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Almond, Rosemary and Date Crackers (Gluten Free!)

Last night was one of my favorite nights of the month, wine tasting night (with a local wine group to which I belong) at the Barton Gallery (next to Michaelangelo’s Restaurant.

Typically, we each bring a bottle of wine (based on a theme we decide ahead of time for the month) and a dish (if we can) to share. This month was sort of a competition to choose the themes for the next three months, so we brought bottles to vote. The very best as decided by the group would win the themes for February, March, and April.

Some of varietals, regions, themes present last night were: Alsace, San Luis Obispo, Barbera, Barbaresco, Tour of Italy, Rare Italians, and the Middle East. We decided that next month’s theme would be Alsatian Wines, and it was an easy decision after we tried an Alsatian Riesling (C and R brought, the Domaine Gresser Riesling, Alsace 2007 to be exact) that had all the great characteristics of a Riesling, such as clean, bright, and crisp, without being sticky and cloying.

I brought these Rosemary Date Crackers to the tasting because I wanted to make sure there was some sort of cracker/snack I could eat once I got there. I do sometimes get weak and miss bread/crackers at wine tastings, but these crackers were way more flavorful than store bought. The original inspiration came from Elena over at Elena’s Pantry, but I have changed it up quite a bit. Enjoy!

Almond, Rosemary and Date Crackers (Gluten Free and Paleo!!)

2 cups blanched almond flour

(Tip: Make your own with raw almonds and a food processor)

½ teaspoon salt

1 Tbs fresh or dried rosemary

(Tip: If you use dried, you can grind up with a mortar and pestle to release the oils.)

4-5 Medjool Dates, chopped

1 egg

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 Tbs unsalted organic butter
1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Combine almond flour, salt, rosemary and dates.

3. Mix in egg, butter and oil until well combined. It’s really best if you dig in and mix with your hands.

4. Roll out the mixture between parchment paper with a rolling pin.

5. Cut dough with pizza cutter, or for fun, you can use little cookie cutters. I left the rolled out pieces right on the paper and placed the paper on a cookie sheet to bake.

6. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.

7. Bring to wine tasting and people will love you for them. 🙂

Posted by cavegrrl | January 11, 2012 | Categories: almonds, Alsace, food, gluten-free, Recipes, wine, wine tasting | Leave a comment

Paleo Recipe: Saffron Chicken with Cauliflower "Rice"

My boyfriend’s mother (who I hear enjoyed cooking as much as I do) passed away recently, and left a treasure trove of spices behind, including an abundance of saffron. So I started to think about how we could put some of those precious red threads to good use, and here’s what came to mind. 🙂

Another great thing about this dish is that it is 100% Paleo. I am so encouraged to find more and more people locally who are curious about/have started the Paleo diet. Here I am approaching ten months, and I don’t see any reason to stop now. I am healthier mentally and physically than I have ever been, and I know it is due to my diet and workout routine.

Saffron Chicken with Cauliflower “Rice”
Ingredients:
2 large organic skin-on chicken breasts or chicken thighs (about 14-16 oz of meat)

1/2 stick clarified butter or coconut oil

1 1/2 large onions
2 Tbs of lime juice
1 teaspoon of turmeric
1 Tbs of tomato purée

Optional: 1 cup sliced mushrooms

2 portions each of 1/2 cup of saffron infused water

(Prepare this by adding 1 Tbs of scalding water into a mortar and pestle with 4 or 5 threads of saffron, grind the saffron and then adding the saffron mixer to the rest of the water. One you will use in the chicken portion of the dish, and one will go in the cauliflower rice.)
salt and pepper to taste

You’ll also need one head of cauliflower for the “rice.”

Preheat your oven to about 310°F.
Quarter the onions, and then fry in 1 1/2 Tbs clarified butter or coconut oil until transparent.

Gently fry the onion in a large pan until it becomes transparent. If you want to put in the mushrooms, you will add those at this point, too. Brown them with the onion, and then add the chicken pieces, salt and pepper and sear the meat so it becomes browned on the outside. Add the turmeric, tomato purée, and lime juice to the saffron infusion, and then pour over browned chicken. Mix the infusion into the onions and chicken so that everything is well coated. Add about one cup of chicken stock or broth to the pot.

Allow to simmer for a few minutes, then cover and place in the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Of course this will vary depending on the thickness of the meat.

While the chicken is in the oven, cut one head of cauliflower into pieces and pulse in a food processor until it becomes the texture of rice or couscous. Heat a skillet and melt 2 Tbs of butter or coconut oil. Then, sauté the cauliflower rice and season it to taste. Allow the cauliflower to cook a bit, and then add the second saffron infusion. Continue to heat the cauliflower and cook to desired tenderness.

