Aaron's Birthday Dinner 2012.

Dinner of Tuesday, the 19th June 2012, was back at Mamou Too!, this time in belated celebration of  Aaron's recent birthday. He treated us all to dinner and, among others, a couple of special bottles of red for the steaks. We were six in all: Aaron, J-Lab, Jojo, Miguel, Rene, & myself. Due to horrible EDSA rush hour traffic, I arrived almost half an hour past the appointed time and missed Aaron's opening salvo of Freixenet Reserva Real Cava (so no photo of that).

Not to worry, though. I still got a good couple of glasses of bubbly from J-Lab's lively, creamy-fruited, champagne-esque 2007 Bründlmayer Brut. Very gulpable; and gulp, indeed, I did. An apéritif friendly 11% abv by its light-footed, though hefty, creamy apple and pear with minor notes of peach and a slight haricot vert nuance.

A couple of orders of our favorite Spaghetti alla Bottarga.

Both bottles from Aaron.

The aged wines were left to Jojo's surgical skills.

The prized bottles for the evening were two traditional Riojan gran reservas from a legendary vintage, no less than: 1964 Bodegas Faustino Faustino I Gran Reserva, and, 1964 Bodegas R. López de Heredia Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva.

1964 Bodegas Faustino Faustino I Gran Reserva - As serene, refined, and Burgundian as ever in its bouquet and flavors. Sous bois, slight ceps, balsamico, slightly spiced strawberry, dark red cherry, plum, violets, cedar, hint of well-worn leather on a silky, medium-bodied frame. Beautiful.

1964 Bodegas R. López de Heredia Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva - Stunning by all accounts. A few shades heftier in body than the preceding wine, and more savory in character. Incredibly complex, balanced, and elegant with added layers continuously unfolding. Walnuts, whispers of oxidation, old leather, mushrooms, lavender, cedar, hint of nutmeg, violets, in its dry, savory fruit, and it didn't seem to stop there. Superb, amazing. Words fail.

We had the above wines with the Fuet & Grana Padano instead of with the below-depicted charred slabs of rich beefy goodness which we figured would over-power these beauties.

Some Dry-Aged USDA Prime-Grade Bone-In Rib-Eye Steaks.

With the steaks, we had 3 younger, more robust reds:

2000 Château de Valandraud - From the Jojo. Rich, full-bodied, big tannins velvety soft, well concentrated and extracted, very ripe black cherries, dark raspberries, kirsch, underlying chocolate and loam with  healthy doses of licorice and vanilla. Robust and unabashedly flavorful yet well-balanced, it was more than a good match for the steaks.

2000 Château Montrose - From Rene. Macho Bordeaux from the get-go. Typical firm structure one expects from Montrose, but with the richer, riper, fuller fruit that marks vintage 2000. Though still young, it is already starting to show some development in its emerging earthy, leathery and sanguine nuances. Smoothly muscled red. Very good now, and I'd imagine this to be superb in another 10-15 years and hold for another 10+++. It certainly has the structure and stuffing for it.

2006 Castello Banfi Brunello di Montalcino - From Miguel. From a highly lauded vintage of the Tuscan region, there is a general theme of torrefaction to this young bruiser. Smoke, tobacco, coffee grounds and oak related spice to its herbaceous, somewhat closed dark fruit. Acidity is healthy. This is probably asleep. Either that or my palate was already tired.

The above 1989 Pichon Lalande (from Jojo) and the 1989 Rauzan-Ségla (from me) were left for another day. The Birthday Boy and Jojo both had early commitments the following morning so headed home after dinner, while the rest of us headed off to Bar "M" for some single malt nightcaps...

...where J-Lab Miguel, Rene had doubles of this Nikka Miyagikyo 12 Years Old...

...while I had a couple of the Macallan 17 Years Old Fine Oak. Eric & Cinthy Recto, et al. happened to be there as well - finishing off dinner from Masseto with some champagne no doubt - and sent us complimentary dishes of hot-from-the-kitchen Anchovy Pizza and Fish Fingers. Thanks, Eric!

