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Archive for December 2013

Playful Playground

Dec30

Restaurant: Playground [1, 2]

Location: 220 East 4th Street. Santa Ana, CA 92701. Phone: (714) 560-4444

Date: June 9, 2013

Cuisine: Modern American Tapas

Rating: Amazing experience!

_

I ubered all the way down to Santa Ana (1.5 hours) to join some of my Burghound friends for some great eats and an obscene amount of great Burgundy.


The restaurant is located in a fairly low rent mall in Santa Anna.


Chef Jason Quinn has created this very LA zeitgeist restaurant oddly tucked in low end Santa Ana. It’s mobbed, fairly reasonable, and serves up creative tasty, fatty, modern American tapas. There is also a secret Invitation Only 2.0 room in the back, which I’ve visited before. One of the many pluses of this remote destination is free corkage!


The current menu.


Krug Champagne Rose. Burghound 94. A wonderfully fresh and exuberant nose of crushed berries, pure raspberry and background hints of yeast leads to crisp, intense and gorgeously precise flavors that etch themselves onto the palate, all wrapped in a deep and layered finish that seems to go on without end. This is a great example of the genre and one that will age well for at least another decade yet because of the admirable concentration, it can be approached now as well with pleasure. I personally would be inclined to wait a few years but it’s not complete infanticide even now.


Shaved ???, Country Line Baby Greens, Poached Cranberry, Spiced Sherry Vinaigrette, Candied Pecans.

The ??? was of course: foie gras. This was a great salad, with a nice mesh between the fatty foie and the sweetness of the berries and pecans and the acidic dressing.


2008 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. Burghound 91-93. Here the nose offers yet another step up in refinement with an almost delicate nose of acacia blossom, citrus and wet stone that leads to linear and precise flavors of crystalline purity, all wrapped in a long, dry, serious and explosive finish that displays a penetrating minerality. A classic Perrières.


Pan Roasted Wild Mushrooms, Charred Scallion Puree, Aerated Garlic Milk, Masago, Slow Egg.

The slow egg is a sous vide egg (they love the sous vide here).


You mix it all up like so. It makes a rich earthy mushroom dish.


2009 Bouchard Aîné et Fils Corton-Charlemagne. Burghound 93-96. A cool, fresh and densely fruited nose of crushed citrus, green apple and mineral reduction gives way to seriously concentrated and overtly muscular flavors that possess a suave and silky mouth feel yet do not lack for an underlying reserve of power. This isn’t as fine as the Montrachet but it’s even longer, at least at present with a chewy character that provides evidence of the massive levels of extract. Even so, don’t buy this with the intention of drinking it young as it will require plenty of cellar time, at least if you want to see its full potential realized.

A baby from Magnum, although it had been open for hours.


Grilled Quail, Parmesan Polenta, Caramelized Cipollini, Frisse.

The quail was perfectly cooked, but too salty. The polenta was gorgeous. Overall, it was a quite tasty dish, but bordering on salt lick territory.


1986 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne. Burghound 92. Clean, pure and still quite tight on the nose with medium weight, intense, beautifully delineated flavors that simply ooze minerality. This isn’t especially dense but it is extremely pretty and finishes with outstanding length. Tasted twice with consistent notes.

Still very young and rich.


Hamachi Aguachile, Tomatillo Water, Avocado, Radish, Tortilla, Cilantro.

This was the weakest dish tonight. The fish was a little fishy and the overall tone was slightly bitter (maybe the radish?).


2001 Maison Leroy Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. Burghound 88. Noticeable secondary aromas infused with honey and exotic notes lead to remarkably dense, full, rich and powerful flavors that carry the classic minerality of a fine Perrières that continues onto the solidly persistent finish. This will clearly be capable of aging for many years but I have concerns that the nose will turn tertiary and I would be drinking it sooner than later to enjoy the freshness of the fruit.

I don’t know what Meadows was thinking, as this was a gorgeously rich MP.


Wagyu Ribeeye Tartare, Soy & Egg Emulsion, Shallot, Chive, Masago.

You can see reoccurring ingredients here. The egg. The Masago. Regardless, this was a very tasty tartar.


2006 Coche-Dury Meursault. Burghound 89. An expressive and attractively layered nose of citrus, yellow orchard fruits and a hint of roasted nuts trimmed in a note of subtle wood toast that is also picked up by the rich, full and generous flavors that possess a seductively textured and balanced finish that delivers fine intensity and impressive persistence for a villages level wine. Recommended.

Very reduced, but gorgeous.


Hillary’s Pappardelle, Pork & San Marzano Tomato Sugo, Caramelized Onion, Pecorino.

He loves that Caramelized Onion (and relatives). This was a nice pasta. There was a real acidic bite to the porky ragu.


2009 Domaine Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques Vieille Vigne. Burghound 93. This storied terroir often produces one of the most elegant and sophisticated of all the 26 Gevrey 1ers with the gorgeously refined red berry fruit and floral nose suffused by an almost pungent minerality that continues onto the supple, fresh and vibrant medium-bodied flavors that possess excellent concentration and a stunning, even explosive if firmly structured finish. This is an intense wine of harmony and drive with everything it needs for a long life.

Opened criminally young, there was lots of fruit, and tons of unresolved oak. Not pleasant at this stage to my taste.


Uncle Lou’s Fried Chicken.

Awesome. Perfectly cooked, this chicken was soaked in a slightly spicy vinegar. Kind of like upscale hot wings they had a juicy tang.


1995 Domaine Dujac Charmes-Chambertin. Burghound 87. Pretty and very elegant fruit trimmed with noticeable earth but the flavors are surprisingly light and simply and don’t display the typical Charmess richness either. This is by no means flawed but its curiously indifferent. As there is good structure and decent balance, my score and drinking range offer the benefit of the doubt.

I thought it was corked. So did other. Some thought it was just 95 Dujac Charmes. Either way it was funky and bitter.


Jidori Khao Soi, Crispy Shallots, Red Onion, Roasted Peanuts, Cilantro Stems, Chile Oil, Lime, Bean Sprouts, Pickled Cabbage, Crispy Noodles.


These are the condiments for the curry soup. You can add them to taste. The soup was delicious, particularly given that I LOVE LOVE red curries. It could have used more noodles, or at least a spoon and some white rice. We had to pass it around but there wasn’t a single spoon on the table so all that curry went to waste.


From my cellar: 2000 Domaine Denis Bachelet Charmes-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes. Burghound 91. Knockout aromas of kirsch and red fruit frame medium weight flavors brimming with sap and the finish is all silk and lace. This is supremely elegant and worth a special search to find if you love vibrant, super elegant Burgundy. Absolutely brilliant for the vintage and while this will repay limited aging, it is approachable now.

Still young, but by far the best and most balanced of tonight’s red Burgundies.


Tails & Trotters Pork Short Ribs, Baby Carrots, Country Line Baby Turnips & Chard, Pork Jus.

Normally, I don’t go in for the whole Gregor Clegane pig feet thing, but these sweet and fatty niblets of pig were pretty amazing.


2006 Domaine Denis Bachelet Charmes-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes. Burghound 91-94. Despite being harvested first, this is clearly the ripest wine in the range where the wonderfully dense fruit is highlighted by a background touch of wood that continues onto the refined, pure and concentrated flavors that are supported by dense but fine tannins and flat out terrific length. This is a lovely wine in every respect and while not exactly understated, everything does seem to be in perfect proportion.

Very nice, but still way too young.


Wagyu Outside Skirt Steak, Sauce Bearnaise, Blumenthal Potatoes.

Good, albeit rich (like everything here). He loves that frisee.


1994 Dominus Estate Napanook Vineyard. IWC 97. Saturated deep red-ruby. Knockout nose combines currant, Cuban tobacco, earth, tar, bacon fat, cedar, leather and game; conveys an impression of totally ripe, almost roasted fruit. Lush and sweet; already offers extraordinary inner-mouth flavor and great depth. One of those rare wines that too big for the mouth. Finishes with great velvety texture and magical persistence. Mouthdusting, building tannins coat the entire palate.

Very very Bordeaux-like. A smoke bomb.


Maple Glazed Pork Chop.


Talk about a slab of meat. It tasted like sweet ham.


“Bacon & Eggs” Mazemen Ramen, House Bacon, Slow Egg, Garlic Chips, Fancy Nori, Beautiful Soy, Yuzu Koshu.

There’s that bacon, slow egg, and garlic again. You mix this sucker up and it tastes like deeply smoked bacon noodles. Really really yummy.


Curd & Cookies, Blood Orange, Poppyseed Shortbread, Whip.

A nice lemony custard.


Tea Team, Meyer Lemon Cake, Matcha Milk Crumb, White Chocolate.

Sweet and pleasant.


Black Mission Fig Sticky Toffee Pudding.

Oh yeah! I ate most of it.


Dark Chocolate Pistachio Tart, Pistachio Semifredo.

Like some kind of Baccio type Southern Italian ice cream dessert. Very chocolatey.

Overall, another great night. Wine-wise, our whites were far better than our reds, which were in general way too young (and one was corked). Pretty much all the whites were fabulous, particularly after being open 2-3 hours.

As to the food: Playground is incredibly tasty. Very Gastropub, as he emphasizes fat and flavor. Sure, things are very modern, playful, and experimental, which leads to some goofs, plus the chef is obsessed with certain ingredients. But overall it’s very reasonable and really fun and yummy. Oh yeah, and they don’t charge any corkage!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. IO by Playground
  2. Pig Ear is Here – Taberna Arros y Vi
  3. ThanksGavin 2013
  4. Burgundy at Bouchon – Faiveley
  5. JiRaffe Burgundy Blowout!
By: agavin
Comments (2)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Burgundy, Chef Jason Quinn, Dessert, Jason Quinn, Playground, Santa Ana, Sous-vide, Wine

Graffiato Italian Tapas

Dec27

Restaurant: Graffiato

Location: 707 6th St NW. Washington DC 20001. 202-289-3600

Date: December 2, 2013

Cuisine: Italian Tapas

Rating: Good stuff

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The whole tapas or small plates things has slowly been insinuating itself into the contemporary restaurant scene and Graffiato is a Washington D.C. take on doing it up for Italian. I happen to love small plates, as I’ve become a jaded mega-diner who thinks that 5 courses is just getting started.


Gray December afternoon in D.C.


The menu. Paper of course.


The obligatory modernist open ceilinged and open kitchened interior.

Smoked Beets. sheep’s milk ricotta, pickled orange.

Brussels Sprouts. pancetta, maple yogurt. This had unusual sweet and savory flavors (like bacon with syrup). As a fan of that, I really enjoyed it.

Burrata. meyer lemon, caviar, bottarga. This was tasty, but a waste of burrata’s lovely creamy texture as it was partially cooked. Burrata is best raw.


Toast for the burrata.

Potato Gnocchi. pork ragu, whipped ricotta, crispy rosemary. A nice ragu with a pleasant flavor and interesting texture (curiosity of the whip and the rosemary).

Ricotta Cavatelli. lamb ragu, chili, feta, mint, pistachio. Similar to the gnocchi, but with a pleasant larval chew.

Chinatown Ribs. pear slaw, carrot, ginger. Not very Italian, but very good.

Pizza dough with “pepperoni” sauce. Sure enough, the sauce tasted like… pepperoni pizza!