Slightly before the chicken is done, remove from the oven and let rest. Portion the rice on your plate and serve with the chicken pieces and the sauce in the pot.

If you are interested in the Paleo diet and live locally, please contact me. I have started a Facebook group called “Sacramento: Beyond the Paleo” and would love to have you join us, even if you are not fully Paleo and just want to learn more about the diet. You can find me on Facebook here and follow me on twitter here. Cheers!

Posted by cavegrrl | January 10, 2012 | Categories: chicken, paleo, Persian, Recipes, saffron | 3 Comments

Sacramento’s Dine Downtown Week: Mayahuel and the best steak ever!!

Hello Sacramento! Welcome to Dine Downtown week! I just want to take a moment of your time to recommend a restaurant that might not yet be that well known. It’s called Mayahuel (pronounced Ma-Ha-Kwell) and it’s located diagonally from one of my other favorite restaurants, Ella. You’ve heard of Ella, right?

OK, well back to Mayahuel and Dine Downtown. It starts today and you must try this restaurant. First, they brought out this soup. It was made with nopales, and a little on the spicy side. It was kind of like an amuse bouche.

During this time, the BF and I made our wine selection for the evening–yes, you can get decent wine in a Mexican restaurant–the Napa Toro Chardonnay. Feel free to like them on Facebook now. 😉 Because it was actually pretty good wine.

I have to give a shout out to our server, Franscisco. He was the epitome of service. So polite, and so genuinely kind.

After meeting us, he presented the two appetizer choices from the Dine Downtown menu. First, was the Eclipse de Sol: it was composed of beets, orange rings in a citrus sauce with pickled onions, peanuts and a touch of oregano.

Then came the soup, called Flor de Calabaza con Perfume de Tequila: a Creamy Squash Blossom soup with infused tequila. Yes, please! It was topped with tortilla strips, providing a pleasant crunch.

And now, for the stunning entrées. And I am not kidding here, they WERE stunning. I was so blown away with the flavors, the amount of food on the plate, and how perfect everything was cooked.

First, my BF ordered the Mixiotes de Pollo en Adobo Huasteco: Chicken and mushrooms with nopales in a Cascabel & Pasilla chile Adobo sauce, served with white rice and Mexican zucchini slices. The chicken was super tender and the sauce was mild, yet incredibly flavorful. As you can see, the portion was very generous. The wine we chose previously (the Napa Toro Chardonnay) was a great complement to this dish.

And then, let me present to you, the best steak I have ever had in a restaurant, the Ojo de Costilla con Costra de Chorizo Rib eye steak with a chorizo crust, on a bed of seasoned mushrooms in an adobo salsa. I was literally cutting my steak with my fork. It was exquisite, and I am not exaggerating. If you only try one thing off the menu at Mayahuel, please give this a go, (order it rare or medium rare). It will knock your little stockings off! I didn’t even mention the chorizo. It was so flavorful and added another dimension to the meal.

And then out came the mariachi band… they were wonderful and the crowd was loving it. I was so pleased to see the restaurant packed around us and everyone was in a convivial mood.

Then it was time for dessert. First, our server Francisco, brought out the Pastel de Queso y Chayote (a Chayote cheese cake and mole in chocolate sauce). Mole is a perfect addition to a dessert because of its components and texture. The chayote works in the dessert because it’s a squash and has an inherent slightly sweet taste and tender texture. That being said, I don’t think you’re gonna find this at the Cheesecake Factory, folks, only at Mayahuel! (Thanks to the BF for tasting the sugary treats).

The other dessert option was the Flan de Chile Ancho. It was a flan made with ancho chiles of all things, and finished with Grand Marnier. It has a beautiful strawberry and blueberry garnish. The BF tells me the combination of the ancho and the Grand Marnier was uniquely flavorful.

So, not only do you get the food I just showed you above, but for the $30, included at the end of the meal, is the 1/2 ounce tequila tasting. Our bartender, Oscar, was extremely knowledgeable and passionate, and had a true encyclopedic knowledge of tequila.

The tequila we tried was the Jose Cuervo Platino, and it was served in a champagne flute in order to provide the best tasting experience. It’s truly the stemware that makes all the difference in a tasting. It can really bring out the oaky and fruity notes of a particular wine or beverage. What a nice little digestif, and it was such a treat to get some background information on tequila from Oscar.

