For your viewing pleasure...
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
Ravioli and Trellis Merlot
Hadn't posted any pics for a while so here goes!
The first is a picture of an avocado taken from my Parents tree. I think these are tastiest avos I have ever had. A nice butter flavor with great texture. The Pit is a bit too big for my liking but for free how can I argue?
The mixed green salad was something the wife whipped up. I used a red wine/balsamic dressing I made with a touch of Dijon and Japanese Mayo. I thought the tuna on top was a nice touch.
And finally the Ravioli. It was a non-Costco brand with Spinach and Cheese that I bought at Costco nonetheless. The Sun-dried Tomato/Lime/Caper sauce we make with ravioli went well but not as well as when we used the Costco Cheese Ravioli. The Costco brand is a bigger ravioli with more cheese, which in my opinion pairs much nicer with the lighter olive oil based sauce. Next time we will go with a heavier creme or tomato based sauce.
The Wine was adequate by 5 dollar wine standards, It took a while to open up and breathe and was a bit of a tease in that it had a great nose, a great color, but not a great taste nor finish. It didnt stop me from drinking almost the whole thing though! Enjoy the pics and as always feel free to comment.
The first is a picture of an avocado taken from my Parents tree. I think these are tastiest avos I have ever had. A nice butter flavor with great texture. The Pit is a bit too big for my liking but for free how can I argue?
The mixed green salad was something the wife whipped up. I used a red wine/balsamic dressing I made with a touch of Dijon and Japanese Mayo. I thought the tuna on top was a nice touch.
And finally the Ravioli. It was a non-Costco brand with Spinach and Cheese that I bought at Costco nonetheless. The Sun-dried Tomato/Lime/Caper sauce we make with ravioli went well but not as well as when we used the Costco Cheese Ravioli. The Costco brand is a bigger ravioli with more cheese, which in my opinion pairs much nicer with the lighter olive oil based sauce. Next time we will go with a heavier creme or tomato based sauce.
The Wine was adequate by 5 dollar wine standards, It took a while to open up and breathe and was a bit of a tease in that it had a great nose, a great color, but not a great taste nor finish. It didnt stop me from drinking almost the whole thing though! Enjoy the pics and as always feel free to comment.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
TJs Wine Review-2008 Zarafa
Went on a TJ run for some cheapie wines and this is the first Ive opened so thought Id shoot a quickie review.
On the nose it smells decent enough. I will admit in this area I am a bit lacking this week due to the fact I am getting over a partial cold.
As for the taste-it starts off pleasant enough but has a finish that can best be described as "off." Maybe I got a bad bottle or something but this got a mediocre review from the wife and a below average from me....even by sub 5 dollar wine standards. And once again...maybe it could be to my sinus condition.
Upon further review, maybe this is a good example of a varietal that I'm not just too fond of? Could be. If Im not mistaken this may be the first South African wine I have ever tried. Ive got 3 others on the shelf for review so check back soon.
On the nose it smells decent enough. I will admit in this area I am a bit lacking this week due to the fact I am getting over a partial cold.
As for the taste-it starts off pleasant enough but has a finish that can best be described as "off." Maybe I got a bad bottle or something but this got a mediocre review from the wife and a below average from me....even by sub 5 dollar wine standards. And once again...maybe it could be to my sinus condition.
Upon further review, maybe this is a good example of a varietal that I'm not just too fond of? Could be. If Im not mistaken this may be the first South African wine I have ever tried. Ive got 3 others on the shelf for review so check back soon.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Ghost Pines Cab at Costco for 14.99!
I was as at Costco earlier today in Irvine and they had one of my favorite wines at $14.99 a bottle.
Ghost Pines Cabernet
I have reviewed it here previously but for 15 bucks this is really a bargain for a Cab at this price point. If I had the money and a place to store it-totally not unreasonable to pick up a case. Its got a very balance of fruit and oak and trust me I have paid more and gotten much less. I would say given a blind tasting most would say this was a 30-40 dollar bottle.
For the record-they also carry this at Total Wine for the same price and don't quote but maybe even give the 6 wine bottle discount so that may even be a better option but given the amount of Costcos in the US I would be remiss if I didn't mention this to my friends in blog and hockey land.
For the record-I am pleased to announce that doing a google image search for "ghost pines cab" shows results of pics from my blog! I guess I'm moving up in the wine blogging world. Now if only producers would send me free bottles to rate and review I would really be on cloud 9....or "croud" nice as my wife might say.
