Tuesday, February 3, 2015
The first Tuesday wine tasting at Michaels, michaelsonnaples.com, . Seems some people did not get the message which made the parking a breeze. It did get busier in the later evening but I was so happy not to have to have valet parking.
A nice evening. We had a table under the rolling roof and it was quite pleasant. This is still winter so the evenings are still cool and sometimes foggy.
Tonight's wines were all from the Umbria area of Italy. Two whites and two reds. They seemed to be pouring heavy tonight. So much so I gave my companion most of my red wine. No need to over indulge.
I did go out on a limb and ordered an appetizer. I wanted Foie Gras. Have not had any since the ban was lifted and this was my first chance to order it again. Tasted so good. Pricey, but then Michaels is always pricey.
So off to a good start with the First Tuesday Wine Tastings at Michaels. This will go on until the holiday season.
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
Atun Sushi - Supper Club dinner
Monday, February 2, 2015
Tonight was the Cal Heights Supper Club event at Atun Sushi in the Bixby Knolls area of Long Beach. Been wanting to eat here ever since I saw the place. atunsushi.com, I was intrigued by the light fixtures. The inside decor did not disappoint. New Age sushi establishment.
11 of us tonight at the table. A real big mix of food ordered. Atun has a lot of "rolls" on their menu. All were large and looked good.
I kept it simple. Had a Yakitori appetizer plate off the Happy Hour menu. Chicken, Beef Filet and bacon wrapped shrimp. All were good but I lean towards that bacon wrapped shrimp. It was excellent. I also did 3 types of sushi, Spanish Mackerel, Scallop and Yellowtail. All were good, fresh and very good flavor. Leaned toward the Spanish Mackerel because of the flavor but the yellowtail was excellent.
Ordered a small bottle of Kikusui Perfect "Snow" unfiltered Saki. Bless those screw caps. Took the balance of the bottle home. At 21% alcohol, it's best not to overdo it. They have a good selection of beer and wine. Most of the better wine was by the bottle. But the glass wine was OK, better than a lot of places. They also have a list of mixed cocktails they serve.
This place was busy for a Monday night because of the "Supper Club" event. Service was good, food excellent and the ambiance was very "new age". And I just love those light fixtures.
Atun along with Sushi, Sashimi and the rolls also does Yakitori and Tempura. Next trip will try the Tempura.
Sure beats the place I went to Saturday night for Sushi. That place I was not happy with and will never go back.
Tonight was the Cal Heights Supper Club event at Atun Sushi in the Bixby Knolls area of Long Beach. Been wanting to eat here ever since I saw the place. atunsushi.com, I was intrigued by the light fixtures. The inside decor did not disappoint. New Age sushi establishment.
11 of us tonight at the table. A real big mix of food ordered. Atun has a lot of "rolls" on their menu. All were large and looked good.
I kept it simple. Had a Yakitori appetizer plate off the Happy Hour menu. Chicken, Beef Filet and bacon wrapped shrimp. All were good but I lean towards that bacon wrapped shrimp. It was excellent. I also did 3 types of sushi, Spanish Mackerel, Scallop and Yellowtail. All were good, fresh and very good flavor. Leaned toward the Spanish Mackerel because of the flavor but the yellowtail was excellent.
Ordered a small bottle of Kikusui Perfect "Snow" unfiltered Saki. Bless those screw caps. Took the balance of the bottle home. At 21% alcohol, it's best not to overdo it. They have a good selection of beer and wine. Most of the better wine was by the bottle. But the glass wine was OK, better than a lot of places. They also have a list of mixed cocktails they serve.
This place was busy for a Monday night because of the "Supper Club" event. Service was good, food excellent and the ambiance was very "new age". And I just love those light fixtures.
Atun along with Sushi, Sashimi and the rolls also does Yakitori and Tempura. Next trip will try the Tempura.
Sure beats the place I went to Saturday night for Sushi. That place I was not happy with and will never go back.
