Tuesday, February 26, 2019
Another road trip at the Playground. www.playgrounddtsa.com. This time to Italy. Again a sold out dinner. I think I have only been to the Playground once when all 18 seats were not filled. They have the best food around and so innovative. Not for stuffy diners or picky people. It is for laid back diners that will be adventurous. This dinner is 14 courses.
We started out with a cocktail made with gin, pomegranate , lime sparkling water and a French herb liqueur called Genepi. Interesting flavors. Very refreshing
A plate of housemade Focaccia bread with a herb-olive oil blend for dipping was the starter. So addictive.
Argula 2.0 salad with walnuts, cranberry and apple. Beautiful colors and dressed very lightly but just enough.
Ocean trout crudo with a smoked egg aoili, pickled shallots (takes 5 to 7 hours in a extremely low heat olive oil) pine nuts and chives. Fish melted in you mouth and the aoili was to die for. I ended up using the rest of my Focaccia bread to wipe up the sauce.
Grilled a chilled Wagu flank carpaccio, raisin-caper puree and sunchoke chips. What can I say except it was so good.
Braised escarole and white beans. Had a panko style topping. Full of flavors.
Garlic confit risotto. No words can describe. Such a mild but bold garlic infused risotto. Never have I tasted risotto this good. Soft, creamy and garlic. Doesn't get any better than this.
Roasted Ocean Trout, seared, crispy skin with zucchini and vermouth butter. Light and delicate fish with a color very similar to salmon. Cooked to perfection
Baby eggplant, balsamic, caper berry and polenta. This was my least favorite dish. I am not a big eggplant fan so I am prejudiced. But the polenta was great.
Gnocchi with mushrooms. Without a doubt the best gnocchi I have ever had. Light, moist and made with a gentle touch
Fioretto with pear truffle vin, buckwheat and cauliflower puree.The fried greens were a bit stemy but you could scrape off the tiny florets with your teeth. Fioretto is a hybrid of broccoli and cauliflower. Good dish and very interesting flavors
Short rib pasta with ricotta cream. . Braised short rib meat shredded on top of Pappardelle pasta . Classic Italian. Very flavorful and the ricotta cream was a real winner.
Then a palate cleanser before dessert. A wine infused poached pear sorbet. Just a tad sweet and so refreshing.
Two desserts tonight. A Panna Cotta with sweet rhubarb and pistachios and then a Budding, HH cream and hazelnuts. It was a rich, thick dark chocolate pudding with a very heavy cream on top and hazelnuts. A very rich ending to a very rich meal.
Along with the cocktail 6 wines were served with dinner. All Italian.
NV Contra, Extra Brur Prosecco
2015 Manzone, Rossese Bianco
2013 Vigne Del Malina, Pinot Grigio
2010 Cocito, Barbaresco
2011 Lisini, Ugolaia, Brunello di Montalcino
NV Quaglia, Moscato di Asti
Wednesday, February 27, 2019
Tuesday, February 26, 2019
Stolpman Wine Release Party at L'Opera
Saturday, February 23, 2019
Tom and Peter Stolpman were both present for the release of their wines for this year. Dinner was served at L'Opera in Long Beach. Thankfully there was valet parking. I do not think there is a street in Long Beach that is not going under some sort of repair or construction. What a nightmare.
We had a table of eight and strangely enough two of those people were at the Ken Brown tasting at the Enology Club last night.
We started out with a Le Insalate (salad) Little Gem lettuce, radishes, Kalamanta olives, cherry tomatoes, toasted hazelnuts, shaved Parmigiano and a garlic lemon dressing. Dressing was excellent. Would love to have the recipe for it.
For the main we had a choice of fish, steak or vegetable risotto. My choice was the Pesce Del Giorno. Barramundi, champagne leek sauce, patate al parmigiano and grilled zucchini. Sauce was good and I do like Barramundi. I first tasted this species of fish in Australia.
Desserts were a platter of three different mini delectables. L'Opera is known for their mini pastries and desserts.