On that same note-if anyone knows of a sub 10 dollar home run value please share. With the economy the way it is a bottle of Ghost Pines may as well be Opus 1.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Pumkin Time
Im rolling with Mickey Mouse this year and maybe Captain Crunch when I can pick up a bigger pumpkin. Any tips on how to properly photograph pumpkins would be much appreciated.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Blogging in Maui; Takamiya Markets Delicious Ribs
There is a little shop in Wailuku Maui that is listed in almost every Japanese Brochure for Maui but not so many American brochures. My wife told me they are known for their teriyaki and its hugely popular for visiting asians. Ironically, I was going to go here on my last trip to maui but when we made it to the shop it happened to be on a sunday which happened to coincide with the day the market is closed.
This time however I made it one of our musts on our list of things we absolutely had to do and I was not disappointed. Located in a part of maui that looks like its not the best, most attractive part of the island by far lies this little shop that's a dream come true for us foodies. With real cuts of meat, it could be called a butcher shop by Maui standards but not really like a butcher shop by Beef Palace Standards.
They had prepacked steaks but do some specialty cuts as well though I was really just content with getting some of the Kalbi style ribs prepacked/pre-marinated and ready to grill. My we also picked up some Shoyu Ahi Poke(raw fresh tuna cubes marinated), Kim Chee Tako(Octopus marinated in Kim Chee seasoning), mac salad(every meal in Hawaii comes with mac salad...when in rome!), and a thick delicious Maui onion we also bought. They also had a hot lamp filled with Bento and Spam Masubi and other stuff but time was semi-limited. One thing that they had that I truly have never seen was two types of marinated beef...grade B and grade C. I can honestly say that of the numerous butcher shops I have been to I am semi sure I have never seen any Grade B beef...much less Grade C. I couldnt help but think after eating the Ribs that one of my old sneakers marinated overnight would have been palatable.
I took the meat back to the condo's grill, poured myself a big plastic glass of Lindeman's Cawarra I bought a few days earlier at Costco and went about fulfilling my dream of drinking wine on the beach while BBQing in Hawaii.
Hawaiian Style Kalbi Ribs...this teriyaki was almost like a candy style glaze. The ribs themselves are cut thicker then the ribs we get in So Cal. Next time I get back I will request them to be cut thinner. Not that I am knocking up, I am just used to the more traditional style korean cut.
The Shoyu Ahi Poke and Kim Chee Tako.
Some other pics of the meal.
All in All the hoopla of this place is completely warranted. Much like the proverbial needle in the haystack, in a town that looks like time has passed it by and the time that has kept has treated it none too kindly, this place will forever be on my list of must things to do in Maui. Probably the best sweet Teriyaki I have ever had with some of the freshest, most authentic Hawaiian dishes I have ever had...of course I have only been in Maui twice so take it for what its worth. We also ate at the Gazebo, not bad for the pancakes and the Fried Rice so popular on Yelp but by that same token not in the same class as Egg's and Things in Honolulu.
This time however I made it one of our musts on our list of things we absolutely had to do and I was not disappointed. Located in a part of maui that looks like its not the best, most attractive part of the island by far lies this little shop that's a dream come true for us foodies. With real cuts of meat, it could be called a butcher shop by Maui standards but not really like a butcher shop by Beef Palace Standards.
They had prepacked steaks but do some specialty cuts as well though I was really just content with getting some of the Kalbi style ribs prepacked/pre-marinated and ready to grill. My we also picked up some Shoyu Ahi Poke(raw fresh tuna cubes marinated), Kim Chee Tako(Octopus marinated in Kim Chee seasoning), mac salad(every meal in Hawaii comes with mac salad...when in rome!), and a thick delicious Maui onion we also bought. They also had a hot lamp filled with Bento and Spam Masubi and other stuff but time was semi-limited. One thing that they had that I truly have never seen was two types of marinated beef...grade B and grade C. I can honestly say that of the numerous butcher shops I have been to I am semi sure I have never seen any Grade B beef...much less Grade C. I couldnt help but think after eating the Ribs that one of my old sneakers marinated overnight would have been palatable.
I took the meat back to the condo's grill, poured myself a big plastic glass of Lindeman's Cawarra I bought a few days earlier at Costco and went about fulfilling my dream of drinking wine on the beach while BBQing in Hawaii.
