Saturday, April 19, 2008
The monthy "wine & dine" dinner was held at Duong Son restaurant in Westminister. Really appreciate the food here after China.
There were 18 people a two large round tables. Some new faces and a few that I had not seen in awhile. A lot of nice wines were poured. I did not keep track of them but I brought a 2003 Sea Smoke Bottela Pinot which was showing well. A bottle of 2005 Chateau Margene Sangiovese was a surprise. I have not opened mine yet and I was nice to see what it was about. I will let mine lay down for another year or so. It was a very big wine. There was a 2003 Gary Farrell Rochioli Pinot brought, It was nice but not spectacular. There was a good Italian Nebiollo, a Chablis that was really good and several others at our table that were top notch wines. I also opened later in the dinner at 2003 Turley Old Vine Zin. Great taste.
The food tonight was heavy in the seafood department.
Lettuce wraps with shrimp - personally I like the chicken version better. It was good but did not seem to have enough flavor for me.
Tofu with seafood sauce. Doung Son's tofu is outstanding. I could learn to like the stuff if I could have it cooked this way all the time.
Garlic green beans with sea bass. This has become a staple dish for us. So much flavor.
Fat noodles with seafood, chicken and beef. Finally a dish that Margie could eat. She does not do seafood so at this stage we let her have the chicken and beef out of this dish.
Salt & pepper calamari - another staple and so much better than the big chain restaurant's.
Jelly fish - strips of jelly fish sauteed and a little on the crispy side. This was dish that went either way. You either loved it or not. I thought it was great and so did Terry. He finished the platter of it.
Barbecued ribs - another dish we order frequently. It has almost a maple syrup flavor and it is so good.
Fried Beef - I had this dish in China and it was a new one for me. Duong Son's version was slightly different but the flavor was top notch. We will have to have this again.
Dessert was mango slices, sweet dumplings with lotus seed filling and their strange warm tapioca type pudding. Don't know what it is bit is another one of those yes/no dishes.
Can't wait for another trip to this restaurant.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Belgium Ale Tasting
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Wine Country in Signal Hill (Long Beach) does a Belgium Ale tasting every year. They have had beer reps present before and you always got a mug, glass or tankard to take home.
This year it fell flat. One of the store employees was the spokesperson this evening and I think I know more than they do about the ale's.
I did notice that the amount of people in attendance was off dramatically from last year. It may be the economy or maybe they were smarter then me and decided not to attend.
This will be my last one also unless they change their format, get a better spokesperson and improve the nibblies that are put out. Yvonne is no longer with them and it shows in the food department. Steve left several years ago and it shows in the beer department.
Wine Country in Signal Hill (Long Beach) does a Belgium Ale tasting every year. They have had beer reps present before and you always got a mug, glass or tankard to take home.
This year it fell flat. One of the store employees was the spokesperson this evening and I think I know more than they do about the ale's.
I did notice that the amount of people in attendance was off dramatically from last year. It may be the economy or maybe they were smarter then me and decided not to attend.
This will be my last one also unless they change their format, get a better spokesperson and improve the nibblies that are put out. Yvonne is no longer with them and it shows in the food department. Steve left several years ago and it shows in the beer department.
Malibu Wine Classic
Sunday, April 5, 2008
I had not driven to Malibu in several years. I was surprised that it only took about 1 hour to get to the Civic Center which is where this "wine & food" function was taking place. After securing a parking spot 2 blocks away we got our glasses and headed for 3 of the tables of wines that I wanted to taste before they ran out of wine. Saxum, Linne Calodo and L'Aventure. It was a smart move (sometimes I amaze myself) as these 3 wineries were the first to run out. Saxum was pouring several wines but the one that I really remember was the "Bone Rock". I was surprised to see it on the table because it is difficult to obtain. L'Adventure was pouring his Rose , which I do like because its on the dry side with beautiful hints of strawberries and his "Optimus" which is a blend. Both good choices. Linne Colodo had 5 bottles lined up. The one I really remembered was "Mortar", retails for $95. I have not gotten to the point where I will spend that kind of money for a bottle of wine. I can really appreciate the wines but that is pushing my budget button.
In all there were 62 wineries listed on the program but a few did not show up. I was surprised that there were 5 wineries from the "Malibu AVA". I had only known about Rosenthal before today. I did get to talk with several winemakers in the Paso area and I intend on dropping in on them in December when I take a "week of wine" vacation in Paso Robles. I actually stay in Avila Beach which is about 10 minutes from San Luis Obispo. It puts me close to Edna Valley and the drive into Paso Robles is only 15 to 20 minutes.
This event was fundraiser for "Childhelp". I had not been able to attend in the past years because of prior commitments and it also fairly new. This was their 5th fundraiser.
