Great Wine, but the Truffle steals the show!!

Last night was the monthly 'Wine Dinner' at our favorite local restaurant, Bacco. I've been to quite a few of these and like all those before, it didn't disappoint. Dinner was based on the Cuisine of the Piedmont region of Italy which is inspired by the farmers and peasants fondness for fresh food products of the area. Wine also was from the region with an excellent Barolo, served with the 3rd course, from the vineyards in the Monforte, Serralunga, & Castiglione Falletto areas. This wine was full of vibrant fruit and rich plum flavors that went excellently with the Braised Beef and Truffled Potato Puree. Also the Gavi di Gavi 2008 La Meirana Bruno Broglia was a great way to start the evening as it was paired with the trio of Aperitivo. The flavor was very fresh with a hint of almond and nice fruity accents. I could see this being a perfect wine for a nice summer day to accompany seafood or any light dish. Even with that in mind it did well to stand up to the Truffle Pâté smeared Crostini.

The food suited the weather well and with seasonal ingredients and hearty recipes the night was delicious and filling. Black Truffles were ever present, really stealing the show as it made it's way into 4 of the courses.

Brighton: Britains south coast destination

Recently Shira and I took a long weekend to Brighton, which is located along the southern coast of England about 1 1/2 hours (by train) from London. Brighton has been a tourist destination for a long time. It offers a pebbly beach, marina, pier with amusements, high street and alternative type shopping and food, Glorious Food!

    

We stayed at the Drakes Hotel, located along the seafront. Drakes is a well known boutique hotel with it's luxuries including ocean views, stylish bar, acclaimed restaurant (The Gingerman), great service, and not to mention the stand-alone bathtubs in the room with space for two. I would highly recommend this place especially for a weekend getaway. As with all of our trips that we take, I spent some time researching the local culinary scene and I was not disappointed with the offerings at hand.

   

                                   

Our first meal in Brighton was at a longstanding local favorite, English's of Brighton. Food has been served at that location for 400 years and the current owner have been there since 1945. As expected Seafood is what it is known for. We started out with some local oysters served with the classic condiments: lemon, Tabasco,  Mignonette sauce and others. Then we shared a seafood chowder, full of at least three varieties done in the Manhattan style, simple and very tasty. Our mains were fish cakes for Shira and dressed crab for me, washed down with a bottle of chilled Champagne. Everything was as you expected, fresh down the way you would expect from such an institution.

   

Dinner that night was at Terre a Terre, a vegetarian restaurant. Probably not what you would expect in a seaside town but Brighton's food scene tends on the more socially and environmental conscious side. This is very apparent by "The Taste of Sussex" food festival (which happened to be going on the weekend that we were there), which showcases the local restaurants and food vendors along with many of the restaurants in town that feature local produce and other foods. Needless to say Terrre a Terre doesn't disappoint with an array of tasty options, large portions and creativity in there dishes (even if they lost our ticket and we had to wait for about 30-40 minutes for or mains, we were comped though).

   

Last up was our final dinner in Brighton, Due South. Right on the beach front this restaurant is well known for it's showcasing of local organic foods. I had actually made a mistake on my reservation, but they were able to fit us in at there outdoor section (lucky for us the weather was just as accommodating as they were).  Shira went for 2 and I had 3 courses for the night. I had the "Nose to Tail" of pork tortellini with black pudding and pea to start. It was a very tasty well executed dish that delights both in appearance and taste. I've never has black pudding before but I must say that it was quite good. Shira had the Local wild mushrooms on toasted brioche, got to love the local fungi! For mains I had the Roast Turbot with a smoked cepe risotto and Shira had the Beetroot linguine, chili, garlic crumbs and courgette. Another two well thought out dishes that did nothing to disappoint. My risotto was actually made from barley which I found to be a nice twist (and healthy too). For dessert I had there Carrot Panacotta with white chocolate and pepper sauce. This was an excellent dessert that somehow found itself to be both rich and light at the same time, amazing. I would have never thought as carrot as a flavor for panacotta. Due South is definitely worth making the reservation for and maybe even the trip to Brighton.

All in all Brighton is a great place to visit with a lot to do. If you are a couple looking for a romantic weekend away, family out for some fun with the kids, the girls out for some shopping or a 'Hen Party', or just someone looking to get some fresh seafood, Brighton is your place.

              

OoLaLaLaaaa.......Paris

Well a couple of weekends ago I went to France for the very first time and of course our destination was Paris. This may be the most 'Romantic City' in the world to most but to us Foodies it is a virtual culinary Mecca. I was very excited to see all those spectacular sites, the Louvre, Arch de Triumph, Eiffel Tower and many more, but the food....oh the food.

