Everyone comes up with end of year lists so here is another one:
My favorites of the year. For details check previous posts.
Chinatown, NY -- Everything begins and ends in Chinatown in NYC. It has been expanding the last few years and there are loads of new places to try.Roast duck, dumplings and veggies. Try anyplace that strikes your fancy.
Hamilton - The is musical on Broadway is a must see. Exhilarating!
The Public Theater in NYC -- They have developed some amazing plays this year, not to mention Hamilton.
Lisbon- This city is fun, affordable and accessible. Check it out.
Portuguese wine - They are so cheap that is it embarrassing. It is usually hard to find good, inexpensive white wines. Portugal is the place to find them. Try any wine that your local store may stock. They are alot better than cheap swill from California.
The Borgata in Atlantic City -- Great food, excellent wine lists and close to beautiful beaches. Check out Brigantine.
Taylor Mac -- An original. Check him out if he appears near where you live.
Maui-- Go! Don't spend lots of money. Stay in Hana or rent a condo in Kaanapali.
New Foodie destination-- Hana, Maui. You heard it here first. Food trucks, pop up Thai restaurants and pizza in the jungle, what more could you want?
Wines - Cru Beaujolais, Bordeaux and Champagne, France has it all. If a wine says Champagne and France on the label it almost surely will be good. The Wine Spectator stats show that about 90% of Champagnes get rated 90 or above.
Domaine Drouhin, Oregon -- If you have not tried their wines, you are missing out. Worth the splurge.
Chocolate - Debrands, Jacques Torres and Maison du Chocolat, perfect. They all do mail order.
Not cooking this year for Christmas but will be making a big dinner on the day after. Dessert will be Montclair Bread doughnuts, Jacques Torres chocolate and the wine will be a 2012 Chateau Haut Bergey, which I really want to try. Around $22. In a top vintage like 2010 it will sell for $40.
Book- Everyone should read Phillip Roth's American Pastoral. It is a book that resonates today.
Bakery - Montclair Bread; ancient grains bread and doughnuts.
Pet Peeve of the year -- 90 point scores of wine. Today, every store says that their wines have 90 point scores. There are so many publications and organizations that rate wine today that the 90 point scores are meaningless. Check for scores from people that you trust, just like you would for other things that you purchase. I trust the Wine Advocate, Wine Spectator and Vinous but even these publications have weaknesses on their staff.
This year we will continue our New Year's Eve tradition of getting a Peking duck and dumplings in Chinatown, NYC. Champagne, probably a Blanc de Blanc (100% Chardonnay), and Italian pastries from Ferrara Bakery in NYC, what more could you want?
Have a Happy New Year!
Saturday, December 26, 2015
Sunday, November 22, 2015
Hir; Eclipsed; Chinatown, NY, Street Eats at The Borgata
What Millennials Drink
Lettie Teague wrote an interesting article recently in the WSJ http://www.wsj.com/articles/how-millennials-are-changing-wine-1446748945
Have you noticed that these days wine is sold by "the story". Wine merchants tell you about the winemaker, the land, the region; everything except the wine! Two things are at work here, first, people like to think that what they are buying is special and unique and second, it appears that "good by association" the opposite of "guilt by association" is at work. If the winemaker has some affiliation with a top winery or the vineyards border good vineyards then a wine must be good.
I am more of a traditionalist. I want a wine from a winery that has some history of producing good wines. I love to experiment but I am not looking for a small "boutique winery" that makes a small amount of reasonably priced wine that I can be one of the "few" to own. I am interested in finding good wine not status or pretty labels.
I find the same is true for "craft beers. Just because someone make a small amount of beer, does not make it good. Lots of people cook but there are very few people that I know that can produce good food.
A good example of wines that I enjoy are wines from Beaujolais. The region is making a small comeback. However is has not become trendy. Cru Beaujolais(wines from distinct towns in the regions such as Morgon and Fleurie) are excellent wines and are reasonably priced. You can purchase top of the line wines for $16 to $30. I visited the region a few years ago. (see my post about Lyon and Beaujolais) Some good producers are Chateau de la Chaize, Brun, Dubeouf (he makes some good wines). 2011 and 2014 produced some very good wines but good producers make good wines in most vintages.
Eclipsed
We saw Eclipsed at the Public Theater in NYC. The play stars Lupita Nyong'o. The play is now moving to Broadway. http://eclipsedbroadway.com/?gclid=CjwKEAiA7MWyBRDpi5TFqqmm6hMSJAD6GLeA6AAlUmVl4_bpfvNIkU2kc3ljYF8wm3P2GjEMPZX5ZxoC7n7w_wcB The play is about women during the recent Liberian civil war. The play has gotten raves. We enjoyed the play, the acting is very good but it is not a must see. Not sure if a "small" play like this will be effective in a Broadway theater.
We walked down to Chinatown afterwards. Just follow Mulberry Street for a food tour. We found a restaurant Shanghai Heping Restaurant at 104 Mott Street.We had steamed tiny buns with pork, $5, and steamed vegetable dumplings $4.95. The place is clean and the service was good. The dumplings were light, fresh and had great flavor. We also took home some more dumplings. I then went to NY Noodletown, the old reliable, for roast duck. I bought a whole duck for $20 and some ribs. Both were outstanding. I then bought assorted fresh veggies at the street stands. We then went to Ferrara's http://www.ferraranyc.com/ for dessert -rainbow cookies and some pastries. We brought it all home for a feast.
Hir
The week before we saw Hir http://www.playwrightshorizons.org/shows/plays/hir/ at the Playwrights Horizons on 42nd street. Hir is written by Taylor Mac, a fav on ours. This play has also gotten great reviews and is about gender. If you love Sam Shepherd plays you might love this. The acting is great but we were not overly impressed. Taylor Mac is a better performer than writer. Think a Woody Allen movie without Woody.
After this play we went to Chinatown and Little Italy again. We went to a restaurant called 456 on Mott Street for dumplings. They were good but not great. 456 has very good food, is nicely set out and is reasonably priced. I would encourage you to experiment in Chinatown as there are many good places to eat.
Street Eats at the Borgata.
The Borgata in AC has a food weekend every year and we attended this year. On Saturday their main event is in the big event center and is centered on street food from all over the world. Each of the Borgata restaurants serve food at the event and Bobby Flay, Wolfgang Puck and Geoffrey Zakarian were in attendance. Bobby Flay gave a food demonstration.
The fried quail.
Some great chocolates.
How to cook a steak.
I like this beer and it is made in NJ.
Desserts. They look better than they tasted.
