555 Steak House

Saturday, August 09, 2014

12 gathered tonight for dinner at 555 in Long Beach for Margie's Monthly Fun Wine Activity.  She goes to a lot of trouble to get these organized every month. It is appreciated at least by me. 

555 is one of the best chop houses around. We were seated in a private dining area which is much quieter than the open restaurant.

Most everyone  ordered steak but I did see salmon and lamb chops in front of people. Everyone had good things to say about their dinners. I had a petite filet oscar and it was cooked to perfection. Margie brought gourmet cupcakes for dessert but I ordered a creme brulee. Those cupcakes are way too sweet for me. I have never been a cupcake fan and it takes a real special cake for me to like it.

Margie had asked everyone to go deep into their cellars for "fine" wine tonight. Some did, some did not. 2011 & 2012 is not deep. I kept mine in the middle because when I saw the list of people attending, I knew what quality of wine they would bring. I am not wasting my really good stuff on them, I did bring three bottles, a red, a sparkling and a port. Maybe that's a negative to feel that way but that is me. I will save my better stuff for a dinner of 8 or less and for people that bring equal.

The 1999 Opus, the 2013 Dom Perignon, 2003 Stags Leap Winery, Fay, Cabernet were the hits of the  evening.

Other wines brought were 2008 Chateau Margene Meritage, 2007 Denner Mouvedre, 2011 Grassini Blend, D66 Grenache, Roderer bubbly, 2009 La Vie Late Harvest Riesling, 1992 Quinta Infantado Porto, 2011 Grey Wolf, Alpha Cab, 2012 Grey Wolf, The Big Bad Wolf, Zinfandel, 2011 Williams Selyem Olivet Lane Chardonnay, 2006 Kistler Elizabeth Cuvee Pinot Noir, 2010 TF, Oak Knoll, Cabernet, 2008 Huber Dornfelder Port and a Palmina Luminesse bubbly.

A good selection of wines but some were not what I would expect for this dinner. But it was a good dinner with good people and a really good time was had by all.

OC India Grille

Thursday, July 31, 2014

Sangiv from the Himalayan Grille in Sunset Beach has opened a new restaurant in Cypress. On Katella at the Costco Plaza.  www.ocindiagrill.com, Nice place, furnished well. Lots of room for a wine dinner.

Sangiv did bring one of the cooks from the Himalayan so it will be interesting to see how the two places match up for food.

We started out with Samosa's. Good but I think the crust was a little thick. I do like the Himalayan's better. We then ordered a plate of Vegetable Pakoras.  Very good the better of the two places.

A variety of dishes were ordered, Shrimp Saag, Mango Chicken, Chicken Chau Chau, Lamb Marsala, Aloo Gobi and Garlic Naan. And two bowls of  basmatic rice.  I did like the Chau Chau much better than the Himalayan but the other dishes were on par.

Best news is no corkage for us

Started off with a NV Paul Goerg, France, Blanc de Blanc.  Then onto a 2012 Martinelli, Sonoma Coast, Rose. Both good wines and both were a good start to a meal on a hot day

Rounding out the evening:

2008 Sea Smoke, Botella, Sta Rita Hills, Pinot Noir
2008 Duckhorn, Napa, Merlot
2008 Williams Seylem, Bacigalupi Vineyard, Sonoma,  Zinfandel
2008 La Vigne, Sanarone, Italy, Barolo

I left a little after 9:00, besides us there were still two tables occupied. The close at 9:30. Open for a buffet lunch everyday. Then reopens in the afternoon for dinner.  This place is much larger than the Himalayan and you don't have that cold air rushing in everytime a door is opened. I think this will be our new to go place for Indian food.

Charlie Palmer with Williams Selyem Wines

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Bit the price bullet and signed up for this dinner a few weeks ago. Williams Selyem wines at Charle Palmer at Bloomingdales in Costa Mesa (South Coast Plaza)  www.charliepalmer.com.   A 75 minute drive from work.  Reception was at 6:00. When I walked in a large crowd was all ready there. Bob Cabral the winemaker was hobnobbing with the "beautiful" people. Got my glass of 2008 Williams Selyem Blanc de Blanc Sparkling and found Terry seated already. I will say they were generous in repeat pours and they were pouring from Magnums. This wine is not sold to the lower tier allocation members. Only long term, high volume users are allowed to buy. I think they said 52 cases were made. It was a very nice sparkling, well balanced, good taste. A nice surprise.

We started out with a Kumamoto Oyster Shooter with Ponzu Crumble. Good, clean flavor, Kumamoto is one of the smallest oysters but has a very delicate, light brine taste. I could have done a dozen of these.

