C&O's Trattoria, Marina Del Rey

C&O’s Trattoria – Marina Del Rey

Where can you meet a friend for lunch in L.A?  Let’s narrow it down to West L.A.  When Dana lived in Venice Beach, she introduced us to C&O’s Trattoria.  There are 2 location on Washington Blvd.  We have only been to the one at 31 Washington Blvd.  It is one block from the Venice Beach Pier parking lot.  Betty, Dana, Charlie and the boys and I went there it meet our friend Shamarcus.  He was visiting from Alaska.  Betty and I had Dana’s boys in tow.  I was determined to find a parking place that I would not have to pay for or at least one that I would not have to jump up in the middle of lunch and put more money in the meter.  I did find an open parking place that was not metered.  We had been driving for a couple hours and I was ready for a little walk.  But Betty and the boys were not ready for a marathon walk like what we had from the parking place I found.  After 12 blocks, I apologized and I really did not know it was so far from the restaurant.  I parked in the first open space I found.  The problem was we walked past numerous open spaces between our car and the restaurant.  Betty was really getting pissed.  It was one of those “just don’t talk to me right now” moments.  “Sorry, I didn’t realize I parked so far away”.  It turned out that there is $9 all day parking at the pier ½ block away.  I recommend the pier parking to keep peace in the family.  When we saw Shamarcus’ smiling face, we all cheered up.  The dining at C&O’s is outside in a courtyard.  It was cool in the shade, but they had heaters. 

The Italian dishes and salads are wonderful.  They serve little bread rolls that are buttered or oiled and I could make a meal out of those.  I had the Eggplant Parmigianino. It was a generous portion served with steamed veggies and a little spaghetti and marinara sauce.  I had a glass of red table wine which paired just right with the rich marinara sauce. Betty had a great salad and Shamarcus had a big bowl of rigatoni. Charlie had a burger.  I looked like a good quality burger but it was dry.  I like sauce on my burgers.  But I would not order a burger at an Italian Restaurant.   We have had at least 3 memorable meals at C&O’s at this location. 

http://www.cotrattoria.com

The walk along the Venice pier and boardwalk is the most entertaining part of our visit.  It’s a short walk along the boardwalk to the muscle beach area where there are people playing basketball and bodybuilding on the beach.  And all the stores are a trip especially the medical marijuana outlets.  After a few minutes of the local color, I’m good.  Luckily we got a ride back to my car. 

C&O’s is a reliable standby place to meet for lunch in West L.A. 

Christmas Rib Roast, wine, music and movie reviews

Christmas Day 2010 Rib Roast

We have always had rib roast on Christmas Day.  I typically roast it in the oven at 350 F for 18 to 19 minutes per Lb.  Each year I make a little note in my recipe book adjusting the time.  The last couple years I started the oven temperature at 450 F to sear the roast for the 1^st 20 to 30 minutes.  Well, what is it 20 or 30 minutes?  And does this count toward the total cooking time?  And how long should it take to cook overall?  I have notes starting at 20 minutes per Lb.  And I remember this resulting in the roast being too well done.  So, I went to 17 minutes per Lb and it was too rare.  I know.  I just need a meat thermometer, right?  Yeah, right.  Last year I made the note to roast for 19 minutes per Lb. at 350 F with the 1^st 20 – 30 minutes at 450 F. 

One year, I also used the “set it and forget” rotisserie.  The roast turned out perfect, but the house smelled like fat drippings for a week.  So this year I was preparing the roast to cook in the oven per the latest directions above.  The day before Christmas I prepared the rub.  I make my own meat rubs which is a lot like my other recepies, mix up whatever I can find in the cupboard.  My rubs have not had enough salt in them lately.  So for this roast I started with my meat rub that is heavy in brown sugar and added additional season salt.

To make a rub for your rib roast, I recommend ¼ cup of brown sugar and add 1/8 cup each of season salt (I like Tony Chacherie’s Creole Seasoning or Lawry’s season salt – or both), garlic powder, onion powder and chili powder, black pepper and a tablespoon of ground cumin.  This rub is typical of the rubs you see on the food channel shows.  However, I use more brown sugar and chili powder.  I think it makes a better crust.  I also cut a bunch of fresh rosemary and oregano from the yard and chop it up to add to the roast.  And I also added some red pepper flakes for a little extra kick.

On Christmas Eve, I cut the strings off the roast and separated the ribs to add some season rub under them, then retied the ribs to the roast.  I put a generous amount of seasonings all over the roast and put it back in the fridge until Christmas morning.  After my Christmas morning coffee, I start to prepare for the dinner roasting.  I take the 8.25 Lb. roast out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature on the counter.  This is also time to choose and decant the wine to go with dinner. 

While the roast is sitting on the counter, I was still unsure of how to cook it this year.  Betty takes a turkey bag out and says’ “just cook it in a turkey bag”.   The bag has a recipe for roasting a beef rib roast.  And the turkey’s always turn out really good, moist and browned.   I decided to follow the directions with the turkey bag.  I forgot to put the meat thermometer in so I had to rely on the cooking time on the directions.  For an 8 to 10 Lb. rib roast, the cooking time is 2.5 to 2.75 hours.  Our roast was 8.26 Lbs. so 2.5 hours was set on the oven timer. 

I was a little worried because the oven was opened a lot during the 2.5 hours to cook the other stuff.  I was probably one of the best rib roasts we have had.  It was nice and glazed from the rub.  And the end cuts were well done and still moist and very flavorful.  The very middle was a little rare and the rest was a beautiful medium rare. 