Stoplman wine grapes are grown in the Ballard Canyon AVA of Santa Barbara county. Tom and Marilyn have a huge "Villa" on the grounds. Just waiting for them to retire and move there permanently. Peter and his wife live near by. Big family business.
Several of the wines were pulled out of the barrels. No labels on them yet. Ten wines tonight. I am very partial to the LaCroce which was not poured tonight. It is a blend of Sangiovese and Syrah.
2018 Love You Bunches, carbonically fermented, Sangiovese
2018 GDG Gamay - I am not a fan of the gamay grape but this wine was surprisingly good
2018 Sauvignon Blanc
2018 Para Maria Rose, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache & Merlot
2018 Rose of Grenache
2016 L'Avion, 93% Roussanne, 7% Chardonnay
2017 La Cuadrilla, Syrah, Sangiovese, Grenache. (profits shared with crew)
2017 Grenache
2016 Sangiovese
2017 Angeli, 100% syrah (best of the barrels)
Tom and Peter Stolpman were both present for the release of their wines for this year. Dinner was served at L'Opera in Long Beach. Thankfully there was valet parking. I do not think there is a street in Long Beach that is not going under some sort of repair or construction. What a nightmare.
We had a table of eight and strangely enough two of those people were at the Ken Brown tasting at the Enology Club last night.
We started out with a Le Insalate (salad) Little Gem lettuce, radishes, Kalamanta olives, cherry tomatoes, toasted hazelnuts, shaved Parmigiano and a garlic lemon dressing. Dressing was excellent. Would love to have the recipe for it.
For the main we had a choice of fish, steak or vegetable risotto. My choice was the Pesce Del Giorno. Barramundi, champagne leek sauce, patate al parmigiano and grilled zucchini. Sauce was good and I do like Barramundi. I first tasted this species of fish in Australia.
Desserts were a platter of three different mini delectables. L'Opera is known for their mini pastries and desserts.
Stoplman wine grapes are grown in the Ballard Canyon AVA of Santa Barbara county. Tom and Marilyn have a huge "Villa" on the grounds. Just waiting for them to retire and move there permanently. Peter and his wife live near by. Big family business.
Several of the wines were pulled out of the barrels. No labels on them yet. Ten wines tonight. I am very partial to the LaCroce which was not poured tonight. It is a blend of Sangiovese and Syrah.
2018 Love You Bunches, carbonically fermented, Sangiovese
2018 GDG Gamay - I am not a fan of the gamay grape but this wine was surprisingly good
2018 Sauvignon Blanc
2018 Para Maria Rose, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache & Merlot
2018 Rose of Grenache
2016 L'Avion, 93% Roussanne, 7% Chardonnay
2017 La Cuadrilla, Syrah, Sangiovese, Grenache. (profits shared with crew)
2017 Grenache
2016 Sangiovese
2017 Angeli, 100% syrah (best of the barrels)
Ken Brown and his wines at the Enology Club
Friday, February 22, 2019
I was invited by one of the members of the Space Park Enology Club to attend the Ken Brown tasting at their monthly event at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Redondo Beach. I know a lot of people who are members but this was the first invite I was offered. Love Ken's wines so I felt this was a good opportunity for me and the man himself was in attendance.
Tables of eight were set up, open seating. There were six of us tonight. I was a bit disappointed in the stemware. Cheap restaurant style glasses. I was very surprised about this. If I had known this I would have brought my own glasses. I did notice that several people did this.
A large platter of cheeses and fruits were set down along with a tray of bread and crackers. A nice assortment.
Ten wines tonight. For my palate I was taken with the La Encantada Pinot Noir. They did take a vote an the most popular wine was the Rita;s Crown Pinot Noir. I found all the chardonnays had just a bit too much of an oaky taste for me but paired with cheeses they were winners. The Syrah's were all jammy and fruity.
Wines were heavily discounted tonight but shipping was ridiculously high. Ken did offer to store the wines for 60 days for pick up. Alas it will be 90 days before I am in the area.
