dynedain - MyTravelFoods

May 25, 2013August 25, 2013

Hitching Post II

Posted from Buellton, California, United States.

I’ve enjoyed Pinot Noirs for a while now, even before I ever saw Sideways. And one of my favorites has always been the Hitching Post Highliner, winner of several awards, and one of the defining wines bringing attention to the Santa Barbara winemaking region. So imagine my surprise when we start planning a trip, and can’t find the winery in any maps or searches. How can such a reputable label not have even a tasting room? All my searching kept pointing me to Hitching Post II, a restaurant in Beulton, just off the 101. A picture revealed the same logo, so at least it’s related, and online reviews rave about the BBQ steaks. Pino and BBQ go naturally hand in hand, so of course we made reservations, but I still wanted to find the winery.

After we made plans, did more research, and talked to more people, we discovered that Hitching Post wines were made specifically for the restaurant and that there isn’t a tasting room. Here I had assumed a great wine label had opened a restaurant, when in reality it was the other way around! Not only that, but it was one of the featured locations in Sideways. So after a day tasting along the road to Lompoc, we headed in to see what everything was about. The BBQ smoke outside was so enticing that I was ready to rush in, even though I wasn’t hungry. Since the only reservations we could get were at 9pm, we opted to switch to the waiting list at the very small and crowded bar. After about 20-30 minutes, we secured two chairs… low and behold, in the exact seats that Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church shared in the movie.

Super-friendly bartenders, and a fun crowd, we settled in for some great wine and food. To start with, we each got a glass of their famous wine, I selected the Highliner, and my wife chose the Four Top (a blend of 4 Bordeaux varietals) as another to try based on the bartender’s recommendation. She wasted no time in switching the glasses on me whenever I wouldn’t notice, though both were great. We picked up a bottle of the Four Top to take home with us, since we already have the Highliner in our wine fridge and can get it locally.

For an appetizer we went with everyone’s recommendation, the grilled artichoke. This was the best artichoke we’ve ever had. They take a locally grown artichoke, steam it, then split it down the middle and remove the spiny core. Next it receives a generous dusting of Magic Dust (salt, pepper, white pepper, cayenne, onion power, garlic power, ground celery seeds) and hits the red oak fired grill. Absolutely amazing smokey flavors, buttery texture, and spices that left me licking both my fingers and the dipping dish of chipotle mayo.

We decided to split their monstrous 26 ounce rib chuck steak. This is basically a 2+ inch thick bone-in ribeye, grilled medium-rare. There was a side of baked potato, and a delicious house salad, and some great grilled bread, but the rib chop truly was the star of the show. Now, keep in mind I grew up in a dairy family, and a good steak is probably my favorite food. I enjoy grilling, and have no problem dropping $30-40 for a good dry-aged steak at the butcher. I grill, pan fry, sear and oven finish, roast, you name it. I know my beef, so really this is extremely high praise when I say This was the best steak I have ever eaten. It was rich, juicy, tender, absolutely perfectly cooked, warm throughout but still pink rich texture without being bloody or slimy. The exterior had a light sear but still moist with loads of rich smokey buttery flavor and seasoned with their Magic Dust.

With all that praise on the steak, desert must have been a disappointment right? Wrong, peanut butter pie, how can you pass that up? Peanut butter folded with heavy cream to make filling with a chocolate top. Surprisingly not as heavy as it sounds and a great way to finish of the meal.

I cannot praise this steak enough, and if you are in the area, you absolutely must make plans to visit. The wines are spectacular, and so is the food, and both are clearly made for each other. I wish wineries would open restaurants that focused on real pairings like this. I know that I won’t let another opportunity to hit up the Hitching Post pass me by!

May 24, 2013August 25, 2013

Going Upscale at Downey’s

Posted from Santa Barbara, California, United States.

When we first planned to visit Santa Barbara for the weekend, we immediately began scoping out our dining options. Downeys on State Street immediately floated to the top of our list, having been the number-one Zagat rated restaurant for 26 years in a row. Hard to argue with ratings like that.

The interiors are simple California/French decor, very casual and simple, and the walls are liberally adorned with paintings by the chef’s wife, mostly of Central Coast beach landscapes. The dining room would benefit from the touch of a good interior designer, especially given the reputation of the restaurant, but everything was orderly and pleasant, just nothing special.

Downeys focuses on regional ingredients, and the menu changes nightly based on seasonal availability. With that in mind, I selected the duck entree which gets consistently great reviews, and my wife opted for the Taste of Santa Barbara pre fixe menu.