First course was a Wild King Salmon Sashima with Crispy Heirloom Tomato, Brown Butter Cream Cheese, Lemon caper Vinaigrette. The salmon was excellent, the brown butter cream cheese also. The tomatoes were non discript, they were so crisp I thought they were kernals of corn. Paired with a 2010 Williams Selyem Drake Estate Chardonnay. Good pairing. Chardonnay was clean with a very slight oak taste to it but paired very well with the salmon.

Second course was served. Slow Cooked Kurobata Pork Tenderloin with Spinach, Clamshell Mushrooms, Green Tea Pork Consomme.  Good flavor, my pork had some connective tissue that was a little hard to cut through. The consomme had excellent flavor. I will take the same pork tenderloin I had at Delius last week over this dish. Wine was a 2012 Williams Selyem Westside Road Pinot Noir. When I saw the year 2012 I wondered why they were pouring such a young wine. After I tasted it I knew why. Very weak, light weight wine. Do not think this wine will age more than a couple of years. Their tasting notes disagree with me and they are the experts but they also have a product they need to sell.

Third course on the menu was a Smoked Liberty Farms Duck Breast with Maple Syrup, Coriander, Garlic Chive, Quinoa Cake, Pinot Noir Beurre Rouge.  The piece of duck was at least 2 inches thick with a crispy skin. It was hard to cut and I feel it lost a lot flavor by being so thick and also was not that moist. It was ok but close to being dry.  The Quinoa Cake was dry. Again I will take Delius's  duck breast any day over this. They paired this with a 2006 Williams Selyem Allen Pinot Noir. This wine was good and it showed the age.

Fourth course up was a Balsamic Marinated Prime Skirt Steak with Horseradish Parsnip Puree, Summer Squash, Red Wine Jus.  Steak was really good. and very tender. Had great flavor and the puree was just the right touch. As for the squash I am not too sure one very small, about 4 inches, baby squash counts as a vegetable. Paired with a 2012 Williams Seylem Bacigalupi Zinfandel. Very good pairing, the wine was excellent and made a perfect pairing.

Dessert was a White Peach Mousse Cake, Lychee Gelee, Mint, Coconut Lime Sponge Cake. Very light. Perfect end to a dinner.  Served with a 2011 Williams Seylem Vista Verde, Late Harvest, Gerwurztraminer. Not overly sweet. decent wine.

I will say they were very generous in their pours and they came around and poured again if you wanted more. Part of the dinner were very good and part left a lot to be desired. Room was noisy and we had to ask them to turn down the music several times. Dinner was in the main dining area next to the bar and lounge so we had that to contend with also. Not an intimate setting.

I was very disappointed that Bob Cabral, the winemaker did not come around to the tables a at least say hello to people. This dinner was over $172 with  automatic tip and I felt it should have lived up to the price. May be "beautiful" people don't have the expectations that I do. I think that paying $50 for the Prix Fixe dinner at Delius, www.deliusrestaurant.com,  and ordering wine off the wine list would be a better deal. 4 to 5 people and 4 wines would still be cheaper, much better food and more intimate setting.

Prix Fixe Dinner at Delius

Friday, July 25, 2014

Ten of us met at Delius, www.deliusrestaurant.com,  tonight for the July menu  Prix Fixe dinner. Since I had dinner at the Hobbit, www.hobbitrestaurant.com, last night I knew I would be doing a comparison.

Started out with a Sesame Crusted Seared Ahi, Seaweed Salad with Green Curry Aioli. Ahi was cooked perfectly. the Aioli was great and a really good addition to the plate and the Seaweed Salad was excellent. Having never had seaweed salad I was looking forward to the taste. A very slight brine taste, julienned. Clean flavor. Paired with a 2012 Will Estate, Napa Valley, Albarino. Nice wine but I do prefer Longoria's Albarino.

Second course was a Mexican Corn Soup with Jalapeno Dusted Tortillas. Excellent flavor. Louise does have a knack with soups and the tortillas had just a light jalapeno taste. I finished my Albarino and started on the 2012 Mourchon , France, Grenache/Syrah Rose. Drinking a lot of Rose's lately. This was nice, medium body and went very well with the flavors of the soup.

Third course is a Duck Confit Terrine, Stone Fruit Compote and Baby Arugula. Duck was good. Arugula I can take or leave. Mostly leave. The compote really added a touch to the duck and the dish paired really well with the 2010 Fiddlehead Cellars, Sta Rita Hills, Pinot Noir.

Fourth course was served , Braised Shortribs, Summer Squash, Kale and Red Onions.  Beautifully cooked meat. Wish everyone would cook shortribs with well. No knife needed. The meat just flaked apart with your fork. Excellent flavor. Paired with a 2010 Meyer, Mendocino County Syrah. Nice wine but a little light weight for a Syrah for my taste. This would considered a cool climate Syrah and I do prefer the warm climate Syrahs.