     

We arrives via Eurostar into Gare du Nord, leaving from the new Saint Pancras station in London. Of course we had toexperience 'the longest Champagne Bar in Europe' with some bubbly and Canapes. Don't be fooled though it's not the actual bar that is so long but the length of all the seating. The actual bar where you can sit and sip is just of average size. Still the range and variety of Champagne is impressive. You can spend just a few quid on a glass or break the bank (Dom Perignon White Gold Jeroboam 1995 for 6500 pounds!).  Once we arrived in Paris we walked to our hotel and set off to see

the Louvre (just a hint Friday night it is opened till 10 pm). With no Que in site we entered and hit all the most sees and points of interest. Being done with our first bit of site seeing, it was getting late and man were we hungry. Like any good enthusiast i had done a fair amount of research on restaurants in Paris. This can be a bit of a daunting task given the insane amount of restaurants, cafes, bistros and brasseries there are to be found in the city. Luckily I had narrowed down the parameters of my search with a few websites, books and magazine articles. 

     

                                                    

My first taste of Paris I owe to a article in Conde Nast Traveller magazine (July 2008, Pg. 66 Food & Drink section). It had a great list of bistros to experience throughout the city that the locals frequent. So off we went in search of Le Timbre. Small and quaint can be used to describe this small bistro, the chef is within ear shot and gives a friendly smile and greeting to all who enter the door. This is a small operation with just one, very helpful, hostess/server, and the chef running the kitchen. Chris Wright is the man in the kitchen and has been serving up the locals and tourists alike (quite a few Brits and Americans were there that night). Now at seeing this name your first impression may be.... what a minute, that doesn't sound very French to me. Well you're right, Chris hails originally from England, but his cooking speaks otherwise. The menu is a small (compared to the one outside) chalkboard will all the daily offerings. You can order all 3 course- First, Main, Dessert or just go a la carte. we off course has all three and let me tell you, they were all marvelous!    

                          

To start, aperitifs of champagne were drunk and bread was brought to the table. Then came our first courses, which for the world of me I can't seem to recall. I'm going to blame it on the bliss from the first bite, being so incredible that it was a shock to me system causing partial amnesia. Luckily the for the mains I took pictures so no excuses there. I had the Roast Pork with tomatoes and whole mustard sauce and Shira had the Duck with peaches. Man! These dishes were so simple yet they absolutely exploded with flavor. Great combinations perfectly cooked with prime ingredients. All this was complemented by a nice bottle of Beaujolais. You really can't ask 

for more, but of course we did. Next dessert, Shira had the Cheese Plate and I had Panna cotta type dessert that looked like a ice cream cone in a puddle of Blackberry sauce. Yum is all I can say, tart sauce, crunchy cone and a heavenly rich cloud of deliciousness. Top it all off with some damn tasty coffee and we were completely satisfied and content. I can't think of any better way to end a day in Paris.

(to be continued.....)

Asia de Cuba

So this past Saturday the misses and I had a bit of a 'Spa Day' at Harrods. Actually it was just a shave and a trim for me but that's just fine. Of course all that pampering can be exhausting and you work up quite a appetite, i needed dinner plans for after. So I asked a friend of ours for a restaurant suggestions, since he and his wife make it a point to go out and experience new places to dine in London. I chose to check out one of there top picks which ended up being a restaurant called Asia de Cuba.

         

Of course from the name you can tell what type of cuisine is served. Asia de Cuba does a very nice job of combining both ingredients and cooking styles of Asia and Cuba. Flavors combine and switch from the zing and richness of Cuba and the freshness of a variety of Asian styles. Portions are definitely "Texas Size", which for those of you who don't know what that means, it is a reference to the saying that 'everything is bigger in Texas'. Hence the portions are huge and sharing is the key to ordering dishes at Asia de Cuba. We shared an appetizer, the Calamari Salad 'Asia De Cuba', which was delicious. Crispy calamari, hearts of palm, sweet banana chunks, cashews, crisp greens and a sweet orange/sesame dressing. Very good and very big. For our main we shared the pork spare ribs with pineapple and sides of plantain fried rice w/ avocado salsa and wokked Chinese long beans (sample menu). All very tasty and the pork with meltingly tender. Along with great food they offer a tasty beverage menu with some creative cocktails featuring ,of course, rum. The bar features the largest selection of sipping rums in London. A nice wine selections is available too. Ambiance is lively and the decor is highlighted by their towering 'art columns'.