The Borgata does things first class. Everything was well organized and it was not overly crowded . There was a line for the food by Bobby Flay and Wolfgang Puck. The best thing of the evening was fried quail by someone not famous.
I have been trying lots of new wines lately. Nothing overly impressive.I did buy a few top Cru Beaujolais from Astor Wine http://www.astorwines.com/which is down the block from the Public Theater. They have a good selection of wines from all over and their prices are decent. They also deliver and your first purchase gets free delivery.
Interestingly the 2006 Moet Champagne just received a 93 from the Wine Spectator. Will be trying it later this week. Moet is such a cliche but they can make some great Champagne. Dom Perignon is made by Moet.
Thanksgiving is coming up. Lots of good food and wine.
Enjoy.
Lettie Teague wrote an interesting article recently in the WSJ http://www.wsj.com/articles/how-millennials-are-changing-wine-1446748945
Have you noticed that these days wine is sold by "the story". Wine merchants tell you about the winemaker, the land, the region; everything except the wine! Two things are at work here, first, people like to think that what they are buying is special and unique and second, it appears that "good by association" the opposite of "guilt by association" is at work. If the winemaker has some affiliation with a top winery or the vineyards border good vineyards then a wine must be good.
I am more of a traditionalist. I want a wine from a winery that has some history of producing good wines. I love to experiment but I am not looking for a small "boutique winery" that makes a small amount of reasonably priced wine that I can be one of the "few" to own. I am interested in finding good wine not status or pretty labels.
I find the same is true for "craft beers. Just because someone make a small amount of beer, does not make it good. Lots of people cook but there are very few people that I know that can produce good food.
A good example of wines that I enjoy are wines from Beaujolais. The region is making a small comeback. However is has not become trendy. Cru Beaujolais(wines from distinct towns in the regions such as Morgon and Fleurie) are excellent wines and are reasonably priced. You can purchase top of the line wines for $16 to $30. I visited the region a few years ago. (see my post about Lyon and Beaujolais) Some good producers are Chateau de la Chaize, Brun, Dubeouf (he makes some good wines). 2011 and 2014 produced some very good wines but good producers make good wines in most vintages.
Eclipsed
We saw Eclipsed at the Public Theater in NYC. The play stars Lupita Nyong'o. The play is now moving to Broadway. http://eclipsedbroadway.com/?gclid=CjwKEAiA7MWyBRDpi5TFqqmm6hMSJAD6GLeA6AAlUmVl4_bpfvNIkU2kc3ljYF8wm3P2GjEMPZX5ZxoC7n7w_wcB The play is about women during the recent Liberian civil war. The play has gotten raves. We enjoyed the play, the acting is very good but it is not a must see. Not sure if a "small" play like this will be effective in a Broadway theater.
We walked down to Chinatown afterwards. Just follow Mulberry Street for a food tour. We found a restaurant Shanghai Heping Restaurant at 104 Mott Street.We had steamed tiny buns with pork, $5, and steamed vegetable dumplings $4.95. The place is clean and the service was good. The dumplings were light, fresh and had great flavor. We also took home some more dumplings. I then went to NY Noodletown, the old reliable, for roast duck. I bought a whole duck for $20 and some ribs. Both were outstanding. I then bought assorted fresh veggies at the street stands. We then went to Ferrara's http://www.ferraranyc.com/ for dessert -rainbow cookies and some pastries. We brought it all home for a feast.
Hir
The week before we saw Hir http://www.playwrightshorizons.org/shows/plays/hir/ at the Playwrights Horizons on 42nd street. Hir is written by Taylor Mac, a fav on ours. This play has also gotten great reviews and is about gender. If you love Sam Shepherd plays you might love this. The acting is great but we were not overly impressed. Taylor Mac is a better performer than writer. Think a Woody Allen movie without Woody.
After this play we went to Chinatown and Little Italy again. We went to a restaurant called 456 on Mott Street for dumplings. They were good but not great. 456 has very good food, is nicely set out and is reasonably priced. I would encourage you to experiment in Chinatown as there are many good places to eat.
Street Eats at the Borgata.
The Borgata in AC has a food weekend every year and we attended this year. On Saturday their main event is in the big event center and is centered on street food from all over the world. Each of the Borgata restaurants serve food at the event and Bobby Flay, Wolfgang Puck and Geoffrey Zakarian were in attendance. Bobby Flay gave a food demonstration.
I have been trying lots of new wines lately. Nothing overly impressive.I did buy a few top Cru Beaujolais from Astor Wine http://www.astorwines.com/which is down the block from the Public Theater. They have a good selection of wines from all over and their prices are decent. They also deliver and your first purchase gets free delivery.
Interestingly the 2006 Moet Champagne just received a 93 from the Wine Spectator. Will be trying it later this week. Moet is such a cliche but they can make some great Champagne. Dom Perignon is made by Moet.
Thanksgiving is coming up. Lots of good food and wine.
Enjoy.
Friday, October 23, 2015
Washington DC; Recent wines, Frank Lloyd Wright
Washington DC
I had a chance to eat at some of DC's finest restaurants this past week. I ate at Al Dente http://aldentedc.com/menu/, Joes' Seafood http://www.joes.net/?loc=washingtondc and Fiola Mare http://www.fiolamaredc.com/.
Al Dente is off the beaten track. It is a casual Italian place. The food was good and reasonable. The pizzas were good and pastas were very good,. They had a rustic pear tarte for dessert which was tasty with nice carmelization and not too rich. But the real deal was that have 50% of of wines over $50 on Sunday nights. The wine list is excellent. We had 3 interesting bottles.
2013 Pio Cesare Barbera d'Alba
10/21/2015 - I like this wine: 90 points
Solid wine with good flavor ,balanced, good acid ,drank with pasta and pizza, enjoyed the wine at Al Dente in DC, bargain at $26 due to 50% off deal on Sunday nights, would drink again as I love Pio Cesare wines.
2010 Fattoria Casa Alte Brunello di Montalcino Sangiovese
10/18/2015 - I don't like this wine: 85 points
I am not a Brunello fan, somewhat sweet, uninteresting wine, drank with pizza and pasta in Al Dente in DC, great value about $45 due to Sunday night 50% off deal, would not drink again.
2011 Vietti Barolo Castiglione Nebbiolo
10/18/2015 - I like this wine: 91 points
VG Barolo, medium bodied, somewhat developed but 2011 is supposed to be an early developed vintage, drank with pizza and pasta at Al Dente in DC, amazing value at $48 due to 50% off deal on Sundays. Would drink again.
