Mesa Grill, New york

After some interruptions I am moving back to our New York trip.
Enjoying Bobby Flay's cooking at the Food Network it was time to visit one of his restaurants. He has quite a few places in New York and we narrowed it down and decided to go to Mesa Grill because of the heavily south western influenced cuisine.

After being seated promptly we ordered drinks. My margarita was surprisingly average and really stiff, my husband's Mesa Fresca on the other hand was a big it. A very refreshing tequila drink with grape and lime juice and a splash of soda. Only last week I watched Boy Meets Grill at the Food Network to see Bobby Flay mix it up. I was very excited to get the recipe... Check it out here.
On to the first course. My husband had the Baby Romaine Salad with Chorizo and Cotija Cheese in a Roasted Garlic Dressing. He loved this relatively light dish with bold, spicy flavor from the excellent chorizo mellowed by the semi soft, milder Cotija cheese. I had the Shrimp and Grouper Ceviche with Tomatoes, Serrano Chiles and Lime Juice. Quite delicious. Fresh seafood with a nice spicy bite to it.
For entree he choose the Sixteen Spice Chicken with Garlic/Mango sauce and Blue Corn Tamale. It looked fantastic on the plate but biting in to it, despite of the sixteen spices, he found it surprisingly dull in flavor and slightly over cooked. My Ancho Chile-Honey Glazed Salmon with a Black Bean Sauce, Tomatillo Salsa and Jalapeno Crema was really good. The salmon was perfectly cooked, juicy and still opaque in the center. All the surrounding sauces adding a great melding of flavors.
We were stuffed at this point and could not bring ourselves to ordering dessert.

Service was friendly and prompt, but just that. The food met my expectations just at the mark, but my husband walked out of there a little disappointed.
Let me know what you think if you have dined here. I am curious to see what your experience have been!


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Del Posto, New York

Another chef's food I have been longing to try, while in New York, is Mario Batali's. He has a total of eight restaurants + one wine shop in New York (as far as I know). Choosing one was not easy but I ended up deciding to go to Del Posto. It is located next door to CraftSteak, were we had been the night before (I will review it later in another posting), at 85 Tenth Avenue.
The restaurant is very elegantly decorated but still welcoming with a lot of dark wood and warm colors in the textiles.

On to the dining. We were seated promptly and after being handed the menu and wine list a basket filled with a varietal of still warm bread arrived. The olive foccacia was my favorite...

After that four small plates with amuse bouche were presented, Shrimp "Puff" (awesome!), Green Tomato with Jalapeno Cream Sauce, Tuna and Artichoke Tea Sandwich, and a Vegetable Broth Soup with Fresh Herbs. All very good!
For starter we shared the Porcini Mushroom, Arugula Risotto. This risotto was one of the best ones I have had since our trip to Italy four years ago. The arugula was pureed, and colored the whole risotto in a vivid green and gave it a nice peppery note, while the fresh porcini gave it a great earthy taste. The rice perfectly creamy with the right al dente bite to it. Excellent start!
For main course I ordered the Turbot with Sweet Corn, Chantarelles and Sangiovese. The turbot was a little bit over cooked but the accompanying ingredients made the dish shine. This was not great but never the less very good. My husband had the Pork Chop. He thought that was a little bit over done as well, but as he got toward the center it was more juicy and full of flavor.
For dessert we shared the Chocolate Souffle with Brandied Cherries and Espresso Gelato. Could not go wrong with this one. Souffle was warm and still slightly liquid in the middle, and the gelato made the perfect pairing. And as if this was not enough a cart of sweet treats arrived at the end of the meal were I had to taste an "Italian" Oreo, dark caramel, and a divine dark ganache in a chocolate shell.
After a delicious, although not perfect, meal we left this well worth to visit restaurant.

The wine: Drinking mostly California and other new world wines we had the sommelier help us pick out a wine for dinner. He gave a few suggestions and among them a Barbaresco, Ada Nada 1999 Valeirano (made from the Nebbiolo grape) that we ended up deciding on. It turned out to be a delicious bottle that paired well with all courses of our meal.

One point I have to make is that the service was a little bit off. At all points during the meal the service was slow enough as to where it was just raising the question "where are they?", and right then they would show up with more water, the dessert menu, or whatever it might be... (Coffee was served a the last couple of bites of dessert, whereas I prefer to get it right before dessert is served). Nothing that can't be corrected with just a few adjustments...

We had a very good meal here, the highlight being the risotto. I can recommend this restaurant with one reservation, the service. It is just a little bit off, not very noticeable, but still there.

