The Wine Cask - Better Than You Remember

My girlfriend and I had a chance to dine last week at the Wine Cask located in Santa Barbara at 813 Anacapa Street. This restaurant closed for a while in 2009, but has since reopened with a new outlook on the dining scene. The Wine Cask has a vaunted reputation as being one of the nicest eateries in town. That is no small claim in a Foodie haven like SB, so I was ready to see if it lived up to the hype. 

Dinner

The Wine Cask occupies a fair sized space, but it is laid out so the tables are not all that close together (a good thing in my humble opinion). The hostess station is fashioned like a gigantic wine barrel, which looks more tasteful than it sounds. The dining area has a very large fireplace adorned with large format bottles from some amazing wineries. It has an elegant feel, yet is very approachable. We were there on a Monday night and it was not too busy, but even if it were packed, I'm guessing the noise levels would still be pretty subdued. There is also a lounge/bar area and a tasting room at the Wine Cask. We didn't venture into either one, but I'm guessing they are done up in a similarly tasteful fashion.

Living up to its name, the wine list is very nice. While not cheap (2x -3x retail), the choices are solid with offerings from both the Old world and New. The sommelier, Aaron, was very helpful and I was in the mood to have someone else pick some wine for us that night. After several questions from Aaron regarding what wine I was thinking about and what my preferences were he went to work pairing some wine with our meal.

The menu is fairly small, but I felt the options were good for both small plates and entrees. Meat lovers may balk at a lack of anything for them as a starter, but I was happy with the seafood, soup, and salad options. The entrees cover all the main culinary bases: meat, seafood, pasta, & vegetarian. They also include sides with the entrees, a novel concept I wish more places would get back to. Here is the food and wine rundown for our meal:

• Farmer’s market greens with herbs, oil and vinegar - What a pleasant salad. The greens were very fresh and the dressing was perfect. Light olive oil with just enough white balsamic to give it some kick. 
• Local Spiny Lobster & House-made Pappardelle - Large hunks of lobster meat and fresh made pasta bowties had both of us in Foodie heaven. The sauce was light and had a little fresh ricotta in it to give it some legs. This dish was exquisite. Aaron paired this with a Mersault from Louis Latour. This is a White Burgundy and it was a perfect match for the dish. Think of all the things you love about a great chardonnay minus any over oakiness or too much butter and you have this wine.
• Crispy skin Salmon with fingerling potatoes - The manager, David, had mentioned that this dish is one of his favorites and I can see why. The salmon was cooked perfectly; moist, yet flaky, and the crispy skin just made it. It was served with a lemon and thyme infused sauce that was delicious. The potatoes and the greens complimented the salmon well. Our wine pairing for this dish was a Red Burgundy: Vigne de L'Enfant Jesus. This is a big Burgundian wine that needed some air in it to really open it up, but it was very nice with the salmon. It had some of the old world Pinot Noir bite, but it was kept in check by the lovely fruit (and a little smokiness) in the wine. It all added up to a great main course.
• Trio of desserts - We were unable to decide on dessert, so they were nice enough to give us a small sample of three: Butterscotch pudding, Berry oatmeal crisp, and Chocolate caramel tart. The Butterscotch pudding is made with real butter and real scotch and is served with fleur de sel on top. I'm not usually a big pudding fan, but this was good. Although I liked it less once the parts with the fleur de sel were gone. The Berry oatmeal crisp was very tasty. Big, fresh berries were cooked on top and it has fresh oats rolled in with it after it baked. I would have liked it more with a very small scoop of vanilla ice cream or gelato. The Chocolate Caramel tart was served with a little chocolate ice cream and caramel sauce drizzled on it. This dessert was a bit rich for me. I love everything in it, but together it was a little much. The pastry crust was also a tad overdone for our liking. The chocolate ice cream was very tasty, though.
  

The service was really top notch. Mira, Aaron, and David all made us feel welcome and you could tell they were committed to delivering an enjoyable dining experience. The food pricing has small plates at $15 and under and most entrees being close to $30, which is in line for a restaurant of this caliber.

Final Take

The Wine Cask lived up to the hype and delivered a great meal experience in spades. The food was really amazing as was the service. The desserts were good, but they didn't quite match the high bar set by the first three courses, so they get a little ding for that, but that is a very minor blemish on an otherwise wonderful meal. We'll be back here again soon.

