Mike got me a Hamilton Beach Liquid Blu 5 Speed Blender for my birthday and I tried it yesterday for the first time. It was OK. It did do a good job of blending and crushing the ice – a godsend after my old blender which took forever to crush ice and would start to smell after trying. But adjusting the bottom to the top seems tricky, apparently it needs to be adjusted really tightly, and my blender dripped all over the place. I’m hoping that next time it won’t be as bad.
I’m a little concerned because I only found two reviews of the blender online, one by an Amazon customer and another by the never-to-be-trusted Consumers’ Guide. But I’m not a particularly heavy user and only time will tell if the blender will perform. As it does, I’ll comment here 🙂
Author: marga (Page 70 of 120)
Sunday night Kathy and I took our dad wine tasting in Livermore. He loves to wine taste and Livermore is the closest wine growing region to San Leandro. We hit quite a few wineries (Kathy, a non-wine drinker, was driving) and I took a lot of notes. It’s interesting that many wineries are now charging for tastings – and not necessarily the better ones.
Our first stop was Bodega Aguirre, where tastings are $5. It has a very small, simple tasting room. It was already crowded when we arrived there at noon, opening time. There were cheese and crackers offered, but not much wine talk. Indeed, we barely heard any descriptions of the wines we tasted, their growing conditions or even information about the wineries during our whole trip. On the other hand, it we rarely found any pressure to buy anything.
Bodega Aguirre seems specialize in blends. I found most of them to be very light and watery, with very little complexity. I like hearty wines, however, and oaky ones in particular. Some of their wines, like the Estate Merlot Reserva ($32) were earthy, which I liked. My father, on the other hand, liked them in general and got a bottle of the 2003 Merlot ($18). Given the tasting fee and the fact that the wines didn’t impress me, I don’t think I’d stop there again.
We followed up with Boaventura de Caires winery, where tasting were free but they had only 2 wines to taste – a Cab (Boaventura de Caires 05/06 Platinum Label Cabernet Sauvignon) selling at $39 and a white table wine (BoaVentura de Caires 2006 White Table Wine) selling at $22 (they also offer splits and magnums). I liked the cab, it was smooth with a hint of oak. The white table wine was dry (I tend to prefer sweeter wines), but I also liked it. However, I didn’t think either wine justified their price.
The winery was very cute and quirky, with an open and informal tasting room. Several types of cheese were available.
Next stop was Little Valley winery, a cute relatively new winery that offers both wines and flavored sparkling wines. Their California champagne was fruity, with hints of melon. I liked it. I also liked both their Chardonnay ($15) and their White Zinfandel ($9.50). They were easy drinking, non-challenging wines, perfect for summer afternoons. Their Tempranillo ($18) was also smooth, easy and flavorful, I’d definitely drink it. Finally, their 2002 Clark Vineyard Cabernet was very unusual, it tasted almost like brandy – though I was assured it had not been fortified. Not my cup of tea. I didn’t like the flavored sparkling wines ($14), they usually taste fake to me, but I did find the whole tasting experience very enjoyable. I’d go back here again.
The White Crane has a small tasting room which was very, very busy. It’s no surprise because not only there was no tasting fee, but the wines were very good. The 2006 Pinot Noir ($45) has a medium body but was full flavored, my father liked it too. The 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon was full bodied, oaky and smooth. I wasn’t as happy with the 2006 Zinfandel ($44), but I didn’t note why 🙂
I’d probably stop at this winery again, though I’d pray that it wasn’t as busy.
McGrail Vineyards could not have been more different. It features a large, brand-new tasting room in the style of those of Napa and Sonoma. Very elegant and slick. However, there was nobody there – they think because they are relatively new, but I wonder. Tasting are free and the wines are also good and more affordable than at other places. I found the 2005 Chardonnay ($28) to be very buttery and full bodied, I’d drink it. My dad would too. The 2004 Cabernet ($36) was smooth but full bodied, very nice to drink. I don’t have notes on other wines, so that’s probably all we tasted. Their wines are available at PW supermarkets in addition as at the winery.
After this tasting we took a break and went into town for some coffee (yes, we hit Starbucks, we couldn’t find anything else). We probably hang out there for an hour or so. But we weren’t yet done for the day, though we only hit a couple of other wineries.
I’d been to Tesla Vintners before. This is a pretty nice tasting room, also small, where you get to taste wines from a couple of other wineries in the region. They also have flavored champagnes, and we tasted the peach one ($14). It smelled nice, but the taste was a bit off-putting. I did like the Singing Winemaker Serzando ($16), made with malvasa bianca. It was very sweet and grapy (yes, grapy, it tasted like white grapes). I also liked the 2005 Mattern Ranch Zinfandel ($23). It was good, full bodied, meaty. Dad thought it was nice. The Ryhan Estate Vineyard Rouge Sang ($20), a red wine blend, was well balanced as was the 2005 Malbec ($25). I do wonder, however, if I liked the wines here more because by now I was quite tipsy. I think that Tesla has a $5 tasting fee as well, but I didn’t put it in my notes.
