Dinner out at Forbidden City with friends and Dreamstone Moscato

Since baby #2 will arrive soon [negotiations on name still pending] and the first weeks after the pregnancy might overlap Carm's birthday week / month extravaganza, we decided to celebrate early this year and have a nice adult dinner out at Forbidden City in Long Beach, CA. 

Located at Marina Pacifica.

There is also a full sushi bar on site

Forbidden City boasts a wonderful selection of freshly made traditional Chinese and Japanese fare with entrees averaging $15.  The owner, who to his credit takes great pleasure at meeting all the diners when he is onsite [which is often] takes great pains to explain the reason everything tastes so great is because all the sauces and meals are prepared on site and not prepackaged.  

Since Carm and most of her girlfriends swear by locally sourced organic foods, he was definitely preaching to the choir on that one.

Forbidden City is located right on the canals of the Marina Pacifica.  On the weekends you can see the boats coming in and out of the marina right outside the restaurant at sunset it is a very cool sight.  On Friday night a very good jazz duo play for the diners.  

The outdoor fire pit.

Forbidden City also has a wonderful tented outside patio section that is a must see complete with a ultra cool fire pit that has built in seating for evening cocktails and dining.    

To me the most  impressive thing about Forbidden City  is its great collection of Chinese Art that the restaurant owner lovingly collected over the years expressly to open this restaurant.  Statute.

More importantly for this blog it also has a very reasonable corkage policy of $15 per bottle.  Which is handy since I enjoy bringing my own selections which are typically better than what most restaurants stock.  Since I didn't know what to bring for Chinese food I asked my friend Richard who by trade is a professional wine buyer for some recommendations.  Richard told me he would take care of it and brought the new F&E Dreamstone Moscato.

Dreamstone Moscato and Chocolate Cake, yum!

I am not a huge white wine fan but I asked for a professional opinion and went with his selection.  Apparently sweet white wines pair well with salty and spicy food.  Even alone this sparkling Moscato would have been good.  Dreamstone has a fun peachy flavor with a smooth aftertaste, it also paired well with the chocolate cake I brought for Carm's birthday.  Dreamstone is low in alcohol content which is helpful since the female half of the table are all expecting.

 
All in all a good time had by all.

Meritage, its like a Bordeaux without the Frogs. Napa Family Vineyards Meritage 2009

Carm and I have been eating in a lot more lately, biding our time till our next child comes in a month or so and takes all of our time.  This is a good an excuse as any to drink through our wine supply, [with me taking the lions share of course.]  The dinner menu tonight included chicken lasagna, a loaf of oven baked crusty garlic bread and this tasty 2009 Meritage from Napa Family Vineyards ["NFV"].   www.napafamilyvineyards.com/

Technically only sparkling wines from Champagne can be labeled Champagne, similarly Bordeaux can only be labeled as such if it comes from Bordeaux France. The French take two month long holidays per year allowing their industries to grind to a halt, but protect to the death the integrity of the wine trademarks... [insert your favorite French joke here] A "Meritage" in a nutshell is a Bordeaux style blended wine that does not come from the Bordeaux region of France.  I enjoy a good Bordeaux and this Meritage is a very tasty California take on a Bordeaux.  Considering that buying a Meritage will save you $3-5 per bottle over their French counterparts it also makes for a great value.          

This NFV Meritage has a subtle bouquet.  The Meritage has a wonderful clear garnet hue in the glass.  On the taste you get the wonderful complex explosion of dark fruit on the tongue, followed by a smooth aftertaste.  Carm felt that the alcohol was too stiff for this wine;  I thought the alcohol profile was bold but not over the top.  All in all a very enjoyable weekday wine from our friends from northern California.    

New Zealand; the home of Hobbits and Boro Hills Pinot Noir

I know nothing about New Zealand.  I love the people, as there were many Kiwi ex-pats living with us in Saudi Arabia during the early 1980's, and still have fond memories of them.  The country itself I only know through the Lord of the Rings movies, which I enjoyed thoroughly.  If this Boro Hills Pinot Noir is any indication I should learn more about New Zealand, than what Peter Jackson filmed.  After all Mr. Jackson  had his hobbits drinking beer instead of this great Pinot.