2017 Rose of Grenache
2015 LaRiconada Vineyard, Chardonnay
2016 Santa Rita Hills Blend, Chardonnay
2015 Rita's Crown Vineyard, Chardonnay
2015 Santa Rita Hills Blend, Pinot Noir
2015 LaEncantada Vineyard, Picot Noir
2015 Rita's Crown Vineyard, Pinot Noir
2014 "A" Cuvee, Syrah
2014 Watch Hill Vineyard, Syrah
2014 Thompson Vineyard, Syrah
I was invited by one of the members of the Space Park Enology Club to attend the Ken Brown tasting at their monthly event at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Redondo Beach. I know a lot of people who are members but this was the first invite I was offered. Love Ken's wines so I felt this was a good opportunity for me and the man himself was in attendance.
Tables of eight were set up, open seating. There were six of us tonight. I was a bit disappointed in the stemware. Cheap restaurant style glasses. I was very surprised about this. If I had known this I would have brought my own glasses. I did notice that several people did this.
A large platter of cheeses and fruits were set down along with a tray of bread and crackers. A nice assortment.
Ten wines tonight. For my palate I was taken with the La Encantada Pinot Noir. They did take a vote an the most popular wine was the Rita;s Crown Pinot Noir. I found all the chardonnays had just a bit too much of an oaky taste for me but paired with cheeses they were winners. The Syrah's were all jammy and fruity.
Wines were heavily discounted tonight but shipping was ridiculously high. Ken did offer to store the wines for 60 days for pick up. Alas it will be 90 days before I am in the area.
2017 Rose of Grenache
2015 LaRiconada Vineyard, Chardonnay
2016 Santa Rita Hills Blend, Chardonnay
2015 Rita's Crown Vineyard, Chardonnay
2015 Santa Rita Hills Blend, Pinot Noir
2015 LaEncantada Vineyard, Picot Noir
2015 Rita's Crown Vineyard, Pinot Noir
2014 "A" Cuvee, Syrah
2014 Watch Hill Vineyard, Syrah
2014 Thompson Vineyard, Syrah
Wednesday, February 6, 2019
Margie's Monthly Dinner at Buon Gusto
Saturday. February 2, 2019
This months dinner was held at Buon Gusto in Huntington Beach. www.buongustohb.com. Weather has been terrible the last week and today was no exception. Heavy rains and driving winds. Since the group was originally supposed to be seated in the enclosed patio with the weather concerns Pete the owner thought we would be comfortable in his other restaurant, Green Street Cafe, which was only a few doors down from Buon Gusto. Green Street is only open for breakfast and lunch. Small place but it did accommodate us nicely. Instead of one long table we had 4 tables for 20 people. This change work out very well for our group for comfort and privacy.
The big issue was that since we were not at the working restaurant we had to have a buffet set up and be able to order individual dinners and could only have pasta dishes . Why I have no idea, Buon Gusto does catering so what would the difference be in pasta dishes or protein dishes. Chicken Cacciatore and Veal Parmesan are dishes you find on buffets. Food came in large aluminum catering trays. Margie picked out Lasagna and Chicken Alfredo. These along with a house salad served buffet style and rolls was the dinner. But after some negotiating on Margie's part we were able to order appetizers. So what would be the difference in having some protein dishes on the buffet unless they were trying to keep the dollar amount low. I personally along with a few others would gladly pay more to have a better selection. Everything was brought to us in aluminum buffet trays.
Since we could now get appetizers I ordered Grilled Artichoke and Deep Fried Calamari. This was my dinner instead of the pasta on the buffet. Out of 20 people 12 ordered appetizers. I was the only one who had them in place of the dinner.
When dinner was ready I looked at peoples plates and although the food is very good at Buon Gusto the plates looked anemic. White sauce for the alfredo and it looked like a white and red on the lasagna. But those two items in one large bowl type plate was not appealing. Minor color contrast. The salad was made from iceberg lettuce and it was very pale green. You eat with your eyes along with your eyes and mouth. Personally this just did not cut it for me. But that is me. Eating to me is an experience not a necessity.
I am not going to list the wines as I usually do. There were 27 wines and 20 people. I tasted about 10 of them. All were decent, a few very good. Most were reds but enough whites, roses and sparklings to have a nice selection.