Now for the wine

The household rule is that Le Cuvier gets served to guests that are also Le Cuvier members.  Other guests my not appreciate the wine.  Dana is a Le Cuvier member so I decanted a bottle of the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon.  I still have some 2001 and 2002 Cab from Le Cuvier, but I anticipate enjoying those remarkable vintages in the future when there are fewer people to share it with.  The wine decanted all morning to allow the bouquet to fully develop.   The Le Cuvier Cabs are great with the full flavor of a rib roast or a good steak.

http://www.lcwine.com/

Movie review : True Grit

Betty and I saw the True Grit remake.  Why does Hollywood try to remake a classic?  Obviously, it’s to make money.  I think people will like it if they have nothing else to compare it to, like the original.  I like Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon, but they both acted like retards in this movie.  And that was before Matt Damon almost bit his tongue off.  I’m tied, already, of Jeff Bridges acting like a tired old drunk.  Maybe he plays those rolls so good because all he has to do is act naturally.  Like the old Buck Owens song: “I’m going to be a big star and all I got to do is act naturally” to play a sad broken hearted guy.  I mean, how could anyone expect a better Rooster Cogburn than John Wayne?  And Glenn Campbell had so much more personality than Matt Damon.  And the new Mattie Ross character had none of spunk and personality that the original had.  It was like all the characters were beginning actors reading the lines for the first time.  The bad guys were not as bad either.  Ned Pepper was scary in the original.

The movie will probably get plenty of awards, but my recommendation is if you want to see True Grit, get the original from Net Flicks.  I remember the original True Grit making me laugh out loud and make me cry with emotion.  This new version made me mad that I wasn’t watching the original one.  Sorry.

Music review: Maysa

I love sensual soul music.  And I have discovered Maysa.  I like going to the Barns and Noble to search for music.  I can put on the headphones and scan a CD to get a sample of each song.  I first found Maysa Sweet Classic Soul CD from 2006.  Wishing on a Star is almost as good a Rose Royce.  I most recently found her 2002 CD, “Out of the Blue”.  Both CD’s are great easy to listen to soul music.  I love it with this Sunday morning newspaper.

Restaurant Review:  Crest RV Park, Bakersfield

My Bakersfield readers are probably familiar with the newspaper ads for the Crest RV Park Restaurant.  I thought, who is going to go to a RV Park for lunch or dinner?  Well, I did.  It’s on Wible Road, across from Motor City GM dealers where the old Crest Drive-in Movie Theater was located.  I was getting my car serviced during lunch so I thought I would walk over to the renowned Crest Diner in the RV Park.  It’s a nice restaurant and bar.  Everyone was very attentive and they really wanted me to enjoy my dining experience, which I did.  It was lunch and I was dining alone, so I sat at the bar.  I really just wanted a burger.  They had a special - ½ Lb. burger on grilled wheat bread.  It had avocado and jalapenos on it also.  It was a good sandwich, but it cost $10.95 or so.  It came with fries or a salad and I had the salad.  It was nice and fresh with cucumber and some other vegetables.  I only had water and the bill still came to $12+.  I left $15 to cover lunch and a tip.  The only thing cheaper on the menu for lunch was a regular burger and that was $10.  Whatever happened to the $6 restaurant burger?  I guess they’re at Carls Jr.   Or, am I living in the past?  I only want to spend $5 or $6 for lunch, not $15.  If I wasn’t such a lazy ass, I would have walked to the Ranch Grande Mexican Carniceria and market a few blocks up the street on Wible and had some tacos.  Hey, at least my oil change was free.

I think the Crest RV Diner is a great place to eat if you are RVing there or working at one of the local auto dealerships nearby.  And it was a friendly and clean restaurant and the service was great.  I can give it 3 stars for food, service and atmosphere based on what I ordered.  I just would not say to Betty, “do you want to go out to dinner?  Let’s go the the RV Park”.

Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen

December 2010

Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen

Anytime I go to Houston, a must visit place to eat is Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen.  On a business trip to Houston in December I met my good friend Mike and we had dinner at our favorite seafood restaurant.  It was a 15 minute wait for a table on Monday night.  This leaves a great opportunity to go to the bar and have oysters and beer.  I can confirm that Gulf oysters are back and they are great.  A dozen oysters on the half shell and a 22 oz. draft beer in a frozen schooner is a great meal in itself.  But for Mike and me it makes an appetizer that is part of the pageantry when visiting Pappadeaux.

The oysters are served on a bed of ice with lemon, cocktail sauce, horse radish and a new sauce of vinegar and herbs.  They are fresh, cold, sweet and spiced just right.  When we went to the table, we ordered another round of oysters and another beer.  And they serve a baguette loaf of fresh warm French bread.  Man, we are living large.

The Pappadeaux dinner menu specializes in Cajun seafood, fried seafood and specialty grilled seafood selections.  I always seem to order the same few items.  On this trip I ordered something new to me, the Texas Redfish on the Half Shell.  The half shell refers to the skin side down grilling.  The Redfish is a large fillet almost 2” thick in the middle and is white flesh, sweet, creamy and tender.  I think it’s better than halibut.  It is blackened and served with “jumbo lump crabmeat, asparagus & Creole roasted tomatoes in brown butter with dirty rice”.  It’s even better than it sounds.  The crabmeat, asparagus and tomatoes are sautéed in butter and Creole seasonings and poured over the fish fillet.  The brown butter sauce pools around the fish on the plate which makes the perfect place to dump the dirty rice that is served in a separate bowl.  The rice soaks up the brown butter and it is all so luscious.   The serving size is typical of Texas.  It’s a probably a 12 oz. serving of fish and crab.  The price is $29.65.  I know it sounds high for a seafood dinner, but it’s a real treat that you cannot find just anywhere. 

