The Answers to Questions about Wine

From time to time, people will approach me with such questions as, “How many calories does wine have?” or “I don’t get how to you can taste all those fruits and stuff in the wine,” or “What are tannins?” or “What health benefits do you get from wine?” or “I just don’t understand how people love wine or like it for that matter.”

How many calories are in wine?
I’d like to answer those questions. First off, wine is very low in calories. There is approximately 85 calories per glass. Vodka alone has 64 calories per one ounce shot and that’s just the alcohol.

How do I taste all that “stuff” in wine?
Haha! That really is a good question. For some people, they just have a good palate and can taste everything in the wine. For others, it’s a technique that you acquire over the years from experience.

One way to tell what flavors are in the wine is by sipping and swirling the wine in your mouth for a period of a few seconds. Feel the wine and taste it. There’s a taste and smell technique that involves sucking in air through your mouth while wine is still present. This is how you sense the aromas and true flavors in the wine. In this process, you have to envision what you taste. Use your imagination. You may taste truffles, cherries, minerals from the soil it was grown in, and the type of barrels the winemaker used. For a first-time wine drinker, it can be a difficult task, but not impossible. It just takes time.

What are Tannins?
Another presence in wine is called, “tannins”. Tannin is a tannin-like polyphonic compound and ethyl-bridged flavanols which is found in wines and highly acidic fruits. This comes from the grapes tough skin, much like the skin on green apples. Depending on the degree of tannins, it can be very tart to the taste. The lighter the tannin, results in the lightness of the body and smoothness of the wine. The heavier the tannins can result in a bitter taste and even a sour result with a longer finish. This is what is described from many wine drinkers as a “taste that lingers.” Sometimes, you don’t want a wine that lingers too long.

What health benefits do you get from wine?
Red wine in particular is rich in antioxidants, which is good for good cardio-vascular health, and increasing good cholesterol and aids in the prevention of artery damage.

The main property in red wine that helps prevent artery damage is reseveratrol. Resveratrol is an polyphenolic compound (antioxidant) found in many red wine grapes and in Japanese knotweed. There are claims that reserveratrol is an anti-aging compound, but that is a claim that is not proven. Some studies have shown that reserveratrol can reduce the symptoms of inflammation and blood clotting.

White wine also has traces of resveratrol in the wine, but because white wine is not fermented as long, it is not as highly concentrated as red wines.

Why do people love wine or like it for that matter?
To be fair, I don’t know how to answer that. It’s a personal taste, I suppose. I can only answer this from my own perspective as to why I love wine, because everyone has a different answer for this question.

Maybe, it feels a bit more sophisticated to drink wine versus a glass of beer, which is more common with the average Joe with a beer in his hand. Sometimes, I do enjoy a glass of beer, but not as much as a enjoy wine. Wine is more relaxing after a long stressful day.

Other than a few occasions from wine tasting events have I ever been drunk from consuming too much wine. I drink wine in moderation with about half a glass per day.

Wine is an adventure and can be fun. Beer taverns or micro-breweries don’t typically cover miles and miles of massive beautiful parts of lands. Wine tasting is an adventure in itself. You get to venture in areas that are full of lush fields. It can be breath taking to leave the city and get a personal view of the wine fields and other parts of the countryside.

When you’ve taken a journey into these areas and you come back home, you tend to have a craving for a glass of wine that represents where you visited. When you’ve discovered a new wine, you want to visit that winery and discover why it is so great.

If you haven’t experienced a visit to a particular wine region, put it on your a “to-do” list.

Wine of the Week, 2007 Tin Man Chardonnay from De Tierra winery of Salinas

This weeks wine goes to the 2007 Tin Man Chardonnay from De Tierra winery of Salinas California.

This bottle of wine is an exquisite balance of aroma and flavor. While, I do not recommend drinking without accompanying a plate of cheese and fruit, you may enjoy it alone anyway. It is enjoyable as it is pleasurable. The aroma is of tropical fruit and pine nuts, with a hint of pear. On the palate is a crisp zest of spicy pineapple and soft butter, with a hint of vanilla oak. This wine is highly acidic and ends dry, which is why I recommend drinking with food.

The name “Tin Man” comes from its cold barrel fermentation nine month process in French oak and stainless steel barrels. This process aids in the fresh tasting quality it possesses. De Tierra only produced 350 cases, so finding a bottle of wine is for a limited time. Grab a bottle and save it for a special occasion, but be prepared to pay a hefty price for this vintage.

My personal belief is this wine was released a little premature, but if aged another six months to a year, it will broaden the flavors. As is, it is still a delightful Chardonnay.

Best enjoyed with fresh fruit, cheese and crackers, or main courses like halibut, grilled mahi mahi, sea base, and grilled or baked chicken.

One of the Best Hamburgers I have Ever had, Taxis Hamburgers

One of the popular hamburger diners in Northern California is Taxi’s Hamburgers. I had the opportunity to experience the rave at one of their six diners in northern California at the Modesto location.

Upon seeing their menu, I was impressed at the variety of the menu. From fresh ground beef patties to turkey patties to pastrami burgers, and of course, chicken breast. There are is no shortage of options for their burgers either. Another notable optional burger is the garden burger for the more healthy conscience eater.

Taxi Hamburgers not only serves hamburgers, but they also specialize in hotdogs, pulled Cuban style pork sandwiches, fish sandwiches, tuna melts, and their famous baked potatoes with over 20 toppings available including the grilled chicken breast potato, the homemade chili potato, and the sautéed mushroom potato. Sounds good, huh? It’s making me hungry.