Yet another excellent night of fine food, wine, and friends, with a kicker of fine single malts (not too much) for good measure. Life is good, indeed. Happy birthday, Aaron! Again, many thanks! Until the next!

Battle Beer: Russian River Pliny the Elder I2PA vs. Ballast Point Sculpin IPA.

Monday, the 11th June 2012, saw a battle of beer titans at Mamou Too! between Russian River Brewing Co.'s Pliny the Elder Double (a.k.a., Imperial) India Pale Ale and Ballast Point Brewing Co.'s Sculpin India Pale Ale. The right and honorable panel of 5 judges were no less than Global Beer Exchange's proprietor &  Beertender Jim Araneta; fine wine, beer, and single malt triathlete Alex Tiu; fellow IWFS member and Usual Suspect Richard Joye; Gilmore Wine & Spirits founder & CEO Mags Villafuerte; and, of course, yours truly.

Ballast Point Brewing Co.'s Sculpin India Pale Ale, on the one hand, is exclusively distributed by Jim, an IPA marked by its bright freshness, pure, clean, vibrantly cool and robust flavors, thrilling hoppiness, wonderful balance and long, confident finish. It is a happy drink, one that I immediately took to when I first tried it a little over a year ago - Thursday, the 28th April 2011 to be exact - at Jim's now-closed but fondly missed Tasting Room. For what it is worth, the Sculpin is, per Jim, the No.1 highest rated IPA by the beercentric Beer Advocate web community.

Russian River Brewing Co.'s Pliny the Elder Imperial India Pale Ale, on the other, is an extremely difficult to source Imperial IPA, not distributed locally (and probably never will be as it is not even distributed in the east coast). Superbly crafted, small production, it enjoys cult status in the USA, and I've loved it ever since I first tried it courtesy of Jim on Thursday, the 23rd June 2011 at one of our regular sessions at his Tasting Room, so much so, that I have flown in whatever few bottles I can order online from California. I've also been fortunate enough to have had a couple of pints of Pliny the Elder on tap at the Toronado in San Francisco on Saturday, the 16th July 2011. As far as Imperial IPAs go (generally bigger, heftier, and more robust than IPAs, with abv breaching 7.5%), Pliny the Elder is, as I understand, also rated No.1 by Beer Advocate.

Nb: IPAs, and I2PAs for that matter, are ideally consumed as fresh as possible. They do not do well with age.

It just so happened that a couple of weeks ago Jim got in his new batch of fresh Sculpin, while I had a few bottles of fresh Pliny the Elder in my stash at home. There was no choice in the matter, we simply had to have them side-by-side. Thus, we arranged to meet at Mamou Too! at around 6:30pm for the momentous match.

Champagne Ayala Brut Majeur from me to warm up our palates...

...with a Charcuterie Platter to keep things interesting.

Some Healdsburg Salad para healthy, of course...

...and some of my favorite Spaghetti alla Bottarga for our session's needed energy.

For the pasta, some 2007 Beringer Sbragia Limited Release Chardonnay from Alex. Lovely Napa chard this, one of Catha's favorites.

Here we go! Ballast Point Sculpin IPA two months from bottling date.

...versus Russian River Pliny the Elder I2PA one month from bottling date.

The judges deliberate on the matter.

My own verdict was that the Sculpin, though a month older from bottling date, stood out more in freshness, florality, and flavor (purity, focus, vibrancy, and balance). Jim, Alex, Richard, and Mags all concurred for reasons of their own. Both are great beers, no doubt about it. Before trying them side by side, Pliny the Elder was my favorite beer of all; but, having them head-to-head that night, the Sculpin was the clear winner.

So Ordered!

Large, grilled USDA Prime Grade Rib-Eyes were also So Ordered!

We had a couple of reds with these - a 2004 Château Pichon Lalande from Alex, and a 2005 Prunotto Barolo Bussia from Richard - both of which I forgot to take photos of, unfortunately. No notes on those two young but nice reds - that night was all about beer for me.