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Gordon Ramsay at The London, New York

We just spent a week in New York during US Open. While my husbands biggest pleasure during the trip is the tennis, mine is researching, selecting and finally eating at restaurants with (supposedly) fabulous food and wine.

This years trip we started with a night at Gordon Ramsay at The London. My cousin had dinner there earlier this spring and have been raving about the exceptional service, food, and ambiance. A must try for us after all the praise, plus the fact that we had not been to a Gordon Ramsay restaurant before.
Upon arrival we were sent to the bar as our table was not quite ready yet. 35 minutes later we were finally seated in a half empty dining room. The dining room is made up of one single rectangular room, elegantly decorated, and with high ceilings. It might seem intimate to some, having a limited number of tables, but to us it felt like we were at a wedding party. I like when a restaurant has something to break it up. Be it partition walls, pillars, or booths to create the feeling of separate areas.

After being presented with menu and wine list the first amuse bouche arrived. A fantastic Tuna Tartare and Avocado in a crunchy cone. The tuna tartare was short of amazing. One of the best I have had. Simply fresh tuna with just a few other, not over shadowing, ingredients to showcase its freshness and beauty.
After our order was taken a plate with small nibbles of Parmesan Crusted Cherry Tomato, a Veal Cube (of some kind), and Mushroom Filled Pastry Bread was brought to our table, all very tasty as well.

After this, bread and butter was placed at the table and a final amuse bouche to clean the palate before our ordered meal appeared. A Lemon Sorbet on top of Watermelon, Tomato and, if I remember correctly, Grapefruit. Refreshing and cleansing indeed.
My first course arrived shortly after this, Curried Scallop on a Cauliflower Puree. The scallop, lightly dusted with curry would have been perfect was it not for the fact that it was halved and therefore was a smidge overdone when being pan seared. Otherwise a lovely dish with great combination of flavors.
My husband has the Foie Gras on top of shaved plum and a green bean salad on the side. Good but not great was his verdict.
I had the Lamb with Truffle Dusted Potato, Zucchini and Tomato in Lamb Juice. This was a big disappointment. I ordered it to chef's recommendation (medium rare), and although it came out close to that specification, slightly overdone, the meat was rather tough and tasteless. I know lamb can be difficult, but nothing a five star restaurant can't handle...
My husband had the Suckling Pig Tenderloin and was only so impressed as well.
Time for dessert! Hoping things would get better I had the Vahlrona Chocolate Fondant with banana ice cream and a frothy vanilla drink, and my husband had the Chocolate Mousse with Ginger Ice cream. Both of them very good (mine was a step better). Satisfying enough for a chocoholic...

At the very end of the meal a cart of caramels, chocolates and other sweet treats was brought to our table for selecting a few pieces. We were all but hungry at this point but had to try a few of them of course. A nice end to the meal.

Overall this was a decent meal but we were disappointed with the overall impression we got from the promptness of seating, the food, the "ball room" setting, etc. The highlights of the meal were the tuna tartare and the wine we ordered, Vision Cellar Gary's Vineyard Pinot Noir (a great pinot that I can not recall the vintage of). Other than that it was good but far from great...

Have you dined here? If so I would love to hear your thoughts because I am dying to hear that I am wrong and that we just had an "off night"...


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Ely Winebar, Dublin

I just came home from a week in New York and I have so much to tell you about the great food and wine we had, but before I go there I wanted to wrap up our England/Ireland trip by writing about a great place in Dublin.

Ely Winebar opened in 1999 and immediately turned into a hot spot, and two other location in Dublin has been opened since. They serve simple, delicious food, made with meat from an organic farm and the produce sourced from local suppliers.

We got seated promptly upon arriving and started of by ordering a bottle of Felton Road 2003 Central Otago Pinot Noir. A great Pinot from New Zealand packed with red cherry, dark raspberry, slight spice, all well balanced with moderate acidity and slightly firm tannins.
For starter I had the Cucumber and Crab with Mango Sauce. Cucumber wrapped around a light crab salad topped with the mango sauce, set around a baby lettuce salad. Subtle flavors marrying beautifully.
The entree of Pea, Mint and Lemon Essence Risotto with baby spinach and prawns were equally good. The risotto was a tad bit over cooked (wish it was a little more al dente) but the great combination of ingredients made up for that.
For dessert I just had to try the Sticky Toffee Pudding as I had never had this before. What a satisfying ending to the meal! Moist cake with a great sticky caramel/butterscotch flavor and sauce topping, served up with a side of vanilla ice cream. Yummy!
Our waiter Tony provided us with excellent service throughout the evening. Thanks Tony!