So, that was Monday night in Houston.  On Wednesday night, 3 of us in our group heard about the great steaks at Taste of Texas.  I’ve heard great reviews of this steak house.  Mike recommended tthat I get the 24 oz. Cowboy cut bone-in Ribeye steak.  He says they have a salad and bread bar that provides an opportunity to load up on blue cheese so you can keep some as a topping for the steak.  This was my plan for dinner.   We were late getting there because I was catching up on my e-mails in my hotel room.  Business in good in Houston even at the top restaurants and the wait was 1 ½ hours for a table.  We did not want to wait that long and there just so happens to be a Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen next door.  The same one I ate at on Monday night.  We walked next door.

This is awesome.  I had my standby favorite, Mississippi Catfish Opelousas.  It’s “Blackened catfish with oysters, shrimp & crabmeat in a lemon garlic butter sauce with dirty rice”.  The catfish is a large fillet and the topping is incredibly delicious.  The price is a mere $24.15.  Did I say we had a dozen oysters also?  Well we did.  It’s so good.  I love Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen.  An easy undisputed 4 star favorite. 

http://www.pappadeaux.com/

Art and Beer at Cabo San Lucas

Cabo San Lucas, December 3, 2010

Art & Beer

Every once in a while you come across a place that is unique in the world.  Art & Beer is one of those unique places.  About 5 years ago Betty and I went to Cabo San Lucas on vacation.  Our Friend Joe vacationed at the same time in Cabo and we did some tourist things together.  We had a rental car and we wanted to go to Todos Santos one day.   Todos Santos is a charming colonial town about 100 clicks (50 miles) north of Cabo.  It’s known as an art and surfing community and is home of the restored Hotel California. 

Earlier that week while on Medono beach at the famous Office beach cantina, we overheard some people at the next table raving about the best margaritas they ever had.  I’m always on the look out for good food and cocktails recommendations, so I inquired and learned that they were referring to Art and Beer on the way to Todos Santos.  So, we knew what to look for on our day trip the next day when Betty, Joe and I planned to go there.

On the drive back from Todos Santos on that day trip 5 years ago Betty needed to find a bathroom about half way back to Cabo.  No, this was not a case of Montezuma’s revenge.  We just needed a break.  “Hey, there is Art & Beer.  We can stop there.”  The sign was the most impressive part of this road side stand.  They have a small room with art on all the walls and another room, or palapa that is the bar.  The floors are all dirt.  They did have a bathroom and a sign on the way in saying use of the bathroom costs $3.00 or a minimum bar tab of $10.  What a great excuse to buy a margarita. 

The bathroom was an enclosure made of desert wood scraps with a toilet inside over the dirt floor.  Ther was a drum of water next to the toilet and a pail to use to flush it.  The art work was pretty funky and the palapa bar had a great view of the desert and the ocean in the background.  I ordered a margarita that cost $10.  This is a lot for a margarita in my book, but it comes with the use of the “bathroom”.  The Mexican bar maids go to work gathering the fruit from around the bar and squeezing some of everything into the giant glass mug.  I had never seen anything like it.  I could barely carry it back to the bar stool next to the window.  It was really unique and refreshing and was adorned with slices of oranges and a little umbrella.  Our stool at the open “window” had a great view of the ocean and provided a sense of total relaxation, typical of a Mexican palapa bar.  So we enjoyed our drinks overlooking the desert and ocean and decided that Art & Beer is a must stop on our next trip to Todos Santos. 

The next trip to Todos Santos happened to be a year or two later when our friend Joe joined us again at the Sunset Beach resort.  This time at Art & Beer the place had expanded with a covered deck.  This is very Mexican construction made with whatever materials they can find in the desert.  But it was shaded and charming, the perfect environment for a palapa style cantina.  The art was the same as our last visit, just with more dust on it.  I don’t think they had sold any.  And there was a drink and food menu on the patio deck.  We were having our Pina Coladas in full relaxation mode remembering our last discovery visit. There was another couple at the next table that we engaged in conversation.  The guy seemed like he was from New Jersey, like he may have worked for Tony Soprano.  He said he lived in Todos Santos.  I started asking questions which made him very uncomfortable.  Joe and I figured he was hiding from a hit squad or in a witness protection program. 

Now on this trip in December 2010, Betty and I stopped at Art & Beer on our way to Todos Santos about 11AM.  We were the only ones there.  I learned from the lady at the bar that she and her husband are the owners.  They have been there for 13 years and the art work on display is their own.  She speaks good English and said she and her husband are from Northern Baja, Mexicali and Tijuana.  I ordered a beer and Betty ordered a Pina Colada.  And we ordered the seafood campechana tostadas with shrimp, pulpo (octopus) and fish.  It was about $20 on the menu and the Pina Colada was about $14. 

Betty’s Pina Colada comes out in a whole pineapple with fruit and an umbrella attached.  It was very festive.  And we learned over our 2 hour stay that the drink included the entire blender full that she made.  So she refilled the pineapple 5 times.  Enjoying our relaxation and view, the owner came out with an appetizer, apparently part of the cheviche tostada order.  4 large fresh raw clams on a plate, open face with a sauce that tasted like clam juice and worscheshire sauce.  I didn’t even ask Betty if she wanted to eat raw clams, especially in Mexico.  So I slurped and chewed all four.  The presentation was really beautiful.  The plate was sprinkled with bits of herbs and pomegranate seeds, art work in its own right.