Joe's Seafood was also very good. Food is plain but quality high. I had crab cakes and key lime pie. Drank some Roederer Champagne, which was balanced and good acid.
Fiola Mare is quite interesting. Beautiful location. Service is very accommodating and not pretentious.Prices are very high but not crazy. It is an Italian seafood place. The fish is fresh and good but is lacking flavor. The focus in the restaurant is on pretty. I had sashimi bass with pomegranate and cauliflower. My main course was roasted halibut. It was good. Portions are small. The bread is real good. Dessert was good. I had hot doughnuts with caramel gelato and dipping sauce. The wine list is very long and the prices are high but there are good choices between $50 and $100. We had 3 bottles.
2013 Tenuta di Fessina Etna Erse Bianco Etna DOC
10/20/2015 - I like this wine: 90 points
balanced, light wine with good fruit with light acid to balance, nice aperitif wine, drank at Fiola Mare in DC, drank with fish, $52 on wine list, would drink again.
2010 Domaine Pavelot (Jean-Marc et Hugues) Aloxe-Corton Pinot Noir
10/20/2015 - I like this wine: 90 points
An "inexpensive" Burgundy with flavor, medium bodied with nice fruit, opened up over a short time, balanced with terroir, drank with fish at Fiola Mare in DC, would drink again. $90 on wine list
2012 AR.PE.PE. Rosso di Valtellina Nebbiolo
10/20/2015 - I like this wine: 90 points
Drank at Fiola Mare in DC, interesting, good color, lots of flavor, 13% alcohol but a medium bodied somewhat dense wine for a nebbiolo, we drank it after a Burgundy so it was tough adjustment, enjoyed the wine with different fish, would drink again, wine was about $75 on wine list.
I stayed at the Marriott Marquis downtown. A new hotel near the convention center. I would not recommend it. Overpriced and nothing special. There are much better Marriotts in town.
Frank Lloyd Wright
I had a chance to visit Taliesin West again . Located in Phoenix. It is Frank Lloyd Wright's architectural school. They give tours. http://www.franklloydwright.org/ The place is fascinating and I really enjoyed the tour of the buildings. Wright had a reason for everything that he did. Don't miss it if you go to Phoenix.
Recent Wines
I had the opportunity to drink some interesting wines recently. I have been drinking lots of Portuguese wines and they are quite good and inexpensive. The wines are great with food and do not have high alcohol amounts.
2003 Château Sansonnet St. Émilion Grand Cru Red Bordeaux Blend
10/17/2015 - I like this wine: 92 points
Very nice wine, great bouquet, good balance but lots of fruit, long finish, enjoyed with veal loin chops, drank with Bellefont Belcier, which was less fruity and earthier, would drink again.
2003 Château Bellefont-Belcier St. Émilion Grand Cru Red Bordeaux Blend
10/17/2015 - I like this wine: 90 points
Earthy, nice bouquet, acid hits you but the finish dies, good wine, drank with 03 Sansonnet, which was much fruitier and had a long finish, drank with veal loin chops, love Bordeaux wines. Would drink again.
2013 Dominique Cornin Mâcon-Chaintré Les Serreudières Chardonnay
10/15/2015 - I like this wine: 90 points
Nice bouquet, wine is balanced with good fruit but enough acid to you interested, drank with blackened salmon, would drink again if I can find it.
2012 Chalone Vineyard Pinot Noir Estate Grown - Heritage Bottling Chalone
10/16/2015 - I like this wine: 88 points
Nice color, alcohol bouquet, smoothing out a bit, good flavor, I want to love this wine but it tires as we drank it, has potential, time will tell, drank with steak, will drink again.
2011 Domaine Billaud-Simon Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons Chardonnay
9/28/2015 - I like this wine: 90 points
Enjoyed, light, Good fruit balanced with acid, enjoyed with lobster tails, would drink again,
2009 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select Stags Leap District
9/28/2015 - I like this wine: 95 points
Lots of flavor, balanced, big wine but no alcohol taste, nice bouquet, enjoyed with lobster tails, would drink again.
2005 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard Oakville
9/28/2015 - I like this wine: 94 points
Very nice wine, tannin and terroir, more character than the average Cali cab, enjoyed with lobster tails, would drink again
2014 Domaine de la Madone Beaujolais Le Perréon Gamay
10/9/2015 - I like this wine: 86 points Maybe we are tiring of this wine. It a solid Beaujolais with delicate fruit, it goes down easily. Drank with ravioli. Might drink again. Good value.
2010 Juvé y Camps Cava “Reserva de la Família” Brut Nature Gran Reserva Macabeo-Xarel-lo-Parellada Blend
10/4/2015 - I like this wine: 90 points
VG cava, balanced , fruity but dry, good bubbles and nice finish, a step above the average cava, a good value, drank with cheeses, will drink again.
2010 Beaulieu Vineyard Tapestry Reserve Napa Valley Red Bordeaux Blend
10/3/2015 - I like this wine: 91 points
Enjoyed this wine; balanced with nice flavor, 3 people shared the bottle,I am not a big cab fan but this wine drank easily, not a wine to age much more, drank with steak, received as a gift and probably won't drink again, a bit overpriced.
2011 Wine & Soul Manoella Douro Red Blend
10/2/2015 - I like this wine: 90 points
A big wine for Portugal, good stuff, borderline grapey but never crosses the line, Good balance, drinks easily, drank with fajitas, will drink again.
2013 Herdade do Esporão Pé Tinto Vinho Regional Alentejano Red Blend
10/1/2015 - I like this wine: 85 points
Medium bodied wine that quite drinkable, nice balance, good producer, another Portuguese blend that is an incredible value, try it.
2014 Domaine de la Madone Beaujolais Le Perréon Gamay
10/1/2015 - I like this wine: 88 points
A nice solid Beaujolais, light bodied, nice bouquet, vg value, will drink again.
2011 DFJ Vinhos Portada Vinho Regional Lisboa Red Blend
10/1/2015 - I like this wine: 87 points
Interesting wine, no bouquet, nice color, good flavor, nice acid balances, medium bodied, a bit grapey but overall a good value wine, 2011 was a great year in Portugal, would not age much longer, drank with spaghetti and meatballs, would drink again.
2014 Paulo Laureano Vinho Regional Alentejano Classico Branco White Blend
9/24/2015 - I like this wine: 88 points
Solid white, fresh, acid and fruit nicely balanced, great value, will drink again, drank with salmon.
