Dinner Club at Ibiza: September 2012

If I weren't going to take the wine into account, I'd give Ibiza an A-.  However, the wine fiasco (to be explained at the end) cannot be overlooked and that brought my overall experience down to a D+.  (If you notice that my post is overtly negative, it's because I'm having a hard time describing the positive points.  When I think of Ibiza, I think of the wine failure.)  The decision made by the Restaurant Manager was appalling.  And I hate to bash the waitress in this blog post because she had been so attentive and had a great personality throughout the dinner, but she knew she made a mistake and would not admit to it.  So, therefore, she's a shitty waitress, in my opinion; a shitty waitress who made our bill increase by $112 because she didn't want to fork it out herself even though it was her fault.

The fried calamari. ($14)  It was good but I've had better.  

The Pan Seared Pasta with  Roasted Corn,  Wilted 

Greens, and Truffled Corn Broth ($19).  

It was  good but not worth $19.

My husband ordered the Grilled Supreme Cut Chicken Breast.  The waitress told us the chef said that his first chicken was overcooked and so he threw it out and started cooking another one.  In the meantime, he had her bring out the Andouille Sausage Gumbo.  It was off the menu and a special they had prepared for the day because, apparently, it's the owner's favorite dish and he visited the restaurant for lunch.  However, my husband and I don't eat beef or pork.  And the fact that an entire chicken was totally wasted, rubbed me the wrong way.  But for the sake of dinner club and having a fun night, my husband ate it anyway and it was excellent.

Lemon Meringue Tart ($8).  It was good.

The Carrot Cake ($8).  It was amazing.

Individual Warm Chocolate Cake ($8).

I didn't have any so I can't comment.

Cotton Candy.  Off the menu and only given to our table, 

apparently in celebration of our One Year Anniversary of Dinner Club.  

It was a nice touch and we were all in high spirits.

The following are the two wines highlighted in yellow that caused the mood of the evening to take a cliff dive.  I mean, it was Mood Suicide.

RED WINES FROM FRANCE

Chateau de Beaucastel-Chateauneuf Du Pape, France '06 148

Chateau Bichon Cassignols - Grand Reserve - Graves, France '05 36

Here's how it happened.

Erik and I like red wines.  We've been to Napa Valley and tasted enough wines to be able to tell a good wine from a bad one.  However, we are not so advanced at wine tasting or buying that we can just look at the name of a wine or the region in which it was made to know whether a wine will be descent or not.  Therefore, our strategy is to buy a wine based on price (something that won't burn a hole in our pocket), something that might be rated well (if that information is provided), and something new that we've never tried before.  There was no information on the point value of the wines on Ibiza's wine menu so we just decided to try something from another country.  We randomly picked France.  All of the wines were pricey so we went with something close to the bottom of the price range (a $36 red wine).  We didn't even LOOK at the names of the wines.

Erik ordered the $36 bottle.  I watched him point to the price and then slide his finger over to the name.  All I know is that the name of the wine started with Chateau.  The waitress came back about 5 minutes later and asked us to point at the wine we wanted again.  This time, we both pointed to the price ($36) and slid our finger over to the name.  She said slowly, "Ooookaaaay..." and walked away.  I thought her reaction was a bit odd, but didn't think much of it.

Then the sommelier came over, presented the wine to me and asked, "Is this your wine?" I did not have the wine menu in front of me anymore but I remembered that it started with the name Chateau and had a B in the second part of the name so I said, "Yes."  He smiled, poured a little sip for me and I said it was good.  He poured it in a decanter and set it on the table.  I thought that was odd as well because no one else got the same attention to their bottles of wine.

The wine was excellent and we thought we got a great deal on the $36 bottle of red wine from France.  We drank it and had a great night.  Until the bill came....

The check was not separated by couples.  By the way, what is up with that?  This is the 21st century for Christ's sake.  Why is Ibiza not separating the bill for their customers???  It's not that hard!  If Denny's can do it, so can you!

My husband and I could not find our bottle of wine on the check.  We kept looking and looking for $36.  Finally, my husband noticed something that cost $148 and then saw that it had the same name as our bottle of wine... "Chateau."  This is where both of our eyes got big and our jaws dropped.

We flagged our waitress down and told her there had been a mistake and we needed to see the wine menu.  We told her our wine was only supposed to be $36.  At this point, I was not upset because I knew the mistake would be rectified.  We showed her the bottle of wine on the menu that we ordered and then located the bottle of wine that we were charged for.  The bottle we ordered was the first red wine on the second section of the page.  The wine we were charged for was the first red wine on the THIRD section of the same page.  She said she would talk to the manager and get right back to us.  She came back and told us that her manager said we would still have to pay for the $148 bottle of wine.  WHAT?!?!?!

