Off the Vine

In our last entry, we told you about San Pedro Brewing Company, and right after eating there we took a walk over to Off The Vine which was another establishment we learned about from www.cruisecritic.com (which, by the way, is really great site to learn everything about cruises, including what to do in the cruise ports!) It was a short walk away, and they were having a wine tasting that night of Australian wines.


Neither Corinne or I were very familiar with wines from down under, so we thought it would be a good opportunity to enlighten ourselves. We walked inside and we were the only customers so we got to talking to the owners Mike and Alison. They were great company and we talked and tasted Australian wines for close to two hours.


Some friends of ours joined us shortly and, declining the wine tasting, Mike found some beers for them to sample. The place filled up as the night went on and it was a fantastic evening of good wines and new friends! We ended up leaving with two bottles of Heartland wines. One was Heartland Stickleback Red and a bottle of Heartland Viognier Pinot Gris. Both were very reasonably priced (under $20 each) and we figured they would be perfect to bring on the ship with us the next day to have with dinner or in our cabin.


If you have the chance to visit San Pedro, be sure to stop by Off the Vine, we know Mike and Allison will take good care of you.


Off the Vine
S. Pacific Ave Suite 103
San Pedro, CA 90731
(Located across from the
Warner Grand Theatre,
entrance off 6th street)
(310) 831-1551

San Pedro Brewing Co.

Just prior to the cruise that Corinne and I took last month, we spent the night in San Pedro. Of course being in a new town we had to try out the local restaurants. We decided on San Pedro Brewing Company because of good recommendations on cruisecritic.com. The brewing company is a small bar/grill in the heart of San Pedro with no more than 25 tables.

The décor was mostly historical San Pedro, with old pictures and portraits of important figures in the cities history. We took a table in the corner and ordered a couple of microbrews. Corinne enjoyed a Harbor Hefeweissen while I had a Point Ferman Pale Ale and later a Long Shoreman Lager.

Corinne desribed the Hefe as having fruity flavors of citrus and banana with a bittersweet finish and very bubbly. The Pale Ale was full flavored, lots of hops with a sweet finish while the Lager was a little bit smokey, medium bodied (but they called it their lightest beer) and with hints of vanilla flavor.

Our waiter brought us samples of each of the microbrews though the only one I remember was the Chocolate Porter, I can’t describe that one but I remember I liked it! They all had great flavor but none compared to my favorite Warsteiner. We ordered the Fire Grilled Marinated Tri-Tip sandwich and it was just out of this world. The menu described it as Tri-Tip on grilled sourdough with caramelized onions, jack cheese, roasted chilies and Santa Fe sauce. Sounded good, but that didn’t come close to describing how good it really was! It was without a doubt the best sandwich I have ever eaten!

We're Back!

We're back!
Lets face it. Cartoons make fun of them, comedians make cheap jokes about them. Cruises. A boat full of old people and all-you-can-eat-buffet-goers scarfing down platefuls of mass-produced "gourmet" food.
Sheesh. People are harsh! Daniel and I have just celebrated our First Year Anniversay. When we got married, we went on a cruise to the Mexican Riviera for our honeymoon. He loved it so much we booked another on that very cruise, for a year later, to celebrate our One Year mark.
I don't know why I can't find much on cruise food. I'm not a snob, but I certainly know good food when I see it (and taste it!) I guess the problem lies with the fact that there is this HUGE kitchen where chefs and cooks churn out mass-produced versions of otherwise gourmet dishes. The dishes are fresh, presented beautifully, and delicious! It is the best time to try new things.

Escargot? Otherwise rarely found (especially in this wasteland of chain-restaurants we call Phoenix), and also quite pricey... when Daniel (the reformed-picky-eater) saw escargot on the menu he thought "why not?" Carpaccio of beef? Other than making it ourselves I've never had the chance to actually eat carpaccio, I've only even been able to drool over it on food blogs and gourmet/travel shows. Lobster? While not uncommon, it is very pricey and very rare that we might actually go out to get some. I've been on three cruises and each of them have had a lobster night where the waiters wait around to shove another plate of tails in front of you shoudl you ask.
It is a virgin-foodies dream... ask any foodie from an area such as ourselves and we will tell you, since we don't have the chance to try such wonderful things as escargot in our own backyard, its great to be able to try them on the cruise, when, basically, you've already paid and if you don't like it, they will bring you something else ten more times until you find something you DO want.
We were very bad at getting pictures of everything. The lighting in the dining rooms is not the best for food pics, but below, dear readers, are some of the things we were fortunate to try, pick at, or devour!

