Bibere: Gen 5, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2010, Lodi

California Cabernet's are usually a good default with their bold flavors and plenty of smoke. They are rarely bad, but it also isn't always easy to find a truly outstanding bottle.  While browsing the offerings of BevMo's current 5 cent wine sale,  we decided to try the Gen 5, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2010, Lodi ($15.04 for two bottles).

Edie's notes: Dried cranberry and cherry on the nose. Smooth, long and not try dry finish. Plum colored. Dried cranberry, plum, and beef jerky on the palate. Plenty of umami. Overall, excellent to drink alone, maybe pair with a hamburger.

My notes: Light for a Cabernet. Raspberry scented. Very juicy. Garnet colored. Plum is the dominant flavor, with some other dark fruit and berries. Not too much smoke, but it builds.

I struggled a bit with this wine and didn't think it had too much complexity, despite a continued attempt to look for it. We agreed that plum was the main characteristic of the wine. I thought this was ok for the price, but there are certainly far better California Cabernet's out there, even in a similar price range. It was far lighter than what you would get in a Cabernet from Napa, which could be a good thing depending on your tastes. However, it wasn't what I wanted in a Cabernet and I think if you are thinking for a lighter dry red wine, you would be better sticking to other varietals. I'll have to see if the second bottle changes my opinion.

Previous post in Bibere:

Bodega Norton Malbec

Mako Shark and Brussels Sprouts

I was given a nice steak from a 30 pound Mako shark caught by my father and brother on a fishing trip off Baja California. I decided to grill it and serve with roasted Brussels Sprouts.

Brussels sprouts are sadly one of the most maligned vegetables. Often, they are prepared simply by boiling or steaming and turn out soggy and flavorless.  Actually, this applies to may vegetables. However, prepared properly, Brussels sprouts are great and are one of my favorite vegetables.

First rinse the Brussels sprouts. To prepare them for roasting, cut the stem off of each sprout, remove outer leaves, and cut in half.

Discard stems and outer leaves. Place sprouts into a mixing bowl. Douse with olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste and mix. I'm generally in favor of restraint when it comes to seasoning, especially when it comes to salt, but don't be afraid of salt and pepper when it comes to Brussels sprouts.

Place on a baking sheet and roast in a 425 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Shark is a very meaty fish similar to sword fish and is perfect for the girll. I simply used olive oil, salt, pepper, and lemon. 

Coat with olive oil so the steak doesn't stick to the grill, apply salt and pepper on both sides to taste, and squeeze juice from half of the lemon onto the steak.

I also suggest applying additional olive oil directly to the grill as additional precaution again sticking. Place steak on grill over medium-low heat.

Flip in 8-10 minutes.

Remove from grill after another 8-10 minutes. Let he steak rest for a few minutes. By this time, the Brussels Sprouts were also ready.

Plate with lemon slices.

I usually favor more delicate and flaky fish, but I was very happy with the results.The shark had a clean flavor brightened by the lemon, yet a firm texture. The bitterness of the Brussels sprouts was a nice offset. 

Scarpetta Brunch

As previously mentioned, Scarpetta always serves some of my favorite dishes at food festivals. Other blogs coverage of Scarpetta's brunch have also been enticing. An offer for only $39 a person instead of the usual $68 for brunch on Travelzoo gave me good cause to give it a try.

Scarpetta's brunch buffet is impressive and offers a bit of everything. In addition to the prepared items there  are a number of made to order options at the bottom of the menu. Non-alcoholic drinks are included. Th iced tea was very good.

There was even live music.

After being seated and taking our drinks orders, the waiter led us back to the kitchen. Presented on the kitchen counter are various stations.

First up, an impressive display of bread. The croissants were great as were the blueberry muffins, the foccacia not so much. They also had stromboli.

Next, various salads. The salads were decent. The best were the zucchini with corn, the marinated mushrooms, and the pearl onion. I didn't care too much for their cauliflower or quinoa dishes.

Carving station. The Porchetta, served with a mustard seed vinaigrette was great. Really crispy skin and juicy meat. My favorite was a leg of lamb served with a fantastic minted salsa verde which is not listed on the menu.

Seafood. Two kinds of oysters were presented, Kushi and Blue Point. Both were very fresh and clean tasting. Cocktail shrimp were nice and plump and the wahoo crudo was accented very well by the olive oil and lemon zest. They apparently also have crab claws on some days.

Charcuterie.