Dessert was a Farm Peach Crepes, House Made Cinnamon Ice Cream. Crepes were light and the flavor of the peaches was good. Never go wrong with ice cream.

So for less and half the price at The Hobbit last night I had an excellent dinner. Food was much better at Delius. Granted the wines at The Hobbit were high end and that is what you were paying for. As much as I enjoyed the dinner at The Hobbit, I  found myself really appreciating what Delius offers in the way of excellent food and flavors.

High End at The Hobbit

Thursday, July 24, 2014

The Hobbit restaurant in Orange , www.hobbitrestaurant.com, hosted a "high end" wine dinner tonight. Monteverro, Michael Rolland and Alpha Omega Wines.  Jean Hoefliger the winemaker from Monteverro was in attendance.

We got there a little early but were seated immediately in the dining area. Terry is using walker due to a recent surgery so we could not go down into the cellar for Champagne and Hors d'oeuvres which turned out be be a good thing. The waitstaff  brought plates of food to us and poured several glasses of bubbly for us. The appetizers were all excellent. They had at least 7 different ones on the plate. Told Terry to keep the walker after he does not need it and every time we come to the Hobbit use it.

This dinner was pricey at $174 per person, exclusive. I was anxious to see what we would get for the kind of money. All the wines are higher end. Ranging from $50 to $170 per bottle (depending on where you would buy them.

The first course was a Fennel Spice Rubbed Fresh King Salmon, Saffron Cauliflower Rice with Vermouth Zabaglione.  Flavor was good but my salmon was dry and spelled fishy. Ate about half and did not finish. Told the server when the plates were picked up. Michael the owner and chef came to the table to talk with us about the dish.  At least they are concerned about quality. This dish was paired with a 2010 Monteverro Chardonnay, about $80 per bottle, way to oaky for me. Two sips and that was it.

Up next was a Braised Rabbit Leg with Wild Mushroom Creamy Polenta. Rabbit was very good. The wild mushrooms had great flavor but some seemed dry to me. The polenta was excellent. Wine was a 2010 Monteverro Tinata, a blend of Syrah and Grenache. The wine was much better with the food than on its own. Bottle goes for $85 to $100 on "winesearcher.com"

After a brief intermission a dish of White Peach Sorbet was presented to help clean the palate before the next course.

Main course was a Beef Rib Eye Steak Florentine with Broccoli Rabe and Fingerling Potatoes. Steak was excellent and the server did come around and offer extra slices. The Broccoli Rabe and the potatoes were the same as I make at home. Just plain sauteed and roasted. A little disappointing considering the price of the dinner. Two wines were poured for this course a 2010 Michel Rolland Napa Cabernet, $120 to $150 on winesearcher and a 2010 Monteverro di Monteverro, $134 to $170 on winesearcher.  Both wines had been decanted for about 30 minutes but frankly they should have been decanted for a least 3 hours or more. They are young and took quite a bit of swirling to get them to open up.  The cab was excellent. Very well balanced with a big dark cherry taste to it.  It had some Cabernet Franc and Merlot in the blend. The Monteverro di Monteverrro was a Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon blend, Big alcohol on the nose. Took awhile to blow off.  But both wines were excellent and paired beautifully with the beef after they opened up.

Dessert was a Blood Orange Cake with Toasted Almond Cup and Blackberry Coulis. Cake was smothered in an overly sweet blood orange sauce which I scrapped off. That left a still overly sweet cake. Then to add the the already oversweet dish they served a 2010 Alpha Omega Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon, about $50 per bottle. Sweet and sweet is way to much for me. Would have really preferred a cheese plate with the wine.

The Hobbit has excellent waitstaff and you do do want for anything.  They  came around and asked if you wanted additional pours on wine and the pours were generous. That is a big plus. I did not have any extra pours because the first pour was large but Terry availed himself of the extras.  But then I was the designated driver tonight also.

Jean Hoefliger came over to the table after dinner and talked with us for awhile. Down to earth person and feels everyone has a different palate so no two people will think alike on the wines.  He did not seem offended at all when I said the Chardonnay was way to oaky the reds needed to be decanted longer etc., I have never been known to keep my mouth shut and he did agree on a few things. Or maybe he was just very diplomatic.

Michael the owner and chef came out after dinner and brought me a bottle of their house Champagne to make up for the salmon. The Hobbit does really good PR work and they are very concerned about their quailty and reputation. I still feel the price of dinner was too high but that is the way it is. Comparing this dinner to the Clos Pepe dinner at Delius last week for $89,  I frankly was more impressed with Delius's food. I have had excellent dinners at the Hobbit where I felt the food way superior to what we had tonight.