Carpaccio of Beef with a citrus-cream sauce and capers. Mmm!

Daniels favorite - Escargot! We missed the night they served this (we were in Hacienda Alemana) so we asked the Maître d' about it and he had the kitchen make one especially for us!

The melted garlic butter drew me away from the fact that I was eating a garden critter... it was heavenly.

Ceviche complete with various shellfish, and a raw mussel. It was an interesting experience for Daniel (I'm proud of you babe!)

Onto the main courses!

Rack of Lamb (no mint jelly please!)

Roasted game-hen. I believe that little cake is sweet potatoes. Sage-mushroom stuffing seems familiar, but this was Daniel's dish not mine :)










Pasta with Pesto - There was also paper-thin sliced of potato that had soaked up the pesto flavors, as well as french-sliced green beans. A green-lovers dream (delicious as well)!









Veal - chops? Not sure exactly, but Daniel remembers its being delcious! (We'll get it right soon enough dear readers, maybe next time we will take pictures of the menus as well!)









Pheasant with Pan-gravy. Mmm, this was cooked perfectly, not dried out. It had the most delcious caramelized onions on top. Now I can cross Pheasant off the to-try list!











Now for dessert! This was a Coconut confection... we just loved the designs on the plate :)











Double Chocolate Mousse - white chocolate and dark chocolate pair together to make a heavenly finish to your meal! You can see the Princess Cruise sea witch logo on the chocolate... pretty presentation









Chantilly Swans, my favorite! This was offered the same night the escargot was, so the Maître d'had the kitchen make this esepcially for me as well :) I just love the presentation and I cannot beleive they make these little swans out of pastry dough!

Do you want to cruise now? I know I do... Keep a lookout for upcoming entries on the various restaurants we ate at while in port like Hacienda Alemana, Langosta Feliz, Victors on Stone Island, and a review of Off The Vine, a wonderful wine shop we visited in San Pedro before we left!

Corinne's Reviews - Recipe Sites

If you are a food blogger, I'm sure you are aware that there are a ton of sites geared just towards you as part of the foodie demographic...
When we first started blogging about food, I got lost in the tons of sites there are for foodies... In trying to get our name out there and trying to connect with other foodies, I'd tell Daniel, "I've signed up for so many sites I can't keep track anymore!" And he'd laugh at my ambitiousness.
There are sites I've mentioned already - Great Cooks Community, The Foodie Blogroll/Forums, plus a ton others... some geared towards specific foodie audiences, such as Indian foodies or bakers, and some geared towards the general plethora of the foodie community. There are social networking sites, and food-porn sites (think Tastespotting), foodie-encyclopedias (on everything from food styling to writing restaurant reviews), and of course, good old digital recipe-keeping sites. I tried tons of sites from Allrecipes to Recipezaar. While I like (and occasionally use) these sites... you need no telling from me about them... they are some of the most popular and more used... What I want is to tell you about the lesser-known ones... in hopes that maybe you'll find one that fits your needs better.

These are some of my favorite sites that I've stumbled on in my quest for food blogging satisfaction :)


Key Ingredient - A recipe-box site that has some great tools for food bloggers.

Features:

• Recipe "locking"which allows the user to choose whether their recipes can be built upon... always getting credit when your recipes are built upon, or not built upon, but still linked to, or the option to keep them totally locked in which people can't link to or build upon your recipes.

• Recipe privacy sharing only with other network members, only "friends" of your choosing, or completely private (like your own little recipe box)

• Html coding of recipes: This feature is what drew me to go to the site. Bloggers can take the HTML code that K.I. provides and paste it into their blog, the "digital recipe card" allows bloggers to show the recipe, along with a picture, and and "about" tab... all contained in a single form that shows up as a tabbed box your readers can click on to see the different features of the recipe. (see example at Dork Chow)

Group Recipes - A very interactive recipe site with a social twist. It calls itself a social network because the recipe rating, favorites, and grouping allows a lot of room for social contact.