If you haven’t been to Mayahuel Tequila Museo, you are missing out on a true downtown gem. Dine Downtown week kicks off Monday, January 9th and runs through Wednesday, January 18th. This event is a great way to try out some of Sacramento’s finest.

Mayahuel is on Facebook here and on twitter here. To make reservations, you can call them at or check them out on Open Table here.

Posted by cavegrrl | January 8, 2012 | Categories: Dine Downtown Week, Ella, food, Mayahuel, Mexico, paleo, restaurant, Reviews, sacramento, tequila, wine | 2 Comments

Sacramento’s Dine Downtown Week: Make Blue Prynt Part of Your Plans!

Sacramento’s Dine Downtown week kicks off on Monday, January 9th and runs through January 18th, 2012. For 10 days only, local chefs will create special three-course dinner menus for only $30 per person.

“Whether you’re a foodie, experienced restaurateur or someone looking for a little excitement in your diet, Dine Downtown is a great reason to venture out and dine at variety of restaurants that you wouldn’t normally try.” said Megan Emmerling of the Downtown Partnership. “From fine dining restaurants to casual neighborhood spots, we love seeing the participating restaurants flourish during the 10 days of Dine Downtown.”

Last night, I was fortunate enough to preview the menu that Chef Jason Lockard has created for Blue Prynt Restaurant. Before I even show pictures or describe the dishes, I can tell you that the amount of food you get for $30 makes Blue Prynt a steal. Also, it was a lot of fun to go to a place brand new to me, and to see that their menu was widely accessible to people on different diets.

(Click on the image to enlarge).

To begin our meal, we chose the St. Supery Élu, and chatted about the wine with our server Gary (bonus points to Blue Prynt for knowledgable waitstaff). The evening was already off to a great start because the BF and I love to talk wine!! The Élu is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec, and was an excellent choice to pair with the main course that was to come.

I wanted to mention that if you opt for the $30 prix fixe, you’ll also get big basket of warm garlic bread. My BF and I are gluten-free, so we passed on it in order to leave room for the other courses.

The BF ordered the oysters on the half shell, served with a spicy Thai dressing…

And I ordered the shrimp cocktail, lemon poached jumbo prawns served with a fresh grated horseradish cocktail sauce. I didn’t eat a lot of the sauce, because I love fresh seafood by itself, but I really liked that kicked up horseradish flavor!

The additional appetizer option is a Mushroom Basket and is described on the menu as “a mix of sautéed Dragon Gourmet Mushrooms on a bed of house made rosemary garlic bread topped with creamy goat cheese and wrapped in a cumin dusted phyllo dough”

Now do I have your attention? 🙂

Not only did the prix fixe option include bread and an appetizer, we also had a salad/soup option.
There is a seafood chowder on the menu for a soup choice, but I went with a Caesar Salad, and BF went with a spring mix salad with dill and caper dressing.

For dinner we both ordered the “King of New York”, a 12-ounce choice cut strip loin with a crown royal and royal trumpet mushroom chasseur sauce, and served with blue cheese mashed potatoes and green beans. The mashed potatoes aren’t truly allowed in my diet, but I still had a few bites of them to try. I really loved the incorporation of blue cheese. I boxed the rest up to make room for the thick cut of steak on my plate! Beef and mushrooms is one of my favorite flavor combinations. So classic and never goes out of style, so good move by the Chef to include it on the Dine Downtown menu. Also, I want to explain that we each got a full entrée for our main course (one 12-ounce strip each) and did not have to share this plate. The BF polished his entire meal off Adam Richman style, but I don’t think I made it through 5 ounces before I threw in the towel.

We also ordered the same thing for dessert (chocolate covered strawberries), so this picture represents what one person receives. We took the other portion home to enjoy later with The Improviser.

The Dine Downtown menu kicks off Monday, but why wait for that? Head into Blue Prynt for dinner tonight. They have a great mix of art on the walls, and even have Chimay on tap!

Also, there is a Gin Tasting coming up on February 3rd for $12, as well as a Crab Feed on February 11th ($35 for all you can eat.) And if you want to just swing by after a long day at the office, here’s a link to their Happy Hour menu.

Blue Prynt’s Facebook page is located here and you can follow them on twitter here.

For a full list of the Dine Downtown participating restaurants and their menus, you can click here.

Posted by cavegrrl | January 7, 2012 | Categories: Blue Prynt, Chimay, Dine Downtown Week, events, food, restaurant, Reviews, sacramento, wine | Leave a comment

Ending the Year in Oakland: Yoshi’s, Brian Culbertson, and the Waterfront Hotel!

