Bali Steak and Seafood, Waikiki Hawaii

Nothing says date night to me like a steak dinner and it was time to celebrate our wedding anniversary in style. Arriving in our holiday in Oahu we decided to spend the first night in our resort taking advantage of sunset views over Waikiki beach. 

The Bali Steak and Seafood Grill is part of the main beach resort and offers a decent high end steak house experience.  

 Being an American company you get the US dining experience meaning a host, sommelier and multiple wait staff who each have a single role. I find this rather jarring since it took several people to deliver my meal, none of whom had all the knowledge required for service. You cannot ask the water person about the wine and you cannot ask the person collecting your plates for a food request. Americans expect this behaviour though so the mixed origin tourist group have to make do.

Old World Wine Flight $25USD

We started with a wine flight of European wines. The price and size of the glasses was very decent making the cost very affordable when paced out over the course of a meal. Selections: Torres Pazo das Bruxas Albarino, Antinori Bramito del Cervo Chardonnay, Banfi Chianti Classico. You could definitely opt for higher price vintage wine but these were very drinkable with the food. 

Cheese and Charcuterie Board 5 selections for $40USD

One of my favourite ways to start a meal, perfect for low carb or gluten free diners. The real star of this board was actually the home made pickles which were so good we asked for extra. Otherwise featured Fennocchiona salami, Proscuitto di Parma, Point Reyes Blue, Cypress Grove Truffle Tremor and Morbier.

They did not include anything sweet with the board so we had to ask for Honey to be brought. They did so willingly but hopefully they took the hint, Truffle Tremor + Honey is one of those truly symbiotic flavour combinations.

Market Harvest Salad $16USD

You need a little greens to cut through all that richness! We shared a side salad of romaine, tomatoes, beets and walnuts in a buttermilk dressing. 

Petite filet ($52USD) with lobster tail ($24USD), clarified butter and Bearnaise sauce

Go on girl, get the lobster! This was our anniversary vacation and this is one of my all time favourite celebration meals. The Bearnaise was excellent and the clarified butter purely transparent. 

My only sadness was that none of the meal seemed to be locally sourced which felt like a missed opportunity given the Pacific location. I suspect the American audience expects well known East Coast favourites that require cold water. It would have been better if they had used a warm water seafood like slipper lobster or jumbo prawns.

Every Friday night the hotel puts on fireworks over Waikiki beach, the Bali grill offers VIP viewing from the terrace up close and personal with the fireworks cannons. For those on a more budget level holiday the fireworks can be seen from the public beach free of charge.

Bali Steak and Seafood

http://www.hiltonhawaiianvillage.com/dining/bali-steak-and-seafood

Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort
2005 Kalia Rd
Honolulu, HI 96815


High end grill and steakhouse
Date night experience less comfortable for children


 

Francis Ford Coppola Winery, Sonoma County California

There are a huge number of wineries to be found in Northern California but being a huge movie buff one of the highlights for me had to be the Francis Ford Coppola Winery. As well as traditional Italian style wines they have an amazing on site tourist destination including a museum, restaurant and kitchen store.

The gates are postcard worthy with a view of the vines peaking out through a gorgeous stately entrance complete with a lead light glass sign. 

The buildings are equally impressive with no dollar spared - this is a loving tribute to wine and food from a man who has the funds to build his dream wine destination. The copper rooves and sandstone architecture hark back to his Italian roots.

The main grounds offer a huge number of events for locals and tourists to engage in fun and frivolity including regular concerts, dances and wine tastings. If you're bringing a family try visiting during the Summer months when the pool and cabines can be booked for some kid friendly fun while you enjoy the local wine. 

One of the main attractions is a museum devoted to Coppola's directorial career with one of a kind displays of costumes, props and accolades. I might love wine but this was the highlight of the visit for me especially with so many of the the goth fantasy Dracula items on display. 

Lucy Westenra's burial garb from Bram Stoker's Dracula

Dracula's mediaeval armour from Bram Stoker's Dracula

Props and memorabilia from Apocalypse Now

A restored 1948 Tucker from Tucker: The Man and His Dream

The infamous desk from The Godfather

Various film making accolades including several Academy Awards (Oscars) and Golden Globes

We were really here to have lunch and try the wine though, our basic visit structure was to speak to the hostess at the restaurant and get in line for a table, then spend the wait looking at the museum. If you've spent half an hour looking at the museum and then get asked to wait another half hour this will lead to cranky hungry people. 

The entire place is decked out with old school charm. I am particularly fond of the dark wooden bar with its classically trained cocktail staff and glorious Italian espresso machine. 

The restaurant itself Rustic looks a little like an Italian steakhouse but with gorgeous Californian views and an airy high ceiling. The menu highlights Francis' favourite meals along with many Italian classic rustic dishes. 

