December-What's for dinner?

Lamb chops marinated in rosemary, garlic, tyme, sage, evoo
Rosemary roast potato, evoo and kosher salt
Roasted white asparagus, evoo and kosher salt
Served with 2005 Dis Tinto

Baked apple with butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar topped with goat cheese, brandied raisins and candied walnuts.
Served with 2004 De Bortoli Noble One Botrytis Semillon That was a seriously yummy pairing.

Skillet potatoes

Went out to dinner Friday night and had roasted duckling with an '05 Walter Hansel North Slope Pinot. Yum!!

Saturday night was a rib-eye with an '02 Stags' Leap The Leap Cab....

Last night was baby backs and sausage on the grill with a side of fusili. '05 Valdez Family Winery Zinfandel Reserve Lancel Creek Vineyard.... Made for a nice Sunday night...

Turducken

Bison Chili over Pasta
Salad

I rarely cook anymore and now with Costco in SF selling fully cooked Grimaud Farms' ducks, I can totally relax.
Had it today, warmed up in oven, with some salad, boiled French potatoes, Chambolle-Musigny and I have to say, it was pretty damn sweet.

quote:

Originally posted by grunhauser:
I rarely cook anymore and now with Costco in SF selling fully cooked Grimaud Farms' ducks, I can totally relax.
Had it today, warmed up in oven, with some salad, boiled French potatoes, Chambolle-Musigny and I have to say, it was pretty damn sweet.

Is it the half duck that comes with the orange sauce?
I had it and it was very good.

Chicken Paprikash, carrots and hummus, with some Shiraz/Grenache blend from D'Arenberg.

DnVsMom made some baked chicken in a cream sauce with pasta thing last night. I wish that I had some wine to wash it down....

HAHAHA!!!!

Tonight:

Crab cake

Roasted duckling with risotto

Chocolate cake with ice cream

Ate at Thee Bungalow. Found it to be average. The salad, shrimp bisque and side dishes were good. Sent out a complimentary beet tartare that had truffle oil and it was awesome. Surprisingly the entrees were dull. They had the Chef from Blue Point, but sadly the place was inferior. I know a few people here used to really enjoy it, but maybe its glory days have passed.

Had

Foie Gras

Roasted Crispy Duck with a Cumberland Cherry Sauce

Last night: Pan-seared ribeye with a Chianti Classico (2000 Il Molino di Grace Riserva)


Tonight: Cup of soup, French Fries with Mayo...and a 2006 Dr. Bürklin-Wolf Wachenheimer Gerümpel Riesling PC which was pretty good and great with the fries!

Finished both meals with port and Roquefort.

Grilled a rib-eye. Sauteed mushrooms and fusili. '02 Ruston La Maestra to go with....

Talapia Tacos and Mexican Rice

KD and a cheap Okanagan Riesling - one of my favorite combos!!

Cheese and pate

Pumpkin bisque

Chicken thighs marinated in red wine and african spices

Paired with:

2001 Domaine Serene Pinot Noir Willamette Valley Evenstad Reserve. Nice PN.

Tonight at Jiko in Animal Kingdom:

Barbecue chicken flatbread
Taste of Africa - Kalamata Olive Hummus, Durban Tikka Masala, and Malay Spinach-Lentil Dip with Lentil Pappadam, whole wheat lavosh, and flaxseed Naan bread
Chermoula Roasted, Tanglewood Chicken with red-skin mashed potatoes, preserved lemons, kalamata olives, roasted garlic, herbs and harissa

pho

quote:

Originally posted by Dom'n'Vin'sDad:
pho

there's pho in elk grove?

Venison tenderloin
Buttered Pasta w/ Parmesian
Green Peas

mmm, pho...on a cold wet day that is the money, especially with some Ca Phe Sua Da (watching that coffee drip onto the only good use I know for sweetened condensed milk).

Last night, Quick meal at Bogarts (Vancouver chop house)before late meeting

Moules Frites with demi-glace for the fries. Must go back for a Steak Frites as this demi-glace was killer. Need to spend longer with that and a big Cali cab, methinks.

Tonight roast pork loin with asparagas and garlic mash potato with a 1999 Ridge Lytton springs Zinfandel.

Top sirloin steak rubbed with olive oil, a little salt, and coarse-ground Talamanca pepper, pan grilled to medium-rare in Lodge cast-iron skillet; baked potato; green peas; 1994 Navarro Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon. O M G!