Betty’s Pina Colada was filled again and the cheviche tostadas came out on a lovely plate with 3 small tostadas piled high with fresh marinated shrimp, octopus and fish.  Again, the presentation was unbelievable.  Cucumber and tomato slices topped with whole shrimp were added as well.  And a tray of fresh salsas were brought on the side.  And again with the refill on the Pina Colada.  We took some pictures and enjoyed the Chris Boti playing though old stereo speakers.  We moved to the end of the deck to sit in the shade.  This is when she brought out dessert.  A plate of fresh slices of fruits and berries wading in Kahlua and vanilla liqueur. 

We were ready to leave but we were having such a nice time, we went up the spiral stairs to the roof of the art room to check out the view.  We were treated to the display of whales frolicking just off the beach as if they were there just for our pleasure.  Betty and I were the only ones there for our 2 hour stay.  However, we met the other owner as we were leaving.  He’s and old dude with a long grey beard.  And I almost forgot, speaking of leaving, as I paid the owner, she poured two bottles of beere for Betty and I – one for the road- I guess.  This is a must stop on your next trip to Cabo San Lucas.

Highland Cafe

Thanksgiving 2010

Highland Café, Oildale:

Where to go on a business lunch when your guest does not want ethnic food?  During the short Thanksgiving week, I suggested the Knotty Pine on Norris Road that is close to the office, so we headed that way.  As we got there, we both thought of the Highland café at the same time.  In the old days, the Highland café was a BBQ joint that had great BBQ, the coldest beer in town and lots of people from the Kern River oilfield went there during lunch.  I could always see someone I knew and the tables down the middle of the dining room, or bar, had a low divider that connected 2 parties.  So I might see someone I know and sit adjacent to them and visit.  That was pretty cool in the old days.  And I remember the waitress in the old days.  She was kind of a rough and tumble Oildale type lady that didn’t take any crap off anyone.  I had gained some respect for her when I learned that she had a son or daughter, I don’t remember which, was going to Cal Tech to be a rocket scientist.  When the placed closed a few years ago and relocated on 30^th street, the Highland was vacant for a while. 

It reopened a couple years ago under a new owner and was remodeled.  I’ve been thare a couple of times and the food is good.  It’s not so much a BBQ joint anymore.  As there is no BBQ sauce on the table.  The last time I was there I had a nice salad with BBQ Tri-Tip on it.  I enjoyed the salad but noticed that another table was having the hamburgers.  Man, that looked good.  Why am I always looking to see if someone else is eating something better than me?  So, this time I ordered the Ortega Cheese Burger and the mac and cheese.

The burgers are $10.  And the Ortega burger was $10.50.  That’s lot for a burger. And I could get an Ortega burger at John’s for about $4.  But at the highland café, there is a nice booth to enjoy a business meeting.   And the burgers at the highland are made with a big thick patty of top quality beef.  It’s served with all the fixin’s and they cook it to order.  I ordered mine medium and it’s still nice and juicy.  The Ortega chile part was a spoonful of chopped Ortega chilies.  I prefer the whole chile laid out over the meat like they do at John’s or the McKittrick Hotel.   I was disappointed in the mac and cheese.  It was served as a square next to the burger on the same plate.  When I think of mac and cheese, I think of gooey, creamy, cheesey, needing a dish of it’s own just to contain it.  This seemed like it was made a while ago and sitting in a pan waiting to be ordered.  The cheese was cheddar and it was hard when I got it like it was melted at some point, but it was not melted on my plate.  And there seemed to be a lot of egg in it keeping it in the square shape.  I say substitute the cheddar with Velveta.  I need the recipe from the Sears employee cafeteria where I used to work in 1979.  It was the best. 

The Tri-tip sandwich looked good at the Highland café.  Maybe I’ll try that next time.   And thinking of my next meal there means that the Highland deserves a 3 * star rating- looking forward to my next meal.

And thinking of the McKittrick Hotel’s Ortega-bacon-cheeseburger makes that a 3 * star rating and I haven’t even been there this year yet. 

Wine review(s):

Thanksgiving dinner deserves a special bottle of wine.  And since Dana is also a Le Cuvier member, she is worthy of sharing the Le Cuvier 2004 Chardonnay.  Le Cuvier makes their Chardonnay and other white wines in the same way that they make their red wines.  The Chardonnay is fermented with the skins and further fermented in the barrel.  The aging continues in the barrel for at least 3 years.  The barrels are neutral so the wine does not pick up oak flavor.  It is straw colored from contact with the skins.  The wine is very smooth and complex and may have been too much wine for the turkey dinner.  I made the mistake of not planning ahead better.  I opened the bottle as we were sitting down to eat.  Remember that these great wines from Le Cuvier are best when decanted for at least 2 hours ahead.  At first the wine tasted very tight, in that there was not much bouquet and the high alcohol content (15.2%) was very dominate on the palate.  But half way through dinner and about 15 minutes, the wine changed.  The bouquet blossomed and the alcohol smoothed out and the fruit came forward.  Wow, what a great chardonnay.    I saved some in the bottle and the next day it was still wonderful, even be itself.  I have one more bottle of this 2004 Chardonnay.  I’ll be thinking what to have it with.  Maybe BBQ baby back ribs or salmon with a nice spicey sauce or mango salsa.  Maybe I’ll take the last bottle to Cabo on vacation.   Jim at Le Cuvier says there is a Le Cuvier disciple that owns and cooks at a restaurant in Cabo San Lucas called Solomon’s Landing.  Maybe I’ll take the 2004 Chardonnay to him and have him fix a meal for Betty and me that will pair nicely with it.  Stay tuned.

Recipe:  Inspired by the food channel and a Sheppard’s pie recipe, I want to make the following with Thanksgiving leftovers; a layered casserole with mashed potatoes, turkey and gravy, dressing and green bean casserole on top.  Our green bean casserole has cheddar cheese on top so I think that will make a good top layer.  Don’t forget the cranberry chutney on the side.  How can this turn out bad? 

