thing we have are the missions and some Indian ruins. I tried to prepare myself for Italy but it still was overwhelming to see how old everything was and still in daily use.
I found the food very good especially when you get away from the tourist area's. Their cheese is to die for. All the wines I had were good. Some were ordered by the bottle and some were the house wines by the liter. Gelato was so much better than what I have had in the US. Probably because it is prepared in small batches and not mass produced.
A couple of highlights were the dinner we had at Fattoria Il Poggio in Lucca (Tuscany). The boar sausage, pork ribs and chicken were cooked and smoked over Chestnut wood. So good. They did a wine tatsing for us of their Montecarlo wines. Had a singer . People got up and danced. It was a really fun time.
Also had a fabulous sandwich in a town called Rapallo which is where we were catching the boat to Portofino. 4 of us went off the beaten path by several blocks and found a enoteca-wine bar ,Cantine d'Italia, that served sandwiches made with foccacia bread. The lady behind the counter and the owner did not speak English but a local customer in the store at that time did and he helped us order and pick out a bottle of wine. That sandwich was the best sandwich I have ever had. Period. It was so good with pancetta , mozzarella on foccacia with sundried tomatoes , then grilled. They even made us a plate of pasta with fresh made pesto (at no charge) and then they gave us extra sandwiches to take on the boat.
Spent 9 days touring Italy. This was my first trip to Europe and it was a great experience. The Euro (money) was easy to understand and even ordering from the menus was no problem. Most people spoke enough English to understand.
I was taken back with the graffiti. I always thought it was prevalent in the US but apparently not. It was disheartening to see the damage that it had done to the old buildings. Even Venice had graffiti on the walls.
When I visited the east coast of the US and went to Boston, Washington DC etc., I was surprised at how old some of the preserved buildings were and the contents were still intact. Growing up in California the oldest thing we have are the missions and some Indian ruins. I tried to prepare myself for Italy but it still was overwhelming to see how old everything was and still in daily use.
I found the food very good especially when you get away from the tourist area's. Their cheese is to die for. All the wines I had were good. Some were ordered by the bottle and some were the house wines by the liter. Gelato was so much better than what I have had in the US. Probably because it is prepared in small batches and not mass produced.
A couple of highlights were the dinner we had at Fattoria Il Poggio in Lucca (Tuscany). The boar sausage, pork ribs and chicken were cooked and smoked over Chestnut wood. So good. They did a wine tatsing for us of their Montecarlo wines. Had a singer . People got up and danced. It was a really fun time.
Also had a fabulous sandwich in a town called Rapallo which is where we were catching the boat to Portofino. 4 of us went off the beaten path by several blocks and found a enoteca-wine bar ,Cantine d'Italia, that served sandwiches made with foccacia bread. The lady behind the counter and the owner did not speak English but a local customer in the store at that time did and he helped us order and pick out a bottle of wine. That sandwich was the best sandwich I have ever had. Period. It was so good with pancetta , mozzarella on foccacia with sundried tomatoes , then grilled. They even made us a plate of pasta with fresh made pesto (at no charge) and then they gave us extra sandwiches to take on the boat.
In Florence , John had asked the tour guide for a good place to eat and he recommended Antico Fattore which was several blocks away from the "tourist" area. I had the best Tuscan bread soup I've ever eaten there. Followed by a plate of cheese tortelleni with a pancetta cream sauce. We had a bottle of Antinori Red table wine.
One of the nights that I did not eat dinner at the hotel I went to a place called E'Gusto's. Off the tourist path. Looked like it should be in West LA. No tourists, all locals. I had a smoked fried cheese and then a veal scallopine with mushrooms. The people I was with had ordered dessert so I had a bite of each one. Really good. Their wine by the liter was good also. Very food friendly wine. And I am sure much better than the hotel dinner being served that night.
One evening on Montecatini I dined at a restaurant called "Capersone" so something like that. Didn't get a card so I'm going by memory. 5 of us that night. I ordered the deep fried stuffed olives and a seafood rissotto. Again a really good dinner. The shrimp in the rissotto was so tender. I do not think I have ever had a shrimp that tender before. I have had shrimp caught just hours before serving but never as tender as was. Again wine by the liter and again good.
We had a wine tasting and tour at Castello d"Albolain Chianti, which is one of the few wineries that is open every day for tasting (Like in California). Most wineries are close to the public and you must have a reservation to get in. I thought one of the labels was familar and asked about it. They make 65,000 cases of that wine and Trader Joe's is one of their biggest customers. Their other wines are made in smaller case numbers so it is not exported. The served us 5 wines and a Grappa. Along with meats and cheeses, bread and olive oil. Maybe we were just hungry and thirsty after the long windy road up to the facility but everyting tasted good. There wasn't anything left on the platters or in the baskets.
The only food that I had that to me was not good was at the hotel we were staying at in Montecatini. It was too westernized and was not good. Their soups were good but everything else was so mediorce. What a waste. We had breakfast there every morning (or a sack breakfast). It got to be a running joke of "what kind of canned peaches" are we having today. The same thing every morning . It did not hold a candle to the breakfast we had on my trip to China 2 years ago.
