Road Trip To Temecula

 Saturday, April 3, 2021

3 of us on this trip. Hired a car and driver to take us to Temecula for wine tasting. The driver came with a SUV which had a very high running board. Made it very difficult for me to get in because of my bout with Sciatica. May be a long trip.

We arrived in Temecula about 10:30 am . First tasting was at 11:00. I had not been here in over 15 years. Huge buildings housing the wineries. Looked more like sets for Hollywood. Not sure if I like it. If fact I really disliked it. 

First stop was Doffo winery. Big motorcycle collection. If you are a bike nut this would be right up you alley.  We had a flight of 4 wines. Decent wines but not putting out any money for them.

We were scheduled for lunch and tasting at Avensole.  Went inside for lunch first. It took 2-1/2 hour's so we had to forget the tasting. There was wine at the table for lunch. Tasted decent. Food was very good. We started out with an appetizer of oven roasted Brie cheese with a fruit compote. It was very good, Then a pizza style flatbread which also was very good. At this point I am full and I still have an Ahi burger coming. Burger got packed to go. Ate it the next day and it also was very good. If I would come to Temecula again I would probably eat here. 

We had a 3:00 appointment at Wiens for a Cellar Room tastings. This was held outdoors in a private patio setting. Best wines of the day but so over priced. $115 for a Cabernet Sauvignon from Temecula. I don't think so. Wine was good but should have been in the $45 range. 

On the way out we stopped at Akash. Their tasting stopped at 5:00 but we got a bottle and sat outside. They had a DJ playing music. I was not overly impressed with the wine.

Temecula is not for serious wine drinkers. It is playing to the party buses, birthday girls, bachelor and bachelorette parties etc., Loaded with wannabe's.  I am sure there are exceptions to the wineries. and probably a few really good ones, Wiens being one of them. But on the whole it is party time. Probably be another few years before I am back. 

Duckhorn Wine Dinner at Arte Cafe

 Friday, March 26, 2021

Almost a full house tonight. Not sure about the six feet apart table rule being adhered to . The tables themselves were but by time you o\put a chair and a person it left a lot to interpretation.  But not nearly as jam packed as the dining room normally is. We opted to sit outside on the patio.  Said hello to eight people I knew that were attending also.

Started out with Pan Seared Diver Scallops with a caper beurre blanc sauce and baby bok choy. As usual Richard had cooked the scallops to perfection.   Served with a 2019 Duckhorn, Napa Valley, Sauvignon Blanc. Wine was a good pairing. The wine was not overly acidic and had a nice slight creamy texture to it.

Second course is a shaved pear and goat cheese salad with a chardonnay and Dijon vinaigrette. My salad was prefect. Had at least 10 slices of cherry tomato. and was dressed well. My two dining companions had no tomatoes and no dressing. They did bring out bowls of dressing I did notice that a few other tables had the same issue. Apparently a big  screw up in the kitchen. Salad was very good. But the wine, Oh My. A 2019 Duckhorn, Napa Valley, Chardonnay.  So oaky and buttery. A typical California style Chardonnay which I really dislike.  Sherry and I both gave Douglas our wine. We were able to get another pour of the Sau Blanc but it really did not pair well with the salad. 

Next was a Duck Breast with cherries and Port sauce over a round of crispy polenta and roasted turnips. My duck was cooked a tad to much for me but had great flavor. I prefer my meats to be more red than dark pink.  Paired with a 2018 Duckhorn, Napa Valley, Merlot. Good pairing. Wine was good. Not a big Merlot fan but this wine held its own. Was told that it received a 94 rating. 

Fourth course is a double herb crusted lamb chop with spring root vegetable mash and Chinese broccoli.  Again I felt my lamb was a bit over cooked for my palate. But flavors were spot on. A 2017 Duckhorn, Napa valley, Cabernet Sauvignon was the wine choice. A very nice cab, It was about 80% Cabernet grapes and balance were at least 3 other reds among them Cab Franc. 

Dessert was a flourless chocolate cake with icing and raspberry coulis. Rich and decadent.

A few glitches tonight but I will attribute that to the fact that inside dining rooms are now open and the kitchen and wait staff may be a bit rusty due to the long shut down. I am sure by the Whispering Angel Rose wine dinner on the 6th things will be working smoother. 

Outdoor Dinner at The Playground

 Wednesday, Match 17, 2021

An impromptu dinner tonight at the Playground,  www.Playgrounddtsa. com,  Had not been here since Covid started.  Still dining outdoors,  but tables are spaced apart, heaters are going and great company.

Limited menu because of all the issues generated by restaurants having to be closed, open, closed etc., 

Decided to share plates. started off with "Fried Green Beans" with cashews, puffed rice, Thai basil, lime leaf curry. Great flavor. Beans were not overcooked, still had a bit of a bite to them,  curry sauce was excellent.

