Albariño Tasting at La Tienda

I've always like Albariños ever since...and when Noel told me that he was planning a local Albariño tasting, to rate them and see which one was the best of the locally available ones, I could not let this opportunity pass. Rules were simple: all of them had to be locally available. At firts it was supposed to be a blind tasting but we decided not to so as not to complicate things. Anyway..as Johnny said, we are all Men of Horror...ay ....este 'Honor' pala...

The 5 that we were going to taste and rate were:

2006 Pazo de Barrantes Alabariño - sold by Ralph's
2007 Burgáns Albariño - sold by Barcino
2007 Códax Albariño - sold by Barcino
2007 Laxas Albariño - sold by Terry Selection
2007 Terras Gauda Albariño - sold by Premium Wine Exchange

As we tasted and re-tasted the wines, we had an array of food specially prepared by Chef Xavi, ideal for this type of wine. For tapas, we had Suahe, Kokotxas de Bacalao al Pil Pil, Pulpo a la Gallega, Escalivada, Boquerones, Almeja and Pimientos Rellenos de Bacalao. All of these are our typical porders in la Tienda, so I will no longer elaborate on them, except for the Pimientos rellenos de Bacalao. Green Peppers filled with Bacalao and shrimp, covered with a thick sauce, probably made with pureed Pimientos.

By the time we were done with the Tapas and wines, Noel had tallied all the scores, which were as follows:

1st Place - 2007 Laxas Albariño with 28 points (4 votes for 1st place and 2 votes for 2nd place), Terry Selection.

2nd Place - 2007 Terras Gauda Albariño with 24 points (2 votes for 1st place, 3 votes for 2nd place, 1 vote for 4th place), Premium Wine Exchange

3rd Place - 2007 Burgáns Albariño with 17 points (1 vote for 2nd place, 3 votes for 3rd place and 2 votes for 4th place), Barcino.

4th Place - 2007 Códax Albariño with 15 points (3 votes for 3rd place and 3 votes for 4th place), Barcino.

5th Place - 2006 Pazo de Barrantes Alabariño with 6 points.

We had no doubts and it was almost unanimous that the preferred one was the Laxas and the least preferred, the Pazo de Barrantes. Will all that hard work done...we could now enjoy our reds and the main courses. We had a total of around 10 bottles to choose from...so that was another hard task...We decided to open Noel's Napa, a 2005 KAPCSANDY FAMIILY WINERY and Rene's 2001 YARRA YERING DRY RED WINE No. 1. Rene had brought this back from a recent trip to Australia, mentioning this was a Bordeaux style Australian. It was quite good, but as soon as we opened Jojo's 95 CHATEAU L'EVANGILE, all bets were off.

We then were served the main dishes: Besugo, Paella de Verduras and Chuleton. Food was great as usual, and the Chuleton was exceptionally good this time, including the fries. We decided to open Greg's 2002 SOLANES PRIORAT, which would be a great match for the Chuleton.

Many other red that we brought were spared and will probably have to wait for another good Spanish dinner to be opened. Many thanks to Noel for thinking about organizing this dinner. Thank you Jojo, Rene, Johnny and Greg for the fine wines and company. Nice meeting you Greg. It was unfortunate Johnny had to leave early but I'm sure he enjoyed as well.

Gracias Chef por la cena maravillosa y hasta pronto!!

Birthday Celebration at Pepato

Dinner last Thursday was at Pepato to celebrate my sisters birthday. She had been craving for good steak, so I remembered how much I enjoyed the steak at Pepato the lat time I was there. We were a total of 5 people but only 3 drinking wine, so I only brought 2 bottles of wine.

For starters, we had Squash Flower Oyster-Mushroom-Apple Fritters, Roasted Bone Marrow with Truffle Paste, Mozarella and Tomato and Parma Ham with Chico Sherbet. These are all classic Pepato appetizers and all my favorites. The Bone Marrow is delicious, with the Truffle paste and a little lemon. You can only have one or 2 bites because it is really rich. The Parma ham is great although I would have liked it more if they added a few more slices of Parma Ham. With this we opened a bottle of Homenaje Rosado, a very light and refreshing rose wine that I really enjoy.

We then ordered our main course: Spaghetti Pepato and Bistecca alla Fiorentina. The Spaghetti, such a simple but tasty dish. Burning alcohol is poured on a huge wheel of Parmeggiano Reggiano. As the alcohol heats up and melts the cheese, Spaghetti is tossed in. The melted Cheese coats the pasta and is served immediately, with a little salt and Pepper. I'm not sure if this is a typical Italian dish but it is great...simplicity and good ingredients at it's best.