   

All in all I would definitely recommend this restaurant for a couples night out and especially for a place to meet friends so you can share a variety of their innovative dishes.

Stavanger: A Culinary Destination (Who would have known)

It's been a while since I've written (bad me), but here is a post that I had meant to finish up shortly after the trip was taken. Not to long ago my fiance Shira had a business trip to Stavanger, Norway. I decided to meet up with here near the end of the work week so we could spend the weekend there. I didn't know much about Norway or Stavanger outside of it being called the "Land of the Midnight Sun", due to the ridiculously long days in the summer. Unfortunately it wasn't summer time so the weather was a bit cold and wet. Regardless f that I can definitely see the charm of this little city and can image it as the great base for the outdoor adventure that's at it's doorstep. 

  

My biggest surprise and the reason for this write up is the culinary scene. The Norwegians, much like the British aren't renown for the traditional culinary prowess of their culture. Fresh fish and a huge repertoire of pickled items is about the extent of what most people think of when Norway comes to mind. Surprisingly there was a huge range of dining options to choose from for our weekend in Stavanger soI did a fair amount of research on restaurants before the trip (as any true 'Foodie' would) and was excited at the prospects.

   

Our First dinner was a local fish restaurant, Sjohuset Skagen located just off the water (the Vagen). The cuisine was fairly traditional Norwegian and I must say that it was really tasty. No flair but honest food prepared expertly. The first Cod of the season was on special so "When in Rome", of course we had the Cod special. I first started with a Gravlax which was the best that I've ever had and of course some regional brew. Following that was the main course of Cod, fresh veggies (some of them pickled), and of course the starch of choice thereabouts, Potatoes. Everything was simply done but very tasty, kudos to Norwegian cuisine.

   

Also while we there we had some very flavorful burgers (actually some of the best that I have tasted since moving away from the states) for lunch at a small restaurant in the city center called Soleado. Mornings consisted of aromatic coffee and pastries at a french style cafe. Another tasty dinner was at a Tapas restaurant (they seem to be everywhere in Europe) called Emilio's Tapas Bar. We were pleasantly surprised at how good the Tapas were at this place. Very authentic dishes, all the classics that you would expect - Jamon Ham, Manchego Cheese, Olives, Bacon wrapped Dated, Octopus and many, many more. A great treat!

The last place of mention is Craigs Kjokken(Kitchen). This was a restaurant that was recommended on many websites and also by some coworkers of Shira. This was a quite posh place whose food could be best described as modern Norwegian. They have only one set menu of 6 courses (you can choose how many and which courses you want) and it changes daily, all depending on what is available. If I remember correctly they try to use a lot of local ingredients in their menus. Unfortunately I can't completely recall all the plates that we had (went for 5 course, skipping the cheese course) but there was a starter, soup, 1st, 2nd, and dessert course. If there is some interest in what we actually had please let me know and I will confer with my Foodie Fiance and we'll try to recall our meal in detail. Craig's does offer wine pairing for each of the courses and has a pretty extensive wine list. So in a nutshell the whole meal was fantastic, the portions were just right and all the dishes were a nice blend of Norwegian staples with a twist or at least regionally inspired. I would definitely recommend this place for a visit.

Well I hope you are as surprised as I am to all the tastiness that can be found in Stavanger, Norway and if you do get a chance to visit, check some of these places out. Cheers!

Eating What you Know: A trip back

There is nothing quite like coming back to a place for a meal and having it be exactly how you remember it. This is often a tricky proposition given a varying set of variables: Was the food really that good or was it perhaps the experience that surrounded the food that makes the meal seem like a larger then life gastronomic experience? Very often or memories betray us and that can lead to bitter disappointment that is really our fault and not the restaurants.

Recently we traveled back to where we came from before moving across the pond to England. This forgotten land would be Houston, Texas (and it really isn't forgotten, I'm just being melodramatic). We had lived in Houston for almost 5 years so we had definitely found our favorite places to eat and we were very excited about going back to them. It's not that we haven't found good places to eat in our new 'neck of the woods', but we really have a few all time favorites that beckoned us back. We even made a culinary itinerary of all the places we were going to eat for our meals every day. Two places on our schedule stood out among all the rest, but in this blog I will cover just one (so not to bore or make you insanely hungry with too much food talk). This place of culinary delight in Houston is called Nori, formally found along Kirkwood but now in it's new location and swankier venue on Westheimer.