Coppola Winery Director's Cut Zinfandel 2011 $8.50USD

Zinfandel to me is a uniquely American wine, it's something I'd never really encountered before moving to the United States and it's still growing on me. This is definitely a food wine and would benefit from a few years grace but nonetheless it's an enjoyable tipple with an Italian meal.

Pettole (Zeppole) $3USD

A fried doughnut style bread product filled with a melted cheese, not too oily or too rich but just right!

Salad with candied walnuts and Sonoma County blue cheese $9USD

This was a lunch special included in the 3 course selection that we chose but anything that features that delicious local blue cheese is fine by me. Other salad offerings are primarily American rather than Italian classics like Cobb Salad.

Bumbola con Broccoli e Salsicce $17USD

I admit I spent a great deal of this meal trying to understand the pasta shape having never seen a bumbola noodle before. Some research proves that the name is given for the "bumblebee" shape and that the pasta is made custom for the Coppola brand. As well as being served in the restaurant it can be purchased retail in the kitchen store on site it is recommended for heavy sauces (rather like a large pasta shell). Served in a wine, fontina and cream sauce with broccoli rabe and loose sausage mince this is a very rich dish with a smooth but bitter end. As well as the rich sauce the pasta is very weighty - I can only manage a few noodles before I'm full. Both the pasta and sauce are delicious though, the simplicity of the meal means that all the focus is in the quality of the ingredients and I am not disappointed.

Rigatoni and Meatballs $18USD

Sometimes the simple things in life are best and while this might seem like a comfort food classic it is a great dish to order. Thick doughy pasta is perfectly al dente and served with freshly made meatballs (I want to say veal and lamb?) with flakes of real Parmiggiano Reggiano. A simple classic dish served exactly as it should be.

After you're done eating check out the kitchen store with high end oils, pasta and sauces, utensils and cook books as well as cute souvenirs. The entire place is well worth a trip, even if you're not a big wine lover for a simple meal made with a love and a great side stop on a roadtrip for the whole family. Kids, food lovers and movie fanatics will all be satisfied!

Francis Ford Coppola Winery

https://www.francisfordcoppolawinery.com/

300 Via Archimedes

Geyserville CA 95441

(707) 857-1471

A trip to Sonoma - Downtown Healdsburg

Being so close to wine country in California it seemed amazing that we hadn't made more of an effort to explore the fantastic cheese and vineyards nearby so we made a weekend of it and visited some highlights around Sonoma County.

We stayed at a local apartment hotel not far from Healdsburg and used this as our central base. I'll follow up with some more places that we visited but this town really had that "couple's weekend away" vibe down to a tea.

Downtown Healdsburg has that quaint small town America feel with old style brick architecture and a delightful central square - like something straight out of the Gilmore Girls but on the West Coast.

Antiquing is a past time that could easily be a real habit if you lived nearby, there's plenty of these cute little knick knack and furniture stores mostly owned by older families or gay couples who've moved north from the hustle of San Francisco. Sadly the prices are reflective of the tourist nature of the town and the nearby Silicon Valley dollars - no bargain basement prices here!

There are plenty of other local sites to see like this Fan Museum which was sadly closed on the day we visited. 

Numerous local wineries have store fronts in Healdsburg and offer tastings at very reasonable prices during the day. We're really here for rest and relaxation but you can see many people hopping from one show room to the next trying many tipples. You could easily spend an entire day or two just trying different tasting rooms, but we limit ourselves to just a couple. A full list of all the showrooms can be found on the Healdsburg town website.

Kendall Jackson are well known for their Californian classics like Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. The style of Syrah found in California is very similar to the Shiraz (same variety, different name) found in Australia due to the similar climate. 

Portalupi wine is a much more Italian style wine, good with food but probably a little strong for my tastes. They focus on casual approachable wine with an Italian flaire like Vaso di Marina which comes in a unique milk jug familiar to those of us who buy organic milk in California.

They have a very casual tasting room and feature tasting plates to try with the wine.

The town is also filled with great coffee shops, featuring local and freshly roasted coffees like this Flying Goat Coffee house. Not a Starbucks to be seen (phew!) Try picking up a book from one of the many local stores and sit down for a peaceful brew. 

One thing I love about small town America is the great diners and all day breakfasts that can be found. We've earnt a good meal after all the walking around and the Center Street Cafe and Deli doesn't disappoint. It's all cutesy Americana with 1950s original signs on the wall and a sausage and biscuit breakfast plate with bottomless cups of coffee. Sadly it looks like this diner has closed since we visted but there were plenty of other local stops with similar fare.

We have an apartment with a full kitchen though so we're keen to cook some of the amazing local produce rather than eat out after a day of site seeing and snacking.