All in all the change in venue and the buffet type dinner worked out really well for us.
This months dinner was held at Buon Gusto in Huntington Beach. www.buongustohb.com. Weather has been terrible the last week and today was no exception. Heavy rains and driving winds. Since the group was originally supposed to be seated in the enclosed patio with the weather concerns Pete the owner thought we would be comfortable in his other restaurant, Green Street Cafe, which was only a few doors down from Buon Gusto. Green Street is only open for breakfast and lunch. Small place but it did accommodate us nicely. Instead of one long table we had 4 tables for 20 people. This change work out very well for our group for comfort and privacy.
The big issue was that since we were not at the working restaurant we had to have a buffet set up and be able to order individual dinners and could only have pasta dishes . Why I have no idea, Buon Gusto does catering so what would the difference be in pasta dishes or protein dishes. Chicken Cacciatore and Veal Parmesan are dishes you find on buffets. Food came in large aluminum catering trays. Margie picked out Lasagna and Chicken Alfredo. These along with a house salad served buffet style and rolls was the dinner. But after some negotiating on Margie's part we were able to order appetizers. So what would be the difference in having some protein dishes on the buffet unless they were trying to keep the dollar amount low. I personally along with a few others would gladly pay more to have a better selection. Everything was brought to us in aluminum buffet trays.
Since we could now get appetizers I ordered Grilled Artichoke and Deep Fried Calamari. This was my dinner instead of the pasta on the buffet. Out of 20 people 12 ordered appetizers. I was the only one who had them in place of the dinner.
When dinner was ready I looked at peoples plates and although the food is very good at Buon Gusto the plates looked anemic. White sauce for the alfredo and it looked like a white and red on the lasagna. But those two items in one large bowl type plate was not appealing. Minor color contrast. The salad was made from iceberg lettuce and it was very pale green. You eat with your eyes along with your eyes and mouth. Personally this just did not cut it for me. But that is me. Eating to me is an experience not a necessity.
I am not going to list the wines as I usually do. There were 27 wines and 20 people. I tasted about 10 of them. All were decent, a few very good. Most were reds but enough whites, roses and sparklings to have a nice selection.
All in all the change in venue and the buffet type dinner worked out really well for us.
Tuesday, February 5, 2019
Arte Cafe and Chinese New Year with Stags Leap Winery
Friday, February 1, 2019
A big sold out dinner tonight at Arte Cafe in Cerritos. Over 90 people. Lot of Chinese celebrating the Year of The Pig. Women dressed in red, me included. The Lucky color.
Started out with an appetizer of Vegetable Spring Rolls paired with two sparkling wines. A Gancia Prosecco and a Desiderio, Jeio, Prosecco. Spring rolls were quite good.
First course is a Alaskan King Crab Salad, Asian Pear, Candied Walnuts, Wild Honey, Yuzu Vinaigrette. Nice piece of crab that was deep fried with a very light panko crust. The pear and walnut just added a real nice contrast.. Wine was a 2017 Stags Leap, Napa Valley, Chardonnay. Clean Chardonnay, very minor oak. Paired very well with the crab.
Second course is a Seared Shrimp and Scallop, Crispy Pancetta, Heirloom Tomatoes, Soy and Butter Sauce. Shrimp and scallop are cooked perfectly. Richard does have a touch for seafood. Paired with the same Chardonnay as the Crab.
Our Entree is a Pepper Crusted Prime New York Steak with Herb Fingerling Potatoes. Truffle Butter Mushrooms, Asparagus and Ginger Peppercorn. Everything was good and tasty except the steak. Mine was a bit pink on the inside but to me overcooked. Flavor was OK. Richard does not do steak well. He even came around after dinner asking about the steak and suggested himself that is was overcooked. So he is at least aware of this short coming. Paired with a 2015 Stags Leap, Napa Valley Caberent Sauvignon. Decent wine, not spectacular All the wines seem to be estate and not single vineyard.