I wanted to try it all, but unfortunately, I was only in Modesto a short time. I ordered the mushroom burger with onion rings. I have to say, this was a most satisfying hamburger. It came with a thick 1/3 pound patty with sautéed mushrooms and Monterey Jack cheese and natural cut french fries. I didn’t see it as an option, but Taxi’s Hamburgers offers garlic fries, seasoned curly fries, and chili fries.

The basket of food was so much, I couldn’t finish it. My only complaint is the burger was quite greasy and messy, but a good messy. My recommendation is use lots of napkins. Bring a handy wipe if possible. Overall, my experience at Taxi’s Hamburgers was satisfactory.

If you’re in the Bay Area, and you are in the mood for a not so ordinary hamburger, come to Taxi’s Hamburgers for a juicy, fulfilling burger. And, bring your appetite.

California Adventures Food and Wine Festival from April 24th thru June 7th now on!

Starting April 24th, Disneyland is hosting the Disney California Food & Wine Festival. With your paid admission to the California Adventure Park through June 7th, you’ll get to enjoy the Food & Wine festivities with your pass. During each day, you can see demonstrations from culinary expects from throughout California and experience the different wines, beers, and spirits all located at the lower patio of the Golden Vine Winery and in the Pacific Warf.

For more information, go to the Disneyland website to see more details on scheduled events for dates and times.
Unfortunately, I will not be in attendence until May 2nd, so keep on a look out for my personal review of the event for that day.

Smoking Loon - Best Wine Label under $10

Believe it or not, a wine does not have to be expensive to be enjoyable. There are plenty of good wines that are below $10. In this economy, expensive wines are looked at as a luxury and it is. Smoking Loon is my pick for best quality under $10. Do not let the wine label design or the name fool you. All their wines are full of flavor, rich aromas, and pairs well with all foods or even enjoy a glass of each wine by itself.

Smoking Loon has been a production of Don Sebastiani and Sons since 2001. This brand can be found in almost any local grocery store, bulk wholesale stores, and most wine & liquor stores. I’m not going to recommend a single bottle by Smoking Loon, because every bottle of wine they offer is of the highest quality for the price and they offer a wine for every occasion.

Recommend wines by Smoking Loon are:

2007 California Merlot – Avg. price: $6 - $10
Wine traits: While Merlot can seem bland in comparison to other varietals, it’s one of the most publicly favored wines on the market. Smoking Loon produces well balanced, light tannin merlot. It’s medium bodied with aromas of plum, black cherry, green olives, and currants. On the palate with tastes of sweet cherries, ripe plums, cranberry, black pepper, and a hint of bay leaves.

2007 California Cabernet Sauvignon – Avg. price: Ave Price: $6 - $10
Wine traits: This is one of the highest rated wines by Smoking Loon. It’s perfectly balanced with flavor, tannins, and aromas. This peppery wine is very bold with strong flavors of black cherry and ripe strawberry with a hint of French oak. The aroma is bouquet of cinnamon, cloves, and black cherry. Enjoy this wine with any almost any food that has bold flavors or spice like a barbecued steak.

2006 California Chardonnay – Avg. price: $7 - $10
Wine traits: This fruity wine is quiet enjoyable with an aroma of flowers and pineapple. This chardonnay begins with a taste of soft vanilla and ends dry with a flavor of vanilla oak. Enjoy this wine with an appetizer of cheese and crackers with a chicken salad, grilled chicken breast, or even seafood.
Note: The 2007 Chardonnay should be ready to be released at the end of this year.

2006 California Syrah – Avg. price $7 - $9
Wine Traits: This is one of Smoking Loon’s best wines. Its big with juicy flavors of strawberry, mocha, and caramel. It has a leathery nose, but also ends very warm and smooth. Enjoy with spicy barbecue steak and chicken, or enjoy with teriyaki beef and other meaty Asian dishes.

2006 California Old Vine Zinfandel – Avg. price: $7 - $10
Wine traits: This robust wine has aromas of fig, cherry, and spice. On the palate it hints of dark chocolate, blackberries, and vanilla oak.

2006 California Viogner – Avg. price: $6 - $10
Wine traits: This is a very floral scented wine. The palate is rich with peach and apricot with a finish of honey and cloves.

2006 California Pinot Noir – Avg. $6 - $9
Wine traits: This well balanced is medium bodied with tastes of pomegranate, cherries, strawberry, and cinnamon flavors and a light aroma of roses and violets. This vegetarian friendly wine also pairs with salmon, chicken, lamb, and hamburgers.

Wines by Smoking Loon that I have not rated:
Sauvignon Blanc
Pinot Grigio

Wine of the Week: 2006 Hahn Estates Meritage Red Wine

The wine of the week goes to the 2006 Hahn Estates 2006 Meritage. In the year prior, Hahn Estates produced the multi-award winning 2005 Meritage, but unfortunately this exquisite wine is now out of circulation. If you can find a bottle of the 2005 Meritage, cherish it and hold on to it for a special occasion.

The next best thing is the 2006 Meritage. While during unpredictable weather with an unusually cold climate and wet weather during the first quarter, it forced growers to start a month behind. Towards the end of 2006, temperatures were more favorable, yet crops yielded fewer grapes than in previous years. What was produced, the grapes were healthy, but wines became more acidic as a result for many winemakers across the regions of Monterey and Paso Robles.

One of the highlights for 2006 is the Hahn Estate 2006 Meritage, because its flavor seems unaffected by unpredictable weather. This Meritage comprises of 33% merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the remaining mixture of Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec all contribute to make this a memorable wine. This bold but soft tannin wine produces a satisfying taste that isn’t abrasive or over powering nor does it have weak attributes. It’s perfectly balanced.