Last Thursday, the BF and I traveled to Oakland to see one of our favorite musicians Brian Culbertson play at the famous Jack London Square establishment, Yoshi’s Jazz Club. During the trip, we stayed at the Waterfront Hotel conveniently located one block away.

When we arrived at Jack London Square, our first stop was a check in at the Waterfront Hotel. It’s a part of the Joie de Vive chain, and a lovely nautical-themed place to stay…even the hotel key folder has a tie-in to the sea:

Here’s a picture of the fireplace in the lobby. The lobby itself was handsomely decorated and welcoming. Although the weather was unseasonably warm, the fireplace was alive with dancing flames.

You’ll be seeing quite a lot of these doors on my website. I have decided to take a picture of all the room numbers/door facades, just as I keep all the corks from the wines we drink on special occasions. 🙂 Room 234 this time!

Here’s a shot of the bed and and the interior of the room. As you can see, the color scheme stays loyal to the nautical theme of the hotel.

And surprise, surprise… how did they know I am such a little cheese lover? The staff at the hotel left this for me and my stunning companion to share. Brownie points!

Other amenities at the hotel include: a complimentary weekday wine and cheese hour, a complimentary weekday shuttle service to downtown Oakland (limited hours), a complimentary newspaper, complimentary luggage storage, valet parking ($20 per day), concierge services, and a laundry/dry cleaning service. There is also a business center in the lobby equipped with two computers and a printer.

There is a heated pool, a 24-hour sauna, and an on site fitness center, as well as complimentary Wi-Fi available throughout the hotel.

The rooms themselves feature water views and private balconies, either a 37” or 42″ flat-screen TV, an iPod/iPhone docking station, and Keurig coffee makers. I really loved the iPhone docking station. I used it to listen to music right before bedtime. 🙂

After exploring the hotel and our room a bit, it was off to Yoshi’s Jazz Club for the best seafood and sushi in Northern California and one of the most memorable concerts I have ever seen!!

Because the BF and I love Yoshi’s and are big fans of Brian Culbertson, it was time to celebrate with Domaine Chandon Chardonnay! I just love a Carneros Chardonnay. 🙂 You bet I kept this cork.

This is probably one of the prettiest and most wildly delicious dishes I have ever had. It was the Dungeness Crab & Beets salad with asian pear, tobiko, crispy gyoza, and creamy wasabi puree. The crab was so fresh and clean and the beets just melted in my mouth. The plate was equally pleasing to the eye.

My BF enjoyed this salad, with grilled asparagus and seaweed accompanied by apple, mache, kaiware, and a citrus genmai vinaigrette. It was recommended by a patron who was sitting at the sushi bar next to us.

Then I ordered a handroll version of the California King Roll. Why? Because I don’t eat rice. 🙂 It was packed with dungeness crabmeat, avocado, cucumber, and tobiko. It’s pretty easy to eat healthy/clean at a place like Yoshi’s.

The BF ordered this for his main dish. It was the sautéed tilapia, with 6 ounces of butter-poached shrimp, ikura, english peas, spinach puree, meyer lemon soy. Yoshi’s really does everything perfectly, especially the plating. Really beautiful.

And a little sashimi to finish things off…

Soon after our meal, we were seated at table 46 in the intimate showroom at Yoshi’s. Every seat in the house is great, and as you can see below, I was able to take some pretty good shots of the band playing with my iPhone from where we were sitting.

I was a Brian Culbertson fan before, as I have seen him play in my hometown, Dayton, Ohio many years ago, as well as this summer at Mix in downtown Sacramento when he showed up out of the blue to play with my good friend and talented artist, Cecil Ramirez.

I am really looking forward to this year’s wine and concert series with Brian Culbertson in Napa Valley. It’s called the Napa Valley Jazz Getaway, and if you love wine and jazz, you won’t want to miss it! It spans from June 7th-10th, 2012, and my birthday just happens to be tucked in the middle of that date range. 🙂

The next morning in the hotel, we grabbed some fruit, bacon, and sausage from the free buffet downstairs, before we both set off for our morning runs (his through the streets of Oakland, mine at the workout facility at the Waterfront).

After my workout, I snapped some pictures of my view from our room. As you can see, The Waterfront has a great pool area and spectacular views.

Later that afternoon, my BF and I visited a winery located in Alameda, that is housed in a converted 40,000 square-foot airplane hangar. Rockwall Winery is located on what was once a Naval Air Base. Also known as Building 24, the hangar is due north of a defensive rock wall which made up the perimeter of the base.