American Pie. tomato, mozzarella, basil.

White House.mozzarella, taleggio, ricotta, prosciutto, black pepper honey. This was a great pizza. Again, I love those sweet/salty things and this had a nice vibe going between the ham and the honey.

Hobbit. castelrosso cheese, wild mushrooms, lardo, crispy rosemary.

Porky’s Revenge. sopressata, pepperoni, sausage, tomato, mozzarella.

Zeppole. salted toffee. Nothing wrong with donut like stuff, but the sauce, which wasn’t so different from cannoli filling, was great.

Overall, while not strictly and authentically Italian, Graffiato was extremely enjoyable. I loved being able to taste so many flavors and the plates were mostly on-point, bright and yummy.

For more Washington dining reviews click here.

 

Related posts:

  1. Upstairs 2 – Modern Tapas, Lots of Wine
  2. Piccolo – A little Italian
  3. Villetta – More Italian in Brentwood?
  4. Fraiche take on Franco-Italian
  5. 2Amys Neapolitan Pizzeria
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Graffiato, Italian cuisine, Tapas, Washington DC

Never Say Too Much

Dec25

Restaurant: Michael’s on Naples [1, 2]

Location: 5620 E 2nd St. Long Beach, CA 90803. (562) 439-7080

Date: December 23, 2013

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: A top LA Italian

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After Michael’s on Naples made this year’s Zagat list as #2 best restaurant in all Los Angeles, it seemed fitting to organize a proper Hedonist outing. I co-organized this one with our fearless leader Yarom, myself, coordinating and designing the menu. So many things sounded good that I came up with a 15 course extravaganza. Well, lots of people thought it looked like too much food (and they were right), so I trimmed it back… slightly. The resulting Hedonistic Italian blowout ended up (with some alternates) as a total feast of great wine and food.


We were set up in this lovely private room. For a table of 15, this was about as perfect as it gets. Not too loud, space to move around and arrange the wines, and a square table that allowed for much better conversation than a long skinny deal.


1998 Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame. Parker 90. The house’s 1998 La Grande Dame reveals notable clarity and precision. This focused, poised wine emerges from the glass with well-articulated flowers, pears, smoke, crisp apples and minerals in a medium-bodied style. The wine appears to have enough freshness and sheer depth to support another decade or so of aging. La Grand Dame represents a significant step up from the estate’s other wines. In 1998 La Grande Dame is 64% Pinot Noir (Ay, Verzenay, Verzy, Ambonnay and Bouzy) and 36% Chardonnay (Avize, Oger, Mesnil-sur-Oger).


An amuse of mushroom stuffed with sage breadcrumbs and cheese, with a bit of spicy oil.


From my cellar: 2012 Giovanni Almondo Roero Arneis Vigne Sparse. 94 points. Spicy, stony, light body but plenty of flavor and an elegant finish. A nice change from fruity Chards and Rieslings.

Il Piatto di Salumi con Pane e Olive. Selected traditional Italian cold cuts served with grilled garlic ciabatta, parmesan and marinated olives.

Not all salami is created equal, and this was some of the good stuff!


Here is the aforementioned ciabatta.


From my cellar: 2006 Azienda Agricola Il Mosnel Terre di Franciacorta Curtefranca Bianco. 90 points. Rich with a tiny hint of oxidation. Quite lovely.

Tonno Crudo. Yellowtail and Ahi crudo with olive oil, sea salt, and Meyer lemon confit.

This was one of the blander dishes. Nothing wrong with it, and the salt was nice, it just was what it was.


1982 Vietti Dolcetto D’alba. 94 points. Dolcetto is normally consumed young and casually, but for some insane reason, this 30+ year old example was drinking fabulously. It tasted like an old (and good) Bordeaux, complex, smooth, and fairly round and well balanced.

Salsiccia E Polenta. Grilled house made fennel sausage with baked polenta and Amatriciana sauce.

This classic southern Italian dish packed a wallop of flavor and a little bit of kick.


1970 La Gaffeliere. Parker 86. This has always been one of the best La Gaffelieres produced during the sixties and seventies. The wine is still relatively rich and elegant, with a bouquet of smoky, plummy fruit. In the mouth, the wine is round, with a silky texture, and a lush, medium-bodied finish. It has been fully mature for well over a decade, but has lost none of its fruit or charm. Anticipated maturity: Now-may be in decline.

Vongole E Cozze In Brodetto. Manila clams and mussels with spicy tomato broth and grilled crostini.

The broth was the best part, garlicky, with a little heat.


1997 Tenuta Greppo (Biondi-Santi) Brunello di Montalcino Riserva. 95+ points. The wine makers called this a “100 year wine”. Medium dark color, orange rim. Outstanding nose. Cherry, strawberry. So long, so complex, it will make you cry.

Barbabietole E Caprino. Heirloom beets with goat cheese mousee, farro, hazlenut brittle, and frisee.


1997 Castelgiocondo (Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi) Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Ripe al Convento. 94 points. Saturated, deep red. Sexy black raspberry, tar and smoky, nutty oak on the very ripe nose, with a hint of black walnut. Sweet, superripe and high-toned, with exotic dried fruit character to go with the raspberry and nut flavors. Dense and intense, but my enthusiasm was diminished by a somewhat odd and intrusive vegetal element. Finishes a tad dry, but the tannins show the sweetness of the vintage.

Speck e Buffala Pizza. Grllled pizza with speck, buffala mozzarella and roasted tomatoes.

This was a yummy pseudo pizza.


From my cellar: 2007 Podere Il Cocco Brunello di Montalcino. 95 points. A rare and young Brunello from my friend Giacomo at Podere il Cocco. Brunello di Montalcino was born on the slopes of Poggio Cocco takes its name from the former landowner and leader Cocco Salimbeni (1413). The vineyards, in the center of the production area of ​​Brunello, have a favorable exposure to the south-east, and have fought to the north and south winds that facilitate a microclimate against the proliferation of harmful diseases for grapes. The method of processing biological uses only organic elements, bio and natural products. Fungicides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers are banned Coconut.

Taleggio e Funghi. Grilled flat bread with forest mushrooms and Tallegio cheese.


From my cellar: 1990 Angelo Gaja Barbaresco. Parker 95. The 1990 Barbaresco emerges from the glass with an exotic array of tar, smoke, licorice and grilled herbs. There is wonderful intensity to the fruit and plenty of structure. The tannins are still a touch young and the wine is only now beginning to enter the early part of what looks to be a long drinking window! The 1990 Barbaresco is rounder and softer than the 1989, with perhaps just a touch less aromatic complexity and inner perfume, although that is splitting hairs at this level. The finish is long, intense and deeply satisfying. This is a marvelous bottle of Barbaresco.

Bucatini All’ Aragosta. Fresh, thick spaghetti with half poached lobster in saffron cream sauce.

A mild but very enjoyable pasta. The light saffron cream accented the perfectly al dente pasta and the sweet lobster.


1990 Alfredo Prunotto Barolo Cannubi. Parker 93. Prunotto has followed the gorgeous 1989 Barolos with three superlative performances in 1990. The 1990 Barolo Cannubi is a titanic example of Barolo, with immense structure, massive richness, tremendous length, and a huge, ripe nose of spicy fruitcake, cedar, and red and black fruits. Its sweet innercore of fruit is something to behold. The wine needs at least 3-4 years of cellaring and should last for 25 years.

Our bottle was sadly corked.

Michael’s Pasta. Thick cut spaghetti pasta with plum tomatoes sautéed with garlic, onions and basil.


From my cellar: 1996 Roagna Barbaresco Paje. 91 points. Some rose notes with cherry, tea herbs, and a savory element.


A non-dairy hybrid with the tomato sauce and the lobster.


From my cellar: 2004 San Giusto a Rentennano La Ricolma IGT. Parker 95. The 2004 Ricolma (100% Merlot) possesses stunning aromatics and layers of blackberry liqueur, minerals, chocolate and sweet toasted oak. Vibrant and shimmering on the palate, it shows plenty of Tuscan structure to support the fruit, with phenomenal length and ripe, sweet tannins to round out the finish. It is another stunning wine from San Giusto a Rentennano. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2024.

Agnolotti Di Manzo. House-made pasta stuffed with braised short rib, veal sauce, horseradish and sage bread crumbs.

Yum!


1994 Tenuta dell’Ornellaia Ornellaia. Parker 89. The 1994 Ornellaia is a decidedly small-scaled, mid-weight effort with attractive, fragrant aromatics and delicate notes of tobacco and spices that add a measure of nuance to the fruit. While the 1994 lacks the complexity of the finest vintages, it nevertheless possesses lovely overall balance and harmony. The 1994 Ornellaia is 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc that spent 15 months in French oak, a third of which was new.

We happend to love our bottle.

Agnolotti Di Zucca. House made pasta stuffed with kobacha squash, sage bread crumbs and balsamic reduction.


1998 Tenuta dell’Ornellaia Ornellaia. Parker 93. Made in a relatively structured style for the normally succulent Ornellaia, the dense saturated ruby/purple-colored 1998 offers up aromas of pain grille, spice, smoke, black fruits, and graphite. Full-bodied, concentrated, exceptionally pure, and long, it will be at its finest between 2005-2018. Very impressive, but it requires patience.

Branzino. Whole grilled Mediterranean sea bass with artichokes, potatoes and Taggiasche olives.


2000 Tenuta dell’Ornellaia Ornellaia. Parker 93. The 2000 Ornellaia is a pretty, well-balanced offering with good concentration and complexity. The 2000 lacks some of the visceral thrill of top vintages, but it is an excellent choice for near-term drinking. In 2000 Ornellaia is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. The wine spent 18 months in French oak (70% new) and was lightly fined prior to being bottled.

Cervo al Forno. Broken Arrow ranch venison , quince pureé, kale, and forest mushrooms.

Perfectly cooked and tender.


1999 Tedeschi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico. 91 points. Nice showing. Ripe red berry fruit. In fact quite clean and modern. Lots of lovely spice adding complexity. Nose is reminiscent of rum Christmas cake with juicy sweet cherry liqueur. Alcohol is evident on the nose and plate (15% on label). Still firmly tannic and white sweet on entry it’s drying on the finish. Quite enjoyable!

Ossobuco Di Maiale. Braised pork shank with saffron risotto and pistachio gremolata.

Delicious and classic combo.


1971 Melini Chianti Classico Granaio. Old, but still kicking!


Some people got so excited by all this food and wine that they helped themselves to a little sugar — before dessert!

We’ve had this Vin Santo from Santorini (Greece) before.

Crostat Alle Ciliege con Gelato. Chocolate and hazelnut tart with salted caramel gelato and Bing cherry preserve.

Cannoli Con Gelato Alla Vaniglia. Crispy cannoli shells filled with Ricotta impastata gelato, candied fruit and Valrhona chocolate.

These were tasty, but I still prefer a really well done CLASSIC Cannoli best. These ones from the Philly Italian market are about as close as you can get without going to Sicily (and I recommend both wholeheartedly).


1985 Coutet. Parker 84. The problem with so many 1985 Barsac/Sauternes is that they come across as monolithic and one-dimensional, particularly when compared with years where there is a great deal more botrytis, such as 1986 and 1988. Nevertheless, for those readers who like to drink these wines as an aperitif, 1985 is the type of vintage where the wines can be drunk early in the meal. The 1985 is fresh, with plenty of fruit, but lacking the complexity one normally associates with this chateau.

