August 27, 2016 with Shannon Griffin & Presqu'ile Wine

Our third Supper Club event of 2016 was this past Saturday and AGAIN, it was a rousing success! Chef Shannon Griffin created a lovely meal with her twin brother Sean assisting. We all had out favorites but mine was the Bucatini Pasta with sausage!

-Snacks-
Hamachi Crudo
Persian cucumber, yogurt, marash pepper

Rustic Sourdough Crostini
tomato agrodolce, burrata

-Family Style-
Roasted Beets
grains, apples, goat cheese, arugula

Bucatini Pasta
pork & fennel sausage, swiss chard, pangrattato

Slow Cooked Ora King Salmon
creamed corn, poblano, pistachio

Smoked Beef Short Ribs
garlic-chili broccolini, horseradish gremolata, crème fraiche

-Dessert-
Fresh Figs & Mascarpone
orange blossom honey, salted almonds, basil

Presqu'ile Wines came and lent us the very talented Matt for the evening to tell us all about grapes, terroir, and wine-making in Santa Maria. We started off with their Sparkling Blanc de Blancs followed by the Pinot Noir Rose, the Chardonnay and finishing off with the Pinot Noir. A delightful set of wines and many of our eat+drink-ers went home with a bottle or two under their arms.

Always fun and games at a Supper Club event. Someone has kidnapped Ed the Gnome! We haven't received a ransom letter yet but we're sure it will arrive soon. We need proof that he's alive!

May 31, 2014 with Richard Wilson

I can’t get enough of Ross’ amazing pictures from our May 31st Italian Supper Club dinner with Chef Richard Wilson and Olabisi Wine from Napa. I’m just going to post them all!!!

Menu

Antipasto
Bruschetta over marscapone mousse
with a balsamic reduction on sourdough baggette.
Asiago Prosciutto wrap with a sprig of basil over multi-seed flat bread.
2010 Olabisi Napa Chardonnay

Insalata Italiano
Baby head mixed greens, roasted baby beets, artichoke hearts, nicoise olives, feta cheese, dressed with a lemon vinaigrette.
2011 Olabisi Carneros Chardonnay

Entrata
Pasta Inferno with meatballs, sausage and a savory red sauce.
2011 Olabisi Proprietary Red Blend

Dolce
Peach Tiramisu

RAO's (Las Vegas)

I recently spent a long weekend in Las Vegas.  Like most Southern California residents, I end up there a couple times a year.  It’s the playground of Los Angeles.  This particular trip had been scheduled for months and months as a present for my aunt to see Celine Dion in concert - one of her favorite performers.

We had a weekend scheduled full of food and shopping and chit-chatting and gambling - well, only two of us gambled so the other two ate and drank more (I was one of those two).  

Our first big meal was at Rao’s - the Las Vegas outpost of the New York City Italian food mecca.  I’ve never eaten at the one in New York but it's apparently impossible to get in to and because of that, I think many dismiss the food as less than spectacular.  I really think Italian food is all about how it makes you feel and who you’re eating it with.  That’s why this dinner was extra special because I could share it with my half-Italian mother and aunt - both great cooks in their own right.

You may know Rao’s by their famous pasta sauce that is sold at many grocery stores across the country.  I didn’t even realize we use it all the time!

We started it all off with the Fritto Misto which was a little unusual because it included shrimp, cod and little julienne zucchini along with the calamari.  I LOVED the calamari.  The rest I could do without but my mother really enjoyed the cod.  I was the only one who really wanted the Caprese Salad and I ate almost all of it myself.  It was exactly what I’d expect at a good Italian restaurant.  

On to main courses, we shared the Veal Milanese with the Hot & Sweet Cherry Peppers that normally come with the Veal or Pork Chop at our waiter’s recommendation.  He said it would be spicy and it was!  Tere loved it, the rest of us just kept trying to cool off our tongues.

We also split three pastas: the Shells with Ricotta Sauce, Penne Vodka and  the Rigatoni Filetto di Pomodoro.  You can see all the details to them in the menu.  All three were very good although I really liked the Shells with Ricotta best - that ones a keeper!

We didn’t take any time for dessert as we ran out for the Celine Dion concert but we went out after at Serendipity 3….stay tuned!

Heather’s Rating: Worth Going Back