2010 Domaine Drouhin Oregon Pinot Noir Willamette Valley
9/25/2015 - I like this wine: 93 points
Light color, nice bouquet, fruity but not grapey with tannin to balance, complex with a long finish, drinking great at this time, drank with rack of lamb, will drink again
NV Juvé y Camps Cava Brut Rosé Rosé Blend
9/26/2015 - I like this wine: 86 points
Good flavor but a little flat, nice color, bottle consistently appears to be an issue with this wine, drank with tuna and cous cous, decent value, will probably drink again.
2013 Clos de la Lysardiere Chinon Cabernet Franc
9/22/2015 - I like this wine: 89 points
See previous notes, a light wine with good flavor, balanced but not too fruity, terroir, low alcohol, drank with pasta with veggies, really like this wine, not cheap but will drink again.
2009 Château Haut Barrail Médoc Red Bordeaux Blend
9/20/2015 - I like this wine: 92 points
Good stuff. Consistent with my previous note. Good bouquet, dark color, great balance with lots of fruit but with smooth tannins, drank with hamburgers, sipped after the meal, only 13% alcohol. Will drink again, excellent value.
Pete Wells in the NYT http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/21/dining/restaurant-review-bruno-east-village.html?ref=dining has an interesting restaurant review this week. He writes about how foodies and wine writers can get carried away in the reviews and how places are now reviewed withing hours of opening.
Thanksgiving is coming soon. Love the holiday. Recently made cranberry ice cream.
Enjoy!
I had a chance to eat at some of DC's finest restaurants this past week. I ate at Al Dente http://aldentedc.com/menu/, Joes' Seafood http://www.joes.net/?loc=washingtondc and Fiola Mare http://www.fiolamaredc.com/.
Al Dente is off the beaten track. It is a casual Italian place. The food was good and reasonable. The pizzas were good and pastas were very good,. They had a rustic pear tarte for dessert which was tasty with nice carmelization and not too rich. But the real deal was that have 50% of of wines over $50 on Sunday nights. The wine list is excellent. We had 3 interesting bottles.
2013 Pio Cesare Barbera d'Alba
10/21/2015 - I like this wine: 90 points
Solid wine with good flavor ,balanced, good acid ,drank with pasta and pizza, enjoyed the wine at Al Dente in DC, bargain at $26 due to 50% off deal on Sunday nights, would drink again as I love Pio Cesare wines.
2010 Fattoria Casa Alte Brunello di Montalcino Sangiovese
10/18/2015 - I don't like this wine: 85 points
I am not a Brunello fan, somewhat sweet, uninteresting wine, drank with pizza and pasta in Al Dente in DC, great value about $45 due to Sunday night 50% off deal, would not drink again.
2011 Vietti Barolo Castiglione Nebbiolo
10/18/2015 - I like this wine: 91 points
VG Barolo, medium bodied, somewhat developed but 2011 is supposed to be an early developed vintage, drank with pizza and pasta at Al Dente in DC, amazing value at $48 due to 50% off deal on Sundays. Would drink again.
Joe's Seafood was also very good. Food is plain but quality high. I had crab cakes and key lime pie. Drank some Roederer Champagne, which was balanced and good acid.
Fiola Mare is quite interesting. Beautiful location. Service is very accommodating and not pretentious.Prices are very high but not crazy. It is an Italian seafood place. The fish is fresh and good but is lacking flavor. The focus in the restaurant is on pretty. I had sashimi bass with pomegranate and cauliflower. My main course was roasted halibut. It was good. Portions are small. The bread is real good. Dessert was good. I had hot doughnuts with caramel gelato and dipping sauce. The wine list is very long and the prices are high but there are good choices between $50 and $100. We had 3 bottles.
2013 Tenuta di Fessina Etna Erse Bianco Etna DOC
10/20/2015 - I like this wine: 90 points
balanced, light wine with good fruit with light acid to balance, nice aperitif wine, drank at Fiola Mare in DC, drank with fish, $52 on wine list, would drink again.
2010 Domaine Pavelot (Jean-Marc et Hugues) Aloxe-Corton Pinot Noir
10/20/2015 - I like this wine: 90 points
An "inexpensive" Burgundy with flavor, medium bodied with nice fruit, opened up over a short time, balanced with terroir, drank with fish at Fiola Mare in DC, would drink again. $90 on wine list
2012 AR.PE.PE. Rosso di Valtellina Nebbiolo
10/20/2015 - I like this wine: 90 points
Drank at Fiola Mare in DC, interesting, good color, lots of flavor, 13% alcohol but a medium bodied somewhat dense wine for a nebbiolo, we drank it after a Burgundy so it was tough adjustment, enjoyed the wine with different fish, would drink again, wine was about $75 on wine list.
I stayed at the Marriott Marquis downtown. A new hotel near the convention center. I would not recommend it. Overpriced and nothing special. There are much better Marriotts in town.
Frank Lloyd Wright
I had a chance to visit Taliesin West again . Located in Phoenix. It is Frank Lloyd Wright's architectural school. They give tours. http://www.franklloydwright.org/ The place is fascinating and I really enjoyed the tour of the buildings. Wright had a reason for everything that he did. Don't miss it if you go to Phoenix.
Recent Wines
I had the opportunity to drink some interesting wines recently. I have been drinking lots of Portuguese wines and they are quite good and inexpensive. The wines are great with food and do not have high alcohol amounts.
2003 Château Sansonnet St. Émilion Grand Cru Red Bordeaux Blend
10/17/2015 - I like this wine: 92 points
Very nice wine, great bouquet, good balance but lots of fruit, long finish, enjoyed with veal loin chops, drank with Bellefont Belcier, which was less fruity and earthier, would drink again.
2003 Château Bellefont-Belcier St. Émilion Grand Cru Red Bordeaux Blend
10/17/2015 - I like this wine: 90 points
Earthy, nice bouquet, acid hits you but the finish dies, good wine, drank with 03 Sansonnet, which was much fruitier and had a long finish, drank with veal loin chops, love Bordeaux wines. Would drink again.
2013 Dominique Cornin Mâcon-Chaintré Les Serreudières Chardonnay
10/15/2015 - I like this wine: 90 points
Nice bouquet, wine is balanced with good fruit but enough acid to you interested, drank with blackened salmon, would drink again if I can find it.
2012 Chalone Vineyard Pinot Noir Estate Grown - Heritage Bottling Chalone
10/16/2015 - I like this wine: 88 points
Nice color, alcohol bouquet, smoothing out a bit, good flavor, I want to love this wine but it tires as we drank it, has potential, time will tell, drank with steak, will drink again.
