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Roasted Garlic Stuffed Beef Tenderloin with Western Plain Hash and Syrah Demi-Glace

2008-04-14T13:35:00.000-07:00

Growing up in Texas it is a given that one will eventually learn how to grill. Thus my modus operandi when it came to steak had always been the grill. That was until chef Tim Love (Lonesome Dove in Fort Worth) rocked my world forever with his tenderloin recipe and its call for steaks in the saute pan and oven. Seriously? Yeah, seriously - my wife can attest - these are the best steaks I've ever cooked. Genuine steakhouse quality. Bon apetit!

Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:
4 8 oz. beef tenderloin fillets (filet mignon)
10 garlic cloves, roasted
1 cup red pepper, julienne
1 cup red onion, julienne
1 cup green cabbage, julienne
1 cip red cabbage, julienne
2 cups veal stock reduced by half
1 cup syrah (red wine)
2 russet potatoes
4 cups peanut oil
1/4 cup jalapeno, minced
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 cup olive oil

Demi-Glace Preparations:
1) In a sauce pot, add 1/2 cup of wine, and bring to boil.
2) After half has evaporated, add veal stock, and reduced by 2/3. Keep warm.
3) Make a small slit in the side of each tenderloin with a paring knife, and stuff 1 large colve of garlic in each, and set aside.

Hash Preparations:
1) In a 4 quart sauce pan, add peanut oil, and heat to 325 degrees.
2) On a mandolin, or by hand, julienne the potatoes to 1/8 inch strips and rinse in cool water to remove sme starch.
3) When oil reaches 325 degrees, carefully drop potatoes in oil, stirring frequently. Cook for approximately 4 minutes or until golden brown.
5) Remove potatoes from oil, and place in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
6) In a large, hot, iron skillet or flat grill, put 1/4 cup of olive oil, and add peppers, cabbage, onions, and remainder of garlic.
7) Cook until cabbage is wilted, adding, salt and pepper to taste.
8) Add remainder of wine to cabbage mixture and simmer.
9) Reserve and keep warm.

Steak Preparations:
1) In a hot saute pan, add 1/4 cup olive oil.
2) Season fillets by liberally rubbing the salt and pepper into the top and bottom of the steak.
3) Place all four steaks in the pan, sear on high for 1 1/2 minutes on each side, and place in a 350 degree oven for 4 minutes for medium-rare to medium.

To plate, place potatoes in the center of the plat, and add the cabbage on top. Place tenderloin on top of the cabbage, and pour demi-glace on top of the steak. If desired, garnish with a seasonal green vegetable like grilled asparagus or green beans.

Sweet Corn and Queso Mashed Potatoes

2008-04-12T17:32:00.000-07:00

The other night my wife and I were in the mood for some steaks. I've never really put too much creativity into the side dishes when steak is the entree, so I decided to search for something interesting. I'm from Texas; steak is synonymous with Texas - so I started my search with the best chefs in the Lone Star state. The result of my search was this fantastic recipe from chef Dean Fearing (Mansion at Turtle Creek and Fearing's in Dallas):

Time: 45 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
6 russet potatoes, peeled
5 tablespoons butter (divided use)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 shallot, minced
2 ears yellow corn (kernels sliced from the cob)
3 ounces queso fesco
1 pint half-and-half (or less, to taste)
Salt to taste

Directions:
1. Place potatoes in large pot and cover with water. Bring water to boil. Reduce to simmer, cook potatoes for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a fork. Drain.
2. Place potatoes in large bowl and mash by hand for homestyle (slightly lumpy) mashed potatoes, or with an electirc mixer for smoothness.
3. Bring medium saute pan to medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon butter. Add garlic and saute until very light brown, about 1 minute.
4. Add shallot; saute for 1 minute. Add corn kernels and saute for 2 minutes.
5. Remove pan from heat and add mixture to mashed potatoes. Fold in cheese. Stir to combine well; taste for seasoning.
6. Melt remaining 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) butter. Add melted butter.
7. Slowly add up to 1 pint half-and-half, stirring well so consistency is not too thin. Add salt to taste, and stir.
8. Keep warm until served.