Fuego at The Maya

Wednesday. July 23, 2014

Time to check out Fuego and try some food dishes in order for Margie to set a menu for an upcoming wine dinner.

I had not been down in that area of Long Beach for many years. The streets are tricky so I gave myself plenty of time. So after ending up at the Queen Mary once and driving past the Aquarium twice I managed to see a very small sign that indicated the turn to the hotel. I have never been able to understand why they had to make access in this area so difficult. I know the port is there but it just seems like there could be a better way of accessing the correct street to be on.

The view of the bay is beautiful. We were seated outside and the weather was perfect. My only complaint is that they have put up a bar seating area along the whole length of the outdoor dining area and with people seated there it does block you view.

This is Dine LA Week so it was a 3 course restricted menu to choose from. Paul & Margie had the Fuego Chop Salad and both agreed it was good. I opted for the Ceviche Mercado. Beautiful presentation and flavor was very good. But I think I prefer the traditional ceviche with many types of seafood. Served in a martini style glass with shrimp, chopped vegetables, a red sauce, avocado and sliced jicama on top. Two thins of fried plantain decorated the dish.

For the main course we had three options. Two of us decided on the Ropa Vieja.  braised flank steak, (stringy) on corn tortillas with some black beans, cabbage jalapeno clintro slaw, agave cream sauce and carmelized plantains. Meat had good flavor, the slaw was a  perfect accompaniment,  could not taste too much of the jalapeno and cilantro and the agave sauce was very good.

Paul had the Seafood Crepas. Crepes with lump crab meat and rock shrimp, roasted poblano sauce, black bean corn relish. Paul said it was good and it looked like it.

The other option was a Fillet of Salmon with ancho chili and honey glaze, spicy black bean sauce, jalapeno cream and sauteed greens.

For dessert two of us had the Dulce de Leche Cheesecake with cajeta caramel sauce and roasted candied pecans, topped with a blob of whipped cream and a couple of fresh berries. the other dessrt was a Coconut Flan with cajeta caramel sauce, cinnamon crisp and fresh berries. Both desserts were very good. In retrospect I should have had the flan since it was much lighter and would have better after a heavy meal.

I brought a 2008 Bodegas, Paso Robles, Trousseau and they brought the new Angeline Jolie/Brad Pitt Rose from Provence. Beautiful color on the Rose. I would call the color "Chanpagne" instead of pinkish. It was a very light Rose but paired very well with the salads and ceviche.

We looked at the regular menu. All the dishes seem to have some spice to them. We did not find anything with to much heat. Just a slight touch of spiceness. Fuego means fire so this restauramt has a South American,  Cuban, Mexican theme to it. Presentations were very good. This was a Wednesday evening and the place was fairly full.

So Margie will know have to make choices of what dishes to have on out menu for an upcoming wine dinner she plans on having here.

Its Monday So It Must Be Dim Sum At The Seafood Palace

I am starting to like taking these Mondays off as I head towards retirement. Six of us gathered around the round table today for Dim Sum. 3 hours of eating and drinking and great conversation. With six and a round table everyone feels included. One of our discussions today was the size of some of the dinners being put out there lately. 

We also bring better wines which we would not share with a larger group. That point was another discussion today. Why bring a really good wine to a dinner when half or more of the people attending level of wine appreciation is so much lower.

Started out with the deep fried seaweed rolled shrimp, steamed BBQ pork buns, steamed shrimp balls, steamed pork ribs and steamed tripe off the Dim Sum cart. Next we broke it up with the sweet and sour soup. Then off to the regular menu.

Beef with Chinese Broccoli, Salt and Pepper Calamari,  Chicken Chow Mein Hong Kong Style, Sauteed Scallops with vegetables and last a plate of Salt and  Pepper Deep Fried Sea Bass.

The favors are bold and they do go well with red wine, surprisingly. All of these dishes we have had at one time or another. Always good. My dish of the day was the Salt and Pepper Sea Bass.

For some reason today I was overly hungry. I normally do not eat as much as I did but it sure was good. Can't beat the food or the price. All this with tax and tip came to $11 per person. And we tip heavy - pays off if you are a regular.

Wines were pretty doggone good today.

2008 Loring, Keefer Vineyards, Pinot Noir - touch too fruity
2006 Orrin Swift, The Prisoner, Blend - beautiful
2006 Justin , Justification, Blend - very good
2009 Levendi, Napa, Sweetwater Ranch,  Cabernet Sauvignon - light weight 
2010 Saxum, Terry Hoage, Blend - going to be great - needs time
2008 Krupp Brothers, Veraison, Cabernet Sauvignon - great and has a few years to go