Cyrus- Healdsburg, Ca

Cyrus- Wow!!! We arrived at 8p.m. and left a little after midnight. Although it was a eight course tasting menu, I know we ate more than eight courses over a four hour period. I was exhausted by the end of the meal but it was well worth the $$$$ and time. I have been wanting to go to Cyrus for over a year. I saw an episode of "In wine country" on what an amazing experience you will have at this restaurant. I was impressed by their caviar on the episode and the restaurants presentation.
The restaurant was also featured on Bravo's Top Chef reality show last season. The first time I called to make a reservation they were completely booked. When I called this year they were booked but we were placed on the waiting list and happened to get the time slot and day we requested. We were so happy and delighted that we finally were able to see if Cyrus was all show or really an amazing experience.
One of my favorite dishes that we tried was the Tasmanian Trout. I have never been impressed with regular trout but I fell in love. At first I thought it was a salmon or tuna but my taste buds were really off base. It melted in my mouth and was delectable. It was very light and had a fresh refreshing taste and made it a great starter dish.
I was also impressed with the Caviar. Although we ordered the least expensive caviar on the menu it was the greatest flavor I have ever tasted. It was fresh and had a light ocean flavor that wasn't too fishy. They paired it with a goat cheese but this was not any goat cheese. The Chef utilized a technique called gastronomy. The goat cheese appeared as a powder on your plate but as soon as you touched it, it turned into a soft cheese. It was awesome!!! Almost like a magic show.
I was also impressed with their artisanal cheeses. Our favorite was a blue cheese soaked in wine. By the time we got to the cheese pairings we were full but we made room and really loved their selection.
We had a lovely time at Cyrus and recommend that you splurge on a meal like this at least once in your life. From the wine selection to the desserts this Chef really makes food enjoyable. Just be prepared to eat for a really long time.
To finish the night we were provided with snacks to go in a beautiful Cyrus gift box. After I arrived home from our Napa trip I opened the box and chocolate brownies were wrapped beautifully. I couldn't imagine it tasting less than perfect. Since there was four, I ate 3 and gave the other one to my husband so he could at least try what I was bragging about.
Cyrus also gave us our menus which had our names written on the menu. It was a nice personalized touch.
This place will always have great memories and hope one day I can go again.

castello di amarosa-calistoga

Castello Di Amarosa is located in Calistoga, Ca. Castello Di Amarosa is owned by V. Sattui. Castello Di Amarosa is a Castle Winery which produces mostly Italian Style wines. I have only tasted here once which was in 2008 when my sister and husband came to visit. (I included a lovely pic of them from that visit.)
By the time we made it to the winery this time around we were a little burned out. As you can see this winery is stunning. One of these days I plan to attend one of the Black tie Ball events. I have always wanted to attend a Ball and look forward to attending my first one here.
One of my favorite wines at this winery is the late harvest gewurztraminer. Its perfectly sweet and gets to the point.

V Sattui Winery-St. Helena

V. Sattui is located in St. Helena, Ca.

V. Sattui has many fond memories for me. The first time I saw this place was ten years ago with one of my best friends, Norma. That day, we decided to take the "Napa Valley Wine Train". On our way through Napa Valley on the Train we witnessed a wedding take place. I remember saying to her, "If I ever got married it would be here".
V. Sattui Winery is one of the most beautiful, fun, picturesque places you'll visit in Napa Valley, not to mention this winery has won many accolades. I love this winery because it has picnic grounds to have a picnic with others and enjoy great wines. They also have a great gourmet cheese deli. I recommend tasting and buying their artichoke cheese spread. Once you have one taste you can't help but eating the rest. For those that don't enjoy garlic, I wouldn't recommend it but since I enjoy garlic I don't mind it seeping through my pores :-)
I especially enjoy V.Sattui's dessert wines. My favorite is the Angelica. The Angelica is a muscat wine infused with Brandy. A little goes a long way. To me, it is to be sipped slowly. The Angelica has a smoothe finish and sweet taste but not a burning sensation that most brandy's give. My sister and her husband are also big fans of this wine. I just learned that they only have a limited batch so I will be ordering a case soon. Every time I take someone to this winery they fall in love with their wines, the grounds and all that it has to offer.
One of my favorites was the 2005 Gewurztraminer. Unfortunately they sold out. I have tried several of their new ones but I haven't been impressed with their recent gewurztraminers. On my visit I did purchased a semi sparkling moscato and cannot wait to open this bottle of wine with loved ones.


This winery gets 5 stars!!!!

Van Der Heyden Winery- Late Harvest Syrah

Van Der Heyden is a Dutch winery. Van Der Heyden is probably the best boutique/ family winery in Napa Valley. Don't let the outside fool you. The winery is literally a trailer. At first you are turned off and it looks as though you are entering into something scary. Every wine you have here is made with love and perfection.
My husband and I found this winery when traveling on Silverado Trail. Days before we went to Van Der Heyden last year we had heard grand reviews on the local radio station about Black Stallion which is located next door to Van Der Hayden. Since we are on the topic I will quickly mention Black Stallion winery. Its beautiful and I am sure they spent a lot of money building the facility but the wine is not. It is overcrowded and the wines were too robust and strong. I had an instant headache from drinking the wines. Every wine I tried, I quickly discarded. I will never go back. The staff was unfriendly and it was extremely cold inside.
Okay back to Van Der Heyden....
Since my husband is half Dutch we took his mother here last year so this year we couldn't wait to bring our friends, the Hay's. We forewarned them about the winery and that its not this elaborate place but they had the best tasting wines ever.
Van Der Heyden is the only winery that makes a Late Harvest Syrah, which is a very hard wine to make. They are also the only winery in the world to produce a late harvest Cabernet.
Just recently when Minnesota lost to New Orleans we shared our only bottle with our dear friends, the Heeren's. They loved and enjoyed it just as much as we did.
On this trip we had purchase another bottle and can't wait to share it with someone else. Every wine you try here you will be impressed. As you can see from one of the pictures this winery's wine has won many gold and silver metals.
xoxoxoxoxo to Van Der Heyden!!!

