Wine Review: 2016 Kir Yianni Akakies Sparkling

I recently received two bottles of 2016 Kir Yianni Akakies Sparkling wine from Greece for a media review. I am a huge fan of wine's from Greece and was happy to find this special delivery.

The deep pink color and tiny bubbles is a welcomed sight as you pour a glass. You then pick up the scents of strawberries and cherries. The flavor is crisp and dry. There is a slight hint of sweetness with the first sip that lends itself to more complexity with each subsequent sip.

This wine pairs nicely with a wide variety of foods including Asian dishes and of course Mediterranean dishes. I choose to pair it with a lovely seared salmon with mashed potatoes and steam spinach. But you cannot go wrong with pork, spicy dishes or dishes that are vegetable based. Even on its own, the wine would be perfect to enjoy during a relaxing evening at home.

The 2016 Kir Yianna Akakies Sparkling is another example of a fine Greek wine and would be an excellent place to start your exploration of Greek wines.

*Disclaimer: The wine was sent for media review purposes but the review is strictly my own opinion.*

Holsteins Shakes and Buns - Amazing Food, Fantastic Service and an Ever Changing Menu

My friend Carla and I went to go check out Holsteins Shakes and Buns in Costa Mesa. This is only their second location, with the first being in Las Vegas. They are known for their burgers, appetizers and what they call their Bam-Boozled, alcohol-infused shakes.

Take a look at that amazing Campfire Smores shake in the photo above. A delicious and refreshing smores made into a shake with Smirnoff marshmallow vodka added to it. This makes a perfect dessert shake.

I love the popcorn that's brought to your table. Good comfort food to munch on while you look through the menu.

The Buffalo Chicken dip is a must have appetizer. Think of shredded buffalo chicken and queso mixed together with house made tortilla chips. Spicy, cheesy and easily one of the best things I have ever eaten.

Let's take a closer look at that shake list. Find anything you like yet? Or should I say have you found several that you have to try?

Next we had the Azuki Coconut shake. Yes, azuki, that awesome Japanese sweet bean paste blends so perfectly with the subtle flavor of coconut that you will want another.

If Bam-Boozled shakes aren't your thing, never fear there are more than enough wines and beers to keep you happy. The wine and beer list is on this handy tablet.

The other reason to come is for the burgers. This is their simple Classic Burger and honestly one of the best cooked hamburger patties I have ever tasted.

Friday and Saturday nights they have live music. Happy Hour is 6 days a week. So come check out Holsteins for great food, drinks and service!

Learn more at their site:
holsteinsburgers.com

Greek Wine Review: The Best Tasting Wines You Are Not Drinking!

A few weeks ago I was invited to Los Angeles for a Greek Wine tasting event. I never had the opportunity to try Greek wines before and was intrigued. Here is one of the oldest wine producing countries and yet I have never had a glass of Greek wine in my life.

What better place to try my first Greek wines than right here in California, home of Napa Valley and several other well known wine producing areas. How would the Greek wines compare with the California varieties?

Let's start with my favorite whites. All three of the above are from the Domaine Porto Carras, the largest organic vineyard in Greece. From left to right, the 2012 Melissanthi and the 2012 Assyrtiko are both minerally and refreshing. The 2013 Malagouzia was more fruity with a light melon finish. These were some of the cleanest, smoothest white wines I have ever experienced. I was very much surprised to find that all three are under $20 a bottle.

Next up are my favorite red wines. Starting once again from left to right, the Chateau Porto Carras was made up of a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Limnio. The Magnus Baccata is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. This has a fruity yet spicy taste with a hint of chocolate at the end. The Limnio is made entirely from the Limnio grape and had a lovely fruit and cinnamon taste. This proved to be my favorite and I will go into some of its history below.

This was my favorite of all the wines there. I love history and hearing the stories behind wines but this one was the most intriguing. This varietal was not only Plato's favorite but is mentioned by Aristotle in the Odyssey. I loved this varietal so much as well that I had to find where I could buy it in Orange County.

Here is the bottle of Limnio I purchased. The only place that carries it in Orange County is my favorite place to purchase wines or any alcohol for that matter, Hi-Time Wine Cellars in Costa Mesa.

All of these wines reminded me of our California varietals and as well they should. The region where Greece and California produce wines is nearly identical in latitudes and climates. Greek wines are beginning to take a foothold in restaurants and local wine shops across the country. Look to see if your local wine shop carries Greek wine and prepare yourself for a treat and quite possibly a new favorite or two.

Restaurant Review: Brunos Trattoria in Brea!

It's time for another restaurant review! This time it is for Brunos Trattoria in Brea! My friend Rachelle and I love Italian food. Let's start off with a nice glass of Moscato. Brunos offers over 40 varieties of wine and on Wednesdays they offer a glass of wine for a penny with any entree order.

Rachelle started with the arancini, risotto balls filled with ham, cheeses, fresh herbs and lightly fried with marinara sauce. These were light and just as good as the ingredients sound!

I had the cozze, PEI mussels, garlic, white wine, fennel and fresh herbs. I love mussels and these were so flavorful and the broth just begged to be drank. A massive portion for an appetizer. I could see ordering this and a glass of wine and being quite content!

Rachelle, who is a huge gnocchi fan ordered the gnocchi al pesto. The gnocchi is made in house with fresh pesto, cream and pinenuts. There is just something about anything freshly made and the gnocchi is so fresh and light. One of the best I have ever tried.

I went with the lasagna al forno. Fresh pasta, bolognese, bechamel, parmigiano makes for the best lasagna I have ever had! The portion size is huge and the pasta is unbelievably light and literally melts in your mouth. Rachelle is isn't a meat sauce fan actually said that she preferred my lasagna to her gnocchi.