Hawaiian Style Kalbi Ribs...this teriyaki was almost like a candy style glaze. The ribs themselves are cut thicker then the ribs we get in So Cal. Next time I get back I will request them to be cut thinner. Not that I am knocking up, I am just used to the more traditional style korean cut.
The Shoyu Ahi Poke and Kim Chee Tako.
Some other pics of the meal.
All in All the hoopla of this place is completely warranted. Much like the proverbial needle in the haystack, in a town that looks like time has passed it by and the time that has kept has treated it none too kindly, this place will forever be on my list of must things to do in Maui. Probably the best sweet Teriyaki I have ever had with some of the freshest, most authentic Hawaiian dishes I have ever had...of course I have only been in Maui twice so take it for what its worth. We also ate at the Gazebo, not bad for the pancakes and the Fried Rice so popular on Yelp but by that same token not in the same class as Egg's and Things in Honolulu.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Chicken, Fish, and the Worlds Greatest Mac N Cheese
Had some of my hockey friends over during the weekend in LGK's Homer Simpson and his beautiful wife Marge(ok her real name is Kelly but how can I not use such an obvious set up?) We enjoyed a bottle of the Ghost Pines Merlot, my wife's signature Miso Garlic Tuna, my seasoned Dorado on Cedar Plank, Lemon Pepper Chicken and Homer World Famous Mac n Cheese.
Lemon Pepper Chicken with Roasted Corn. Got the chicken from the Beef Palace in Huntington Beach. You will never find a better, plumper, juicier chicken then at this place. They're old school though-they don't take Credit Cards and don't have a website. I can't stress enough to click on the pics for a better view of the food items. The Chicken in particular looks fantastic.
Here is a picture of one of my favorite summer side dishes, sliced tomatoes topped with onion slices that my wife manages to tame down a bit by soaking in water and rice vinegar, and then tops the whole thing with a drizzle of some japanese style dressing that I have no idea what it or what the brand is as its all in japanese characters. Apparently its not available here in the states, we get it sent in the occasional care package sent from Hayama Japan.
Slices of the Miso-Garlic Tuna. One day I will try this with fresh Ahi tuna and keep the middle rare. The Miso makes a fantastic glaze.
Another shot of the two....
Here is the chicken, once again you just simply cant go wrong with Chicken from the Beef Palace.
Homer helps out with manning the BBQ and savors the wine. Truth be told I thought the Ghost Pines Cab was better then the Merlot. It was still very very good especially for the price but if the Cab was a home run we'll call the Merlot a double. I would still go with the Chateau St Michelle for Merlot.
Alex overlooks the spread. He has had Homer mac N Cheese in the past and was very very happy to get more of it on this night. His night got better as we not only had peach pie after wards-but he got to play his new favorite game...Blackjack. Homers Mac n Cheese is fantastic...I would give the recipe here but Im sworn to secrecy.
Lemon Pepper Chicken with Roasted Corn. Got the chicken from the Beef Palace in Huntington Beach. You will never find a better, plumper, juicier chicken then at this place. They're old school though-they don't take Credit Cards and don't have a website. I can't stress enough to click on the pics for a better view of the food items. The Chicken in particular looks fantastic.
Here is a picture of one of my favorite summer side dishes, sliced tomatoes topped with onion slices that my wife manages to tame down a bit by soaking in water and rice vinegar, and then tops the whole thing with a drizzle of some japanese style dressing that I have no idea what it or what the brand is as its all in japanese characters. Apparently its not available here in the states, we get it sent in the occasional care package sent from Hayama Japan.
Slices of the Miso-Garlic Tuna. One day I will try this with fresh Ahi tuna and keep the middle rare. The Miso makes a fantastic glaze.
Another shot of the two....
Here is the chicken, once again you just simply cant go wrong with Chicken from the Beef Palace.
Homer helps out with manning the BBQ and savors the wine. Truth be told I thought the Ghost Pines Cab was better then the Merlot. It was still very very good especially for the price but if the Cab was a home run we'll call the Merlot a double. I would still go with the Chateau St Michelle for Merlot.
Alex overlooks the spread. He has had Homer mac N Cheese in the past and was very very happy to get more of it on this night. His night got better as we not only had peach pie after wards-but he got to play his new favorite game...Blackjack. Homers Mac n Cheese is fantastic...I would give the recipe here but Im sworn to secrecy.
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