Of course, the winery takes its name from the wall, and the winery building has been retrofitted with the latest winemaking equipment.

The winery building is also a hub to taste other winemakers’ offerings such as: RB Cellars, Carica Wines, Blacksmith Cellars, and Ehrenberg Cellars.

The tasting room… I loved the branches hanging in the rafters with the Christmas decorations on them!

We walked away with a case of wine… my favorites from what we tasted and of course my recommendations to you if you have a chance to try them: The Improviser from RB Cellars and Rockwall’s 2009 Chardonnay Russian River Reserve Lone Oak (disclaimer: this one is buttery and oaky!!). Rockwall Wines tasting room is open Thursday-Sundays from 12-6pm.

Social media roll: You can find Yoshi’s Jazz Club on Facebook here and on twitter here.

You can find Brian Culbertson on Facebook here and on twitter here.

You can find the Waterfront Hotel on Facebook here and on twitter here.

You can find Rockwall Wines on Facebook here and on twitter here.

RB Cellars is on Facebook here and on twitter here.

Thank you, Oakland!! Our visit there was excellent, and we’ll be back soon! 🙂

Posted by cavegrrl | January 1, 2012 | Categories: Brian Culbertson, food, Joie de Vive, oakland, Waterfront Hotel, wine, Yoshi's | Leave a comment

Seattle’s Historic Mayflower Park Hotel

Ah Seattle. Good times. We’ll definitely be back. And most likely, we’ll again stay at The Mayflower Park Hotel, a 75 year-old gem in uptown Seattle.

The hotel began as the Bergonian Hotel on July 16th, 1927 and has been in constant operation ever since. It was designed by B. Dudley Stuart and cost $750,000 to build. The name “Bergonian” came from the hotel’s then proprietor, Stephen Berg, who was a prominent builder at the time.

Opening prices for rooms at the hotel ranged from $2.00 to $3.50 for one person and $3.00 to $4.50 for 2 persons. Rooms with twin beds were $4.00 to $5.50 and suites were $5.00 to $10.00 per night.

Here’s a picture of the lobby and reception desk inside the hotel, which has been restored with crystal chandeliers, brass and period
antiques.

In 1974, Birney Dempcy formed a limited partnership to purchase the hotel. At the time, it had been foreclosed upon and was very run down. Birney renamed the hotel The Mayflower Park awaiting the development of the city’s Westlake Park.

Following major renovations in 1976 and 1988, the Mayflower Park is always being upgraded and refurbished to keep it as beautiful as it was when it opened in 1927. Recently, the hotel was recognized as one of the Historic Hotels of America because of it’s history and architecture. The Mayflower Park prides itself on being “quite simply, one of a kind” which has become their marketing slogan.

Their logo and marketing pieces are quite beautiful, and here is the

little welcome present that was waiting for me in the room.

Tea, fruit and nut mix, and chocolate truffles were in the bag.

Our room was so comfortable, had 2 televisions, and had the option of converting into two rooms by a sliding door. The couch in our suite’s main room could be pulled out for extra guests.

We stayed on the ninth floor, and it provided a fantastic

view of holiday lights and activities going on below us.

One amenity I always look for in a hotel is the fitness room. And Mayflower Park’s is located on the third floor. It is equipped with 2 treadmills, a stairclimber, and 2 stationary bikes, as well as a set of free weights I found very useful. The BF would run outside and I would retreat to the workout room so that later in the day we were free to enjoy our meals at Andaluca, Place Pigalle, and Fall Line Winery.

Here’s another shot of the lobby. There was a Christmas party
in the room upstairs on one of the evenings of our stay.

This is inside Oliver’s, the bar in The Mayflower Park. The spot used to be one of the first Bartell Drug Stores, since the hotel was built during Prohibition and no areas were designated to serve alcohol. The dining area of the hotel was a coffee shop located where Andaluca is now, and in part of that area, Andaluca once lived as a barber shop. Prices in the 54-seat coffee shop ranged from 10 cents for coffee, to 20 cents for chicken broth, and $2.00 for a sirloin steak. Oliver’s (shown below), opened in 1976 and became Washington’s first “daylight” bar. Prior to that, Washington had “blue laws” that prohibited anyone from looking into a lounge where hard liquor was sold.

The huge windows and lights outside made it such a romantic place to be.
Here’s another shot from where I was sitting.