Ciambelle Dolci. Italian doughnuts served with orange glaze.

These lovely pastries tasted a bit like Fruit Loops, a fact noted by a number of us!

Cremino Di Zucca. Pumpkin mousse with salted caramel and cream with gingerbread.

Very nice “holiday” flavored pot-a-creme. Tasted like pumpkin pie.

A good time was had by all!

Overall, Michaels we had a really great meal. The food was spot on with almost every dish being awesome (a few were merely good). We had epic volumes of great Italian wine and some seriously fun company! The restaurant did a fantastic job hosting us. We got 5-6 glasses a person, and then when the array of them on the table left them no room for family style plating they dynamically shifted to individual plating. They handled one alternate menu (prearranged) slickly and even adapted another on the fly. Bravo!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Or more Hedonistic adventures here!

Related posts:

  1. Tony Terroni
  2. Gusto Italiano
  3. Big Bottle Madness at Kali Dining
  4. Food as Art: Capo
  5. Michael’s on Naples
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Dessert, hedonists, Italian cuisine, Michael's on Naples, Wine

Newport Special Seafood

Dec23

Restaurant: Newport Seafood

Location: 518 W Las Tunas Dr, San Gabriel, CA 91776-1073. (626) 289-5998

Date: December 19, 2013 and January 24 & September 11, 2016 and May 22, 2022 (and many other times between)

Cuisine: Cambodian Chinese

Rating: I used to like it, but now I’m jaded and think it’s perhaps the most overrated place in the SGV

_

Many people consider Newport Seafood one of the best Chinese restaurants in SoCal. Essentially, it’s Southern Chinese, with some Cambodian and Vietnamese influences (the owners are Cambodian). I’ve been a couple of times, but this post is a composite of a December ’13 and a January ’16 meal (click those links for the specific by night pictures and wines) and another September ’16 meal. The wines below are all from the ’13 meal as the latter time there wasn’t anything particularly exciting except for a pile of leftovers I brought from an epic dinner the night before. People somehow think that giant New World Syrah goes with Chinese food — not! Except for a dish or two, total wine pairing fail. This cuisine would be best served by Burgs (both colors), dry Riesling, Gruner, and the like.


This is a big place, and moderately “fancy” as San Gabriel Chinese joints go. Even on a Thursday night, it was mobbed, and people were waiting for a good long while. The weekend is crazy busy.

No Newport visit is complete without shots of the ladies with the giant crustaceans.

1A4A6957
1A4A6956
The menu 5/22/22.

Boiled peanuts. Helpful in avoiding peanut allergies.

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Cold spicy cucumbers. A nice version of this Szechuan classic.

Chinese savory cruller. I’ve always liked these puffy donut-like (without the sugar) breads.

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Sea Cucumber Salad. Actually pretty good if you don’t mind the gummy texture.

Vietnamese shrimp salad. Those strong vinegar/sugar flavors and the peanuts are very Vietnamese. The standard lettuce, a little less so. Really, a lousy salad — pretty much ruined by the generic lettuce.

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Cold duck. I thought we ordered “crispy duck” — this wasn’t — but it wasn’t bad either.

Green chicken. This was pretty good for straight up boiled/steamed whole chicken. Unusual chili paste too, which I now recognize as fairly typical Cambodian.

1A4A6989
Basically a pork larb with some curry and heat and Thai basil. Pretty good. A touch of funk too (fish sauce or shrimp paste).


Many of the waiting guests amused themselves with the “wildlife,” like this toddler (conveniently in the picture for scale). We’ll get back to this big ugly crustacean, as he was part of our dinner.


As were these red fish (red cod? rock fish?).


Tricia got the honor of grabbing the crab!


2006 Sine Qua Non Autrement Dit. 90 points. Very nice blueberry/strawberry nose. not hot on the nose. really nice full palate and mouthfeel with a nice mix of red and blue fruits, and integrated earthiness. did not noticably detect any heat or wood on this. certainly a bigger and different type of rose, but this bottle was nicely restrained and seemed in good balance tonight.


Newport Special Crab. Our entire giant crab was steamed in a mild and pleasant sauce the emphasized the sweet and delicate flavor of the VERY fresh crab. In fact, he was alive and kicking in Tricia’s hands about 15 minutes prior. This was perfectly cooked and moist.


2005 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc. Parker 96. The 2005 Hermitage blanc is an amazing effort that defines the classic style of white Hermitage. It offers hints of marzipan, roasted hazelnuts, quince, licorice, honeysuckle, citrus oil, and wet stones. It is a superbly concentrated and powerful wine. It should drink well for 30+ years.


Westlake Soup. It was mild and pleasant with a lot of various stuff in it. A splash of vinegar jazzed it up.

Crab and asparagus soup. Very mild and pleasant. Not that much crab but a lot of white asparagus.


2000 Aubert Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard. Parker 91. The 2000 Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard is a rich, full-bodied, textured, powerful, smoky effort that tastes like a Meursault premier cru on steroids. It possesses ample layers, excellent underlying acidity for balance, and plenty of leesy, hazelnut, and tropical fruit notes.


Newport Special Lobster. In a delicious green onion, garlic, and slightly spicy sauce. The sauce was amazing. The lobster was perhaps a tiny bit overcooked, but was great. It’s mostly about the sauce.
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Giant steamed prawns. These were too much plain crustacean for my taste. Lots of work to pry out the meat, and it was just steamed shrimp. I think of them as giant steamed sea bugs.

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Salt and pepper crab. Interesting. Like a fossilized salty crab. The meat itself was tasty, but I preferred the sauced version below.
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Curry crab. Crab drowned in a super yummy Singapore curry sauce. Awesome!


2011 Wagner-Stempel Riesling Trocken. Parker 89. Fresh apple and lime garlanded with narcissus, apple blossom and basil characterize the aromatic and palate performance of Wagner-Stempel’s 2011 Riesling trocken, whose combination of caressingly silken texture with bright, infectiously juicy citricity displays the family resemblance to its Scheurebe counterpart. At 12.5% alcohol, this manages to convey a sense of buoyancy through its delightful, apple pip- and herb-tinged finish. Look for it to prove deliciously versatile over the next 2-3 years. There is now, incidentally, just a single large bottling of generic Riesling at this address and it is 100% estate-bottled.


Shrimp with walnut. This was one of the best versions of this classic slightly fried and slightly sweet dish I’ve had in a while.


2007 Hermann Donnhoff Riesling Spatlese Niederhauser Hermannshohle. Parker 96. Gardenia, peony, and resinous herbs in the nose of Donnhoff’s 2007 Niederhauser Hermannshohle Riesling Spatlese give way to a palpably extract-rich palate of vibratory intensity, suffused with stony, saline, and tactile suggestions of mineral matter, yet at the same time rich orchard fruits. If the Krotenpfuhl was painted with water colors, the medium here is definitely oil, exhibiting both dynamic and intricate brush work as well as dense layering. This masterpiece – picked simultaneously with the corresponding Grosses Gewachs – was only beginning to show its depth in the spring and needed almost six months in bottle to really shine forth. Take as long as fate permits you to savor this; I can’t imagine it disappointing a quarter century or more from now.


Steamed Whole Fish. With soy, ginger, etc. Delicate and lovely, although not a ton of meat. Too “clean” for my taste.


1984 Gros Frère et Sœur Clos Vougeot Musigni. 95 points. This is a great wine (good location in the vineyard and top winemakers) from a very off year — and it’s 29 year-old pinot noir. But somehow (and I’ve had 3 bottles) it’s still in great shape. Really quite lovely with a complex tar and cherry thing going on. I happen to find it fabulous.


Sole Fish with Salt and Pepper? In any case, some VERY fried fish nuggets. It tasted a tad oily.

Sweet and sour fish filets. I liked these better than the dry salt and pepper version. Soft, fried, and vaguely sweet.

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Fish Filet with Basil. These were super tender and succulent and a bit fried. Incredible savory (MSG) flavor. LOTS of msg. Definitely one of their best fried fish dishes.


2008 DuMOL Pinot Noir Aidan. Parker 93. The 2008 Pinot Noirs are led by The 2008 Pinot Noir Aidan, which is made from the modern Dijon clones of 115 and 777. Yields in 2008 were a minuscule 1.75 tons of fruit per acre, hence production is down considerably. Aromas of forest floor, plum sauce, black currants, blueberries and a complex rose petal-like character emerge from this dark ruby-colored 2008. With medium to full body and good acidity, this beauty can be drunk over the next 10-12 years.


Sizzling Beef. Had lots of flavor. But these days I find this kind of dish boring.

Vietnamese Beef Stew. Yummy stuff. Very soft fatty meat, tons of flavor, and odd asian textures. Great over rice. Very interesting slightly curry and fish sauce flavor. Meat had a lot of tendon. I liked it a lot as it was intresting.


2001 St. Francis Anthem. 90 points. Nice blend with some earthy tones.


Beef Loc Lac (French Style). Kind of like Chinese Salsbury steak. Lots of flavor, but mostly one tasted the sauce.


Our private room.


Sauteed Peasprout. A nice garlicky vegetable. Kind of like a broom for the intestines.

Another mysterious green, or maybe just different looking peasprouts.
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Green beans with pork. Classic dish. These were slippery fellows and hard to scoop up. Delicious with nice crunchy beans but oh so salty (lots of MSG).

1997 Turley Wine Cellars Petite Syrah Hayne Vineyard. Parker 96-98. I do not believe I have ever tasted a more concentrated, essence-like wine than Turley’s 1997 Petite Syrah Hayne Vineyard. Made from 55-year old vines that yielded only 9.8 tons of fruit for five acres, this opaque black-colored wine is the biggest, richest, most concentrated, tannic wine I have ever tasted. It will need at least a decade to shed some of its ferocious tannin, and will undoubtedly last for 40-50 years. Even more remarkable is its purity and overall equilibrium. Despite its Godzilla-like size, this is an astonishingly concentrated, gorgeously made wine. I have never, ever, seen a wine like this!


Kung Pao Pork Chop. It wasn’t very spicy, and it was seriously double fried, but it was darn tasty.
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Sweet and sour pork chop. Tasty, but certainly not tender!
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Fried Pork Chop with Salt and Pepper. Very salty and fried, but delicious.

Crispy duck. Sixth months later, we get the duck. This was a fairly contentious dish, some thought it dry. I kinda liked it once you soaked a meaty piece in the sauce.

2002 Sean Thackrey Orion Syrah. Parker 96-100. A riveting example of Syrah is the 2002 Orion. It boasts a black/purple color with more mint and blackberry notes intermixed with exotic floral characteristics. With great intensity, full body, multiple dimensions, and superb purity as well as length, this blockbuster is incredibly well-balanced/harmonious. It should drink reasonably well young, yet keep for 12-15 years.

Parker sure (over) loves these new world syrahs.


Fried Noodle with Chicken. I happen to love these thin fried noodles drenched in the white Chinese sauce.
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Fried noodle with seafood. More or less the same great taste.

Vegetable fried rice. Not as exciting as the meat version, but certainly good.

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Pork fried rice. A nice tasty rice.

A rare photo of me.


Shrimp with Garlic Sauce? This was mildly spicy with a lot of flavor.


Lana and Tricia duel.