Me downstairs in the wine bar/dining area.

We all loved this place for its low key atmosphere, great food and service, and if you walk down stairs you will discover a wine bar and more tables packed with dinner guests in a cave like setting. Definitely a place to visit while in Dublin!


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The Chocolate Society, London

Running into a chocolate shop when in London I could not resist but had to try their creations.

Hiding on 32-34 Shepherd Market in London The Chocolate Society offers bars, truffles, cooking chocolate and a full counter of a wide variety of handmade chocolates. It also had a small cafe with hot chocolate, ice cream, brownies and more. I picked up a few of the chocolates to give them a try.

Dark Chocolate Truffle: Velvety, creamy ganache covered in a shell of dark chocolate and dusted with cocoa powder. Pure, high quality chocolate. Great with the glass of Cabernet Sauvignon I had with it...
Tarte Tatin: The interior of this treat was a vanilla caramel mixed with an apple jam with flavor of cinnamon. The jam gave it a slight odd texture, but never the less it was really good and tasted like apple pie covered in milk chocolate.
Creme Caramel: This vanilla caramel had a more sugary texture then chewy. I prefer the chewy... It did however have a really nice buttery caramel flavor and was covered in dark chocolate and sprinkled with dark sugar. Very edible after all...
Champagne Truffle: This was the highlight of the pieces I tried. Looked like, and was made of the same velvety, dark chocolate ganache as the Dark Chocolate Truffle but with a subtle taste of Champagne. Just the way I like my champagne truffles! Again dipped in dark chocolate and dusted with cocoa powder. Wish I had more of this one...

What a great find just walking around London, offering a wide range of chocolate products and all of high quality. If you don't make it there you can order online at The Chocolate Society's website as they ship internationally.


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Atrium, Edinburgh Scotland

Atrium was established in 1993 by Andrew and Lisa Radford and is located in the Usher Hall with the Traverse and Lyceum Theatres. They have had a consistent reputation throughout the years of being one of the best restaurants in Edinburgh, having won several awards, and they use only premium ingredients sourced from local suppliers. This small, candle lit, restaurant served us the best meal we had during our 2 1/2 week long trip through England, Scotland and Ireland.

We were promptly seated upon arrival and after ordering wine and food an amuse bouche was served and this particular night we were treated to a Carrot Soup with Sesame Oil. Subtle flavors and great taste of summer through the baby carrots the soup was made from.

We went from there to sharing two starters. The Scallops with Tomato Risotto was exactly just that: small, sweet, tender scallops served on a bed of very creamy, rich, risotto with diced tomatoes. This was absolutely delicious and the perfect starter as it would have been to heavy as a full entree due to the risotto that was loaded with cream and cheese.

The Shaved Artichoke was served on a salad of baby lettuce, tomatoes and shaved Pecorino cheese. All surrounded by traces of olive tapenade, perfect to soak up with the homemade warm bread that was served at the table. The salad was very vivid in color and flavor, and delicious.

For entree my husband had the Maize Fed Chicken. This was hands down the best chicken I have ever tasted. The meat so moist and incredibly flavorful. Served with Vegetable Medley my husband raved about it for days. And still does...

I had the Halibut with Crab Salad on a bed of home made tagliatelle with green onions, yellow onion and tomatoes. The halibut again was out of this world in flavor and cooked to perfection. The crab salad it was topped with made a perfect match. The pasta was very good but a little bit overcooked. Al dente instead and this would truly have been an amazing dish.

Dessert made me scream for more! Chocolate....(something).... with Coffee Creme Anglais. Best chocolate dessert ever! Hard to describe but kind of like a gooey, cake/brownie batter baked in a pie pastry shell, beautifully cut and decorated, and then baked to perfection. Served warm on a mirror of coffee creme anglais. Warm, gooey, intense dark chocolate. Could you ask for anything more?

On top of this complementary after dinner treats was served. I was stuffed at this point, but had to taste the Chocolate Chip Biscuit, Bittersweet Dark Chocolate Truffle, and a "Oat/Granola Bar Cookie". All delicious of course.

The other highlight of the night was the wine. I choose a Pinot Noir from New Zealand that I hadn't heard of before. At a price of around 35 British pound we did not expect greatness, but it turned out to be delicious. One of the best bottles we had during the trip. So what bottle then? It was the Momo 2005 Seresin Estate Marlboruough Pinot Noir. Intense in raspberry, cherry and great acidity and tannins. Medium bodied with a long finish. A great wine that I almost cried over when getting back and realizing that it is not available in the US. Retailing for US$20-25 in England it would have been a great everyday drinking wine! Let me know if you have found it somewhere out there and know something I don't know. I want this wine!!!