The food was ok. A couple of things stood out but on the whole it did not stand up to other fundraisers that I have done. But they did have a lot of wineries pouring that you don't see in the Los Angeles/Orange County area. I definitely will do this one again.
I had not driven to Malibu in several years. I was surprised that it only took about 1 hour to get to the Civic Center which is where this "wine & food" function was taking place. After securing a parking spot 2 blocks away we got our glasses and headed for 3 of the tables of wines that I wanted to taste before they ran out of wine. Saxum, Linne Calodo and L'Aventure. It was a smart move (sometimes I amaze myself) as these 3 wineries were the first to run out. Saxum was pouring several wines but the one that I really remember was the "Bone Rock". I was surprised to see it on the table because it is difficult to obtain. L'Adventure was pouring his Rose , which I do like because its on the dry side with beautiful hints of strawberries and his "Optimus" which is a blend. Both good choices. Linne Colodo had 5 bottles lined up. The one I really remembered was "Mortar", retails for $95. I have not gotten to the point where I will spend that kind of money for a bottle of wine. I can really appreciate the wines but that is pushing my budget button.
In all there were 62 wineries listed on the program but a few did not show up. I was surprised that there were 5 wineries from the "Malibu AVA". I had only known about Rosenthal before today. I did get to talk with several winemakers in the Paso area and I intend on dropping in on them in December when I take a "week of wine" vacation in Paso Robles. I actually stay in Avila Beach which is about 10 minutes from San Luis Obispo. It puts me close to Edna Valley and the drive into Paso Robles is only 15 to 20 minutes.
This event was fundraiser for "Childhelp". I had not been able to attend in the past years because of prior commitments and it also fairly new. This was their 5th fundraiser.
The food was ok. A couple of things stood out but on the whole it did not stand up to other fundraisers that I have done. But they did have a lot of wineries pouring that you don't see in the Los Angeles/Orange County area. I definitely will do this one again.
Monthy Gathering of The Winos
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Our monthly "gathering of the winos" (SAWG) came just a few days after my return from China. Fortunately I was over my mini case of food poisoning that I along with 3 others in our tour group came down with from the last dinner of the trip.
The theme for this days "gathering" was "Wines From The Cuff of Italy". (Aosta, Torino, Milano, Bolzano, Trento, Trieste and Venezia) These were all lighter style wines so there was not any big blockbusters. They were all good if you are into that style of wine. The only bad ones were 2 bottles that were corked. 23 bottles were brought along with a bottle of Chianti. It always amazes me that people cannot either read the "flyer" correctly or just don't "care" about what they bring. Everyone else seemed to be able to read and comprehend the area from which the wines were supposed to come from.
We had 2 sparklings, 4 whites and the balance was "red". You can see were our allegiance lies.
There were several people in attendance that had not been to a SAWG function in quite some time. It was nice to be able to catch up with everyone.
As usual the food was good and the wines were drank and another "Sunday" was put away.
Our monthly "gathering of the winos" (SAWG) came just a few days after my return from China. Fortunately I was over my mini case of food poisoning that I along with 3 others in our tour group came down with from the last dinner of the trip.
The theme for this days "gathering" was "Wines From The Cuff of Italy". (Aosta, Torino, Milano, Bolzano, Trento, Trieste and Venezia) These were all lighter style wines so there was not any big blockbusters. They were all good if you are into that style of wine. The only bad ones were 2 bottles that were corked. 23 bottles were brought along with a bottle of Chianti. It always amazes me that people cannot either read the "flyer" correctly or just don't "care" about what they bring. Everyone else seemed to be able to read and comprehend the area from which the wines were supposed to come from.
We had 2 sparklings, 4 whites and the balance was "red". You can see were our allegiance lies.
There were several people in attendance that had not been to a SAWG function in quite some time. It was nice to be able to catch up with everyone.
As usual the food was good and the wines were drank and another "Sunday" was put away.
Side Trip To China
March 19 to March 27, 2008
Made a quick trip to China. 4 cities in 8 days. The only negative about the trip was the weather. Since it is Spring a lot of the days were overcast which made if difficult to get really good pictures but the trees and flowers were starting to bloom and were spectacular.
A friend of mine gave me a small digital camera (my first) and I was real happy that he did. It took great pictures and was a lot easier to handle than my old camera. The day we went to "The Great Wall" it was overcast so the pictures are not as sharp as I would have liked them to be.
Our breakfast everyday was a buffet with a mixture of Western style, Chinese and Japanese foods. The two other meals of the day were all Chinese food I did have some "New" dishes that I had not encountered here in the states. It made it interesting and although I am a big fan of Asian cuisine at the end of 8 days I was really craving " meat". Their fruits and vegetables are very fresh and it is grown locally. China does not have large farms like we do here in the states where so much is done by machine. Since they have "billions" of people everything is done by hand.