Dessert was a big hit. Caramel Sticky Pudding with Vanilla Ice Cream. Also the best wine of the evening. A 2015 Stags Leap, Napa Valley, Petite Syrah. I enjoyed this wine. deep, dark fruit, well balanced.
Lots of raffle prizes tonight. I am sure because of the New Year Celebration. Price has gone up to $53 for dinner and wine. Still a bargain in today's market. I enjoy these dinners in spite of the steak short comings. The seafood is always top notch and cooked perfectly.
A big sold out dinner tonight at Arte Cafe in Cerritos. Over 90 people. Lot of Chinese celebrating the Year of The Pig. Women dressed in red, me included. The Lucky color.
Started out with an appetizer of Vegetable Spring Rolls paired with two sparkling wines. A Gancia Prosecco and a Desiderio, Jeio, Prosecco. Spring rolls were quite good.
First course is a Alaskan King Crab Salad, Asian Pear, Candied Walnuts, Wild Honey, Yuzu Vinaigrette. Nice piece of crab that was deep fried with a very light panko crust. The pear and walnut just added a real nice contrast.. Wine was a 2017 Stags Leap, Napa Valley, Chardonnay. Clean Chardonnay, very minor oak. Paired very well with the crab.
Second course is a Seared Shrimp and Scallop, Crispy Pancetta, Heirloom Tomatoes, Soy and Butter Sauce. Shrimp and scallop are cooked perfectly. Richard does have a touch for seafood. Paired with the same Chardonnay as the Crab.
Our Entree is a Pepper Crusted Prime New York Steak with Herb Fingerling Potatoes. Truffle Butter Mushrooms, Asparagus and Ginger Peppercorn. Everything was good and tasty except the steak. Mine was a bit pink on the inside but to me overcooked. Flavor was OK. Richard does not do steak well. He even came around after dinner asking about the steak and suggested himself that is was overcooked. So he is at least aware of this short coming. Paired with a 2015 Stags Leap, Napa Valley Caberent Sauvignon. Decent wine, not spectacular All the wines seem to be estate and not single vineyard.
Dessert was a big hit. Caramel Sticky Pudding with Vanilla Ice Cream. Also the best wine of the evening. A 2015 Stags Leap, Napa Valley, Petite Syrah. I enjoyed this wine. deep, dark fruit, well balanced.
Lots of raffle prizes tonight. I am sure because of the New Year Celebration. Price has gone up to $53 for dinner and wine. Still a bargain in today's market. I enjoy these dinners in spite of the steak short comings. The seafood is always top notch and cooked perfectly.
Wednesday, January 30, 2019
Hill Family Wine Tasting at Table 301 Bistro
Tuesday, January 29, 2019
I missed the first wine tasting event that Table 301 did last month so I was anxious to attend this one. www.Table301bistro.com. This is Dave & Louise's new restaurant that they opened after closing Delius. Located in downtown Long Beach which is now one of my preferred areas is one of the reasons I have not supported them much since the opening. I did drive around the area because I had time to kill. Nothing much has changed. It still looks scuzzy no matter how much money the city dumps into it. Constant road construction. It seems to never end. They do one thing then decide months later they don't like it and change things again.
Had trouble leaving the parking garage. It took my ticket but would not take my credit card to pay. Tried to use 5 different cards and none worked. So I backed up and let the person behind me go ahead. Wouldn't take his card either. Security had to be called. A man walked by and I told him what was happening and all he said "well this is Long Beach". Sad situation.
Table 301 Bisto is located at the end of the Pomenade at 3rd St. Two large outdoor seating areas. One has a huge fire pit and a stage where they have live music. Way too noisy for me. This is a younger persons venue. Metal chairs which I dislike, hard surfaces which does not help the acoustics.
The wine tasting was held outside on the front patio area. Two large overhead heaters kept the place decent but I could still feel the breeze. Had to keep my jacket on all evening. Food was served family style and the seating was family style also. 9 people at our combine tables. Food was brought out and shared. That is too many people at one table to pass a pizza around too. I found it chaotic. We had 3 courses for 3 wines. First round was rose's & whites. All the food was brought out when we were on the first wine. This was a timing issue. We were expected to drink up before they poured the second wine. That does not work for me. I and several others did end up with 3 glasses so that helped but that is the way is should have been set up to begin with. The pours were good size.
