BigWoodenSpoon's Profile
Fire at China Village (Albany)
Thanks Ruth! I hoped you'd come to my rescue.
What do you think of their other dishes?
Should I bother with their Sweet & Sour Pork or would you suggest something else?
Are the "hand pulled noodles" worth a trip?
Fire at China Village (Albany)
OH NO! Where am I going to get delicious Cumin Lamb and Sweet & Sour Pork to go with the Navarro Edelswicker for my 50th Birthday in August if China Village isn't open?
Any suggestions close to or in Alameda?
Grocery Outlet-April 2012
Speaking of wine, I thought it was all gone, but it was just hiding up on the top shelf on the right before the first refrigerator:. From the K &L website:
2006 Kilikanoon "Prodigal" Grenache Clare Valley South Australia (Previously $30)
91 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The dark ruby-colored 2006 Prodigal Grenache spent 18 months in seasoned French oak. The nose exhibits damp earth, cinnamon, sage, and black cherry leading to a sweet, layered, spicy, concentrated Grenache with a silky texture and enough soft tannin to develop for another two years. Drink this lengthy effort from 2010 to 2018." 91 points from Stephen Tanzer's IWC: "Bright red. Intensely floral bouquet displays scents of raspberry, potpourri, spicecake and minerals. Lush, creamy red berry flavors display liqueur-like depth and surprising clarity, picking up a tangy blood orange note with air. Weightier on the finish, which features a sweet dark berry flavor and persistent spiciness."
From the winery: "This intensely perfumed wine is a noble expression of the potential of old-vine Grenache. The nose seduces with maraschino cherries, vibrant plums and sweet milk chocolate backed by subtle mature oak spices. Ripe fruited and generous, the upfront palate delivers juicy mulberries and kirsch, lifted lavender perfume and bright acidity.
Subtle oak support and supple tannins allow the depth of the fruit to shine, finishing long and intense."
There are only 8 left after I picked one more for the road. Run, run, run!
Shelf sign says $12.99, rang up as $9.99!
This is an awesome super screaming deal and your palate will thank you for it. : )
1st time in Sonoma for wine novices
>Kozlowski Farms - for the retail store (it's just 10min from where we're staying)
So delicious: The tarts are great and you can taste all of the sauces.
Better bring an extra well-padded suitcase : )
I haven't been to the factory of Marin French Cheese Company yet, but their Triple Creme Brie is awesome! 7500 Red Hill Road, Petaluma (800) 292-6001 http://www.marinfrenchcheese.com
According to my brochure, they have 4 daily tours and special tours on cheese making days.
Spring Hill Jersey Cheese: http://springhillcheese.com/creamerytours.aspx also has tours and wonderful cheese.
Yes, Petaluma is about 40 minutes south, but this seems to be where the creameries are located. For other food/farm possibilities: http://www.farmtrails.org/
Dry Creek wines, especially Zinfandel are super special and the people on the road are lovely:
http://wdcv.com/winery-profiles
Hope you plan to be flexible and go with the flow so you can make the most of your trip without stressing out too much.
Have an excellent time!
Help with wine and sparkler selections!
Well, if your family drinks like my family, a bottle per wine drinking adult isn't that far off the mark. ; ) 1 1/2cases of white, 1 1/2 cases of sparkling/rose', 1 case red
Make sure they're all things you would be willing to drink later just in case you have leftovers.
Bubbles and crisp whites will go fine with your menu and don't rule out a nice rose', both dry and sparkling. As for reds, it'd go lighter with a nice Cotes du Rhone and/or Pinot Noir but keep a Cabernet around for those folks who won't drink anything else.
Oh, see if you can find out what kind of wine was served at your parents' wedding and surprise them with a bottle if possible or at the very least their current favorite.
If you post a specific menu and which town in MD the event is being held, we can narrow the field of possibilities for you.
Cote de Rhone at TJ's in Westfield
Phewy, me without my Order Guide. Short bottle, burnt orange label: Caves de Papes Fourelet or something close. Really good seller in my store. I'll check tomorrow when I go in.
Reasonably-priced, delicious yet informal catering in Monterey
No, the ceremony's at 2:00 pm, so the "reception" is more like a late afternoon party.
Yes, if we were doing "regular" catering, $10/pp IS a pipe dream, but I'm looking for tasty local restaurants/chefs/cooks that do informal catering (big aluminum trays of hot food) on the side.