2011 Domaine Billaud-Simon Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons Chardonnay
9/28/2015 - I like this wine: 90 points
Enjoyed, light, Good fruit balanced with acid, enjoyed with lobster tails, would drink again,
2009 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select Stags Leap District
9/28/2015 - I like this wine: 95 points
Lots of flavor, balanced, big wine but no alcohol taste, nice bouquet, enjoyed with lobster tails, would drink again.
2005 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha's Vineyard Oakville
9/28/2015 - I like this wine: 94 points
Very nice wine, tannin and terroir, more character than the average Cali cab, enjoyed with lobster tails, would drink again
2014 Domaine de la Madone Beaujolais Le Perréon Gamay
10/9/2015 - I like this wine: 86 points Maybe we are tiring of this wine. It a solid Beaujolais with delicate fruit, it goes down easily. Drank with ravioli. Might drink again. Good value.
2010 Juvé y Camps Cava “Reserva de la Família” Brut Nature Gran Reserva Macabeo-Xarel-lo-Parellada Blend
10/4/2015 - I like this wine: 90 points
VG cava, balanced , fruity but dry, good bubbles and nice finish, a step above the average cava, a good value, drank with cheeses, will drink again.
2010 Beaulieu Vineyard Tapestry Reserve Napa Valley Red Bordeaux Blend
10/3/2015 - I like this wine: 91 points
Enjoyed this wine; balanced with nice flavor, 3 people shared the bottle,I am not a big cab fan but this wine drank easily, not a wine to age much more, drank with steak, received as a gift and probably won't drink again, a bit overpriced.
2011 Wine & Soul Manoella Douro Red Blend
10/2/2015 - I like this wine: 90 points
A big wine for Portugal, good stuff, borderline grapey but never crosses the line, Good balance, drinks easily, drank with fajitas, will drink again.
2013 Herdade do Esporão Pé Tinto Vinho Regional Alentejano Red Blend
10/1/2015 - I like this wine: 85 points
Medium bodied wine that quite drinkable, nice balance, good producer, another Portuguese blend that is an incredible value, try it.
2014 Domaine de la Madone Beaujolais Le Perréon Gamay
10/1/2015 - I like this wine: 88 points
A nice solid Beaujolais, light bodied, nice bouquet, vg value, will drink again.
2011 DFJ Vinhos Portada Vinho Regional Lisboa Red Blend
10/1/2015 - I like this wine: 87 points
Interesting wine, no bouquet, nice color, good flavor, nice acid balances, medium bodied, a bit grapey but overall a good value wine, 2011 was a great year in Portugal, would not age much longer, drank with spaghetti and meatballs, would drink again.
2014 Paulo Laureano Vinho Regional Alentejano Classico Branco White Blend
9/24/2015 - I like this wine: 88 points
Solid white, fresh, acid and fruit nicely balanced, great value, will drink again, drank with salmon.
2010 Domaine Drouhin Oregon Pinot Noir Willamette Valley
9/25/2015 - I like this wine: 93 points
Light color, nice bouquet, fruity but not grapey with tannin to balance, complex with a long finish, drinking great at this time, drank with rack of lamb, will drink again
NV Juvé y Camps Cava Brut Rosé Rosé Blend
9/26/2015 - I like this wine: 86 points
Good flavor but a little flat, nice color, bottle consistently appears to be an issue with this wine, drank with tuna and cous cous, decent value, will probably drink again.
2013 Clos de la Lysardiere Chinon Cabernet Franc
9/22/2015 - I like this wine: 89 points
See previous notes, a light wine with good flavor, balanced but not too fruity, terroir, low alcohol, drank with pasta with veggies, really like this wine, not cheap but will drink again.
2009 Château Haut Barrail Médoc Red Bordeaux Blend
9/20/2015 - I like this wine: 92 points
Good stuff. Consistent with my previous note. Good bouquet, dark color, great balance with lots of fruit but with smooth tannins, drank with hamburgers, sipped after the meal, only 13% alcohol. Will drink again, excellent value.
Pete Wells in the NYT http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/21/dining/restaurant-review-bruno-east-village.html?ref=dining has an interesting restaurant review this week. He writes about how foodies and wine writers can get carried away in the reviews and how places are now reviewed withing hours of opening.
Thanksgiving is coming soon. Love the holiday. Recently made cranberry ice cream.
Enjoy!
Sunday, October 4, 2015
Maui, Hamilton, and the end of Summer
I can't believe that it is football season and that summer is about to end. I am disappointed at all the non-sense that has engulfed the Rutgers football team.
Maui
We went to Maui again. We stayed at the Marriott in Wailea http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/hnmmc-wailea-beach-marriott-resort-and-spa/ for 5 nights and the Eldorado, an Outrigger condo, in Kaanapali Beach http://www.outriggermauieldoradocondo.com/?src=LeadQual_ppc_MER_20150921_Google_Brand_50S_MER_OCC_Condo-Brand-MER-Maui-Broad_c_g_Maui_Hawaii_2015BC5PromoCodeFOUNDERS_Ad-2_SpaciousKaanapaliBeachCondos_Startingat13OffBookby1027&sctp=ppc&scvn=google&scsrc=google_search&scgeo=MER&sccrtv=Brand&sckw=%2Bmaui%20%2Bel%20%2Bdorado&gclid=Cj0KEQjwnMOwBRCAhp-ysqCwypkBEiQAeSy1-cd7wU5ev9zE7AXIiOywqoix9xf-ifdm-Z_5DClf4zQaAvnO8P8HAQ for 3 nights. The weather was strange. A few hurricanes have narrowly missed the Hawaiian Islands and the weather was quite humid and hot as the hurricanes have surrounded the islands blocked tradewinds.
We love Maui. Everything just works for us from Costco to Mana Foods from Hana to Kapalua. The low season starts in mid August so things were not that crowded when we were there. The Marriott is very well situated and the hotel works. Nothing incredible but very nice. The hotel is between 2 very nice beaches and the hotel really does nothing for you if you want to be on the beach. They have some old rusty half chairs that you can take along with towels. The chairs worked and they were an improvement from the last time we stayed at the hotel.
The food at the hotel should be better but... We did not eat at Mala but there was no buzz and the prices are very expensive. Migrant, is Asian fusion and it was reasonable and decent. You can eat outside overlooking the ocean so that is great.
The beaches are great. Beaches in Hawaii are clean and most have facilities such as parking and bathrooms. Many have lifeguards. The ocean was calm except at the shoreline where there were beach drop waves. These are large swells that just drop on the beach and can be quite dangerous. In fact we went to Big Beach and the lifeguards basically chased us away with all of their warnings they broadcast on a PA system.