Next we ordered "Catalan Spinach", spinach, apple, apricot, sunflower seed, pine nut, sultana and lemon. Spinach was bright green, no over cooking here. Wonderful blend of flavors.

For the main "Deep South Congee", congee with Rootbeer glazed Beeler's Pork Cheeks, unicorn grits, fried sweet potato, braised collard greens, buckwheat-sorghum crunch, roasted turnips and ham crispies. I know it sounds weird but the flavors were spot on. The congee was an gray lavender color, odd but good. 

The chef / owner Jason Quinn has a real gift with blending flavors and incorporating "odd" things together. It always amazes me what he comes up with.  I like "different" and he always comes through. 

Two bottles of wine tonight.  A 2011 Clos Pepe, VS Pinot Noir which was showing exceptionally well . A 2010 Chateau D'Aiguilhe, Bordeaux. This wine took a bit to open,  Barnyardy for the first half hour or so before it blew off. Another good wine.

Margie's Monthly Dinner at Kings Fish House

Saturday, March 13, 2021

Back to being able to have outdoor dining for a couple of months now.  Tonight's dinner is at Kings Fish House in Huntington Beach.  Outdoor, open patio area. A bit cool and breezy. I was hoping we would be seated under the awning. Guess with 12 people you can't be too choosy. But I found the tables to be a bit on the small size for all of our wine glasses, bottles etc.,  Had to be careful maneuvering things around.

I started out with 1/2 dozen Oysters. None that I recall having before.  One each of Night Tide, Oishi, Baywater Sweet, James River, Rappahannock and Riptide. Most were on the medium to large size and all had nice salinity to them.

Main dish was grilled Chilean Sea Bass with grilled zucchini and glazed carrots. Fish cooked perfectly and the vegetables were on the crisp side which I like.

Had Creme Brulee for dessert. I did not have any of the bread,  rolls or starches so I could treat myself. 

A large assortment of wines brought tonight. Lots of whites but some varietals I wasn't too sure about with Seafood. Most I did not taste as the varietals were not to my palate.

2018 Hook or Crook, Lodi, Field Blend. and a Cava from Spain, Campo Viejo. The Cava I had a few weeks back at a dinner. A person at out table had found it at Costco. I liked it so went looking.  When I was in the store I stumbled across the Hook or Crook. Great price, bought one bottle to try. Went back a few days later on bought a case. Both bottles had a $5 off  promo going. So at $6 for each it was the bargain of the month.  You can stumble across a deal once in awhile. 

2015 Iron Horse, Ocean Breeze, Blanc de Blanc - nice wine, went well with the oysters as did the Cava

2020 Akash Winery, Parley Vous Rose - OK just not my style of Rose

2017 Brooks Cahiers, Pinot Noir, - nice, light, cool climate wine.

2018 Brander,  Sauvignon Blanc - did not taste

2018 Titus, Sauvignon Blanc - did not taste

2018 Carol Shelton, Coquille Blanc, a white Rhone grapes blend - did taste but not my style at all

Lason , Black Label, Brut Champagne - I cannot remember tasting this wine.

Rombauer, Proprietors Select, Chardonnay - did not taste

2014 Sea Smoke, Ten, Pinot Noir - OK wine but not impressed. I think Sea Smoke is a very overrated wine for the price

2017 Foley, Chardonnay - did not taste

2020, Nebbiolo,   home made wine and it was decent

2016 Steinbeck, Viognier - did not taste

2017 Shed Horn, Zinfandel - did not taste

Blandy's 10 year old Maderia - nice touch to end of meal

Valentine's Day Dinner At Arte Cafe

Saturday, February 13, 2021 Two dinners right in a row at Arte Cafe. We had a "threesome" tonight. Same as last night. This dinner included the wine on the menu. Sat at the same table as last night. Lets keep a good thing going. Started off with a heart shaped Raviolio stuffed with lobster. Mild sauce and topped with caviar. ("Raviolio" is single. Ravioli is multiple) Great flavors, tender pasta. Also a heart shaped piece of red beet on the plate. Very colorful. The wine with this dish was a Prosecco which was much better quality than the night before. I did not get the label name. Second course is a Diver Scallop with a Ginger Lemon Risotto. Talk about being devine. Scallop cooked perfectly. The Risotto was really good. Perfect matchup of flavors. Richard excels at seafood. A 2018 Planeta ll Blano La Segreta. A white wine from Italy. Chardonnay based with 3 other white grape varietals in it. A very odd taste but it did pair well with the food. It is not a wine that I would drink on its own. Next is a Frisee salad with asparagus and Chenel goat cheese. I just cannot get into Frisee. Too many tentacles in my mouth. Goat cheese was creamy and tart and the dressing was good. It made the salad. We had a 2018 Elouan Pinot Noir. The pairing was Ok but. Main is a Filet Mignon with Chanterelle mushrooms, demi glaze and root vegetables. Good flavors. Meat cooked perfectly medium rare. Served with a 2017 Educated Guess North Coast Cabernet Sauvignon. I had one sip of this wine and finished my steak off with the Pinot we had with the salad. This Cabernet was so sweet. Dessert is a White Chocolate heart shaped shell filled with white chocolate ice cream and raspberry sauce and fresh raspberries. I could have eaten many more of these tonight. Perfect ending to a good dinner.