Then the main was served: Florentina Style Bistecca, the "Chuleton of Italy"...I asked mine to be served rare, and it was rare but it could have still been a bit less rare. I still enjoyed it, very tasty and again, simplicity is the key here. No sauces, just steak with Potato wedges and salt flakes. We had the steak with a bottle of 2007 Barbera d'Alba Santa Rosalia, form Mauro Sabaste. The wine was given to me by Giampiero, who works fro Mauro Sabaste. I know this is quite young but I wanted to try it and seemed like this was the perfect occasion. Made of 100% Barbera, it is a well balance, full bodied wine, perfect for Steak. I decanted it for one hour before serving. Thank you Giampiero!

We had some desserts and coffee, plus a small birthday cake compliments of Pepato. My whole family enjoyed the meal and more important, my sister enjoyed the steak, so I guess that's whats most important. Service was great and I will definitely come back here again...soon. Thanks Noel for arranging the reservations for me.

Restaurante El Rus in Barcelona, reinvented

I've been on a dry spell lately and havent been posting a lot, but since I will be travelling soon back to Spain, I thought I'd post about one of my favorite Restaurants in Barcelona that I had hidden on my pending folder. El Rus is a small place located Near the Nou Camp, very near my house. Food there is typically called "Cocina de Autor" in Spain, which sort of means Spanish dishes with personal touches and adjustments from the Chefs. El Rus has many typical Spanish dishes with little Asian touches, like soy, sesame oil, etc...

The new Chef happens to be my cousin Vera Cacho so we decided to try it to see how it compared to the cooking of the former Chef, Jaime. I must say, I was really impressed with Vera's cooking. Some dishes are even better that when it was originally done by the Chef. She has also added some new dishes, which are all winners for me.

For starters, we had Tortilla de patatas en su cáscara con huevas and Gambas retorcidas plancha con fideuá al aroma de soja, genjibre y tosaka aka. The Tortilla is her on version of the classic Tortilla de Patatas, it its own egg shell and salmon roe on a bed of rock salt. The fideuá, a classic Catalan dish which is a noodle Paella, with shrimp, soy aroma, Ginger and Sesame Seeds.

After having the appetizers with a bottle of Martin Codax Albarino, the owner recommended we try a bottle of 2006 Quinta Sardonia, a wine from Castilla y Leon. After the success of Bodegas Mauro, from the same Region, many good wines have emerged form this region. Made from Tempranillo Grape, this young wine did not disappoint.

We then had other dishes, a sort of degustation: Mini timbal de salmón y tapioca de pandan relleno de creme fraiche de olivada y sirope de lima - Salmon with Pandan Jello, Olive creme Fraiche and lime...One of my favorites, went very well with our Martin Codax Albarino.

Next was the Bombones de pies de cerdo cubiertos de pistachio con salsa y gelatina de kiwi - Pigs feet bombons, covered in Pistachio and on a Kiwi Cracker. Simply delicious, crunchy and good combination. The sweetness/acidity of the kiwi gives this dish the contrast it needs.

Then we had Tempura de Codornices Picantitos deshuesados con Ensalada de Recula y aliño de Miso - Quail Tempura, slightly spicy with miso sauce. Typical Spanish ingredients (Quail) with a little oriental touch. I enjoyed this dish very much.

The last dish we had was the Dorada plancha con Meloso de Arroz Negro y aceite confitado de Ajo-Perejil. Dorada is a very typical fish from Spain and I'm not sure about how its called in English, but I think its Hake. Simply grilled fish with a creamy rissoto-ish Arroz Negro and a Garlic-Parsley oil...it also had a sweetish sauce which I think was some sort of Raspberry...this was my least favorite of all but still quite OK.

Over all we really enjoyed ourselves and were quite impressed by the cooking of the Chef, Vera. I will definitely return here again and again to enjoy all the other dishes and look forward to trying her new creations. Even my 85 year old Grand Mother who was with us during the dinner enjoyed the food, so that must mean something...

Gracias y hasta pronto...I'll be there soon....