Sunday, February 1, 2015
Contemporary Art Show and Fritto Misto
Saturday. January 31, 2015
Attended an art show at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica. Contemporary Art. It's all in the eye of the beholder or apparently the artist is some cases. Some very unusual pieces and a few that I would buy is the prices were not as far out as the artists themselves. Some pieces I just looked at and wondered what they were smoking to do what they did and with a straight face called it "art". But it always does yourself good to expose yourself to what is out there.
After the show the four of us headed over to Fritto Misto in Santa Monica. Heavy road construction in the area and we were so lucky to get a coveted parking space behind the restaurant.
Ordered an appetizer , the "Fritto Misto" which is a selection of vegetables and seafood battered and fried.
A variety of dishes were ordered. Caprese salad which had a very good mozzarella cheese. Sausage and Peppers with a heavy marinara sauce, Vegetable Lasagna with a heavy marinara sauce, Mushroom Ravioli with goat cheese, artichoke hearts and beef filets tips again with a heavy marinara sauce. Since we were all "sharing" it left me on the sidelines because of the marinara. I can only eat a small amount before my stomach flares up. I did have a little bite of the lasagna and the ravioli. I ordered the gnocchi with artichoke hearts and shrimp. Had an excellent alfredo sauce on it.
The table was small so we had quite in display of wine and glasses. I brought a 2007 Roar, Rosellas Vineyard, Pinot Noir which turned out to be excellent. First bottle finished. A 2006 Notarpanaro, Saento, Rosso, a NV Francois Chindaine, Montlouis, Sur Loire Sparkling and a 2012 Louis Jadot, Beaune Bressandes Burgundy rounded out the selections.. The only bottle that had anything left in it was the Louis Jadot. Nice wine but way to young.
After getting back to the South Bay area I got on the freeway to try and get to Sunset Beach before 6:00. A birthday dinner at Tsunami restaurant, www.tsunamihb.com, Had not been there before and would not go back. Extremely noisy, no acoustics, and the teppantyaki tables where everyone sits around while they cook in front of you. We had to yell to be heard at our table. Food was good but not a pleasant experience. On top of that we had a waitress whose IQ had to be measured by her boob size. When we were basically done with dinner but sitting there finishing our drinks the busboys came up and started clearing the table. They had a crowd waiting and wanted us out of there so they could turn the table.
So a very long day for me. Tommorow I will have to do laundry, clean house and get groceries before the start of the Superbowl game.
Attended an art show at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica. Contemporary Art. It's all in the eye of the beholder or apparently the artist is some cases. Some very unusual pieces and a few that I would buy is the prices were not as far out as the artists themselves. Some pieces I just looked at and wondered what they were smoking to do what they did and with a straight face called it "art". But it always does yourself good to expose yourself to what is out there.
After the show the four of us headed over to Fritto Misto in Santa Monica. Heavy road construction in the area and we were so lucky to get a coveted parking space behind the restaurant.
Ordered an appetizer , the "Fritto Misto" which is a selection of vegetables and seafood battered and fried.
A variety of dishes were ordered. Caprese salad which had a very good mozzarella cheese. Sausage and Peppers with a heavy marinara sauce, Vegetable Lasagna with a heavy marinara sauce, Mushroom Ravioli with goat cheese, artichoke hearts and beef filets tips again with a heavy marinara sauce. Since we were all "sharing" it left me on the sidelines because of the marinara. I can only eat a small amount before my stomach flares up. I did have a little bite of the lasagna and the ravioli. I ordered the gnocchi with artichoke hearts and shrimp. Had an excellent alfredo sauce on it.
The table was small so we had quite in display of wine and glasses. I brought a 2007 Roar, Rosellas Vineyard, Pinot Noir which turned out to be excellent. First bottle finished. A 2006 Notarpanaro, Saento, Rosso, a NV Francois Chindaine, Montlouis, Sur Loire Sparkling and a 2012 Louis Jadot, Beaune Bressandes Burgundy rounded out the selections.. The only bottle that had anything left in it was the Louis Jadot. Nice wine but way to young.