Oranges for dessert.

We brought in these cakes for a birthday.

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Mascarpone with Strawberry and Oat Milk Matcha Almond.

Overall, honestly it’s tough to review Newport Seafood. When I first came here in 2013, I was only a year or so into my frequent SGV journeys and I loved it — more or less in the way that I have always loved all Chinese food. Hell, I even used to like PF Changs and Panda Express. But now, several hundred real Chinese meals later, I feel that Newport is just oddly overrated. It’s like the expensive gateway drug to the SGV. Sure it’s enjoyable. They have good dishes. Even some great dishes (nothing wrong with the lobster at all other than the price). But little is interesting, it’s way overpriced, and they lean very heavily on the “flavor” (MSG). I’m not a monster fan of this Chinese Cambodian hybrid style either. It’s 90% Chinese, but fairly close to Chaozhou style.  Still, I like either Tai Sui (Cambodian) or Seafood Palace (Chaozhou) MUCH better. And I also like straight Cantonese a lot more (of which there are many better examples) and particularly Sichuan or any kind of regional Chinese.

So no, I’m just not really impressed with Newport at this point.

Or check out Newport’s Beverly Hills location.

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here,

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!
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Some more wines from September 11, 2016:

Related posts:

  1. Shanghai #1 Seafood Village
  2. Food as Art: Ping Pong
  3. Birthday Party, Hedonist Style
  4. Hedonists Boil Up Some Crab
  5. Tasty Duck Lives up to its Name
By: agavin
Comments (2)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: China, Chinese cuisine, crab, hedonists, Lobster, Monterey Park California, Newport Special Lobster, San Gabriel California

Salty Saturday

Dec20

Part of the tradition for the ThanksGavin weekend of gluttony is a Saturday deli brunch. As we celebrate in Philadelphia, we have access to all sorts of great deli and the like.


This year, we’ve moved to a new location for Salty Saturday, namely my cousin Matt and his wife Andrea’s house (they just moved in this year).


A bagel brunch begins with great bagels!


And fresh Nova lox of course. This was hardly salty at all.


Two kinds of herring, creamed and pickled.


On the right is the chive cream cheese (which I prefer).


And in the center the regular. On both sides are whitefish salad. This particular blend has no mayo, and is merely smoked whitefish. Given the freshness of the fish it’s particularly delectable.


Cream cheese alone doesn’t pile on enough calories, so munster and aged cheddar are key.


Plus the condiments. Red onions, cucumbers and heirloom tomatoes.


And farmhouse eggs from the coop plus a homemade fritata.


And the all important cappuccino. Matt is a whiz with the machine.


The whole plate, partially under construction, can be seen here. Yum!


For dessert we have homemade cinnamon buns.


And the return of the poached pears (along with a new — smoother — batch of chocolate sauce).


Too much goodness. Fourth meal in, I’m beginning to feel it. We have a long drive after this so I grabbed a liter of water to balance out the salt!

For more ThanksGavin dining, click here.

Related posts:

  1. ThanksGavin 2011 – Salty Saturday
  2. Saturday is for Salt
  3. Brunch at Tavern – again
  4. Breakfast = Carbs + Salt
  5. ThanksGavin in Review
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Bagel, Brunch, Cream Cheese, Deli, Lox, Philadelphia, ThanksGavin, Whitefish

First Growths First

Dec18

Restaurant: STK [1, 2, 3]

Location: 755 North La Cienega. Los Angeles, CA 90069. 310.659.3900

Date: December 16, 2013

Cuisine: Steakhouse

Rating: Gluttonous fun!

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This year the Hedonists have been doing more high end themed dinners. So earlier in the fall we celebrated top end Burgundy, and now we are doing so with Bordeaux. Technically, this was a First Grown Bordeaux dinner. We also included La Mission, Lafleur, and Petrus (no one brought one, sadly). A pair of top California Cabernet’s snuck in too.

The space is chic and modern. Above is the La Cienega entrance.


NV Krug Grande Cuvee. Parker 91-95. The NV Brut Grande Cuvee emerges from the glass with freshly cut flowers, almonds, pastry and spices. This is a relatively floral, bright Grande Cuvee with fewer of the oxidative qualities that are typical of the house style. According to Krug’s ID Code, this bottle is based on the 2004 vintage, which explains the wine’s tense, taut personality. Another year or two on the cork will only help the wine gain expressiveness and depth. Today, the Grande Cuvee is quite reticent and not showing the full breadth of its personality.

These look like Glazed Pop’ems, but they’re savory. And that sauce is pretty much a under-spiced chimichurri.


1994 Laville-Haut-Brion Blanc. Parker 94. This tightly knit, medium-bodied wine exhibits an intense, sweet nose of toast, minerals, honey and spices. There is ripe fruit and intensity on the palate, but the overall impression is one of a backward, undeveloped wine.


“BLUE ICEBERG.” smoked bacon – blue cheese – pickled tomato.

Ron was generous to bring this treat, the rare “dry” wine from Chateau D’Yquem. This powerful and perfumed wine is by far my favorite white Bordeaux.

1978 Lur-Saluces “Y”. 97 points. Lush fruit aromas with big accompanying spice. Powerful aromas and flavors throughout. Moderate length. Worked very well with a seared scallop served over a slightly sweet puree. Showed young for a wine almost 35 years old.


“ORGANIC ARUGULA. grilled peaches, macrona almonds,  manchego cheese.”


“HEARTS OF ROMAINE.” garlic crouton – parmesan lemon dressing.


1988 Mouton-Rothschild. Parker 89. The 1988 has an aroma of exotic spices, minerals, blackcurrants, and oak. In the mouth, it is a much firmer, tougher, more obviously tannic wine than the 1989. It is a beautifully made 1988 that will last 20-30 years, but the astringency of the tannins is slightly troubling. Patience will be a necessity for purchasers of this wine.


“TUNA TARTARE. soy emulsion – avocado – taro chips.”


1981 Chateau Margaux. Parker 91. In weight and texture, the 1981 Margaux is closest in style to the 1979. It is an outstanding wine, even in the company of the monumental wines of 1982, 1983, and 1986, although it does not have the power and weight of these vintages. It is still very dark ruby/purple-colored. The aromatics suggest ripe cassis fruit, spicy vanillin oakiness, and violets. On the palate, the wine is medium-bodied, concentrated, tannic, and extremely long. It is just beginning to open and evolve.


“BEEF TARTAR. black truffle – sliced radish – soy caramel.”


From my cellar: 1995 Chateau Margaux. Parker 95-96. Medium garnet colour going brick at the rim. The nose is beginning to showing signs of evolution with aromas of leather, game, warm cassis, dried plums and cloves. Medium to high acidity, medium body and medium to firm, fine tannins support earthy, blackcurrant-preserve fruit. Long finish.


“JUMBO LUMP CRAB. green melon, avocado, mache greens, kaffir limes.”


1990 Haut Brion. Parker 98. In terms of the brilliant complexity and nobility of the aromatics, scorched earth, black currants, plums, charcoal, cedar, and spices, the 1990 offers an aromatic explosion that is unparalleled. It is always fascinating to taste this wine next to the 1989, which is a monumental effort, but much more backward and denser, without the aromatic complexity of the 1990. The 1990 put on weight after bottling, and is currently rich, full-bodied, opulent, even flamboyant by Haut Brion’s standards. It is an incredible expression of a noble terroir in a top vintage. While it has been fully mature for a number of years, it does not reveal any bricking at the edge, and I suspect it will stay at this level for another 10-15 years … but why wait? It is irresistible now.

Personally, I thought this bottle was too funky. It had a strong bacterial contamination that gave it unpleasant bitter notes.


“Shrimp cocktail.” Classic.


1994 Haut Brion. Parker 92. This is one of the surprise sleeper wines of the vintage which has more successes than many people suspect in spite of all the rain. The tremendous drainage enjoyed by the Haut Brion vineyard worked in its favor during this wet September harvest. The color is deep plum/ruby with a bit of lightening at the edge. Notes of compost, truffle, earth, spice box, dried herbs, and licorice compete with sweet black cherry and currant fruit. The wine is medium-bodied, with a relatively plump, chewy feel to it. It is certainly one of the top half dozen or so wines of the vintage. The tannins are still there, but the wine seems far more accessible than the two bigger wines that Haut Brion produced in 1995 and 1996.


“BROILED MAINE LOBSTER. lobster butter, tarragon, baked lemon.”


1996 Haut Brion. Parker 92-96. As I indicated last year, Haut-Brion utilized only 60% of its production in the 1996 final blend (50% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc). While it is undoubtedly true that the appellations of Pessac-Leognan and Graves were less successful in 1996 than the Medoc, the wines produced under the administration of Jean Delmas (i.e., Haut-Brion, La Mission-Haut-Brion, and La Tour-Haut-Brion) are brilliant in the 1996 vintage, continuing a trend that has made Haut-Brion one of the most consistent first-growths in Bordeaux (consider the superlative performances in such difficult vintages as 1993, 1992, and 1987). The 1996 Haut-Brion has put on weight, and was even sweeter and more fragrant in November than it was earlier in the year. The wine exhibits a dark ruby color with purple nuances. Haut-Brion’s signature is most frequently its glorious perfume of tobacco, black fruits, smoke, and dried herbs, combined with sweet, supple fruit, all crammed into a concentrated wine that never has the weight or tannic power of a Medoc, or the thick unctuosity of a top right bank wine. As I have frequently written, the one significant change to my palate over the last twenty years has been the fact that while I have always admired Haut-Brion, now I am addicted to its perfume and complexity. It is never the biggest of the first-growths, but it is usually among the most compelling wines of this elite group, with the most profound set of aromatics of any of its peers. That being said, the 1996 should turn out to be an exquisite wine, perhaps slightly more structured and backward than the superb 1995, but very rich, with gobs of smoky, cherry, tobacco-tinged fruit, medium body, exceptional purity and equilibrium, and a long, moderately tannic finish. The tannins taste extremely sweet.


24oz Porterhouse.


Skirt steak.

1990 La Mission Haut Brion. Parker 99. Reminiscing over the 1989 and 1990 vintages, which I have followed from birth, there always seemed to be a dramatic difference in quality. Not that the 1990 was not a top wine, but in its infancy, I never thought it would come close to being as riveting and magnetic as its older sibling, the 1989. However, it has proven to be nearly as prodigious. One of the hottest years in Bordeaux, 1990, a vintage of enormous yields, even dwarfing yields in 1985 and 1982, produced a fabulously open-knit, seemingly fast track La Mission that, at age 22, shows no signs of fading or losing its grip. The color is slightly more mature and evolved than the 1989’s, exhibiting a lighter rim and a less dark blue/ruby/purple hue. Classic La Mission-Haut-Brion aromatics of camphor, licorice, scorched earth, hot bricks, barbecue, cassis, blueberry and kirsch are well displayed. Broad, expansive, velvety-textured and opulent with high glycerin and perhaps slightly higher alcohol (I don’t have the statistics to verify that), the 1990 is as delicious and open-knit as the 1989, with less density and possibly less potential longevity. Most 1990s have been quick to reach full maturity, and as brilliant as they can be, they need to be monitored carefully by owners. Currently in late adolescence, but close to full maturity, the 1990 should hold in a cold cellar for another 15-20 years. However, it is a fabulous wine to inspect, taste and consume, so why wait?