I would like to go back to Italy but the tour was grueling and very hard on my "old" knees, I think it would be great to rent a car and drive yourself. The highways would be very easy to navigate but in the towns it would get a lot more complicated. If I had a tremendous amount of money I could fly first class and hire a car & driver. That would be the ideal why to go. Maybe someday.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Italian Wine Dinner
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Sebastiani's in Huntington Beach hosted their first wine dinner of the year tonight. They have taken over the space next to them and converted it into a wine bar. It was all festival seating, two very large tables. I would estimate that there was close to 50 people for this dinner. The price was right $45. The acoustics were bad. To much hard surface for sound to bounce off on. It was a party atmosphere.
First Course: Seafood salad in alight lemon & olive oil marinade. Mix of seafood and shellfish. This dish was good and paired well with the 2008 Bindi, Sefardi Oriolus, Bianco di Toscana. It is hard to pair a acid with an acid but this was well done.
Second Course: Caprese Tower - grilled eggplant, roma tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, sweet basil all layered and baked and served with an aged balsamic reduction. Interesting flavors in this dish. The wine was a 2007 Bosco Agostino Dolcetto. I was was not a pleased with this pairing. Something seemed out of sync.
Third Course: Spinach Ravioli served in a delicate roasted pepper and tomato ragu with a splash of red wine and a touch of cream. It was a ravioli. Nothing special, The sauce was alright. Served with a 2007 Bindi, Sergardi Chianti "Colli Senesi". Good pairing the wine went well with the dish.
Fourth Course: Braciola Napolitana - flank steak wrapped with prosciutto and filled with ground veal, gorgonzola cheese, caponata capers and finished with an Arrabiatta sauce. This dish was interesting. The flavor was good. I felt the flank steak was pounded too thin but overall a good dish.This was served with a 2007 Germano Angelo Barbera d'Alba "La Soleggita" A good pairing everything seemed to meld together well.
Dessert was a Triamisu all Limoncello.
All in all it was a good dinner especially for the price. I wish there were a few less people because of the noise factor and they really had you crammed in at the table. I thought is was too tight for comfort. We will see what happens at the next dinner I attend at Sebastiani's.
Sebastiani's in Huntington Beach hosted their first wine dinner of the year tonight. They have taken over the space next to them and converted it into a wine bar. It was all festival seating, two very large tables. I would estimate that there was close to 50 people for this dinner. The price was right $45. The acoustics were bad. To much hard surface for sound to bounce off on. It was a party atmosphere.
First Course: Seafood salad in alight lemon & olive oil marinade. Mix of seafood and shellfish. This dish was good and paired well with the 2008 Bindi, Sefardi Oriolus, Bianco di Toscana. It is hard to pair a acid with an acid but this was well done.
Second Course: Caprese Tower - grilled eggplant, roma tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, sweet basil all layered and baked and served with an aged balsamic reduction. Interesting flavors in this dish. The wine was a 2007 Bosco Agostino Dolcetto. I was was not a pleased with this pairing. Something seemed out of sync.
Third Course: Spinach Ravioli served in a delicate roasted pepper and tomato ragu with a splash of red wine and a touch of cream. It was a ravioli. Nothing special, The sauce was alright. Served with a 2007 Bindi, Sergardi Chianti "Colli Senesi". Good pairing the wine went well with the dish.
Fourth Course: Braciola Napolitana - flank steak wrapped with prosciutto and filled with ground veal, gorgonzola cheese, caponata capers and finished with an Arrabiatta sauce. This dish was interesting. The flavor was good. I felt the flank steak was pounded too thin but overall a good dish.This was served with a 2007 Germano Angelo Barbera d'Alba "La Soleggita" A good pairing everything seemed to meld together well.
Dessert was a Triamisu all Limoncello.
All in all it was a good dinner especially for the price. I wish there were a few less people because of the noise factor and they really had you crammed in at the table. I thought is was too tight for comfort. We will see what happens at the next dinner I attend at Sebastiani's.
February's "Gathering Of The Flock"
Sunday. February 21, 2010
This was my time to host our monthly wine group's get together. My theme was wines rated 93 to 100. It makes people hunt for a decent wine instead of just dropping by the local wine store (or worse, the grocery store) and picking up a wine on their way.
We had an abundance of appetizers brought but only one dessert. Last gathering, there was such an over abundance of desserts. Everyone changed tracks this month.
There were 20 wines brought. Among the ones I liked the best were the 1999 Chateau St Jean Cinq Cepages, 2005 Renato Ratti, Marcenasco Barolo, 2007 Roar, Gary's Vineyard, Pinot Noir, and the 2007 Tabalas Creek Espirit De Beaucastel. I opened a 2007 Sea Smoke Ten Pinot Noir. It was good but I was a little disappointed. Other people really liked it. I preferred the Roar Pinot.
So another gathering taken care of and March will bring another.
This was my time to host our monthly wine group's get together. My theme was wines rated 93 to 100. It makes people hunt for a decent wine instead of just dropping by the local wine store (or worse, the grocery store) and picking up a wine on their way.