On the nose, a light aroma of asparagus and dark chocolate truffle is evident followed by black cherry and raspberry, while on the palate gives a big taste of rip cherry produces a grip of flavor that lingers long after you swallow. That lingering flavor makes you crave more of that big bold Bordeaux like flavor.

My Food pairing suggestions
While traditionally, this type of wine would go good with red meat, it isn’t a spicy wine, so go light on the peppery meats. I recommend lamb chops, veal, filet mignon, or a lightly seasoned steak. The Meritage also goes well with a variety of Italian dishes. Surprisingly, this wine went well with halibut, but other wine connoisseurs might strongly disagree pairing any red wines with any type of seafood.

The pricing for this wine is between $13 to $20 per bottle. It may seem pricey, but for the quality, it really isn’t. For more information on Hahn Estate wines, click Hahn Estates Winrey

Cool off During the Summer Heat with some Sangria

It’s only April, yet it feel like it’s the middle of August. If you’re miserable like I am and you want to escape the heat, but can’t go anywhere far due to work or school, then create a beverage that will bring down the heat and have yourself an enjoyable day at home. When the temperature rises, I tend to drink a lot of water, but sometimes I need more than just a bottle of water. This is when I love a glass of cool refreshing sangria.

Sangria originated in Spain. Sangria is a mixture of wine, liqueur, citrus fruit, and soda. It’s also called zurra if you add peaches. To make sangria, you only need a few ingredients. Here is what you need:

Easy Sangria
Ingredients:
A tall pitcher
A 750ml bottle of red wine
2 cups of Club Soda
Half a cup of Triple Sec liquor
½ cup of sugar
2 large orange
2 lemons
1 Lime
A tray of ice cubs or 4 cups of store packaged ice
1 cup of Mendocino cherries (optional)
Wine selection suggestion: When choosing your wine, for sweetness, purchase a bottle of an affordable red wine, for example; Red Table Wine or Merlot, etc. Red wine can also be substituted with sparkling wine or white wine.

Mixture:
In the pitcher, pour the contents of the wine, Triple Sec, and club soda.
Then, cut the oranges in half and hand squeeze or use a juicer to extract the juice into the pitcher. Next, slice up the lemons and lime into slices and place into the pitcher. For added flavor and visual appeal, add Mendocino cocktail cherries. Add sugar and add ice and stir with a long wooden or plastic spoon, pour and enjoy. For better tasting results, place the pitcher in the refrigerator and let stand for 30-45 minutes to fuse the flavors.

This recipe is my own. You can be creative and try different fruits and/or different wines. Like a punch, this beverage goes with a wide assortment of dishes or enjoy as is, al la carte.

Wine Lovers Love A Taste of Monterey

Do you love wine or want to discover wine for the first time? If you’re on the road and you end up at Cannery Row in Monterey, visit A Taste of Monterey. Here you can taste all the wines that the Monterey Valleys have to offer.

Monterey County is known for its predictable seasons, with long warm days and short frost seasons, makes this area perfect for growing wine grapes. In the late 1700’s, this land was fertile with wine grapes all across the lands, but when the Spaniards left this area, the wine grapes died short there after. It wasn’t until the 1960’s when wine production began its rebirth. For over 50 years, Monterey has been producing some of the best wines California has to offer.

Today, over 45,000 acres of Monterey County land is used for growing wine grapes, which makes this region one of the largest wine production areas in California. From this region, Chardonnay is one of the most popular grapes grown along with other white wines, including Pinot Noir, Riesling, and Pinot Blanc. Other notable grapes grown in Monterey County are the red wine grapes. These grapes are grown in the southern most regions for its warmer temperatures. Wines like Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, and Merlot are grown here.

To try all of these great wines, you can venture on your own wine tour and try to visit all 85 wineries or you can taste them all at one location – A Taste of Monterey.

A Taste of Monterey is in two locations. One is right on Cannery Row and another location in downtown Salinas. Here you can purchase by the bottle or purchase a tasting tour of reds, whites, or desert wines or all of the mentioned.

At the Monterey location, the store overlooks Monterey Bay for customers to enjoy the taste of Monterey’s best wines and enjoy the view of the ocean. You can watch the sea-lions and enjoy a glass of your favorite wine and relax. The attendants are knowledgeable of all their wines, so ask questions and you will learn about the different varieties of wines and where they come from. At the Salinas location, it is in the heart of downtown where you can go shopping and dine at the fine restaurants of Salinas. There you can begin at A Taste of Monterey or end an evening with a glass of your favorite wine.

For the more serious wine drinkers, you can join A Taste of Monterey wine club. Their wine club is very diverse. With the wine club, you’ll earn significant discounts on all their wines and discounts on their wine tasting events, plus you’ll get newsletters and updates. Depending on what membership plan you decide to purchase, you can get two, three, or four bottles of Monterey premium wine a month. You just choose the appellation or combination of wines. This is a great idea if wines that you prefer are not available in local stores.

For more information on the Taste of Monterey, click A Taste of Monterey or go visit them in person at:
700 Cannery Row, Ste. KK
Monterey, CA 93940

Phone: (831) 646-5446 or (888) 646-5446
Tasting Hours: Open Daily 11am to 6pm

Or in Salinas:

127 Main Street

Oldtown Salinas, CA 93901

Phone: : (831) 751-1980 or (888) 646-5446

Tasting Hours: Open Mon-Thurs 11am to 5pm, Fri and Sat 11 am to 6 pm, Sunday 11 am to 4pm

My Visit at the Monterey Bay Aquarium

Between wine tasting and dining at restaurants, one of the destinations during my visit to Monterey was the Monterey Bay Aquarium. How could I stay in Monterey without visiting one of the largest aquariums in the world?