After getting back to the South Bay area I got on the freeway to try and get to Sunset Beach before 6:00. A birthday dinner at Tsunami restaurant, www.tsunamihb.com, Had not been there before and would not go back. Extremely noisy, no acoustics, and the teppantyaki tables where everyone sits around while they cook in front of you. We had to yell to be heard at our table. Food was good but not a pleasant experience. On top of that we had a waitress whose IQ had to be measured by her boob size. When we were basically done with dinner but sitting there finishing our drinks the busboys came up and started clearing the table. They had a crowd waiting and wanted us out of there so they could turn the table.
So a very long day for me. Tommorow I will have to do laundry, clean house and get groceries before the start of the Superbowl game.
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
If It's Monday It Must Be Dim Sum
Monday, January 26, 2015
Only 3 of us today but we had a great time. Dim Sum at the Seafood Palace during the week is very limited because they really are not that busy during the day. We ordered a couple of items off the cart then went to the main menu. Since only 3 eating today we did not go overboard on the selections.
Saturday and Sundays Dim Sum is a huge cart menu. Need to get to the Seafood Palace early because they get very crowded on weekends. Dim Sum and dinners.
We started out with Walnut Shrimp and Beef Tendon off the cart and had the egg custard tarts for dessert also from the cart.
The Walnut Shrimp was excellent. Good light sauce and very tender shrimp. The beef tendon is a put off for some people but it was very tender . It is a matter of taste and texture. I do not have too many hang ups when it comes to food. I will try anything once. I do not have to have it again if it's not to my taste but I have discovered so many foods that really enjoy just my taking that first taste. I do not limit myself.
We were given a bowl of the Hot Spicy soup on the house. I do like this soup. Full of flavor but not too spicy. Just a slight hint.
Then to the main menu where we had the white fish with Chinese vegetables. Today it looked like very small bok choy. Only a few inches long. Fish was tender and very mild with a thin sauce of some sort. Good flavor.
Last item was Pepper Beef with fat noodles. Again good flavor, tender beef. One person at the table thought it should have been more peppery but I was quite happy with it.
Not a long list of wines. 2009 Huber Pinot Noir and 2009 Sea Smoke Bottela. Interesting because Huber is on Hwy 246 and Sea Smoke is just over the ridge from them towards Santa Rosa Road. It was a taste off. Sea Smoke was more fruity and a bit bolder. Huber was more restrained but an excellent wine.
I brought a bottle of NV Diamant, Vanken , Reims, France, Champagne. Bought this bottle several years ago and wanted to open it with a very small group of people. A bit on the sweet side and very crisp. I probably would not buy it again as I prefer other Champagnes at half the price. Paid $80 for this bottle mainly because I did like the taste but I really wanted the bottle. Clear glass, designed by Baccarat. Not sure what I am going to do with the bottle but will hang onto it for awhile until I get a brainstorm.
So a nice 3 hours of food, conversation and wine. Just beat the rain home. Nice to have these Monday's off.
Only 3 of us today but we had a great time. Dim Sum at the Seafood Palace during the week is very limited because they really are not that busy during the day. We ordered a couple of items off the cart then went to the main menu. Since only 3 eating today we did not go overboard on the selections.
Saturday and Sundays Dim Sum is a huge cart menu. Need to get to the Seafood Palace early because they get very crowded on weekends. Dim Sum and dinners.
We started out with Walnut Shrimp and Beef Tendon off the cart and had the egg custard tarts for dessert also from the cart.
The Walnut Shrimp was excellent. Good light sauce and very tender shrimp. The beef tendon is a put off for some people but it was very tender . It is a matter of taste and texture. I do not have too many hang ups when it comes to food. I will try anything once. I do not have to have it again if it's not to my taste but I have discovered so many foods that really enjoy just my taking that first taste. I do not limit myself.
We were given a bowl of the Hot Spicy soup on the house. I do like this soup. Full of flavor but not too spicy. Just a slight hint.
Then to the main menu where we had the white fish with Chinese vegetables. Today it looked like very small bok choy. Only a few inches long. Fish was tender and very mild with a thin sauce of some sort. Good flavor.