The food was good. Much better with this new chef. But nowhere the caliber of Delius in its heyday.
Hill Family Estate has 1,000 acres planted but sell of about 98% of their grapes to well known labels. Keep a very small amount to put their own label on. Wes Kohler is the rep. Haven't seen him since the Stolpman dinner at Taste last year.
We started out with three wines. Hill Family Rose, Albarino and Carly's Cuvee Chardonnay. The chard was a bit oaky and I dumped it. The Rose was OK but not stellar but the Albarino was wonderful. I thought it ended up being the best wine of the night.
The three dishes that were served with this trio of wines were Pacific Gold Oysters, Shrimp Risotto and Mushroom Pizza. The oysters were good and decent size. 2 per person but I did end up with 2 extra because of people not liking raw oysters. But they had small slices of lime in a small bowl to squeeze on them. 5 pieces for 9 people. That does not make sense. A slice per person.
The Risotto was very good, the shrimp were fresh and succulent. But not enough in the bowl for 9 people, The size should have been for 4. I ended up with about a third of a cup of rice and one shrimp.
The Mushroom Pizza and about 10 to 12 inches in diameter. The slices were cut very thin. About an inch at the outer edge. No way should this be for 9 people. Pizza was good but that did not make up for not enough.
The next trio of wines poured were Hill Family, Barrel Blend which consisted of 8 red varietals, Beau Terre Vineyard Merlot and Clarke Vineyard Syrah. All good wines but nothing knocked my socks off.
The trio of food was Lamb Cavatelli, Pizza Diavola and Shortribs.
The Lamb Cavatelli was excellent. Good flavor. Again small serving. The Pizza Diavola was made with spring garlic, calabrese salami, stracciatella and green onions. Very good flavors but again very small serving. The Short Ribs had a sweet chili glaze and Asian Pear Slaw. This was the best dish of the night. The glaze was perfect on the meat. I did end up with a whole short rib because the others were not into it.
This family style serving of food only works if there is enough food for everyone to get a decent portion. When a few take a lot the rest get less. We had originally had a table for four but pushed it together with the next table of five because the food came out for the nine of us. It would have been so much better to have the family style dishes proportioned for each table. This was a Tuesday night. The kitchen wasn't that busy so it would have taken a little bit more effort to do it correctly but not that much more effort. They know ahead of time how many people at each table. It is all about portioning.
Table 301 is doing another tasting next month. I have reservations that night for the Playground so I will not be attending. But my dining companions tonight plan on going. Hopefully this kink with the food dishes will be worked out. I was told at last months wine tasting they had so much food that the restaurant actually took a loss. So the restaurant upped the price but cut back on portions. That apparently did not work out either. Maybe the third attempt will be the saving grace.
I missed the first wine tasting event that Table 301 did last month so I was anxious to attend this one. www.Table301bistro.com. This is Dave & Louise's new restaurant that they opened after closing Delius. Located in downtown Long Beach which is now one of my preferred areas is one of the reasons I have not supported them much since the opening. I did drive around the area because I had time to kill. Nothing much has changed. It still looks scuzzy no matter how much money the city dumps into it. Constant road construction. It seems to never end. They do one thing then decide months later they don't like it and change things again.
Had trouble leaving the parking garage. It took my ticket but would not take my credit card to pay. Tried to use 5 different cards and none worked. So I backed up and let the person behind me go ahead. Wouldn't take his card either. Security had to be called. A man walked by and I told him what was happening and all he said "well this is Long Beach". Sad situation.
Table 301 Bisto is located at the end of the Pomenade at 3rd St. Two large outdoor seating areas. One has a huge fire pit and a stage where they have live music. Way too noisy for me. This is a younger persons venue. Metal chairs which I dislike, hard surfaces which does not help the acoustics.