Nothing fancy, just tasty and filling because we're a big family on many levels ; )
Reasonably-priced, delicious yet informal catering in Monterey
Hello Hounds!
My sister-in-law and her fiance are getting married on 8/3 and are looking for good, inexpensive local options for their reception at a church recreation hall. He's Japanese/Hawaiian & German, so perhaps Hawaiian BBQ or other Asian/German choices along with some American comfort food for her and our large Mormon contingent? Last I heard they're planning on inviting between 150-250 people and would like to keep things under $10/person if at all possible.
Thanks in advance for your help!
Great Red Wines for under $30
The Dry Creek is delicious and if you can find it the 2009 Lady Slipper Pinot Noir from Carneros would probably be right up you alley as well.
2008 Donati Paicines Claret from the Monterey area might fit the bill as well.
Happy drinking!
"Restaurants" Database To Be Eliminated
I want to lend my support to the movement to keep the Restaurants database active.
I have used it many times and would be extremely sad if I couldn't access it, especially when I'm out of town and need info on the good places to eat outside of my home turf.
Please let us keep it.
Thanks!
Best wine you've had under $15
Yeah, the Layer Cake series is actually decent wine and has been around for a while. They've done a nice Malbec, Primitivo and I'd carry the Shiraz on my shelves if I had room.
No "Sweet Red" here
Spice-I-Am Thai in Alameda
Went out with my family last night about 5:30 pm and we decided to try this new place at 1353 Park Street (between Central & Alameda Ave) next to Rocket Reuse and two doors down from Tucker's.
The decor is chocolate, black, white & chrome with sleek lines and a big lit-up wine wall. : )
We ordered the Chicken Satay ($ 7) for our daughter and then we decided on the following:
Famous Thai Boat Noodles $6.75
Choice of slice beef, stewed beef, beef balls or combination in beef broth with our choice of Small rice, Flat rice, Vermicelli, Egg noodles or Silver Noodles (We chose Flat Rice)
Really flavorful with a lot of fresh basil and noodles, definitely enough for two, but you'll need to ask for an extra bowl.
Crab Fried Rice $12
Jasmine rice sauteed with Super Lump Crab Meat
To be fair, it isn't really "fried rice" but man was it good and a great palate cleanser alongside the curry. I could totally eat this all day long and they're not skimpy on the portions.
Aromatic Thai Yellow Curry $8
Sweet potato, carrot, onion
I thought this was very tasty, had a pretty presentation and our 8 1/2 yr. old liked it too.
The wine list is concise with budget friendly/good paring options and has reasonable markups.
I had a glass of the Winter Riesling (one of my favorites) for $6.50 since my husband wanted a Thai Ice Tea. The list also had Becker Landgraf, Pollerhof, a French Colombard that I'm not remembering the producer of at the moment and a few others. Since I saw familiar names, I'm afraid I didn't read the descriptions or ask for pairing help, so I'm not sure how things are on those fronts.
The staff was friendly, welcoming and attentive without hovering . We got the Satay first as we requested, then got the Crab Fried Rice followed a little bit later by the soup and curry. This service order was a little quirky, but not enough to detract from the food. The peanut sauce was little too much like peanut butter for my taste, but that won't keep me from coming back. I want to try all the new options I hadn't noticed before at the other Thai places I've been and it looks like I'll be able to get another nice wine to go with them. Yeah!
Hey Ruth, check it out and let me know what you think. We went early and there were only one or two other groups, so I'm not sure how the service will hold up when its really busy.
Here's to another good place to eat in Alameda, Cheers!
http://spice-i-am.com/
Grocery Outlet for December
Attn Dessert Wine Lovers:
Oakland just marked down a number of items to about 50% off because they haven't been moving quickly enough:
2006 D'Arenberg "The Noble" Late Harvest Chardonnay/Semillion was $15.99, now $7.49
(I bought the last 3 in fridge for friends who absolutely loved it)
2007 Wagner Vignoles Ice was $15.99, now $7.99. At least a dozen left on the top of the small shelf between the wine and beer aisles.
2006 Cave Springs Riesling Niagara Peninsula, Yalumba Late Harvest Viognier, Heron Hill Late Harvest Vidal Blanc, Standing Stones Winery and quite a few others in the fridge.
Look for the orange price tags and save, save, save!
Happy New Year!