Last item was Pepper Beef with fat noodles. Again good flavor, tender beef. One person at the table thought it should have been more peppery but I was quite happy with it.
Not a long list of wines. 2009 Huber Pinot Noir and 2009 Sea Smoke Bottela. Interesting because Huber is on Hwy 246 and Sea Smoke is just over the ridge from them towards Santa Rosa Road. It was a taste off. Sea Smoke was more fruity and a bit bolder. Huber was more restrained but an excellent wine.
I brought a bottle of NV Diamant, Vanken , Reims, France, Champagne. Bought this bottle several years ago and wanted to open it with a very small group of people. A bit on the sweet side and very crisp. I probably would not buy it again as I prefer other Champagnes at half the price. Paid $80 for this bottle mainly because I did like the taste but I really wanted the bottle. Clear glass, designed by Baccarat. Not sure what I am going to do with the bottle but will hang onto it for awhile until I get a brainstorm.
So a nice 3 hours of food, conversation and wine. Just beat the rain home. Nice to have these Monday's off.
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Kashiwa Sushi
Wednesday. January 21, 2015
I have driven past Kashiwa for years, ever since it opened. Never stopped in. The former owner of Kinokawa is the owner and head "sushi" roller here.
So when the LBSS posted a dinner here I jumped on it. There were 9 of of us tonight. Four including me decided to to the Omakase dinner. 12 pieces of sushi, miso soup, cucumber salad and a small serving of cooked tuna with sesame seed for $45. Saved me from trying to decide which sushi I wanted. If I am confronted with more than 2 items on a menu I have a hard time making up my mind. Everything sounds good and I want it all so it ends up being a big dramatic decision.
Can't remember all the types of fish but every piece was different. There was, salmon, salmon belly, mackerel, halibut, snapper, uni, toro, . All very good and super fresh fish. Should have kept notes. Cucumber salad was good, extremely thinned slices of cucumber with a very light vinegar oil dressing. Miso soup was standard
Everyone ordered beer. I happen to like very cold beer and when it starts to get warm I cannot dink it anymore. I very rarely order a beer in a restaurant. I can open one at home and keep the bottle in the freezer with the unpoured liquid and drink it at my leisure.
I ordered a half bottle of Au Bon Climat Chardonnay (only one available besides house wine) $18. Did not ask what corkage was. Will need to do that next time. I do intend to go back since I drive by the place every day coming home from work. Excellent food and service. not cheap but good sushi never is.
Kashiwa has a wide selection of Japanese food dishes. If you are not a raw fish person there is something on the menu for alternates. There was tempura ordered along with a bento box , poke salad and several other non sushi dishes. Everyone had high fives for the food.
This is close to a authentic establishment you would find in Japan. No neon lights. Small rooms for private dining while seated on the floor. Can't remember the correct name for those types of rooms. Along with a small dining area with tables and chairs and a chef's bar.
I have driven past Kashiwa for years, ever since it opened. Never stopped in. The former owner of Kinokawa is the owner and head "sushi" roller here.
So when the LBSS posted a dinner here I jumped on it. There were 9 of of us tonight. Four including me decided to to the Omakase dinner. 12 pieces of sushi, miso soup, cucumber salad and a small serving of cooked tuna with sesame seed for $45. Saved me from trying to decide which sushi I wanted. If I am confronted with more than 2 items on a menu I have a hard time making up my mind. Everything sounds good and I want it all so it ends up being a big dramatic decision.
Can't remember all the types of fish but every piece was different. There was, salmon, salmon belly, mackerel, halibut, snapper, uni, toro, . All very good and super fresh fish. Should have kept notes. Cucumber salad was good, extremely thinned slices of cucumber with a very light vinegar oil dressing. Miso soup was standard
Everyone ordered beer. I happen to like very cold beer and when it starts to get warm I cannot dink it anymore. I very rarely order a beer in a restaurant. I can open one at home and keep the bottle in the freezer with the unpoured liquid and drink it at my leisure.
