Restaurants and Hotels

CA, Westlake Village, Wolfgang Puck's

2008-12-28T13:37:00.004-06:00

Wolfgang Puck’s LA Bistro
30990 Russell Ranch Road,
Westlake Village, CA, 91362.
Phone: (818) 597-1902
Web: http://www.wolfgangpuck.com/bistro/

Here I am back in California again for two nights and one day on personnel issues. But at least it gives me a chance to try out another of the restaurants in the area and this time it is a late evening stop at Wolfgang Puck’s. Mr. Puck has taken his culinary expertise and morphed his image and his reputation into an mini-empire that now contains more than 90 restaurants. His newest concept is “the Bistro” an entrepreneurs franchising opportunity to cash in on the Wolfgang Puck name, with an investment of say, $2.5 million.

There are four Bistro’s around the country, three in California and one in

CA, Thousand Oaks, The Wine Yard

2008-12-21T12:00:00.001-06:00

In a converted Taco Bell next to the Civic Arts Center in Thousand Oaks, young professionals gather at a wine bar to sip the nectar of the Gods and wax lyrical about the tribulations of the drive home from nearby Los Angeles, or the latest game of the Lakers, or plans for the house party this weekend at the Jackson’s.

One man, of age with many of the men In the bar but much older than most of the ladies, sits on a bar stool in the corner by the door and watches the well-dressed patrons sip wine and talk animatedly. The noise level is high, and all conversations blend together as they rise from the bar and the small tables so it is difficult to pick out sentences from the individual words and phrases that fly around the room.

http://www.wineyardinc.com/

CA, Buellton, Firestone Walker Taproom and Restaurant

2008-12-14T11:13:00.003-06:00

Just off Highway 101 in the little town of Buellton is the Firestone Walker Brewing Company tap room and restaurant. Unfortunately we arrived in mid afternoon having spent an hour or two at the Firestone Winery only to find the restaurant was closed, (regular opening hours are 5:00 pm to 8:30 pm weekdays, extended to 9:00 pm on Fridays and Saturdays) but they were serving meals in the bar so we stayed. I sampled a flight of beers, four small (4 oz?) glasses of beer, that were all excellent.

· Pale 31 is aromatic California pale ale, the body was a little light for my taste.
· DBA (Double Barrel Ale) is a barrel fermented British pale ale, a little heavier with a nice flavor
· Union Jack India Pale Ale was excellent, nice taste and smell of the hops and god full body
· Walkers Reserve is a darker, chocolate malt porter, a little chewy

It was a delight to find a pub serving a ploughman’s lunch, cheese and cold meats with pickles and French bread, so we tried one of these and a bowl of chili. Both were very good, though raw onion substituted for the pickles in the ploughman’s. The chili was flavorful and filling. It was worth stopping to sample the beers, I would like to go back and eat in the restaurant and try one of the specialty ales they also serve.

The bill was reasonable, $26.00 including tip and we received a free pint glass as part of the cost of the beer sampler.

http://www.firestonewalker.com/index.php?s=in_search_of_pale&c=taproom_restaurant

CA, Simi Valley, Pho So 1

2008-12-11T01:26:00.001-06:00

Pho So 1
2837 Cochran Street, Ste E, Simi Valley, CA 93065 phone:( 805) 306-1868

Just off the Ronald Reagan Freeway at the eastern end of Simi Valley is a Vietnamese restaurant serving excellent bowls of noodles. I have not eaten a lot of Vietnamese food before, in fact my only experience was from a lunchtime eatery on the edge of Market Square in Houston. A place I’d visited two or three times before it closed.

Pho So 1 is bright and clean and airy. A fairly large place in the corner of a strip center. We arrived at 12;30 pm and were seated straight away and within five minutes orders had been placed and water delivered to the table. I relied on my companion diner to order and ended up with a large bowl of soft noodles, with rare sliced beef, flank steak and tripe. She had a small bowl of soft noodles with prawns which looked much better. We also had two side plates one of crispy noodles and sprigs of mint and the second with egg rolls stuffed with meat and vegetables.

The noodles and broth were excellent, the lean beef was very good but the fatty flank steak and tripe were not to my liking. The crispy noodles were also good when added to the broth. The egg rolls were thick and packed full of indeterminate filling, but the taste was OK, especially when dipped in sweet sauce.

I need to return to the restaurant to check out other items on the menu. I think if I studied the menu a little more and chose more wisely, then I would enjoy the broth fillings a little more.

The meal was good value. $22.15 for two including a 15% tip.

CA, Thousand Oaks, Galletto Bar and Grill

2008-12-09T22:01:00.005-06:00

Galletto Bar and Grill
982 Westlake Boulevard, Westlake Village, CA 91361 Tel. 805.449.4300

http://gallettobarandgrill.com/

There are a number of restaurants in the shopping center across the road from the Hyatt Hotel in Thousand Oaks. We chose to eat at Galletto Bar and Grill since none of us had eaten there before and the signs outside advertised the restaurants inclusion in the Zagat restaurant guide.

