Madison, WI

Ate dinner at a very nice restaurant in Madison, WI last week. Harvest Restaurant is located on the Capital Square and has a great small restaurant ambience to it. Had the following for dinner:

First Course
Yellow Split Pea Soup, Moroccan Spices, Yogurt

Main Course
Braised Beef Short Ribs, White Corn Palenta, Apple and Celeriac Remoulade, Beef Jus

Sides (Shared): Anson Mills Spin Rossa della Valsugana Polenta, Potato Puree, Spinach and Garlic Confit, Hen of the Woods Mushrooms

Wine
Corteforte, Valpolicella Ripasso, Italy 2005
Expressive fruit notes of ripe plums and black cherry, excellent complexit

A good restaurant with great atmosphere and reasonable prices.

Chateau Hautes Ribes Vacqueyras

I was down in Phoenix, AZ for work this past December and had dinner one night with my good friend Al (a sommelier). Al had a Rhone that I thought was amazing. Very reasonably priced ($12-$15) with a deep velvety color and rich flavor that Al said was due to the heat in Southern France where the vineyard is.

One I didn't want to forget about so here's the Cellar Tracker Link:

Chateau Hautes Ribes Vacqueyras

Al said it's kind of hard to come by so good luck to you if you happen to search for any.

Wine Spectator notes: Lovely red. Lots of pure, clean, ripe red and black fruit. Supple and sweet tannins. Medium body. Wonderful finish. Not overly complex, but great pleasure in a glass.

Cupertino, CA - 2009

While traveling in the San Francisco area on business, I had the opportunity to eat at an excellent steakhouse called Alexander's Steakhouse. Alexander's is a classic American steakhouse with hints of Japanese influence laced into the menu.

Alexander's features Certified Angus Beef, corn fed from the midwest. They have their own dry-aging room which you can see immediately upon entering the restaurant. In addition to American beef, they also serve true Japanese imported Kobe beef of the A5 grade (the highest grade possible).

Great atmosphere, excellent wine menu (Wine Spectator Award of Excellence), fantastic presentation, and great flavors made for a very enjoyable evening.

Here are their menu's for your perusal:

Dinner Menu
Dessert Menu
Wine List

Throughout the evening, we had the following wines:

2001 Chateau Beau-Soleil
2006 Domaine Drouhin
2004 Masi, Amarone Classico, Veneto

*Note: CellarTracker links are approximate to give you a feel for the wine. Specific vintages were not always available.

Here's what I had for dinner:

Pork and Prawns
Braised Pork Belly, Honey Roasted Kabocha Squash, Cocoa, Aioli
*Note: I think this is what this was, can't remember for sure.

Hamachi Shots
Grade 5 Hamachi, Red Chili, Frizzled Ginger,
Avocado, Truffled Ponzu

Smoked Salmon Pastrami
Dill, Gruyere Chips, Sauerkraut,
1000 Island, Rye Toast

Popcorn Crab
Jumbo Lump Crabmeat Fritters, Sansho,
White Pepper, Sriracha Mayonnaise

Rasberry Red Zinfandel Port Sorbet
Palate Cleanser Before the Main Event

Bone In Filet
One of the best steaks I've had in my life.
Came with this placard from the chef.

Rise 'N' Shine
Chocolate Souffle with
Creme Anglaise

And lastly, as if we hadn't eaten
enough already, they bring out this
Green Apple Cotton Candy. Delicious!!

So, if you're in the San Francisco area, I would definitely recommend giving Alexander's Steakhouse a try. Great food, great atmosphere, great fun, and a place where you'll make some memories with friends and family alike.

Las Vegas 2008

I'm attending a conference in Las Vegas and benefiting from the hospitality of our hosts. A great opportunity to try some new restaurants.

Sunday - Sushisamba (Menu)
A unique blend of Japanese, Brazilian and Peruvian cuisine, music and design made for a great dining experience. The menu is full of opportunity for a dining adventure and instead of having to choose what to eat and leave out something equally delicious, the wait staff prepared a "family style" dinner for us with a variety of selections from the menu. Five courses in all and probably too much food, it was a wonderful dining experience and a highly recommended restaurant to try out for some interesting fusion flavors.