Grilled Salmon Fillets with Sweet Corn, Tomato and Avacado Relish

2008-04-12T17:06:00.000-07:00

As salmon season kicks off this month with fresh, wild King Salmon from Alaska now available, I've been looking for some new salmon recipes. So far one of the best yet is this one from chef Emeril Lasasse. The only restaurant of Emeril's I've ever been to is Delmonico Steakhouse in Las Vegas and it was a wonderful experience. His bold Cajun flavors I think are best displayed with seafood - and this recipe is no exception. A nice crisp, white goes well with this dish.

Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
2 cups corn kernels
2 large Creole or other vine-ripened tomatoes, cored and cut into 3/4 inch dice
2 Hass Avocados, peeled, seeded and diced
6 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
4 six-ounce salmon fillets, with the skin
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Emeril's Original Essence
Lemon wedges, for serving

Directions:
1. In a mixing bowl combine the corn, tomatoes, avocados, onions, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper.
2. Toss to combine and set aside.
3. Position the grill to the open grill position and preheat to the "max" setting.
4. Lightly brush the salmon fillets with the olive oil and season with the remaining salt, pepper, and Essence.
5. Place the fillets on the grill, skin-side down, and cook until the skin is crisp, 12 to 15 minutes.
6. Turn and cook the fillets until opaque and medium-rare, about 3 to 4 minutes longer, depending on the thickness of the fillets.
7. To serve, place the fillets ono the centers of the 4 plates, then spoon some of the relish over the top.
8. Garnish with lemon wedges.

2005 Pascal Jolivet Sancerre

2008-03-04T11:01:00.000-08:00

This was one of the most interesting white wines I've had in quite a while. While I prefer Sauvignon Blanc over Chardonnay, I have, for the most part, mostly had Sauvignon Blanc wines from either California, New Zealand or South Africa. These are crisp wines with normally a floral nose and grassy, mineral notes.

The Pascal Jolivet Sancerre (French) surprised me with its peach-like fruit that was balanced with almost a chalky kind of minerality. When I researched the wine some more I found that it was grown in 50% limestone, 30% chalky clay, 20% flint rock. Very interesting soil.

Isabell and I had this wine with coho salmon and mango salsa. The wine definitely held up to the freshness and kick of spice in the dish.

Ca'Marcanda Promis

2008-01-13T11:06:00.000-08:00

One afternoon Bell and I were taking our daily six mile walk in Rome. We were going down a very unassuming street near the Campo de Fiori called via Pellegrino, when we saw a restaurant - no signs on the outside at all - that happened to have a Michelin sticker in the window. The restaurant was called Bric and we decided to makes a reservation for our last dinner on this wonderful trip to Italy. Bric really does deserve its own post, because the meal was amazing - our best during this trip. What helped was that we had the best wine on the trip as well, the 2003 Ca'Marcanda Promis, a red blend from the Tuscan region. Only after we got the bottled did I discover that Ca'Marcanda is a project from Italian wine icon, Angelo Gaja. The wine was deep, with dense black fruits and mineral notes with a pleasantly ripe and lifted personality.

This is a special wine that provided a fitting end to a very special trip.

Marchese Antinori Chianti Classico

2008-01-13T10:56:00.001-08:00

A dinner at a very unassuming ristorante called Abruzzi, near the Vittorio Emanuele monument in Rome, came the discovery of another fantastic Chianti Classico: the 2001 Marchese Antinori. Was I biased because of the Antinori name again? Absolutely, but Isabell nor I had ever had this particular chianti - the reserve for Antinori.

This lovely wine was deep ruby red with light garnet hues. It had pronounced cherry and violet fruit with tobacco nuances on the nose. It was a full-bodied and rounded red wine of remarkable depth, structure and length... all for 22 euros ($28). The next day I found the wine at an enoteca near our hotel and saw it retailed for 19 euros.