My wife’s dinner started with fresh mussels on the half shell. Plump and juicy, but the taste of the mussels was overpowered by the corn relish. Overall the flavors blended nicely with the natural bitterness of the watercress being replaced by a fresh crispness.

While she enjoyed her mussels, I opted for the prosciutto with cantaloupe appetizer. There was a nice buttery nuttiness, but the meat was very bitter, and completely overpowered the cantaloupe. I was not a fan, but the dish did bring out some very pleasant flavors in our bottle of wine, a chardonnay from Miner Family.

While the wine was nice with the prosciutto, it suffered and tasted acidic alongside the unannounced soup. We were expecting a salad according to the menu, but the corn soup was a welcome substitution as Pearl is always a big fan of corn soups. There was a plethora of fresh basil, and rich flavors and texture, but the sun-dried tomatoes added an acidity which a little bit of sugar could have helped offset.

For her entre, Pearl had fresh-caught local sea bass. The lobster cream sauce was amazing, combining wonderfully with the fresh flavors of the fish. However, it was definitely overcooked, and the fish salty. If it had been cooked just slightly less, this could have been an almost perfect dish.

I faired better with the duck. A nice crispy charred skin covered a rich textured interior. I don’t know how they did it, but this duck was not fatty at all, and the meat was tender and amazing flavorful. I kept being reminded of a good tri-tip as I thoroughly enjoyed this unusual duck presentation. Served over a bed of mixed grains in a wine reduction, the grains were a little on the al dente side but rich in flavor and texture variety. Also plated was some fresh mango which added a nice freshness to the dish as the fruity sweetness was masked by the wine sauce. Our wine selection didn’t stand up though. All flavor was completely stripped out when paired with the duck.

I know I keep going on about the wine, but at its price and reputation, this restaurant should offer a good showing of local specialties. Supposedly the chef’s wife (aka the painter) also makes all the wine selections. When we described our taste preferences, the waitress narrowed down the extensive list to three recommendation. We selected one, and the waitress came back out a few minutes later to let us know the vintage they had on hand had changed, and that we probably wouldn’t care for the flavor profile based on what we described. This was exceptional service and knowledge which we really appreciated. She gave us a new recommendation, the Miner Family Chardonnay which we thoroughly enjoyed. This wine definitely is a pleasant drinking experience on its own, but failed to pair well with the majority of dishes in our dinner.

After the main courses, we had a cheese and fruit course, selecting three: St. Andres triple cream, Keens Cheddar, and a nice rich Stilton. All were fantastic, and the variety of flavors and interactions really let the wine make a good impression.

So for desert, Pearl went with the house specialty, fresh raspberries layered with a white chocolate whipped cream and sandwiched between two layers of flaky pastry. This was a beautiful dish, and I have no idea how they were able to cut it so perfectly without making a mess of the pastry.

I elected the chocolate dish. This is what chocolate was meant to be, an amazing dense no-flour chocolate cake, with a rich dark chocolate ganache to cover, a dusting of hazelnuts, and an espresso creme anglaise. This is the richest, most exquisite chocolate I have ever had. So delicious and fulfilling that I could barely touch the complementary truffles that came with the bill.

Overall an expensive evening, but I think worth the price. The waitstaff were knowledgeable, all very friendly and helpful, and the food flavors were really quite good, despite some minor preparation flaws.

April 29, 2013April 30, 2013

Steaks, Trains, and Basketball?

Posted from New York, New York, United States.

Another business trip, this time to Manhattan. My in-laws really wanted to meet me for dinner, an apparently my father in law has been talking about trying Michael Jordan’s Steakhouse for over a decade. Located inside of Grand Central Terminal, this picturesque location occupies the balcony opposite of the Apple Store.

Being a steakhouse, it has a fairly simple menu. 10 steak offerings, 5 of which are bone-in, a couple of basic chicken, fish, and pasta offerings. Naturally we skipped most of these and targeted the steak. My father-in-law and I both went for the Filet Mignon. I was looking for a smaller cut as I’m overeating on these business dinners. The steak was cooked absolutely perfectly at medium rare, although I think it had cooled off some while waiting on the other dishes. The filet had a beautiful thick crust of cracked pepper and just the right amount of salt, a simple preparation that really let the natural beef flavor shine through. The portion was much smaller than I expected though. Even though filets are smaller than other cuts, this seemed to be in the 5-6 ounce territory. The pepper was especially pungent, spicier than I can recall having on a steak, but not overpowering. On the side, we had sweet potato fries (soft and cool) with a horseradish sauce (no spice) and sautéed brocoli. I would skip the fries, but the broccoli was unusual with a slight crisp and a really nice buttery smokey flavor.

