Passionfish, Pacific Grove, California

Passionfish
701 Lighthouse Ave
Pacific Grove, CA 93950
(831) 655-3311
www.passionfish.net

Date of Visit: Friday, March 6, 2009
Time: Dinner - 10:00 PM
Server: Holly
Number of Diners: 4

Ratings
Food Quality: 8
Service: 7
Ambiance: 7.5*
*We were there very late, just before closing, and there was one large, very drunk, VERY noisy table full of people - to the extent that the waitress had to pause for gaps of comparative quiet to talk to our table. The one diner (hopefully) sober enough to drive did apologize halfheartedly on their way out.

Having been in a meeting until 9:30 PM we needed to find a decent restaurant that was open. Fortunately Passionfish in Pacific Grove was open until 10. A semi-quick 15 minute drive from Carmel and we were there, 10 minutes before closing time. The hostess/waitress, Holly, assured us our party of 4 were welcome. There was one large table with about 10 folks noisily finishing their desserts and wines, and the rest of the small room was empty. We were promptly seated and drinking San Pellegrino ($3.50). Holly brought menus and informed us the specials were all on the card, which changes frequently. I perused the wine list, shocked at the prices. I asked Holly, and she told us that Passionfish charges retail (i.e. winery list price) for every wine. And the selection was amazing. Check it out by downloading the pdf from their wine list page. I was drawn to the Dashe Cellars L’ Enfant Terrible, Potter Valley ’07 for $30. It was listed as an "Un-Zinfandel." Holly told me the "Terrible Child" was a very unique Zin that was light and would not overpower the fish. I was intrigued and ordered it, only to discover they had run out. We settled on the Gunn, New Zealand ’07 Unoaked Chardonnay for $20, and it was a rare treat for two of our party. They had never had a chardonnay that tasted like grapes instead of just vanilla and oak. It was so good (and so reasonable) that we had two bottles over the course of the evening.

We all ordered salads to start. Fish was the reason for being there, and our party of four chose one Sturgeon, one Sablefish, and two wanted Mahi-mahi. We also had San Pellegrino ($3.50) with the wine. The long day called for desserts for all and coffee for some. It was quite a feast, so without further ado...


What we had with menu descriptions...

Butter lettuce garden salad with mixed organic greens $8

Shredded Brussels sprout salad with Kurobuta ham and mustard dressing $8

Baked gorgonzola, golden chutney, candied pecans & curried butter lettuce $10

‘Quinault’ Sablefish crusted with pepper/wasabi slaw/ginger vinaigrette (pictured at left) $22

Sturgeon/coconut rice/zucchini fritters/red curry vinaigrette $23

Hand lined Mahi (pictured at right)/black pepper-rum sauce/cucumber salad/green onion rice $23

Fresh local berry ice cream $6

Mud Pie $6

Panna cotta $6

Creme brulee $6


As is the norm for the area, the salads are amazing - due to the readily available, fresh, local produce from nearby fields. Passionfish goes the extra mile with extra adornments (cheese, dried fruits, nuts, radishes, onions, etc.) and homemade dressings. All of the excellent salads disappeared quickly. One standout was the Brussels sprout salad. Warm and tender, the shredded sprouts blended nicely with the grainy mustard vinegarette to form the best cole slaw in the universe. The very rare an expensive Kurobuta ham made a wonderful accent.

The Sablefish was excellent - properly cooked with an herb crust, appropriately sauced, with interesting sides. The fish was tender, flaky and delicate. And the "slaw" was slivered Watsonville apples in a slightly spicy wasabe slaw dressing. I loved it, though I was the only one at the table who did.

The Mahi-Mahi must have been good as well, since both portions disappeared rapidly, before I had a chance to taste them. It was generously doused in a chopped tomato relish, which I might have thought would be overwhelming, but the diners had no complaints.

The Sturgeon (pictured at left) was the weakest of the three, moist and nearly overcooked, slightly mushy. Compared to the other dishes, even the colors were muted. Still it was quite passable, and the rice and fresh vegetables carried the day for this entree.

The coffee was passable, and the desserts were fresh and generous. The Mud pie was a tower of death by chocolate, offset with a delicious homemade vanilla ice cream. The other desserts were acceptable executions of the standards.

Locally there is an informal rivalry between Passionfish and Fish House. For creatively prepared fish and unusual, tasty side dishes, Passionfish is the clear choice. For plain, unadorned, fresh fish, the edge goes to Fish House. Throw in the retail priced wine and plethora of choices, and the tiebreaker goes to Passionfish. One note - all fish at Fish House is wild caught. Passionfish is vocal about sustainable resources, so most of their fish is farmed - tasty, but potentially less healthful than the wild versions.


Passionfish - RECOMMENDED for a fresh, fancy-preparation fish dishes and outstanding wine values

Highs: Wine selection and retail pricing, fresh fish fancy style
Lows: Room can be murderously noisy when full, aggressive with food politics

Bon Appétit! - W. Ego

Cafe Cruz - Soquel, California

Cafe Cruz
2621 41st Avenue
Soquel, CA
(831) 476-3801
www.cafecruz.com

Date of Visit: Friday, March 6, 2009
Time: Lunch - 1:00 PM
Server: Lisa
Number of Diners: 2

Ratings
Food Quality: 8
Service: 8*
Ambiance: 7
*Service is an 8 with elements of 5 for occasional visitors and 10 with elements of 5 for regulars - the place is so overwhelmingly friendly that frequent long gaps between server visits are easily overlooked, but it would be inaccurate not to mention them.

Time for an Ego confession before the review. This is my favorite restaurant in the United States, period. That said, it is far from the best restaurant in the U.S. How can it be my favorite if not the best? It's a lot of little things - fresh, local, often organic meats, produce, and the like. Comfortable, bustling atmosphere, unpretentious on every level. Consistently good (not great) food - American standards with a Northern California flair. Decent wine list, good beers on tap, and always friendly. When I lived in the area we would hit this restaurant nearly monthly - not enough to be called regulars, but as often as we could for a decent meal. It was always worth the 40 minute drive each way from Gilroy. Special occasions? Not here. We could go to San Francisco or other "special" places. Cafe Cruz provided us with reliable and consistent high-quality, food, beer, and wine at reasonable prices in a comfortable atmosphere. Any time I visit the area, this place is at the top of the list for "must-do" dining. Our schedule on this trip only permitted one visit for lunch, and it was like putting on a comfortable pair of shoes. It just felt - easy. You can always count on Cafe Cruz to take great ingredients and combine them competently without damage.