Monday - B&B Ristorante (Menu)
A Mario Bitale restaurant, had to stop for appetizers and dessert We had:

- Proscuitto San Daniele "Riserva" with Black Pepper "Fett 'unta"
- Calamari and Seppie Fritti
- Matsusake Carpaccio (doesn't appear on this particular menu)
- Cioccolato w/Braised Huckleberries

Had a good super Tuscan: 2005 Campo di Sasso Toscana IGT

An intense young red, with violet, black fruit and light toasty oak character on a medium body, with fine tannins and a medium, espresso-tinged finish.

Tuesday - Nobu (Menu)

Located in the Hard Rock Hotel, Japanese Restaurant Owner and Chef, Nobu Matsuhisa, is highly recognized for his groundbreaking modern and authentic Japanese cuisine; the sushi is fresh as is all the seafood and most entree's will introduce a guest’s taste buds to delirium. Signature dishes to satisfy any palate include the Lobster Ceviche infused with citrus flavors that give guests the reminiscent feel of the tropics; Shrimp and Main Lobster drizzled with tangy lemon sauce and the Scallops in Spicy Pepper. Other exotic offerings are the Assorted Sashimi flavored with garlic, ginger and sesame seeds, slivers of Red Snapper with chili paste or for the more adventurous type, the Yellowtail with jalapeno. The house specialty is a Three-day Marinated Cod seared and served with sweet miso sauce.

Aside from the fine cuisine found at Nobu, the interior design features bamboo pillars, wooden birch trees, a black river rock wall and a seaweed wall, replications of the décor found in Chef Nobu’s New York restaurant, TriBeCa. Other impressive details include the burnt ash tabletops to match the bamboo feature and a black rock at each table setting to hold chopsticks.

Wednesday - Aureole (Menu)

We spent our last night in Vegas at Aureole which is located in Mandalay Bay. A dramatic space with urban sophistication, serene elegance and world-class cuisine. "Wine angels" fly through the four story wine tower retrieving wine from a selection equal to most in Vegas. The wine menu itself is presented to you on a wireless tablet PC with sorting and search capabilities to let you hone in on your favorite country, region, varietal, etc.

The menu was excellent and offers two prix fixe choices and one a la carte three course menu. The entire table must order the same menu so if you have some with you who aren't adventurous with their taste buds, beware that you may not get all that you are wanting when choosing from the menu. In our particular party, we had a stickler who didn't like sushi or duck (I think he's crazy personnally) and that kept us from the prix fixe menu we wanted. But, we were not disappointed in the menu we did have and thoroughly enjoyed our evening. We paired dinner with a 2004 Chateau Lascombe Bordeaux. Below are pictures of the dishes I had.

Appetizer - Ahi Tuna and Cured Salmon Composition

w/American Caviar and Lemon Creme Fraiche

Main Course - Ahi Tuna and Veal Shank "Surf and Turf",
Puttanesca Flavors, Basil Pesto

Dessert - Fallen Bittersweet Chocolate and Blackberry Souffle,
Blackberry Cheesecake Ice Cream, White Chocolate Foam

Napa Valley 2008

Some of the choice pickups we made on our trip to Napa Valley this past October:

2005 Arrowood Cote de Lune Rouge
2005 Benziger Family Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Gordenker Vineyard
2005 Benziger Family Winery Tribute
2007 Elizabeth Spencer Sauvignon Blanc Proprietor Selected Special Cuvée
2005 Hopper Creek Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Clos Valmi
2005 Hopper Creek Winery Merlot
2004 Reynolds Family Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Select
2005 Rodney Strong Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
2006 Rodney Strong Pinot Noir Reserve
2004 Rubicon Estate / Niebaum-Coppola Cabernet Sauvignon

Below is a photo I took at the Benziger Winery. We were there during harvest so the colors were amazing and it was great to see the wineries in full swing with the fall crush.

Vancouver, BC

Dinner at Diva

Spring Asparagus Soup w/Mock Truffle
Canadian Striploin with wild mushroom saute, braised cipollini, crispy pave, red wine jus
Warm Chocolate Souffle with Pistachio Ice Cream and Chocolate Sauce


Wine - Blue Mountain Pinot Noir Okanagan Valley 2006

Château Puygueraud Côtes de Francs 2005

Shows lovely black currant, floral and black licorice notes. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a tight bead of fruit and mineral throughout. Has a long finish. Best after 2009. 10,830 cases made.

Score: 92
Release Price: $18

One of the recommendations from Wine Spectator for the 2005 Vintage of the Century.

Sineann Pinot Noir Willamette Valley Resonance Vineyard 2006

Sineann Pinot Noir Willamette Valley Resonance Vineyard 2006

Bright and juicy, with crisp acidity to carry the fresh dark berry flavors. Not as profound or complex as some vintages, but its impressive length suggests that cellaring might add some depth. Drink now through 2012. 450 cases made.