Oliver’s features a special cocktail called The Golden 27, honoring the year the hotel originally opened as the Bergonian. Here’s the recipe:

Golden 27

Half fill a mixing glass with ice, then add 1/4 oz. Lemoncello Lemon Liqueur, 1 1/4 oz. Ketel One Vodka, 1 oz. Bombay Sapphire Gin, and a pinch of Gold Luster Dust. Shake vigorously and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Following dinner on one of the nights of our stay, we had dessert in our room. I found just what I needed on the room service menu… my favorite: fruit and cheese!!

So many happy memories and so much fun in Seattle. Thank you to all my advertising partners!

If you are planning a visit to Seattle, please consider the Mayflower Park hotel. They’ve got a few ongoing specials including one for New Years and in 2012, they are teaming up with the Seattle Art Museum during their showcase of Paul Gauguin.

You can find The Mayflower Park Hotel on twitter here and their Facebook page is here.

Posted by cavegrrl | December 23, 2011 | Categories: Andaluca, Fall Line Winery, hotel, Place Pigalle, restaurant, Seattle, travel, wine | Leave a comment

Evergreen Escapes Wacky Quacky Holiday Lights and Wine Tour

Are you in Seattle for Christmas/New Years or will you be traveling there? If so, I want to tell you about a fantastic holiday venture that will delight any food and wine lover! The Wacky Quacky Holiday Lights and Wine Tour!

Evergreen Escapes has teamed with Ride the Ducks of Seattle, Fall Line Winery, and Maven Meals for a ride through downtown Seattle to view the prettiest light displays, followed by the ultimate food and wine experience at the Fall Line tasting room.

Lights Tour: This is the ceiling of the vehicle. All decked out for the holidays!! The vehicle is semi-open, so bundle up and cover up with the blankets provided in the vehicle (the DUKW ‘Duck’ — an amphibious landing craft developed by the U.S. Army during World War II) on the tour.

This is Macy’s display, which is right across from the Mayflower Park Hotel where we stayed.

Trees in Occidental Park were dressed in sweaters!

De-boarding the amphibious. I loved this kid’s Angry Birds hat.

Then it was into a HEATED caravan 🙂 and onto Fall Line Winery for the food and wine pairing (don’t worry, the kid was not on the wine portion of the tour and only there for the duck!)

The winery name: The owner of Fall Line, Tim Sorenson, and his wife Nancy Rivenburgh are both avid skiers, and the name Fall Line worked because a perfectly balanced skier will leave behind a “fall line” on a slope.

After 4 years of winemaking studies and apprenticeship, they founded Fall Line Winery in June 2003 and in 2004, moved it to the South Seattle neighborhood of Georgetown (its present location.)

Really cool map of Washington AVA’s was on the wall.

The tasting room was decorated so pretty with lights and little herb baskets (containing rosemary and sage). The lights in the room were turned down and the tables were lit with candles.

Food (provided by Seattle’s Maven Meals) and wine for the evening were set up at three stations. The first station (the Snoqualmic Pass Station) featured this table of appetizers which included locally made Beecher’s Cheeses, cured meats, an olive tapenade, and a roasted vegetable spread. The wines for this course included a 2008 Red Mountain Artz Vineyard Bordeaux-Style Blend and a 2008 Yakima Valley Boushey Vinyeard Bordeaux-Style Blend.

Tim Sorenson, the winemaker.

At the Crystal Mountain Station, a Carnival Squash Lasagna layered with a sage bechamel sauce and cheeses was served with a garlicky grilled broccoli. This pairing included two more wines, the 2008 Red Willow Vineyard – Yakima Valley and a 2009 El Otro – Yakima Valley Tempranillo with which the BF absolutely fell in love (before he found out it was rated 92 points in Wine Advocate)!

Station 3 was Hurricane Ridge and a Brandied Cranberry Short Rib served with Whipped Garlic Red Skin Potatoes. We sampled this dish while sipping a 2009 Exhibition – Yakima Valley (my favorite wine besides the Tempranillo served at the earlier station, and a blend of
46% cabernet franc, 34% merlot, 16% cabernet sauvignon, 4% tempranillo). The last wine of the evening was the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon – Yakima Valley.

Dessert was a duo of Spice Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting and a Bittersweet Chocolate Cake. They went over very well with the crowd around me as I had another glass of the Exhibition instead. I really want to stress that no one was left hungry and the portions were sizable. If there was something left on the table and you wanted another taste, you were welcome to have it. The same goes for the wines.

And here’s Tim at the end of the evening, adding up all the wine my BF bought!
A whole case of Tempranillo, and another case of mixed wine.

Do you want to get in on this tour and wine/food tasting fun?? There are still seats remaining for December 23rd and December 30th! You can book your experience here. Also, if you are a participant on the Holiday Lights and Wine tour, you will receive a 15% discount on a purchase of three bottles of wine or more.