Cafe Cruz is located in Soquel, which is just south of Santa Cruz. It's definitely a locals-only place, not near the water for tourists or downtown for the college and "cool" crowds. It's in an old building across the street from the local Super K-Mart. Parking is non-existent, half shared with a nameless Chinese place behind the building. The structure itself is a labyrinth of small dining areas, a bar and adjacent table seating, a featured gas-fired rotisserie with rotating spitted chickens and other fowl, an outdoor open-air patio, and a heated, covered outdoor courtyard. I have never counted, but I'd speculate there are at least 50 tables scattered about the place. The bar is small, noisy, and always jammed wall to wall with happy locals chattering about the workday while catching whatever game is on TV. Tables are set simply with tablecloths covered by white butcher paper. And it has an all-copper bar and showplace kitchen area with 4 seats, installed before such things were cool or commonplace. One or more of the chefs nearly always will ask about your meal when you walk past to visit the restroom or exit the front door.

Visiting on a Friday later in the lunch period, the main dining rooms were full, and the bar tables seemed overrun by people with small children, so we gladly accepted covered courtyard seating under the heaters. There was a large table set, and we took one of the five 2-person tables next to it. A couple with a (very sick) baby were behind us, and another couple a few tables down. The large table slowly filled with eight or nine women and one man. "Who invited HIM?" I asked softly, eliciting a giggle from my dining companion. We were pleased to see our server was Lisa (pictured here in a circa 2000 photo and unchanged today), who had been with the restaurant since opening, and had served us many times in the past. There was no reason for her to remember us, and she did not, but still greeted us warmly and treated us like long lost friends - the normal atmosphere for the place. I believe it was Lisa who told us many years ago that one of the desserts (the lemon bar) was prepared by one of the waitstaff and brought with her to work fresh daily. They discontinued the practice later, outsourcing to a local bakery, but it's that kind of place - where anyone would pitch in to make it successful.

We ordered our standard San Pellegrino liter ($4.25) and heard the specials. Learning that they had Seabright Brewery's Amber Ale on tap, we both ordered one of those as well - passing up Anchor Steam, Newcastle, Heinekin, Paulaner Hefeweizen, Guinness, and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale also available on draft. I reminisced that Seabright, a local brewery in Santa Cruz, was one of our favorite post-beach hangouts in days past. The decent and affordable wine list (with 15 by the glass) also beckoned, offset by the fact of a 40 minute drive to Carmel for a meeting that had already started at 1PM. We had opted for the lunch and a late arrival at the meeting in order to work Cafe Cruz into the schedule! They had an interesting special of fresh ahi tuna organized somehow into a taco salad. It looked very tasty on the large table near us, but we were wanting lighter fare in smaller portions for our afternoon repast.

What we had with menu descriptions...

Happy Boy Farms Organic Baby Green Salad (Large) - Granny smith apples, crumbled Gorgonzola, glazed walnuts & raspberry vinaigrette $13.50

Organic Baby Green Salad (small) - balsamic vinaigrette or creamy Gorgonzola port dressing $6.50

Three Cheese Spinach & Artichoke Ravioli - roasted red bell pepper cream sauce $14.95

Each table is started with a sliced sourdough baguette served with herb-infused olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and fresh chopped garlic (prepared daily). The concoction makes a hot-spicy garlicky nectar readily absorbed by the excellent bread. Lisa brought us a second round of bread and garlic after taking our order. The salads were, as anticipated, prepared from fresh, local, organic greens. The Happy Boy salad was generous in size and perfect in presentation. The small salad really "popped" with the Gorgonzola port dressing. The pasta was also very good - warm, creamy, and redolent of fresh spinach and artichokes both procured from farms less than 20 miles away. The roasted bell pepper cream sauce was mild with a strong hint of sweetness. The hoppy Seabright ale made a great complement to the simple meal. It was a wonderful, albeit all too quick, homecoming for us.

We wanted to bring our friends back for dinner the very same evening, but the meeting in Carmel was scheduled to go until 9PM and likely to be later. I asked Lisa when closing time was for a Friday night. She went to check and reported that they planned to close around 10. I mentioned that we were hoping to bring a few friends back, but the schedule would be tight and late arrivals might not be welcomed. Lisa (without checking) assured me that if I called with a party of four or more at 9:30 for a 10PM arrival, they would without question stay open for us. Perhaps it's the rough economy, and perhaps it's also just that kind of a place. While we might ultimately have made it happen, the meeting was so exhausting that none felt up to the 80 minute round trip. So we all will have something to look forward to on our next visit.

Cafe Cruz - UNCONDITIONALLY RECOMMENDED for a friendly and comfortable Northern California lunch or dinner experience if you are relaxed and unhurried - not recommended for the demanding, up-tight, or time-limited diner

Highs: Friendly environment, reasonable prices, reliable preparation, stellar ingredients - fresh meat, fish and pasta
Lows: Parking, occasional periods of absent service

Bon Appétit! - W. Ego

Cucina Toscana - Salt Lake City, UT

Cucina Toscana
Historic Firestone Building
307 W Pierpont Avenue
Salt Lake City, UT 84101
(801)328-DINE(3463)
http://www.cucina-toscana.com

Date of Visit: Saturday, August 23, 2008
Time: Dinner - 10:00 PM
Server: Justin & staff
Number of Diners: 4

Ratings
Food Quality: 8
Service: 8
Ambiance: 7

Valter Nassi took over the deserted Firestone Building space in 2002 and created his version of a Tuscan kitchen for Salt Lake City. As with any new place, reviews raved. Unlike other new places, the reviews escalated year by year, and the quality consistently improved. Picked as a no-contest best Italian restaurant by Salt Lake Magazine several years in a row, Cucina Toscana was also picked in 2008 by that publication as the best restaurant in Salt Lake City, period. Having been there a number of times, I find it easy to agree. It's inconceivable that this city could deserve or maintain such a place.

