Tag: fine dining

Bardessono in Napa Valley

I got to travel to Napa Valley for the media launch of the new 2010 Toyota Prius. I can’t talk about the car yet as all photos and driving impressions are embargoed until next month, but I can definitely talk about the food! This review is the first of two – it’s the in-house restaurant at the Bardessono, an eco-chic hotel that just opened up earlier this month in Yountville, about 15 minutes north of Napa.

The hotel is fantastic. It’s modern, contemporary, and very, very green. It’s made of recycled and reclaimed materials, much of the power comes from photovoltaic panels on the roof, and there is all kinds of smart technology that keeps energy consumption at a bare minimum. Some of the power even comes from geothermal sources under the hotel!

Anyways, our press corps ate the first night at Bardessono’s restaurant. As you’d expect, almost everything in the menu is organic, and where possible, ingredients are locally sourced. I love this kind of stuff.

And what did we eat? Well, it was a set menu for us media. We started off with a Star Route Farm Salad. I forgot to take a picture because I was so hungry I forgot! Anyways, it was relatively simple with little gem lettuce, winter chicories, macadamia nuts, and a red wine vinaigrette, but the freshness was very apparent. I don’t know how else to describe it. It was truly refreshing and delicious.

So, the next course was my favorite: Hook and Line Atlantic Cod. It has a crispy skin, brandade (a puree of cod, milk, and olive oil), and was bathed in a lemon caper brown butter sauce. Oh yes. Melt in your mouth kind of delicious. Obviously not locally sourced, but who cares? It was the bomb. The skin added a nice crispiness without the sort of nasty fishiness that some fish skins impart. And that butter sauce was sublime.

The third course was Watson’s Napa Lamb. Regrettably, I ate most of it before I got around to taking the pic. It was braised in curry and coconut and had cocnut basmati rice on the side. I actually usually dislike lamb, and I would say this dish would have tasted great to the lamb lover. Again, the quality was apparent, but I just don’t like the gamey flavor. As you can see, I didn’t finish it. I lapped up everything else though!

Finally, dessert was a Chocalate Caramel Tart with a salted caramel ice cream. Wow. Caramel ice cream…. Not much I can say about it except that it truly was delicious. It really refreshed the palate after that lamb and finished off a great meal.

Tonight, we eat at Hurley’s Restaurant. Stay tuned!

Dinner at Circa 59

So after we got fully settled into the Viceroy, we headed out to dinner at Circa 59, the restaurant in the newly remodeled Riviera. We pulled up to the Riviera, completely unprepared for what we were about to see!

In short, it was visually amazing, if ever so slightly slightly derivative. It’s a little bit Philippe Starck in its grandness and glamour, but no worse for it. It’s very impressive to look at, and very well thought out. It deserves to do well, and we hope it succeeds. Here’s the view as we pulled up:

Here’s me sitting on one of the fancy couches:

And here’s Carrie!

Some neat shots of the interior:

Our meals were OK…Carrie had salmon with a jalapeño pesto sauce, and I had red snapper with Spanish chorizo and shrimp. Both were pretty good, but not enough to knock your socks off.

In all, we’re glad we went as the Riviera re-opened in October and we love checking out the newest stuff, but we’d probably rate the food as a 3 out of 5. Definitely not bad, but lacking the sort of bang and innovation you’d expect from the sheer looks of the surroundings.

Still, we were plenty happy, as you can see here!

See the rest of the pics here.

Out with a bang!


So we had to finish off our fab adventures in Buenos Aires with a proper culinary sendoff. So what better way than to finish it off at El Bistro, the in-house restaurant at the renowned Faena Hotel + Universe?

What’s Faena? Well, Alex Faena is sort of the Donald Trump of Argentina, but with considerably more taste, style, and flair. The Faena Hotel’s interior was designed by none other than Philippe Starck, one of our favorite designers. On many of our vacations, we’ve sought out his hotels – we’ve been to the Clift in San Francisco, the Delano in Miami, and now Faena in Argentina! Ironically, one that we haven’t visited is the Mondrian, which is right in our backyard in L.A.

Anyways, this was one stylin’ and upper crust meal. We’ve seen chefs prepare “foam” on Top Chef & the Food Network all the time, but this was the first time we got to actually try not 1, but 3! – during this meal (in between courses). And, as you can see above, the space is striking. It’s ornate, but nearly ALL in white with red accents peppered throughout. And the food and wine? Exquisite. Here’s a sampling of the amazing setting in which we dined:

Oh, as a little bonus, after dinner we walked outside the hotel and saw a monument to Juan Manuel Fangio, one of history’s greatest racing drivers and of course an Argentine. His heyday was in the 1950s when he drove Formula 1 for Mercedes-Benz. Here’s Ed posing next to the statue.

We leave first thing in the morning, returning back home. Buenos Aires is a most captivating and gorgeous city, one that will remain with us for a long time. Adios, Buenos Aires!

Dining in Style – Casa Cruz, Palermo Hollywood

Tonight we had the privilege of dining in one of Argentina’s finest restaurants – Casa Cruz – in one of the coolest neighborhoods in Buenos Aires, Palermo Hollywood. It was close enough to walk to, and we had a great time just exploring the neighborhood a little bit. We were highly anticipating this meal, as it was mentioned in EVERY travel book and blog we read about Buenos Aires. It definitely delivered! Thank goodness for the exchange rate, it was incredible what all we ordered and how reasonably priced the experience was for the best of the best!

We wish we had better pictures, but Casa Cruz is just one of those places that just can’t be captured on camera. We walked through giant 16 ft. brass doors upon entering, and lounged on gorgeous silver sofas with cocktails in hand while we waited for our table.


This is a shot we stole from the web of their monstrous wine wall – this photo only shows a fraction of it! The Argentinans are SERIOUS about their wine – and it’s true – Argentinian wine is incredible! We stuck with the local varieties – Carrie chose a Torrontés, a very bold and fruity white, and Ed had a Malbec, Argentina’s signature red. We decided to put ourselves out there and try an unusual and exotic dish – so Carrie chose the rabbit & Ed chose the grilled octopus. Our waiter was impressed, he said we chose the two best items on the menu! The dining experience was one of the best we’d ever had – amazing service, beautiful food, and tons of variety.

Again, we regret not taking many pics, but here we are enjoying the evening!

It’s pouring rain tonight, so we are relaxing and trying to knock out our jet lag by getting in an early bedtime. Buenas Noches!

Christmastime at Club 33


Thanks to Carrie’s awesome job, we got to go to the legendary Club 33 at Disneyland on Friday night for some fine cuisine, good company and Disney cheer. We’ve been waiting for this for a LONG time, and now we finally go to go! Club 33 is one impressive place!

First things first, after entering the “secret” entrance, we were immediately transported into a timeless supper club, where people are dressed well and you are treated like true VIPs. After being seated at our table, we were asked if we’d like a drink! Cocktails at Disneyland? We’ve reached a new level, Cosmopolitans have never tasted so good – especially with that exclusive Club 33 swizzle-stick!

We had to take in all the surroundings – and there was a lot to take in. The fine china, for one:

And all of the classy menu items …


Tough choices!

Ed decided on the Veal, which was delectable, and Carrie chose the John Dory, which if you’re unfamiliar, is a very tasty white fish. The presentation was just 5-star!

Afterwards, we got to sit on the balcony and watch Fantasmic! It was pretty cool to see Disneyland from above … it was awesome, actually.

A lovely night indeed!

p.s. Only 10 more days ’til Christmas!