Since we have been to the island so many times, we had no agenda. The one thing that we did was to take a minibus tour around the island past Hana. The road past Hana was one of the few roads I had not driven. The tour was long but fun. The scenery is breathtaking and the road scary. We had lunch at the Travaasa Hana Hotel. The lunch was lousy but we love the hotel and it is in the process of being renovated. We hit a flash flood on the way home on the tour. A main road was blocked near the Maui Winery. There was no way around. Going back would have meant about 5 hours of travelling.
Maui's Grand Canyon.
This "stream" crossed the road. We finally drove through it after some locals showed that it was possible.
We visited Paia again. Mana Foods must be one of the best health food stores anyway. Eclectic and good stuff with fair prices. Passion fruit was $1.59 a pound so I was in heaven. I love the fruits in Hawaii. At a roadside stand near Leodas Pie Shop, near Lahaina, I bought some mangoes that were the best mangoes that I have ever eaten. They were green and had pale yellow interiors but so ripe, juicy and tasty. I also bougt a pineapple crumb pie at Leodas and it was real good.
We also went to Makawao but the Komodo Bakery was closed both times. We did eat at the Market Bistro for lunch. The food is always pretty good there. We had a pulled pork sandwich which was a special of the day. The place is quirky but good.
As you can tell we had good food in Maui and did not spend that much. Breakfasts are a challenge but you can find some places in Kihei that are reasonable. The Cheeseburger place in the Wailea shops has a breakfast special for $8.95 that is OK. The Marriott breakfast buffet which they give to elite members of $24.95 looked gross. No local fruit.
Costco is old reliable as they have some great wines and their food is mainland prices. They are also great for sun screen and other beach stuff. Costco also has discount gift certificates for island businesses. You can save on boat trips and dinners. We bought gift cards for Mala and Honu Seafood and Pizza in Lahaina for 20% off.,We rented an umbrella from Boss Frogs for a week for $15. It was a Costco umbrella but Costco sells it for $25. There is also a Whole Foods in Kahului. The store is OK . We did buy some Big Island steaks which were great and reasonable. We also picked up sandwiches there for our plane ride home as the store is near the airport.
Blow hole.
Big Beach
We will keep returning to Hawaii as long it keeps calling to us.
Hamilton
We saw Hamilton again but this time on Broadway. It is great and you should try and see it.
Aloha.
Maui
We went to Maui again. We stayed at the Marriott in Wailea http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/hnmmc-wailea-beach-marriott-resort-and-spa/ for 5 nights and the Eldorado, an Outrigger condo, in Kaanapali Beach http://www.outriggermauieldoradocondo.com/?src=LeadQual_ppc_MER_20150921_Google_Brand_50S_MER_OCC_Condo-Brand-MER-Maui-Broad_c_g_Maui_Hawaii_2015BC5PromoCodeFOUNDERS_Ad-2_SpaciousKaanapaliBeachCondos_Startingat13OffBookby1027&sctp=ppc&scvn=google&scsrc=google_search&scgeo=MER&sccrtv=Brand&sckw=%2Bmaui%20%2Bel%20%2Bdorado&gclid=Cj0KEQjwnMOwBRCAhp-ysqCwypkBEiQAeSy1-cd7wU5ev9zE7AXIiOywqoix9xf-ifdm-Z_5DClf4zQaAvnO8P8HAQ for 3 nights. The weather was strange. A few hurricanes have narrowly missed the Hawaiian Islands and the weather was quite humid and hot as the hurricanes have surrounded the islands blocked tradewinds.
We love Maui. Everything just works for us from Costco to Mana Foods from Hana to Kapalua. The low season starts in mid August so things were not that crowded when we were there. The Marriott is very well situated and the hotel works. Nothing incredible but very nice. The hotel is between 2 very nice beaches and the hotel really does nothing for you if you want to be on the beach. They have some old rusty half chairs that you can take along with towels. The chairs worked and they were an improvement from the last time we stayed at the hotel.
The food at the hotel should be better but... We did not eat at Mala but there was no buzz and the prices are very expensive. Migrant, is Asian fusion and it was reasonable and decent. You can eat outside overlooking the ocean so that is great.
The beaches are great. Beaches in Hawaii are clean and most have facilities such as parking and bathrooms. Many have lifeguards. The ocean was calm except at the shoreline where there were beach drop waves. These are large swells that just drop on the beach and can be quite dangerous. In fact we went to Big Beach and the lifeguards basically chased us away with all of their warnings they broadcast on a PA system.
Since we have been to the island so many times, we had no agenda. The one thing that we did was to take a minibus tour around the island past Hana. The road past Hana was one of the few roads I had not driven. The tour was long but fun. The scenery is breathtaking and the road scary. We had lunch at the Travaasa Hana Hotel. The lunch was lousy but we love the hotel and it is in the process of being renovated. We hit a flash flood on the way home on the tour. A main road was blocked near the Maui Winery. There was no way around. Going back would have meant about 5 hours of travelling.
We also went to Makawao but the Komodo Bakery was closed both times. We did eat at the Market Bistro for lunch. The food is always pretty good there. We had a pulled pork sandwich which was a special of the day. The place is quirky but good.
As you can tell we had good food in Maui and did not spend that much. Breakfasts are a challenge but you can find some places in Kihei that are reasonable. The Cheeseburger place in the Wailea shops has a breakfast special for $8.95 that is OK. The Marriott breakfast buffet which they give to elite members of $24.95 looked gross. No local fruit.
Costco is old reliable as they have some great wines and their food is mainland prices. They are also great for sun screen and other beach stuff. Costco also has discount gift certificates for island businesses. You can save on boat trips and dinners. We bought gift cards for Mala and Honu Seafood and Pizza in Lahaina for 20% off.,We rented an umbrella from Boss Frogs for a week for $15. It was a Costco umbrella but Costco sells it for $25. There is also a Whole Foods in Kahului. The store is OK . We did buy some Big Island steaks which were great and reasonable. We also picked up sandwiches there for our plane ride home as the store is near the airport.
Blow hole.
Hamilton
We saw Hamilton again but this time on Broadway. It is great and you should try and see it.
Aloha.
Friday, August 21, 2015
Portugal Part 3, Madeira
Portugal Part 3, Madeira
I apologize for the delay in writing this segment of the Portugal trip. I have had a busy summer and my garden has been producing lots of tomatoes. We have had some groundhog issues but he does not like tomatoes only the healthy stuff like broccoli and kale. We are preparing for our next trip already; back to Maui. I should have some good updates on one of our favorite places.