Next was Crooked Vine / Stony Ridge winery, where I’d also been before, albeit quite a few years ago. It has a nice, large tasting room with barrels. There is a $5 tasting fee.
Here, again, I enjoyed the wines. I was the 2006 Crooked Vine Pinot Grigio ($16) nice, well balanced and summerly. The 2005 Harriet’s Merlot ($22) had similar attributes, but lacked a finish. Daddy wasn’t thrilled with it. He did like the 2004 Crooked Vine del Arroyo Cabernet Sauvignon ($38) which I found chocolaty. He was less impressed by the 2004 Crooked Vine Petit Syrah ($38) which he found unremarkable. Their 2004 Crooked Vine Cabernet Sauvignon ($32) had a medium body but lacked oak. In all, and given the tasting fee, I’m not sure that I’ll come back.
Finally, we went to Murrieta’s Well, where I’d also been before. I’d enjoyed their Chilean inspired wines before, but this time I found them weak and lacking. Their 2006 Semillon/Chardonnay ($20) was nice, with a medium body. My father says that (at least back home) semillon is a cheap grape used in cheap wines (a favorite of drunkards). The 2006 white meritage ($24) was somewhat bitter but mostly fine while the 2006 Zinfandel had a medium body and was quite tasty. I found neither the 2004 Touriga Francesca ($24) nor the 2004 Zarzuela ($30) to be fully-developed and was equally disappointed by the 2005 Red Meritage ($35). They may be wines you want to keep, however.
In all, I will probably give Murrieta’s Well a try again. Their tasting room is quite pretty, though they had some of the coldest attendants.
So in all we visited 8 wineries – quite a bit for just an afternoon – and had a very good time. I think that Livermore wines are improving, and I look forward to going again.
Wine Tasting in Livermore – 2005
Wine Tasting in Livermore – 2004
On Saturday May 3rd, my birthday, I took a Southeast Asian cooking class at the San Leandro Adult School, taught by the same instructor (Jenny Sin), that had taught the Malaysian cooking class I took last month. It was quite good, though I didn’t enjoy it as much as the last class.
Part of it was that in the middle of the class we had the fire alarm go off. It was probably the strong smell of the frying sardines. We had to leave the building and wait in the parking lot for quite a bit until we were given the clear to return to class. We couldn’t continue inside, however, so we moved the whole class outside. It was a nice day, so I think that turned out quite well.
Another part was that neither dish we made (and we only made two 🙁 ) was my cup of tea. One was a shrimp sambal – and I don’t like shrimp. The sauce was very good, but it wouldn’t be a dish I’d made by myself. The other dish was nasi lemak, or “rice in cream”, a dish of rice cooked in coconut milk with other flavors, and served with a variety of “toppings”. In the class, we made ikan bilis samble, dried anchovies cooked in a sauce. The result was pretty tasty, but they were anchovies all the same. The instructor also cooked water spinach – which I didn’t sample -, fried some peanuts, and served it with other veggies that I can’t remember, but I photographed the whole thing so it should be apparent when I upload the pictures 🙂
I’d like to be able to take more classes like this – they are a lot of fun. Alas, the principal of the adult school is considering not holding any more due to poor attendance. If you like/want to take this type of *very affordable* classes, please e-mail her at swong@sanleandro.k12.ca.us (her name is Suzanne Wong).
If anyone wants the recipes we’ve cooked, let me know and I’ll type them in. I’m feeling too lazy to do it otherwise 🙂
Last Xmas I got a KitchenAid K45SS Classic 250-Watt 4-1/2-Quart Stand Mixer from Mike. It’s the lowest KitchenAid model, but I’m not a big baker and it got pretty good reviews. It was also VERY CHEAP ($110, it’s currently selling for about $200). I hadn’t used it until now, however, because I needed a three prong adapter for my kitchen. Apparently we had one, but I couldn’t find it when I looked for it.
In any case, it’s been found and yesterday I used the mixer for the first time. Now, keep in mind that this is my first stand mixer – I’ve been using cheap mixers that you have to hold until now. But I loved it, it was so great to leave the mixer to do its job while I could prepare the next step in the recipe. And I thought it did quite a good job of mixing things. Anyway, for the time being at least, I’m happy with it.