The pastas were the most anticipated part of the meal given Scarpetta's reputation. They were certainly some of the best I've ever had. The spaghetti was perfectly al dente in a way I've only previously experience in Italy. Though simple, the tomato and basil sauce was profound. The agnolotti were every bit as good.

Just a few of many plates. Obviously, we were not short on options. 

We also tried a few of the made to order itmes. 

Poached egg over polenta. This was incredible. I don't know what Scarpetta does with their polenta, but it beats any other polenta I've had and I want the recipe. Ultra creamy and made even better by the runny poached egg. A  supplement of shaved truffle was available for $10. 

Nutella and ricotta stuffed french toast with whipped cream. Another winner. it sounds heavy, but it isn't. Very balanced and surprisingly light given the ingredients. 

Hash brown with fried egg and broccoli rabe. I could have skipped this one. We also tried Scarpetta's very interesting take on a Benedict, but I seem to have neglected to take a picture. Really nice truffle flavor.

One of the highlights of Scarpetta's brunch is the cheese counter run by the Beverly Hills Cheese Store:

Far more cheeses were available than the pictures indicate. The woman running the cheese station was extremely knowledge about the topic. You just had to tell her what kind of flavors you enjoy, and she would prepare a custom plate.

This was our first cheese plate. For this, we stuck to more mild flavors. The first highlight on this plate was Sells Sur Cher from France (lower left), which was a light and creamy goat cheese served with cherries. Proceeding counter clockwise, the next two were a harder goat cheese and a sheep's milk cheese I also enjoyed.  On the top right, was Marco Polo by Beechers Cheese in Seattle. This was a cows milk cheese made with green peppercorns. It had a really lively kick, especially when eaten with the green apple.  Two cheeses to the left, was Epoisses. I've heard a lot about this one, but had not had it before. Ultra creamy and strongly flavored. 

I wanted to experiment with some more exotic cheeses, so I asked for a second plate. My favorite was Eden Cheese (cow) from Brazos Valley Cheese in Texas, displayed top left. It was an ultra creamy, spreadable cheese with a very distinct ashy taste. It came wrapped in fig leaf. Also notable, was the cheese on the bottom left. This was an aged Muster (cow) from Alsace, France. I was warned by the cheese server I should eat this last and make sure to have something sweet right after. I'm glad she gave my the warning. It was one of the strongest flavored bites I have ever had. I'm not sure how I feel about it.

Finally, there is an entire room devoted to dessert. My favorite's were a panna cotta topped with guava soup, a caramel budino, and macarons. They had canolis, and while they were some of the best I've tried on the west coast, they still didn't compare to what you can get in New York.

This was by far the best brunch I've ever been to. There were a few dishes I didn't care for, but nothing awful, which is impressive given the sheer volume of food. In fact, most of the dishes were really great. Service was very attentive. Highly recommended for a lavish brunch.

Bibere: Bodega Norton, Coleccion Varietales, Malbec, 2011, Mendoza, Argentina

This is the first in what I hope will be a (usually) weekly column featuring a wine. The idea is I will purchase a relatively inexpensive bottle of wine and my girlfriend and I will will independently taste it and present our notes. Taste in wine is an area of constant tension in our relationship.

Today's wine is  Bodega Norton, Coleccion Varietales, Malbec, 2011, Mendoza, Argentina ($7.99 at Trader Joes). Malbecs have certainly grown on me and have become some of my favorites for non-California wines, and certainly the best from South America.

Edie's tasting notes: Raisin, plum, blackberry, wet stone and pepper on the nose. Long legs with a viscous texture and dry palate. Initial sweetness with dried cherries, raisin and dried cranberries on the palate. A dry and not too lengthy finish. Good drunk alone, but excellent with fatty foods and dark chocolate. 

My notes: Bright ruby color. Dark cherry and soil on the nose.  Light taste of dark fruit with dried cranberry, wet soil, dried cranberries, a hint of mushroom, and plantain on the palate. Very short and dry finish. Smooth tannins. Good now, but probably not much aging potential.

To eat with the wine, we had an eggplant and sausage dish, and then some dark chocolate. We agreed that both were excellent pairings. The fatty sausage brought out a spicy quality in the wine. With the wine, the dark chocolate tasted like a cherry cordial. 

Trader Joe's wines are extremely hit and miss. They have plenty of inexpensive bottles, but I've found that most are boring, This wine was excellent for the price and is recommended.  If anyone has tried the wine, I'd love to hear your thoughts.