The wine tasting was held outside on the front patio area. Two large overhead heaters kept the place decent but I could still feel the breeze. Had to keep my jacket on all evening. Food was served family style and the seating was family style also. 9 people at our combine tables. Food was brought out and shared. That is too many people at one table to pass a pizza around too. I found it chaotic. We had 3 courses for 3 wines. First round was rose's & whites. All the food was brought out when we were on the first wine. This was a timing issue. We were expected to drink up before they poured the second wine. That does not work for me. I and several others did end up with 3 glasses so that helped but that is the way is should have been set up to begin with. The pours were good size.
The food was good. Much better with this new chef. But nowhere the caliber of Delius in its heyday.
Hill Family Estate has 1,000 acres planted but sell of about 98% of their grapes to well known labels. Keep a very small amount to put their own label on. Wes Kohler is the rep. Haven't seen him since the Stolpman dinner at Taste last year.
We started out with three wines. Hill Family Rose, Albarino and Carly's Cuvee Chardonnay. The chard was a bit oaky and I dumped it. The Rose was OK but not stellar but the Albarino was wonderful. I thought it ended up being the best wine of the night.
The three dishes that were served with this trio of wines were Pacific Gold Oysters, Shrimp Risotto and Mushroom Pizza. The oysters were good and decent size. 2 per person but I did end up with 2 extra because of people not liking raw oysters. But they had small slices of lime in a small bowl to squeeze on them. 5 pieces for 9 people. That does not make sense. A slice per person.
The Risotto was very good, the shrimp were fresh and succulent. But not enough in the bowl for 9 people, The size should have been for 4. I ended up with about a third of a cup of rice and one shrimp.
The Mushroom Pizza and about 10 to 12 inches in diameter. The slices were cut very thin. About an inch at the outer edge. No way should this be for 9 people. Pizza was good but that did not make up for not enough.
The next trio of wines poured were Hill Family, Barrel Blend which consisted of 8 red varietals, Beau Terre Vineyard Merlot and Clarke Vineyard Syrah. All good wines but nothing knocked my socks off.
The trio of food was Lamb Cavatelli, Pizza Diavola and Shortribs.
The Lamb Cavatelli was excellent. Good flavor. Again small serving. The Pizza Diavola was made with spring garlic, calabrese salami, stracciatella and green onions. Very good flavors but again very small serving. The Short Ribs had a sweet chili glaze and Asian Pear Slaw. This was the best dish of the night. The glaze was perfect on the meat. I did end up with a whole short rib because the others were not into it.
This family style serving of food only works if there is enough food for everyone to get a decent portion. When a few take a lot the rest get less. We had originally had a table for four but pushed it together with the next table of five because the food came out for the nine of us. It would have been so much better to have the family style dishes proportioned for each table. This was a Tuesday night. The kitchen wasn't that busy so it would have taken a little bit more effort to do it correctly but not that much more effort. They know ahead of time how many people at each table. It is all about portioning.
Table 301 is doing another tasting next month. I have reservations that night for the Playground so I will not be attending. But my dining companions tonight plan on going. Hopefully this kink with the food dishes will be worked out. I was told at last months wine tasting they had so much food that the restaurant actually took a loss. So the restaurant upped the price but cut back on portions. That apparently did not work out either. Maybe the third attempt will be the saving grace.
Thursday, January 24, 2019
East Meets West Wine Dinner at Arte Cafe
Wednesday, January 23, 2018
Interesting concept for tonight's dinner. Asian style food with wines from the west, CA, OR & WA. Again a full house. More thought tonight on the table settings. White tablecloths, maroon napkins and red rose petals strewn around. Didn't think to take a picture before I sat down. Maybe they are gearing up for the Chinese New Year. Price was still $49 but I noticed for their next dinner February 1 the price goes up to $53. That is fair with the rise in food prices.
All wines tonight are under the Chateau St. Michelle conglomerate. I believe the winery rep said they have 60 labels in their portfolio.
Started out with Crispy Shrimp Dumplings with chili lime sauce. Nice sauce, just the right amount of heat tempered by the lime. Richard the chef/owner Chinese heritage will shine tonight. Wine served is a 2016 Chateau St. Michelle, "Horse Heaven Hills", WA, Sauvignon Blanc. Nice wine, not to acidic , crisp with light citrus. Perfect with that chili lime sauce.