Features:

• Personal digital recipe box - G.R.s Recipe Manager lets you save other's and your own recipes into your own recipe box which allows you to organize into main folders, then further by category/sub category. My box contains the folders: My Own Recipes, Want to Try, Favorites, and General... but they are customizable. The subcategories are divided into things such as appetizers, drinks, lunch dishes, etc.

• Another cool feature about the Recipe Manager? You can import recipes from external sites such as Recipzaar, etc... so you aren't limited to saving only tour own/G.R. users' recipes, and no re-typing in recipes that you don't already have in digital format

• The "Recipe Robot" - When you sign up to use G.R. you take a little quiz that determines your "taste profile." When you view a recipe, the Recipe Robot tells you what its predictions are for the recipe whether you will really love it, just like it, not enjoy it very much, etc... You can browse recipes as well as users by taste profile, so you can find stuff that fits you.

• Way cool search functions - You can also browse recipes by ingredients, or by flavor. Does a spicy chicken dish sound good to you right now? Great- type that in and all the recipes tagged spicy, hot, chicken, poultry, etc. will show up for you to drool over and use.

Other Features to look for:

• Html of own recipes - when you submit a recipe, it automatically converts it into html code so you can insert the code on your blog... this is my personal choice for putting recipes here at A.G.L.A.
  
• Groups - find recipes and meet foodies through similar food interests
• Comparison Queue - compare two or more recipes face to face.
• Ranking - doesn't affect the way you can use the site, but it sure is fun to submit as many recipes/comments as possible and watch your number go up!

Recipe Matcher - While this interactive site doesn't have a recipe box per say, it has some other awesome features that are sure to tickle your fancy.

Features:

• Search by ingredient - You can browse many recipes (submitted by admin and users) by the ingredients of your choosing. For example: You have cream that is going to expire if you don't use it today! Plus you have some other ingredients that you want to use up... type them in and Recipe Matcher will find recipes for you that contain said ingredients.

• You own personal "ePantry" - (for signed-up users) Browse a list of common kitchen/pantry items and check the boxes if you have it. Then, use the browse function to find recipes containing what you have. The list will be organized by percentage of ingrdients you already have... no more rushing out to the store to try a recipe you just found... work it the opposite way... find recipes that use what you already have!

• eBar - Yes, it works with drinks too... Daniel and I have a pretty nice selection of spirits and liqueres, but we don't have everything... On lazy evenings it is nice to find drinks we have all the stuff for already.

Other cool features:

• eGrocery List - Formats your grocery list into a printable version
  
• Recipe Viewing - You can save favorites and view your own submitted recipes (though, recipes you submit are not guaranteed to show up :P )

Check them out, if you haven't already... and of course... let me know your favorites... I love exploring new sites and finding even more ways to meet new foodies. Enjoy!

Croquay? Croaket? Croquettes...

So... browsing around my usual reads I came across an entry on My Italian Grandmother on Rice Croquettes ... I wasn't familiar with the idea of croquettes (in fact Daniel and I joked about the pronunciation of it for a good while) and I began some research. Good old Wikipedia defined croquettes as "little parcels of food encased in bread crumbs or sometimes mashed potatoes" ... hmm... interesting, yes?

Back to Michele and her grandmother's version... I had to keep it in mind for later... We almost always have leftover rice when I make it... but it didn't seem like something I wanted to make with the usual Garlicky Brown Rice we eat with our meals. "Little parcels of food" sound yummy (don't they), and her pictures certainly made my mouth water for the little crispy rice balls.
It so happened the other night, when I made pork as our main course, that I decided on an herbed white rice as a side. It was very good rice, seasoned with rosemary, thyme, and a pinch of basil, but it was a tad too sweet for Daniel's liking. We had a lot leftover. But wait... I could make those crokays... or those croaketts? Or those, whatever they were... little fried rice balls!
And so I did.

I had to make up for measurements and obviously I used the herbed rice instead... I also used olive olive for frying... it made me feel a tad bit better about the actual "frying" part... but otherwise followed Michele's recipe as it was.