      

Nori had pretty much become our sushi restaurant of choice as soon as we experienced it for the first time. We owe that occasion to our friends Derek and Lisa Unger. This was a place that they were established regulars and now were gracious enough to allow us to share in the experience of Nori. Don't you just love it when friends share a new place, whether it be a bar, pub or restaurant with you, and it is just the cat's meow? We sure did and soon became regulars at Nori too.

    

Close to our departure to England, Nori closed down to change venues (which happened to be even closer to our apartment, Yeah!). Unfortunate Shira (my now fiance) moved before the restaurant reopened. I on the other hand was lucky enough (since I had to wait for our cats to be cleared for transport overseas) to make the Grand Opening (regulars only)and had as many visits as I could justify before I too in turn moved.

      

Upon arriving back in Houston, we drove to our friends the Ungers house and then preceded to make our way to Nori for our first meal back (and by the way it was also out last meal before departing). The restaurant may have moved but the spirit that made it so great at the old location was still alive and well. Once through the doors we were greeted heartily by all our names (I had been gone for 5 months, but Shira for 10). Drinks were ordered and the feasting begun. Lots of restaurants, when they move try to improve their menus with changes and in fact actually diminish the quality of their food. I'm glad to say that even with a few new items like the Soba, the Tartar's, and the new rolls, the food was as good as it ever was. I definitely ate too much, but loved every minute of it.

    

What sets Nori apart from the other sushi joints in town is their relaxed and welcoming attitude toward their guests. This isn't a place to be seen with all the 'beautiful people' or a funky downtown sushi bar that is really more about the decor and its guests then the food. Nori is a place where Brian , owner and Head Sushi Chef, let you know what's good on the menu and are more then ready to chat about local sports, currents events, our what you have been up to lately.

   

So to summarise, if you find yourself in Houston and have a hankering for some damn tasty sushi, go to Nori for a bite, ask Brian what's fresh and tell him that Dan and Shira from England sent you and say Hi! Enjoy the experience, I'm already jealous!

Champagne Tasting - Vinoteca@Bacco

Last night my fiance and myself went to a champagne tasting dinner at a local Italian eatery named Bacco. Every month they do a wine tasting paired with a four course meal. This was actually the second time that I'd come to this event and both times were excellent. The previous event was a Tuscan wine tasting and there were around 30 people enjoying the evening. Last night though was all Champagne with the exception of a Muscat to accompany dessert. 

Now you may wonder how can you have Champagne paired with every course. Sure as a aperitivo or paired with the traditional caviar or oysters but for the 1st, 2nd, and main course. Well they did it and it worked very well. Every wine tasting menu is created especially for that evening by their head Chef, Stephano. So it's not just a rearrangement of current menu items to fit the meal like you may find at other places. All the dishes were on the lighter side to complement their accompanying bubbly. Seafood was the highlight of the first two courses and the main was centered around quail. My favorite course was the first, which consisted of a Monkfish carpaccio with toasted sesame seeds and some shaved fennel. Touched with some rich olive oil and it was a real winner. Next was Seabass stuffed ravioli (all of their pasta is handmade every day) with a crayfish sauce. This was very tasty and my fiances favorite of the night. Our main course was roasted Quail over a champagne risotto with Porcini mushrooms and a creamy leek/saffron sauce. Last was a chilled dessert of passion fruit mousse with a pear and champagne jelly. Very refreshing and a great match with the Muscat.

             

All of the pairings last evening were superb and we even ended up purchasing a bottle of the Rose, which was served with the Quail, and the Muscat. That's the other great thing about this restaurant, you can purchase any of the wines/champagnes that you taste at the retail price. This evening didn't see as many people as the last, but it was a Monday evening and Half-term for schools was this week (that would be similar to Midterm in the States). The nice thing was that the owner (his name is Stephano too) and his wife were able to join everyone at the table for the meal. They are a extremely friendly and gracious couple who really make sure that you feel at home. Stefano's wife actually remembered me from the last tasting along with the fact that my fiance was out of town on business. All the staff are very personable too. This restaurant is worth a visit as everyone at the tastings will attest. Most of the people had been to at least several other wine tastings at Bacco before and were on a first name basis with the owners and many of the other customers. If you live around London this restaurant is worth the trek out to Richmond and if you are visiting for the first time put it on your 'to-do' list! If you can only make it once, I recommend finding out when the next tasting is and book it into your plans.

      

Full Menu with Champagne Pairings to follow

      

Bacco Website- www.bacco-restaurant.co.uk/