This bottle was a hair funky too, but blew off and became rather elegant.


Bone in rib eye.


From my cellar: 1982 Lafite-Rothschild. Parker 100. The 1982 Lafite possesses a dark, dense ruby/purple color with only a subtle lightening at the rim. Spectacular aromatics offer jammy cherry and black fruits intertwined with lead pencil, mineral, and smoky wood scents. Powerful for a Lafite, this wine unfolds to reveal extraordinary richness, purity, and overall symmetry in addition to stunning flavor depth and persistence. The finish lasts for nearly a minute. Plenty of tannin remains, and the wine displays a vibrancy and youthfulness that belie its 18 years of age. The modern day equivalent of Lafite-Rothschild’s immortal 1959, the 1982 will enjoy another 30-70 years of life! An amazing achievement!

Certainly WOTN. Pretty much unanimous. I was very pleased because it always sucks to open a pricey bottle one has had for a while and find it not up to snuff.


Bone in filet.


Some steak with crab on it.


2001 Lafleur. Parker 92-96. This Merlot-dominated 2001 has added considerable weight since last year. It is opaque purple in color, with an extraordinary bouquet of kirsch liqueur intermixed with hints of cola and underbrush. Full-bodied, sweet, and explosive on the palate, with great density and chewiness, it exhibits surprisingly low acidity as well as more precociousness than most top vintages of Lafleur. It is increasingly obvious that this is a sensational effort.

Very young Merlot, but impeccably balanced.


Another steak.


And another (bone in). I’m not an expert at spotting steaks.


1989 Latour. Parker 90. Neither the 1989 or 1990 wines has budged in quality or development since I first tasted them in cask. I am still disappointed by the 1989, wondering how this chateau produced an elegant, medium-weight wine that seems atypically restrained for Latour. The deep ruby color is followed by a wine with surprisingly high acidity and hard tannin, but not the depth, richness, and power expected from this great estate. This closed wine is admittedly in need of 5-6 years of cellaring, but what is so alarming is its lack of weight, ripeness, and intensity, particularly when compared to the 1990. I suspect there is more than what has been revealed in recent tastings, but this looks to be an excellent as opposed to outstanding wine. In the context of the vintage, it is a disappointment.

I loved this wine, even if Parker didn’t. I happen to be a Latour fan.


Bone in filet with with crab oscar style (i.e. with bernaise sauce!).


Mac & Cheese.


2001 Latour. Parker 95. Deep garnet colored, the nose is open and expressive even at this youthful stage, giving notes of black berry and black cherry compote, potpourri and anise with hints of sandalwood and cloves. The palate is drinking beautifully now (though with loads more to give), offering a high level of ripe, velvety tannins, enlivening acid and just enough fruit concentration, finishing long.


Asparagus.


Mixed mushrooms.


1983 Grace Family Cabernet Sauvignon. RJ Wine 93. Great nose lengthy finish and soft tannins. It has aged wonderfully. Cork wa in incredible shape.. amazing. Very little sediment.

Jeff Leve thought differently: Most of the fruit had moved to the big ranch in the sky. Some tart red cherries were all that was left.


Broccolini.


Creamed spinach.



2000 Grace Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. Parker 90. The 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon (260 cases) offers plenty of up-front sweet black currant fruit mixed with toasty new oak and mineral characteristics. It is medium-bodied, plump, and accessible, revealing good fruit in its subtle, restrained personality.


“Sweet corn pudding.” We took to calling this stuff “corn porn” it was so good. We ordered 5 of them too!


“creamy yukon potatoes.”


“Parmesan truffle fries.”


My plate, a heart attack in the making.


Yarom carousing with our lovely servers, Rachel and Brenda. Our service was great. They were incredibly friendly and helpful and the restaurant was quiet allowing them to focus on our labor intensive table. We used ALL the cabernet glasses! STK doesn’t have a Sommelier (which is kind of mind boggling) but Rachel was a great sport and a fast learner and she managed well with the opening and glasses, even if Yarom and I had to decant and do the pouring. I played Somm and poured many of the wines, but it’s a job. Unfortunately, things do go much better that way because you need someone to make consistent small pours so that the bottle gets all the way around 15-16 people. Self pouring, if one or two over pour, the people at the end get screwed.


1976 Rieussec. Parker 90. This is one of the most controversial vintages of Rieussec. Very dark gold in color, some observers have said it is oxidized and is falling apart. Despite the dark color, the remarkable taste seems to suggest that this wine has a way to go. The huge nose of toasted almonds, caramel, chocolate, and brown sugar does exhibit a trace of volatile acidity, so technocrats are likely to be turned off. Incredibly rich and full bodied, with a honeyed, luscious texture and extremely intense flavors, this exotic, hugely proportioned wine (15% alcohol) can only be served as a dessert. The yield at Rieussec in 1976 was 2.5 hectoliters per hectare, which is approximately one third of a glass of wine per vine. This is a bold, rather overblown style of Sauternes, but I love it.


1976 De Suduiraut. Parker 92. For me, the 1976 is the greatest Suduiraut of the seventies, and the only wine other than the 1989 that resembles the magnificent 1959 this property produced. Medium to dark amber/gold, this full-bodied, massive wine has a very intense bouquet of vanillin oak, ripe pineapples, and melted caramel. Very deep and viscous, this is a decadently opulent Suduiraut with enormous presence in the mouth.


Donuts. cinnamon anglaise, butterscotch, marshmallow. These were FABULOUS donuts. Really sweet and yummy.


Ice STK. Mini ice cream cone sampler. Chocolate, strawberry, and some other chocolate.


An apple dish of some sort.


“CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE. warm baked cookie – vanilla ice cream.” Also pretty spectacular.


The peanut butter, chocolate, banana thingy. Inside the chocolate disc was a bunch of peanut butter cream. It was awesome.


Donut on a fork.

About a third of our glasses!

The overall evening was spectacular. The place treated us really well with swift and friendly service you hardly noticed. Plus, there was the excellent company and all our amazing wines! The wines tonight were really fabulous, particularly in the second half. Some of the Bordeaux’s from the lesser vintages (88, 94 etc) were a little sour or awkward, and at least one 90 was funked (corked), but the ones that were on, like the 82 Lafite, 95 Margaux, 85 Mouton, and 89 Latour were fabulous. The 2000 Grace and 2001 Lafleur were also amazing, but very young. For me, the 82 Lafite stood out above all, it was mature, complex, and balanced on all notes.

As a steakhouse, I find STK much like Mastro’s but about 5% worse on average — although there are some different starters and sides, many of which are excellent. It’s also quite a bit cheaper than Mastro’s, and lets us skip the corkage, which is huge! We were out of here for $120 a person, including tax and tip, which is pretty amazing for such an enormous feast at a high end steakhouse.

For more crazy Foodie Club meals, click.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

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  3. Hedonists at STK again!
  4. Hedonists at STK
  5. BOA Birthday Blitz
By: agavin
Comments (3)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: beef, Bordeaux, First Growth, hedonists, Krug, Krug Grande Cuvee, La Mission, Meat, Steak, STK, Wine

Dragon in the Hole

Dec16

MV5BMzU0NDY0NDEzNV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwOTIxNDU1MDE@._V1_SX640_SY720_Title: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Director/Stars: Martin Freeman (Actor), Peter Jackson (Director)

Genre: Fantasy

Watched: December 15, 2013

Summary: More is more!

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First some technical bits: Again I saw The Hobbit in HFR 3D (at the Arclight). Last year, I found this new flickerless tech fascinating, hyper realistic, and more than a little disquieting. This year, either I’ve gotten used to it (thanks to my 120hz TV) or Peter Jackson and crew really worked the solve the problems. I’m pretty sure it’s the later. Sure, the film was crystal clear, and sure, you could still count every pore on the actor’s faces, but it no longer looked as crazy fake. I suspect they added a lot of motion blur. I bet it cost a lot of money.

I’ve also gotten used to the 3D, although there were some technical glitches with my Dolby glasses. They only work well in the center, and I had to keep my eyes in the middle of the large screen to keep the whole frame in 3D. Plus, every time I tilted my head slightly to the side it began to degrade. I found this considerably more distracting than the HFR. The 3D is still a bit dim. Popping them off (and the projection actually looked ok — however 2D — to the naked eye) and I could appreciate the brightness.

But how was the film? Again, it’s interesting to see how Peter Jackson (and his 3 other co-writers, including Del Toro) have taken a 275 page novel and expanded it into roughly 8 hours. Smaug is a long movie, 160 minutes, and it takes its time to luxuriate with the material. This is more than just the middle section of the fairly self contained novel, but has swelled to become part Hollywood blockbuster, part piece of the Tolkien Universe. This world is rich enough, so they drew on earlier (later?) films and copious extra Tolkien material to plump it up. Frankly, it works.

The film luxuriates in the bits and pieces of this world: Bilbo on top of the Mirkwood surrounded by butterflies, Warg riding orcs on top of mist covered peaks, the dark dank stone of the crypts of the nine, an elf king’s crown, a giant dragon curled beneath a sea of gold.

Straight from the cover of The Dungeon Master's Guide

Straight from the cover of The Dungeon Master’s Guide

For me this transcends the deviances from the book. Gandalf chanting in Dol Guldur belongs, and Lost‘s Kate is surprisingly good as an elf captain. If the tone has shifted, becoming more Peter Jackson and less Tolkien, well then at least it’s consistent with the other films. Smaug is considerably darker, faster paced, and overall better than the previous installment.

The pacing is pretty relentless, with just brief little spells of calm. It’s a quest story. The dwarves are chased, captured, chased, captured, chased, captured, and fight a dragon. The action sequences are breathless with that Jackson signature camp (shades of Dead Alive). Dwarves in barrels plummet down a river while elves dance on their heads shooting at orcs. In other hands, it might be cheese, but again, it works. Then Bilbo’s cat and mouse game with Smaug. Then dwarves fighting him with their furnaces. I’m just such a geek.

Love it.

Read my review of last year’s Unexpected Journey.

For more Film reviews, click here.

Or discover my own fantasy novels.

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By: agavin
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Posted in: Movies
Tagged as: Benedict Cumberbatch, Bilbo Baggins, Desolation of Smaug, Fantasy, HFR, Hobbit, Ian McKellen, Lord of the Rings, Martin Freeman, Movie Review, Peter Jackson, Smaug, The Hobbit

Saddle Peak Peaks

Dec13

Restaurant: Saddle Peak Lodge [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Location: 419 Cold Canyon Rd, Calabasas, CA 91302 (818) 222-3888

Date: December 12, 2013

Cuisine: Modern American

Rating: Great ambiance and terrific game oriented food.

_

For one (and just one) of our Hedonistic Holiday Feasts, we Hedonists return to Saddle Peak Lodge. It’s pretty much the perfect venue for both a winter wine blast, with gorgeous lodge patio, cozy lodge, game driven food, and awesome wine service. For those of you who don’t know, Hedonist events have amazing wines (each diner brings at least one bottle) and this event has several 100 point blow out wines.


Saddle Peak Ranch used to be a game lodge back in the early part of the 20th century. The rich and famous used to come up and hunt Malibu’s finest, such as this poor fellow. Now the deer are just served up on the menu. I like how his hoofs hold the gun that killed him.