The locals recommend we stop by Big John's Market which is a little like an independent WholeFoods Market. The entire shop is stocked from top to bottom with local oils, wines, coffee and more, it's a foodies paradise.

The best part though is the cheese cabinet which is an entire row of delicious morsels. There are fantastic local Sonoma Cheese like Cowgirl Creamery, Point Reyes Farmstead, Marin French Cheese Company, Bodega ranch and Cover Stornetta many of which feature regularly in our fridge at home! If you're interested in knowing more about local cheeses then defintely check out the Sonoma Marin Cheese Trail with details of dairy openings and tasties. My favourites have to be the Point Reyes Blue and the Cypress Grove Truffle Tremor and the quality of goats cheese in Northern California is unparalleled outside of Europe.

They have great local produce and an amazing butcher at Big John's inspire us to make lamb souvlaki with greek salad and pita. Yum!

There is so much food related tourism in this town you could hardly fit it in in one day. Charcuterie and cheese places, coffee shops and restaurants featuring local produce abound. If this has given you a taste for a cute little town and the perfect weekend getaway then check out the chamber of commerce's town map featuring all the places fit to eat and see!

Healdsburg 

http://www.healdsburg.com/

A quaint small town in wine country perfect for a weekend away

Review: Fat Angel Food & Libations, San Francisco

As a foreigner living in San Francisco this can mean a lot of international visitors due to the proximity of Silicon Valley. Fat Angel is the perfect place to take visitors and business colleagues for a catch up and a good drink.

The theme is high end gastropub in the Fillmore district off the back of Japantown. An intimate environment that is just perfect for small groups or couples on dates - being so close to the Fillmore Theatre this would be a great choice for a pre or post show drink. The venue isn't large though so we tend to go early, either after working from home or on a weekend afternoon. This ensures a choice of tables and no wait, but be aware if you do this the kitchen only opens at 5pm. 

The craft beer list is extensive, several pages including imported and local options, ciders and gluten free beers. Watch the specials board and try their rotation to get a good grasp of the menu. We're particularly fond of some of the unusual beers like sour cherry and dark chocolate porters. 

2007 La Rioja Alta ‘Viña Alberdi’  Rioja Tempranillo $12USD and 2013 Domaine de Sulauze ‘Pomponette’  Aix en Provence, France Pino/Syrah $10USD

For the wine drinkers there's an equally impressive selection by the bottle and by the glass. Lots of new world and European wines are available that pair perfectly with the small plate food. 

Pretzel $5USD

Fresh pretzels with a lye wash and not too much salt are great with cold beer, they're served warm with a rich and hearty seeded mustard.

The real winner here though are the sharing boards; all equally delicious with wine or beer and served with crisp sour dough toast points. The cheeses come with a number of side additions like pickles, sweet marmalade and nuts that pair perfectly with the sharp cheeses. Extra points for a number of non cow milk options for those of us with more sensitive palettes. The pickled candied walnuts that they sometimes serve on the cheeseboard is one of the best things in the venue and worht looking out for. The charcuterie includes a number of dried and fatty meat options and a liver parfait. 

Charcuterie selection $5.25 each, 3 for $15, or 6 for $28 Chorizo  Duck Salami  Genoa  Pheasant Terrine  Speck  Soppressata

Cheeseboard selections $5 each, 3 for $14, or 6 for $27

• Vella Dry Jack hard cow 
• Capricious hard goat 
• Fleur de Marquis semi-soft sheep 
• La Oveja Negra semi-hard sheep 
• Petite Supreme soft cow 
• Buttermilk Blue Afinee soft cow

Not shown here are also fancy butter selections ($4.75USD each) served with warm fresh bread. This is exactly what I crave when I'm eating carbs and they don't disappoint. Selections include Lemon caper sage, Garlic chili, Maple bacon, Philz coffee or Honey Butter. 

Tomato, spicy sausage and arugula with parmesan $12USD

The flatbreads are served on a very thin bread crust with plenty of toppings. The arugula gi''ves as peppery edge to this dish that cuts nicely through the sausage, combined with the thin crust this makes a lighter more refined option for those craving pizza.

Apple Bread Pudding $7.50USD

There are a number of sweet and after dinner dishes making this also a good stop for post theatre coffee and sweets. This apple bread pudding is rich and delicious served with fresh whipped cream.

French press coffee - enough for 3 cups $9USD 

10 Year Old Malmsey Madeira Blandy’s  Madeira, Portugal  $9USD

Sadly they lack an espresso machine but the French press can be bought for 1 or in a larger format to be shared like this. It's a good quality dark French roast enough to keep a coffee snob happy. There's also a very large range of aperitifs and after dinner drinks including this delicious Madeira which can be hard to find in the US. 