We had an abundance of appetizers brought but only one dessert. Last gathering, there was such an over abundance of desserts. Everyone changed tracks this month.
There were 20 wines brought. Among the ones I liked the best were the 1999 Chateau St Jean Cinq Cepages, 2005 Renato Ratti, Marcenasco Barolo, 2007 Roar, Gary's Vineyard, Pinot Noir, and the 2007 Tabalas Creek Espirit De Beaucastel. I opened a 2007 Sea Smoke Ten Pinot Noir. It was good but I was a little disappointed. Other people really liked it. I preferred the Roar Pinot.
So another gathering taken care of and March will bring another.
February Wine & Dine
Saturday, February 20, 2010
CJ's wine and dine group met tonight at "Preveza" in Los Alamitos. I have dined there several times now and CJ has put it on list list of restaurants. There were 17 people in attendance this evening.
CJ always pre-orders the dinner. It distributes the amount we pay evenly and makes for a much simpler way. It would be a mess if everyone tries to order their own and get separate checks.
We started out with 6 appetizers. My time we were through with these most of us were getting filled up. I think 4 would have been a better number.
Traditional Hummus with Pita bread - very good hummus but portions were way too big.
Tzatziki - again very good but big portions.
Dolmades - this is a favorite of mine. Fortunately we each got one dolmades and that was plenty.
Tyropita - cheese in a puff pastry - another very good dish
Flat bread with smoked salmon - I have had this every time I go to Preveza. Excellent dish.
Special Mediterranean Pizza - this was good but I could not enjoy it as much as I should have just because of the amount of food I already had.
If they would have served much, much smaller portions of the hummus and tzatziki it would have been better. And delete the flatbread or the pizza. It was too much starch along with the pita bread. You have a tendency when you first are served to eat too much because you are hungry and appetizers seemed to be the thing to nibble on. Soon you have nibbled beyond your capacity for comfort.
The entrees were next:
Spinach Ravioli, Moussaka, Greek Style baked vegetables, lamb on a skewer and swordfish on a skewer.
The ravioli was ok, I did not care for the moussaka. I have had much better.The lamb was good. A tad too well done for me but the flavor was excellent. The swordfish was excellent. I may order that the next time I go to Preveza.
I took a 1999 Hafner Caberent which I was disappointed in. Way to light. I probably sholud have drank it a coupole of years ago. I also took a 2007 Stolpman La Coppola (white) which was good and a 2001 Stlopman Nebbioli. It was ok but again I sholud have drank a few years back.
Several people order desserts and coffee. We split a dessert 6 ways so that was a $1 per person extra and those that ordered coffee came across with another $2. So all this $4o per person and that included the corkage charge of $5 per person, tax and tip.
Luda was our waitress. She has waited on us before. Very good server with a great personality. A another good "Wine & Dine" dinner
Next month it is at a Romanian restaurant in Anaheim. I will be just back from a trip to Italy so I am now sure if I will make that dinner.
CJ's wine and dine group met tonight at "Preveza" in Los Alamitos. I have dined there several times now and CJ has put it on list list of restaurants. There were 17 people in attendance this evening.
CJ always pre-orders the dinner. It distributes the amount we pay evenly and makes for a much simpler way. It would be a mess if everyone tries to order their own and get separate checks.
We started out with 6 appetizers. My time we were through with these most of us were getting filled up. I think 4 would have been a better number.
Traditional Hummus with Pita bread - very good hummus but portions were way too big.
Tzatziki - again very good but big portions.
Dolmades - this is a favorite of mine. Fortunately we each got one dolmades and that was plenty.
Tyropita - cheese in a puff pastry - another very good dish
Flat bread with smoked salmon - I have had this every time I go to Preveza. Excellent dish.
Special Mediterranean Pizza - this was good but I could not enjoy it as much as I should have just because of the amount of food I already had.
If they would have served much, much smaller portions of the hummus and tzatziki it would have been better. And delete the flatbread or the pizza. It was too much starch along with the pita bread. You have a tendency when you first are served to eat too much because you are hungry and appetizers seemed to be the thing to nibble on. Soon you have nibbled beyond your capacity for comfort.
The entrees were next:
Spinach Ravioli, Moussaka, Greek Style baked vegetables, lamb on a skewer and swordfish on a skewer.
The ravioli was ok, I did not care for the moussaka. I have had much better.The lamb was good. A tad too well done for me but the flavor was excellent. The swordfish was excellent. I may order that the next time I go to Preveza.
I took a 1999 Hafner Caberent which I was disappointed in. Way to light. I probably sholud have drank it a coupole of years ago. I also took a 2007 Stolpman La Coppola (white) which was good and a 2001 Stlopman Nebbioli. It was ok but again I sholud have drank a few years back.
Several people order desserts and coffee. We split a dessert 6 ways so that was a $1 per person extra and those that ordered coffee came across with another $2. So all this $4o per person and that included the corkage charge of $5 per person, tax and tip.
Luda was our waitress. She has waited on us before. Very good server with a great personality. A another good "Wine & Dine" dinner
Next month it is at a Romanian restaurant in Anaheim. I will be just back from a trip to Italy so I am now sure if I will make that dinner.
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