With that modest setup, we found ourselves downtown with friends late one Saturday evening, having just viewed the movie Bottle Shock - a great story poorly done for Sundance and released to art houses this year. Wait for it on cable. But I digress. Where to go near 10 PM on a Saturday in Salt Lake City for some wine and dessert? Unlike civilized regions, most dining establishments were already closed. We knew that the trendy, downtown places would be open until maybe 10, so we took a chance and went to the best one - Cucina Toscana. The parking lot was half empty, and folks were pouring out of the place. I had some trepidation, but we proceeded boldly inside. The bar area (not a real bar - this is Utah!) was being cleaned after hosting a private party, and the hostess greeted us cheerfully. I replied, "I was hoping to get some drinks and dessert." She said, "No problem!" and quickly seated us in the main dining area, in a prime table on the busy deli aisle. The restaurant is designed to make you feel as if you are eating in a kitchen, and the best tables are in the noisy, active areas. The host, impeccably dressed, introduced himself as Justin, and snapped his fingers, "Get some bruschetta for these folks!" The near-invisible staff made the complimentary appetizer appear, and it was perfect - freshly toasted baguette slices covered with diced tomato and fresh spices doused in olive oil. We asked for San Pellegrino for the table and it appeared immediately in endless quantities.

Just for fun, we perused the dinner menu, and I discussed wine selections with my friend. Justin reappeared and added his recommendations. My friends chose two different chardonnays by the glass, and I stayed with the Pellegrino as designated driver. Even though we were not hungry, the smells were tantalizing. So I ordered a "tuna carpaccio" while my wife got the Caprese salad. Our friends split an enormous pasta entree. The tuna was fresh, uncooked, and delicious. The Caprese was a work of art with fresh, organic, hydroponic, Wyoming tomatoes and fresh mozzarella and basil covered in fine extra virgin olive oil. The pasta was al dente and the sauce delicate. Valter appeared from the banquet room and provided handshakes and hugs for the men and kisses for the ladies. As always, he made us feel welcome - as if we were visiting the home of an uncle. After some time and several glasses of wine and Pellegrino, we were given dessert menus. Four demitasse cups of the house special hot chocolate (also complimentary) appeared to help us in our selections. The drink was warm, rich, and amazing - too rich to finish even the tiny portions. Our friends shared a triamisu. We were abstaining from sugar, so I asked if a dessert of cheeses and berries was available. Nothing like it was on the menu, but it appeared in concert with the tiramisu, and the selections were generous and delicious.

By now it was nearing 11PM and the restaurant was still about half full. Our friends noticed comedian Lewis Black come in with an entourage, and they were quickly and discreetly seated at a large table in a quiet corner. They were happily digging into their bruschetta as we split the $140 check (leaving $85 apiece) and made our way home. Expensive, but well worth it - the perfect finish for a nice evening out with friends.

Cucina Toscana - UNCONDITIONALLY RECOMMENDED any time for anyone in the Salt Lake area (closed Sundays)

Highs: Valter, service, activity, food, dessert, and hospitality
Lows: Very busy at "rush hour" 7-9 nightly

Bon Appétit! - W. Ego

Updated: Michael's Kitchen - Taos, New Mexico

Michael's Kitchen
304 C N Pueblo Rd.
3 blocks north of Plaza
Taos, New Mexico 87571
505-758-4178
http://www.michaelskitchen.com/

Date of Visit: Monday, June 23, 2008
Time: Breakfast - 8:30 AM
Server: Rosairo
Number of Diners: 8

Ratings
Food Quality: 8
Service: 7
Ambiance: 5

This place is legendary across New Mexico for good food and great bakery items. You can tell a place is good when the parking lot is four times the size of the building - in an area where parking is scarce! I went with my wife and a half dozen other motorcylists to try the breakfast, and it did live up to the legend. The place is a little nondescript, and you have to enter via a long breezeway - to accommodate the frequent long lines. Our timing was perfect, hitting the soft spot between the pre-work breakfasters and the vacationers - the breezeway was jammed as we tried to leave at 9:30. The place has two main rooms in the front, separated by a walk-in bakery counter filled with countless delights. There are additional rooms in the back, too. Bustling and noisy, the decor was old southwest, with rough-hewn plank flooring copiously stained with generations of coffee, syrup, and other items.

They seated our party of eight in seconds and brought coffee (regular or pinon) for those so inclined. Pinon adds a mellow, almost chocolate flavor to the coffee, but our table of mostly tourists considered it more of a contaminant. It's a love-it or hate-it deal, kind of like New Orleans chickory coffee.Our waitress was a veteran professional, so she immediately asked if we wanted one check or several, and did not flinch when we told her two groups of two and one group of four.

What we had with menu descriptions...
The menu had a large selection of standard and New Mexican breakfast dishes, and our group sampled several.

My choice: Breakfast Enchilada
Corn tortillas filled with scrambled eggs, smothered with your choice of chile, served with rice and pinto beans: 7.95

My wife's choice: Tortilla Relleñada
Delicious diced ham and lightly scrambled eggs with chives, wrapped in a flour tortilla & smothered with your choice of chile and cheese: 8.35

Martín's Breakfast Burrito
Scrambled eggs, bacon, cheese, diced green chile and hash browns wrapped in a flour tortilla: 8.35

Blueberry Blintzes
A gourmet delight ­ heated blueberry compote surrounded by thin pancakes and topped with sour cream: 8.65

And my wife summoned all her resolve not to get the Viva La French Toast
Delicious cinnamon bread swizzled in a rich batter browned to perfection and topped with one egg, any style, and two bacon strips or sausage: 7.65

The food arrived within 10 minutes for the entire table, delivered two by two in the hands of our capable waitress. I opted for pinto beans and rice with mine. The two enchiladas were excellent - chewy corn tortillas offsetting the creamy egg/cheese filling. The green chile sauce topping was spicier than average, and full of small chunks of beef (they also offer veggie green chile). Another diner, who had both on hers, assured me that the red was quite good also. The pinto beans were whole (as they should be) and not refried. The rice was a soggy Spanish-sauced white rice - the only disappointment. The beans, chile, enchilada combo was outstanding. I also sampled the Rellenada that my wife ordered. The eggs were very fluffy and well-seasoned with chive and shaved ham - absolutely delicious with the green chile as well. Other diners added their praise to the generous dishes. Upon exiting, I browsed the menu case with a range of cake donuts, colossal cinnamon rolls with and without pecans/maple glazing, and other delights. I chose a blueberry muffin to go and paid the modest check ($27 for two, including $5 tip). Later that day the muffin did not disappoint - jammed full of fruit and very light on the sugar.