Alpha Omega Winery

Alpha Omega is located in Rutherford, Ca in Napa Valley. I really loved this winery. We got special treatment which made our wine tasting experience for the weekend memorable. Upon Arrival our wine pourer took us on a tour to the inside barrel room where all the wines are tanked. She gave us in depth information on our wines and the history of the wines and wine makers.
This boutique winery had some of the best wines I have ever tasted. I am not a huge fan of Chardonnay wine but they had one of the best Chardonnay's I have every tasted. Wine Spectator gave this winery 96 points out of 100. I'd have to agree!! :-)

truett hurst winery

There is nothing better than going to a free wine tasting. I always recommend to lovely couples visiting Napa Valley to make sure they head over to the Sonoma side especially if you are on a budget. Majority of the wineries in Sonoma Valley are free.
Truett Hurst is located in the Dry Creek Valley.
Truett Hurst winery is picturesque and fun. Their complimentary cheeses and crackers were a nice touch to their wonderful wines. We really enjoyed their petite sirah selection.
As you can tell we had a wonderful time at this winery and hope that you find this beautiful place on the hidden path.

Topel Tasting Room

Topel Tasting Room is located in Healdsburg, Ca in the Healdsburg plaza. We decided to stop here before going to Mirepoix for our Valentines dinner. It was nice because it was a younger crowd and staff. Topel gave away complimentary sugar and chocolate cookies which was a nice touch. Most of their wines were Syrah's, cabernet's and pinot noirs.
I can't say that any of the wines were memorable or good enough for my taste to purchase. I did like one of the names of one of the wines, "Bird Song". I thought it was very elegant.

mirepoix-windsor, ca

Mirepoix is located in Windsor,California. Mirepoix was recommended to me by my wedding planner. I asked her for something romantic and cozy. Mirepoix is a house and has limited seating which I very much appreciated. I didn't want the hustle and bustle of a huge Valentines crowd and waiting forever for service. Mirepoix's restaurant is a mirror image of how I would want my restaurant to be, 8 tables or less and a small bar area for great wine. Unfortunately I wasn't impressed with the wine. I tried two different wines and they were disastrous. I noticed the chefs were drinking a bottle of rose. So I asked the waitress if that were available to drink and she said that they were finishing it because the previous guest didn't like it.
My one recommendation is to find a sommelier because their wine selection does not match the menu.
Mirepoix's prix fixe menu consisted of oxtail soup with beet foam, foie gras, duck, scallops and all the wonderful rich organic foods that wine valley has to offer.
My favorite was the dessert, rose water creme brulee. There was a perfect balance between the custard and the rose water. The rose water was not over powering and made the dessert feel light and beautiful. Everyone pretty much licked the sides of the ramekin. LOL...
I also enjoyed the oxtail soup, it reminded me very much of oxtail soup that my family makes. It was very comforting and savory. I wish I had a larger portion of the oxtail soup but it was just enough to quench my appetite. I have never enjoyed beets and this was the first time in my life where I could tolerate the flavor and not feel sick to my stomach. However, I could do without the foam personally. (That's more a personal opinion and experience due to the fact my mother forced me to eat it as a child with liver, yuck).

I'm still indecisive if I would come here again given that are so many restaurants to choose from. However, I loved the decor. The restaurant inspired me to make my own rose water creme brulee. I still have some in my wine fridge from France.

Baked Scampi- Ina Garten Barefoot Contessa Recipe

This Recipe gets 5 stars!!!!!! It's a guarantee hit!! I tried it the other day and was pleasantly surprised how well it turned out.


Baked Scampi

Ingredients


2 pounds (12 to 15 per pound) shrimp in the shell
3 tablespoons good olive oil
2 tablespoons dry white wine
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 teaspoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
1/4 cup minced shallots
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 extra-large egg yolk
2/3 cup panko (Japanese dried bread flakes)
Lemon wedges, for serving


Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Peel, devein, and butterfly the shrimp, leaving the tails on. Place the shrimp in a mixing bowl and toss gently with the olive oil, wine, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Allow to sit at room temperature while you make the butter and garlic mixture.

In a small bowl, mash the softened butter with the garlic, shallots, parsley, rosemary, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, lemon juice, egg yolk, panko, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper until combined.

Starting from the outer edge of a 14-inch oval gratin dish, arrange the shrimp in a single layer cut side down with the tails curling up and towards the center of the dish. Pour the remaining marinade over the shrimp. Spread the butter mixture evenly over the shrimp. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until hot and bubbly. If you like the top browned, place under a broiler for 1 minute. Serve with lemon wedges.

Curry House- Los Angeles (off Sawtelle)

After returning home from visiting family in Minnesota I decided to stop at the Curry House in Los Angeles off Sawtelle. I ordered the Chicken Curry Udon. As I've blogged before I am a huge fan of Japanese curry soups and have frequented several restaurants.
My take on "Curry House" Chicken Curry Udon;
I would say that their curry was very flavorful and their chicken portions were not small. Most Curry houses seem to skimp on the main ingredient which can become frustrating. I enjoyed that it came out in a beautiful cast iron bowl and it was piping hot. On the side I ordered fried shimp to dip into my curry soup, which made it even better. My only complaint is that they flavored the broth with apples. Since I usually don't like my food to be sweet unless its a dessert I prefer my soup and food to be on the savory side.

Kyushu Ramen in Van Nuys is still my favorite and I can't wait to go back!