I ordered a half bottle of Au Bon Climat Chardonnay (only one available besides house wine) $18. Did not ask what corkage was. Will need to do that next time. I do intend to go back since I drive by the place every day coming home from work. Excellent food and service. not cheap but good sushi never is.
Kashiwa has a wide selection of Japanese food dishes. If you are not a raw fish person there is something on the menu for alternates. There was tempura ordered along with a bento box , poke salad and several other non sushi dishes. Everyone had high fives for the food.
This is close to a authentic establishment you would find in Japan. No neon lights. Small rooms for private dining while seated on the floor. Can't remember the correct name for those types of rooms. Along with a small dining area with tables and chairs and a chef's bar.
Sunday, January 18, 2015
Harvey Wallbanger Brunch
Saturday, January 17, 2015
Kelly & Dimitry decided to host a Harvey Wallbanger brunch today. Partly to celebrate several birthdays and the main reason I think to use a lot of the oranges on their tree. They squeezed 70 oranges this morning for fresh juice. It was a very good juice, sweet but not full of acid. So good in fact I had 3 large "bangers. I would have had a couple more but since I was driving I decided to back off,
Everyone brought a food dish so there was a good variety. A platter of baked french toast made with cream cheese and nuts, biscuits and gravy, an egg casserole with green chiles and turkey sausage, a potato, cheese, bacon "cupcake", a platter of croissant sandwiches, fresh berries, a dessert kabob of fruit and nutella spread pancakes and a large birthday cake.
No one went hungry or thirsty. Birthday gifts for everyone one celebrating a birthday within 30 days of the event,
Weather was perfect. We all sat outdoors and enjoyed January in California. It was a nice, relaxing day
Kelly & Dimitry decided to host a Harvey Wallbanger brunch today. Partly to celebrate several birthdays and the main reason I think to use a lot of the oranges on their tree. They squeezed 70 oranges this morning for fresh juice. It was a very good juice, sweet but not full of acid. So good in fact I had 3 large "bangers. I would have had a couple more but since I was driving I decided to back off,
Everyone brought a food dish so there was a good variety. A platter of baked french toast made with cream cheese and nuts, biscuits and gravy, an egg casserole with green chiles and turkey sausage, a potato, cheese, bacon "cupcake", a platter of croissant sandwiches, fresh berries, a dessert kabob of fruit and nutella spread pancakes and a large birthday cake.
No one went hungry or thirsty. Birthday gifts for everyone one celebrating a birthday within 30 days of the event,
Weather was perfect. We all sat outdoors and enjoyed January in California. It was a nice, relaxing day
Dinner at Ceppo
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Paul, Margie and I decided to do a recon dinner at Ceppo's in Huntington Beach to see if it would be a good choice for one of Margie's monthly dinners. This place used to be Raymond's Bistro then some kind of pasta house that was terrible and now a new owner and a new name. Sign outside is deceptive. It says Japanese - Infusion. Nothing to indicate Italian food. The appetizers do have a Asian influence but the pastas and entrees are Italian.
We decided because of the limited amount of tables and the atmosphere it would not be good for a monthly dinner.
Food was good. I had the "Kobe" beef tartar and upon questioning the server it was decided that the beef was "Wagu" not Kobe". The price of $8 was not an indication of "Kobe" beef. "Kobe" would have been 4 times more money. Margie had the fresh Burrata (housemade) with procuitto wrapped pear slices and Paul had the Pork Chashu. He said the pork was slightly dry.
I also had the Pork loin cutlet that came with fresh vegetables. It was good and not dry at all. Paul and Margie both had pasta dishes. I thought the portions were slightly small. But they said their food was good.
Since it was just the three of us we had two bottles of wine. Corkage was $10 and I doubt if they would ever waive that fee. I brought a 2005 Tanca Farra, Alghero, A blend of 50% Cannonau and 50% Cabernet Sauvignon. I think this wine would go a few more years. It was tight. I drank the leftovers a few nights later and it was much better. Paul and Margie opened at 2012 Pio Cesare Gavi.
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