I really must say, Michael's food was excellent. Both the green and red chile sauces were unique, and I found the red much more to my taste that the type found south of Santa Fe. In fact, it was so good that we returned again for two more breakfasts and three lunches that week! All were legendary. Here's a quick review of our other experiences - 4 diners each time...

Something Deliciously Different
Omelette enhanced with roasted green chile and smothered with cheese: 7.45

Poor Man's Eggs Benedict
Two eggs any style on a toasted English muffin, nestled between shaved ham and chile and crowned with melted cheese: 8.35

Huevos Rancheros
Two eggs served on a corn tortilla, piled high with pinto beans and surrounded with your choice of homemade red or green chile with meat: 7.95

Omelette Extraordinaire
A zesty blend of cheese, ham, peppers, onions and chile salsa: 7.85

And for lunch...


Bacon Chile Cheese Burger
Our huge burger with bacon, melted cheese, and diced green chile, served with french fries 7.95 - These were so good I had two (on different days!)



Patty Melt
Pure ground beef smothered in onions and melted processed cheese, served on rye bread, grilled in butter: 7.95


Stuffed Sopapilla
A delicate sopapilla stuffed with beans, cheese, onions and ground beef. Your choice of chile is ladled on, then crowned with guacamole and sour cream: 8.35


BLTG Wrapper
BLT with Green Chile Wrapped up in a Flour Tortilla Mmmmmmmmmmmm: 7.85


Chicken Quesadilla
Grilled chicken in a flour tortilla, a tangy blend of cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses, diced green chiles and avocado. Grilled and served with rice and beans:6.85 - Side of fruit ordered extra to aid digestion!



It should be noted that on our first visit we were seated in an overflow area. The main dining room is much nicer and more tastefully decorated with stained glass, antique iron stoves, local photographs and other local art, plus an enormous wood scroll-saw landscape on one wall. Both food and ambiance scores have increased a full point based on our subsequent visits. The food was all outstanding, with the patty melt trailing the pack at simply good. The stuffed sopapilla was absolutely delicious, and the bacon green chile burger rivaled that of the famous Owl Cafe in San Antonio, NM. The quesadilla was quite good, approaching but not rivaling the Range in Bernalillo, NM. Service was consistently friendly and capable. On top of it all each meal came with one or more sopapillas for dessert with honey butter plus honey on the table. I gained a pound a day during my week in Taos!

Michael's Kitchen - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Highs: Excellent, bountiful, rib-sticking food; friendly, informal atmosphere; reasonable prices
Lows: Noisy and often crowded - only open for dinner on weekends!

Bon Appétit! - W. Ego

MiniReview: Roma Ristorante - Salt Lake City, Utah

Roma Ristorante
5468 S 900 E
Murray, UT 84117
(801) 268-1017
No Web Page

This is a MiniReview - we had a special meal service with wine pairings for a local wine club, Les Amis du Vin Utah, so we can rate the restaurant, but the food, price, service, and ambiance are not typical of a normal restaurant visit. Servers brought out each course to every table in platoon fashion, so there was not much possibility of personal service for this type of event. Wine prices listed are what is charged by Utah State Liquor Stores, the only available source to law-abiding citizens in this backward state, and of interest only to them...

Date of Visit: Sunday, May 18, 2008
Time: Early Dinner - 4:30 PM
Waitpersons - entire staff
Number of Diners: 8 - 75

Ratings
Food Quality: 8.5+
Service: 6*
Ambiance: 6
+The wine pairings elevated the food beyond it's native level.
*The banquet-style service precluded a true rating of the front-of-house staff.

What We had with menu descriptions...

Mediterranean Feast
Your hosts, Aida and LJ Ljubicic have prepared a delightful 5 course menu, with touches of Italy and their native Croatia, paired with wines, mostly from Italy... with a few surprises.

Starter: Bruschetta
With LD's unique style - you'll not soon forget it
2007 Sauvignon Blanc, Villa Maria, Marlborough, New Zealand ($14)

Salad: Spring Mix Organic Salad
Served with Pears and Pecorino-Romano cheese - Fresh, simple and delicious!
2006 Pinot Gris, King Estate, Oregon ($17.49)

First Course: Poached Salmon
Served with side Risotto - Subtle and full of flavor
2005 "Rafael" Valpolicella Classico, Tommasi, Italy ($13)

Main Course: Pork Tenderloin
Wrapped in Proscuiutto and served with Roasted Red Pepper potatoes - an outstanding combination!
2005 "Ruvei" Barbera d'Alba, Marchesi di Barolo, Piedmont, Italy ($17)

Dolci: Lemoncello Torta
With Berry Sauce... and a surprising wine pairing
NV Prosecco di Conegliano, (I did not get the Winemaker), Veneto, Italy ($16.69)

Members' cost for this event was $72 per person, all inclusive.

Roma is tucked away inside a suburban South Salt Lake City (Murray-area) strip mall, in the center of the block. (For trivia buffs the town of Murray is best known for being the home of American Idol finalist David Archuleta.) We arrived and quickly connected with three other couples in our mini-party, making 8 total. We all wasted no time diving into the first wine, Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc, which was plentiful and flowed freely. It was cool, crisp, extremely green-grassy, and very tart. The grass and high acid content blended well with the Balsamic vinegar in the Bruschetta, making for a smashing pairing. Unusual to see such care taken for an appetizer and wine pairing! The Bruschetta was on thick, whole grain toast, with cubed tomato, basil, garlic, olive oil, and Balsamic. The whole grain toast provided a nice, meaty texture base for the very garlicky topping. Very good indeed. Most of our party were able to snag a second one from the roving waitstaff, who were busily trying to be fair to all 75 or so wine club members!