During my visit, I was hoping to get a glimpse of the first great white shark in captivity, but I found out that the most recent shark was only a temporary resident for a period of one month. It was released in September of 2008, because the shark was not eating regularly.

For many travelers like myself, there is much to see at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, especially for travelers accompanied with children and young adults. Inside is a world of wonder are exhibits of sea creatures and animals only seen in the depths in the oceans and from outward lands indigenous to us. These exhibits display sea otters, the large Blue Fin Tuna, sharks, sea turtles, jelly fish, and one of the newest attractions, the seahorse exhibit and the penguin exhibit.


The absolute must see is the “Jellies of the World” exhibit. It’s an awe-inspiring experience that all must experience as is the seahorse exhibit, which was recently opened in April. Hundreds of people flocked to see the seahorse aquarium, so it was a difficult task to get an up close and personal look.

I was amazed at the renovation of the Outer Bay exhibit. Originally built in 1996, this unbelievable exhibit houses a whooping 1.2 million gallons of sea water is the largest aquarium of open ocean animals is the largest aquarium in Northern America. Here you will see scores of tuna zipping by the gigantic acrylic viewing windows. Only at Monterey Bay Aquarium can you see wild life as it can only be seen 60 miles off the shores of California. More impressive is the entrance to the Outer bay exhibit, where you will see the ocean in a 360 degree view of inside the ocean. Above you see thousands of anchovies circling the overview of the aquarium.

During one of the many activities available to do at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, I saw “Tagging Predators” which is a 15 minute movie about the lives of tuna, sea turtles, and sharks and how scientists tag and study animals of the sea. These 15 minute movies change on a daily basis for tourists to experience if they happen to come on a different day.




There was literally too much to see in one day. I know I missed a few exhibits, due to the huge weekend crowd. If you happen to come to Monterey Bay Aquarium, come early and plan on staying all day and don’t miss a thing. With a price tag of $29.95 for adults, $27.95 for students and seniors, and $17.95 for children, it is worth the ticket price. With all its awe and splendor, you will feel like a kid again, as did I.

A Taste of Japan at KoKoRo Sushi in Salinas

For great unforgettable sushi, KoKoRo Sushi may be the place for you. Nestled in downtown Salinas, this sushi restaurant is a hotspot for Japanese food. Unless you come early, this location is packed and you’ll be waiting outside, but once you get a taste of their specialty rolls, you’ll soon forget the long wait it took to get in.

With a large array of Japanese entrees on their menu, KoKoRo offers an assortment of their famous sauces including teriyaki, spicy miso, ginger soy, apple sesame, sweet chili, and yuzu (Japanese citrus sauce). For these sauce selections, you can have the chef select them for you, or you can choose two for yourself. These sauces pair up to several dishes, including combinations like filet mignon & shrimp, chicken & shrimp, pork tenderloin medallions & shrimp, or try on the Ahi tuna or Norwegian salmon.

For the specialty sushi roll lovers like myself, with over 20 different types of specialty rolls to choose from, there is no shortage of roll selections. The more famous rolls are the 49er and the Raider Roll that comes with shrimp, crab, tuna, avocado, and macadamia with white sauce to top it off. The Raider roll has salmon instead of tuna.

One of my personal favorites that KoKoRo prepares really well is the crunch roll. It’s just a basic roll with shrimp tempura, crab, avocado, and cucumber wrapped in seaweed and rice, but it’s so good. One of my new favorites that KoKoRo has is the Jungle Roll, which comes with spicy tuna, cucumber, and topped with seaweed. The other sushi roll that I had that has become my favorite is the rainbow roll. I never tried it until this night. It has five different raw fish (tuna, hamachi, salmon, shrimp, and red snapper) with cucumber, avocado, and crab meat. Along with some miso soup, an order of edamame, and hot green tea makes for fulfilling meal.

Overall, my visit was most satisfactory. When I return and my craving is for sushi, I would definitely come back. With that, I shall say, “Makotoni Arigato Gozaimashita” (Thank you, very much).

Salinas Valley Fish House Restaurant Review

I am in the town of Salinas, California. On Thursday, I felt like dining at a fine restaurant in downtown and possibly doing some wine tasting….maybe. Salinas is just outside of Monterey with a modest population of fewer than 150,000. With the nickname “the Salad Bowl”, Salinas is known for its agricultural farming fields and grape vineyards.

In Salinas there is an array of fine restaurants all centrally located within a quarter mile of each other. On Main and Gabilan is a restaurant called, Salinas Valley Fish House which is locally known for its oak barbecued pit smoked oysters and fried calamari. The vintage interior of the restaurant gives a comfortable inviting feel.

The layout is small, but not crowded. And, a fish house would not be complete without marine taxidermy displays. There are plenty for the eye to see. Equipped with a full size bar, one my be inclined to enjoy a drink as you wait for an open table or sit and enjoy drinks with conversation.

Upon seating, the waitress handed me a menu, but also gave me a verbal list of the specials. I was impressed of her knowledge of the varity of meals. Some of the specials were the Ahi Tuna seared with wasabi with a teriyaki sauce, the halibut picatta, barbecued onoh, crab cakes with pasta, barbecued salmon, filet mignon with shrimp scampi, and lamp chops with a red wine reduction sauce. Without looking at the menu, I decided upon starting with the baby-leaf salad with avocado-vinaigrette dressing and the lamb chops with the wine reduction on the side as my main dish.