So what justifies so many American restaurants marking up mediocre wine by 50%??

Paolo Scavino Barbera d'Alba

2008-01-13T10:35:00.000-08:00

On New Year's day Isabell and I walked from our hotel near the Vatican to the fun, but low-key area of Rome called Trastevere. We had dinner reservations at an osteria called Ferrara. Upon being seated we were given two books, both about six inches wide. They were the white and red wine lists respectively. It took us nearly ten minutes just to page through the books. We settled on a barbera from the Piedmonte region, taking a breather from Tuscan wines. The 2001 Paolo Scavino Barbera d'Alba was an excellent wine that we enjoyed throughout dinner. Unlike many of the Tuscan wines we had, this barbera was more smooth than dry, more dark berry than cherry, and had a nice floral aroma. I looked into Paolo Scavino a bit more after we had this wine and discovered his well respected as an excellent winemaker of barberas and barolos.

Isole e Olena Chianti Classico

2008-01-13T09:44:00.000-08:00

Before we left for Italy I called a great wine shop in Napa called the Bounty Hunter, where I have bought wine now for the last couple of years. I asked about winery recommendations for Italy and they gave me the name of Isole e Olena just outside of Florence. Unfortunately Isabell and I were not able to make it to the winery, but while strolling through the medieval town of San Gimignano I spotted the wine in a local enoteca. So, we bought a bottle of the 2004 vintage. It was a great wine with cherry and beery fruits on the nose and palate, followed up a touch of chocolate on the finish. No meal with this wine - but we did enjoy it from our hotel room in Rome for New Year's!

Antinori La Braccesca Vino Nobile de Montepulciano

2008-01-12T12:41:00.000-08:00

No trip to Florence is complete without going to La Spada - home of the Bruno special and a staple for those who went to Gonzaga-in-Florence. It is a real tribute to the larger-than-life personality of Fr. Bruno Segatta that by simply stating his name, the entire staff of La Spada treats you like a regular and a friend. Amazing.

To add to the nostalgia of this meal I ordered an Antinori wine. As a student at Gonzaga both Isabell and I took classes in the famed Palazzo Antinori just down the street from La Spada. But this go around I ordered an Antinori I had never seen, the La Braccesca Vino Nobile de Montepulciano. On the nose, the wine was intense and had typical aromas of fruits with a delicate hint of vanilla. On the palate it was structured and well-balanced. A great wine for my meat and potatoes!

Monteraponi Chianti Classico

2008-01-12T12:21:00.000-08:00

For the past two week my wife and I have been in Italy. Before I left my intention was to blog from there about various wines and restaurants we came across during our trip. Two things prevented this from happening: 1) Italy rates near the bottom of the European Union in internet connectivity - and it showed. Finding an internet connection in either our hotel or internet cafes was a little tough. And when we did the prices were ridiculous. The most laughable was our hotel in Rome: 10 euros ($15) get you one hour of internet time. And 2) We were in Italy - the home of long meals and so much history it would literally take a lifetime to see it all, which makes blogging not much of a priority. Ok, excuses out of the way, on to the good stuff...

For dinner one night in Florence we went to an enoteca/ristorante called Enotria. The restaurant was a little out of the city center walls, about a ten minute walk from our hotel and the Santa Maria Novella train station, and the prices reflected this - as did the patrons. This was a great local place that took a lot of pride in matching great Italian wines with classic Tuscan fare. Isabell and I both ordered a pairing menu where we got an anitpasti, pasta, and main course all matched with selected wines. Each of our meals was excellent and the wines were great, too. One wine in particular stood out to me: the 2003 Monteraponi Chianti Classico. It embodied all that is great about chianti, but offered tastes that were complex and smooth. I had this wine pared with my pasta: rigatoni with a classic Florentine ragout sauce. Fantastic!

I ended up buying the 2003 Monteraponi Chianti Classico reserve to bring home, as well as another Classico that the manager highly recommended.

