Review of Flipflop Wines

Hey Sasaki Time fans! I have another product review for you! This time it is from the fine folks at flipflop wines! If you have never heard of them, you will! They were started on the belief that, "great tasting wines do not need to break the bank"!

They also reached out to help Soles4Souls.For every bottle of flipflop wine purchased, Soles4Souls will distribute a pair of shoes to someone in need.

I was fortunate enough to receive three bottles of their wines to review. I invited my good friend Anthony over to taste them with me. He is an accomplished cook, baker and really knows his wines. I figured his expertise would help me immensely in this review.

The bottles came in this box.

Upon opening the box, this is what was inside. I immediately loved the bottles! The bright colors and the flipflops are very eye catching! I also loved that they included the tasting notes with the bottles. The bottle labels also have the same information on them and even give you suggestions on what to serve with each wine! This is an added plus for those of us that are not wine connoisseurs.

The first bottle we tried was the Pinot Noir. It was a nice bodied wine with a nice smooth taste. You could really pick up on the spices. My friend Anthony made pumpkin and chocolate whoopie pies to go with this wine and they were perfect. The spices in the pumpkin whoopie pies went incredibly well with the Pinot Noir as did the chocolate ones! Anthony suggested that he wanted to cook with this wine and was tempted to make a beef bourguignon.

The second bottle was tried was the Reisling. This was our favorite by far. One whiff and you could pick up the tropical aroma from the different fruits. It was nice and sweet with a smooth finish. Anthony suggested that the next bottle we make into a Sangria. That would be perfect after brunch or any Spring or Summer day.

Last but not least, we tried the Pinot Grigio. It was really nice and crisp. It had a nice dry aftertaste. You could really taste the pear. My friend Anthony said that he would want to add this into his marinara sauce.

So after a fantastic night of wine tasting, we are now both big fans of flipflop wines! Not only do they give back to those less fortunate but they really do make an exceptional variety of wines! Perhaps in our next review for flipflop wines, it will include the recipes and the dishes that my friend Anthony is thinking of making! Until next time Sasaki Time Fans, pick up a bottle of flipflop wine and enjoy your evening!

To learn more about flipflop wines, check out their website at the link below:
flipflop wines

To learn more about the Soles4Souls program, check out their website at the link below:
 Soles4Souls

Disclaimer: I received no monetary compensation for this review. I received three bottles of FlipFlop Wines for review purposes only. All thought and opinions are 100% my own.

Review of Red Table during OC Wine Week

I returned to one of my favorite new restaurants, Red Table in Huntington Beach. This time the occasion was for OC Wine Week. I went with my friends Stephanie and Julie and we had a wonderful time!

Sorry for the dark photo of the Wine Week menu! It was $40 for three courses. You could choose from three different appetizers, three different entrees and two different desserts. There was a wine pairing for each course. The first two courses had two wines to choose from and the dessert course had one wine paired with it.

For our first course, Julie and I both went with the ahi tuna poke and Stephanie went with the Triple Dip.
I can't get over how much I love this dish! The ahi tuna poke is fresh and has a slight kick to it and goes fantastic with the warm crispy eggplant chips! I paired it with a Taft Street Pinot Noir. It had a nice balance and finish to it. It went well with the appetizer! Sorry there is no picture of Stephanie's appetizer which was hummus, roasted red pepper and avocado mash to spread on grilled flatbread. It was delicious!

For my entree I went with the salmon a la plancha. It was grilled and served with a incredible mustard vinaigrette, asparagus, fingerling potatoes and thinly sliced radishes. Forget the spaghetti and giant meatball that I had last time, I will have this dish over and over again. The salmon was perfectly grilled and lightly seasoned. The asparagus was crisp, just the way I like it. I paired it with a Williamette Valley Reisling. It was smooth with a nice sweet taste.

For dessert I went with my favorite, the Red Table Cupcake! The cake in the cup comes out nice and warm and topped with a delicious sweet vanilla bean cream cheese frosting! It was expertly paired with a Taylor 10 Year Tawny. I am a huge fan of port and this combined with the cake was just a little bit of heaven!

Another great meal at one of my favorite new restaurants! Thank you for participating in OC Wine Week! I think you made fans for life!

Click on the link below to check out the website:
http://redtablerestaurants.com

Red Table

16821 Algonquin St
Huntington Beach, CA 92649

(714) 846-4700

Hours:

Mon-Thu 11 am - 10 pm

Fri-Sat 11 am - 11 pm