Overall Grade = A- (Excellent)

The EV Foodie

Oysters and Wine, Anyone?

I recently returned from a trip to Foodie Mecca Northwest (aka: San Francisco). Whenever I'm there I always try to get my fill of the excellent and abundant seafood that is available at the local eateries, especially the oysters. While dining with friends, I was asked what wine goes with these tasty bivalves. That seems like a simple question, but it is not something this Foodie can easily answer. So I decided to blog about it instead!

I'm sure many people would answer with Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Gris (or some other light, white wine). Those are a safe choice and they probably do taste good with oysters because there is not much in those wines to take away from the inherent nuances of the oysters themselves. But I can't say that there is one wine varietal that goes with everything oyster because they vary so much in taste and type.

Just as there are wine snobs, there are oyster snobs, too. I can be called the former at times and the latter will possibly deride this blog post as being too general. I am by no means an expert on oysters, but my palate knows what tastes good to me and what doesn't. Some oysters I like raw, others I want cooked in something. Oysters come in many varieties and from various coastal regions. I feel the region plays a larger factor in how an oyster tastes more so than the actual type it is. I have noticed roughly three general regions from where oysters are sourced: Pacific Northwest, Gulf, and Northeastern. I will give my thoughts on each along with some wine suggestions.

Pacific Northwest Oysters

I love pretty much every oyster I've ever had that has come from the Pacific Northwest when served on the halfshell. Some varieties can get quite large. I'm good with medium large (Hama Hama) on down to smaller (Kumamoto). They all have a very creamy texture that is almost fruity in nature and are also very fleshy. All I know is that they taste divine by themselves when raw. My first choice would be to drink sparkling wine with these oysters. I do love champagne (Veuve Clicquot goes with everything), but if the bubbly budget is tighter a quality sparkling wine from California works just fine, too (Domaine Carneros or Roederer Estate are two of my favorites and either can be had for $30 or less).

Gulf Oysters

Gulf oysters taste much brinier (even marshy) to me when served raw, so I tend to not order them on the halfshell. However, they take on a completely different nature when cooked and that briny taste now adds amazing character to the larger dish. Two of my favorite entrees with these are fried oyster po' boys and oyster gumbo. Truth be told, a po' boy begs for a pint (or two) of your favorite beer to wash it down (I'd opt for a pilsner). But oyster gumbo deserves a bold wine that can withstand (and even compliment) the Mardi Gras of flavor in your mouth. I'd go for an old vine Zinfandel with big fruit and nice structure (Klinker Brick "Old Ghost" and Cloud 9 "Seity" are two very good zins in the $30 range). I know some people will want sweeter and lighter (body and color) wine in this pairing, but I find that lighter wines can sometimes get completely lost when matched up with dish as bold as gumbo.

Northeastern Oysters

I spent a good chunk of my life in the Northeast and I like the oysters from this region both raw and cooked. When served on the halfshell, I find that they are leaner than their plump Pacific Northwest cousins, and they taste more minerally (but not in a bad way). I like Bluepoints and Wellfleets served this way. Northeastern oysters also cook up nicely, but I find they often need another seafood along with them in the dish, as they don't quite have enough character to carry a hot entree on their own. When served chilled on the halfshell, I envision myself with a glass of lovely French white like Pouilly-Fuissé ($30 and under) or Mersault ($30 and up).

You should take this pairing advice for what it's worth knowing it's based purely upon my heavily jaded palate and the fact I love both oysters and vino. The problem now is that I want to try all of the above pairings and see which combination I like the best. It's really tough being a Foodie sometimes ;) Bon Appétit!

The EV Foodie

Alessia's Ristorante Italiano - An Italian Gem Hidden in NE Mesa

I just ate dinner at Alessia's Ristorante Italiano located at 5251 E. Brown Rd in Mesa (yes, Mesa). It is tucked in the corner of a strip mall on the SE corner of Higley and Brown Roads, a few doors down from the Broadway Palm dinner theater. It is a smaller, mom and pop restaurant that serves up all sorts of Italian fare. 