I saw very little in the way of "equipment". Even the highways was being built "by hand"
The quality of the foods was good but it really made me appreciate "Duong Son" restaurant in Westminister all the more.
Made a quick trip to China. 4 cities in 8 days. The only negative about the trip was the weather. Since it is Spring a lot of the days were overcast which made if difficult to get really good pictures but the trees and flowers were starting to bloom and were spectacular.
A friend of mine gave me a small digital camera (my first) and I was real happy that he did. It took great pictures and was a lot easier to handle than my old camera. The day we went to "The Great Wall" it was overcast so the pictures are not as sharp as I would have liked them to be.
Our breakfast everyday was a buffet with a mixture of Western style, Chinese and Japanese foods. The two other meals of the day were all Chinese food I did have some "New" dishes that I had not encountered here in the states. It made it interesting and although I am a big fan of Asian cuisine at the end of 8 days I was really craving " meat". Their fruits and vegetables are very fresh and it is grown locally. China does not have large farms like we do here in the states where so much is done by machine. Since they have "billions" of people everything is done by hand.
I saw very little in the way of "equipment". Even the highways was being built "by hand"
The quality of the foods was good but it really made me appreciate "Duong Son" restaurant in Westminister all the more.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Franco's Italian Restaurant
Saturday, March 15, 2008
The monthly "Wine & Dine" group met tonight at Franco's Italian Restaurant in Cypress. I have eaten at this establishment before but it was a new place for the group to get together.
Since I had not attended a dinner with this group in several months, due to previous commitments, it was nice to see "the old familiar faces" again along with a couple of new ones.
We started off the dinner with "Shrimp Franco" - shrimp sauteed with green onions, garlic, basil and a wine sauce. The flavors of this dish were excellent. I had brought a bottle of 2004 Clos Pepe Chardonnay and it paired beautifully with it.
Along came fried zucchini with a marinara sauce and a ranch sauce. The zucchini was sliced very thin and was not greasy at all. This is the type of dish I can do without. It tasted really good, but I always equate this dish with a bar appetizer. I had two pieces and that was it.
The soup was up next, a carrot ginger soup that was very good. It also paired well with the 2004 Clos Pepe Chardonnay.
Eggplant Rollatini came out of the kitchen. I am not an eggplant fan but this was so good, The eggplant was stuffed with ricotta cheese and topped with tomatoes and mozzarella cheese and then baked,. It looked like lasagna when it was served and was very tasty.
Crab stuffed mushrooms topped with mozzarella appeared. Good but I do like the ones I make better.
A "special" vegetarian pizza was served. It was garlic heaven. Along with the mushrooms, bell peppers, spinach and onion, it was so loaded with garlic that it left you breathless. Of course no one could smell the garlic on you because they ate it also. The secret to eating garlic is to make sure your dinning/sleeping companion has eaten it also.
The entree was Fettuccini Alfredo with Steak Diane. The New York steak was slices thinly and had a delectable sauce.
A platter of vegetables appeared and looked delicious was by this time I was so stuffed that I passed on it. We could have eliminated two dishes (the fried zucchini and the stuffed mushrooms) and still would have more than enough to eat.
They brought out a plate of several different kinds of Italian cookies, which is all you needed for dessert.
I did not keep a list of all the wines as the table was long and it would have been a pain to walk around and note the, The entire list will show up on CJ's list. Their was a Dutz Champagne which is one of my favorites, as I like a "yeasty" champagne. I brought a 2004 Stolpman Sangiovese (which was emptied) and the 2004 Clos Pepe Chardonnay. There also were a couple of Chianti's brought, a Prosecco and a Ponte Rose Spumante (too sweet for me to have more than a small amount.
CJ brought a 2002 Sea Smoke Southing. He decanted the wine but it still had a very bitter taste to it on first sip. I poured some in my glass and let it sit for at least 30 minutes, by then it had opened up and was decent. The fruit was starting to go on it. The after finish was not there. We came to the conclusion, if you have any Sea Smoke Pinots, do not expect them to be long cellaring wines. Best to drink then within a couple of years of bottling. This is apparently a young drinking wine. The problem was not in the cellaring of the wine, as CJ has a large refrigerated wine storage to keep his wines at the optimum temperature.
Looking forward to next months "Wine & Dine" get together at Duong Son's in Westminister. My favorite Chinese restaurant.
I'm off to China this week. Hopefully I will have some good food dishes to report on. I know the wines are not good but the Chinese do make very good beer.
The monthly "Wine & Dine" group met tonight at Franco's Italian Restaurant in Cypress. I have eaten at this establishment before but it was a new place for the group to get together.
Since I had not attended a dinner with this group in several months, due to previous commitments, it was nice to see "the old familiar faces" again along with a couple of new ones.