Don't they look tasty? They were... and I was so excited to make something out of my usual repertoire that I actually made them for breakfast! Hey, they have eggs in 'em! It was kinda breakfast-y :) And Daniel liked them too because they weren't so sweet when fried and a little salt was added.

Definitely keeping the recipe for later use... maybe I will try them with the brown rice we usually eat... I'll let you know!

A Birthday Weekend

My birthday was WONDERFUL! Despite Daniel's original plans being foiled... he was still able to pull off a pretty awesome weekend for me. My birthday was the tenth, but it started on Saturday night.
We went to White Chocolate Grill... my favorite restaurant... and it was wonderful, as always. He made reservations for 7 and once there we were seated right away. I just love the atmosphere in there... I can dress casual and feel fine, but of course, it was my birthday so I dressed pretty nice, and I still didn't feel out of place... It is a little noisier at night than it is during lunch hours (when I often meet my mother for lunch there) but the seating still allows for quiet conversations if that is your desire. We were seated near the open-style kitchen, but didn't mind as we enjoy being able to smell the smells and hear the sounds of chefs at work. I started my meal off with a White Chocolate Martini, made with Godiva Chocolate Liqueur and Vanilla Chocolate vodka. It was so good, I could hardly taste the alcohol in it! (That could be pretty dangerous if you think about it...)
For a starter, I chose my favorite, Tomato Gin Soup. It is a creamy tomato-based soup filled with plenty of fresh herbs, meaty mushrooms, chunky tomatoes, and, here's the best part: they pour gin in at the end and you have to be 21 to order it because it doesn't cook off. Upon its arrival I thanks the server and slowly brought a spoonful to my mouth... It was so herby - I could immediately taste oregano, rosemary, the earthyness of the mushrooms, and the gin played through quite nicely with the rest of the flavors, the juniper and rosemary especially pair well. Daniel sipped his beer and happily waited while I finished the soup (tomatoes and mushrooms aren't his thing :)
For our entrees Daniel ordered the Maytag Blue Cheese Burger (a deviation from his normal Prime-Rib French Dip), and I ordered my old standby the Filet Mignon Cobb Salad. They always have wonderful specials and I was tempted by one this time, but for my birthday I wanted to make sure I had something I know I'd love.
The salad is filled with colorful rows of halved cherry tomatoes, chunks of medium-rare filet, eggs, maytag blue cheese, marinated mushrooms, and applewood smoked bacon, all atop fresh baby-greens that are lightly coated in a red-zinfandel vinegarette.
The Maytag Burger came out open-faced with mayonaisse, red onion, a beefy slice of tomato, and of course, the blue cheese crumbles that were completely melted onto the meat... it was cooked to Daniels specification perfectly (medium). The only problem was that there was supposed to be bacon on it, and the bacon was not visable or easy to find amongst the other tastes... Daniel thought that it might have been there, but since it wasn't a slab of bacon placed over the top, it wasn't noticed. He was fine with the burger otherwise, and, to him, it wasn't worth mentioning to the waiter.
Our waiter brought us water and asked if we'd like more at the end of our drinks, but we knew we'd be having more at home, so we waited... At the end of our dinner, we of course had to order dessert, I hadn't had a cake for my birthday in years, but the desserts sounded too good, so I had to have one. I selected the White Chocolate Brownie. It came out warm with white chocolate chips oozing out the sides, vanilla ice cream melting over the top, warm fudge drizzled over that, and finally a nice dollop of fresh whipped cream. It was white chocolate heaven in a bowl, and we could both barely finish it.
At home the next day, Daniel treated me like a princess: made breakfast for me, did the dishes (so I wouldn't be stuck with a weekend-full the next day) and for lunch, we ate Thai food from Erawan, a place just up the road (more about that later when I've sampled more of their delicious dishes). In the evening we made swiss fondue and drank my favorite Reisling, from Chateau Ste Michelle. It was a wonderful weekend, one I'll never forget. Thank you Daniel, I love you!

Ch-Ch-Changes...

We've sure been busy! Daniel decided it was high-time we had our own URL, so we got one. It was easy, especially with the CPM ad program we got by joining the Food Buzz Featured Publishers Program. I am not really sure how I found Food Buzz, probably through another blog somewhere in my internet food searching... anyways, its kind of like a social network for foodies... When your join their Featured Publisher Program they give you code for an ad banner and you make money off of it! Who doesn't want money to support their blog?