As I mentioned, the food was on the cold side, and service was really slow, perhaps partially because my mother-in-law ordered the rack of lamb. If I had known what would come out of the kitchen, I probably would have gone for this instead. A 4 rib rack, roasted, cut in half and then pan-finished, the result was basically 2 double-thick bone-in lamb rib chops. This dish dwarfed the filets, and was served on a bed of asparagus. Lamb’s usual gamey flavor was downplayed, and the low-temperature roasting meant that the fats had nicely broken down, leaving extremely flavorful and tender meat.

Overall, the prices were reasonable, the service extremely slow, and the food slightly sub-par for what a steakhouse like this should be delivering. The waitstaff seemed like tired typical New Yorkers, and it looked like the manager (or concierge, not sure which) took off promptly at 9pm. The saving grace for this place is the location, and if you can get a seat at the edge of the balcony, you can use your extra time people-watching over nightly commuters.

April 25, 2013April 24, 2013

Surprising find in a generic bar & grill

Posted from San Jose, California, United States.

Billy Berks in downtown San Jose is your typical contemporary casual pub fare. Undoubtedly a popular pre-game destination, we walked in just after everyone had left to see the Sharks play.

Along with the usual macrobrews, we dug into chips + guac, buffalo wings, and calamari. All pretty typical fare although the calamari was served with two sauces, a sweet and sour, and a creamy cilantro instead of the usual cocktail/marinara combo, and the guacamole had mangoes in it. The buffalo wings were boneless, but had a really nice crisp that probably used a two-step corn starch and batter dredge that’s common in Asian cooking.

Upon seeing the standard-fare menu, I decided to pick something that looked a little different, the Mojito Skirt Steak.

This was a great choice. A generous helping of nicely marinated and grilled flank steak was prepared with a wine reduction and topped with jalapeños cut lengthwise and fried, garnished with an diced red onion chutney and half a lime. For me this dish set Billy Berks well above the typical sports bar. The beef was perfectly cooked, and the fried jalapeños were spicy without being overwhelmingly hot. The frying technique also blistered the skin on the peppers a bit, which releases a lot of great flavors reminiscent of roasted green chiles from New Mexico. The lime juice perfectly offset the sweetness from the wine glaze, and the onions were mild and added a nice flavorful crunch.

On the side I had a mushroom polenta. The polenta was nice and creamy, and not dense or gelatinous at all. It had a texture like a risotto, where the cooking liquid plus the soaked up starches create a sauce. Clearly they didn’t use the mushroom braising liquids in the polenta cooking, so the mushrooms tasted like they were added at the last minute, rather than an integral part of it.

April 23, 2013April 24, 2013

Silicon Valley Sushi

Posted from San Jose, California, United States.

A business trip to San Jose left me with few dining options at our hotel out by the airport. A coworker from the local downtown office recommended Izakaya, which was right across the street from our hotel.

First item, my coworker had to try the coquettes since she fell in love with them in Spain. I was surprised to find them on a Japanese menu. A simple savory potato filling was lightly breaded with panko crumbs and then fried. It resulted in a piping hot, moist interior, with a thin crispy exterior. The panko crumb gave a nice light and crispy texture that very different from tempura or western batters.

Normally I hate seafood (long story that I’ll go into another time) but suffice it to say sushi is one of the forms I seafood that I’ll eat, primarily because it lacks that fishy flavor. I didn’t get too adventurous, ordering fairly items. I was surprised to see they allowed you to order off the dinner menu at the sushi bar.

The tamago had the usual nice texture, was still warm which meant it was fresh, and had some other flavor I couldn’t place that worked well with the sweetness. I think that mystery flavor I what added the discoloration to the dish. It was a nice take on what can often be a generic dish.

The second dish is a spicy yellowtail roll. Wonderful texture with perfectly balanced amounts of rice and fish. I didn’t think it had enough kick to be considered spicy, but delicious nonetheless.

Last up is one of my favorites, the classic BBQ eel roll with avocado, frequently called a caterpillar roll. The sauce was flavorful but light, the avocados were perfectly ripe, soft, but not yet mushy, and again the rices due a perfect backbone for the roll.