The restaurant is located in the middle of gorgeous Malibu Canyon and tonight we are set up in the “library”, complete with holiday decorations (and Jingle Bells playing on endless loop).


Tonight’s menu.


We begin with some champagne.


Pretzel bread.


Several kinds of butter (and salt).


2000 Vilmart & Cie Champagne Coeur de Cuvée. Burghound 94. A moderately yeasty yet elegant nose that is fresh, complex and carries touches of both pain grillé and citrus blossom while leading to intense, pure and gorgeously deep flavors that possess first class breadth and genuinely excellent length. While still on the way up, after 30 to 45 minutes it began to display notably deeper and broader flavors that are at once powerful yet refined. A terrific effort that is absolutely worth your attention.


Cream of celery soup.


2004 Bouchard Aîné et Fils Corton-Charlemagne. 92 points. Lemony nose. Gives a sense of extremely concentrated but unyielding fruits, lemons,apples – and minerals. A long intense aftertaste. With no experience with aged white burgundy but having read a lot about them, I think I can sense what this would have become with age. We had another bottle of this about a year ago and it was much lighter and ready to go. Wondering about the first bottle caused this one to be opened and checked out. I’m going to assume our remaining two are like this one, hope to not read about premox issues – and let them age for many years and we’ll then experience a great white burgundy.


A bit of salmon on blini with creme fraiche and caviar.


2002 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Blanchot. Burghound 94. Astounding purity of expression here with hints of gunflint, oyster shell, minerals and that gorgeous green fruit that is uniquely Chablis in style, followed by silky, ultra fine, linear and almost delicate yet with considerable power, precision and length. More importantly, there is another dimension here relative to the 1ers and this delivers simply stunning quality with a classic bone dry finish. This is an extremely impressive wine that has everything it needs for a very long life.


Bosc pear salad with red oak and baby gem lettuce, Laurel Chenel goat cheese, shaved red onion, toasted walnuts, blueberry and fig vinaigrette.


From my cellar, 1970 Domaine Drouhin-Laroze Bonnes Mares. 95 points. Deep Burgundy color. It may be mature, but there is tons of earthy red fruits left in this lovely wine.


Roasted pumpkin-parmesan soup with basil oil, sage creme, brown butter croutons and Terre Bormaine olive oil.


Yukon potato gnocchi with shaved black Periguex truffles, glazed with parmesan cheese.


1983 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único. Parker 90-95. The 1983 Unico Reserva is another stunning example of Spain’s greatest red wine. A sweet, penetrating fragrance of nearly over-ripe black fruits, intermingled with lavish quantities of vanillin and smoke is a knock-out. Forward, with massive, highly extracted, jammy fruit presented in a full-bodied, remarkably well-balanced format, this huge, rich, concentrated wine is already multi-dimensional and complex, as well as unbelievably delicious. However, do not be fooled by its precociousness. There is so much exquisite extract and richness that this wine should age effortlessly for 20-25 years.


Butternut squash agnolotti glazed in truffle buerre monte with sauteed shimeji mushrooms and parmesan foam.


Caesar Salad with garlic croutons and Parmigiano-Reggiano.


Ahi tuna sashimi with Hawaiian papaya, cilantro, red onion, avocado, orange-ginger and pea tendrils.


From my cellar, 1995 Chapoutier Ermitage le Pavillon. Parker 99. The 1995 Ermitage Le Pavillon is magnificent. The wine is more accessible than the 1996 (due to lower acidity and more immediately accessible glycerin and fruit), with a magnificent black/purple color, and layers of cassis fruit, smoky, roasted meat, and mineral characteristics that are the result of barrel fermentation and high extraction of fruit. It is huge, but not heavy, gorgeously proportioned, and dazzlingly well-defined. A monster Hermitage of immense proportions, it somehow manages to keep everything in balance. This backward Pavillon will require 10-12 years of cellaring. It should age well through the first half of the next century.


Seared venison Carpaccio with horseradish aioli, avocado mousse, herb vinaigrette, parmesan crisps, mizuna, fried capers, tomato seeds and grilled ciabbata bread.


Pan seared Maine scallops with saffron soffrito, mustard greens, chorizo and Carlsbad mussels.


1976 Coutet. Parker 86. One of the best Coutets of the seventies, the 1976 is a relatively big Coutet, with a surprising amount of alcohol (15pc), a ripe apricot, spicy, floral, lemon-scented bouquet, full body, fat, succulent flavors, and Coutet’s trademark — crisp, fresh acidity.


Fatted liver of a certain fowl, rumored to be on the endangered list. With brioche and black cherry reduction. Yum!


1996 Shafer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select. Parker 98. Since 1991, Shafer’s Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon has unquestionably been one of the top dozen or so California Cabernets. Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and aged 32 months in 100% French oak casks (the majority Taransaud), it possesses the elegance and finesse one would expect from the Stags Leap area, but also monumental power, richness, and intensity. The 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select is one of the vintage’s super-stars. Its opaque purple color is accompanied by super aromatics, immense body, great fruit extraction, superb purity and overall symmetry, as well as a 40+ second finish. Revealing exceptional intensity (but no heaviness) as well as perfectly integrated acidity, tannin, and alcohol, this fabulous Cabernet will drink wonderfully for three decades.


Sweet potato fries.


Mac & Cheese.


Asparagus.


Spinach.


By some magical symbiosis of thought, four different Hedonists brought different vintages of the ultra-rare cult Shiraz: Chris Ringland / Three Rivers. So we were treated to an amazing mini-vertical including 96, 98, 99, and 2000!

1996 Chris Ringland (formerly Three Rivers) Shiraz. Parker 98-100. The 1996 Chris Ringland (formerly Three Rivers) Shiraz (now known as ‘Chris Ringland Shiraz’ due to a name dispute), has a very deep garnet-black color with intensely spicy aromas – plenty of vanilla, cinnamon and licorice – over a core of chocolate, kirsch, prunes and a whiff of dusty earth. Bacon fat and coffee notes emerge after a few minutes. Big, rich and buxom (15.3% alcohol) in the mouth with plenty of crisp acid and firm very fine tannins to support, it finishes long with layers of spice, dried plums and mocha. It’s still very youthful with many innings left.


Idaho rainbow trout pan roasted in lemon, garlic, red onion and brown butter served with grilled Japanese eggplant, salt-roasted purple carrots, grilled summer squash, fire-roasted red bell pepper and baked fingerling potatoes.


They all came in these individual boxes.


1998 Chris Ringland (formerly Three Rivers) Shiraz. Parker 100. The Chris Ringland (formerly known as Three Rivers Shiraz), which is aged 42 months in 100% new French oak, and is rarely racked until bottling, represents an extraordinary expression of Barossa Shiraz. The perfect 1998, made from a single, 88-year-old vineyard cropped at one ton of fruit per acre, soaked up its wood component as if it is not even present. It boasts a sumptuous texture, great delineation, and a huge fragrance of bacon fat, blackberry liqueur, creme de cassis, toast, espresso roast, and hints of chocolate as well as pepper. Full-bodied yet remarkably well-delineated and fresh, this stunning wine is still a baby, but it promises to evolve for two decades or more.


Mesquite grilled filet mignon with glazed heirloom carrots, sautéed Bloomsdale spinach, brown butter potato puree and mushroom bordelaise sauce.


Grilled New Zealand lamb racks with braised eggplant, pine nuts, curry cauliflower, piquillo yogurt and pomegranate reduction.


1999 Chris Ringland (formerly Three Rivers) Shiraz. Parker 98. The Chris Ringland (formerly known as Three Rivers Shiraz), is aged 42 months in 100% new French oak, and is rarely racked until bottling, represents an extraordinary expression of Barossa Shiraz. The intense 1999, released in 2004, demonstrates that this vintage is somewhat underrated after all the hype over 1998. From a vineyard planted in 1910, its inky/purple color is accompanied by aromas of lavender, lard, smoke, licorice, blackberries, cassis, espresso roast, chocolate, and pepper. Full-bodied, slightly less voluminous than the perfect 1998, with an unctuous texture, sweet tannin, and a 70+ second finish, this magnificent, still young Shiraz should be accessible in 3-5 years, and last for two decades.


Grilled buffalo New York with creamed kale vol a vent, bacon-gruyere-potato terrine and horseradish crème.


2000 Chris Ringland (formerly Three Rivers) Shiraz. Parker 96-97. This is a re-review of the 2000 Shiraz since I significantly underrated it previously. It is clearly the Barossa wine of the vintage, and has put on considerable weight since it was bottled. This stunning cuvee, which used to be known as the Three Rivers Shiraz, was aged 33 months in new French 300 liter hogsheads. A beautiful bouquet of crushed rocks, white flowers, blueberries, blackberries, incense, and subtle pain grille is followed by a rich, full-bodied red revealing supple tannin as well as tremendous texture and richness, and more depth and intensity than it did last year. By Chris Ringland’s standards, it is quite approachable, and should age beautifully for 10-15 years.


A whole herd of game .


Wild Game Trio – the Chef’s sampling of three different game meats with individual accompaniments.


Elk.


Wild boar.


Antelope.


And the complete set!


I had just a few glasses going.


1999 Peju Province Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Rutherford. 92 points. Wonderful and full of flavor on the start all the way to the finish. The wine looks Garnet colored. The legs are Medium. It smells like Blackberry, Mushroom, Coffee, Smokey Bacon, Chocolate, Tobacco, and Bell Pepper.


Birthday ice cream for Erik.


Banana cake and caramelized bananas.


Farmer’s market caramelized pear beignets with crème anglaise.


Chocolate molten whiskey cake with Guinness ice cream and Bailey’s whipped cream.


Daily selection of house-made sorbets served on ice. Blackberry, guava, and coconut.


Apple cinnamon bread pudding served with salted caramel ice cream.


Caramelized white chocolate pot de crème with blackberries, white chocolate pistachio fudge and pistachio sorbet.

This was a total blow out event. The food was impeccable and the service fantastic. Plus we had a really great mix of people and some of the most awesome wines, the Chris Ringland being particularly notable. Our private floor with the roaring fire and dead bovines made for a fabulous atmosphere.

Click here for more LA restaurant reviews,

Or for Hedonist extravaganzas.

Related posts:

  1. Hedonism at Saddle Peak Lodge
  2. Food as Art: Saddle Peak Lodge
  3. Hedonists climb the Peak
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  5. Hedonists at STK
By: agavin
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Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Calabasas, hedonists, Restaurant, Saddle Peak Lodge, Wine

Last Generation

Dec11

9780520201538Title: The Last Generation of the Roman Republic

Author: Erich S. Gruen

Genre: History

Length: 596 pages

Read: November 1 – Dec 6, 2013

Summary: Fascinating and detailed

_

I love to read about ancient history in general, and Roman history in particular, as I’m fascinated by the cultural differences (a.k.a. similarities) and the stark political lessons illustrated again and again (and all too often ignored today). But, for reading this book, I had an even better excuse, as I’m doing research for a new novel: an epic political fantasy set in highly cosmopolitan ancient world (inspired by our own, but different).

Last Gen, being an academic text, focuses entirely on the real Age of Cicero, laser beaming in on politics in the era between the civil wars of Sulla and Julius Caesar. It doesn’t even cover the wars themselves, but makes a solid and intensely researched academic argument about the inevitability (or not) of the fall of the Roman Republic.