Akira Japanese Restaurant

11-22-2010

Akira Japanese Restaurant in Bakersfield is a great lunch spot.  It’s on California in the old Mervyn’s shopping center.  I have not been there for years.  And today I needed a place close to the California and

Easton Drive

area.  The Teppan seating is fast and entertaining.  The Teppan lunch is $9.95.  You can also order sushi from the Teppan seating.  The guy I was with was a little talkative, which is fine.  But I didn’t get a chance to watch the chef much. 

We both had the Lunch special, steak and chicken for $9.95.  The seating is fast and they get right on it.  The meat, rice, onion and vegetables are all beautifully fresh and prepared at the table.  We had a couple sushi rolls with I thought were fine, but there is plenty of food for lunch without it.   

Not much eventful to write about on this trip.  Except that I got my guest talking about his service as a Marine in Viet Nam War.  And I don’t think its right to relay that discussion.  I referred him to the Nelson Demille books I’ve enjoyed so much, in particular, Up Country.  In fact, that is my book recommendation for this entry. 

Up Country is a great adventure about a retired solider that goes back to Viet Nam in the late 80’s to investigate a murder that happened during the war.  So it’s covers post war Viet Nam and has lots of flash backs to the War.  Up Country is definitely a 4 star book.  Or, pick up Nelson DeMill’s Plum Island and start at the beginning of the John Corey character that spans at least 7 novels. 

Oh, Akira is a 3 * star restaurant in my opinion.   It’s always fun and an excellent meal.

Wine review of the day: Risata, Moscato d’Asti

From the label, “Rista, meaning laughter, will honor its Italian name by being the focus of any occasion.  The supple sweetness of this wine will shine as an aperitif, with dessert, or on its own”.  I could have not said it better myself.  And it lives up to the claim.  It’s sweet but not syrupy.  And it’s kind of sparkly coming out of the bottle.  It’s only 5.5% alcohol, so it drinks like soda pop.  It’s was nice with the salmon that I barbequed for dinner.  But a drier white wine would have been better or even a more complex Chardonnay.  Risata would go better with a summer salad.  It’s a fat bottle and didn’t go well in the wine cellar and it was taking up too much room.   So it was good to get it out of the way.  I think I got it at Costco or maybe Trader Joes.  I hope I didn’t pay more that $8 or $10 for it.  

Mashed Potatoes Recipe – or, cheesy garlic mashed potatoes:

I signed up to take mashed potatoes to the shop pot luck on Wednesday when they fry turkeys for Thanksgiving.

I used a half bag of potatoes and 2 sweet potatoes.  Just because they were left over from Betty’s pumpkin beef stew.  (Call Betty for that one, it’s too complicated for me).  I leave some of the water in after they are cooked.  I think it keeps them moist.  And  I added 2 cups of diced Velveta cheese, 1/2 cup of Alfredo sauce, ¼ cup butter, sprinkle of garlic powder, onion powder and Costco’s no salt seasoning (it’s great on everything) and some dry parsley and just a little salt and seasoned pepper.  And ¼ cup dry milk to thicken.  It’s creamy goodness.  Don’t forget to take your Lipitor with this one.  I told Betty I was going to top it with cheddar cheese and bake it, but made me see the error of my enthusiastic ways. 

Movie Review:  The last 3 days with Russell Crow.  The plot was not very believable. And it tried to be clever.  But it was only a 2.5 * star movie at best.

Noriega Hotel et. al.

11-19-10

Noriega’s Basque Restaurant

Bakersfield residents love to show off their eateries to out of town visitors.  And the numerous Basque restaurants are on the top of most people’s lists.  When I have out of town business guests, The Noriega Hotel is a unique experience for them. 

Wednesday I called to make reservations for myself and 2 colleagues, one from Houston and one from Calgary.  As I walked up to join my guests in the bar, I met one of the Basque residents smoking outside.  I know this old guy from when Lia interviewed him when she wrote a story about Noriega’s.  He recognizes me and says hi and asks about the family.  As you walk into the bar waiting for dinner time, the Basque residents hang out at the end of the bar close to the door.  They are always friendly and it’s a treat if you ever get to visit with them at the table.

Upon arrival, dinner guests gather in the bar waiting for the 7:00 seating.  In Bakersfield, you always look to see who is around when you go out.  You never know who you’ll see that you know.  Arriving early allows time for a drink.  The prices are reasonable and the Noriega’s drinks are strong.  I’m particularly fond of the gin and tonics.  I tried the Basque original Picon Punch once.  I didn’t care for it.  It was too bitter for me. 

Wednesday night is lamb stew and prime rib night, one of my favorite nights.  The vegetable and cabbage soup at Noriega’s has a richer broth than some of the other Basque places in town.  And the wine that is included with dinner makes Noriega’s a great bargain.  I won’t go through every detail of all the coarses, it would take too long.  But one should know that the lame stew is an old world platter of stewed lamb bones and chunks of meat, potatoes, carrots and celery.  I don’t know what parts of the lamb the bones come from.  The pieces are not really recognizable.  But it’s tender and juicy and one of the best entrée’s they have. 

The prime rib is served last and savvy diners know to hold back and leave some room.  Sometimes there is enough to get 2 slices.  What I liked about his last experience is that they brought the blue cheese out in time for the salad.  Sometimes I’m waiting for them to bring the blue cheese to start my salad, in which I add the pickled tongue, blue cheese and the marinated tomatoes.  The blue cheese is so good (and not too strong), that I don’t want to start my salad without it.  This trip the tomatoes were absent and in their place was potato salad and cottage cheese.  I know, only a fool would fill up on this.  But I had the cottage cheese one time at lunch and they do something to it that makes it irresistible.  Maybe they add some salad dressing and chives.  I recommend trying it. 