The signs outside promoted the Brazilian and Italian mix of offerings on the menu.

Unfortunately our experience wit the restaurant started off poorly and went downhill from there.

The sign just inside the door asked us to please wait to be seated and wait we did. And wait and wait. Eventually a lady appeared and we requested a seat on the patio outside. She said sure and disappeared for an interminable amount of time. When she returned she said there had been a mix up and there were no longer any tables outside, so we chose a table at the back of the restaurant next to the wine racks. The five tables between us and the bar were vacant an remained that way all evening as new parons came in and were seated outside.

The menu is very difficult to read, the type is small and many dishes are crammed onto each page. In the end I decided to play it safe and ordered stuffed pasta with a cream sauce. My companion, being somewhat more adventurous ordered Osso Bucco. I was in the mood for a light wine with character and ordered a California Gewürztraminer. It took some time for the waitress to return and tell us they were out of Gewurztraminer and offer us a bottle of Orvietto instead. “It’s $2 cheaper” she said. Then she told us the Osso Bucco was not available this evening.

When it arrived my pasta was excellent perhaps because it was smothered in a delicious cream sauce, but the service did not improve and there appears to be no reason why we would ever return to this restaurant

CA, Moorpark, Cafe Firenze

2008-12-07T10:51:00.004-06:00

Café Firenze
Italian Restaurant and Martini Lounge
563 West Los Angeles Avenue, Moorpark, CA 93021

http://www.cafefirenze.net/home.cfm

On the western edge of town, next to the three screen cinema and just before a subdivision that marks the end of the commercial district is a strip shopping center containing the recently opened Café Firenze. The restaurant previously in this location has been completely renovated and there is now a large bar area with lots of wood and a very well appointed dining area with dark oak tables and chairs and lots of red satin.

There are also four tables on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant overlooking the parking lot but, best of all, the restaurant has opened the patio at the back. It is a delightful place to sit and enjoy lunch or dinner, though the patio chairs could have been made a little more comfortable by the addition of cushions.

We were a party of six for lunch and enjoyed a selection of appetizers and main courses. The general consensus was that the food was good but not yet excellent and the service was adequate.

My meal, the Caprese – mozzarella cheese wedges, buffalo tomatoes and mixed greens, mostly spinach, was OK, but could have been improved with a little more zest in the dressing.

I will go back to the restaurant to try some further dishes on their menu and partake of their lovely patio, if only because I have not yet discovered other choices for eating with flair in Moorpark.

TX, San Antonio, Azuca Nuevo Latino

2008-12-04T08:56:00.004-06:00

713 South Alamo, San Antonio, TX 78205.

We ended up here because I asked the proprietor of art gallery / store where I could get a good cup of coffee. He sent us on a walk for two or three blocks south of downtown to this restaurant - bar on the edge of Southtown. We sat in the sun in the courtyard behind the restaurant and enjoyed a cold Negra Modelo and a cup of coffee, but after looking at the menu and perusing the web site this is definitely a place we will return to. The coffee was good for $1.70 with free refills. total bill for two beers and a coffeee was $12.00 including tip

http://www.azuca.net/welcome.asp.htm

TX, San Antonio, Casa Rio Mexican Foods

2008-12-03T14:04:00.005-06:00

Casa Rio has been in business for more than 50 years on the San Antonio river walk, down the steps at the corner of Commerce street and Alamo Street next to the big red steel statue.

http://www.casa-rio.com/map.htm

The place is popular at lunchtime when its not raining, there are plenty of tables on the riverwalk but you may have to wait a little while for a table to become vacant. We drank a couple of Alamo Ales while perusing the menu. Alamo Ale is made by Real Ale Brewing Co, I suspect it is Firemans #4 Blonde Ale with a label made just for sale in San Antonio. In any case the beer was refreshing in the autumn warmth and made a nice contrast with the spiciness from the salsa that came with the tortilla chips.

We ate a "regular plate" of Cheese Enchilada, Tamale, Chili Con Carne, Mexican Rice, and Refried Beans and a "soft taco plate" with two Chicken Soft Tacos topped with Sauce, Mexican Rice, and Refried Beans. The lunch was tasty and filling, the service was OK and the strolling Mexican musicians asked before they played. All together good value for $26 inc tip.

CA, Thousand Oaks, Holdren's Steak and Seafood

2008-11-03T23:15:00.001-06:00

Holdren’s Steak and Seafood
1714 Newbury Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320 phone (805)498-1314

On the far west end of Thousand Oaks is the suburb of Newbury Park. North of the freeway is an expensive gated community and a shopping center anchored by a Ralph’s supermarket. South of 101 is Newbury Road running parallel to the freeway past La Quinta, Motel 6, Courtyard by Marriott and Town Place Suites by Marriott hotels, an In and Out Burger, a Chili’s and a strip center in front of the Town Place Suites containing Holdren’s Steaks and Seafood Restaurant.