Lunar New Year Dinner at Arte Cafe

Friday, February 12, 2021 LA County finally opened up to outdoor dining again. Richard was "Johnny on the spot" to get a dinner scheduled. Perfect timing for the Lunar New Year. LKargfe , appreciative crowd tonight, Tables are set far apart for the required social distancing. Started out with house made egg rolls. Light, delicate wrapper, perfect chruncy vegetables inside. Next was "West Lake" soup. This was a real new one for me. Loads of flavor and really hit the spot in the cold weather. Looked up online to see what it really is made of. Minced beef, minced chicken, mushrooms, coriander, cilantro and a beaten egg drizzled into the broth. Our third course is a steamed Sole stuffed with Shrimp and Ginger soy. Sole was cooked perfectly and was in a wrapped coil position. A very large grilled shrimp was on top. The ginger soy was delicious. Perefct for the light fish. Main course is a Wagu beef ribeye with a hoisin BBQ sauce and grilled bok choy. Beef was cooked perfectly medium rare and very good flavor. The hoisin bbq sauce was excellent. Richard outdid himself in this one. Another new item for me. Long Noodles. Also looked it up online. They basically are a very long, very thin wheat noodle with garlic, ginger, onion and muchroom. The idea is to eat the "long" noodle without breaking it. This is for longevity. Really liked the garlic flavor to a simple noodle. Dessert was a housemade almond cookie with a heavy, dense, smooth cream on top and berries. We were given a cocktail after dinner. Part of the original menu. Had a choice of 4 different Hennessy's Cognac cocktails. I chose the "Fortune Cookie" Side Car. Really into side cars and this was a bit different. Hennessey's VSOP Cognac, Grand Marnier. lemon juice and a sugared rim. We were surprised that wine was served with dinner. Not on the original menu. Douglas brought a Gran Campo Viejo Cava to start. Beautiful,colorful bottle and the Cava was very good. Then Arte Cafe poured a Lamarca Prosecco. We also had a 2016 Conundrum which I do not care for. Have never liked it. But I will admit that it did pair very well with the sole. On it's own not so good. Then a Belle Glos Pinot Noir. Decent for an inexpensive wine. The wines were poured in addition to the origional menu. They were not the best, but not the worse either. Inexpensive, decent wines. Dinner including the cocktail was only $58 so you should not expect a "gift" of free wine to be La Tache. So good to be able to get out again. have no issues dining out at Arte cafe as they are set up for it year around. I have an adversion to those tents that the restaurants are using to circumvent the no indoor dining rule right now. How can a 3 sided with roof, vinyl tent not be considered indoors". If you are seated at the back of the tent you are no way "outdoors". I did a dinner once in one and was not comfortable even though I was seated at the end near the open side. So those tents are off my list for "outdoor" dining that is in place right now due to Covid.

Margie's Holiday Dinner at Prime Cut Cafe

Saturday, December 5, 2020 Prime Cut Cafe Just got this dinner in the day before the shutdown again. Ten of us tonight. Seated outside because of protocal now. A table of four and a table of 6. It was very festive with all the holiday lights shimmering. I opted for the prime rib which is their specialty. Split a salad with CJ. And Creme Brulee for dessert. 10 people 14 wines. I brought a 2017 Rancho de Philo Triple Cream Sherry for after dinner. Exceptionaly good. Other wines were 2006 Bollinger Champagne, always good. 2015 Nickel and Nickel, CC Ranch, Rutherford, Napa, Cabernet Sauvignon. Showing well. 2019 Twomy, Sauvignon Blanc, did not taste. 2017 Rasmussen, Cabernet Sauvignon, decent. 2013 Il Barone, Castello di Amorosa, Napa, Cabernet Sauvignon, decent. NV, Torre Fornello, Italy, Malvasia Dolce Sparkling. Very fruity, apricot, thick viscosity, almost too sweet but good in small doses. 2018 Cakebread Cellars, Napa Valley, Sauvignon Blanc. Did not taste. 2013 Domingos Brothers, Three Tears Vineyard, Howell Mtn, Preston Family Vineyards, Napa Valley, red blend. Good and interesting. 2013 Williams Selyem, San Benito County, Vista Verde Vineyards, Port. Did not taste. 2015 Mumm, Napa Valley, Sparling Rose, Good. 2006 Lancaster Estate, Nicoles Red Wine, Alexander Valley. Did not taste. 2000 Chateau St. Michelle, Columbia Valley, WA, Cabernet Sauvignon. Very good, took some time to open. 2005 BV Georges de la Tour, Calistoga, Cabernet Sauvignon, Excellent. Have no idea what January will bring due to the state wide shut down.