Susanne Park, store owner, has been baking goodies for over 10 years professionally and opened her first store front in December 2008.

I recommend the coconut or red velvet cupcakes, two of my favorites.

The Harvest Vine Top 10

1. ambiance is A+
2. sitting at the bar is like taking a cooking class
3. wine list is unique
4. parking was easy
5. staff was friendly and very knowledgable
6. basque food is damn good
7. they know how to cook the basque food
8. its not confused
9. the dungeon is a great place for groups
10. i’m still thinking about the pork tenderloin

The ensuing three hours at Ibiza consisted of an Abbazia di Novacella (a crisp white made from the kerner grape) and an Australian riesling called Clos Clare, paired with pan friend oysters and shimp with tasso cream, and a local goat cheese, portabella, sun-dried tomato pizza.

Later that evening we stopped into Beavers, the top spot in Houston for cocktails. The reason for this is because it also has the best bartender and mixologist: Bobby Huegel. Bobby makes the classics like they were meant to be made, like martinis and Manhattans. On top of that he creates his own dynamic drinks with everything you can think of… and it’s all great!

By this time one of Emily’s good friend, Jaffer, wine director at Del Frisco’s steakhouse had joined us. We decided to cap off the night at 13 Celsius, easily one of the best, if not the best wine bar in Houston. Jaffer selected a late vintage dessert wine from Klein – the oldest winery in South Africa. Here is some interesting background on the the wine, Vin de Constance, and tasting notes:

“These historic vineyards were first planted in the late 1600s as a part of the original Constantia estate, whose legendary sweet wines were celebrated in literature by Jane Austen, Charles Dickens and Baudelaire. It was sought after by Napoleon, in his exile, and by the courts of Europe in the 18th and 19th century. Chosen for its soil of decomposed Table Mountain granite, and its cooling sea breezes from both the Atlantic and Indian oceans, these vineyards provide the perfect terroir for premium winegrowing… Copper in colour, with abundant aromas of of dried mangos, apricots and honey. The palate is unctiously full bodied and intensely flavoured, with a thick, viscous consistency pared by pithy astringency and a fresh, mouthwatering finish.”

A great wine to finish a great day with great friends.

]]> http://tavolarosso.com/2008/05/should-we-start-with-bubbly/feed/ 0 http://tavolarosso.com/2008/04/all-things-aloha/ http://tavolarosso.com/2008/04/all-things-aloha/#comments Wed, 30 Apr 2008 22:23:13 +0000 Mark Stoltz http://tavolarosso.com/?p=661 Isabell and I just returned from a relaxing trip to Maui. Not only was the trip a nice break from the drab Pacific Northwest weather, but it was a great opportunity to eat great food at some of the best restaurants in the islands. Here are the highlights:

• Dinner at Mama’s Fish House. While Mama’s is no longer a Maui secret, the food is still world-class. The food of choice was not an entree, but the Ahi sashimi we had for an appetizer. Simply put: this is the best, most fresh fish Isabell and I have ever had in our lives. Right off the boat – amazing. The wine we had at dinner is also worth noting: a 2000 Faiveley Burgundy Blanc. Imagine a silky chardonnay mashed up with world class sauvignon blanc for crispness, finishing with classic French minerality. Very good!

• The wine of the trip came at the restaurant Pacific’o, where we had a 2006 Morgan “Twelve Clones” Santa Lucia Highlands pinot noir. Even though we all had fish, the wine was perfect for the bold Pacific rim flavors of our food. Here is some commentary on the wine: “Grapes from Morgan’s organically farmed Double L Vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands make up 40% of this wine’s blend in 2006, which actually includes 12 different clonal selections of pinot noir. The diversity of clonal selections combine with the cool Monterey climate and strong Salinas valley winds to create a complex wine with fully developed flavors and acidity. Notes of leather, toast, mineral and vanilla balance the cherry, berry, rose petal and spicy earth notes in this medium-bodied, structured wine.”

