Beer vs. Wine

It's always fun to attend work events esp our Dining Odysseys. It was the 5th annual Beer Vs. Wine, Beer and Wine were tied 2-2, this dinner was the tiebreaker. Food was fabulous (of course) and the drinks were even better, (the menu is below). Our chefs did an amazing job dining and entertaining 90+ people. To everyone's surprise BEER won! My favorite dish was the Hamachi "Fish N' Chips" paired with beer and my favorite wine was the Field Blend. YUM!! I'm pretty sure I'm still full from this dinner.



ROASTED GARDEN BEETS
Avocado pudding, beet gelee, arugula, minus 8 vinaigrette, candied walnuts
Beer: Stone Brewing, Cali-Belgique IPA
Wine: Raymond Reserve Sauvignon Blanc

HAMACHI “FISH ‘N CHIPS”
Hamachi en croute, onion chip, yuzu pickles, caper pistou, frisee, malt vinegar espuma
Beer: Iron Fist, Spice of Life
Wine: Sonoma Cuvee Chardonnay, Russian River Valley


SONOMA DUCK BREAST
Truffle butternut squash, fried brussel sprouts, pistachio crumb, duck jus
Beer: Lost Abbey, Lost and Found
Wine: Raymond R. Collection Lot No.3, Field Blend, California


SHORT RIB EN SOUS VIDE
Bleu cheese polenta, freeze dried corn, English peas, horseradish beef jus
Beer: St. Bernardus, Abt 12
Wine: Raymond Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa

MEYER LEMON PANNA COTTA
Candied persimmon, cookie crumble, micro lemon mint
Beer: Alesmith Horny Devil
Wine: Chateau Grand Piquey Sauternes, France

La Jolla

A few days ago I spent my work day in beautiful La Jolla visiting our bed & breakfast. Once there, we were welcomed by the pet concierge! (Too cute!) The property sits right along the shores of La Jolla and the room views are incredible. For lunch we dined at one of trusted restaurant partners and had items "off-menu" courtesy of the sous chef. It's always fun "to work" by the beach for the day!

Goodies

This week I experienced my first yakyudori (Japanese skewers) and ramen house in San Diego, Yakitori Yakyudori & Ramen. I played it safe by ordering beef and chicken breast yakudori then trying the ramen. MY goodness the portion was huge, the ramen enough could fill you up. Probably looked like a fat kid from ordering all this food.

Side note: At one of our hotels, we got a sneak peak of the one of the items we'll be offering during the holiday season. YUM!!

El Lay

Went to LA over the weekend, spent it with the amazing fiancé. What we did: The Getty, Wokcano, and Third Street Promenade. The Getty is flipping amazing, a much bigger space than I imagined. We were there for 3 hours and missed a few exhibits. Plan ahead and plan a whole day (unlike us where it was a spur of the moment visit). Wokcano was a little dark inside (insufficient lighting and I get the whole ambiance idea, it was still too dark), but delicious asian cuisine. Later the evening we went to fiancé's company party and met more of his amazing coworkers from the studio.

Sunday was spent in Santa Monica and strolled around Third Street Promenade with my cousin my UCLA (Weird that UCLA is located across the street from Bel-Air). At Third Street Promenade, there was an awesome impromptu Steve Jobs memorial in front of the Apple store. Anywho check it!