Dinner

Alessia's is owned and run by Jon and Shari Carr. Shari does all the cooking and Jon kind of runs the rest of the show. It's a very small restaurant with room for maybe 30 or 40 people max inside. They do have a patio area as well, but this time of year it's a bit chilly for dining al fresco. The decor is pretty bland, but that is just fine for a local eatery. Alessia's is a cozy place and you will definitely get some personal attention from Jon.

The wine list is nice and features all Italian wines. That helps with the authenticity, but I would personally like to see a focus on Italian wines, but still have some offerings from other wine producing areas of the world. The wine prices are reasonable (1.5x - 2x retail) and there are a fair number of them by the glass. We ordered a bottle of 2003 Santome Raboso ($48). This is a very lush wine. Rich fruit, leathery, and very well composed on the palate. Raboso reminds me of really good Cab Sav with some Merlot added for rounded structure.

Alessia's menu offers all the pasta types you would expect, but what I liked is that you can also get just about any type of sauce on those pasta dishes. There are also meat and seafood based entrees as well. The appetizer selection is small, but the choices are pretty solid. Prices are reasonable with apps being $6 - $10 and all larger plates being under $22 (many are under $15).

We split an appetizer, a pasta dish, and an entree. Here is a rundown of the items in the order we ate them:

• Crostini ai Porcini - These were small pieces of grilled bread with fresh mozzarella on them and then topped with sauteed porcini mushrooms and herbs. It was very tasty, but there was so much garlic sauteed with the mushrooms that it kind of detracted from an otherwise delicious appetizer. We still ate it all and it was good we shared it as I could feel the garlic oozing out of my pores afterwards, so I knew I wouldn't be the only one warding off vampires that evening.
• Gnocchi with Creamy Gorgonzola Sauce - This dish resulted in a good news/bad news situation. The good news was that the gorgonzola sauce was very tasty. Rich and creamy with a nice bite from the gorgonzola. The bad news is that the gnocchi were just OK. They tasted undercooked, like a pasta that is too al dente. They weren't bad, but the fresh bread dipped in the gorgonzola sauce was making us smile more than the potato dumplings were.  
• Pollo Erbe - Two chicken breasts served in a red sauce with rosemary, sage, garlic, onions, and basil. The chicken was wonderful; very moist and the sauce was great. I would definitely order this again. This came with a choice of a salad or pasta. We got the salad, but if I could use the "way back machine", I would have taken pasta on the side with the chicken and then bypassed the gnocchi for a salad course. Live and learn :)

Overall, the meal was very pleasant. The service was good and Jon makes the patrons feel at home with his sense of humor. The food arrives at a casual pace and that was just fine with us as we were enjoying each course without being rushed.

Final Take

Alessia's is a great neighborhood eatery where you can get a good meal at a decent price. Yes, there are things I would change here and there on the menu, but overall the restaurant delivers exactly what you'd expect from a locally owned Italian restaurant. And to this Foodie, that is reason enough to dine there.

Overall Grade = B (Good)

The EV Foodie

Cowboy Ciao - Eclectic Done Right

I spent last Saturday in Scottsdale and ate dinner at Cowboy Ciao. It's in Old Town at 7133 E. Stetson Drive, pretty much right across the street from the steps leading to South Bridge. I have eaten at Cowboy Ciao a couple times in the past and I was looking forward to returning.

Dinner

Cowboy Ciao kind of rocks the "Rustic Minimalist" approach combined with a touch of artiness. I don't mean that in a bad way, because it works well and is a nice change from so many Scottsdale eateries that ooze pretense. Some of the walls have murals on them that add a splash of color to the decor. The bar is in the center of the restaurant and the bar top is large, angular, and beefy. The restaurant seating and the tables are "plain Jane" for the most part. The one exception is a booth that is raised up on a small, decorated platform. Overall, the place has a warm feel to it. Noise levels in the restaurant can be elevated at times, but I never found it hard to carry on a conversation.