Salad - Simple and delicious was the promise, and Roma delivered. Fresh, organic greens were lightly dressed and accompanied by VERY thin slices of Bartlett pear and Pecorino-Romano cheese. The color and visual texture of the pears and cheese were nearly identical - deliberately so, deceiving some into thinking they were cheese-deprived! The combination of sweet pear, salty cheese, crispy greens, and light dressing was refreshing and delicious. The wine pairing of Pinot Gris amped up the flavor to the next level. This wine was fruit-forward, off dry sweetness, with a fresh finish reminiscent of a crisp Thompson seedless green grape.

First Course - The salmon appeared atop a slightly dry risotto, surrounded by a vivid neon-green oil, accompanied by a caper berry. Unfamiliar to most in our party, this olive-sized fruit results when caper buds are allowed to blossom into flowers with stalks that fruit into individual berries. Pickled, their flavor is somewhat less intense than the buds, and the texture is delightfully crunchy. The salt provided contrast to the relatively strong flavor of the salmon, and the risotto added to the trio of textures. The very green oil turned out to be an infusion of parsley and spinach into olive oil, made fresh on the premises. This aromatic garnish completed the dish into something quite special, transcending the fish alone. The Valpolicella had a phenomenal dry, fruity bouquet. The pairing was surprisingly not overpowering, and the slight salt of the dish mellowed the boldness and enhanced the sweet notes of the ruby red wine. A leftover sip of the sweetish Pinot Gris paired well with the risotto, but did nothing special for the fish.

Main Course - Like the fish, the pork was perched on a starchy base - this time mashed potatoes mixed with roasted red bell peppers. The slightly sweet tenderloin was wrapped in salty Prosciutto, cooked the minimum amount and very moist. The salty-sweet potato mixture was surrounded by more of the fragrant, neon-green infused oil. Taken individually and as a whole, it was all good, though not as special together as what had come before. The Barbera had a nice, musty nose, dry then sweet start on the tip of the tongue, lusciously smooth and delicious as it worked its way across the palate, finishing with a long, green maraschino cherry finish. Stunning alone, it was less successful as a pairing. Not bad, but not as brilliant as the previous pairings.

Dolci - I must confess that I am a big fan of lemon and no fan at all of sparkling wines. Our hosts surprised us with their choice of Prosecco, which the Italians drink like (or instead of) water. Meant to be a refreshing counterpoint to the silky, sweet cake, I found it to be an unpleasant rush of effervescent foam. Alone in my distaste for it, I was able to quickly give my glass away to a table-mate. While it reminded most of their summer visits to Northern Italy and Venice, I was more impressed with the Barbera as a complement for the lemon torte, contrasted well with tart strawberry/blackberry syrup - the sweetness of the cake revealing the previously hidden tannins in the wine. The Prosecco disappointed me, and I have to characterize it as an unpleasant, fizzy "alka-spumonte."

We were able to discover through the evening that LJ and his mother were the force behind the cooking in the kitchen, while Aida was responsible for the genius of the wine pairings. She was also the most extroverted, and visited nearly every diner at every table. I chided her a bit for omitting even one wine from her native Croatia. She had one chosen, but it exceeded the club's budget. Eager to please, she offered to cook anything we wanted, menu be damned. We speculated for a while about meals she could produce to pair with her favorite Croatian wines, rare and underappreciated. We shall have to return soon and put her skills to the test!

Roma Ristorante served up top quality Italian food elevated by Aida's excellent wine parings. The club event gave us good exposure at a great price. My favorites with pairings were the appetizer, salad, and fish courses, though my favorite wine alone was the Barbera. Roma is definitely worth a return visit and a full review.

Be aware that not all of these wines are available at the restaurant, and none of them are available at the prices listed. In Utah the restaurants must buy their wines from the same source at the same price as private citizens - no trade or volume discounts for anyone. So expect to pay at least 2.2 times the prices listed above if you buy in the restaurant.

Highs: Smashing food combinations, transcendent wine pairings, great value
Lows: For me alone... Prosecco-seltzer

Bon Appétit! - W. Ego

Cafe Madrid - Salt Lake City, Utah

Cafe Madrid
2080 East 3900 South
Salt Lake City, UT 84124
(Murray/Holladay area)
801-273-0837
http://www.cafemadrid.net/

Date of Visit: Saturday, May 10, 2008
Time: Dinner - 6:30 PM
Server: Raul R.
Number of Diners: 6

Ratings
Food Quality: 8
Service: 6*
Ambiance: 7
*Average of 7 and 5 - see below for details

Cafe Madrid is a Spanish restaurant, and they serve full entrees in addition to the appetizers/tapas for which Spanish cuisine has become known. Tapas are derived from a mid-afternoon snack with wine taken by the king, and subsequently by field workers. Originally a small meal to sustain you through the afternoon, it has evolved into a style of dining on many small plates.

The Menu...
While only limited to two pages, the menu has quite a few choices. At top there's a notice that genuine Seafood Paella or Tortilla Espanola require 24 hours notice, and should be considered for your next visit. There are a couple of soups and salads, and about 10 each cold and hot appetizers or Tapas, with about half a dozen entrees at the end. Prices for Tapas ranged between $8.50 and $12.50, while entrees were $26 - $29. The wine list is long and impressive, covering all price points, and is full of Spanish wines with several choices by the glass. At the bottom of the menu was a rather strange notice: "Parties with checks split more than twice will have a 16% service fee added." This seemed odd to me, that they would charge a flat gratuity under these circumstances. But since our three couples would split the bill twice (into three equal parts), I figured we would not be affected. More on this later...