Fat Angel - Food & Libation

http://www.fatangelsf.com/

1740 O'Farrell St San Francisco CA 94115 (415) 525-3013 Intimate gastropub and post Theatre share plates

Review: Harry's Grill, Cancun Mexico

Formal steakhouse dining isn't for everyone, but it's my perfect way to celebrate. After a few nights in an all you can eat resort in Cancun it was time to head out and get something different and we weren't disappointed. Our night at Harry's was the perfect kind of meal - great food, great company and great service. 

Harry's is all about great meat and good wine with old fashioned service. A pre dinner Martini and a post dinner Cognac kind of place. There's even a balcony fit to bursting with Hispanic men sharing cigars. If you are the kind of person that fears calories and machismo, this is probably not for you. This would make a wonderful place to take business partners or a convention meal; an entire table behind us was sporting high end Swiss watches and shouting about finances. 

Aging meat on display

Choosing your cut

In the theme of the old fashioned steakhouse was the presentation of choices; not only did they bring us half a butcher's window to help choose our meat cut but later they would do the same with a rolling aperitif bar.

Now unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of the entire menu, and their menu online conveniently forgets to include prices. Being clear though this was an expensive meal and we ordered as much alcohol as we did food. The Bill for two very excitable foodies came to around $500USD

We ordered waaaaay too much food, but the menu was ... everything we love and so we couldn't help ourselves but over order and try everything. We were on vacation after all! 

Rob Roy

Cucumber Martini with Chilli Lime salt ring

Each drink came with the full shaker making a Martini more like two. The bar staff are excellent and made both to order and menu items with flair. 

Fresh baked brioche with whipped butter and fresh sauces (included)

Toasted flat breads (included)

Beef Carpaccio

Another favourite - raw beef hammered thin and served with fresh herbs and spices. 

Empanadas - Blue cheese and Sundried Tomato & Six Cheese

These were amazing, no street food here! High end cheeses are folded into flakey shortening pastry and then fried. Served with fresh chili and salsa verde.

Jalapeno Mash

Honestly we didn't need this in the end  and barely touched it but I think my man got excited by the idea of rich buttery potatoes with Jalapeno chilies. 

Caprese

Honestly it was like they'd rung up our psyche and asked our favourite sites - while the boy squeed about the potatoes I ordered this caprese and then discovered it was a huge platter full.

Creamed Spinach

Again, we didn't need this at all but again... creamed spinach is one of our favourite things. They could only have topped it by adding a soft duck egg. 

Filet Mignon 8oz 420MXN

Usually my man prefers big macho cuts of steak but I think having gone a little wild on the appetizers he thought he'd order a more sensible petite filet. Melting on top are large salt crystals.

Bone in Cowgirl cut 16oz Steak 580MXN

When the staff so clearly treat their meat reverentially it seemed a must to get a bone in steak for that marrow infused flavour. This Cowgirl option is a clean cut Rib Eye on the bone, frenched in the "lollipop" style. Grilled to perfection with salt. 

2011 Terrazas Reserva Malbec

Of course good Latin beef deserves good Latin wine and there's nothing we like more with steak than Argentinian Malbec. Unfortunately most the vintages older than this 2011 were drifting off into ridiculous price territory. Of course were you in the mood to spend money they had a cellar to support any high end choice from Australian Grange to Californian Screaming Eagle.

Brownie Sundae

Having been on a diet for months it was time to blow it all with one dessert. This brownie was studded with nuts and the whole thing was topped with salted caramel. 

They billed these as "mini desserts" and so my partner ordered 2... at this point the calorie count was basically laughable so it seemed fitting.

Mini Lemon Cheesecake

Molten Lava Cake

There may have been some cognac and port that came with the dessert and coffee but honestly we were a bit tiddly by this point and I forgot to take pictures. 

Fairy Floss (Cotton Candy) included

The bill on arrival was accompanied by this huge paddle of Fairy Floss, for what I'm sure was about 20c worth of spun sugar they had the entire dining room full of otherwise serious adults wooping and cheering. 

The whole meal was absolute perfection, short of one soft egg and one order of liver parfait this was basically every single one of our favourite foods in one sitting. Add in immaculate service and a lovely setting, vacation relaxation and wonderful company... this may have been one of the best meals of my life. Had I realised how rich and plentiful the servings would have been I'd have split this meal into two visits. We chose to walk home to our resort to try and pace off some of the wine and the fat.

Harry's Grill Cancun

http://www.harrys.com.mx/

High end steak house cuisine

Harry's Grill Cancún
Boulevard Kukulkan Km. 14.2
Zona Hotelera
77500 Cancún, QROO, Mexico