Boro Hills Pinot Noir 2008

I am fond of Pinots though more fond of Shiraz and Merlot in general, however I am fully stocked on Shiraz and Merlot this month.  Since I have been sampling wines from France, Spain and Argentina lately I thought that a New Zealand Pinot available at your local F&E would be a good change of pace.

Boro Hills Pinot Noir is a 2008 vintage with deep ripe fruit notes.  The fruit flavors that shine through are warm and pleasant raspberry, cherry and plum. I enjoyed the level of oak feel to the wine and the smooth finish. I typically only buy California Pinot Noir but I will definitely pick this bottle up again.  

End of Summer Block Party, a Band, the Kiddos and Doon Buggy Wine.

The second week of August marks the end of summer in our area of Long Beach,CA and the Annual Belmont Heights Block Party.  Our friends the Kinneys who live on that street invited us over to join in on the fun.   Courtney is also an occasional F&E blogger but she specializes in cooking and baking featuring F&E products, and makes a mean chili!

Fun in the sun with a good band @ the Block Party.

One of the wines she provided was a wine I was meaning to get to.  Doon Buggy is a 2009 Red Wine Blend priced at $10.  Doon Buggy has a taste profile along the lines of "Menage a Trois Red."  I barely poured my first glass before I had to chase my kiddo who made a break for the bounce house.

Doon Buggy, 2009 Red Blend $10

Considering the venue, this was a good choice, this is a simple wine for a relaxed venue.  Bright ruby in color its a bit on the lush side for my tastes.  The finish was nice and clean considering it was a blend.  All in all this was not my cup of tea but priced two dollars less than the comparable, though more memorably and cheekily named Menage a Trois, I would bring this to a picnic or block party without hesitation.

Arizona Produces Wine, Who Knew? Arizona Stronghold, "Mangus" 2009

Today's wine is a 2009 Red table wine called Arizona Stronghold, "Mangus," yes its a wine from Arizona.  Except for northern Arizona I assumed the rest of the state was barren and incapable of growing anything.  When I heard there was an Arizona wine I thought it would have come from the north, where I went on a memorable trip to a dude ranch in Prescott Arizona many years ago with Carm, my buddy Gary, his then girlfriend, and a friend of ours who stopped taking her meds... It was a memorable trip. Saw several farms up there but no grape vines to speak of.  

AZ Stronghold "Mangus"

Apparently the wine growing region is in Cochise County, Arizona east of Tucson towards the south east corner of the state.  I didn't know what to think of this wine at first, this is a  bold red blend,  with a touch of spices and  a healthy alcohol content.  Each wine in the AZ Stronghold series has its own moniker, this one was "Mangus," a blend of Cabernet, Sangiovese, and Merlot though the Cab really stands out to me. 

I was ready to write this wine off when Carm pointed out that this is exactly what it claims to be a bold red blend table wine; a Monday to Thursday wine if you will. As usual she is right.  This is a good red table wine that would pair well with a good steak, or a roast or Bob the 200 lb pig that Kurt and I butchered, with Chef Paul a few weeks ago.  Arizona Stronghold "Mangus" 2009 will be carried at your local F&E or it can be purchased directly through its website http://www.azstronghold.com.  

   

Promotion Alert for PCH and WineWrights Week of August 8, 2011

I love getting what I want for less than retail so when I see something on promo I will pass along the info.  This week our friends at the F&E have put some of their California Wines on promotion.

The PCH line that typically retails for $8 has been discounted to $6.

PCH Pino Grigio

 The WineWrights line that typically retails for $10 is selling right now for $8.

WineWrights Pino Noir

Stock up before the prices change back, considering the prices I would go for the, WineWrights a better wine for what you would normally pay for its PCH cousin.

Enjoying WineWrights Napa Merlot 2009, with Bob the Pig.

I remember watching the movie Sideways the great 2004 ode to binge wine drinking, with Carm a few years back.  Good movie but there were several things I didn't get and maybe the director cut out.  I did't get the  subplot of Miles' hatred of his parents or his mysterious hatred of  Merlot.  Maybe his parents beat Miles with Merlot bottles.   