There were other beers, of course, one of which was Jim's new Ballast Point Tongue Buckler Imperial Red Ale - also robust, moderately hoppy, with underlying well-rounded toasty malt. Quite nice with the rich steaks. I'd like to try this again very soon so I can pay more serious attention to it.

Mags opened several of his Trappist ales as well, but I cannot remember all of them except that at least a couple of them were from Rochefort, one of which was the Rochefort No. 10. By then, Mark Abada, who also happened to be having dinner there, joined us.

Cheers!

Cigars, more wine and some single malts at Kipling's thereafter.
Until the next!!!

Saturday Night Japanese @ Hanakazu.

Late morning to early evening Saturday, the 9th June 2012, wasn't the usual fun day of golf and a beer or two after, as it turned out I had to work on some things. Finishing up by around 6:30pm, I was determined to salvage what little left of Saturday I could.

Thus, though the cook was already finishing up our dinner, I decided to eat out. Initially, I thought of a Swiss-German dinner at Appenzeller, but, when my eldest and a nephew/godson said they'd prefer Japanese, I switched on-the-fly (or, on-the-road, more accurately) to Hanakazu. We were only four for dinner including Catha and I since the second was at a college orientation event, and the youngest was out with his cousin and aunt.

Appetizer of: L-R: tako (octopus), seaweed in a wasabi cream dressing, & small fishes similar to asohos (a.k.a., whiting; I can't remember its proper name though).

Sashimi of (all flown in from Japan) Toro, Wagyu, Uni, & Mirugai
(i.e., fatty tuna belly, Japanese beef, sea urchin, and geoduck)

Close up of the Japanese Uni. Note that the wasabi is always freshly grated here.

I didn't have any of my usual Hitachino Nest White Ales with me since, as previously stated, I had originally planned to eat at Appenzeller. The relatively light (and I use that term loosely - in comparison to the IPAs and Double IPAs I favor), remarkably fresh, well-balanced Unibroue La Fin du Monde, a fine Belgian-styled Tripel, however, did pretty well with the heavier sashimis...

...and with the sushis as well: Ama Ebi, Anago, & Ikura
(Sweet Spot Shrimp, Sea Eel, & Salmon Roe)

We also had some Grilled Hamachi Jaw...

...a couple of orders of Gindara Teriyaki...

...Unajudon...
(grilled river eel on rice) 

...Grilled Hamachi Belly (compliments of the chef)...

...a large order of Ebi Tempura...

...Catha's Hiyashi Ramen Salad, well, and some Tokujo Karubiyaki
(i.e., grilled Wagyu beef) which I forgot to photograph.

With the heavier, cooked fare, the bottles of the refreshing, palate cleansing, robustly hoppy, creamy textured, Anderson Valley 20th Anniversary Imperial IPA quite nicely. Michael noted, though, that it went surprisingly well with the creamy, fuller flavored, vaguely nutty Japanese uni sashimi, and he was right.

A choice of packaged Japanese desserts were then offered.

Mauro got the Mochi Ball Ice Cream,
while Michael got the Wafer Ice Cream Sandwich.

Though I, naturally, would have preferred to play golf during the day, this meal managed to make me feel happy Saturday night. It was also nice to see how the boys' palates are developing well. The fine craft beers, of course, added to my relaxed and happier state. Until the next!

Steaks & Rhônes, Etc. @ Mamou Too!

Dinner of the 14th May 2012 was back at Malou's Mamou Too!, organized by the Stockbroker, all the wines for which came from his vast collection. We were 8 in all; aside from the night's impresario, in attendance were Bernie Sim, Freddie Pio de Roda, J-Lab, Johnny Revilla, Rene Fuentes, Richard Joye, and I. Early on, I informed all that I had only 1½ hours for dinner as I had to attend a sudden work-related meeting, so that may have increased the pouring pace.