But for all it’s innocuous location, the restaurant does an excellent job. While waiting for my colleague to arrive I sat in the red room and enjoyed a split of Freixenet. The Red Room is a separate dining room off the main dining area. In ended up we were the only guests in that room which had tables set for 20 patrons.

After my friend arrived and had settled down with a vodka martini we shared a grilled Castroville artichoke served with dipping sauces of garlic butter and creamy ranch with rosemary. The artichoke was cooked a little too long and had lost the slight crispness that I like, but this may just have been my preference for lightly cooked vegetables.

For a main course I tried the rosemary bleu cheese sirloin. This was an 8 oz sirloin topped with a rosemary and blue cheese reduction. We were offered a soup or salad and a choice of vegetables. I passed on the soup and salad and ordered twice-baked potatoes with my steak. I like my steaks cooked medium with a little pink in the center and this was perfect. The potatoes were tasty and I cleared my plate. My friend tried the scallops with twice-baked potatoes and pronounced them excellent.

We washed the meal down with a bottle of Frog’s Leap Zinfandel that was mellow and round and full of character and ended our repast with a glass of Warre’s port and a cup of cappuccino.

An excellent meal with excellent service. The total bill was $230 but only $80 of the bill was for food and I make no apologies for tipping 20% for excellent, attentive but unobtrusive service.

TX, Houston, Vargo’s

2008-10-17T07:52:00.000-05:00

TX, Houston, Vargo’s, 2401 Fondren, 77063 (713) 782-3888 http://vargosonline.com

Vargo’s is an amazing restaurant on Fondren just north of Westheimer in West Houston. The house and grounds are meticulously maintained and provide an extravagant background to an excellent meal. It was dark by the time we arrived for dinner, so we were unable to see the full extent of the grounds, but we were able to stand on the balcony and look out over the lake and watch two swans serenely gliding across the water. The restaurant provides valet parking, but self-parking is still an option in the large on-site parking area near the front entrance to the building.

The restaurant promotes itself as the ideal place to hold a wedding and a birthday party or a company dinner – any event that requires catering in elegant surrounding. On the night we dined there were two events taking place in other parts of the restaurant, a large private party that may have been a wedding rehearsal in the dining room by the lake and a buffet for a large gathering of Sikh families (at least that was my guess from the turbans many of the men were wearing)

We went a small private birthday celebration and enjoyed an excellent dinner with unobtrusive but mostly efficient service. Our reservation was handled promptly. But was probably not necessary on this evening. In the dining area where we were seated there were only three other tables – out of eight or so - occupied and there was plenty of room between the tables so we could talk and laugh without disturbing or being disturbed by other diners.

We passed on appetizers, preferring instead to share a Caesar Salad and concentrate on the main course. Both main courses were excellent. The Pecan Crusted Red Snapper was light and delicate and served off the bone with a medley of mixed vegetables and a basil lemon butter sauce on the side. Vargo’s Elegant Stuffed Chicken is a chicken breast stuffed with sautéed garlic, mushrooms, spinach and sun-dried tomatoes and topped with rosemary sauce, also served with a medley of mixed vegetables. My friend judged it to be excellent.

We shared a bottle of Estate bottled Vouvray from the Loire valley. A light easy to drink wine made from Chenin Blanc grapes. Vouvray is not a complicated wine. It is normally drunk within a couple of years of bottling and this wine had a hint of sweetness and nice hint of apples and pears, perhaps the best description is fruity. The wine brought back a flood of memories of evenings spent in the Pontefract Castle wine bar off Wigmore Street in the west end of London, sipping on Vouvray after work in the early 1970’s.

An excellent dinner that cost $112.00 including a 20% tip plus $5.00 for the valet parking attendant.

TX, Houston, Luigi's Pizzeria

2008-10-16T09:26:00.002-05:00

TX, Houston, Luigi’s Pizzeria, 3700 Almeda Road, 77004 (281)793-3333

Each week Houston Press sends me an email called Café Bites where they mention one or two new cafes that have opened in our fair city. This week they mentioned a new pizza place that they said is “churning out some of the best pizza the city has to offer” and ever hopeful that I can find a rival to Star Pizza I sent a text to my friend and we headed for Luigi’s Pizza.

The restaurant is a free standing building on the corner of Almeda Road and Windbern Street in the third ward. This is where Crawford Street coming from downtown takes a slight jog to the left and becomes Almeda Road. There is parking for three cars behind the restaurant, and street parking is plentiful and free on Windbern. There are only four four-person tables inside the restaurant each covered with a red and white plastic checkerboard tablecloth, but if it is a nice day there are three large wooden picnic tables on the fenced patio facing Almeda. The dining area was a little crowded since there was a pizza delivery motor bike parked against the patio doors.

