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
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Sunday, December 21, 2008
CA, Thousand Oaks, The Wine Yard
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/
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/
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Firestone Vineyard, Los Olivios, CA
Approximately 40 miles north west of Santa Barbara on Highway 101 or via the more direct route of Highway 154 is the Santa Ynez grape growing region. There are a dozen or so wineries in the area and wine tours are offered by several operators in Santa Barbara, but on this trip we elected what is arguably the most famous winery in the region – The Firestone Winery and Vineyard.
The drive to or from the winery is through beautiful country on either road. Highway 101 is the Pacific Coast Highway and for almost two thirds of the drive the road hugs the coast with spectacular views of the ocean and beaches. At Gaviota highway 101 turns sharply north and winds through pretty mountain scenery. The drive down highway 154 winds through mountain passes and across valley floors, reminding Patricia of the scenery around her home town in Cali, Colombia. We drove to the winery on Highway 154.
The Firestone family did an excellent job of building a winery that architecturally fits with the surroundings. The Firestone family (of Firestone tire fame) no longer owns the winery having sold it to a title company magnate a couple of years ago, but there are still many pictures of the Firestones in the tasting room and small museum.As with many wineries tasting is no longer free. At Firestone, for a $15 charge you get to taste three white and four red wines and keep the large engraved wine glass. My palate is not good enough to discern the nuances of blackberry and apples and tannins in the wine that the tasting notes described, but we agreed we liked the Sauvignon Blanc white and the Cabernet Sauvignon red and bought a bottle of each to bring back to Houston.
Since there was little going on at the winery because of the season, the winery tour was short and succinct, but still quite interesting. The tour guide was knowledgeable and personable and gave out lots of facts that kept the tour interesting.
We drove back to Santa Barbara on Highway 101 with a stop at the Firestone Walker brew-pub and restaurant.
CA, Buellton, Firestone Walker Taproom and Restaurant
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
· 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
Thursday, December 11, 2008
CA, Simi Valley, Pho So 1
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.
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.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
CA, Thousand Oaks, Galletto Bar and Grill
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
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
Sunday, December 7, 2008
CA, Moorpark, Cafe Firenze
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.
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.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
TX, San Antonio, Azuca Nuevo Latino
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
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
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
TX, San Antonio, Casa Rio Mexican Foods
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.
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.
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