First course is a Jumbo Diver Scallops in "Birdnest" with Shitake Mushrooms and fresh ginger/soy butter. Perfectly cooked scallops and mushrooms in a deep fried noodle birdnest set upon pureed cauliflower. The white scallop with the black mushroom made a beautiful contrast. Again the sauce really heightened the flavors of this dish. Paired with a 2016 Patz & Hall , Dutton Ranch, Sonoma, Chardonnay. Finally a chardonnay that I will drink. Nice green apple with some spice notes and no oak at all. Again a very good pairing.
Second course is a Butter Lettuce Cup filled with Chicken and fresh Asian Vegetables. Filled your lettuce roll with the chicken mixture and sauce. Wine is a 2016 Erath, OR, Pinot Noir. A good showing of a Oregon Pinot. Lighter with hints of dark cherry with a bit of anise on the back palate.
Next was a choice of braised pork belly or beef short rib. I chose the Braised Pork Belly with Garlic Noodles and Boy Choy. Really had a garlic taste to the dish and the pork belly melted in your mouth. A very good combination. Wine paired was a 2014 Antica, Napa Valley, CA, Cabernet Sauvignon. A perfect pairing. Wine was rich with deep dark fruit and a bit of toast.Very light tannins, well balanced.
Dessert was Exotic Chinese Fruits in Puff Pastry Shell with cream. Nice light ending to a rich meal. The wine was not my favorite of the night. I think it fell a bit short. 2016 Eroica, Columbia Valley, WA, dry Riesling.
Interesting concept for tonight's dinner. Asian style food with wines from the west, CA, OR & WA. Again a full house. More thought tonight on the table settings. White tablecloths, maroon napkins and red rose petals strewn around. Didn't think to take a picture before I sat down. Maybe they are gearing up for the Chinese New Year. Price was still $49 but I noticed for their next dinner February 1 the price goes up to $53. That is fair with the rise in food prices.
All wines tonight are under the Chateau St. Michelle conglomerate. I believe the winery rep said they have 60 labels in their portfolio.
Started out with Crispy Shrimp Dumplings with chili lime sauce. Nice sauce, just the right amount of heat tempered by the lime. Richard the chef/owner Chinese heritage will shine tonight. Wine served is a 2016 Chateau St. Michelle, "Horse Heaven Hills", WA, Sauvignon Blanc. Nice wine, not to acidic , crisp with light citrus. Perfect with that chili lime sauce.
First course is a Jumbo Diver Scallops in "Birdnest" with Shitake Mushrooms and fresh ginger/soy butter. Perfectly cooked scallops and mushrooms in a deep fried noodle birdnest set upon pureed cauliflower. The white scallop with the black mushroom made a beautiful contrast. Again the sauce really heightened the flavors of this dish. Paired with a 2016 Patz & Hall , Dutton Ranch, Sonoma, Chardonnay. Finally a chardonnay that I will drink. Nice green apple with some spice notes and no oak at all. Again a very good pairing.
Second course is a Butter Lettuce Cup filled with Chicken and fresh Asian Vegetables. Filled your lettuce roll with the chicken mixture and sauce. Wine is a 2016 Erath, OR, Pinot Noir. A good showing of a Oregon Pinot. Lighter with hints of dark cherry with a bit of anise on the back palate.
Next was a choice of braised pork belly or beef short rib. I chose the Braised Pork Belly with Garlic Noodles and Boy Choy. Really had a garlic taste to the dish and the pork belly melted in your mouth. A very good combination. Wine paired was a 2014 Antica, Napa Valley, CA, Cabernet Sauvignon. A perfect pairing. Wine was rich with deep dark fruit and a bit of toast.Very light tannins, well balanced.
Dessert was Exotic Chinese Fruits in Puff Pastry Shell with cream. Nice light ending to a rich meal. The wine was not my favorite of the night. I think it fell a bit short. 2016 Eroica, Columbia Valley, WA, dry Riesling.
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