You may know that I don’t eat too many fries, but I love Basque fries.  And I have seen special guests that have Bernadette, the waitress, fix up a plate of garlic cheese fries.  I’m not sure how much you would have to pay extra to get her to make them.  She gets a plate of fries and adds garlic butter and grates parmesan cheese over the top.  I promise if anyone goes with me I will get an order.

Wine Review:

The table wine at Noriega’s is surprisingly good.  It comes with breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Once I was waiting to leave after dinner.  I was too full to move.  And I was observing the clean up.  One of the staff was filling up the bottles with wine out of a box.  Being ever curious, I go up to see what kind of wine it was.  I’m looking over the box and don’t see any markings.  I asked the owner on the way out and she said it comes from Paso Robles.  I bought a box for $30.00.  I spent a while with a calculator when I got home to figure the net weight equaled about 2 cases of wine.  What a bargain, $1.30 a bottle.  So I bought a box.  It was too big for the fridge, so it sat on the counter, staring me down forever.  It made great Sangria.

Brett’s Sangria:  Decent full bodied red wine, like Zinfandel.  Don’t go too cheap.  I add orange juice concentrate, a little brandy (Peach, Blackberry, Apricot, or all three) and some apple or cran-apple juice.  Add some fruit like orange slices, apple slices and strawberries.  I like mine on ice in the summer.  In the winter, heat it up with mulling spices for a quick warm up.  Use your judgment on the ingredients above, and add sugar to taste. 

Winery recommendations:

This week I broke into the wine cellar for a great bottle of Chateau Margene Cabernet Franc, 2006 vintage from Paso Robles.  Don’t bother looking for this wine. I’m sure it was sold out in 2008 when I got it in my club shipment.  I’m not a member there any longer (shame on me), but Chateau Margene produces some of the best Cab’s in the area.  Like their Cabernet Sauvignons, I pick up a great bouquet fruit and a lingering taste of cherry and chocolate with this Cab Franc.  It reminds me a dark chocolate cherry cordial.  Chateau Margene vineyard and winery is on

La Panza Road

near Creston in San Luis Obispo Co.  It is a remote location which may be why they added a tasting room on

Vineyard Dr.

in the Far Out Wineries area.  The tasting fee is a little high for the area, maybe $10 if you like cabernet sauvignon.  But pay the fee to taste the Cabs.  They are full bodied, well balanced, lots of rich berries and a full bouquet that is hard to come by these days, maybe because most places don’t age their wine long enough. 

If you make the journey to the Creston area, the other winery that I found to be outstanding is Still Waters.  They make great cabs and a crisp fresh slightly acidic Chardonnay.  I would review that, but it’s been too long since I’ve had some.  I used to enjoy riding my Harley out Hwy. 58 to

La Panza Road

, stop by Chateau Margene.  Then follow

Creston Rd

to Still Waters Winery.   For me, these “Back Roads” wineries are a warm up for the final ultimate destination of Le Cuvier.  Affectionately know to some of their disciples as Mecca. 

I will be happy to escort a tasting party for my friends anytime.

Ethel's Old Corral

11/17/10

Ethel’s Old Corral

Towards the top of Round Mountain is a developing oilfield.  It is the sight of our first Hydromation Filter sale in California with the new mixer-agitator design.  This sale in 1997 began a revolution in filtering oilfield produced water using ground walnut shells as the filter media.  It was the first of a string of successes in California that put my girls through college.  And now it’s continuing in North America, especially in Canada, and South America and beyond.  Today we were at the Round Mountain field inspecting some equipment to refurbish.

It was lunch time on the way down toward the Kern River.  What better place to stop for a cultural experience than Ethel’s Old Corral.  This place has is out on Alfred Harrell Highway near the Kern River.  There is lots of horse property nearby and folks ride their horses there on a regular basis.  On weekends, it’s a real shit kicker hangout.  Cowboys, bikers and Oildale trash are regulars.  I know because I used to ride my Road King out there for some reason, I can’t recall.  They often have music outside and last time I was there on my Harley it was fun watching drunk people try to get back on their horses to ride home.  One of the coolest things about Ethel’s is the giant Indian out front.  It’s a Bakersfield icon that has been restored and installed there with a historical marker.  That’s a great story in itself.  

I had not been to Ethel’s for lunch in years and I was surprised when I saw a note on the front door saying “cash only”.  This pisses me off because this is a business lunch and we have credit cards for purposes such as lunching while reviewing our findings in the field and strategizing our next action.  If I had known it was cash only, I would have taken our threesome to the other Oildale classic, the Highland Café.  So, we are here at Ethel’s looking for a table.  Outside it was cool in the shade but they were working on the roof so it was noisy.  And I don’t like being greeted by a dog when I sit down to eat, unless it’s my own precious Lily.  She can jump and beg anytime.  And to me, dogs are like farts, there are 2 kinds: yours and somebody else’s.  So we took a table inside.

My companions ordered the special chicken fried steak.  I ordered the Ortega, bacon, cheeseburger. I’ve been wanting one of those for months.  It’s my favorite dish at the McKittrick Hotel and Penny Bar.   This was a big fresh burger with the bacon made just for my burger, not sitting on the grill since morning.  I could tell, it was served open face and it was still sizzling.  I had a salad, no fries.  The salad was fresh with tomatoes and tasty blue cheese dressing.  It was good but I think a little high price at $8.25. 