You can find Evergreen Escapes on Facebook here and on twitter here.

Ride the Ducks is on Facebook here and on twitter here.

Fall Line Winery’s Facebook page is here.

Maven Meals is on Facebook here and on twitter here.

Posted by cavegrrl | December 21, 2011 | Categories: catering, events, food, holiday, Reviews, Seattle, wine, wine tasting | Leave a comment

Andaluca Restaurant in the Mayflower Park Hotel

Andaluca Restaurant is located adjacent to the Mayflower Park Hotel (where we stayed during our recent trip to Seattle).

Instead of rushing back out to eat after our check-in at the Mayflower Park, we opted to dine at Andaluca. It was so nice to simply walk down the stairs and be seated at our table.

Andaluca had a special that evening (all wines from Washington were at a 20% discount), so we chose the 2009 O’Shea Scarborough Chardonnay to kick things off. This wine release is aged 18 months entirely in neutral oak with barrel fermentation and is a classic oaky and buttery chardonnay.

When it was time to order dinner, we opted for the special Prix Fixe “Tour of the Meditteranean” for $39 per person, so that we could taste a wide spectrum of the menu. It’s a great deal because it includes a salad or soup, three small plates and a dessert for each person.

The beginning-of-meal bread basket comes with a ramekin of house made hummus. Hummus is real treat for me (because I really don’t eat legumes anymore at all), but I didn’t touch the bread. Instead, I used the hummus as a dressing on the salad I ordered.

My salad was a Pear Salad with mixed organic greens, stilton cheese, hazelnuts, and balsamic vinaigrette.

The BF ordered the Green Bean and Roasted Beet Salad with mixed organic greens, goat cheese, marcona almonds, roasted carrots, and sherry shallot vinaigrette.

This is the mini crab tower with dungeness crab, avocado, palm hearts, and gazpacho salsa.

Then it was onto a Beef Tenderloin Skewer with a marsala demi glace. I really enjoyed this one!

Next, I ordered the Grilled Quail with shallots, mushrooms, black currant jus. I had just had an exquisite quail appetizer at Hurley’s in Yountville a few weeks prior, so I saw no reason to quit my quail habit anytime soon. It was cooked perfectly (it’s a tiny creature and easy to overcook).

The BF ordered the Broken Egg Papas Frites made up of fried yukon gold potatoes, chorizo, and roasted mushrooms. I had most of the egg–I love dishes with runny egg.

These are the Roasted Mussels with baby tomatoes, sizzling lemon butter, rosemary, lemons, and finished with white wine. I have had my share of gamey, metallic mussels, but these tasted sweet and subtle. I would eat mussels all the time if they were more like these.

The next bottle of wine we tried (yes, bottle number 2, don’t judge) was a 2008 Hedges Family Estate “Red Mountain”. It is a blend of 36% Cabernet Sauvignon; 33% Merlot; 14% Syrah; 11% Cabernet Franc; and 6% Malbec. It was full bodied and a great pairing with our desserts… especially my cheese plate (pictured below):

For dessert, I ordered the Cabrales Cheese Selection 1 oz. cow and goat milk cheese blend from the north of Spain, with a pear and almond compote. To my surprise, it was a blue cheese (my favorite!)

This is the Garrotxa plate that the BF ordered. It has 1 oz. goat’s milk cheese from the Catalonia region with red wine tempranillo reduction and grapes and crostini.

Meet our server, Chris. His service was exceptional at Andaluca. Since I had a gift card, he did not know he was going to be written about until I told him at the end of the meal and asked for his picture. He was very knowledgable about the menu and the wine list. Great job!

The head chef at Andaluca is Wayne Johnson. He has been at the helm since 1999. Some of you might have seen his appearance on Iron Chef America this year when he competed against Michael Symon. The secret ingredient was cucumbers! You can see video of the competition here.

If you’re in Seattle or planning a trip there, Andaluca is not to be missed. You can find Andaluca on Facebook here follow them on twitter here, and visit their website here.

Posted by cavegrrl | December 20, 2011 | Categories: food, restaurant, Reviews, Seattle, tapas, Washington State, wine | Leave a comment

Napa Day Two Continued: Frank Family Vineyards

Frank Family Vineyards (first constructed as Larkmead Winery in 1884) was not really on my planned list of wineries, but they happen to make one of my favorite wines (2010 Napa Valley Chardonnay). During our tasting at Duckhorn, we found out that we were minutes away from Frank Family–and we had some extra time before heading back to dinner at Hurley’s–so we decided to stop in.