The service throughout the evening was attentive but not over the top. Being used to "American" service we thought it was a little bit slow at times, but we were in no hurry and enjoyed our evening.

If you ever find yourself in the Edinburgh area this establishment is a must visit!

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Theo Randall at The Intercontinental, London

We just came back after spending 2 1/2 week in London, Scotland and Ireland and I have a few places that I would like to share with you. Today I am starting with Theo Randall at The Intercontinental Park Lane in London.

Theo Randall just opened his first own restaurant in fall of 2006 at the Intercontinental after 17 years at The River Cafe in London. The restaurant has a sleek, contemporary interior design with extensive wood flooring and wood paneling on the walls, and accessories in brown and green colors. The food is Italian with Theo's personal twist, and both the ingredients and presentation are simple with stunning results.

My husband started with the Insalata Mista with greens, big chunks of sun ripe tomatoes, and Pecorino cheese. With great quality green and intensely flavored tomatoes this was a simple but delicious light start to the meal. I had to try the Scottish Scallop with Lentils. Beautiful sweet scallops with a salty and spicy component as it was topped with capers and thin slices of green chili. The scallops was sitting on a bed of subtly seasoned and flavored lentils. A delicious pairing that gave a flavor and texture contrast but in no way competed with the scallops.

For main course seafood, duck and rabbit were the options and my husband not eating any of these had to ask for a special dish. They presented him with a Roasted Chicken with a Vegetable Medley. I did not taste this dish but he was happy with the dish, although far from blown away. I on the other hand was thrilled to see all the seafood options and choose the Linguini with Brown Shrimp and Shredded Zucchini. The brown shrimp was the smallest shrimp I have ever seen (about the size of my thumb nail). Very flavorful although some of them a tad bit tough as I am sure they can't be easy to cook to perfection because of their size. The shredded zucchini was a great match, and the home made pasta perfectly al dente. A subtle and delicious dish! I would love to recreate this at home and will have to go on a hunt for brown shrimp as I have never seen them here in the States...

Time had come for dessert. Seeing a Soft Chocolate Cake on the menu I knew I had to try it. This soft chocolate cake was in the style of a fallen souffle cake and was paired with vanilla mascarpone whipped to a velvety, airy texture. Delicious!

We had a bottle of 2001 Barolo with our meal. I do not remember or take notes on the producer but it was a really good bottle and although it was not the best choice to go with my seafood dishes I still enjoyed it.

All in all my husband was not to impressed with this restaurant although he though he had a good meal. I on the other hand really enjoyed my meal and would definitely go back for a second visit had I lived in London. Each dish has few, but high quality ingredients and Theo Randall really works magic with them. The simplicity is just beautiful. It proves again that less is more...

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The Hungry Cat in Santa Barbara

Last time we were down in Santa Barbara me and Anki, my cousin who lives there, went out to dinner at The Hungry Cat. They specialize in handcrafted cocktails, and a seafood and raw bar menu. We had been there once before for a short stop to try a drink and appetizer. We were really impressed by the hand crafted drinks and the fresh seafood and decided to soon come back for dinner. So said and done, here we were again.

We started with sharing the Tuna Tartare ($14) that consisted of fresh tuna, cilantro, preserved lemon peel, olives, black pepper and a side of water crass, red onion and flaky crackers. Super fresh, light and delicious!
I had the Scallop with Braised Oxtail topped with Almond, Italian Parsley, surrounded by Red Wine Poached Cauliflower in a Curry Beef Broth ($24). The scallop was incredibly fresh and tender and all the other ingredients worked in perfect harmony with it. A new take on scallop that work out very well.
Anki had the Home Made Papardelle with Spring Onion, Pancetta, and Morel Mushrooms ($16). The fresh, handmade pasta, cooked perfectly, were a perfect match with the smokey pancetta and the earthy morel mushrooms. A beautiful, tasty, and satisfying dish.

For dessert we shared the one and only dessert that was featured (they have one dessert per night), a Chocolate Brioche Bread Pudding with Bruleed Topping. So soft and flavorful with a torched sugar crisp top and decadent liquid chocolate on the bottom of the dish. A perfect ending to our meal.

At The Hungry Cat they serve up high quality fresh food with, to a certain level, unexpectedly paired ingredients, that always seem to hit the spot. I will for sure be back here soon to enjoy another great meal at a very decent price.