We ate a medium pizza, which starts off as a New York Style cheese pizza with fresh tomato sauce, oregano, virgin olive oil, mozzarella and parmesan cheese then we added Italian sausage, mushrooms, Canadian bacon and artichokes and sat down to watch the Presidential debate and wait. It was a little disconcerting when two tiny plastic containers with lids containing parmesan cheese were delivered to the table with our water.

The menu on the blackboard listed the 14 toppings that could be added to the basic pizza together with four ‘special’ pizzas - Vege, Caprese, Mexican and White. Breadsticks and a salad are also offered. All drinks are non alcoholic. Fountain drinks are Coca-Cola products and they also offer 20 oz smoothies and frappes in eight flavors.

The pizza was excellent. The thin crust was hand formed and cooked to perfection and the sauce and toppings were flavorful. We drank tap water with our meal, then afterwards I tried a cappuccino made from freshly ground beans. The coffee was excellent. Total bill was $12.54 including tax, though I didn’t leave a tip since the restaurant was essentially self-service.

TX, Houston, State Bar and Lounge

2008-10-10T10:44:00.002-05:00

The State Bar and Lounge, 909 Texas, Suite 2a, Houston, TX 77002 (713)229-8888

An unobtrusive sign on Travis Street and a door 20 or 30 yards from the corner of Texas and Travis past the open air seating for the Sambuca restaurant opens to an entrance hall and a wide staircase. Climb the red-carpeted stairs and enter into a lounge with a long mahogany bar and comfortable seats both inside and outside on a patio overlooking Texas Avenue.

The State Bar and Lounge web site http://www.thestatebar.com/table.html says:
The State Bar & Lounge is an upscale, classic lounge at the corner of Travis and Texas on the second floor of the Rice Lofts. Considered by many as one of the cornerstones of the Houston Downtown renaissance, it is also tribute to the glory days of the city's oil boom. Much of the furniture and memorabilia are from the old Rice Hotel's Capitol Club, a legendary locale from the turn of the century that witnessed such historic milestones as the first electrical lights and air conditioners of the city, prominent judges and oil men cementing the success of Southern Texas, and the last place where President Kennedy ate before traveling to Dallas in 1963. The State Bar & Lounge has resurrected the Capitol Club's atmosphere and honed it to the times with the chic artwork of Houston artist, Alisson Stewart, a mahogany bar, high-arched windows, a private and distinct lounge, and a grand veranda overlooking much of downtown's virgin growth and ambiance.

The bar offers a good selection of draft beers including Breckonridge IPA, Bass, Fat Tire, Anchor Steam, Shiner Bock and St Arnold’s Amber and a nice selection of wines by the glass, single malt scotch and specialty Martinis. Most nights the bar is relatively quiet after the happy hour crowd leave and go home and it is very pleasant to sit outside on a spring or fall evening with a companion or two sipping a glass of wine and nibbling at the cheese or antipasto plate. Sometimes the service is a little erratic and the staff occasionally seem to be in a bad mood and this detracts from the ambiance when it happens. The prices are reasonable, $5.50 for Breckridge IPA, $5.75 for a Bacardi and Coke, $4.00 for a (small) serving of house Chardonnay and $10.00 for an Absolute Martini, shaken not stirred.

CA, Moorpark, Camille's Sidewalk Cafe

2008-10-07T21:52:00.003-05:00

Camille’s Sidewalk Café, 706 Los Angeles Av., Moorpark CA 93021

East, North and south of Moorpark are rocky hills, small enough that roads and houses can be built providing superb views over the valley, but too rocky and barren for growing crops or flowers or raising horses. Though a few budding entrepreneurs have planted vines and are constructing vineyards to take advantage of the grapevines natural inclination to prefer poor sub-soils.

There is not much industry in Moorpark, though a few companies have warehouse distribution centers on the south side of town, so most of the working residents in this town of 36,000 commute 50 miles or so to Los Angeles every day or lesser distances to offices and small factories in Simi Valley or Thousand Oaks. The western edge of town sits on the edge of the lush valley that stretches all the way to Ventura. In the valley, Peaches (from which the town got its name in 1876) are still grown as well as acres and acres of orange and lime groves.

There are a few good places and a number of mediocre places to eat in Moorpark. Camille’s Sidewalk Café is one of the better ones. They offer sandwiches, salads, wraps and paninis to order. The dining area has enough room to accommodate 30 or so diners seated at plastic topped cafeteria tables. There are three outside wrought iron umbrella tables with four chairs each that are in a pleasant open area looking out on the parking lot.

The wraps are excellent. I tried the Mexican Daredevil grilled hot wrap served with a mixed field greens salad with vinaigrette dressing. The wrap contained grilled chicken breast, black beans, red onions, pepperjack cheese, cilantro, roasted pablano dressing and daredevil BBQ sauce wrapped in a jalapeno-cheddar tortilla and toasted in an electric sandwich maker. (how do I know? The ingredients are on the menu) During toasting the wrap flattened somewhat so that when it was served it was oblong in section rather than round, the toasting melted the pepperjack and helped all the flavors combine into a delightful whole.