Anyways, update your bookmarks/links, cuz we are now at www.gourmetloveaffair.com
(Annnnddd, I'll tell you a secret, if you are too lazy to update... it will automatically redirect anyways!) We have lots of plans now that we have our very own URL. We're so excited!

We've also joined a few blogrolls, namely The Great Cooks blogroll, from our friend Jill over at Simple Daily Recipes. If you haven't checked out her site, please do. Blogrolls are awesome not only to meet other foodies and view other blogs, but other people find you too! Another blogroll we joined is the Foodie Blogroll by The Leftover Queen herself, which is very extensive, so if you are looking for new material to read, check them out.
Jill from SDR also set up this awesome food-lovers' social network (myspace for foodies?) called the Great Cooks Community, it's similar to FoodBuzz, but I find the people there are a bit more social/talkative. Its pathetic really, how much time I spend on sites like this - but I couldn't cook as well as I do if I wasn't a part of these wonderful communities, I learn more and more each day!

Anyways, check out our favorite blogrolls on the left side of our page. Our favorite communities, like Great Cooks, are on the right. Enjoy!

Phoenix Farmers Market Finds

In my blog-stumbling I've come across some very interesting stuff. It seems right now that farmers' markets are not just popular for fresh (and hopefully pesticide-free) food, but also for the fact that locally grown food is 'greener' than food that is shipped in, using gallons and gallons of petroleum and spewing who knows how what by way of toxic fumes into the air just to get it there.
I've recently been very interested in FoodWishes video recipes blog. The blog owner Chef John has posted some interesting "weekend filler" as he calls it, about food issues we are having in the U.S. right now. It is here that I had my almost-epiphany. I say almost because I have been on the "green-eating" track for a while, I just wasn't sure where to go with it. The videos featuring Mark Bittman and Michael Pollan spurred me to get active. Green eating and staying away from artificial (yet-edible) foods has been an issue with me for a while. I know they are bad. I know that fresh, pesticide-free food is better for us. When Daniel and I got married, we began shopping at Sprouts Farmers' Market (a chain store) in order to eat healthier, fresher food, and in the process, we discovered it was actually cheaper than the produce from most grocery stores. Now, it is not a real 'farmers market' per say, most of the produce comes from Mexico, but that is closer than oh, S. America or Australia.
Despite our neighboring status to California ("The Land of Wine and Food" blah blah blah), Arizona doesn't have nearly as much to offer in the way of agriculture and food. But did you know we have farms just outside of Phoenix? We actually have farms that grow food. Vegetables, and fruits and melons, and grains... The farmers' markets haven't caught on quite like they have in California, but they are growing. More people are becoming aware and more markets are popping up in plazas and parking lots on the weekends.


Unfortunately there are a lot of issues with farming and ranching in Arizona. For one thing, irrigation is expensive. Damming of rivers, slow yearly-draining and non-replenishing of lakes/reservoirs, and the creation of huge systems for irrigation all have their issues that I won't get into. I feel that I just can't in order to stay sane. It is a paradox that I can't fix. In order to be green - eat locally-grown food. In order to save/conserve water - eat food that grows more naturally/cheaper/easily somewhere else... What to do?
I've decided that since they are there, I will keep utilizing the farmers markets we have, in order to eat fresh food that doesn't use gallons and gallons of gasoline to get here. Now, if you are familiar with Daniel and me, you know we are on a newlywed, student budget. Eating healthy yet cheap is our thing. Farmer's markets are not exactly cheap. but they are fresh... Oh, to see the food displayed right out of the back of their pickups and smell the sweet melons laid out on blankets in the sun, its a wonderful thing. Something that induces a "who cares how much it is I need it" attitude in me. Consequently, Daniel will never let me go by myself again. But you have to think about it. A splurge say twice a month on the freshest fruit and vegetables $20 can buy you and eating fresh produce from the "semi-green" Sprouts the rest of the time. The money is worth your health, and the environments'. It is worth supporting the farmers who are trying so hard to make a living in Arizona with so little. It's worth contributing the demand to the market so that maybe more people will be interested and maybe the farmers will be able to drop their prices.