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19 Kitchen~Bar South Lake Tahoe

We spent the Memorial Day weekend in South Lake Tahoe with good friends. For Friday night I had made reservations at 19 Kitchen~Bar, located at the 19th floor of Harveys' Hotel, in South Lake Tahoe.

After having a delicious Pineapple Ginger Mojito in the bar we got seated promptly.
We started of with two starters shared by the table, Warm Goat's Cheese Strudel with Arugula, Mushrooms and Balsamic Vinaigrette ($12). Very good with great balance of the flavors and the right amount of creamy goat's cheese in the strudel. The second starter was the Lettuce Wraps with Chicken, Water Chestnuts, Mushrooms and Szechuan Sauce ($12). Very tasty as well with a nice spiciness to it, although I preferred the Goat's Cheese Strudel.

For entree I choose the Sea Bass with Shrimp Risotto and Lobster Broth ($29). This was a beautiful dish with mild flavors, the sea bass cooked to moist perfection and the risotto had the right texture and creaminess. The Lobster Broth was poured around the risotto and added a distinct sea food flavor. Delicious dish!
My husband had the Wet Aged Filet Mignon and ordered the Adult Fried Mac and Cheese as the side dish. I did not taste the Filet but according to him it was flavorful and cooked to his liking. The Mac and Cheese came in the shape of huge french fries. Crispy fried on the exterior with gooey, cheesy interior. Tasty comfort food in a very adult version in deed. A little lack of flavor existed and it could have used some extra salt. Other then that, very naughty and tasty.

For dessert we shared the Cake and Shake, a intense moist bitter sweet chocolate cake with a coffee milk shake on the side. Dipping pieces of the cake in the milk shake was sinful and delicious. Can't go wrong with this one if you are a full blown chocoholic like me.

We really enjoyed our meal at this restaurant, and the great view of Lake Tahoe and the amazing sunset only added to the meal and experience. The service was just right and perfectly attentive. We will certainly return on our next visit to South lake Tahoe.

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The Polo Lounge at The Beverly Hills Hotel

We just came home from five days in Los Angeles and thought I tell you a little bit about what we ate and drank.
We started our trip with dinner at The Polo Lounge at The Beverly Hills Hotel. We did not have reservations, that presented no problem, and we got seated right away (7 pm on a Thursday).
Attentive staff to start with, taking our drink order and presenting the menu. After that the service went down hill. Food was timely but our bottle of wine sure took it's time, and we sat with our empty plates for quite a while before anyone noticed. Ordering dessert was quite a shore and we had to ask three times for the dessert menu before it finally arrived. Unacceptable!
Let's move on to the food. I started with the Ahi Tuna Tartare with Spiced California Avocado and Shaved Radish on Micro Greens. All very fresh and good. For main course I had the Wild Sockeye Salmon with Potato Crisps topped with a Creme Fraiche Sauce and Caviar. The salmon was slightly over cooked, but otherwise very good...
Finally our long awaited dessert, a Chocolate Souffle with a side of Vanilla Ice Cream. Perfectly cooked, still moist in the center and a nice intense chocolate flavor. Yummy!
We had a bottle of Belle Glos 2004 Clark and Telephone Vineyard Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir with dinner. Not my first Pinot Noir from this winery, and it was as great as ever! Dark, not to ripe, fruit and berries with spice, earthiness and sweet, oaky, vanilla. Good amount of acidity and soft tannins on the lingering finish.

The meal over all was very good, but not great. Not necessarily a place I will return to for the food, and definitely not for the service.

There are to many options in a city like L.A. to waste your time on anything but the best...

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Two Great Restaurants: Ca'Dario and Elements

When we were in Santa Barbara last weekend, with friends from the Bay Area, we tried a restaurant we had not been to before, Ca'Dario . It is a small Italian, intimate restaurant that has been around for a long time and has gotten the rating "Excellent" from Zagat Survey for the last three consecutive years.
Starting of with a glass of wine in the small, cozy bar, we were soon seated. We started our meal with sharing the outrageously good Risotto del Giorno, which happened to be Wild Mushroom this particular night. True Italian risotto, creamy, silky and oh so tasty! We continued with splitting the Insalata Ca'Dario, a salad with radicchio, arugula and shaved Parmesan. Fresh, crisp, and light. For main course I ordered Penne al Salmone e Panna. A hand made pasta with smoked Salmon and a white sour cream, dill sauce. Pasta perfectly cooked al dente, tossed with generous amount of smoked salmon and perfect amount of sauce. The pasta was not at all "floating" in the sauce as you so many times see... Delicious!!!
With this meal we had a bottle of Antinori Pian Delle Vigne 2000 Brunello Di Montalcino, that our friends had brought. A great full bodied Brunello, 100% Sangiovese, with big dark fruit and mellow tannins. Great meal, great wine, great company, great night!

