February | 2012 | cali coast foodie

Archive | February, 2012

C Restaurant and Bar Clement Monterey Ca

The C Bar and restaurant is one of my favorite Hotel Restaurants, which, in my opinion have notoriously cafeteria quality food (Hotel restaurants that is – although I did stay at a hotel in Paris with a Michelin 3 star rating). Well my opinion of typical hotel restaurants may not be exactly cafeteria but certainly catering style food, which lacks the freshness and quality of an order prepared meal. Maybe I am not staying at high end enough hotels…

The C Bar food wise leaves no huge impression, however the ambiance and style make this spot a fun visit. The happy hour is one of my favorite on the Monterey bay. Inexpensive local wine, 10 dollar champagne flights, and some decent appetizers (including a tasty cheese platter with toast points) make this a great visit. Also, they serve up different size servings of Louis XIII, the finest cognac I have ever tasted, the ½ ounce is only 55 dollars, which makes the elite beverage more accessible to a person who may not normally spring for the two or three hundred dollars for a snifter full. If there is one thing that I could bestow upon the people of the world, it is the truly amazing fantastic product that is fine Cognac; A true, century’s long process and labor of love.

What makes the venue even more fantastic are the fire pits literally over the Monterey coastline. Quite a treat to be sure. I would recommend a visit. Stay for the dinner, the crisp clean atmosphere, or the proximity to the ocean, but if you want a dinner to remember I have further recommendations – read on my hungry foodies J

Ambiance/Décor – 4.7 nice, open inviting valet J

Initial Greeting/Seating – 4.5 Hostess at the front

Wait Staff – 3.5 – hard to find at times

Food Presentation – 3.5 OK

Food Quality – 3.5 Food is pretty good

Price – $$ – Great deals on Happy Hour!!!

Overall rating (out of 5 stars) – 4.2 – a repeat spot for sure, at least for happy hour!

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Categories Uncategorized

Villa Antinori Toscana 2007

22 Feb

Recent wine release – Carried at trader Joe’s I noticed this Tuscan gem in the Italian section on a recent visit. As a very big fan of the Antinori family’s Tignenello – Cianti Classico of various vintages I thought that I would give this one a try. At 19 dollars I reasoned it could be a really good deal, respectively.

The wine was a Sangiovese, Cab, Merlot Super Tuscan Blend. The color was a very dark Garnet with a strong barnyard/wet earth nose initially – so strong that I decanted it for 20 minutes or so which really help to dissipate those initial aromas so I could concentrate on the more settle nuances.

Once settled I did get some dark cherry and plumb on the nose, this soured out a bit on the palate with a high acid and earthy minerality on the taste.

Most reviews I have read subsequently give this wine a high 80’s rank, I would low 80’s it and recommend it with a rich cheesy dish – maybe a good pizza – with the acid to cut through the richness of a Mozzarella Di Buffalo topping. However, I would like to see this wine in the bottle for at least 2 years, and see what it tastes like then

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Categories Wine Reviews

Pizza Margherita Napoletana al la Tipsy Conversationalist

22 Feb

Alright, I have been a food snob for long enough…the problem with critics is that they never put their money where their mouth is…well this critic does and will continually.

So where is this all going…we are going to make pizza. My favorite all-time food item to make, share with friends and family, and consume. First, unless you have a wood fired brick oven you have to use a dough recipe that crisps up in a 450-500 degree oven on a pizza stone. If you want your crust to taste like those in Naples, get the oven, then we’ll talk.

The basic pizza here is the pizza Margherita. Originally named for Queen Margherita of Italy, as it incorporates the colors of the Italian flag. More on that from Wikipedia (link Below).

So how do you make a fantastic Pizza Margherita at home.

Well you start with the ingredients as you must have;

· Crushed San Marzano Tomatoes (canned)

· Water Buffalo Mozzerella – Rich and amazing – whole foods and TJ carry this

· A great dough – I have recipies!

· Fresh Basil

· A blend of Parmesan, Asiago, and Romano cheeses as topping.

Essentially, you take your favorite dough or dough recipe (email me and I will give you mine), trader Joes and Whole foods both carrier basic dough’s if you don’t want to make it from scratch – I almost always make mine from scratch. *Traditional Dough is just Italian “00” Flour, Yeast, Salt and water.*

For my home oven I change things up a bit. I add a little bit of sugar and olive oil to mine, and use a high gluten bread flour (unbleached).

Stretch the dough by hand to desired form and size. Flour your pizza peel. Place the dough on the peel and make sure it slides.

Then dress with your san Marzano tomato sauce (See recipe Below) Then top with hand torn chunks of the Mozzarella cheese, and sprinkle the Parmesan topping over the pie.

Bake for 10-12 minutes at 500, pull it out, and hit it with some fresh basil – YUM! Pizza night is perfect!

But wait, pair it with some wine. What about some Antinori Family wine – here is one you can try…

http://www.tipsyconversation.com/2012/02/villa-antinori-toscana-2001.html

Article mentioned above about the naming of the Pizza….

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margherita_of_Savoy

Dough Recipe

5C Bread Flour unbleached, 1 packet rapid rise yeast, 1 t of sugar, 1 t salt, 1T of Olive Oil – Combine ingredients in a bread mixer and let relax overnight in the refrigerator.

Sauce Recipe

1 Can Crushed San Marzano Tomatoes, 1 t fresh lemon juice, 2t of granulated garlic, 2t of oregano, 1 t of basil, 1t of salt, 1t fresh cracked black pepper, pinch of cayenne pepper.

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Categories Recipes

International Cuisine Pacific Grove, Ca

22 Feb

Lots to say about this little gem, so little time. Ok, so the place has been a staple for a long time in PG. The place is small but always packed, LOTS of locals go there to support it because of the consistent quality of the food, and friendly staff. I LOVED my server Sherine.

I traveled there on a week night and ordered a Greek style pizza with Chicken Artichokes, sun dried tomatoes, and Parmesan. It was huge and packed with great toppings. Very much enjoyed the food. The wine was not fantastic – it was a basic table wine, but the pours equate to about a half a bottle. Look this place is not for the discerning connoisseur, it a very homey, local establishment where you can go and get descent food, and a goblet of wine and leave satisfied, that is all.