Kokotxas de Bacalao and Txakoli at La Tienda

Lunch last Wednesday was at La Tienda. The purpose was to try Txakoli, a very dry white wine with high acidity and low alcohol content produced in the Basque region of Spain. It is normally taken as an aperitif and goes very well with seafood dishes. It is served very chilled and poured at arms length height from the glass. We did not know that so Javi came out and tried to pour it for us. Unfortunately, we did not have the dispenser they normally put on the Txakoli bottles, so it was very difficult to pour that high. I'll have to find those dispenser next time I go to Spain.

We decided then that the lunch would be all tapas, which Chef Javi prepared for us. For starters, and while waiting for Noel who arrived late, Jay and I started with Jay's bottle of: Bodegas Hidalgo Pastrana Single Vineyard Manzanilla Pasada, a fine sherry from the Southern region of Spain. This sherry was quite dry and pairs very well with Tapas like chorizo and olives and cheese.



As soon as we were done with the Sherry and still waiting for Noel, we decided to have the other food brought to our table. We opened my bottle(thanks to Nick for hand carrying this for me all the way from Madrid): Txomin Etxaniz Getaria 2008 from the DO Getariako Txakolina. As said in the beginning, at first we poured it directly into the glass, then Chef Javi told us it had to be poured from high above and in a wider/shorter glass, to sort of 'activate' the wine and for it open up. It was quite acidic and fruity, and it felt like it was a bubble, very refreshing and a simple wine. I will definitely stock up on this wine, for those hot summer days or for a tapas dinner.

With the Txakoli, we also opened a bottle of: 2007 Laxas Albariño, one of my favorite locally available Albariño wines. With this we had Kokotxas de Bacalao al PilPil, a Tortilla of Jamon, Asparragus and Cheese and Hojaldritos (small cakes) of Chistorra, Squid on its own ink and one of our house favorites: Escalivada. All the appetizers were as usual superb and perfect match for our wine. We decided to stick to whites, although Noel brought a Bandol Rose wine, we decided not to open it anymore.

We had no more room for dessert, so after finishing up all the wine and tapas, we had our double espressos. My Dad showed up and joined us for coffee and since we were talking about Sherry, he offered us a drink of Bodegas Hidalgo Cream Alameda, I think some sort of sherry mixed with Pedro Ximenez. A perfect after meal digestif...

Thank you Javi for preparing this tapas meal for us, and I still have one bottle left of Txakoli which I will gladly share with you soon....

Osteria Gusto, Rome

I've been slow on my posts lately...I blame my laptop for that. Its been malfunctioning so it's been back and forth trying to be fixed. It seems to be ok now so I am back to my blogging mode.


Osteria Gusto was one of the last dinners I had during my last trip to Rome. It was recommended to me by Travels with a Gourmet. which I am very thankful for. Located near the center, Gusto is a Bar-Restaurant-Tapas place. When we got there, the Bar was quite full so we opted for the sit down restaurant.

For starters, I ordered a Salumi platter and a Cheese platter. Salumi is an Italian word for cured meats. I would have like to ask the waitress what were the names of what we were eating, but she did not seem too friendly and her English was very limited. I do remember tasting the Prosciutto, Salami Milano and a sort of smoked Bacon...as for the cheese, same as the Salumi. Didn't know much of the types we were eating but of course, we had the usual Reggiano, etc... The blue cheese was excellent but I'm not sure if this is native to Italy.

For main course, I had Carne Cruda (of course Steak Tartare)...it's really hard for me to resist not ordering this if I see it on the menu, since its not a very common dish to see on Menus of Restaurants. I have tried several Tartares the Italian way, and I must say they are pretty good. More subtle then the traditional ones (I don't think they use Lea and Perrins) but very tasty. It had green green and Red Peppers, aside from the usual Anchovies and Capers. I enjoyed this dish with a glass of Barolo wine.

We also had a Pasta dish: Bucatini all Amatriciana, a thick pasta with Tomato based sauce and Pancetta. The sauce was ok but personally I prefer Angel hair or Spaghettini pasta.

Over all a nice experience, thanks R for recommending this place.

Steak Dinner ......

Dinner last Wednesday was and Noel and Catha's house. We were 6 people in all including Rene and Aimee. I was quite excited all week actually for this dinner, not just for the company, but also to try Noels cooking. We got there quite early and started off with a bottle of 2006 Domaine Bott-Geyl Gewürztraminer Les Éléments, a wine I've grown fond of ever since I tried it last year. I never really liked sweet wines, but when paired with the correct food, I really enjoyed it. With this, they served Je Suis Gourmand's signature Terrine of Foie Gras and the Miguel Family's Chicken & Duck Liver Pâté with Port Jelly. The slightly sweet wine is a perfect match for the Foie...lovely.