The prior night we enjoyed dinner at Elements which I have reviewed previously . However, I tried new dishes and wine so I just have to tell you all about it again...
Sea Scallop with Creole Sauce, Asparagus and Crab meat made for an excellent start. Scallops tender and perfectly seared and the sauce very flavorful with some spice to it.
For main course the Lemongrass-Panko Crusted Sea Bass with a Thai Green Curry Sauce, Gingered Basmati Rice and Stir Fried Medley of Vegetables. Nicely balanced dish with right amount of spiciness of the coconut curry sauce, not overpowering the sea bass.
As a final, the grownup version of Ice Cream Cookie, with home made chocolate cookies hugging vanilla ice cream, topped with dark chocolate sauce.
The wines we had with this meal were all great. We started with the La Vie Vineyards Rasta Rita, Santa Rita Hills 2003 Pinot Noir. A big and powerful Pinot with dark fruit, nice spice and great tannins to balance it all out into a long finish. A truly great Pinot! One of the best one I've had in quite a while. We continued with the Sea Smoke Cellars Southing Santa Rita Hills 2003 Pinot Noir. Again beautiful dark berries and fruit with great tannins as backbone but this one a little bit more elegant in style than the Rasta Rita. Also an amazing Pinot, right up there with the Rasta Rita.
Last we had the Stag's Leap Cellars SLV 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon. A great match to the chocolate dessert. Black currant, and dark, not to ripe, fruit, with good tannin structure. We opened this bottle at the beginning of the meal to let it air and that was a good call.

Looks like it's hard to go wrong in Santa Barbara with a ton of great restaurants to choose from, and most of them featuring a respectable wine list.

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Sage and Onion

Our first night in Santa Barbara we had dinner at Sage and Onion. Chef and Proprietor, Steven Giles, calls his style of cooking "European-American Cuisine with an English Twist".
We have had dinner here once before, had a glass of wine in the bar a couple of times, and have always had a really good experience, with great food and excellent service.
I know a member of the staff and he always treats us to something extra. This time it was a glass of Champagne to start of our evening. Thanks Sean!
After ordering, an Amuse Bouche was served in a miniature cup, a Creamy Wild Mushroom Soup with Truffle Oil. Excellent start to the meal, I did add a touch of salt though, to bring out the flavor. After that I had the White Cheddar Cheese Souffle with Pickled Red Onion and Micro Greens. Wonderfully light and tasty souffle in a Phyllo shell. Parmesan Crusted Halibut with Wild Mushroom Risotto Cake followed. The halibut was flaky and moist, the risotto cake a tad dry but otherwise very good. We finished the meal with the Liquid Center Chocolate Cake served with Coffee Ice Cream. Over all a very good meal, but not quite as good as the prior dining experience here. Service however was as great as ever. Only mistake was my husband being served the duck instead of the chicken he ordered, and that was corrected as fast as one can expect.
The wine list is surprisingly short and although there are some good wines it really lacks in the selection. Needs to be improved.
We had the Roar Rosella's Santa Lucia Highland 2004 Pinot Noir to start with. This was a fantastic Pinot with dark cherries, raspberries and smooth tannins. A very complex wine with medium-full body. We ordered a second bottle of the Roar but the waiter returned letting us know that was his last bottle. We moved on to the 2005 Babcock Grand Cuvee, Santa Barbara Pinot Noir. A really nice Pinot as well but I must admit it was hard to enjoy this younger Pinot after having the excellent 2004 stand out from Roar. Not quite fair to Babcock, which always makes great Pinot Noir. We should have enjoyed the Babcock before the Roar and it would have come more to it's right. Well, next time...
We had a great night and will return, but hope for an expanded wine list in the future.

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Rideau Vineyard

Rideau Vineyard Tasting Room

During our weekend in Santa Barbara we took a little trip up to Santa Ynez Valley to do some wine tasting. Our favorite during this tour was Rideau Vineyard which was founded in 1997 by New Orleans native, Iris Rideau (at photo to the left). The tasting room is a historical 2 story Adobe built in 1884. Through the years it has served as stagecoach stop, a famous inn, a guest ranch, and a working ranch. Iris Rideau bought it in 1995, after the property had sat abandoned for 10 years, and restored it to it's current condition.
The estate grows exclusively Rhone varietals and we decided to do the Reserve tasting at a $15 cost per person.