The chicken fried steak looked really good too.   And that came with a salad at $8.75.  I inquired if my Harley riding buddy Virgil still was an owner there.  The waitress said no, but he still comes in sometimes.  My one companion was from Houston so I was explaining how the place gets crazy on weekends.  And the other guy with us confirmed saying that he used to live nearby and ride his dirt bike down and get shit-faced.  So, we’re feeling the love and nostalgia when a couple came in from the back door.  That’s where they tie up the horses.  This guy was so tall he could hardly fit through the door.  And his girl was almost as tall as he was.  They were both decked out in chaps and boots with spurs and all the trimming.  My friend from Texas looked and smiled.  I don’t think he even sees cowboys like that in Houston.  I said, “See, I told you”. 

Ethel’s Old Corral is a good place for a beer and burger and colorful people.  It’s a fun ride just out of town.  And where else can you ride your horse and get a burger for less than $8.25?

Rating: 2.5 *.  3* if your riding a horse.

Champs BBQ, Bakersfield

11/16/2010

This morning we had a good visit and inspection of a project a work.  We have a contract to manufacture a 70' tall stainless steel vessel that is used to remove sour H2S gas from a production field so it can be sold. (very environmentally sound) Then I joined the crew that was pumping grout under the floor of a 12' diameter vessel for a customer.  Being part of the crew is always cool, especially when things go good.  So, we worked up an appetite and my visitor from Calgary, Nick, wanted to go the champs BBQ on

Merle Haggard Dr

.  That's right, they renamed 7th Standard road after one of Bakersfield’s few stars.

It was crowded at Champs.  Almost every table inside was occupied.  I also noticed a guy outside waiting for his lunch and he had a copy of Wine Spectator.  My 1st thought was, "maybe I can get him signed up at Le Cuvier?"  2nd thought, "he's reading reviews of all the cheap grocery store wines, not worth my time".

I've never been disappointed at Champs, and today was no exception.  There were 3 of us and we had to share a table for 6 with another guy.  He got a plate of tri-tip, mac and cheese and something else.  I can't remember. I was kind of focused on the tri-tip.  There were like 6 thick slices on the plate.  Why didn't I order that? I got the Champs SMALL salad with turkey.  Damn. 

My buddies got hamburgers and they looked great.  But they had to get up and go the the condiment stand to get mayo, mustard and ketchup.  No big.  My salad came later.  Is this a pattern, or a conspiracy?  I like getting the salads at Champs.  They have lots of meat, even the small salads.  They would definitely qualify as a "Big" salad for Elaine on Seinfeld.

Also, I like the salads and I can add BBQ sauce to it.  I like lots of dressing and spicy meat.  The Champs salad includes blue cheese and walnuts and lots of smoked meat. It was really very nice.  The romaine lettuce was fresh, but the pieces were kind of big.  But it worked out nice because the large pieces of lettuce made nice wraps for the smoked turkey, blue cheese and BBQ sauce.  I think the walnuts would be better chopped, not ground up.  And some dried cranberries would add another level of chewy ness.  Now you can see how I make my salads at home:

Brett's salad recipe:
Chopped baby spinach (I don't like the whole leaves, it's too hard to eat); Left over meat, heated in a pan with a little olive oil and spices.  The oil adds moisture to the meat and it holds the spices that I add to it.  Like garlic, salt, pepper, chile powder; I love tomatoes in the summer when I can get vine ripened ones.  And avocado when I can get free ones.  I can't spend a dollar for an avocado when they grow on a tree for free.  Whatever cheese is available is good on the salad;   and whatever fresh salad veggies, like bell pepper and cucumber.  Basically, I clean out the fridge every time I make a salad.  My choice of dressing is always the oldest bottle in the fridge.  I know. I'm sick.  But if I can just get rid of that almost empty bottle, I can open something that I think will be better.  And yes, if there are multiple almost empty bottles of dressing, I will add more than one.  Blue cheese dressing goes really good with Italian.  And the salad dressing at Maitia's Basque (now closed down) was a blend of Thousand Island and blue cheese.  Really good.  Try it and get back to me.

Back to Champs.  The best thing was the fries that Nick ordered.  They have to be the best fries in Bakersfield.  I don't eat fries often. Usually they are starchy and soggy and when they get cold they are a grease bomb.  And half the time they are cold.  Champs' fries are big and hot, breaded or seasoned, or something special is done to them. 

Our neighbor with the tri-tip finished before us and didn't eat the mac and cheese.  I don't know if it was because he didn't like it, or because he was too full from all the meat.  Curious.  I almost ordered cake.  But I don't order dessert at lunch.  And I saw a brownie with vanilla ice cream go by that one should try some time.

Champs rating:  4* - looking forward to going back. 
Champs BBQ in Bakersfield

Wine review of the day:
Betty and I discovered a newly opened winery in San Diego Co.  Carruth Cellars.
They are in Solano Beach on the design district street - I can't remember the name.  It parallels Hwy 1, maybe Sedro or something.  Just go to Solano Beach and you can't miss the street.  But you might miss the winery.  It's tucked behind a furniture store.  We found it by just walking down the sidewalk. 
Most often I'm disappointed wine tasting.  Betty and I were both very surprised in the quality and enjoy ability of the wine.  The Syrah was what sold us initally.  As soon we tasted that we looked at each other and said "this is special".  The wine maker buys quality fruit from Napa, Paso Robles, or Sonoma and barrel ages for about 2 years. 