A Thanksgiving Memory

2007-12-04T06:35:00.000-08:00

One of the most difficult wine pairing always seems to be the Thanksgiving meal. There are just too many different kinds of food (and too much food period) to have a pairing that is spot-on. So to solve this conundrum I went to my favorite wine columnists over at The Wall Street Journal, Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher. Their take? Drink American...

So after some inspiration to find a good American cab, but not something I've seen on menus and at the store, I needed to go to someone in the know - in this case it was Paul Rakovich, the sommelier at Delmonico Steakhouse in Las Vegas whom Isabell and I met back in June. I sent Paul an e-mail asking about a great American cabernet that was a little off the radar for most. On his recommendation I ended up buy the O'Shaughnessy Winery 2004 Howell Mountain cabernet sauvignon. The wine was fantastic and did what all great wines do: it made the day, our first Thanksgiving together, a memorable one.

Here are the tasting notes on the wine:

Deep, dark ruby red color with a vibrant purple hue and an almost opaque core. Complex aromas of black cherry, black currant, tobacco, sandalwood, leather, smoked meats and chocolate. This wine has a purity of place and minerality with black pepper, orange rind and soy sauce qualities. Mixed red berry flavors and sweet vanilla cream with an excellent acid, tannin balance that lingers on the palate. An elegant yet extracted wine that is impressive upon release.

A Great Night

2007-11-03T13:01:00.000-07:00

Last night Bell and I had our friends Sean and Liz O'Connor over for some appetizers and wine. It was yet another reminder that some of the best times spent are at the table with friends. The conversation was fun, the food delicious and the wine excellent. Our fare for the evening was Thai pork loins with grilled bok choy, poached shrimp in a Cajun butter sauce, spinach artichoke dip, and a peanut butter chocolate pie. To compliment the eats we had a 2005 Schweiger chardonnay, a 2002 Joseph Swan zinfandel, and a port from Dutcher Crossing.

A Trip to California Wine Country

2007-10-12T14:55:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've posted on the latest food and wine experiences for me and Isabell. For good reason: we got married on September 15th!

We honeymooned in Napa-Sonoma and that of course brought about plenty of amazing food and wine experiences, not to mention a fantastic hotel we stayed in. Instead of trying to cram something about each winery into one post, I figured that I will provide commentary over the next several months as we open some of the wine we brought back. But in installment number one I will review all the happenings of our first stop: Healdsburg.

After the wedding we flew to San Francisco, hopped on the 101 across the Golden Gate Bridge toward Sonoma Valley. For the first three nights we stayed in the cool little town of Healdsburg, at the Hotel Healdsburg. This hotel was easily one of the most enjoyable hotel experiences for both of us. Amazing place. In the hotel is a Charlie Palmer (of New York's Aureole fame) restaurant called Dry Creek Kitchen. The restaurant was recently awarded a Michelin star and did not disappoint. We had a 2003 Hafner Cabernet Sauvignon that was very good.

A day latter we walked down the street to Cyrus, a two star Michelin restaurant. This is bold but Isabell and I both agreed that it was the best restaurant we have ever been to - absolutely epic. The wine we selected was a 2005 Unti Grenache and it was very lively and fun. The food, service, atmosphere, wine, and obviously the company were perfect. Definitely a evening we will never forget.

As you might have guessed, Bell and I stopped into several wineries during our time in Healdsburg. I will dedicate an entire post to our wine tasting experiences soon.

Another Seattle's Best

2007-10-12T14:33:00.001-07:00

On my way over to class last Thursday at Seattle U I spotted a new coffee shop: Stumptown Coffee Roasters. I made a quick trip over during a break from class and decided to try it out. The verdict: excellent coffee! The atmosphere was what I call modern-attic - urban, industrial, but comfortable too. Perks include free wi-fi and daily cuppings (tastings).

After doing a little research I found out that Stumptown is a Portland boutique coffee roaster that has garnered a ton of accolades from the likes of Food & Wine, Wine Spectator, Entrepreneur Magazine, and USA Today. Good to have another quality coffee company in Seattle!