For those of you who don’t know, the Roman Republic was a complex, somewhat aristocratic, but essentially democratic civilization that lasted 450 years, took over half the known world, and eventually succumbed not to enemies, but to internal transformation into the Roman Empire. In many ways, these are two distinct states. The history of Rome represents at least 4 states (The Republic, Empire, Western Empire, and Byzantine Empires). Anyway, because of the close resemblance between our own government (no coincidence as the American founding fathers based our constitution on the Roman Republic, even down to naming conventions like… hold your breath… senators), the Republic’s twenty year transition from a state where power derived from the people to a fully autocratic one is terrifying in the least. So why and how did this happen?

Last Gen systematically tackles each source of power in Republic and many of the traditional assumptions as to the foreordained nature of the fall. He argues quite convincingly that the last decades of the Republic, far for heralding the Empire to come betray a state that was essentially conservative in nature and operating more or less as it had for some time — and nearly free of revolutionary forces. In the end, a series of individual moves by individual men unwittingly set into motion catastrophe. The conservative bloc, along with an ambitious tribune, worked so diligently to break up the alliance between Caesar and Pompey (a typical Roman political move) that they forced the two into a situation where armed conflict was the only means by which both could preserve their aristocratic dignity. This might seem like a petty reason to enter into a world war, but to the Roman politician, dignitas was everything. And so has it been through the ages. I discussed some time ago the almost pathetically silly series of events that led Europe into the disastrous World War I (and hence II). Not really very different. Nations, like consuls of Rome, are loathe to back down.

Sigh.

But this makes for a fascinating book that gives a  good sense of the complex nature of Roman politics. Would be readers, should however, note that this is dense reading. Nearly every paragraph contains at least one extended list of Roman senators (usually abbreviated) rattled off in example. The prose is almost comically stilted. Gruen has this particular declarative style that takes a bit of getting used to, but is quite wry. This is also not an introductory book and only suitable for those fairly familiar with the basic organization of Republican government. If you don’t know a Praetor from a Quaestor, start somewhere else. But if you do, The Last Generation of the Roman Republic has a lot to say.

For more book reviews, click here.

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By: agavin
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Posted in: Books, History
Tagged as: Erich S. Gruen, History, Julius Caesar, Pompey, Rome, Sulla, The Last Generation of the Roman Republic

Friday Night Feasting

Dec09

As part of the annual ThanksGavin celebration it’s traditional for cousin Abbe to cook and host the Friday night dinner. This year she joined forces with girlfriend Jody to whip up this feast.


The table.


This year, an alien must have kip-napped me because I forgot to photo most of the wine. Only these two bottles:

1995 Robert Ampeau & Fils Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes. 92 points. This is medium gold. Nose is very ripe fruit and honey, but not boytritis. Sweet and satiny and weighty, acid is failing. Finishes with baked apples and pastry.

1999 Robert Ampeau & Fils Volnay 1er Cru Santenots. 91 points.  Rather open right out of the gate with perfumed nose of fresh dark berries, underbrush, delicate florals. Medium bodied and lively on the palate as wonderully layered, fresh red fruit mingles with savory game, flowers, and forest floor. Long, invigorating finish of broth, sweet berries, and spice. Really enjoyed this, and still has the capacity to improve.


When we arrived, cooking was still underway, like these toasting chickpeas.


On the table were a variety of olives.


And, of course, the traditional spread of bread and rotting bovine by-products.


Cheese from Philadelphia’s Italian Market.


Middle eastern salad.


Cous cous.


A vegetarian stew of spicy tomatoes and vegetables.


Homemade Kofte (meat balls) with tahini sauce.


And Bob’s chocolate chip bread pudding for dessert!

Overall, another great evening!

For more ThanksGavin meals, click here.

This year is the one and only Thanksgivukkah (at least until another 81,000 years roll around)

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By: agavin
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Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Cook, couscous, Philadelphia, Robert Ampeau, ThanksGavin

Naughty Dog News

Dec08

There’s a bunch of Naughty Dog news in the air that I thought worth commenting on. First of all, at VGX 2013 Naughty Dog was awarded Studio of the Year! Awesome! Well deserved. Congratulations dogs!

Then, in the flurry of ThanksGavin activities, I must have missed the trailer for the upcoming The Last of Us downloadable pack (Left Behind), which had a bunch of new single player levels. I’m very excited about this even though the trailer is… minimalistic 🙂

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6V0HNNHQK4]

And another teaser from the DLC:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1lVLzYER14]

And finally, it has been officially announced that Uncharted will be coming to Playstation 4. While this is hardly a surprise, it’s still awesome news and I’m sure — like me — all of you fans can hardly wait.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SnJPTkrD7o]
If you liked this post, follow me at:

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Gusto Italiano

Dec07

Restaurant: Gusto

Location: 8432 West 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90048. (323) 782-1778

Date: December 5, 2013

Cuisine: Italian (Roman)

Rating: Fabulous meal

_

Our pal , Chef Vic Casanova, who used to be chef at Culina / 4 Seasons hotel opened his own Italian place. Tonight, for us Hedonists, he prepared a special “Roman” feast.


The 3rd street frontage, not far from the Beverly Center.


Our menu. I had been under the impression he was slanting more Ancient Roman, like this crazy meal at the Getty Villa, but this is more hard core Roman, as in the “modern” Italian city. Not that there is anything wrong with that, as authentic Italian food is unbelievably good (and this meal, you shall see, turned out great). It just wasn’t Ancient, which is a particular thing of mine.  Antique Roman cooking has very different ingredients (no corn, no tomato, no potato, no pasta, etc) and a bold and unusual flavor profile that is herby, sweet, and salty.


From my cellar, 2012 Collestefano Verdicchio di Matelica. IWC 94. Pale straw-green. Knockout aromas of quince, pear, white peach and white flowers are complicated by lemony minerality on the vibrant, captivating nose. Rich and broad on entry, then explosive in the middle palate, saturating the mouth with bright, lively floral and fresh citrus flavors that are intensified by penetrating acidity. Finishes extremely long and creamy-rich, expanding to coat the palate and teeth with lingering white peach and floral flavors. The bright acidity conveys an almost weightless mouthfeel to this seamless, rich, extremely concentrated wine. You can tell that owner Fabio Marchionni studied white wine in Germany. This is but one of many outstanding vintages for this wine. Let me be clear: I think it is probably Italy’s single greatest white wine buy.


1996 Prince Florent de Merode Corton-Renardes. 90 points. A little “funked.” Translucent red fading to amber brown color, nose of port wine, dark candy and apricot. Initial tast of berries (red rasberries), smooth.


Cavoletti. Shaved brussels sprouts, cabbage & kale. Pomegranate. Cherries. Apples. Goat cheese. Mustard vinaigrette.

Interesting flavor profiles. Without the cheese, it would have been fairly exotic. Either way, it was good.


1980 Azienda Bricco Rocche (Ceretto) Barolo Brunate. A touch funky, and very mature, but certainly drinking nicely.


From my cellar, 2007 Paolo Bea San Valentino Umbria IGT. RJ Wine 93. Very dark ruby color; appealing, black raspberry, minerally nose with a sense of pepper; tasty, minerally, roasted plum, light pepper, juniper berry, lavender palate; medium-plus finish.


Cervello Fritti. Fried artichokes. Calves brains. Lemon maionaise.

Zombie food! Fried brains. This was actually very tasty with a nice deep fried flavor and bright lemony mayo in counterpoint.


The buzz is getting on. Lots of wine and the food came quite slowly.


1987 Bruno Giacosa Barbera d’Alba. While WAY paste where it was supposed to drink (that probably would have been about 1992), this was actually pretty interesting.


From my cellar, 2006 Mastroberardino Taurasi Radici. IWC 91. Bright ruby-red. Perfumed, terroir-driven aromas and flavors of blackcurrant, licorice, iron, woodsmoke and minerals. At once dense and suave, with herbal and peppery nuances complicating the wine’s aromatic flavors of red cherry, plum, tobacco and flinty minerals. Finishes with building tannins and a juicy freshness.


Polpette alla Napoletana. Meatballs al forno. Tomato sugo. Locatelli pecorino.

These were some seriously tasty meatballs. Perfectly cooked, they constrasted nicely with the cheesy whip.


1997 Pertimali (Livio Sassetti) Brunello di Montalcino Riserva. Parker 92. The 1997 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva boasts an opaque ruby/purple color in addition to deep, full-bodied flavors, and more tannin as well as a more angular finish than the regular cuvee. Hence the lower rating. Although it does not possess the exuberance, fruit intensity, staggering aromatic fireworks and concentration of the regular bottling, it is still a great meaty, leathery Brunello that should age well for 12-15+ years. I’d be happy to drink it on any occasion.


From my cellar, 1997 Allegrini Amarone della Valpolicella Classico. RJ Wine 94. Raisins, mint and licorice in the nose; big taste in which the oak did not seem entirely integrated. The nose presents the hay notes of mature red wine, higher alcohols, chocolate, raisins, and the taste is huge with a sweet feel and then massive tannins; it has interesting mature flavors, raisiny, organic, decayed leaves turning into something cheesy in a very agreeable way. This is a very young mature wine with a lot going on!


Trippa alla Trasteverina. Brained honeycomb tripe. Spicy tomato.

Described as a tasty spongey hose.


2004 Musella Amarone della Valpolicella Riserva. Parker 93. Musella’s 2004 Amarone della Valpolicella Riserva offers terrific vibrancy and freshness in its dark fruit, herbs, tobacco, sweet spices and subtle French oak. This beautifully poised, medium-bodied Amarone possesses remarkable balance in a nearly weightless style. The refined tannins give this wine its gorgeous sense of proportion, which carries through all the way to the long, satisfying finish. This is an elegant Amarone that delivers incredible value for the money. It is not to be missed.


2010 Conte di Bregonzo Amarone della Valpolicella. 89 points. Crimson garnet appearance. Cherries, black and red currants, violets, cardamom, and dried fruit aromas. The palate exhibits a full body, crunchy texture, sappy cherry fruit, a dark chocolate mid-palate, crushed rocks on the back end, all under a dusting of coriander. Concludes with a crisp, medium finish. Ridiculously young, and very cheap for an Amarone, but in 10 years…

Asparagi Piemontese. Grilled asparagus. Black truffle fonduta. Sunny side egg.


Imagine what would have happened if she ate the brains instead!


2004 Azienda Agricola Reverdito Michele Barolo Serralunga. Young! Nice wine, but Barolo needs 15+ years.


1999 Azienda Bricco Rocche (Ceretto) Barolo Brunate. IWC 91. Medium red. Complex, mellow aromas of plum, cherry, marzipan and earth; ripe but not overripe. Suave, silky, full and deep, with noteworthy clarity of flavor and inner-mouth perfume. Finishes with broad, horizontal tannins. Way too young still.


Tonnarelli alla Carbonara. Fresh cracked black pepper. pancetta. egg yolk.

The pasta here was perfect, thick chewy, and very al dente. It was a very eggy Carbonara, and while extremely tasty, could have used a MUCH stronger pepper. Black pepper is one of those tricky things because some peppercorns are tasteless and some have that bright snappy bite. It’s not the amount here, but the pepper itself.