Due to unusually light Makati traffic, Johnny and I arrived early (i.e., 5:30pm, while dinner was scheduled for 6pm) but Malou immediately led us to our reserved private room to cool off with a bellini each while we waited for our host and the other guests.

Once the Stockbroker arrived, he kicked things off with a couple of champagnes: the toasty, yeasty, lip-smackingly dry and razor-focused 2004 Philipponnat Brut Grand Blanc...

...and the rounder, heftier, comparatively creamier 2002 Philipponnat Sublime Reserve Sec (which Richard and I preferred). I had the bubblies with my starter of Healdsburg Salad and Spaghetti alla Bottarga, both of which I forgot to photograph in my haste.

The Stockbroker working the phone. Do we have night trading these days?

With the bubblies, Malou had sent over a complimentary platter of charcuterie. Thanks, Malou! 

The Stockbroker had the first 2 bottles of his reds served as the main courses started hitting the table: 2003 Vieux Télégraphe "La Crau" Châteauneuf du Pape (one of my 2 favorite reds of the evening) and 2003 Domaine de la Janasse Châteauneuf du Pape, which, unfortunately, was corked. The Stockbroker then promptly opened a 2000 Domaine de la Janasse Châteauneuf du Pape which also turned out to be corked. Tsk, tsk, tsk. What is happening to Janasse?

I had the 2003 Vieux Télégraphe "La Crau" Châteauneuf du Pape with my Grilled Lamb Chops w/ sides of Lamb Rice & Creamed Corn (no dry-aged steaks were available tonight, and Alicia Sy had beaten me to the last of their lobsters earlier in the day). Loved the lamb, though, and the accompanying wine as well - its stylish anise-and-garrigue infused dark red fruit was mellowly warming and already soft despite its youth. Comfortable and precocious wine already showing a bit of complexity with a bit of air. Nice pairing too. Acidity is a bit low, but good enough to keep it in balance.

A pair of 1998s - a Côte du Rhône and another Châteauneuf du Pape.

I've pretty much been a fan of the 1998 Château de Beaucastel ever since I first tried it from Vancouver Vince during an incredible wine dinner at the old Restaurant Ciçou back on the 17th February 2009, and it is coming along very well. Mellower, the fruit not as eager beaver as back then, but already showing some moderate complexity in its confidently ripe blackberry, black cherry, dark  raspberry, violets, underlying meatiness, and calm, well-woven-in garrigue and oak-related notes of dark chocolate, licorice, and vanilla. Quite lovely now, but surely has many, many years ahead of it. This and the 2003 Vieux Télégraphe "La Crau" Châteauneuf du Pape were easily my two favorite wines of the night.

Johnny, Bernie, and Freddie laugh it up.

The Stockbroker next served a 1997 Penfolds Grange. Johnny, Freddy, and Rene obviously loved this. Personally, though this is only the 3rd vintage of Grange I've ever had (the other 2 vintages being the 1991 and 1996, all from the Stockbroker), honestly, this type/style of wine is not to my taste (so I gave it a couple of sips and turned my glass over to J-Lab who seemed to be enjoying it a lot - more for him, and he was happy). I have always found Grange exceedingly blocky, over-ripe, almost syrupy, ham-handedly over-oaked and overly alcoholic. Even when served blind, I do not favor it - but that's just me. I am aware it appeals to very many who are more than willing to pay its price, but I'm not one of them.

Several other bottles of reds were served which I didn't have the time to enjoy since I had to leave for my meeting. The Stockbroker has always been a very generous fellow.

With my usual Mamou dessert of Pecan Pie w/ Schlag, I enjoyed a served the 1983 Château Raymond Lafon - moderately sweet, good acidity makes it taste fresher than I expect from a 29 year-old from this producer. Quite good as it balanced off the rich, sweet pecan pie and its accompanying whipped cream. Our evening's wine host also served a 2001 Château Rieussec, but I had already left for my meeting by then.

Many thanks again for the wines, bud! Cheers, and, until the next!