A Seattle Staple

2007-09-03T10:16:00.000-07:00

Last Friday was Isabell's birthday and we already had plans to have a little party at our new place. So that meant that I needed to find a good lunch spot to take the place of a birthday dinner. Neither of us had been to Tom Douglas's Dahlia Lounge, so we decided to give it a shot. The food was classic Douglas: northwest fare with interesting sauces and fantastic desserts. More on that later... Lunch rules be damned, we both had a glass of wine: Bell had a nice Cotes du Rhone that really came alive with her spicy pork and rice dish; I had a viognier that was very nice with Tom's classic crab cakes. But the real wow of the meal came at dessert. We had a pear tart with caramel sauce. Good food, good wine, good company, good times for Bell on her birthday!

A Different Kind of Wine Bar

2007-08-18T08:36:00.000-07:00

After going so big on Wednesday night at Canlis, Bell and I wanted to pace down and have one glass of wine with a light dinner. We headed over to a new spot in Belltown called The Local Vine.

Be warned: wines by the glass are not cheap - look for $12-15 minimums. However, every wine they pour is both generous and more importantly excellent. A nice addition to a solid list of wines is the food, which is made by the owners/chefs of Crush. We ended up having some chorizo gulf shrimp with lime and roasted flank steak with blue cheese potatoes. Both come in appetizer-size

proportions. We are looking forward to heading back, but maybe next time with a few more friends to split a bottle.

An Epic Night

2007-08-18T08:17:00.000-07:00

This past Wednesday was my birthday and Isabell's is sixteen days later. The mere proximity of dates was grounds for a double celebration, so we made a reservation at a Seattle institution: Canlis. The night started out in a surprising and memorable way. We were brought two glasses of top vintage Krug champagne courtesy of our good friend Emily. Excellent stuff! After sitting in the lounge area for about ten minutes we were seated at our table; a place with a great panoramic view of Lake Union.

We began with fresh oysters on the half shell and ordered a bottle of the 2004 Ramey Claret. A silky red that was excellent to drink all night. Bell has the rack of lamb with an Oregon blue cheese risotto and I had a New York strip. Her lamb was fantastic, while my steak was good, but far from the best I have ever had. What was the best I had ever had was the service - Canlis is second to none. Everyone who came by the table greeted us by name and even our car was waiting for us, doors open when we last the restaurant. Canlis is really on top of their game.

Another note: I absolutely loved the architecture. It was built in 1950 in a Frank Lloyd Wright inspired design that is still a classic today. My grandfather was an architect and big fan of Mr. Wright, so maybe some of his appreciation for great form has been passed down to me.

A Basque Gem

2007-08-06T09:43:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Isabell and I decided to try out a restaurant near our new place on the east side of Capitol Hill. We dropped into The Harvest Vine, a great Basque-style tapas restaurant. The place is very small and quickly fills every night, so we were lucky to grab two seats at the copper bar where we could watch and talk with the chefs. It was a lovely evening and a great place to eat - for both food and atmosphere. We dined on great white and red Spanish wines, some of the best cured meats we had ever had, steamed peppers that were the Basque equivalent of edamame, a nice filet of tuna with a vanilla bean olive oil sauce, and lastly a chocolate dessert with some dessert wine. On janari! (good food) - as the Basque would say.

Seattle's Best? - part III

2007-08-01T12:41:00.000-07:00

Beautiful day in Seattle. Hot for the northwesterns. For me, it's 'pleasant', so that means it's still a good day for coffee. Right now I am blogging from Fuel, near the new casa on Capitol Hill. It's has a relaxed vintage atmosphere, good size (10 tables), free wi-fi, and nice ambient beats playing in the background. Oh yeah, and the coffee - it's Caffee Vita, but the barista was good; I got a nice little pine tree in my cappuccino foam. Cool.