Yesterday was Cinco de Mayo and I wanted to make some Mexican food. My sister Kathy doesn’t eat Mexican food, however, so finding something she liked was pretty hard. Also, while I would have liked to make a mole, I didn’t have the time to commit to it. So I decided on carnitas. While searching for the entree, I also found a recipe for polvorones, a.k.a. Mexican wedding cookies, and it seemed easy enough to try. Both were quite good. I didn’t like the carnitas as much as my regular recipe, but they were easier to make (if that’s possible) and, more importantly, they are made in the crock pot, which means that I don’t have to be at home while they cook. They were succulent, moist, tender and not at all greasy. I’ll definitely make them again.
The polvorones were also very good and very easy to make. I know I’ve had them before, but I’d never made them. I made them according to the recipe, but I used raw pecans rather than toasted pecans, as I didn’t have the latter and didn’t feel like toasting what I had. I also had to go to a meeting after making the dough, so I left it in the fridge for about 3 hours. I put it in the counter for about 15 minutes before baking it, though.
Carnitas
- 5 lbs pork shoulder, cut into large pieces
- 5 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. ground black pepper
- 5 tsp. dried oregano
- 2 onions, quartered.
Place the pork pieces in a slow cooker. Add the seasoning and mix well. Top with the onions.
Cook in a slow cooker in low setting for 6 hours.
Adapted from epicurious.com
Polvorones
- 1 cup butter at room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup pecans, chopped
- 1/8 tsp. cinnamon
In an electric mixer, cream butter until light and fluffy. Add 1/2 cup powdered sugar and vanilla and mix well. Add flour and mix well. Add pecans and mix well. Divide the dough in two. Wrap each part in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 1/2 hour.
Pre-heat oven to 350F
Put about 2 tsp. of dough in your hands and roll into a ball. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Repeat until the rest of the dough is used up. Bake for 18 minutes, or until the bottom is golden and the top slightly golden. Let cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile combine 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar with the cinnamon. Roll the cookies on the sugar mixture until well covered. Place on a rack and cool completely.
Adapted from epicurious.com
Yesterday was my birthday and my mom got me (by proxy) an ice cream cake from Safeway. It was a simple affair, a matter of vanilla ice cream sandwiched by white cake, and it wasn’t the most delicious thing ever, but pretty satisfying. I do think that I like their regular cakes better. They cost about the same, I think.
Update: Chevy’s is closed.
Yes, I should have known better, but a few days ago prompted by a desire to neither cook nor experiment, and a “buy one, get another one for $4” coupon, we went to Chevys in San Leandro. I, of course, avoided the baby back ribs. Instead I went for the beef fajitas, my ever favorite. The plate (see below) was semi-empty, I guess Chevy’s has decided that roasted veggies are too expensive and that presentation is overrated anyway. I had requested the beef medium rare, but as you can see there was no hint of pinkness on the meat. The portions of sour cream, guacamole and tamalito were also significantly reduced since the last time I’ve had the dish – and there was no pico de gallo at all. I know that food prices have gone up, but that was just ridiculous. The meat tasted fine, but clearly they are tired and bored of this dish.
Mike had one of the seafood combos on special. He thought it was fine, what he expected from Chevy’s, fairly consistent, decent food. The girls nibbled at their quesadillas.
For dessert we had their chewy sunday which was large enough for the whole family to share. It wasn’t as good as the desserts at Chili’s, but it was satisfying.
In all, I think I won’t be getting a hankering from going back to Chevys anytime soon.
Update: This restaurant has closed
Chicago Blues Cafe is a tiny restaurant and coffeehouse located in the parking lot of the Palma Plaza shopping center. It started as a place where you could get coffee, then branched out into hot dogs, and has since become pretty much a full fledged restaurant, serving late breakfast, lunch and early dinner (they are open from 11 AM – 7 PM weekdays, from 9 AM – 7 PM Saturdays and closed on Sundays). The owner, Mark Tichy, is a colorful character currently running for city council.
I went to Chicago Blues Cafe for breakfast a few weeks ago, and had a very nice crepe, and I have since been wanting to go back to try their BBQ. The opportunity finally presented itself yesterday (my birthday) when Joaquin Deli, my first choice, was closed.
Chicago Blues offers a large menu of hot dogs, sandwiches, BBQ items and deep-dish pizza. My friend Elektra had had the latter and has enjoyed it. Prices are moderate, with pizza slices starting at $4, and BBQ lunch plates averaging around $8 (it goes up to the low teens for dinner and combinations). You order at the counter and can either eat inside their little covered area or in one of the unshaded tables outside. There isn’t really much room for more than 2 or 3 parties inside – but I find the place cute. We ate outside, however.