The room is quite small, with about a dozen tables - half of which could seat 6 or more. There was also a handful of tables outside. We had arrived about 15 minutes early, and took a seat outside to await our friends. After about 30 seconds a young man (nametag Raul) came out of the back and noticed us. "Did you talk to the people inside?" he inquired. We explained that we were early and awaiting friends. He suggested that we should come inside, led the way, found the registration, and seated us immediately. Soon all 6 water glasses were filled and six menus were distributed. We passed the time drinking water and studying the menu while our friends joined us.

At some point during the evening you must decide whether to do all Tapas, or do a few Tapas and entrees. Raul, who turned out to be our waiter, suggested that certain groups of Tapas go well together and provided a couple of examples. After studying the menu and the wine list, we decided that he knew more about it than we did. So we placed our meal in his hands. He wanted to know if we wanted all Tapas or some entrees. "When do we have to decide?" I asked. He went with it and said we would start small and go from there.

What we had with menu descriptions...

At Raul's suggestion, we opened with:

Calamares Fritos – “Rabas” $9
Juicy and inviting, our Calamari is unlike any you have tasted before
(2 orders) Pimientos Piquillo Rellenos de Pescado $12.50
Authentic Piquillo Peppers, oven roasted with tempting white wine & Seafood Stuffing
Meat Paella - a special appetizer (price not disclosed) $19
Described as paella with sausage, mussels, calamari, chicken, and pork

We also asked Raul to recommend a wine. He chose for us a Spanish white, which he described as "Summer in a bottle." Pazo Pondal 2005 Albarino $34

After the Tapas we decided to go for entrees. Raul had several recommendations, including an Osso Buco (literally "bone hole") not on the menu, and his favorite was the Chilean Sea Bass. In our party of six, two chose the beef tenderloin, and the rest all chose Sea Bass.

Solomillo de Buey al Queso Picon de Tresviso $ 29
Grilled Beef Tenderloin generously topped with an authentic Roquefort Cheese Sauce
Lubina en Salsa de Gambas $29
Fresh Sea Bass served with Caramelized Onions in a creamy Shrimp Sauce

All entrees are served with salad and your choice of: Fried Potatoes, Baby Red Potatoes, or Rice with Pine Nuts and Raisins. Our party was diverse enough to order all three, of which the thin, fried potatoes were the most interesting.


Starting from the top, the Albarino white wine was very nice - crisp, cool, unoaked, tasting of light fruit, slightly tart, with an off-dry finish. It went well with all the foods. The Piquillo peppers were delicious, four portions to each plate, and smothered in a tomato cream sauce. Raul brought us extra bread and encouraged us not to be shy about soaking up the sauce. We weren't shy at all. The Calamari rings were lightly fried, served with fresh lemon and mayonnaise, and were delicate and delicious. The Paella came in a generous portion. Seasoned rice with hidden gems of meat, sausage, and seafood - everyone was delighted with it. The wine paired especially well with the Paella.

Given our dinner choices, a second bottle of Albarino was ordered, and we turned again to Raul to recommend a red for the beef eaters. He asked discreetly about how much we were willing to pay, suggesting $50 and acquiescing to $40. He returned with a bottle of Marqués de Cáceres Crianza Rioja $32. If you have ever had Spanish wine, it was likely this one, and you'll certainly recognize the label pictured here. I have consumed many bottles of it, and it is a fine, midrange wine, well balanced and smoothly finished. Made from 85% Temperanillo grapes, it's a restaurant standard and a very safe recommendation. And, like a decent Merlot, it's also a bit - unexciting. I asked Raul if he had a more interesting Temperanillo, and he reappeared instantly with a bottle of 2003 Loriñon Rioja Crianza $32. It was also 85% Temperanillo with 5% each of Granacha, Graciano, and Mazuelo. It was also delightfully unrefined with a big cherry nose - aged in American oak for 14 months to take the edge off, it was lush, dark as ink, fruity, smoky, and sweet - with a dark cherry, dry finish. It was an excellent, complex pairing for the beef.

The beef tenderloin was generous, tender, and wonderfully balanced by the Roquefort sauce. It should be noted that real Roquefort cheese is made from sheep's milk, and has a flavor character unlike the more common blue cheeses. It is also much more expensive and a delight to encounter as an ingredient in a beef dish. The tenderloins were perched upon two disks of potato and garnished with squash, asparagus, and carrots. All were cooked to perfection and devoured by our beef-eaters, though one allowed others to sample hers...

The Chilean Sea Bass was also a taste treat, served on a bed of mashed potato with a generous portion of tomato cream sauce, two tender shrimp, sweet caramelized onions, and a short sprig of rosemary. The sides of potatoes or rice were served in separate dishes, and we made good use of them to soak up the excess sauce. The Albarino continued to serve us well in complementing the dish.

Feeling satiated and not over-full, we perused the dessert menu. To coffee all around we added flan, lemon mousse, and rice pudding. The flan was cool, firm, and excellent, as was the rice pudding dusted with cinnamon. The lemon mousse was topped with walnuts, and was much thicker than expected. It reminded one diner of her mother's home-made lemon ice-box pie filling made with fresh lemons. It was a veritable explosion of lemon, and quite delightful.

Given the prompt and attentive service Raul was providing, you may be surprised at the reduced service scoring above. The problems started when the bill arrived. For our party of six it came to a very reasonable $348 but it had a gratuity pre-included of $64.60, or 18.55%. Very odd because the service was better than 18% worth, and it's unusual to see service added for parties of six. It had 22 lines of itemized expenses and seemed at a glance to be complete. One of my eagle-eyed dining companions noted that we had only been charged for one bottle of white. Raul quickly made the modification and returned with the new bill: $385 with $71.40 (18.55%) again pre-added. We each tossed a credit card in (3 total) and Raul became visibly upset. He explained that the menu clearly stated there would be a service fee charged should the bill be split more than two ways - an interesting interpretation of the actual language, but understandable. I pointed to the "Gratuity Added" line and said, "It's already there."

Raul explained that was a gratuity, and the service fee for the extra credit card would be 16% IN ADDITION TO the pre-added gratuity! He suggested that perhaps one party could pay cash, and he would split the rest between two cards. One couple drained their collective collections of cash to make this happen. Even so entire staff had to fuss with the bill for about 15 minutes afterward. They returned with two bills, evenly split and exactly correct, both pre-charged to the two cards. No opportunity (or inclination on our parts) to increase the gratuity. It's not really fair to blame Raul for this ridiculous hassle dictated by management policy, and he at least thanked us (discreetly) for catching the wine error.