Orson closed, makeover in progress
One can hope that she doesn't fly the coop now that she is not the NIC.
Crossing my fingers that she stays, resets, keeps her core team together and gives us something new & exciting. Please Nice Lady!
Mead recommendation
http://www.gotmead.com
You seem to have a few local producers in your area, but if you can find Rabbits Foot or Heidrun (sparkling mead) in your area, they're pretty tasty.
Wine like Lambic
Pasek also makes an excellent Blackberry wine and I'm looking forward to the Eagle Creek I bought when I visited the Tasting Room in Leavenworth.
Trader Joe's Wine Recs?
If you liked Chariot Gypsy, you might also enjoy the Rabbit Ridge Allure de Paso Robles Red for the same $4.99. I liked it better enough that I'm planning on exchanging the bottles I bought of Chariot for holiday gifts and replacing them with Rabbit Ridge.
Another "$ 5 favorite" is the Columbia Crest Two Vines Riesling: Off dry, apricot, peaches, not terribly complex but nice for the price and a slightly bright finish.
Has anyone tried a wine called tribunal
We have a very limited quantity of the 2009 Tribunal in a 1.5L format for $16.99 at the Alameda and most other TJ's in Northern CA at the moment (not sure about OR/WA area). I have a few bottles of the 2008, one of which I'm bringing to Mom's for the Holiday steak dinner and I've heard good things about the 2009 although I'm not a fan of the cheap bottle (no punt).
Here's the "backstory" about this wine as far as I remember:
3 Sonoma vintners had a competition to see who could most closely reproduce the flavor of Owin Swift's "The Prisoner" and the winner is us because we get to drink something really delicious as a result.
Berkeley, CA wine-store reccommendations
Yeah, for my birthday I got gift certificates for both Spanish Table and Odd Lots. Great places.
Now I just need to find the time to redeem them for some awesome wine and maybe a few Spanish treats...here piggy piggy.... ; )
Grocery Outlet 20% off Wine Starting Nov 9 - Opinions?
Keep your receipt. I returned my bottles of that Riesling and the Chandon Rose.
The 20 % sale is a regular event that happens twice a year, in April & November.
The best strategy is to go first thing on the first day and look for your local wine person.
Berkeley's got a great guy who knows his stuff and Oakland's new guy is very nice.
BTW, Oakland seems to have a special relationship with a German distributor and I find hidden treasures of that ilk there all the time.
Orson closed, makeover in progress
It was my favorite SF restaurant and I was very , very sad to hear it was closing. : (
The service was occasionally quirky but the food was always yummy.
We went for our 10th anniversary in July with some friends and had a great time.
Gabriel was the best server in the house recently and Maya is a super-talented young pastry chef from whom I'd love to experience more delicious innovation. If anyone hears about where either of these wonderful people end up, I'd love to know.
I really like Chef Faulkner and her work, but I looked at Citizen Cake's menu and it just didn't grab me, let alone entice me all the way into the City to try to find parking in that neighborhood.
So, now my question to you Chowhounds is this:
Where I can currently find a similar style of menu that is innovative, fun, delicious, moderately priced (under $25/entree) with a loungey, laid back, not-too-loud atmosphere and a nice, reasonable-priced wine list?
Special priced tasting events/menus, killer desserts, not a lot of emphasis on fish (my husband doesn't eat it) and good, consistent service would make it a home run.
SF easy to get to from the Bay Bridge with relatively available parking or East Bay near Alameda/Oakland/Berkeley please.
Looking forward to finding our next favorite place with your help. Thanks!
Trader Joe's Wine Recs?
You must have gotten a better bottle than us or let it breathe for a while.
Our store tasted it for Flyer and we we're fans. It's been much better in earlier vintages.
BTW, speaking of $5 wine, the 2010 Chariot Gypsy is in the house and is quite tasty this year. Jason (the Younger) recommends it on his blog: jasonswineblog.com:
"To recap, we have a blend of 63% mystery “dry red”, 22% Cabernet and 15% Merlot versus the heavy Zinfandel component and accompanying Petite Sirah typical in previous vintages. Sweet on the nose and a touch on the palate with juicy cherries and soft acidity. Simple and pleasing but perhaps as good for what it isn’t, not cloying, harsh or flabby, as what it is. A solid $5 table wine for any occasion." On my shopping list for Holiday Gift Baskets for my nephews, etc.