We also have really been enjoying Portuguese wines this summer. I highly recommend their white wines which are inexpensive and good. Fresh, good acid and not high in alcohol. My favorite producer of the week is Herdade do Esporao. They make a number of wines. The white Monte Velho is very good and I paid about $8. They also make a wine called V for Verdelho, which excellent and about $9.
Thinking about different wine from different countries I have begun to realize that the wines that we like come from areas where they drink their own wines. The Portuguese drink their own wines and very little wine is imported into Portugal. Whereas in California, much of its wine goes elsewhere and locals don't predominately drink California wine. If they did, I guarantee that the prices would be cheaper and the wines would have less alcohol. Napa produces for the world, not Napa. Something to think about.
Day 4-- We decided to go to Sintra. Sintra is about 45 minutes by train from Lisbon. It i the place where the kings used to hang out. There are a couple of palaces and an old Moorish fort. We took the train from Rossi station. It leaves about every 20 minutes.
In Sintra all of the things to see are not near the train station so you need to take a bus that makes a loop and stops at all of the sights. There are also lots of private tours that will take you around. The train station is a bit disorienting so take your time and find the public bus that makes the loop.
First stop --- the Palace of Pena. This is actually the 2nd stop on the bus but it is an easy walk back to the Moorish fort. The Palace of Pena is not that hold as it was built in the 1800's.parquesdesintra.pt
The Atlantic Ocean.
The Moorish Fort in the distance.
The Moorish fort. There is a separate admission to this.
Sintra specializes in pastries. They were OK. I am not a fan of the custard fillings.
The Palace in Sintra. This place was neat. Lots of old rooms and tiles. It did not take long to go through it and was very worthwhile. There is a separate admission for this Palace.
Back in Lisboa we walked right into a communist rally straight out of a Woody Allen movie.
We ate dinner at Sacramento. http://www.sacramentodochiado.com/pt/ Beautiful restaurant with good service and reasonable prices. I had a pork shank and my wife and monkfish skewers. Dessert was creative and good.
This was a very good white wine. I have not been able to find it in the US.
Pork shank.
Yogurt cake.
Day 5 -- Off to Madeira. Madeira is an island in the Atlantic, even with Morocco. It has a temperate climate all year round.We took a cab to the airport. This cab driver was honest and our fare was half of the fare when we arrived. We arrived in Madeira with no problem. The Madeira airport is along the coast and they have actually built the runway over the ocean. We later found out that the airport has a wind issue and is a tough place to land. Apparently in the days prior to our arrival many flight were cancelled to Madeira.
The airport is small and modern. It is about about a 20 minute cab ride to Funchal, the main city and where were staying. We stayed in The Cliff Bay, http://www.portobay.com/en/hotels/portugal/madeira-island-portugal/the-cliff-bay/a beautiful hotel on a you guessed it,cliff, over looking the ocean. The upgraded us to the top floor in probably the nicest room in the hotel. We had a huge room and a large terrace. Breakfast included for about $200 per night. I booked it through Expedia.
Madeira is a really cool island. The weather is ideal. It does not get too hot or cold. It has some very good roads that go through some very impressive tunnels. You usually have a choice of going on the old road or the new improved road.
Prices on Madeira are very reasonable. We did not encounter any Americans; mostly British and Germans.
The hotel was beautiful with spectacular grounds.
View from our room.
Our terrace.
The hotel has pools down the cliff on the ocean level. The pool was a salt water pool and great for swimming. It was also just the right temperature. You can swim in the ocean by diving or taking a ladder off the dock. The water was not that cold but the currents could be tricky. I chose not to go in.
The hotel was in walking distance of Funchal. There are also buses and taxis. We walked into town and found the following flower exhibit. Apparently it is part of a religious ceremony. People make flower patterns all through Funchal. They were amazing. We understand that they lay down the flowers one afternoon and have the ceremony the next day and then remove the flowers. Wow.
The church where the ceremony ends.
The cliff that the hotel is on.
We ate dinner at the Il Gallo d Oro http://ilgallodoro.portobay.com/en/which was in our hotel. The restaurant has 1 Michelin star and supposed to be one of the finest restaurants in Portugal. The place was a joke and really awful. The prices for Portugal were crazy. It double or triple the price of other very good places. The wine list is good but very over priced. The food though is the real problem. Portions are minuscule and this is coming from someone who never complains about small portions. And the food stunk. My wife thinks that she got sick from what she had and my dish was so small as to be silly and hard to figure out if it was good. Certainly the food had no Portuguese influence
We have been to many top restaurants around the world and this place was a throwback to the early days of nouvelle cuisine in the US. I never saw such food in the great restaurants of Europe.
Salmon sushi roll? They gave it some special name.
My main course of pigeon. I ordered the 3 course special meal for 49 euros. Not a crazy price if the food was good. Not sure if you tell how small the food on the plate really is. Nothing tasted good.
My wife's dish. We thought it was a main course but it turned out to be an appetizer. The food was cold which they said was intended.It did not matter as everything was the same small size.When they asked my wife how the meal was, she told them. They got annoyed and started arguing with her. To their credit they comped her dish.
Dessert.
Day 6 We took a cab into Funchal. He very aggressively tried to sell us on tour of the island in his cab. We declined. We explored the city ourselves.Funchal has an old part of town. Nothing special. The city has a number of restaurants. One of the things to do is to take a gondola up the mountainside. There is a second gondola that connects to the first gondola.The gondolas are very expensive so we passed on the trip.
Funchal has an interesting food market with fresh fruits and a fish market. A specialty of Madeira is the black scabbard fish. It is caught thousands of feet down in the ocean.
The market a number of different varieties of passion fruit. Many I had never seen before.
We took a public bus up to the Botanical gardens, locate up the mountain. It was hard to find out ab out buses but we finally found a tourist office with some info. Once you figure things out, they are quite easy to use. Several different passes are available.
We ate dinner that night at Atlantic Restaurant down the road from our hotel. It is on the cliffs overlooking the ocean. We had black scabbard fish at the restaurant and it was quite good. The prices are reasonable and the view fabulous. Dinner cost 58 euros.
A good red wine.
A town we visited on the tour.
We ate lunch at another small town, Porto Moniz on the other side of the island. They have built a beautiful swimming pool on the rocks of the ocean.