• Chef Bev Gannon is a Hawaii icon and has two standout restaurants on Maui: the Hali’imaile General Store and Joe’s. We celebrated her amazing food in two ways: 1) we ate at Joe’s, where my dad had her amazing ribs. Real quick… I’m from Texas so this might be blasphemy, but Bev’s ribs are the best all of us had ever tasted. 2) upon Bev’s personal recommendation on where to buy the freshest fish on the island (Eskimo Candy Seafood), we got some beautiful mahi mahi fillets and made her macadamia nut crusted fresh catch with a mango lilikoi sauce. The result was symbolic of the entire trip to the Garden Isle – absolutely fantastic!

We hung out in the bar for a bit and I started off the evening with a strawberry-rhubarb margarita, which was amazing- not too sweet, but with an ample fruity and quenching flavor. We were overwhelmed with the variety of choices on the menu, after being seated in a cozy booth in the dining room. Amidst talk of summer plans and the nasty weather we’ve have in Seattle, the four of us debated on what to ordered (the menu featured a variety of things and it all sounded SO good). The wait staff was friendly, knowledgeable and didn’t rush us through the meal.

Without going into too much detail, below is an overview of our meal:

Wine: Luna Canto 2003

Appetizer: Wine Country Platter featuring hand-crafted Fra’mani salumi, accompanied by Jasper
Farms farmstead cheese, red onion & thyme
marmalade, grapes, rosemary crisps.

Sides: Broccolini with blue-cheese sauce and Asparagus with pine nuts and shaved parmesan.

Liz’s Entree: Beef Tenderloin tips on a bed of steamed red potatoes, shitake mushrooms, carrots and asparagus, with a “savory essence” poured on top.

Sean’s Entree: Brook Trout served with Pan-roasted with zucchini, oven-dried tomatoes & fresh basil.

Dessert: Deep-dish Apple pie with a scoop of cinnamon ice cream (this is worth the trip itself!)

Sarah ordered the Pan Seared Chicken with pistou mashed potatoes (which I debated on getting) and it turned out the mashed potatoes were served in a personal-size Le Creuset dish- a very nice touch in my book.

According to the web site: The Trellis culinary team is dedicated to serving only market fresh cuisine featuring products from local artisan producers. From the fruit and vegetables gathered daily at Executive Chef Brian Scheehser’s garden to hand raised livestock and seafood just off the boat, your dining experience will celebrate the bounty of the Pacific Northwest.

Whether your in the market for Sunday brunch on the outdoor patio, or a late-night dinner, check out Trellis and Chef Scheehser’s mouth-watering dishes.

Before I go any further, for those of you who aren’t familiar with Seattle’s newest online grocery service, AmazonFresh has built its business to fit your lifestyle. Its online store front allows you to select from a growing selection of fresh, high-quality products, all accessible to you 24 hours-a-day, 365 days-a-year.

Highlights of the experience:

• Easy to manage. The site enables you to shop by aisle (i.e. produce, bakery, deli) or specialty (i.e. gluten free, kosher, low fat).
• The search progress can get pretty granular if need be. For example, you can search within the artisan bread or bakery snacks categories, both of which are within the broader Bakery aisle. As you cruise through this virtual store, you can select the item and quantity and it’ll appear on the right hand side in your “cart”.
• One of my favorite features is called “save to list” which allows you to tag an item you purchase frequently.
• You don’t need to be home for the delivery. After you select your items, you choose a day/time to have groceries delivered (either before dawn or during the day).
• Household & cleaning, health & beauty and pet care items are also available.

Lowlights:

• AmazonFresh only delivers to residents in select zip codes so I encourage you to confirm you live in one of these neighborhoods before place an order. I’d hate for you to experience the frustration that my friend did today when she learned this.
• Some products require a minimum purchase. For example, you have to purchase a minimum of two small, yellow onions.

What more do you want, a service that unloads the groceries and places them safely into your fridge? AmazonFresh offers expanding selection, great prices and convenient service.