Right now I'm enjoying the 2007 Petite Sirah.  The fruit is from Paso Robles.  I opened it last night and the tannins have softened since then.  The color is deep purple and it has "legs" as long as Ann Colter.  The alcohol is 15%, so the fruit must have had a nice sugar content, typical of Paso Robles area.  I really like the longer barrel aging.  Like Le Cuvier wine, a lot of character develops in a neutral barrel and a good wine has time to mellow.  The fruit is big, ripe berries, blueberries, currants, raspberries and fine cigar smoke.
Carruth Cellars on Cedros in Solana Beach

You'll find that I will compare every wine to Le Cuvier.  It's the "GOLD" standard.

Music review of the day: 
Sade, "Soldier of Love":  Classic Sade.  Mellow beats, sexy and pleasant.  How often can you find really "pleasant" music.  Her drummer is a little heavy on a couple songs, like Soldier of Love.  It's a bit much.  Not like a Barry White get naked beat.  But like a marching off to war beat.  The song "Babyfather" is touching.  I think it's about a father's love for this daughter(s).  It makes me cry. 

Sade's "Soldier of Love" on YouTube

Welcome to Bakersfield Food & Wine Adventures

This should be rich.

My fam has been after me to post a blog about all the places I go to eat and drink.  Thanks to Betty for getting me started.

Nothing like a poor dining experience to get one blogging.  BJ's Brew House.  I'm not really a big fan of corporate eateries.  But when it's a business lunch and a customer wants to go there, I have no objection.  So Friday (11/12/10) my friend and customer and I got time to visit and discuss our business.  And we have had nice meals at BJ's before.  It's close and they have lots of goodies to choose from. 

Anyway, we should have been tipped off when we got there and the hostess gave me one of the flashing vibrators while we waited for our turn to be seated.  What's the wait? there is hardly anyone here yet. 
looking back, I should have put the vibrator in my front pocket, it would have been the best part of this dining experience. 

There really are a lot of options on the menu.  Pages and pages.  Most often at lunches we tend to focus on the lunch special page.  It's not such a large meal and if seems like it would be fast and easy.  So our waiter is a nice enough young kid.  But it was amature hour for him.  My companion orered a half sandwhich and fries and I ordered the "Thai" Salmon lunch special and a cup of Clam Chowder.  This seemed simple enough at first.  Companion got his plate of half a sandwhich and fries and I got "a" cup of soup.  It's Friday and wintery - in fact it was cold in the dining room - the AC was on and the fans are going - I was geting cold and I wanted some hot soup -   anyway, the soup delivered was not clam chowder.  So I sent it back,  saying that I ordered the clam chowder.

The waiter, who looked like a young Obama, apologized and took my soup away.  Did I say the waiter looked like Obama, that pissed me off also... so I tell Companion to go ahead, my Chowder will be out any time.   He's pecking at his fries and can't get any ketchup.  But I'm focused on me not having any soup.  So, after 10 minutes, Obama brings me my soup, but it's the same wrong cup of soup he tried to get me to accept 10 minutes ago. 

Now, this is a business lunch and even though my companion is  a friend of mine, he's also my customer so I pretend that this wrong soup thing is not bothering me.  Obama says he let the manager know about his screw up and my chowder will be right out.  And it was - 10 minutes later.  At least Companion got some ketchup and was enjoying his sanwhich and fries. 

The Clam chowder was really nice.  It was full of clams and not too much potato, in fact I don't think there was any potato.  It was kind of luke warm, but I was not letting it go.  It was a little starchy also.  I think clam chowder can be either starchy or creamy, thickened with a rue or with cream.  I generally feel guilty either way when I'm done.  Either too much fat or too much flour.  But I did enjoy the chowder.  And when I was finished, I was checking my watch and noticed this adventure so far has been 40 minutes to get a cup of soup. 

So Companion is finished and my empty soup bowl is gone, and here comes my entree - "Thai" salmon, right?  Obama brings out a lovely bowl of salmon over rice and had some kind of light sauce over it.  I asked if it was the Thai Salmon and he says it was the Miso Salmon.  "No,no,no" I say.  Like I was dining at Fawlty Towers.  "I ordered the Thai Salmon.  You already brought the wrong soup twice." 

While waiting for my entree, Companoin, being finished, goes into his adventre at BJ's when his son on his birthday never got his meal.  But he did get a $50 gift certificate for the poor experience.  Oh cool, I'm thinking to myself  privately.  Maybe I can score a gift card, surely this has been a major cluster 'uck, worthy of a gift card.

Man, I'm still really hungry, it was only a cup of chowder, not a bowl.  So next time Obama comes by the table, serving everyone else's lunch, I asked him to forget the salmon and just bring me the bill.  This even took 10 minutes.  It seems like everything takes 10 minutes at this place.  The wrong soup-twice, the ketchup, the drinks, the bill.  It's been an hour and our lunch time has expired.  I just want to stop the aggravation, drop off my companion at his office and go through the new McDonalds down the street. 

Any one who knows me knows how aggraveted I must have been to even think about having to go to McDonalds.

Meanwhile, back at BJ's, I didn't get the bill -less my salmon entree as expected, I got the manager.  This kid was younger than Obama and about as lame.  He apologized and said he would pay for our meal.  And he's lucky I was with a customer and on good behavior status. 

After dropping off my customer, I went to the house and heated up a left over slice of really great pizza I made the night before. 

So, my 1-4 * rating scale will be as follows:

1* = poor - never going back
2* = OK, may give it another try, but not any time soon
3* = Good food and good value
4* = Great, can't wait to go back

BJ's = 2.5*.  Basically it's good food and good value, but I can wait a while to try it again. 
My homemade Kick'n Chicken and alfredo pizza, 4*.  Made with Kick'n Chicken sausage from the Wood- dale on Stine Rd.  I had alfredo sause, mushrooms, kalamatta olives, onions and cheese.  Bety made the dough and it really good.  Pizza recepi on request.