On my second visit I ate a Chicken Caesar wrap containing grilled chicken breast, parmesan, romaine, tomatoes and creamy Caesar dressing wrapped in a herb garlic tortilla. This wrap was served with tri-colored tortilla chips and fresh salsa. It was also very good. Wraps are $6.99 cold or $7.29 hot. Worth every penny.

CA, Santa Monica, Ocean Avenue Seafood

2008-10-06T21:51:00.004-05:00

Ocean Avenue Seafood, 1401 Ocean Avenue,
Santa Monica, CA 90401 (310)394-5669

To stand out in Santa Monica a restaurant has to have a cachet. The Ocean Avenue’s catch is that they have a great oyster bar. The Ocean Avenue restaurant is part of the King “Signature” Group, which is part of King Fish Houses consisting of 12 fish houses and 5 ‘higher class’ signature restaurants in California.

I am not a lover of oysters – in fact I don’t eat them at all – and some may question my ability to critique a restaurant if I don’t eat oysters. My reply is that there are lots of other things on the menu apart from slimy oysters.

In this case I chose to eat sea scallops. It turned out to be four sea scallops artfully arranged around a small mound of pureed parsnips topped by leaf spinach. The impression of the diminutive size of the portion was heightened by the meal being served on a very large white plate, 14 or 16 inches in diameter with the four sea scallops and small mound of parsnips in the middle of the plate.

The scallops were delicious and the parsnip puree was interesting, there were hints of sharpness in the taste but perhaps my palate is not sophisticated enough to tell the difference between parsnip puree and whipped potatoes. And I must stop ordering dishes that include spinach. Most of the time spinach tastes like I imagine broad leaf grass would taste like. Where is the restaurant that will serve brussel sprouts or cauliflower as a vegetable?

The service was exceptional, prompt, unobtrusive and knowledgeable. The menu was extensive, lots of seafood, a selection of oysters they are very proud of, and a good selection of steaks. At night the view is of the lights of Ocean Drive – a busy thoroughfare with lots of traffic – with the lights of Santa Monica pier flashing in the distance.

Since I was driving I drank one glass of Paul Hobbs Cobos Chardonnay recommended by the waitress together with a bottle of Pellegrino sparkling water and a cappuccino. The wine was excellent, crisp and clean and easy to drink. The meal for one including 20% tip was $67.

Perhaps it was the effect of the flight plus the drive but it was a small annoyance to be expected to tip the restroom attendant and it was large annoyance to be expected to pay a charge for valet parking after the restaurant validated the parking ticket. On closer questioning it was revealed that the restaurant only paid a (small) portion of the valet parking, the diner was expected to pay the majority of the parking fee.

CA, Malibu - Allegria

2008-09-22T01:23:00.002-05:00

On the Pacific Coast Highway almost at the center of the 27-mile strip that encompasses Malibu is a small Italian restaurant called Allegria. The restaurant is on the east side of PCH backed up to the cliffs that restrict Malibu to the narrow coastal strip of land next to the beach or occasionally to dwellings that cling limpet like to the foothills of the Sierras that separate Malibu from the lush central valley and expensive suburbia that is Thousand Oaks.

The restaurant is long and narrow. Most of the tables are along the window facing the road, but there are seats for 30 or so diners on the northwest side of the restaurant behind the kitchen. The décor is comfortably rustic, wood tables and chairs and comfortable four person booths, wood panels on the walls and exposed wood beams in the ceiling.

As I pondered the menu, which is, of course, dominated by pasta and pizza I was given a small basket of bread fingers sliced from an Italian loaf and some spaghetti sauce for dipping. Very nice. I chose Dover sole, cooked with tomatoes, olives and garlic and served with spinach and fried potatoes. The wine list looked quite good with several wines available for sale by the glass, but I was at the end of one of my sojourns of ‘a-week-without-alcohol’ so I resisted the temptation.

The meat from the fish was carefully removed from the bone at the table by a very competent waiter and then covered by the sauce poured from a small side bowl. It was excellent, the relatively light taste of the fish was enhanced and not overpowered by the sauce. Unfortunately the fried potatoes were less appetizing and the spinach was, well, spinach.

Cost including a large bottle of Pellegrino, a cappuccino and 20% tip - $66

http://www.allegriamalibu.com/

The Brewhouse, Brisbane

2007-12-01T04:12:00.002-06:00

The Brewhouse is home to the city's only microbrewery. They brew a range of beers on the premises that contain Australian malt (barley or wheat), Tasmanian hops, water and, when required, Bundaberg sugar or local honey. The Brewhouse suggest the freshness of it's beer and the the lack of preservatives means "no nasty hangovers in the morning."