It Doesn't Get Any Better

2007-07-20T08:07:00.000-07:00

Last night Isabell and I went out with our very good friend Emily - current assistant director of Seattle's biggest indie movie company, absolute wine stud, and major foodie. We started the night at Seattle Cellars for their Thursday night tasting I mentioned in an earlier post. We have a flight of wines from Goose Ridge Winery here in Washington - good stuff. From there we walked down to a favorite of all three of us, Matt's in the Market. The restaurant recently re-opened after closing for several months and expanding. The new place is twice as big, views are even better, and the food still fantastic (Isabell had some amazing scallops). We scored a nice off-the-menu pinot noir from Belle Ponte in Oregon. After dinner we strolled over to Tavolata (pictured above) for one more drink. This is a great Italian restaurant and really cool space.

It really doesn't get any better than good food and wine with great friends.

Seattle's Best? - part II

2007-07-17T14:29:00.000-07:00

This post is coming live from my second coffee shop review: Cafe Dharwin on North Capitol Hill. The place is tiny (4 tables), but the barista was really nice and my cappuccino excellent. Like many places Cafe Dharwin serves Caffe Vita, but that's fine by me. Other notes: free wireless (why has Starbucks not caught on to this yet?) and proceeds of all sales go to a school in Africa. Nice work.

Stumbling...

2007-07-17T14:10:00.000-07:00

As last weekend drew to a close and Bell finished her third day of work at the hospital in a row, we agreed that we needed a date night. She did a little research and came up a cafe on Phinney Ridge called Stumbling Goat. Weird name, good food.

All of the food is organic and produced at small farms. The menu even lists the origin of the food. It is worth noting that we had a great wine too: Cadence - a red blend from Washington. We agreed that we will definitely stumble into this place again.

Reminds me of Paris

2007-07-15T16:47:00.000-07:00

Isabell had to work today so I decided to join my good friend Celeste, a University of Washington med student, at the law library at Seattle U for some study time (I needed to write a paper for my MBA class). When lunch rolled around I walked over to a new Parisian-style cafe called Presse. The place is the latest venture for the owners of Le Pichet downtown. I had sat at the bar, had a great little lunch, read the paper, and watched the first half of the Brazil - Argentina futbol match. All-in-all it was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Seattle's Best? - part I

2007-07-14T10:18:00.001-07:00

It would be a valiant effort to try and write about all the coffee shops Seattle has to offer in a single post. So instead I am going to keep a running diary of the places I drop into.

Today it's a great spot on Queen Anne called El Diablo. Highlights: the free internet and Mexican hot chocolate. Great stuff.

Eastlake Eats

2007-07-13T10:37:00.001-07:00

Isabell and I are moving into a new place on Capitol Hill in a couple of weeks, so our time in the Eastlake neighborhood of Seattle is short. There is not a whole lot in Eastlake when it comes to food and drink, but it does have some great spots.

We noticed that in the July issue of Food & Wine magazine the country's top new chefs were listed and one was from Seattle. His name is Matthew Dillon and his place is called Sitka & Spruce - which just so happens to be one block away. It is a great little eatery with a menu of fresh local foods that changes daily. We have only been there once, for dessert and coffee, but it was enough of a teaser to make a trip back soon for the whole thing.

Great Wine Shop

2007-06-29T13:54:00.000-07:00

I have only lived in Seattle for a couple of weeks now, but have come across a great wine shop. My definition of a great wine shop is one that carries a range of wine (in a global sense), leans more towards wines you would not normally find elsewhere, and has an attentive, fun, and helpful staff willing to work with whatever parameters are given them. Seattle Cellars in Belltown is a great wine shop. In addition to excellent selections and a helpful staff, they have tasting every Thursday from 7-9. I know where I'll be spending many of my Thursday evenings...

A Night Out in Seattle

2007-06-24T10:08:00.000-07:00

On the one hand it feels overwhelming trying to cover every place I might go out in my new hometown of Seattle; however, I am taking some solace in the fact that this will be more of a running dairy instead of a city guide of sorts. That said, on to installment #1...