1994 Tenuta dell’Ornellaia Ornellaia. Parker 89. The 1994 Ornellaia is a decidedly small-scaled, mid-weight effort with attractive, fragrant aromatics and delicate notes of tobacco and spices that add a measure of nuance to the fruit. While the 1994 lacks the complexity of the finest vintages, it nevertheless possesses lovely overall balance and harmony. The 1994 Ornellaia is 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc that spent 15 months in French oak, a third of which was new.


1995 Vineyard 29 Cabernet Sauvignon. Parker 89. Aged in 100% new French oak casks for 22 months before bottling, the 1995 Cabernet Sauvignon offers a dark ruby color, followed by a sweet, aggressively woody nose. The pungent wood dominated the wine’s fruit, which lowered my score. Nevertheless, once past the oaky overlay, the wine exhibits fine ripeness, copious quantities of rich, chewy fruit, medium to full body, and wood tannin in the finish. I am not sure if everything will ultimately come together, but this is a flamboyant, oaky, spicy Cabernet Sauvignon that requires 2-4 more years of cellaring; it should keep for 15-20 years.


Bucatini all’Amatriciana. Guanciale. Chili. Pecorino.

Slightly odd to have two long squiggly pastas in a row. Although, again ,the pasta itself was spot on. The sauce was pretty classic Amatriciana and had a good bit of heat. It probably could have used a bit more of a porky flavor. Certainly it was very good although being an egg fiend I preferred the Carbonara.


1996 Mario Marengo Barolo Brunate. Parker 91-93. The velvety-textured 1996 Barolo Brunate offers up a textbook bouquet of rose petals, cherry liqueur, and tobacco leaf scents. Melted tar also emerges with swirling. On the palate, there are gorgeous levels of black cherry and truffle flavors. Dense and full-bodied, with lofty but not excessive alcohol (14%), this sensational Barolo has moderate tannin underlying the layers of glycerin-imbued, rich, chewy fruit.


2006 Luciano Sandrone Barolo Cannubi Boschis. Parker 97. The 2006 Barolo Cannubi Boschis is seductive, round and sweet in its ripe dark fruit. The wine continues to gain weight in the glass, showing a level of density that nearly manages to cover the tannins. Floral notes add lift on the finish. This is a powerful, linear Cannubi Boschis with tons of energy and muscle, but it will require quite a bit of patience. Sandrone harvests his three parcels in Cannubi Boschis separately. Vinification takes place in stainless steel. The wines undergo malolactic fermentation and are aged in 500-liter barrels (roughly 20% new) for a year. Once the final blend is assembled, the wine goes back into oak for another year prior to being bottled in the spring. Sandrone is one of the earliest producers to bottle, which he does to preserve as much freshness as possible.

Baby killer! This needed at least 10 more years.

Petto D’Anatra.Spiced duck breast. Wilted cavolo nero. Butternut squash caponata. cherry glassato.


2008 Gianni Brunelli le Chiuse di Sotto Brunello di Montalcino. Parker 91. The 2008 Brunello di Montalcino comes across as very, very young and in need of serious bottle age. I suspect the 2008 will always be a bit of a brute, but at the same time it is quite beautiful. Savory herbs, licorice, tobacco, incense and leather wrap around the palate as the 2008 shows off its considerable personality. The 2008 doesn’t have the immediate appeal of some other recent vintages, but I will not be surprised if it turns out to be even better than this note suggests.


2007 Sine Qua Non Pictures (Grenache). Parker 97. 2007 Pictures Grenache: A blend of 87% Grenache, 11.5% Syrah, and 1.5% Viognier, this wine has wonderful floral notes intermixed with black raspberries, black cherries, licorice, graphite and some camphor. In the mouth, more white chocolate notes appear, along with meatiness and some silky tannins. Its great purity, density and richness make me think this wine could even improve a few points and flirt with perfection. This stunning wine should drink nicely for another 10-15 years.

And what is it with these annoying new world labels where the vintage is on the back? Make me take 2 pictures, sure!


Coda alla Vaccinara. Braised oxtail. Carrot. Celery. Polenta.

This is a classic Northern Italian dish and this particular example was lovely (big portion too). Very soft and meaty, not too too fatty, and a really yummy cheesy polenta. Great stuff.


2003 Domaine Huet Vouvray Moelleux 1ère Trie Clos du Bourg. Nice sticky.


Coconut Gelato Pie. Chocolate fonduta. Graham cracker crust. Vanilla bean whipped cream.

This cake, while certainly extremely far from ancient, was right up my alley and rather delicious. I love coconut and it had that cool semi-freddo thing going on.


Just a small corner of the chaos.

Overall, this was another great meal. As usual, we had an insane overabundance of wine, probably over 1.5 bottles per person. The food was delicious, if not exactly what I thought it would be. Almost all the dishes were lip smacking good. The pasta was perfectly al dente. The service was extremely warm and helpful, although the pacing between dishes (particularly at the beginning) was decidedly authentic Italian. Just a great time!

For more LA dining reviews click here,

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

Related posts:

  1. Big Bottle Madness at Kali Dining
  2. Amarone at Oliverio
  3. Tony Terroni
  4. Luminous Lechon Pigout!
  5. Hedonists at La Paella
By: agavin
Comments (5)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Dessert, Gusto, hedonists, Italian cuisine, pasta, Wine

ThanksGavin 2013

Dec05

It’s that time of year again, time to loosen your belt buckle and sit down for the annual ThanksGavin!


The table is set.


The libations begin with this bubbly.


1990 Robert Ampeau & Fils Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. Burghound 93. A truly wonderful nose of simply knockout complexity features notes of yeast and baked bread along with now fully mature aromas of a variety of floral notes and spice hints that gives way to mineral-suffused, round, intense and detailed medium full flavors that also offer outstanding depth on the sappy and mouth coating finish. This is drinking perfectly now and I wouldn’t hesitate to open one anytime as there is no further upside to be had. A beautiful effort of real style and grace. Tasted several times with consistent results save for one bottle that, much to my complete surprise, was showing definite signs of oxidation.


1993 Faiveley Latricières-Chambertin. 93 points. this wine shows sweet cherries, sharp minerals, and forest floor on the powerful nose. Initially the palate is a bit shy, but with time it gains concentration and volume until it explodes with deep red and black fruits. This is medium bodied and elegant but the fruit is intense, the acids are lively, and there is a strong spice note on the finish. There are still some hard edges and this is probably 5 years from its peak, but it’s wonderful now.


The first of the two birds comes off the BBQ, cripsy!


1995 Aldo Conterno Barolo Bussia Riserva. 95 points. The dense 1995 displays a saturated ruby color. The rich, cedary, smoky, tobacco, and tar-scented nose is classic Nebbiolo. Excellent, with a layered texture, and a rich, spicy, austere, moderately tannic finish, it is accessible enough to be drunk, but should evolve nicely for a decade.


Here is the full spread. Most of this hard work is by our tireless chefs: my mom and aunt.


A simple salad (you need something simple).


Cranberry relish (one of two cranberry sauces).


The other, a spicy chutney. This one is my favorite.


The turkey itself.


Delicious stuffing.


Gravy.


2008 Castello di Nipozzano Chianti Rufina Riserva. Parker 90, “The 2003 Chianti Refina Riserva exhibits a similarly sweet, open nose along with plenty of vibrant, super-ripe dark fruit, outstanding length and lovely overall balance in a style that is plump and accessible without sacrificing the wine’s underlying structure. It is made from 90% Sangiovese, with the remaining 10% divided among several other varietals, and aged 24 months in French oak barrels.”


Roasted beets.


Kale with garlic.


A new entry, consisting of sweet potatoes. There was a mix of orange and purple, which resulted in this refried bean-like color!


The official 2013 plate, or you can find the last 10 years of them here.


1988 Climens. Parker 96. The 1988 reveals layer upon layer of honeyed pineapple-and orange-scented and -flavored fruit, vibrant acidity, high levels of botrytis, and a fabulously long, yet well-focused finish. It is a great wine.


My mom’s incomparable pecan pie.


And a new entry, poached pears with homemade syrup.


And homemade chocolate sauce. The texture reveals its non-commercial origins.


Pumpkin pie.


Sweet potato pie.

This was another spectacular homemade ThanksGavin dinner as usual. Particularly impressive given the bit of upset that tore through the family in the proceeding few nights, namely a nasty stomach virus. This left a few of the secondary cooks “unfit” for their duties. Still, once recovered, great fun was had by all.

For more ThanksGavin meals, click here.

My aunt hard at work in the kitchen!

Related posts:

  1. ThanksGavin 2012
  2. ThanksGavin 2011 – The Main Event
  3. Bibou – ThanksGavin 2011 Prequel
  4. ThanksGavin 2011 – The Third Wave
  5. ThanksGavin in Review
By: agavin
Comments (2)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Barbecue, Cooking, Dessert, Nebbiolo, Robert Ampeau, ThanksGavin, turkey, Wine

Fond of Philadelphia

Dec03

Restaurant: Fond

Location: 1537 South 11th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147. 215.551.5000

Date: November 28, 2013

Cuisine: American

Rating: Tasty modern American

_

Every year we Gavins descend on Philadelphia for several days of epic gluttony. This traditional week of feasting kicks off with the traditional Wednesday night dinner at some Philadelphia restaurant.


This year, we hit up Fond, an ingredient focused New American in Philadelphia’s little Italy.


The seasonal menu.


A prosecco to begin.


An amuse of mushroom cappuccino. Cream is always good.


1994 Robert Ampeau & Fils Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes. 91 points. A nice mature white Burgundy.


Black point oysters. Half dozen with mignonette.


Chicken liver mousse. pickled red onions and grilled sourdough.


Grilled duck hearts. Fennel salad and tahini yoghurt.

Mushroom Risotto. truffle, maitake, hazelnuts.


With fresh shaved black truffle.

Mixed Green Salad. seasonal accompaniments.


2008 Ferrando Carema White Label (Etichetta Bianca). Parker 92. The 2008 Carema Etichetta Bianca wafts from the glass with sweet dried cherries, tobacco, sweet herbs and crushed flowers. A mid-weight, delicate wine, the 2008 is quite typical of these hillside vineyards. In 2008 the acidity is a bit on the high side, which readers should keep in mind when considering food pairings. This is a gorgeous wine from Ferrando. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2023.


Angel-hair pasta with tomato sauce.


Mushroom Risotto. truffle, maitake, hazelnuts.


Seared tuna. potatoes.

Organic Salmon. sauerkraut latka, Belgian endive, whole grain mustard.

Pork Belly. Okinawan sweet potatoes, escarole, Dijon jus.


Duck confit. polenta, brussel sprouts, bacon, and jus.

Beef Skirt Steak. royal trumpet mushrooms, farro, sauce Bordelaise.


The dessert menu.


Warm brown butter apple tart. Ginger ice cream, lemon curd.


Malted milk chocolate ice cream. Peanut crumble, chocolate crumble, peanut butter genache.


Some anise flavored meringues as petite fours.

Overall, a lovely meal, wish a lot of flavor and a great way to start off the 2013 ThanksGavin!

For more Philly dining reviews click here.

And check out the epic ThanksGavin events here.

Related posts:

  1. Thanksgiving – The Prequel
  2. Bibou – ThanksGavin 2011 Prequel
  3. Saturday is for Salt
  4. Food as Art: Sam’s by the Beach
  5. Piccolo – A little Italian
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Dessert, Fond, Philadelphia, ThanksGavin, Wine
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