The first pour was the 2006 Estate Viognier. It has not been bottled yet so this was a futures sample. Cloudy due to coming straight from the barrel this was a nice Viognier but a little bit to fruity and sweet for my taste. After this we got to taste the 2005 Estate Viognier. A year in the bottle makes a huge difference and this was much more balanced, not to sweet, and had a slight crispness to it. A really good Viognier but at a pretty steep cost of $52.
Next we moved on to another barrel sample, the 2005 Santa Barbara County Syrah. Lush with ripe, dark berries and young tannins. Followed by the 2004 Santa Barbara County Syrah. Again you could taste the difference a year in the bottle makes. The 2004 was more balanced with less jammy fruit, and the characteristic hint of peppar. Both very good Syrahs.

The 2004 Chateau Duplantier, a blend of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre, was my favorite red. Beautiful fruit, not to jammy or ripe, with nice balance, a hint of spice, and adequate tannins. What a great Rhone blend!

Last but not least the 2004 Petit Sirah, dark and fruit forward but a little bit more elegant than many other Petite Syrahs. A nice finish to our tasting.

Me and friends in tasting room

Did I mention the very friendly and extremely knowlegable tasting room staff?
This all adds up to a great winery to include in your next tour of the Santa Ynez Valley, and I highly recommend it.

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Lincourt Santa Barbara County 2005 Pinot Noir

Lincourt Vineyards Tasting Room

Reading the latest issue of Food and Wine on our way down to Santa Barbara on Thursday I spotted the Lincourt Santa Barbara County 2005 Pinot Noir as one of top four star selections out of 27 bottles in the article, Best American Pinot Noir. We have enjoyed Lincourt Pinot Noir many times before and since passing the winery on the way through Santa Ynez Valley we decided to drop by, do a tasting and pick up some bottles. Said and done, we walked out of there with a full case of the 2005 Pinot Noir. A great wine for $25 perfect for week night dinners, or bringing over to a friends house.
The 2005 is made from grapes from Santa Rita Hills Vineyards. This is a medium bodied Pinot with bright red cherries on the nose, and some blueberries and hints of oak. It has flavors of red berries with some spice and earth notes. The wine is rich and fruity but not a power house. It is more toward the elegant style. Find it at http://www.wine-searcher.com/ for as low as $18.45. A great price!
I will be here in Santa Barbara until Monday and I will have a ton of good food and wine to tell you about when I get back home. Stay tuned...

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Day trip to Napa Valley

Yesterday I left with a friend for a day trip to Napa Valley. We had a fantastic day with great food and wine, and here is the story...
We started of with a stop at the Cosentino Winery where we got free tasting, as I am a wine club member. Jeff, who poured for us, were very knowledgeable and great to discuss the wines with. My two favorite wines their were pouring was the 2005 CE2V Napa Valley Chardonnay (a fresh, fruity, round, Chardonnay with just a hint of creaminess and oak) and the 2002 M. Coz Napa Valley (a big, fruity, well balanced Meritage). A fun little story that Jeff shared with us that I was not aware of is that the M. Coz label is the shape of Napa Valley and the dots represents the location of the vineyards the wine is from. I love to learn little tidbits like this one...

The Demonstration Room at CIA

Moving on we had reservations at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone for their Demonstration Class. It is only $15 and you get to sit down for a one hour demonstration performed by a professional chef, ask as many questions as you want, and then taste the result. Yesterdays course was Marinated Flank Steak with Horseradish and Green Peppercorn Mayonnaise. This was a lot of fun and the food was delicious. Everybody gets a copy of the recipe so you can make it on your own at home. I know I will!

The finished dish and recipe

After a quick snack it was time for more wine tasting. We went just across the street from the Culinary Institute to Charles Krug. My friend is a wine club member there. So again a free tasting. They had a new release event going on and there were a little bit over 10 wines to try, so a lot of tasting, but I wasn't one to complain. The tasting staff here was one of the best I have come across during my many trips to Napa Valley. They shared a ton of information with us about the rich history of the winery, which is the oldest winery in Napa Valley, dating back all the way to 1861. Read more about it at www.charleskrug.com. They also took time to discuss the growing season,the wine making process, and of course the wine itself. Very educating in a great, friendly environment!
We had a wonderful time at this tasting and all the wines were fantastic. My favorites were the 2006 Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley (a crisp, lively, fruity wine perfect for hot summer days), the 2002 Limited Release Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley (wonderful dark heavy fruit and berries with some earthiness and great tannin structure), and the 2003 Limited Release IX Clones Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley (same great qualities as the 2002 Limited Release Cab.) They also poured a real treat for us, the 1979 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Dark red, brick color in the glass and to my surprise, some really nice fruit still present. This was a great example of a wine that really has aged well. Yummy!