Bell and I decided to buck the Seattle casual trend, dress up a bit, and hit a restaurant we have never been to: Purple Cafe. The restaurant was big, with a pretty cool interior. Overall I liked the scene, but it was also quite loud. Food: average, but we agreed that our crab cakes appetizer was excellent. We have a nice bottle of French wine from the Languedoc Roussillon region called Soulenes. Honestly, there were many good options, as Purple Cafe is really part wine bar, part restaurant. But we literally chose the wine by picking it without knowing what to expect. Needless to say it was a pleasant surprise.

After dinner we headed over to a going-away part of a friend of mine at Twist. This was a pretty cool lounge, with a few good areas to sit with friend. The problem was that most of the lounge seating was along one wall - pretty touch to talk to multiple people when you are all lined up in a row. That said, it was a pretty cool scene and worth a return visit.

Houston

2007-06-23T09:32:00.000-07:00

In late April of this year Isabell met me for a weekend in Houston. Most reasonable people would ask, "Why meet in Houston? It's not a destination." ... and they would be right. But after having lived in Houston for just over a year myself, I found the city is tough to beat when it comes to restaurants and the arts. Here is a run down of a few of the places Bell and I hit up - some of my Houston favorites:

~ Mark's, from chef Mark Cox. This is the best restaurant I have ever been to - hands down. Everything from the excellent and constantly changing menu of American cuisine to the great wine list to the old church-turned-restaurant atmosphere makes Mark's number one in my book. One of my good friends, Emily Resling used to be the wine director at Mark's, making each visit a even more of treat. On the night Bell and I came in to the restaurant she pulled what we both agree is the best bottle of wine either of us has ever had: a 2004 Joseph Swan pinot noir. Amazing. Emily's since moved on to a new position in Seattle (the new hometown for both of us), but remains a great wine insider for me.

~ Empire Cafe ranks right near the top of my list of favorite coffee houses. The cafe serves a great breakfast, has excellent coffee and espresso drinks and has nice outdoor patio - a must-have in Texas.

~ The Menil is the home of John and Dominique de Menil's personal art collection. Two things stand out about the Menil: 1) the range of the art work (Greek antiquity artifacts to Picasso's and Warhol's) and 2) the gallery is free to the public. It is pretty amazing to find a museum that is both world class in quality and free.

Las Vegas

2007-06-23T08:04:00.000-07:00

Isabell and I recently took a trip to Las Vegas with some friends. Las Vegas does not top my list of favorite travel destinations, as I am neither a big gambler nor one who loves to stay up until 4am. However, over the past few years Las Vegas has evolved into a place for top-class restaurants. So Bell and I decided we would go to Vegas not for the usual attractions, but so we could we what we do best: eat.

Here are a couple of highlights from our trip:

~ Breakfast at Bouchon, the famous younger sibling of Napa Valley's French Laundry. Renowned chef Thomas Keller offers an excellent breakfast menu - a true rarity in Vegas. The restaurant sits in a quiet courtyard area in The Venetian Towers. Bell and I didn't plan on going here... we sort of stumbled across the place. Needless to say it was a great find for two people looking to escape the noise of slot machines and eat a tasty breakfast.

~ Dinner at Delmonico Steakhouse, of chef Emeril Lagasse fame. To begin with the steaks were great, but not the best either of us has had. But two things did stand out: the wine list and the atmosphere.

The restaurant won a Wine Spectator "Grand Award" and that did not surprise me in the least when I saw the wine list was literally a book. It was fun to skim through the list and also refreshing to see that they were many wines that were approachable price-wise - rare for high-end steakhouses. But after a few minutes of browsing I decided to call upon the services of the sommelier, Paul Rakovich. Bell and I wanted to try something new and unique to go with our steaks and Paul did not disappoint. We had a 2004 Mas Doix Salanques, from Spain. The wine was inky, bold, and had a candy-like finish. It was excellent and more importantly, memorable.

The atmosphere of Delmonico is striking simple, yet elegant. Unlike most traditional steakhouses that are full of wood and brass, the restaurant had white walls, vaulted ceilings, and track lighting. It was a nice setting for our "big dinner" in Las Vegas.