I'll keep y'all posted once we taste more of the new wines that are coming in.
which chain grocery stores in the east bay are better?
With TJ's, I think it depends on the region. This summer I was fortunate to pick up some "local" organic WA blueberries at the Lake Oswego, OR store while on vacation.
They were tasty and some of them were a little mushy, but I wanted something from the general PNW area.
I really wish we had more vendor information available for you the consumer, but occasionally there are "hustle buys" that show up where we do have farmer or at least area of origin information. It never hurts to ask for a "Quick Item Lookup" to see if the computer system has anything to add to what's on the package.
Best Burger in Alameda or Nearby?
Oh yeah, you want a Scolari's burger and I also love the Buffalo fries. Awesome!
BTW, the Stromboli is amazing if someone wants something besides a burger.
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Scolari's
1303 Park St, Alameda, CA 94501
what's your weekly grocery shopping routine? looking for new ideas...
We are also a family of three that live in Alameda and this is what I usually do:
Costco 1-2 times a month for meat, butter, OJ, sometimes bread & milk, juice
Grocery Outlet once a week for pretzels, sometimes pasta and whatever else look interesting
Trader Joe's 1-2 a week for cereal, occasional produce, ground beef, yogurt and frozen veggies (I know, I know, fresh is better, but sometimes convenience wins. BTW, I work there)
Farmer's Market on Tuesday for fruit, veggies and an occasional treat or dinner item
I drop by Lucky's 1-2 a month to fill in any gaps and I try to only walk into Safeway with my Club card and coupons in hand. Their prices on everything that isn't "on sale" are so much higher than Lucky that I don't bother unless I'm in a super hurry.
Red Wine and BBQ [moved from Austin board]
When I visited my cousin in Buda last fall we went to a place where the brisket had a major black pepper & salt rub on it. If I hadn't been with the kiddies and had access to a decent wine list, I probably would've gone with a Zin or red blend. As it was, unsweetened ice tea with lemon did the trick.
Remember, drink what you like. Sometimes the pairings that work for you might not be someone else's favorite. When I was in Oregon, I wanted to have a local Pinot and a mac n' cheese with bacon. Individually they were yummy, but not the best together.
Still finished both though ; )
Of the Texas wine I tried when I was out there,. Inwood Estates Tempranillo-Cabernet Blend was my favorite. Not sure if it'd be the best choice for BBQ, especially with sauce, but it sure was delicious.
Wine Country Off the Beaten Path
If you fly into Oakland, it'll be easier to head out to wherever you end up.
You might want to consider late spring as it's not peak time and it shouldn't be too hot, although the weather this year has been crazy to say the least.
My brother & I drove around the Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma last year about opening time on a Sunday morning and we hardly saw anyone. Nice people, great wine, very laid back.
Amador and Lodi are tasty Zin/red country, Livermore makes interesting reds and Anderson Valley rocks the Pinot Noir/Gris and other delicious whites. The farther you get from the better known areas, the smaller the crowds have a tendency to be.
Any specifics about varietals, wineries, etc.?
Wine Country Off the Beaten Path
A few questions first:
1) What kind of wines do you like?
2) Do you have weather preferences?
3) Are you willing to travel to lesser-known regions, like the ones listed above?
Also, there are Tastings out here all the time where you can experience a whole lot of wineries all in one location. Would that be something you'd be interested in?
Any under $9 Roses sold at Trader Joes that are good/decent?
Yeah, the Muga is really tasty.
The Charles & Charles Syrah Rose at $8 looks like it could be fun to try as well.
I agree with Jason, if you don't mind bumping your price point to $10, there's a lot of deliciousness to be had. I picked a Oregon Malbec Rose at that price point a couple for weeks ago that I'll be serving at my brother's 50th birthday.
I love finding great wines at a good price.
Do I buy the majority of my wines at work? No.
Do I occasionally find hidden gems there and buy them? Yes
I'll be trading a 2006 Rutherford Meritage ($10) and a 2007 St. Francis Syrah ($13) for two bottles of a 2007 Rosenblum Heritage Clones Petite Sirah that my co-workers horded the last of before I could buy any.
Will I still investigate the Rose everyday drinkers? You betcha! ; )
newb question 3 - Additives. better wine thru Chemistry?
Thanks for all the great information. I'll definitely be referring my customers who are looking for "sulfite -free" wine because their friends said it was "better" to this thread.