If you are a wine fan, you will find Ciao's wine list both a blessing and a curse. The blessing is that they source their wines from Kazmierz (same owners), so there is something for every price range and palate. The curse is that the wine list is H-U-G-E and it's not in a user-friendly format. Instead of being by varietal, then by winemaker or price, their list set up by wine color, then price. When there are 20 wines, it's no issue. When there are 2,000 wines, well now you have to start digging. I wanted to order a half bottle of chardonnay, so that meant turning to the Whites section (mind you, it's the size of a phone book) and then looking page after page for what I wanted. Yes, I probably could have asked, but I'm a self-proclaimed wine snob and asking would ruin the treat of picking out something yummy myself. I finally bailed on the half bottle idea and looked to the wines by the glass list, which by comparison to the bottle list was very small and there were no Chardonnays I liked, so I ended up getting a glass of Kunin Grenache. It was reasonably priced ($11) for the quality of the wine and was very good. Earthy, fruity, and well rounded for a Grenache.

OK, onto the food. Cowboy Ciao's menu is best summed up as being eclectic. Now in my foodie experience, there is eclectic food that is just weird and then there is eclectic food that makes you say, "I'd never think of combining all that, but damn that's good". Ciao is definitely in the latter group. They have a nice selection of both small and large plate offerings. We ordered a variety of small plates to share. Here is a rundown of the items in the order we ate them:

• Stetson Chopped - This is one dish that simply must be ordered anytime you dine here. It is like no salad you will ever have because it's a salad in the loosest sense of the term. Arugula, tomatoes, couscous, dried corn, bacon, smoked salmon, and a couple other items that you wouldn't expect. All tossed together in front of you with an amazing basil pesto buttermilk ranch dressing. Order it and you will not be disappointed.
• Mini Mushroom Pan Fry - This is just a smaller version of what the menu proclaims as "their signature dish". About eight different kinds of mushrooms sauteed and served with an ancho pepper cream sauce over polenta. It's unique and good, but very filling. I'm not sure I'd want the entree-sized version all to myself.
• Dungeness Crab Stack - Large hunks of crab mixed with shaved fennel bulb and a little diced avocado. It has a light lemony vinaigrette that is infused with tarragon. It all worked together, but it was almost like there were too many subtle flavors in the dish and it added up to it being a little bland. Plus, I got tired of the fennel after a while as I felt there was too much there.
• Elvis in New Orleans - At least I think this is what the dessert was called. All I know is that it was so good. A fresh, warm peanut butter cookie, topped with bourbon ice cream, salted caramel sauce and other things to make your dentist cringe. Completely unredeeming - the way a dessert should be.

The food is priced moderately for what you get. Most small plates are in the $11 - $15 range and are shareable. Entrees range from $20 - $40. The service was very good. Our server was attentive without being a pest and the front reception acknowledged and seated us very quickly.


Final Take

Cowboy Ciao delivers a solid meal and offers a unique variety of food. Pair that with an impressive (yet cumbersome) wine list and you have a great spot for dining. I will be back again as Ciao has much to offer.

Overall Grade = B+ (Very Good)

The EV Foodie

Live Culture Lounge review - The whole is definitely not equal to its parts

I recently returned from seeing my lovely girlfriend in Santa Barbara and while there we went out with some friends to Live Culture Lounge. Live Culture is located in the Paseo Nuevo Shopping Center off State Street. I was at a presentation earlier that day that featured an interview with Live Culture’s owners and was looking forward to going there for some food and drink with friends.

Dinner

Live Culture is kind of a conglomeration of a high-end yogurt shop meets wine bar meets wannabe art gallery meets coffee shop meets open mic night. If you were thinking this is an establishment with a fairly serious identity crisis, you’d be correct. When you walk in, there is a glass case to your left that basically looks like one you’d expect see in a shop selling frozen yogurt. Perpendicular that is the bar, a traditional wood looking thing, so you immediately have a dichotomy between the two motifs. There is seating along the walls by both the yogurt counter and the bar. Also, there is an open balcony that sits above the bar at the back wall. This is the place where musicians set up and provide the live entertainment.

Speaking of the entertainment, it seemed like it was an open mic night. The musicians swapped out after a few songs and there was a variety of music. It appeared that a lot of patrons were actually musicians either waiting their turn to play or supporting local bands (or both). The mix of music ranged from not so good to pretty decent. The acoustics aren’t the best and the sound kind of bounces around the high-ceilinged establishment. At times it was pretty loud, thus hard to talk to people, but it is live music.