Our lunch was amazing
The tour took around the western part of the island. The island is lush with a high plateau in the middle. There are steep cliffs and valleys. They have built an intricate road system with very long tunnels.
For dinner, we ate a small restaurant in Funchal. We ate outside and the food was bad. It was cheap but not good. It had some good reviews on TripAdvisor. Espaco Funchal. Our meal was 36 euros with wine. We had black scabbard fish again and it was inedible.
However the good news was that we were next door to a small wine bar that I had ignored on our way to dinner.Madeira Tapas E Wine. OMG, this place is awesome. They wines retail and as a restaurant and they serve light tapas. A young waiter who loved wine helped me navigate their wines. Their policy is to open any bottle they have and charge you 25% of the retail price for a glass.
We tried a Madeira regular red wine and then he recommended the 2011 Nunes Barata below. The Nunes was great. I have not found it in the US. 2011 was a great year in Portugal.
The owner then offered us a glass of his favorite Madeira. They also served us special Portuguese ham that is like the Iberico Spanish ham. We also had some tapas.They charged us 11 euros for everything. I wish I had discovered the place a few days earlier as I would have tasted every great wine in Portugal. If you go to Madeira, go to this place.
Day 8 We traveled from Madeira to Lisbon to Newark. Smooth sailing and came home. It was a very good trip and I look forward to returning to Portugal someday.
Enjoy. Hawaii is next.
I apologize for the delay in writing this segment of the Portugal trip. I have had a busy summer and my garden has been producing lots of tomatoes. We have had some groundhog issues but he does not like tomatoes only the healthy stuff like broccoli and kale. We are preparing for our next trip already; back to Maui. I should have some good updates on one of our favorite places.
We also have really been enjoying Portuguese wines this summer. I highly recommend their white wines which are inexpensive and good. Fresh, good acid and not high in alcohol. My favorite producer of the week is Herdade do Esporao. They make a number of wines. The white Monte Velho is very good and I paid about $8. They also make a wine called V for Verdelho, which excellent and about $9.
Thinking about different wine from different countries I have begun to realize that the wines that we like come from areas where they drink their own wines. The Portuguese drink their own wines and very little wine is imported into Portugal. Whereas in California, much of its wine goes elsewhere and locals don't predominately drink California wine. If they did, I guarantee that the prices would be cheaper and the wines would have less alcohol. Napa produces for the world, not Napa. Something to think about.
Day 4-- We decided to go to Sintra. Sintra is about 45 minutes by train from Lisbon. It i the place where the kings used to hang out. There are a couple of palaces and an old Moorish fort. We took the train from Rossi station. It leaves about every 20 minutes.
In Sintra all of the things to see are not near the train station so you need to take a bus that makes a loop and stops at all of the sights. There are also lots of private tours that will take you around. The train station is a bit disorienting so take your time and find the public bus that makes the loop.
First stop --- the Palace of Pena. This is actually the 2nd stop on the bus but it is an easy walk back to the Moorish fort. The Palace of Pena is not that hold as it was built in the 1800's.parquesdesintra.pt
The fort is a 1/4 mile walk from the road and you need to be in good shape to explore the walls. On a nice day it is a fun activity.
We took the bus back to Sintra and there we went to the Palace National of Sintra. This Palace is old and is like a museum inside with some fascinating rooms and works of art. It is located in the middle of Sintra. We ate lunch in Sintra in a Michelin recommended restaurant. We had some of the best food that we had in Portugal. I had cod on top of spinach on top of potatoes. It was amazing. It was enough for 2 and lunch cost 20 euros. Restaurant Tacho Real. It is off the main street in Sintra up the hill. Somewhat tricky to find but a great spot for lunch.
Monkfish.
The airport is small and modern. It is about about a 20 minute cab ride to Funchal, the main city and where were staying. We stayed in The Cliff Bay, http://www.portobay.com/en/hotels/portugal/madeira-island-portugal/the-cliff-bay/a beautiful hotel on a you guessed it,cliff, over looking the ocean. The upgraded us to the top floor in probably the nicest room in the hotel. We had a huge room and a large terrace. Breakfast included for about $200 per night. I booked it through Expedia.
Madeira is a really cool island. The weather is ideal. It does not get too hot or cold. It has some very good roads that go through some very impressive tunnels. You usually have a choice of going on the old road or the new improved road.
Prices on Madeira are very reasonable. We did not encounter any Americans; mostly British and Germans.
The hotel was beautiful with spectacular grounds.
We have been to many top restaurants around the world and this place was a throwback to the early days of nouvelle cuisine in the US. I never saw such food in the great restaurants of Europe.
The wine was good but 36 euros, almost more than all of the wine we had on trip combined.
Day 6 We took a cab into Funchal. He very aggressively tried to sell us on tour of the island in his cab. We declined. We explored the city ourselves.Funchal has an old part of town. Nothing special. The city has a number of restaurants. One of the things to do is to take a gondola up the mountainside. There is a second gondola that connects to the first gondola.The gondolas are very expensive so we passed on the trip.
Funchal has an interesting food market with fresh fruits and a fish market. A specialty of Madeira is the black scabbard fish. It is caught thousands of feet down in the ocean.
Black Scabbard fish.
Another local specialty of beef on wood skewers with fried polenta, which was light and good.
Day 7 We took a bus tour around the island. The prices are great because there is lots of competition. We paid 29 euros a person for the full day tour in a very nice mini bus with tour guide/bus driver. The tour took us to a lookout over very high cliffs, 580 meters up, with a glass ledge over the ocean below. Look carefully.
Albacore tuna, paella type rice, steamed veggies and a large salad all for under 20 euros. And we were on a terrace overlooking the ocean. Orca Restaurant.http://www.madeira-restaurants.com/porto-moniz/restaurante-orca The food was great.
Wines of Madeira. They make regular wines as well as Madeira fortified wine.
For dinner, we ate a small restaurant in Funchal. We ate outside and the food was bad. It was cheap but not good. It had some good reviews on TripAdvisor. Espaco Funchal. Our meal was 36 euros with wine. We had black scabbard fish again and it was inedible.
However the good news was that we were next door to a small wine bar that I had ignored on our way to dinner.Madeira Tapas E Wine. OMG, this place is awesome. They wines retail and as a restaurant and they serve light tapas. A young waiter who loved wine helped me navigate their wines. Their policy is to open any bottle they have and charge you 25% of the retail price for a glass.
We tried a Madeira regular red wine and then he recommended the 2011 Nunes Barata below. The Nunes was great. I have not found it in the US. 2011 was a great year in Portugal.
Enjoy. Hawaii is next.
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