I enjoy a good California Merlot, and the Winewrights Napa Merlot is a great example of an affordable high quality Merlot, its also $10 which is just icing on the cake.  I picked up a bottle of Winewrights Merlot along with some spare bottles of Chateau Coucy before a "whole pig" butchery class I attended, taught by Chef Paul from Primal Alchemy Catering.   It was 11 am on Saturday, I was drinking good wine, sampling cured meat, head cheese while separating the shoulder of a 200 lb organically raised pig; good times.  

Bob the Pig, after the hams were removed.
Chef Paul in the background.

My buddy Kurt from Probasketballtalk.com [a one stop shop for all of your NBA related news] joined me for this culinary adventure and by 11:30 we finished the bottles of French wine I brought. [between us Kurt and I have 4 soon to be 5 kiddos, so when we get out, we drink!] Chef brought out another round of figs wrapped in prosciutto so we cracked open the Merlot.  The primary flavors on the taste are dark berries, plum and chocolate. enveloped in a dense Merlot package. There is a hint of oak and gentle tannins on the finish.  I also love the label I dig the very Leonardo Da Vinci look to them, at a $10~ pricepoint this whole package wine is an absolute steal.   

Near the end of the class Chef prepared a pork loin as a demonstration.  That seared pork tasting alone with the Merlot accompanying it was worth the price of admission. 

Main Street Wine Cellar, Seal Beach, CA.

The original thinking behind this blog was talking about having fun with affordable wine and more importantly sharing that fun with friends and family.  For some special occasions however its still a ton of fun to go out to a great bar.  Though truth be told, since Carmen and I are married with Kiddos we tend to hang out with people at the same point in their lives as well.

The Wine Cellar is on Main Street,, there are 2 public parking lots within one block of the Wine Cellar..  

For our friends recent birthday party we visited the Main Street Wine Cellar in Seal Beach, CA.   It would have probably been more fun at Joe Josts, but lets be honest, I wouldn't want the young kids to feel bad hanging with the old folks so, we went somewhere grown and sexy instead.

The definition of a well stocked bar.

The Wine Cellar has several different options when you visit from intimate dining tables for "date dining", one entire wall is retractable to allow the ocean breeze to waft through.  There is a wonderful long table in the center of the Wine Cellar for large parties our party started with 4 and ballooned to 15 over the course of the evening and we only took up 2/3 of the long table.  The Wine Cellar also boasts a great bar area with wine bottles on a wine tap for by the glass enjoyment.  

Wine on tap... good times ahead.

The staff of the Wine Cellar is knowledgeable, attentive, and generally makes good recommendations if you have an idea of what you are looking for.  Since I have been trying to keep track of my preferences lately after starting this blog I knew what I wanted and could explain it to the staff. 

Appetizers and red wine, the dinner of champions. 

We started with a fruity white wine and went to fuller bodied reds as the night went on.  I think we went through a Malbec, a Napa Cabernet, a tasty Burgundy, and a Zinfandel.  After the paninni course was served, I asked for Spanish wine because an Cubano  I was munching on would go well with a Tempranillo.  The wait staff offered a traditional Tempranillo and a fun Tempranillo called the "Spaniard" which contained romance alluding to the campy but great 80's movie "The Princess Bride." That suggestion was such a hoot, I had to try it, since I love that movie [yes its a chick movie but  Andre the Giant has the best cameo in a movie ever.]

There is also live music on Friday and Saturday nights, which was an unexpected surprise that was greatly appreciated.  The Wine Cellar is a touch on the pricey side however I did not get a bad bottle all night and the service was excellent.  It was a more expensive night than usual Saturday out however I will head back soon if a birthday, anniversary or other excuse pops up.

If you are around the East Long Beach or Seal Beach areas the Wine Cellar is a great wine bar in a fun area and well worth a visit.  The Wine Cellar is located at 302 Main Street Seal Beach, CA 90740.  Tel (562) 430-3200.