Score: 89
Release Price: $48

Moto

How was Moto? Wow, what can we say? A co-worker of Cindee's (see Tammy's Tastings Blog) recommended this restaurant to us for our Chicago weekend. We were eager with anticipation and Moto certainly didn't let us down. We had the 10-course dinner with an extra course of the Flapjacks thrown in when I asked them about them at the end of the meal. Great minimalist decore, friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable wait staff, and amazing food.

The menu is essentially three choices. 5-course, 10-course, and GTM (Grand Tasting Moto). We had the 10-course with the wine pairing.

I had my iPhone with me so I took as many photos as I could. Due to ambient lighting, the pictures are somewhat blurry. But, you get the gist of the genius of Homaro Cantu.

Edible Personalized Menu

Not only is it a menu but it's a rebus.

So, you have to think at the same time

you're reading the menu. Along with

the menu which was delicious, we started

with a rose brut champagne. Very nice!

Greek salad

The chip on top was "chilled" in liquid
nitrogen. On top, Octopus with an
avacado puree of some type (I think).
Wine Pairing: Warwick Sauvignon
Blanc Simonsberg-Stellenbosch

Professor Black 2007

Greek salad/liquified
A consume of tomato, cucumber, and a

type of olive oil that I don't remember.

Amazing flavor explosion when you "shoot"

this dish. Palate cleansing and very refreshing.

Nitro pineapple
Upper left hand corner is a stainless steel
serving platter on which were two chunks of

pineapple in jerk sauce. Lower right is a piece

of opakapaka. Served with water cress.
Wine Pairing: Murai Family, Nigori Genshu, Aomori, NV Saki

Next Course: Smoked Pork with collard greens (no picture)
Wine Pairing: Sineann Pinot Noir
Willamette Valley Resonance
Vineyard 2006

Pasta & Quail

Wine Pairing: Betts and Scholl
Grenache Barossa Valley The O.G. 2005

Roadkill of big game
Venison in beet puree. Notice lane
divider marker down middle of plate.
Lower left is some type of liver and a
light cheese with peppercorn salt as
the gravel on the road.
Wine Pairing: Richard Partridge Cabernet
Sauvignon Napa Valley 2003

C O-two Fruit
Carbonated fruit (grapes and apple)
with other assorted goodies I don't remember.

Gin and Tonic
Under spoon is grapefruit. Lower left is
grapefruit foam with a thin cookie. Spoon
has a membrane with a print of a grapefruit
on it. Inside the membrane is the gin & tonic.
When you bite in, it gushes out.

S'Mores
Wine Pairing:
Sutton Cellars, Pagano Vineyard Zinfandel Port
Zinfandel, Russian River Valley 2005

Flapjacks
Cooked on an "anti-griddle" fresh
from a liquid nitrogen bath.

Flapjack is served in a spoonfull of
bourbon barrel aged maple syrup.

We highly recommend you try out Moto. You won't be disappointed!

Vivere

This past Friday, Cindee and I had dinner at Vivere in Chicago. Part of the Italian Village, we had seen this restaurant featured on the Food Network and were eager to eat there. We were not disappointed at all and found the ambience, wait staff, food, and wine selections outstanding. For our dinner we had:

Antipasti Freddi
Carpaccio di Cervo con Formaggio Tartufo Bianco
- thinly sliced raw Venison, white truffle chees, truffle oil, Michigan peaches, micro greens

Antipasti Caldi
Gnocchi di Tartufo Nero con Astice e Spinaci
- Homemade potato and black truffle dumplings, lobster, spinach, white wine shallot sauce

Paste
Agnolottini di Fagiano
- Homemade pheasant filled pasta; butter, sage, Parmigiano-Reggiano
Tordelli Di Coniglio E Porcini
- Tuscan style pasta filled with braised rabbit; and Prosciutto di Parma, wild mushrooms, butter, spinach.

Secondi
Capesante con Crosta di Porcini ai Ferri
- Seared sea scallops dusted with porcini powder and star anise; soft polenta, beluga lentils, shallot-wine sauce
Petto d'Anatra Arrostito con Mandorle
- Pan roasted duck breast encrusted with candied almonds; roasted butternut squash, mission figs, port reduction.

With dinner we had an excellent Barolo: 1999 Franco Molino Rocche dell'Annunziata