Mike had the links BBQ plate with potato salad. He wasn’t happy with it. He thought the links tasted mostly like plain sausage covered by BBQ sauce, rather than by the slowly smoked links we usually get at our favorite BBQ joint. He found the medium-spiced sauce to be quite spicy, but otherwise unremarkable. The potato salad was also pretty pedestrian.
My dad had a hot dog with sourkrat and he was very happy with it. He thought the baked beans were very, very good.
I had the pulled pork sandwich, which is often on special for $5. The sandwich was huge, and definitely a great value, but I didn’t find the pork very appealing. It had the look and texture of pork that had been boiled rather than smoked or baked. The flavor was quite mild (Camila liked it). I also found the vinegary mild BBQ sauce unremarkable, though better than commercial products. In any case, I wouldn’t be rushing back to have this dish. All this said, with E&J’s around, my standards for BBQ are pretty high.
In all, I’m glad that Chicago Blues Cafe is around, and I’d definitely go there for breakfast or for a hot dog, and might even give the pizza a try, but I wouldn’t go for their BBQ again.
Chicago Blues Cafe
13802 E. 14th St
San Leandro, CA
(510) 352-3053
I think it’s been many years now since Ben & Jerry’s has come out with a flavor of ice cream I actually like. Meanwhile, they’ve gotten rid of many of my favorites, including the best flavor they ever had, Wavy Gravy. Still, I always try the new flavors they come up with, showing that I’m a pretty slow learner.
The latest flavor I tried was ONE Cheesecake Brownie, and seldom have I tasted a more flavorless flavor. The ice cream itself just tasted sour – no cheesiness, no complexity, just a note of sourness. The miniscule cheesecake brownie bits were also sour, though at least a bit chocolaty. They didn’t add much. In all, a complete failure of a flavor.
This ice cream seems to be part of a campaign to “end poverty”, the carton doesn’t explain how, just directs you to a website. I personally find it deeply offensive when big corporate giants like Unilever (Ben & Jerry’s parent company), who themselves contribute to world poverty, by, for example, exploiting child workers, use the plight of poor people as a marketing scheme.
Rainforest Cafe is an international chain of themed restaurants which feature a jungle-like atmosphere with large and pretty realistic looking animatronics. I’ve only been to the San Francisco branch, both times during a slow time, and I found the restaurant sort of sad. It’s pretty dark and it reminded me of the dining area at the zoo, soon before it closes.
The first time I went to the Rainforest Cafe in San Francisco was last March, when Desiree and her kids joined my kids and I on a ferry trip from Jack London Square to Pier 41. We ate at Boudin, but we toured the Cafe to please the kids. They liked it, and I thought that we should probably eat there next time we were in the area. The opportunity presented itself yesterday when my father and sister were visiting from L.A., and I decided to repeat the ferry trip from last March. Mika insisted that we go there and I saw no reason why not to. My dad, who’d been there before, did say the food wasn’t very good, but I am an optimist. The Rainforest Cafe made it clear that I shouldn’t be one.
The menu at the Rainforest Cafe features typical American restaurant food, burgers, pastas, wraps, pizzas and meats. Prices are pretty high, with appetizers averaging about $10 and main dishes in the high teens to twenties. Children dishes, which don’t include either drinks or dessert, are about $7. The place ain’t cheap.
We weren’t terribly hungry – I’d actually eaten before we left – so daddy and Kathy split the fried mozzarella sticks and the buffalo wings while Mika had the pasta marinara. Neither the cheese nor the wings were special, the wings were a bit spicy but otherwise unmemorable. The pasta – penne – was very unwieldly for a 6 yo (she ended up getting most of it over her shirt) and innocuous enough. The portions were in the small side, considering the prices.
I wanted to try “The Volcano”, their signature dessert ($15), and I was also disappointed. The dessert consists of a mass of ice cream shaped in the form of a pyramid and sided by large slabs of brownie. Chocolate and caramel syrups complete the effect. The description (and price!) suggests that it’s large enough for 2 or more people to share. Three adults and three kids couldn’t finish it at our table – it’s really immense. It’s also not that great. The vanilla ice cream is generic, the brownie could be chewier and more chocolaty, and the sauces could have stronger flavors. I can only speculate that the problem is the lack of quality ingredients – so much money has gone into building the restaurant, that there can’t be much left for the actual food.
The waiters, at least, were trying. Ours overheard my sister say it was my birthday and he brought me a complimentary ice cream sundae (just what I needed). They also sang me happy birthday. Yes, I was mortified. The kids enjoyed it, though.
In all, given the quality of the food and the prices, I’d avoid the Rainforest Cafe if I was you. You can, however, go and tour the place, have your kids see the animals, and avoid the food.
The Rainforest Cafe
145 Jefferson St # 400
San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 440-5610
http://www.rainforestcafe.com/
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