With a price tag of $39, the rack of lamb was exquisite and well worth it to say the least. It comes with garlic mash, fresh vegetables, and a side of red wine reduction sauce for the lamb chops, which is an excellent compliment of flavor. The portions are plenty with eight small mouth-watering lamb chops to ensure you aren’t begging for more. I had ordered it at medium, but I recommend ordering this dish at medium-rare, because lamb chops are typically a dry meat.

From a local winery, I enjoyed a glass of a 2006 Hahn Meritage red wine from Hahn Estates Winery. The Hahn Meritage is a Bordeaux style wine with a blend of Merlot with layers of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec. Together these blends of grapes deliver to make the perfect accompaniment with lamb chops. This Merlot blend is also bold, but delicate in flavor with the perfect balance of tannins that makes this the perfect pairing match for any red meat, or even with fish.

Since this is a seafood restaurant, I couldn’t recommend the dinning experience if I did not order a seafood dish. In conjunction with the lamb, I also ordered the Fresh Halibut. It is pan fried prepared in olive oil with a picatta sauce consisting of white wine, lemon juice, and capers. This was also served with pasta and fresh vegetables. The halibut was very pleasing in taste. The texture of the fish was flaky and yet delicate. As a fish lover, this was most enjoyable.

To finish evening, I had the Crème brûlée for desert. This creamy custard desert was topped with a blowtorched caramelized topping that is always a delight if prepared correctly. It’s the perfect balance of vanilla and caramel in one dish. I had started on my second glass of Meritage, and was a treat to accompany both the brûlée and the wine as a desert combination.

Next to my table, I had spoken to a local couple whom visit this restaurant on a monthly basis, and declare this is their favorite seafood restaurant. From my experience, I can see why.

For visitors to the Salinas area that are looking for a great seafood restaurant, I highly recommend the Salinas Valley Fish House. The service is great, the waiters and waitresses were friendly, all the food was excellent, and the restaurant is clean.

Wine of the Week, 2005 Dolcetto

For this weeks, “Wine of the Week”, I recommend a bottle of 2005 Dolcetto from Pasos Vineyards. This wine comes from the Lodi appellations. It’s a light and fruity wine that goes down smooth from the instant the bottle is opened.

Grown in the central valley of Lodi, California and aged for 18 months in French and Hungarian oak barrels, the 2005 Dolectto’s unique blend of grapes gives the fragrance hints of fresh strawberries, plumes, and vanilla which come out in the taste along with soothing licorice and wild red raspberries and blackberries.

Enjoy with dark chocolate or with cheese, this seductive wine becomes its own delicacy of flavor that goes with almost any dish that is rich and flavorful makes you yearn for another sip.

Winemaker, Antonio Pasos and Pasos Vineyards motto, “Quality comes first” is evident in this bottle of wine. For the serious wine drinker searching for an exquisite wine, I implore you to try this Dolcetto.

For more information on this wine, visit to Pasos Vineyards

Located at:

12470 Locke Road Suite #268

Lockeford, CA 95237

Phone (209) 727-3153

Alternate Phone (877) 53-Pasos

Get Rid of that Old Wallet

For reasons unknown, guys are often than not are attached to their old wallets. Many will brag about how long they’ve owned theirs. In reality, no one cares how long you’ve had your wallet.

My word of advice, no matter how old your wallet is and how attached you are to that wallet, get rid of it. If you insist on keeping an old wallet, make sure there are no rips or tears in it, because after four long days, I realized my drivers license and student ID cards were missing. With identity theft at an all time high, losing my drivers license was not something I am prepared to deal with.

I didn’t realize it was gone until Sunday evening. I had a sudden panic attack when I was trying to purchase a bottle of wine at Stater Bros. Luckily, the attendant didn’t card me and I purchased my bottle of wine.

I went home to go look. I thought, well it could have fallen into my cargo pocket from yesterday, since the pockets are pretty loose and it could have slipped out there. No such luck. So, I searched my entire laundry basket, and then my car. Not there either.

By then, I was beginning to really panic. So, I back-tracked every place to the last known place I had gone to the first time I remembered seeing my cards, which happened to be Thursday of last week.

I called the gas station, which the very last place I had gone to. Not there. So, there began my journey of phone calls. I called Regal Cinema, Gamestop, California Comic’s, Barns and Nobles, and Incredible John’s. Finally, I got to the last place on my list. It was Miki’s Japanese Restaurant. At last, it was found! It was the final place where I knew I had it.

This restaurant was apart of one of my latest restaurant reviews this past weekend and it was a good review at that. The guy who answered the phone was really nice. To ensure that he sent me my cards, I told him I had written a nice review of the restaurant on my blog. Hopefully, it was a good enough review that he wouldn’t forget to mail my identification cards to me.

Lesson learned I suppose. As soon as I get my id's back, I'm going shopping for a new wallet.

John's Incredible Pizza, Not Just for Kids

Established in 1996, John’s Incredible Pizza was created to provide an alternative for dining entertainment for children with the consideration for adult entertainment as well. John’s Incredible Pizza is a fast food pizzeria in a large setting with pizza, pasta, soup, salad, and desert buffets. It’s basically a family orientated dining facility spread out over 60,000 square feet in each of its restaurants. Although it can be a fun place for adults with our without kids, it does not have an outlandish bar like a Dave & Busters might have, and it is not quite as toddler-audience orientated as Chucky Cheese. John’s Incredible Pizza finds a middle ground between the two entertainment restaurants.