While we were having our appetizers, Noel was busy preparing the steak, the main dish of the dinner. as I took a peek at the kitchen, I was able to see how the steak was being prepared.

Four huge pieces of US Prime Grade Rib-eye are thawed overnight in the refrigerator. Before cooking, it is rubbed with a little oil and pepper. The pan is then placed at high heat, using Canola oil so It does not burn. The Steak is then seared quickly then roasted in the oven for 5 minutes...then it's ready to serve.

Anyway, moving on to our dinner, we started with a house salad (Butter lettuce with Parma Ham, Pine nuts and Parmegiano Reggiano)..with a lovely honey-mustard-oil-vinegar dressing. By the timke we started we already opened the other white, which was my bottle: 2006 Domaine Raimbault-Pineau Pouilly-Fumé. We have been enjoying this PF for quite a while now ever since we discovered it in one of Rene's dinners. This was my last bottle of 06, since now they have the 07.

Then the Main courses were served: Grilled Prawns with Cheese and the Steak with fries. I enjoyed the grilled prawns with the Pouilly-Fumé. For the Steak, we decided to open first my Bottle: 2002 Lo Piot from Priorat. This wine is owned by a good family friend of ours In Barcelona. It's a full bodied typical Priorat made from 90% Grenache and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. I think it was good pairing with the Steak, since as per Noel we needed this type of wine to match the Steaks rich fatty flavors.



The Steak was very good and flavorful. Served just plain with some Sea Salt and Pepper on the side, I enjoyed it very much. We had 2 other wines, which were served after our steak, served with the cheese platter and Dessert: Noel's 1999 Château Lynch Bages and Rene's 1996 Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux, 2nd Label of Château Margaux. As per Noel, 96 was a very good year for Margaux. We enjoyed both wines with a platter of Tomme de Savoie with Walnuts and dried Apricots.

Dessert was Je Suis Gourmand's Thin Apple Tart with Caramel & Vanilla Sauce and Green Apple Ice Cream. I enjoyed the Ice cream - probably my first time to try Green Apple Ice Cream. It was creamy but with a little hing of the acide of the Green Apple, plus tiny bits of skin..

We stayed on a bit longer, finishing up the Cheese and the wine. This was a very enjoyable night. Thank you Noel and Catha for inviting us..I definitely enjoyed the company, the food and the wine...

Ristorante La Brisa, Milan

My recent Italian wine lunch (yesterday at PWX) has opened up my appetite for hearty Italian food and wine, so I remembered that I still had a few posts about some Restaurants during my last trip to Italy...so here I'm going to feature La Brisa. I heard about this Restaurant through a Food magazine, highly recommended by one of Italy's top food critics, so I decided to try it out.

I went there for lunch and as I got there, it was quite packed, mostly all local businessmen. That was a good sign. They had 2 menus: a set lunch and a la carte. It was my first meal in Italy so I was craving for ham, so for starters I had: Culatello de Zibello con focaccina. Culatello is a refined variety of prosciutto, made from heavier pigs, cut to a fraction of the normal prosciutto and aged, and may be cured with wine, with Culatello di Zibello having DOP status. Zibello is a Municipality in the province of Parma, where most of the Ham in Italy come from. Initially found it saltier than the usual Parma ham (maybe it's aged longer), but not as fatty. Its very different to Spanish ham which is what I'm used to, having less salt and spices, but still very good.

For second, I had: Tagliata di Controfiletto con Finocchi Gratinati e Salsa Agro-Picante (Thinly sliced veal, Fennel Au Gratin and Spicy-Sour sauce. Perfectly cooked veal (grilled on the outside and bright pink on the inside), a perfect combination with the Fennel Augratin and the sauce, which I found actually sweet and spicy. Again a very simple dish which I loved. With this, I had a glass of their house wine, which was actually French and not Italian: 05 Chateau Pierre Bise-Anjou Villages, from Loire Valley.


For dessert, another simple but great and refreshing one: Carpaccio di Ananas (Pineapple Carpaccio). Just thinly sliced pineapple served...very refreshing and light dessert.

I loved this Restaurant and do plan to go back on my next trip to try the other dishes...and hopefully pair them with Italian wines too....Ciao!!