The whole episode became a wet blanket tossed on an otherwise good time for no good reason. It seemed very "un-American" treatment, so perhaps that's a tribute to the restaurant's authenticity. It is also certainly a strong de-motivator for future visits, especially for medium to large groups. There are enough competing places in the region with good food and without such hassles. Perhaps this explains why the restaurant was only three-quarters full at 8PM on a Saturday night?


Highs: Ingredient quality, creative dishes, friendly staff and service, good wine selection and prices, reasonable overall cost for the quality
Lows: Annoying payment policy deflated an otherwise enjoyable experience, undisclosed disproportionate pricing between menu items and specials

Bon Appétit! - W. Ego

MiniReview: Franck's - Salt Lake City, Utah

Franck's
6263 Holladay Blvd
Holladay, UT 85712
(801)274-6264
http://francksfood.com/indexSWF.html

This is a MiniReview - we had a special meal service with wine pairings for a local wine club, Wasatch Mountain Food and Wine Society, so we can rate the restaurant, but the food, price, service, and ambiance are not typical of a normal restaurant visit. Servers brought out each course to every table in platoon fashion, so there was not much possibility of personal service for this type of event. Wine prices listed are what is charged by Utah State Liquor Stores, the only available source to law-abiding citizens in this backward state, and of interest only to them...

Date of Visit: Sunday, May 4, 2008
Time: Dinner - 7:30 PM
Waitpersons - entire staff
Number of Diners: 6 - 50

Ratings
Food Quality: 8.5
Service: 6*
Ambiance: 7
*The banquet-style service precluded a true rating of the front-of-house staff.

What We had with menu descriptions...

Burgundy Wine Dinner
Award-winning chef Franck Peissel (Salt Lake Best Chef 2007, Taste of the Nation People’s Choice 2007) has prepared an outstanding menu for our group. His cuisine is “American on the surface, but very French on closer inspection." The 2005 Burgundy vintage has received rave reviews and Franck has devised a tasting menu that highly complements the wines from this great region. The combination of great wines and food is assured to make this one of our group’s best events.

Appetizers: Mushroom tart, escargot on a shell
Kir with 2006 Bouzeron Aligote, Domaine de Villaine ($26.75)

First course: Mussels with a beurre blanc sauce
2005 Chablis, Domaine de Vaudon, Joseph Drouhin ($21.70)

Second course: Hawaiian sea bass in an amaretto sauce
2005 Meursault, Matrot ($28.22)

Third course: Short ribs in a mushroom and truffle sauce
2005 Bourgogne Pinot Noir, Nicolas Potel ($18.87)

Fourth course: Medley of quail and duck in a Madeira sauce
2005 Nuits-Saint-George, Nicolas Potel ($46.99)

Dessert: Pear tarten with rosemary ice cream
2002 Chateau Rieussac Sauternes (half bottle $42.79)

Members' cost for this event was $90 per person, all inclusive.

Franck's is not easy to find, located in Holladay and hidden behind the much more famous Tuscany eatery owned by former Utah Jazz center Mark Eaton. On our night out, all of Franck's parking was valet, and most of the nearby streets were marked "No Parking." Franck is much shorter than Mark and arguably more talented. The room was small with maybe 12-15 tables, and 3-4 more outside. There was a big plasma screen on the wall so all diners could see what was happening in the kitchen. Servers platooned to rush each course to each table, and there was little opportunity for interaction. A couple different servers made attempts, but they were unable by logisitcs to follow through on their intentions. I believe that a dining experience would certainly score better service marks than this banquet-style setting permitted. As for the food, we shall take each course and wine in turn, giving much attention to our table consensus on things.

Appetizers - the mushroom tart was delicious, with lightly grilled, well-seasoned mushrooms on a buttery, flaky tart base. The escargot were tender, not at all chewy, and garlicky - but too salty for my taste. The wine pairing was a traditional Kir (NOT a Kir Royale) which mixed Creme de Cassis with a still white wine (rather than a Champagne). The tart wine was supposed to play off the sweet Cassis, but all we could taste was the sweet. It was a nice, light starter, but most in our small group wondered what the wine would have tasted like on its own. We Americans defy tradition, as apparently Kir was the mayor of Dijon around World War II, and he loved these apparatifs so much that they now bear his name.

First Course - Mussels were fresh, sweet, and tender paired well with the burre blanc sauce. Some very nice Pomme Frite came to soak up the sauce, but someone forgot to tell the servers who hustled most of the dishes away. We managed to save one of the two at our table! The wine was an un-oaked Chablis, very crisp, dry, with a mild grapefruit taste and a hint of earthiness. It complemented the mussels very well.

Second Course - Hawaiian sea bass was light and sweet with a mild salty favor. The Amaretto sauce was nicely sweet, complementing the fish with the mildest hint of nutty flavor. The wine was an un-oaked Chardonnay grape, soft, round, tart, and dry with a clean finish and a mildly lemony aftertaste that went well with the fish. The pairing with broccoli stalks and rice provided both contrast and a medium to soak up the sauce.

Third Course - Franck did a nice job with the short ribs, which were boneless and had appropriate texture while still tender and not overly chewy. Scalloped potatoes were present for sauce-soaking. The meat had a slightly salty flavor. The wine had a light mustiness to the nose, great legs, full body of fruit with a dry finish. It erased all the salt in the meat, making a near-perfect pairing.

Fourth Course - Sweet quail with salty duck and a smooth Madeira sauce made for a great variety on the plate. I am not a duck person, though my wife and dinner partners were. But this duck was GREAT duck. I not only liked it, I enjoyed it thoroughly. One table-mate VIG (Very Italian Guy), fancied himself the best duck cook in the west, and he acknowledged Franck's were as good as his. Simply amazing. As was the wine. You could tell from the bouquet that it was something special - delicate with light floral overtones. It was full bodied, mildly astringent with a hint of tannin, rich, complex, with hints of blackberry, tobacco, leather, and currant - with a crisp finsh. It was brilliant alone, and OK with the food - also effectively balancing the salt in the meats.