Once we were ushered into one of their tasting rooms, I saw this really cool tapestry on the wall of all the area appellations. I wish I had one in my house!

We chose the premium wine tasting for $30, and it began with a 2010 Carneros Napa Valley Chardonnay ($32.50/btl) This is hands down one of my favorite wines. It’s a perfect balance of fruit and oak. It’s my old standby on a menu if I want to just go with something I really like.

Here’s my BF and our host, Rick. He was very knowledgeable and guided us through the tasting. Also on our list was a 2009 Carneros Reserve Pinot Noir, a 2009 Napa Valley Zinfandel, and a 2008 Rutherford Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.

I am a huge fan of social media, and when I arrived at Frank Family I “checked in” on both Facebook and Foursquare. Then I got a message from one of my twitter friends, David Cole (who also happens to make great wine). He told me to ask our host if we could taste the Winston Hill (it was a wine for sale on our list but not for a regular tasting). The Winston Hill is a Cabernet blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvginon, 5% Cabernet Franc, 4% Merlot, and 2% Petit Verdot. Rick kindly allowed my request and brought out the bottle. It was a nice treat because a bottle of this wine is $150.00 (yes, per bottle, and you have to be a wine club member to get it).

The BF bought some wine at Frank Family as well and just last week we opened the second bottle of some Chardonnay he bought. We had it with some fish he made (excellent, by the way) and some rainbow chard sauté and roasted eggplant dip that I made. Most of the produce I used to prepare dinner came from my It’s Organic Delivery box.

And I end this post where I began. With a taste of the Frank Family Chardonnay. Cheers!

You can find Frank Family on Facebook here and follow them on twitter here. For more information on the winery, you can call them at (707) 942-0859 or visit their website here.

Posted by cavegrrl | December 19, 2011 | Categories: chardonnay, Frank Family, napa, Reviews, wine, wine tasting | Leave a comment

Napa Trip Day Two: Hurley’s Restaurant in Yountville

The next chapter in our Napa trip was a stop at Hurley’s Restaurant. To give you an idea of what Hurley’s looks like during the day I have posted the picture above. It’s the ivy covered building you can see from Highway 29 on the right just before the Yountville exit. If you love food that was made to pair with wine and a wine list that was selected around the food, I recommend taking the Yountville exit and getting a table. (Note: Reservations are highly recommended.)

Here’s a picture of the front of the restaurant at night, right before we went inside. Yountville of course has a great reputation for fine dining, and Hurley’s Restaurant is no exception. The restaurant was opened in November 2002, by head chef Bob Hurley. Before opening Hurley’s, Chef Hurley had previously served as a chef Domaine Chandon and then later as head chef at Napa Valley Grille. If there is any particular focus on a cuisine, I would say it is Mediterranean inspired with a focus of seasonal and local use of ingredients.

Pop quiz: What do you do when you are at dinner and one of you wants white wine and the other wants red? Well, you either get 2 bottles of wine, or you pick a fantastic compromise: ZD Pinot Noir. If you prefer white wine and want to branch out, this is a great wine to try. I am partial to Chardonnays, especially in Napa, but the BF wanted to drink red for our meal because of what he planned to order. We get into this pickle often, but this time I let him choose because I chose the wine the night before. 😉 It turned out to be a great payoff.

Now I am going to tell you about the best appetizer I have ever eaten. It was from the special Wild Game menu that Chef Hurley devises a few times a year. I will never forget this dish because it was so clever and because of how much flavor was packed into it. It was a pancetta wrapped quail brochette, and here’s a photo of it that does not do it justice at all.

I will be replicating this dish at home for sure!

Next, I ordered this shrimp salad, and it didn’t even need dressing. The shrimp were plump and fresh delicately tucked into the crisp lettuce. It might have been 100 calories at most and so I splurged a little on my appetizer and main entrée (which you will see below).

One thing I really like about Hurley’s is that they have a regular menu and a menu that is completely gluten-free. These menus are a step that all restaurants should take, because so many people are gluten sensitive, or are like me and choose not to eat gluten or grains at all for vanity reasons. 😉

The BF ordered the wild boar ribs with sweet potato fries and coleslaw. The meat was cooked perfectly and it was very tender. More importantly, it was not overly sauced and the flavor of the meat really stood out!

And instead of an entrée, I opted for a cheese plate. I especially loved the hard cheeses in this ensemble, which included a smoked gouda (I liked best) and some almonds with truffled honey.