I'm so excited about this idea that I've even looked into a CSA, or basically, your very own personal farmers market. See, you pay a set amount at the beginning of the season to the farmer. He in turn brings you whatever he has harvested that week for 10-12 weeks(all season long) and you get the freshest veggies and fruit the farmer has to offer. You get normal things like potatoes, various fruits, squash, etc., but you also get to try new things, whatever the harvest brings in.
It is quite a hefty price since you pay all at once, and I've asked Daniel to give it to me as a birthday present. Summer isn't the season for this sort of thing anyways, the best harvests are in Fall and Spring. Oh I can't wait to do it.


If you live in Phoenix and want fresh produce and can afford it, you must try it. More and more farmers' markets are popping up in Phoenix. Unfortunately they are switching to summer hours, but many are still running. The one I just went to had a simple sign out the day before and had we not driven by it we never would have known it was there.
Look for more posts on what I did with all those delicious finds!

Meeting Mario Batali

When I discovered the Food Network channel, I was scared of the kitchen but still a food lover. I watched because I loved watching food! I began with shows like Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Meals. While she isn't exactly a gourmet chef (I know you are all thinking "How dare I mention her name and the word "chef" in the same sentence") she has some quick and easy ideas that I was turned onto as a novice in the kitchen. As I got more practice and became more aware of the food I was putting into my mouth, I progressed into different shows and onto different, and more professional chefs. Recipes that Emeril or Wolfgang Puck made were no longer simply food entertainment, I realized I may actually be able to DO some of them! Mario Batali was one of my favorites. His recipes were elegant, yet he used simple, fresh ingredients that I felt I could actually tackle. When Food Network switched Molto Mario to the Fine Living Network, I switched over too (thankfully right during the increasingly-annoying 30 Minute Meals show).

When I heard about a Mario Batali booksigning on the Food Network Fans site I emailed Daniel right away and told him I was going! Of course he wanted to go with me... he scheduled himself for a long lunch and that was that! Mario's book Italian Grill is filled with wonderfully simple Italian recipes that are great for grilling or going with grilled food. The book is divided into sections including Antipasti, with recipes such as Radicchio in Pancetta with Pears and Balsamic Vinegar, and Grilled Polenta. The Pizza & Flatbreads section is filled with rustic breads and dough recipes you can use on the grill with or without a piastra (a slab of granite placed on the grill). Other sections include Fish & Shellfish, Poultry, Meat, and Vegetables. He also included an Ingredients and Techniques section that is very helpful if you aren't familiar with the lesser known Italian terms and ingredients. Each recipe has a little tip or a comment by him at the bottom of the page that gives it his personal touch. It's very Batali. After reading through the whole book and gazing at the pictures with food-lust in my eyes, I couldn't wait to have Mario Batali's signature in it.

Since Daniel got a long lunch we wanted to be there early. The booksigning was to be held at Sur La Table in Kierland Commons, a very sophisticated residence/shopping center that located across the way from the Weston Kierland Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona. We got there 30 minutes before the event's official start time, there were about 20 people in line already. The line filled up quickly though, and couples (including Daniel and I) were taking turns going over to the fountain area to see if he had arrived for the Question & Answer section yet. He arrived about a half hour late... who knows why. But I expect that from anyone as busy as he must be.

He was sporting his signature shorts, fleece vest, and, of course, his orange Crocs. He was articulate and expressive about his book, explaining a bit about it and telling us his inspirations for the recipes.

After the explanation and a short Q&A he came over for the book signing. The line had filled considerably by then and was being herded through the shop doors. He was already in the back of the store, with cameras and security crowded round.

As we made our way through the shop I had to fight several urges to buy the shiny cookware and gourmet gadgets. We made our way around to the table Batali was at and here... my very first celebrity meeting happened! I hardly knew it was happening before it was over, it's pathetic really, how surreal it was for me. He took our book and began signing, asking us "How's it going guys?" He noticed the camera in my hands and asked if we wanted a picture with him. Daniel went right over and an assistant reached for my camera. I handed it to her as I hesitated getting THAT close to someone as esteemed (in my eyes) as Mario Batali. He smiled at me and invited me with a wave, "Come on over, I won't bite!" So Daniel and I each took a side and before I knew it the flash went off and Daniel was shaking his hand saying thanks. We walked away, eager to look at the book and see his prized signature. (And make it back to Daniel's work in time!)