There were several of us in our party and some wanted wine and others beer. The wine list offered a pretty decent selection and prices seemed about 2x retail for the bottles I saw. Someone else at the table ordered the wine (a $48 Cab Sav). I asked to see the label, but the name now eludes me (sorry, senior moment). It was a good, fruit forward Cab from Sonoma that the four of us enjoyed.

Some others at the table ordered “Real Beer Floats”. It’s exactly what you think: vanilla yogurt in a glass with beer poured on top of it. They opted for a porter brewed by Telegraph. I tried some of it and felt it was OK, but I’d be sick of it after several sips/bites, as the combo was just not doing it for me. They enjoyed it, however, so that’s all that really matters.

The food menu consists of small plates (mainly cheeses and salads) and sandwiches. We ordered a couple cheese plates, a caprese salad, and a grilled cheese with prosciutto sandwich to share amongst ourselves. The cost was a bit on the pricey side based upon the food descriptions and when the food arrived, I really felt it was overpriced for what we received: especially the cheese plates. The food was decent, but nothing special or noteworthy. Here is a rundown of my foodie thoughts:

• The salad was delivered as a stack of the ingredients, which made for a nice presentation. I didn’t have any of it, but the people eating it said it was good.
• My girlfriend had some of the grilled cheese and found the prosciutto so fatty that she removed it and ate the grilled cheese by itself. She is not a picky eater and said the grilled cheese was just OK, so that said a lot to me.
• Cheese plate #1 was brie with a baguette and roasted garlic oil. The plate arrived with three small slices of brie, a ramekin with olive oil and some bloated (not roasted) garlic cloves in it that looked like they came straight out of a jar, and half of a very small baguette. A handful of dried cranberries were scattered around the plate as well. Neither the bread nor the brie was warm. Again, it tasted ok and the olive oil by itself was good on the bread, but it looked like something I could throw together in 2 minutes to snack on in front of the TV…
• Cheese plate #2 said it had 5 cheeses and we let the chef choose them. Well, the plate did have 5 cheeses (3 soft, 2 hard), but barely any of each (it was not even an ounce of cheese). It came with 4 small pieces of crostini that tasted kind of stale and a few dried apricots. It was almost laughable how little we got for $17. My girlfriend said it looked like a sampler plate from Trader Joe’s and that basically summed up my feelings on the dish: very tired and uninspired.

The Dessert menu was calling to me because I was still hungry. They have assorted frozen yogurt themed desserts and other sweet offerings. We were given samples of both their ‘tart’ yogurt and bread pudding. The tart yogurt almost tasted like it was mixed with sorbet and it was not what I expected nor particularly liked, but other people in the group dug it. The bread pudding had a very grainy texture to it and one bite was enough for me. No one at the table seemed impressed with it. I opted for vanilla frozen yogurt over a brownie with chocolate sauce and shot of espresso (yeah, no calories at all in this). It sounded amazing and this was one dish that delivered on the hype. The vanilla yogurt was rich, creamy, and decadent and it just worked perfectly with all the other ingredients. As opposed to the small food plates, this dessert was HUGE. We passed it around the table a couple times and everyone got a few bites of it.

I have commented before on the spotty service you can sometimes get in Santa Barbara and Live Culture is no exception to this. Our server was either way overworked or just really bad. The place was busy, but not packed. I had to ask more than once for a glass of water and when I saw how few crostini came with the cheese plate, I immediately asked for a few more as we had 6 people at the table. He said he’d get them right away. I guess ‘right away’ is relative. When he appeared at the table a few minutes later sans bread, I asked again. Still nothing arrived. I asked a third time and he copped a bit of an attitude saying, “I'm working on it”. Sorry, but it’s not rocket science, it’s toasted bread…and waiting almost 25 minutes and having to ask over and over is completely inexcusable.

Final Take

Live Culture has yet to figure out what exactly it wants to be. I liken it to the saying “jack of all trades, master of none”. Live Culture is the master of none, but it has some strengths it could focus on. However, I’m not sure if good yogurt and live music is gonna pay the rent in that location. The food options were lackluster and our service was subpar, which is enough to kill most establishments. It was a somewhat disappointing experience for us and Santa Barbara has many foodie options, so there is not any compelling reason to go back. I always want places to succeed, so hopefully the owners will take feedback like this to heart.

Overall Grade = C+ (Average)

The EV Foodie