This is a link to The Brewhouse Brisbane web site

The building itself is interesting. It was originally built in 1907 as a factory for the Queensland Machinery Company. The interior is large and open plan, with loosely defined areas for playing pool, watching one of the two big screen or seven wide screen TVs broadcasting sports, eating in the grill or standing at the bar. Strangely (for an American) there is no waitress service anywhere in the pub or restaurant. All meals and drinks are ordered at the bar, then the food is delivered to your table after it is prepared.

We ate a snack platter and loaded potatoes. The snack platter contained a large bowl of thick potato wedges seasoned and deep fried, four tiny vegetarian spring rolls, a slice of garlic bread, several prawn crackers and three crispy lemon pepper chicken strips. The potato wedges were very good, but the spring rolls and the chicken strips were cold. Chloe liked the prawn crackers. The loaded potatoes plate contained a pile of potatoes roasted in their skins then loosely cut into quarters and covered with melted cheese, sour cream and tiny pieces of ham. The potatoes were nicely cooked, quite delicious and very fattening.

We (I) had to check out the beers and the Brewhouse obliged by selling a sample platter containing six of the beers the brew.

Schwarzbier - The 4th Reich. 5% ABV A German black lager that had a slight taste of dark chocolate, but was not as crisp and clean as a lager should be. Poor.

Sunshine Honey Wheat. 4.5% ABV The honey (from local bee hives) added a slight sweet after taste to this delicate wheat beer. Reasonable.

Up Yer Kilt - Scottish Ale. 5.3% ABV A traditional Scottish ale with little hop flavor and a slightly bitter aftertaste. Very good.

The Dog's Bollocks - English Mid strength Bitter. 3% ABV A perfect example to show that beer does not necessarily have to be strong to be tasty, (but then I am biased towards good English bitter.) Excellent.

Taffy's Bock. 6.2% ABV A strong lager that originated in Einbeck in Germany. Compares well o Shiner Bock, but not to the original German Bocks. Reasonable.

Midnight Extra Stout, 6.3% ABV Rich, robust and bitter. Tastes good with a pleasant aftertaste, but not different enough to inspire a switch from Guinness draft. Reasonable.

Australia, Brisbane, Sirromet Winery

2007-11-24T01:18:00.002-06:00

Queensland has a small but growing wine industry. Although the climate represents a challenge for viticulturists, the state appears to show promise, particularly for red wines. There are currently 170 wineries in ten wine producing regions growing grapes on 1,500 hectares (approximately 3,700 acres)

The state of Queensland itself is a designated wine zone. Within the state there are two official regions, the Granite Belt covering 790 hectares or approximately 2,000 acres and South Burnett with 420 hectares or approximately 1,000 acres under grape cultivation. The Granite Belt is approximately three hours south west of Brisbane in the mountains on the border between Queensland and New South Wales, South Burnett is two hours north west of Brisbane on the rolling hills of the Great Dividing Range. There are several other smaller growing areas that produce unique wines.

Sirromet Winery is on 560 acres on Mount Cotton just a short drive from Brisbane's Central Business District. The winery buildings, a restaurant and tasting room sit on top of Mount Cotton surrounded by grape vines. Moreton Bay and the sand ridges of North Stradbroke Island can be seen in the distance. The grapes grown on Mount Cotton are used exclusively for producing fortified wines, the climate is not suitable for grape varietals used to produce table wines. The grapes for their award winning red, white and sparkling wines are produced at the Sirromet owned Seven Seas and St Jude's vineyards in the Granite Belt.

This is a link to the winery web site. On the site there is more information on Club Sirromet. Membership in the club entitles the holder to 15% discount on wine purchases and at the restaurant, but requires one to purchase a case of wine per quarter. There is also more information on the restaurant, Luraleen's recently voted 'Australia's Best Restaurant in a Winery' The restaurant was fully booked on our visit to the winery so we were unable to sample the food.
http://www.sirromet.com/index.html

We tasted fifteen different wines and though the memory is a little bit fuzzy, the scribbled notes indicate that the 2005 Seven Seas Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot, produced from grapes grown in the Granite Belt, was enjoyable. It was light and fresh on the nose and fresh and clean on the palate with hints of strawberry and apple, retails for $25 at the winery. Jacquelynn liked the 2006 820 Above Rose, also produced from Granite Belt grapes, this was a little flowery on the nose for me, and the palate followed the nose with hints of strawberry and rose but little residual sweetness. $15 at the winery. My favorite was the 2005 Seven Seas Cabernet, which had a rich chocolate and cassis nose and lovely firm fruit flavors and soft tannins on the palate. An intense, rich red wine that will go perfectly with the steak on the barbie we will have tomorrow. $25 at the winery.