For dessert Rachelle went with the torta de pesche. Fresh peaches, almonds, and vanilla bean gelato made for a delicious experience. It was so warm and moist. Fantastic dessert!

I went with the budino al caramello. Caramel pudding, chocolate ganache, and whipped cream made for a heavenly experience. Very much recommended!

Great service and great food in a quiet, industrial atmosphere makes this a great place to go to again and again!

Brunos Trattoria

210 W Birch St, 

Brea, CA 92821

(714) 257-1000

Hours:

Mon	4:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Tue	4:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Wed	4:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Thu	4:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Fri	4:00 pm - 11:00 pm
Sat	4:00 pm - 11:00 pm
Sun	4:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen Open House!

Sasaki Time was invited to an Open House at Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen in Downtown Disney to enjoy food, drinks and check out their private dining rooms!

 

This is already one of my favorite themed places in Downtown Disney. I do admit that I stop more often at the Jazz Kitchen Express for their amazing beignets! That is one of my favorite snacks when visiting the parks!

I love these statues! It makes me feel like Mardi Gras is here all year round!

The open house took place upstairs, where they have four different rooms for special events. There is one more room downstairs that can be used for special events as well and that one is the largest as it can hold seating for 120 people or a reception for 200 people plus a stage for entertainment.

The four rooms upstairs can be used for any event you may have from a small private event to a large party!

The Parlor Room featured live jazz this evening! This room can hold between 100-120 seated or 180 for a reception. 

Out on the balcony,where 80 seated guests can be accommodated or 100 for a reception. This evening though they were using it to prepare for us a crawdad broil! I love crawdads!

The crawdads were nice and spicy! They were served with potatoes and corn on the cob! So good!

Next to that they were making a BBQ shrimp. Not sure where the name BBQ shrimp comes from since it is not barbequed nor is there BBQ Sauce but I could eat these buttery, spicy shrimp all day long. I admit I had to go back and getting another helping! They were just as amazing as the crawdads!

Don't those shrimp look mouthwatering?

They were also passing out these fantastic catfish sliders! Catfish is one of my favorite cooked fish so I couldn't pass these up!

There was also this refreshing watermelon gazpacho like item (sorry I couldn't remember the name).

In the Wine Room, which seats 18, they had prime rib and ham.

The prime rib was paired expertly with three different sauces for you to enjoy. Starting from the left, there was an olive pickled relish (amazing), horseradish (it was really creamy and mixed with something but I couldn't tell what it was), and the last one was a fresh tomato salsa (nice and refreshing). My photos of the ham didn't come out so I will skip that one but one of the sauces was a pineapple and mango salsa that was so sweet and paired perfectly with the saltiness of the ham.

They had one of their specialty drinks, the Hurricane for us. This was easily one of the best ones I have ever had but also very dangerous as it was blended perfectly where you could hardly taste the alcohol.

There was also a nice sampling of their red and white wines on hand. The white of course perfect for the seafood dishes and the red perfect for the meat courses.

We ended up dining in the Queen's Room that seats 50-60 people or holds 80 for a reception with a private balcony. This was also the room with the beignet bar! They dished up ice cream and piping hot beignets with your choice of sauces! 

One last look at one of the trays of beignets!

This was a wonderful event filled with great food and drinks. It was a great atmosphere to spend with my friends and to make new ones!

A perfect place to have lunch or dinner or your next special event or wedding!

Thank you to the special events team for the invite!

To learn more about hosting your private event here, check out their website:
Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen: Private Events

Restaurant Review: Spin! Neapolitan Pizza (Orange, CA)

I went with my friend Dyan to check out Spin! Pizza, the latest pizza place to open in the Orange County area! They took over the Bob's Big Boy location near the Century Stadium 25 in Orange!

They offer a great selection of wines!

Not only do they do pizza in red or white sauce but they also do flatbreads, salads, sandwiches, paninis and soup.

I love the look of this restaurant!

They have a great selection of beers on tap as well as in the bottle!

I went with a beer in a bottle. I got an omission gluten free beer! I have never had a gluten free beer before and I thought it was a nice, well balanced beer that paired perfectly with my white sauce pizza!

They also have a lovely patio area if you want to eat outside!

I started with a nice half caesar salad. Caesar salads are my favorite and there was a ncie balance of dressing. So many times there is either too much dressing or not enough, and this was just perfect.

Dyan went with their mini pizza and side salad or a cup of soup for $9.75. You get a 6 inch signature pizza or you can Spin! it and get any two toppings. I was surprised at the large size of the side salad. The pizza was the bbq di pollo and pineapple and was so tasty using Lucille's BBQ sauce! Oh, the owner of the Orange location is also the owner of Lucille's!

I got the Salsiccia con mela which is Italian sausage and apples with crushed glazed pecans with white sauce. The crust is coated with a roasted garlic olive oil glaze. The flavors blend so perfectly together. Just a fantastic pizza!

Spin! also offers a great selection of gelato. I couldn't decide and out waitress informed us of the small 2 ounce size cups for a dollar each.

We did out best to get through all 12 flavors but could barely get through eight. All of them were great but my favorites were the strawberry, the pistachio, the banana cream pie, the blueberry butter cookie and the white chocolate raspberry!

Great service, great food and great drinks make this a great restaurant that I cannot wait to return to!

Spin! Neapolitan Pizza

1623 W Katella Ave
Ste 102
Orange, CA 92867

(714) 633-7746

http://www.spinpizza.com

Hours:

Mon-Thu, Sun 11 am - 9 pm

Fri-Sat 11 am - 10 pm