We started off the dinner with "Shrimp Franco" - shrimp sauteed with green onions, garlic, basil and a wine sauce. The flavors of this dish were excellent. I had brought a bottle of 2004 Clos Pepe Chardonnay and it paired beautifully with it.
Along came fried zucchini with a marinara sauce and a ranch sauce. The zucchini was sliced very thin and was not greasy at all. This is the type of dish I can do without. It tasted really good, but I always equate this dish with a bar appetizer. I had two pieces and that was it.
The soup was up next, a carrot ginger soup that was very good. It also paired well with the 2004 Clos Pepe Chardonnay.
Eggplant Rollatini came out of the kitchen. I am not an eggplant fan but this was so good, The eggplant was stuffed with ricotta cheese and topped with tomatoes and mozzarella cheese and then baked,. It looked like lasagna when it was served and was very tasty.
Crab stuffed mushrooms topped with mozzarella appeared. Good but I do like the ones I make better.
A "special" vegetarian pizza was served. It was garlic heaven. Along with the mushrooms, bell peppers, spinach and onion, it was so loaded with garlic that it left you breathless. Of course no one could smell the garlic on you because they ate it also. The secret to eating garlic is to make sure your dinning/sleeping companion has eaten it also.
The entree was Fettuccini Alfredo with Steak Diane. The New York steak was slices thinly and had a delectable sauce.
A platter of vegetables appeared and looked delicious was by this time I was so stuffed that I passed on it. We could have eliminated two dishes (the fried zucchini and the stuffed mushrooms) and still would have more than enough to eat.
They brought out a plate of several different kinds of Italian cookies, which is all you needed for dessert.
I did not keep a list of all the wines as the table was long and it would have been a pain to walk around and note the, The entire list will show up on CJ's list. Their was a Dutz Champagne which is one of my favorites, as I like a "yeasty" champagne. I brought a 2004 Stolpman Sangiovese (which was emptied) and the 2004 Clos Pepe Chardonnay. There also were a couple of Chianti's brought, a Prosecco and a Ponte Rose Spumante (too sweet for me to have more than a small amount.
CJ brought a 2002 Sea Smoke Southing. He decanted the wine but it still had a very bitter taste to it on first sip. I poured some in my glass and let it sit for at least 30 minutes, by then it had opened up and was decent. The fruit was starting to go on it. The after finish was not there. We came to the conclusion, if you have any Sea Smoke Pinots, do not expect them to be long cellaring wines. Best to drink then within a couple of years of bottling. This is apparently a young drinking wine. The problem was not in the cellaring of the wine, as CJ has a large refrigerated wine storage to keep his wines at the optimum temperature.
Looking forward to next months "Wine & Dine" get together at Duong Son's in Westminister. My favorite Chinese restaurant.
I'm off to China this week. Hopefully I will have some good food dishes to report on. I know the wines are not good but the Chinese do make very good beer.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Gathering of The "Winos"
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Our monthly "gathering of the winos" was held at my "casa" this month. I always have the same theme, Wines Rated 93 to 100. There were 23 wines brought to this tasting. We did had one , 100 rated wine brought, which was a 1995 Taylor Fladgate Vintage Porto.
There were 3 wines that were rated 93 by "Wilfred Wong" of the BevMo chain. If these wines had been rated by another source they probably would have had a 90/91 rating. His ratings are always 2 to 3 points higher that Wine Spectator or Wine Enthusiast. But since my criteria is a rating from a published source it does fall into that category.
All the wines brought were very good and there was not a fault with any.
There were 2 bottles of the same wine brought , 2005 Bernardus Chardonnay, and it was very interesting to see the difference in the two. And it was a big difference. Stan's always says "bottle variation" and he is right.
As always the food brought was good. Maybe someday when I retire, I will find time to compile a "cookbook" of recipes for some of these dishes that are brought. It's good to have friends that are into "wine and food". Makes for a great "gathering".
Our monthly "gathering of the winos" was held at my "casa" this month. I always have the same theme, Wines Rated 93 to 100. There were 23 wines brought to this tasting. We did had one , 100 rated wine brought, which was a 1995 Taylor Fladgate Vintage Porto.
There were 3 wines that were rated 93 by "Wilfred Wong" of the BevMo chain. If these wines had been rated by another source they probably would have had a 90/91 rating. His ratings are always 2 to 3 points higher that Wine Spectator or Wine Enthusiast. But since my criteria is a rating from a published source it does fall into that category.
All the wines brought were very good and there was not a fault with any.
There were 2 bottles of the same wine brought , 2005 Bernardus Chardonnay, and it was very interesting to see the difference in the two. And it was a big difference. Stan's always says "bottle variation" and he is right.
As always the food brought was good. Maybe someday when I retire, I will find time to compile a "cookbook" of recipes for some of these dishes that are brought. It's good to have friends that are into "wine and food". Makes for a great "gathering".
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