After the tour and the tasting we sat outside and enjoyed a shrimp sandwich and a very nice cheese plate for an early afternoon lunch. I enjoyed a glass of cabernet with the cheese, then Jacquelynn, Chloe and I napped in the car while Colin, our designated driver, piloted us home safely.

Australia, Brisbane, Australian Outback Spectacular

2007-11-23T18:58:00.003-06:00

Billed as the show "to make Australians feels good about themselves" the Australian Outback Spectacular is an evening dinner show set in a 1,000 seat arena. It is indeed spectacular.

Each visitor entering the building is handed a straw stockman's hat as part of the entry price. Each hat has a maroon or yellow head-band to identify which side of the arena that person will sit. Then the two sides cheer for a particular station as the riders from each station battle it out through a series of outback related competitions to win the prize as top station for the night.

The evening starts in the Aussie pub, where beer from several of the brand names owned by the Foster's Group can be bought together with any number of drinks in glasses with stems or bases that light up. In the picture Jacquelynn isn't really drinking from two glasses at once, she is holding Colin's beer while he snaps the photo. The walls of the pub contain bric-a-brac and photos from the outback stations, and an Australian country singer entertains the audience while they wait for the start time.

The show starts with a stirring audio-visual presentation of the early history of Australia when the Aborigines lived in harmony with the land.

Then the games begin. One side of the arena cheers for the stockmen and women of Austral Downs and the other side cheers for Wondoola Station. We shouted and stamped and clapped for Austral Downs.

The competition was spectacular, the riders were talented and expert horsemen and women as the hung from their saddles at full gallop or raced flags to the finish line or mustered and broke colts. Of course, there was a sheep muster with a well trained sheepdog herding sheep around the arena and a depiction of helicopter mustering of longhorn cattle.

The show continued while we ate a very good dinner of Queensland salad served with tangy mango dressing followed by barbecue eye fillet steak with gravy seasoned with plum sauce and served with garden vegetable and a piece of Damper - the bushman's bread. Desert was a baked Pavlova served with a Queensland berry sauce and country cream. Beer, wine and soft drinks were available at no extra charge during the meal.

The show ended with a spectacular display of patriotism as the whole cast performed an amazing routine incorporating the Australian flag.

An excellent evening that was well worth the price of admission (AUD$95 per person) Picture taking is not allowed in the arena, so to see pictures of the show and get more information visit their web site at http://outbackspectacular.myfun.com.au/index.htm

Australia, Brisbane, The Coffee Club

2007-11-16T04:42:00.007-06:00

Coffee drinking in Australia has a long history that comes from the influx of Italian immigrants that gained strength from the late 1800’s through to modern times and now coffee drinking has become an integral part of the modern lifestyle for many younger Australians. The Coffee Club’s first premises in 1988 were in a small store on the banks of the Brisbane river. From those small beginning has grown a franchised operation of more than 150 outlets around Australia and New Zealand.

Each franchise is based on great coffee but franchise owners personalize their stores. The particular Coffee Club we visited, in The Gap, had a great coffee shop, and a full selection of snacks and sandwiches on the menu. The coffee was great, and the toasted banana and walnut cake smeared with fresh butter was wonderful. But the neatest idea was a small fenced area for tots to play with a padded floor and padded things to climb on and toys to play with. Mums would come and sit around the play area having their morning coffee while their kids (ages 1 - 4) cavorted in the play area.

CA, Simi Valley, Elephant Bar and Restaurant

2007-11-13T23:13:00.002-06:00

One of the pleasures visiting the Moorpark, CA office is the availability of wine by the glass in most of the restaurants in the area. Casual dining restaurants like the Elephant Bar (www.elephantbar.com) in Simi valley have 20 or more wines by the glass with prices ranging from $5.25 for Beringer White Zinfandel or Mondavi Woodbridge Chardonnay or Cabernet to $6.95 for Kendall Jackson’s Vintner Reserve Merlot or Cabernet. At the Elephant Bar all but two of the wines – a Pinot Grigio from Ca’vit ($5.25 per glass) and Reislong from Chateau Ste Michelle ($5.95) are from California. The house wines are Vendange at $4.75 per glass. Portions are generous, moderate prices do not mean small servings at the Elephant Bar.

A really nice surprise was splits of Domaine Chandon for $6.50. One of the nicer pleasures in life is to relax after a 12 or 13 hour day with a glass of sparkling wine and watch the world go by.

While checking out the wine list I ate the Shrimp Adventure Platter. This was a combination of large coconut fried shrimp, teriyaki glazed shrimp and breaded fried shrimp served French fried potatoes and a mish-mash of overcooked vegetables and two dipping sauces. The best part was the Teriyaki shrimp, the other shrimp were completely overwhelmed by the breading.

Service was excellent. Amanda was attentive without being overbearing. The food arrived hot, the drinks were served expeditiously and the bill presented promptly

CA, Simi Valley, The Courtyard Hotel

2007-11-12T22:24:00.001-06:00

Simi Valley’s main claim to fame is that it is the home of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. Whatever your politics the library is worth a visit if only to feast your eyes on the magnificent view across the valley from the gardens and to walk through the Boeing 707 Reagan used as Air Force One.