While John’s Incredible Pizza offers variety of different pizza’s to choose from, they are notably famous for their Spicy Peanut Butter and Alfredo pizza. Other creative pizzas available are the Macaroni Pizza, Cheeseburger Pizza, Fiesta Pizza, BBQ Chicken Ranch and Garlic Pesto Pizza, the Nacho Cheese Pizza, along with the typical traditional pizzas are available to choose from as well.

Even though pizza is their main commodity, they have an assortment of other menu options to choose from, including two different soups that vary on a daily basis. They also have traditional spaghetti with meat marina sauce and fettuccini with Alfredo sauce, macaroni and cheese, and other pasta creations. For a daily dose of fiber, JIP has a 40 item salad bar that is very impressive for a pizzeria buffet.

To end a fulfilling meal, the desert bar is a sure way to complete the experience. The desert bar includes an array of assorted cakes, cookies, and soft serve ice cream.

As if it may appear they have it all, the taste test can make or break the opinion of their customers. For an affordable price of $8.99 for adults and on nights and weekends, and a price of $3.99 on up for children with an all you can eat buffet, one cannot expect hand tossed, freshly made pizza dough, and sauce to be prepared on a daily basis. Instead, the dough is frozen, and the sauces are premade, and toppings are minimal in proportion, but the flavors are not sacrificed. Their pizza is best enjoyed when a freshly baked pizza is served hot. This is the absolute best way to enjoy their pizza.

To top off the evening, enjoy a few hours playing with the kids or with friends in Fun World. Fun World is an arcade and miniature amusement park. Many of the games are arcade style and ticket games to redeem for prizes at the prize booth. Not all John’s Incredible Pizza’s have all the amusement rides, but some may include bumper cars, Twister ride, Express roller coaster, Go Kart Speedway, a bowling ally, and the glow-the-dark miniature golf.

For a listing of which rides are available in each of the nine locations in California, go to the John’s Incredible Pizza website.

Sushi at Miki Japanese Restaurant

Many places have exceptional sushi. Miki's Japanese Restaurant is no exception. A few friends and I went to Miki’s on Thursday evening, and we enjoyed several Miki sushi rolls from the Hollywood Style section. For starters, we were given miso soup and we ordered a tempura appetizer plate. For drinks, I opted not to drink any wine with my meal, so I only drank water this time.

The first sushi roll was a specialty roll called the “G-Spot”. It’s a Mexican sushi concoction, with spicy tuna, cooked shrimp, cream cheese rolled in rice, and topped with jalapenos and tomatoes. It was a true delight. The second and third roll was the "SOS". It is a basic roll like the G-Spot, but with asparagus instead of Cream cheese with no jalapenos and no tomatoes. It’s topped with teriyaki sauce and salmon eggs. Finally, the forth roll was a Dragon Roll. It includes tempura shrimp, unagi, and avocado. It isn’t spicy, but very flavorful.

The menu is diverse with several choices of sushi, sashimi, dinner specials, party platters, and lunch specials to choose from and reasonably priced. They also have a selection of 15 different types of Sake and a good selection of wines.

And, like a good sushi restaurant, the atmosphere is darkly lit which is very relaxing. There are several waterfall art displays to create the soothing ambiance. The service was excellent and so is the preparation of the food. My visit was pleasant worth returning.

*photos I took weren't good quality, so I used photos from Miki's website.




To check out more, click here: Miki Japanese Restaurant

The Best Burgers East of Los Angeles

The hamburger is one of the single most popular foods in American history. This sandwich was developed in the early 1920’s and it exploded when White Castle and McDonald’s began their franchises. Even today, it is still the most eaten food of the current generation, followed by pizza.

The real question is where are the best hamburgers East of Los Angeles? There are literally dozens of references to what place makes the best hamburgers nationwide, or even in the city of Los Angeles, but what about right here?

Anyone you talk to is going to boast about where their favorite burger comes from. The truth is, there are a lot of good hamburger places, but too often there are place that just need to be checked off the list of good hamburgers. Here are a few places are a must for burger lovers:

Pie’N Burger - Pasadena
From breakfast, to lunch to dinner, and 22 different desert pies to chose from, they have it all. Pie’N Burger has a limited menu of different hamburgers, but don't let the menu fool your taste buds. Their burgers are one of the top 5 best tasting burgers around. Choose from three kinds of burgers with the original, the turkey burger, and the vegetarian.

Yard House- Pasadena
The Yard House specializes in their huge selection of beers on tap with more than 100. The food is exceptionally good and the menu is filled with lots of American themed foods, with some international dishes as well. Most notable is the hamburger menu. They have a modest selection of different burgers. The most ordered burger is the Béarnaise Burger, which comes with a béarnaise sauce and fried onions. Each half pound burger patty is made from Naturewell brand Angus beef on a potato bun and served with fries.

Tommy’s Original World Famous Hamburger – Chino, La Habra, El Monte
The trip to Tommy’s is worth the drive for an excellent hamburger. Tommy’s Original World Famous Hamburger has been making their most sought-after burgers since 1946. Other burger places have tried to copy their food, but no other place is like the original. Their specialty is the Double Chili Cheeseburger and Chili Fries. Not recommended for the weak at heart, but for the occasional indulgence, it is a must have.