This meal reminded me that when it comes to food, simple is often unbeatable.

quote:

Originally posted by RDCollins:

1994 Navarro Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon. O M G!

I must admit, when I think of Navarro, I do not think of Cabernet.

quote:

Originally posted by wine+art:I must admit, when I think of Navarro, I do not think of Cabernet.

Granted. They make little of it, but it's usually good QPR -- this was all of $17 when released in 1999 -- in part because they stay under the radar. The mainstream wine press only rarely reviews their wines, which AFAIK are available only by mail or at the winery.

1994 was an excellent year for Cabernet in California, and while this bottle certainly wasn't one of the stars of the vintage by any means, it developed nicely. It was a fine example of what Cali Cab is all about (or should be), and I thought it paired with the steak perfectly. My guess is that some of the super-concentrated, highly tannic 95+ pointers from the vintage haven't done as well.

quote:

Originally posted by RDCollins:


-- in part because they stay under the radar.

As much fun as they have there, they need to stay under the radar!

Always a place to hit on any trip. Thanks for the tasting note.

w+a

Last night at a great place in Delray, Florida.

Fried calamari with marinara sauce

Antipasto

Meat balls

Veal chop with truffles and risotto

Assorted desserts (tiramisu, cannoli, cheese cake)

Started with some dungeness crab and finished with grilled lamb chops and roasted red potatoes. '05 Sbragia Gamble Ranch Chard and '02 Rosemount Balmoral Syrah. It was a nice night....

Tonight:

Onion soup

Steak and frites

Double espresso

Christmas Eve (big gang 30-35)

Assorted Apps

Dinner:

Fried Flounder
Baked Salmon with stuffing
Marinated Calamari
Fried Shrimp
Stuffed Eels (for the hard core Sicilians )
Red Sauce with Clam, Calamari, Scungili
Linguini
Eggplant, Baked chicken cutlets, stuffed mushrooms for the landlubbers.

Desserts: It's easier to just say we didn't have chocolate mousse.

Christmas Day (small gang of 8)

Homemade Cut Spaghetti - early course
Eye Round Roast - Main
Dessert - Grain Pie, assorted bakery cookies and other pound packing sweets

Today: Slim Fast and to the gym.

Mix of cheeses, olives, charcuterie and prosciutto wrapped asparagus on parmesan crisps with Kir Royale
Honey and chili glazed prawns with Mango Salsa on Endive with Joie - A Noble blend (interesting BC white blend of gewurz, riesling, pinot blanc and kerner)
Vichyssoise (thanks Board-O!) with Chard
Sliced strip loin with creamy sauteed mushrooms and toasted baguette slices (thanks tannic bastard!) with Cab

Trying to keep happy all of the palates in the family is a tricky business but it seemed to come off very well by all reports.

saute'd garlic, san marzano tomatoes, basil, spoon, + '03 alexander valley cab.

tomorrow - kale soup with miso paste and 10 fried garlic cloves.

The tasting menu at Chateau Mona Lisa Vito!

quote:

The tasting menu at Chateau Mona Lisa Vito!

I actually felt good when I got up from the table. Very tasty and healthy.

Board-O...I should also say that it was a pleasure speaking with you during this memorable meal as well.

Tonight:

Assorted cheeses

Curry lamb stew

paired with:

2004 Terròs La Cova dels Vins Montsant

Spinach Caesar with Chablis.

Baked chicken with mushrooms and bacon, and a Burgundy.

Dungeness Crab Cakes
Salad (butter lettuce, candied pecans, bosc pear, Gorgonzola, red onion, sweet-ish vinaigrette)
Bread

'06 Sinnean Chardonnay (the un-oaked one)

Last night - chicken fajitas with the 2001 Columbia Syrah, Red Willow Vineyard. Unfortunately the fajitas were better than the Syrah.

Early New Year's Dinner last night with friends and relatives:

Lamb Loin "Tartelette", mediterranean ratatouille, sauteed foie gras, truffle vinaigrette mache lettuce

Asparagus in green onion olive oil emulsion

Wild boar ribeye with dry apricot, yukon gold potato, Mountain Edgehog mushroom, roasted chestnut

Gran Marnier souffle

Dinner was paired with:

2005 Dr. H. Thanisch Riesling Kabinett Mosel-Saar-Ruwer Bernkasteler Badstube.

2004 Bodegas LAN Rioja Edición Limitada.

2003 Domaine de l'Hortus Coteaux du Languedoc Pic St.-Loup Grande Cuvée.

2004 GRAMONA Cava Gran Cuvée.