Dessert - The pear tarten was sweet, flaky, chewy, and wonderful - the cool, fresh rosemary ice cream a great complement. And the Sauterne (one of my favorite wines) was out of this world - Full bodied and not syrupy - thick in the way of authentic maple syrup (not the glycerin thick Log Cabin stuff). It had a slight scent of orange blossom and sweet clover. It was lightly chilled and the taste was delicate, and complex, like liquid honey. The dessert and wine were brilliant alone, but made for a poor combination - the sweet of the dessert overpowered the delicacy of the wine.

All in all a great food and wine experience at a great price. Beware that not all of these wines are available at the restaurant, and none of them are available at the prices listed. In Utah the restaurants must buy their wines from the same source at the same price as private citizens - no trade or volume discounts for anyone. So expect to pay at least 2.2 times the prices listed above if you buy in the restaurant.

Highs: Good food, good friends, great wines, boisterous party, great value
Lows: Banquet service, few wine refills available

Bon Appétit! - W. Ego

Cafe Poca Cosa - Tucson, Arizona

Cafe Poca Cosa
100 E. Pennington St.
Tucson, AZ 85701
520-622-6400
No website

Date of Visit: Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Time: Dinner - 6:30 PM
Waiter: Aaron
Number of Diners: 2

Ratings
Food Quality: 8
Service: 7
Ambiance: 7

I invited an old friend and former co-worker, GB, to dine with me. He lives in Tucson and had never tried the place. It is a pretty place oddly located downtown at the base of a parking garage, and they do validate - but it's a needlessly complex process. The menu changes twice daily based on the availability of ingredients and the mood of the chef. So the menus are written on blackboards and easels which are explained table side by the server. The descriptions are detailed, verbal, and fast. There is no website for reference (it would be a pain to maintain), and I had no camera or recording device. So my normally detailed descriptions of the food are rendered brief by the limitations of my memory.

The Menu...
Cafe Poca Cosa has 3-4 chicken dishes, 3-4 beef dishes, 2-3 fish dishes, and 1-2 vegetarian dishes for each service. For our evening there were 4 chicken, 3 beef, 2 fish (one already sold out), and one vegetarian. The names of each dish are in Spanish, and most of the terms are outside my range of "menu Spanish." Prices range from $16-$22 and all include family style whole pinto beans, white rice, and corn tortillas (unless you request flour), and each entree comes with a very large salad heaped onto the plate. Spicy oil and vinegar dressing is on the table and very tasty. Nothing is very spicy-hot, but plenty of flavorful spices are combined to make each dish unique. It's hard to decide, and for $24 the chef will select three entrees for you in a sampler plate - one chicken, one beef, and one vegetarian. If two at the same table order the sampler, there will be six unique choices.

Upon entering we were immediately greeted by a friendly and cheerful hostess along with another lady who seems to run the front of the house - I call her the Mamacita. They were genuinely happy to see us, and asked if we needed to get dinner "before the show." When I replied in the negative, Mamacita clapped me on the back and exclaimed, "No problem then!" I asked what show we were missing, and was happy to hear we were missing Michael Buble. We found seats at the bar and dismissed the fancy Tequilas, Martinis, and Margaritas in favor of a couple of honest bottles of Negra Modelo. GB had never tried one, and he found it to be most excellent. The room was very modern, decorated with a variety of paintings, photos, and sculptures artfully lit with xenon droplights. The oval bar was a central feature with the kitchen behind and maybe 40 tables around in a C pattern. A handful of tables were outside on a small patio, for the smokers. One Zagat member referred to the arrangement as an "ultra-modernized Denny's." GB and I found the description to be unkind and unfair.

After a short wait (10 minutes) the hostess came back and asked us to settle the bar tab, and then she could take us to our table. Five minutes later we were seated at a nice table near the front door. The bus staff provided water, salsa, and a saucer with a few tortilla chips immediately. Seconds later Aaron stopped by and introduced himself as our server. He was very tall, very dark and had very long baby-dreadlocks tied neatly into a ponytail. Like everyone else we'd seen (including the bartender) he seemed very pleased to have us as guests and very concerned for our comfort and satiety. He noted that our beers were nearly full and promised to return shortly with a menu.

Aaron soon returned with an easel and blackboard, and explained each entree to us from memory in flawless Spanish followed by an English translation. Every item sounded fantastic. Gus went with the beef in tomatillo sauce, and I was tempted by the chicken mole. But I opted to go with the Poca Cosa sampler and let the chef decide. At least half an hour passed by as we conversed and observed the frenetic activity of this very busy place. The tiny pile of chips was quickly exhausted with the fresh salsa - tasty, not sweet, not hot, and blended into almost a paste. GB wondered why we couldn't get more chips. Having visited the place once before, I suggested they were sparing us from overfilling before the coming bounty. After dinner, he saw the wisdom in their stinginess.

What we had for dinner...
My dinner sampler came with beef with amarillo sauce, chicken with ancho cream sauce, and the vegetarian tamale pie. GB had an enormous portion of beef with tomatillo sauce. Both plates were piled high with salad greens, and all the side dishes (family style) and tortilla stack were generous. I sampled GB's entree as well as my own, and it was the hands-down winner of the four. He commented several times at how tender the beef was, and the flavor combo was excellent. My beef was also tender and tasty, just not as brilliant as GB's. My chicken was the best of my three portions, and the chef must have agreed - it was the biggest of the three. The masa in the tamale pie was sweet, grainy, and covered with cheese. Very good, but my least favorite. Salad (dressing on the table) and sides were very fresh and good.

GB and I are generally big eaters, and both of us plowed in with gusto. When we were done, both had salad remaining (they provide a LARGE portion), and we did not kill off any of the side dishes completely. Both too full for dessert or coffee, we paid the very reasonable tab ($54) with a very good tip, and rolled out the door.

Highs: Friendly staff, service, pretty room, activity, food quality and attention to preparation
Lows: Having to deal with the bar tab separately, long wait for main courses

Bon Appétit! - W. Ego