In-N-Out Burger – Multiple Locations
Anyone who’s ever seen the line to the drive-thru window knows why it is always looks like a moving parking lot. Their burgers are probably the most popular among all hamburger lovers. In-N-Out has had a loyal customer base since 1946 with no sign of any economic troubles. The formula of the burger has gone through little to no change in over 60 years. While their menu may appear limited, but you have the option to order how you like. In-N-Out is popularly known for their “secret” non-menu variation option menu for their burgers. Options like, “Animal style” which is basically grilled onions or “the Arnold” which is a 4x4 with a lettuce wrap instead of a bun for the high protein, low-carb conscience eater, the 3x3, which is three patties and three slices of cheese, the 4x4 with four patties, “animal style” which is simply any burger with grilled onions, and the famous “Animal Style Fries” that is french fries covered with grilled onions, extra spread sauce, pickles, and fried mustard. For more than just a shake, order the “Neapolitan”. It has all three flavors of strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate mixed together into one delicious shake.

Fat Burger – Brea and Rancho Cucamonga
Fat Burger maintains the 1950’s atmosphere. Like the 50’s restaurant theme, their burgers are unchanged in when it comes to the “homemade” taste as well. The menu is standard of a tradition hamburger restaurant, as well as some of their healthier choices like the turkey burger, and the vegetarian Boca burger. One option that most burger places don’t offer is the optional fried egg as a topping, making the burger a delicious mess. Along with a shake and their famous thick onion rings, makes for an enjoyable meal.

Happy Dining!

Have any other recommendations and favorite restaurants or even a favorite dish, please write me at thegreatunknowns@gmail.com

Wine of the Week, 2007 Ménage à Trois Red Wine

Each week I will bring to you a new selection of wine and tell you why I made my selection, why it’s good, and what foods it will go well with.

For this weeks wine, I chose the 2007 Ménage à trois Red wine. It’s a simple wine, but it goes well with many dishes, and it’s a tasty treat especially with dark chocolate.

Grown and bottled at the Folie à Deux Winery in Napa valley, this seductive wine will have you believing you are drinking a $40 bottle of wine. It’s a blended wine with a ménage of three different grapes that consists of Zinfandel, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. It’s a well priced wine as well, ranging from $8 to $13 per bottle. When opened, it’s not necessary to let it breathe.

Just released in June of 2008, it’s relatively a young wine, but it’s perfectly aged as is. It starts silky smooth, with tastes of chocolate, juicy ripen cherry, and with light tannins to make this wine a delightful finish.

Enjoy this wine with braised lamb chops, grilled steak, prime rib, filet mignon, pizza, or even a hamburger. There's not much that this wine will not go good with. The 2007 Ménage à trois Red wine my recommendation of the week and for weeks to come.

I hope you enjoyed this weeks selection.

Bad Wine Followed by Bad Wine Pairing (My fault of course)

This evening, I had an interesting dinner. My brother had gone to visit my mother and she sent home a basket of pre-made garbanzo bean burritos. They are actually quite good, considering they are of the same garbanzo beans that are used in the typical salad as a toping that I love so much. Except, these beans are boiled and mashed the same way that refried beans are prepared.

Along with the garbanzo bean burrito’s we had gone to Albertson’s to purchase a pre-cooked rosemary and garlic rotisserie chicken and added a 2007 Sutter Home bottle of “Red” wine. I’ve tried this wine once before in my life, and I thought I had enjoyed it, but I was sorely mistaken. I opened the bottle as we were preparing the dinner, and I took a sip. The taste in which entered my mouth was utter disgust. “Is this the kind of wine hookers drink?” I said jokingly after tasting this wine. At times, I’ll enjoy a sweet wine like a Pinot Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Rieslings, or even a Gewurztraminers, but not that sweet. I wonder how I thought that particular "red" wine was EVER good.

Without hesitation, I poured the two glasses of wine that I poured back into the bottle and put it in the refrigerator. It would be best used for a Spanish Sangria cocktail, but I won’t drink this wine “as is”.

So, what did I drink instead? I went to the good stuff and opened one of my reserve bottles of a 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon from Eberle Winery. I always preach about what wines to drink with the correct foods, but often times, I don't practice what I preach. But this time, I have to agree my own wine pairing recommendation, because chicken and garbanzo bean burritos isn’t a preferable combination with Cabernet. Even I can make bad food and wine choices.

An Evening with Eberle Winrey

COVINA, CA – Eberle Winery of Paso Robles was in town to host “Flight Night” at Azo Vino on Thursday evening. There to host and feature five of Eberle’s best wines, Winemaker Ben Mayo was there in attendance serving glasses of his award wining wine from his vineyards while mingling with guests.

Nestled in the sub appellation mountain northern region of Paso Robles, Elberle Winery is one of the premium vineyards of this area, producing high quality reds and white wines since 1982. Eberle Winery produces approximately 30,000 cases of wine a year and has won many awards for its wines. Some of the featured Elberle wines were the following:


2007 Estate Chardonnay vintage. This Chardonnay is exquisite in taste and finishes smooth. Aged in French Oak, this wine displays hints of tart lemon and smooth caramel/vanilla flavors with a rich aroma of pears and apples.

2006 Côtes-du-Rôbles. This vintage wine comes from a combination of Mourvedre, Syrah, and Grenache Viogenier grapes which gives it a bold character wine that
tastes of a mixture of blueberries and black cherry. It’s a bit oaky in taste, but its fruity flavor will compliment a grilled steak or lamb chops.

2006 Cabernet Sauvignon. This vintage was a crowd pleaser. Good on the nose and easy on the palate. It has a well balance of flavors and tannins, which makes for one of the best of Cabernet’s available on the market. As it may seem to carry a high price tag of $22 per bottle, this wine was voted best value at the 2009 Sandestin Wine Festival for its “high price” appeal.