I've heard so many rumors and bad things about Mario Batali, but the truth is, I think he is one of Food Network/Fine Living's best. The Food Network has pursued their amateur audience so much that they have lost their great key chefs like Puck, Lagasse, and of course Batali. I'm not saying that filling the needs of their viewers is a bad thing, but beginners and amateurs like me can still learn things from these great chefs.

I will, of course, continue to learn from and watch Mario Batali. Meeting him has only made me like him more, and my enthusiasm for his cooking has grown. When we make one of his recipes our readers will be the first to know. I'm sure we won't be disappointed.

Daniel's Reviews - Hacienda Alemana

In reminiscing about our honeymoon, Corinne and I wanted to share a restaurant we found. We were in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and we had taken a taxi from our cruise ship way out of the normal tourist areas to the back roads of Puerto Vallarta in order to take a dune buggy tour through the jungle. While we were waiting for the tour to start we took a walk. Just a block down the road we came across a restaurant called Hacienda Alemana. I did a double take - a German restaurant in Mexico? Of course we went right in and had a beer.

Being a German restaurant they actually had good beer! For four days I had been drinking Becks on the ship and Pacifico on land (pretty good... but not my style) so I was in heaven when I saw they had Mönschoff Schwarzbier. My beliefs are that a good beer is one that is so dark you can not see through it. The Mönschoff definitely fit that description. The restaurant says they have biergarten and while it is outside, as a normal biergarten would be, it reminded me more of a Spanish style courtyard… either way it was a beautiful dining area. After a couple beers we left to go on the dune buggy tour, after which we worked up quite an appetite (and thirst of course!) and decided to try out dinner at the Hacienda Alemana. (The only downside was that they don’t take plastic so we had to walk around to find an ATM. We found one a block down the street at a drug store. It was kind of funny because back in that area of Puerto Vallarta I saw very few tourists, but apparently they were all in the drugstore waiting to use the ATM too!)

When we got back to the restaurant we ordered a couple more beers and checked out the menu. They have a very good menu that is in English, German, and Spanish. Corinne chose the Späetzle (noodles) and I had the Schnitzel with Mushroom sauce, which was basically unbreaded Jägerschnitzel. The presentation of the dishes was beautiful and the taste was amazing. I have had many schnitzels at many restaurants in the states but none compared to this one. The veal was perfectly cooked and incredibly tender and the mushroom sauce was creamy and well balanced. I especially liked the red cabbage that came with our meal. It was sweet and flavored with a hint of clove.

After the meal, the owner, Mike, came and talked to us for a little while. He told us that he came from Bonn, Germany twelve years ago and opened up this restaurant. After a little small talk we went back to our meal, or more correctly, our drinks. I ordered a Calvados, which is sort of like an apple-brandy. Not many places carry it in the U.S. so I was again very pleased with the restaurant. Corinne ordered one of the specialty coffees. With all the excitement neither one of us is sure which one it was but we are thinking it was the Café Italiano. The server brought out a table and poured the alcohol into a metal serving dish, lit it on fire, and proceeded to pull the flaming liquid through the air from one dish to the next. After four or five times he poured it into what appeared to be a wine glass half full of coffee and ice cream that was placed in front of Corinne. The blue flame from the burning alcohol gave a beautiful glow to the coffee for a moment before it was extinguished.

As Corinne enjoyed her coffee and I enjoyed my Calvados we knew we had found a 1^st class restaurant. A diamond in the rough you could say. But that wasn’t the end of it yet, when the server brought our bill he presented me with a shot of honey tequila and for Corinne he placed a small glass of champagne with a strawberry slice floating on top. We found this to be a very nice addition to the meal and spoke volumes about the level of service that Mike provides to his guests. The final touch was when Mike walked us outside the restaurant and flagged us a cab. You just don’t find that kind of old world hospitality and service anywhere these days. Needless to say, next time we are in Puerto Vallarta (which will be near the end of this year) we have a whole day planned around going to Hacienda Alemana.