The Courtyard hotel in Simi Valley is conveniently located at the Madera Road exit off the Ronald Reagan highway (CA 118) in a shopping center that includes a Wal*Mart, Bev Mo liquor store, Home Depot and casual dining or fast food at Applebees, Subway, Fune Sushi, Garlic Jims Famous Gourmet Pizza, Panda Wok Chinese, Panda Express Chinese and It’s a Grind Coffee or across the road a Taco Bell, Chili’s or Marie Calendars Pies.

The rooms are comfortable and reasonably large. Each room contains one or two beds, a couch to watch TV and a desk with high speed internet. The beds are comfortable and the sheets soft, but sometimes the towels don’t quite reach the same standards. Each room has it’s own air conditioner / heater that can be a little noisy when the fan is working on high.The staff are friendly, competent and helpful. Breakfast is not included in the room price, the selections include both hot and cold buffet items and at night there is a cash bar serving bottled beer, wine by the glass and mixed drinks during the week. Behind the hotel in a small garden between the hotel and the Wal*Mart is a small swimming pool and Jacuzzi tub. Overall rates are reasonable for the business traveler at $170 - $200 a night.

TX, Houston, Skyline Deli cafe

2007-10-31T21:34:00.002-05:00

717 Texas, Suite 150, Houston, TX 77002 (Ground floor of the Calpine Center)

There are four Skyline Deli locations around Houston, the one I visit regularly is one block north of Jones Hall in what used to be the Calpine Center. It may still be the Calpine Center, but Calpine no longer have offices in the building, the main tenant in the building appears to be oil company Conoco Phillips. The building is at the end of the underground tunnel network on a little used branch that is accessed from the north side of the Chase Tower tunnel.

This Skyline Deli is open from 6:30 am to 4:00 pm though not much happens in the mid morning after breakfast finishes and before lunch starts. But at lunchtime there is always a line to buy a freshly made designer salad or a hot meal or a sandwich or a wrap or panini.

The salads are made to order, choose romaine or iceberg lettuce or spinach, add five toppings from a selection of 20 or more including artichokes, beetroot, chopped peppers, black or green olives, chicken, tuna, shrimp, chopped or cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, jalapenos, cucumber, onion, hard boiled egg, baby corn and several others that I cannot recall, then add one or two scoops of dressing from a selection of ten and watch one of the staff mix it all together and you have a great salad for less than $5.00.

If salad isn’t your repast of desire, try a hot plate of mashed potatoes, meat loaf and green beans. The selection of hot food changes daily, though there are always hamburgers or Philly cheese steaks, home made Chilli and soup available. About $6.00 for a hot meal or $4.00 for a burger. And if non of these tickle your fancy then resort to a sandwich and a side for $6.00 from a selection of 18 exotic mixings or design your own sandwich from a great selection of 9 breads, 15 meats, 5 cheeses, 15 dressings and 10 toppings for $5.00. That makes to many variations to count, but it’s a lot. Then if you are still hungry there are cakes and pies and ice cream for desert and a coffee bar that makes good espresso and hot tea. Coke and Dr Pepper from the soda fountain are $1.20.

The tables and chairs are clean and most days there are tables available by the large windows looking out onto Milam Street. It’s a nice place to sit for a while and watch the people walking by. There is free wireless internet if you must bring a computer to lunch.

TX, Houston, Panini (sandwiches and salads)

2007-10-30T20:52:00.002-05:00

711 Louisiana, Houston, TX 77002 (underneath Pennzoil Tower)

There is much fast food available in the tunnels that join the buildings of downtown Houston. There is, of course, a Starbucks every second or third building, but fortunately most of the restaurants and sandwich shops are run by entrepreneurs content to make a living between 11:00 and 3:00, five days a week.

One such sandwich shop is Panini. Panini means sandwich in Italian and at Panini’s there are sandwiches galore as well as pizza and salads. The sandwiches generally are excellent - I particularly like the Lamb Roast with lettuce, tomato and melted cheese – and many of the sandwiches are available in half sizes. There’s not much ambience and only three small tables, but there is usually room to sit in the courtyard outside the shop and watch the office workers swarm past on their way to a favorite eatery or making haste to a meeting in another building.

Sandwiches are made to order on wheat, white, flat or Italian Ciabatta bread. Grab chips from the display behind the pillar, pick a drink from the refrigerator and stand in line to order your Club or Roast Beef or Chicken Salad sandwich or Chef salad.

The sandwiches are made quickly and for seven or eight dollars, (four dollars if you have half a sandwich and no drink or chips) the hunger pangs are staved off once again and energy returns so one can face another afternoon staring at disembodied numbers – and a few words – on a computer screen.