2006 Syrah, Steinbeck Vineyard. This vintage is one of the boldest flavored wines of the evening. Its rich flavor of blueberry and blackberry mixed with vanilla oak characteristics gives this wine a distinctive quality that makes it a delight. Because of the spicy pepper flavors, enjoy with a braised lamb shanks, grilled steak, or roasted duck.

2007 Estate Muscat Canelli. The evening ended with a pleasurable desert wine. The Eberle Muscat Canelli is a crisp light-bodied wine with the aroma of orange blossom and flavors of peach and apricot. What you smell, is exactly what you taste. End a fulfilling meal with desert and a glass of Eberle’s Muscat Canelli or enjoy this wine as a desert by itself.

To enjoy these wines, go to Azo Vino located in Covina, CA or visit the Eberle Winery in Paso Robles. It’s located right off of Highway 46. You can also check out their wines at the coming 27th Annual Paso Robles Winery Festival coming on May 15 through 17.

New CD Release to Check Out...Ace Enders and A Million Different People

On March 17, 2009 was the release of “When I hit the Ground” by Ace Enders and & A Million Different People. The last album release was back in June of 2008 with “The Secret Wars”. This album has a different appeal in comparison from the previous release. In fact, the lyrics and style of music has a feel of Ace Enders (Arthur Carl) from his previous bands The Early November and I Can Make a Mess Like No One’s Business.

The guitar ballads in “When I hit the ground” provide a melancholy-positive-outlook in life lyrics through Ace’s words with songs like, “Bring Back Love” and “Over This”. Each song is artistically dynamic and deep in emotional meaning that reflects the inner workings of Ace’s poetic state of mind.

Unlike many other artists of today, Ace Enders stays true in his style of music, and steers clear from the “sell-out” commercial motivated form of music. For clean and soulful music, which stays true to the original Indie style. Fans will not be disappointed with this album. Every track is a treasure.

Ace Enders & A Million Different People is currently on tour with All American Reject and Shiny Toy Guns. To purchase music or get information on tour dates, go to http://www.myspace.com/aceendersandamilliondifferentpeople

I will premier some tracks from “When I hit the Ground” in episode 3 of, The Great Unknowns Podcast

My Vist to BJ’s Restaurant Brewery

I had a craving for a full meal, so I went to BJ’s Restaurant Brewery last night. I’ve only been to BJ’s on one other occasion prior. At that time I wasn’t impressed. I had only ordered the appetizer samplers plate that came with Spinach & Artichoke Dip, Angus Beef Sliders, Avacado Egg Rolls, Crisp Potato Skins, Santa Fe Spring Rolls, and Mozzarella sticks. I also ordered a glass of the Harvest Hefeweizen. The Hefeweizen is a wheat beer that is used with Bavarian weizen yeast to produce its flavor. It’s a fruity beer, so it isn’t uncommon that you will find people enjoying a glass of this beer with a wedge of lemon. All in all, the meal was okay, but what can you expect from a meal entirely of appetizers? I felt like I didn’t give BJ’s a true test of its dining potential, so I wanted to return at a later date.

I had a chance to return to BJ’s, so I wanted to enjoy a full dinner service, but this time I wanted a glass of wine instead of a popular beer that BJ’s is known to have in their menu. Since most of the meals are rich and full of flavor, I decided to order a glass of Bearboat Pinot Noir. This wine was not a vinyard that was familiar to me, but I knew I was interested in ordering the Angus Beef Open Sandwich and Pinot Noir is a selection that normally goes well with roast beef.

The Angus Beef Open Sandwich is a "knife & Fork" sandwich that comes with a slice of toasted garlic bread with a hearty sized portion of roasted beef, a mound of mashed potato, covered with brown gravy, with a bed of mixed vegetables, while my dinner date ordered the Blackened Chicken Potato.

As little as a potato may sound at first, it is not so little in portion at all. In fact, the potatoes that BJ's uses for this dish is incredibly large in proportion. Most likely these potatoes are grown in Idaho where the potatoes there are known to get as large as a game hen. This stuffed potato was filled with blackened chicken, steamed broccoli, fire-roasted red peppers, jack and cheddar cheese with a side of creamy alfredo sauce. I tried it and it was quite flavorful, but a bit rich.

Had I known the portions of food were so large, we wouldn’t have started with the spinach dip with tortilla chips, or we could have shared a single meal, because my date and I aren’t big eaters. Fortunately, we were able to take leftovers home to finish another day.

BJ's does have a full array of delicious looking deserts, but we were too full to even think of ordering anymore food. However, I did get to see one of the deserts from the couple sitting next to us and they were kind enough to let me photograph their desert called a Pizookie.

At the bottom of this mouth watering delight begins a large chocolate chip chocolate cookie, with two scoops of creamy chocolate ice cream, and finally topped with a bar of the famous Ghirardelli chocolate, which is known as the “Triple Chocolate Pizookie”. I asked the couple if the Pizookie was as good as it looks, “Yes, you have to try it some time,” said the girlfriend.

My overall visit at BJ’s was satisfactory. The service was excellent, but I wasn’t overly impressed with the food. The prices of the meals were favorable considering the food we ate was pre-cooked, the mashed potatoes aren’t made from scratch, and nether is the gravy. The chicken and the vegetables tasted frozen, but it still turn out to be a good meal.

If you are on a strict calorie diet, I don’t recommend BJ’s, but for an occasional casual night out, it is worth the trip, especially if you are looking for a place to hang out with a group of friends and want to enjoy a good beer and pizza and enjoy a good sporting event. They have large wide-screen televisions throughout the restaurant and one large screen inside the bar area. I shall return to this venue again.