Me and the Charles Krug 1979 Cabernet Sauvignon

My friend, Robyn, in front of the restaurant at CIA

At this point it was time to go to the Culinary Institute again. We had a 5 pm reservation at the Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant. We decided to do a wine flight with dinner. There was about 5 different ones to choose between, all with different themes. I love wine flight as it is a great way of sampling several wines you might not have had before. For starter we did the sampler with five different small items. A Cracker with Fromage Blanc, a Cauliflower Soup with Red Pepper Oil, a Croustini with Fois Gras and Pickled Pears, a Shrimp Wrapped in Fried Strings of some kind, and finally a Fried Pocket with Short Ribs, Salsa Verde and Micro Greens. A delicious sampler!
I had the Red Wine Braised Short Ribs with Horseradish Mashed Potatoes and Caramelized Cipollini Onions for main course and then ended the meal with their Molten Chocolate Cake with Caramel Sauce and Vanilla Ice Cream. Over all a great meal and dining experience.

Molten Chocolate Cake Dessert

Dinner was over and it was time to head home after a great day. We promised each other to return real soon.

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Weekend in Santa Barbara

We just came back this afternoon from a weekend in Santa Barbara, CA. They had some really great restaurants and wine and here are a few of my thoughts and comments...
We started our visit by meeting up with my mother-in-law, who lives in Santa Ynez Valley, on Saturday night to go to Brothers' Restaurant at Mattie's Tavern in Los Olivos. I have heard great things about this place but this was my first personal experience. Mattie's Tavern was built in 1886 and used to be a Stagecoach stop way back when. Today it's a restaurant owned by brothers Matt and Jeff Nichols.
I started my meal with the Tuna Tartar with Avocado and Yuzu Sauce, served with Wonton Chips. The tuna was fresh and very nicely balanced with nice acidity from citrus juice. A perfect start.
For main course I had the Prime Filet with Caramelized Onion Potato Gratin with Stilton Cheese Port Sauce and medley of Green Beans and Baby Carrots (my husband and his mom ordered this as well). The Filet was done exactly according to my request and the Potato Au Gratin was to die for and paired perfectly with the not to concentrated port and blue cheese sauce. I will order this again. After this I was stuffed and declined dessert until I heard what their special for the night was. A Trio of Chocolate. Now, it is impossible to be a chocoholic and decline this kind of dessert, no matter how stuffed you are. Dessert arrived and it had a Mini Chocolate Cake with Ganache, a Chocolate Creme Brulee, and a Chocolate Macadamia Nut covered Ice cream Lollipop. The cake was good but a bit to dry and cold, the Creme Brulee was simply amazing, and I finished it all. The Lollipop was a nice finish with the cool ice cream.
Overall a great evening and I will return again and again.

Sunday night we went to a favorite of ours in Santa Barbara, Elements. This is pretty much a standard for us when we go down to S.B. Sometimes (not always) fabulous. but always really good. The restaurant is right across from Santa Barbara Courthouse, the most beautiful building in town. Fantastic architecture! We were lucky and got a table by the window for an amazing view over the lite up Courthouse. If you think it is beautiful daytime, just wait until the lights come on at night...

I started with the Deconstructed Ahi Poke with Yellowfin Tuna, Yuzu Sesame Dipping Sauce, Taro Chips and Seaweed Salad. A great fresh, not to heavy start to your meal. The Filet here is always a safe bet and so is the Halibut with Coconut/Curry sauce but I felt like something different and decided to try the Tandoori Spiced Lamb Shank with Marsala Yogurt Sauce and Gingered Basmati Rice. The lamb was really tender and the sauce had a nice spiciness to it. This was a very good dish, not great though. But absolutely worth trying if you are a big fan of lamb. My husband had the Hoisin BBQ'd Free Range Chicken with Chive Mashed Potato and Beurre Blanc Sauce, which he really enjoyed. For dessert I had the Flourless Chocolate Cake with a Vanilla Brandy Sauce, and my husband had a scoop of their Dulce de Leche Gelato. Both were a great finish to the meal. We rinsed all of this down with a bottle of the 2003 Foxen, Julia's Vineyard Pinot Noir from Santa Ynez. A really good Pinot with great balance between the dark berries and tannins. A bottle we find ourselves drinking over and over again.
These are just two of many outstanding restaurants in the Santa Barbara area. Keep your eyes open for more reviews as we usually go there about once every/every other month.