So Erik asked the manager to come over.  The manager kneeled down next to our chairs and we explained the situation.  I still thought that, surely, once he heard our explanation, he would understand and charge us for less.  We even explained that we would pay more than the $36 that we thought we ordered (since I did make a mistake on the third order) but didn't think we should pay the full price.  I was thinking we would pay something around $70 or $80.  He began talking very quietly and explained that we would have to pay the full price and that Ibiza was different from other restaurants that charge 2 or 3 times more than the price the bottle is worth.  He explained that Ibiza only gets 6 bottles of this brand per year.  He said it was the waitress' word against ours.  And then he said it would be different if we didn't like the wine but since we liked it and drank the whole thing, then we had to pay the full price.

The waitress came back to collect the money and told us, "It probably won't help, but this wine is being sold for $400 at other restaurants."  At this point, I was just totally flabbergasted and I couldn't say a word.  She said, "Yeah.... I guess that doesn't help."  No, it doesn't help.  And my husband and I figured out that after the 20% tip was placed on the bill for having a large party, the tip on JUST THE BOTTLE OF WINE was $30!  So, not only did she FUCK UP and not admit to it, she got a nice little salary bonus to boot.

Here's the kicker.  Remember when I said we would be willing to pay $70 or $80 for the bottle wine and he said no because the wine is not marked up?  Here's a website that sells the wine for $79.99.

http://www.winelegend.com/Newsletter/HTM/960.htm

And I found on other websites for less. Here it is for $65.

http://www.wine.com/V6/Chateau-de-Beaucastel-Chateauneuf-du-Pape-2006/wine/96977/detail.aspx?state=CA

I wish I had looked it up on my iPhone to show it to that asshole manager.  And I KNOW that restaurants get these wines for even cheaper.

So, obviously, we're never going back to Ibiza.  And the more and more I think about Ibiza, the more and more pissed I get.

August Dinner Club: The Queen Vic Pub

The Queen Vic Pub

The food at this restaurant was amazing.  The service was not so great.  Granted, our party was a good size.  There were 14 of us.  But we had reservations so they should have been prepared with maybe two servers or at least a server who would write orders down.  Almost every person in our party had to ask for at least one food or drink order a second time.

He took a couple people's appetizer orders and forgot to take others which made it a bit awkward when certain people got appetizers and others had not even ordered theirs.  He seemed only able to take one order at a time before he would run back to his computer to put it in.  Our reservations were for 7pm and we didn't get served dinner until 8:15.  The guy was nice enough, though, and well-intentioned so I give him a B-.

The food more than made up for the service, however.  There were so many delicious flavors and textures swirling and exploding in your mouth at one time, it was like fireworks on the 4th of July.

The theme of this restaurant is English pub food with an Indian flare.  They also had an excellent selection of beers.  The room we ate in looked like an English castle's dungeon.  That's not supposed to be an insult.  It was a really cool vibe.

Appetizers:

Naan chips.  They were thick and crispy with the perfect amount of salty seasoning.









Lump crabmeat and chickpea flour balls sitting in a bowl of Goan-style curry topped with raita (a type of yogurt), sesame seeds, and fried basil leaves.  They came with a side of Naan dough.  It was the best thing I've ever put in my mouth.

Yucca pili pili chips with a side of Goan guacamole.  They tasted similar to french fries.  The exterior was a bit more crunchy than regular french fries and the interior was a bit more like mashed potatoes.  The sauce tasted like a spicy barbecue sauce.

Supper:

Traditional English Pot Pie (sans corn like the American version).  The top was a swirl of soft mashed potatoes.  Underneath was a sea of steak chunks and beef gravy.

Chutney.  Back center: Goan guacamole.  Far left: Spicy Pili Pili (tasted like a spicy barbecue sauce).  Front center: Cilantro chutney.  Far right: Tamarind sweet and sour (tasted like a salsa).

Guajillo Chicken Tikka Masala.  The chicken was 

good but the sauce was superb and pleasantly spicy.

  Queen Vic's Veggie Burger.                                                     Banger's and Mash.

Remember when I said that the Lump Crab Meat and Chickpea Flour Balls was the best thing I'd ever put in my mouth?  That was before I tried this dish.  Twice fried chicken atop mashed potatoes and boiled spinach and garlic with a side of yogurt.  The skin was the crispiest chicken skin I've ever had.  And the chicken meat on the inside, amazingly, was extremely tender and juicy.  They were complete opposites and yet they complemented each other perfectly.  It was like the yin and the yang.

Dessert:

Whiskey Pudding.  It was really good but I was so stuffed at this point that I could only eat a couple bites.  We drizzled the whiskey sauce all over it.  It was excellent.  However, we made the wrong choice.  Even though this dessert was delicious, the Sticky Toffee Pudding blew it away.  I have had Sticky Toffee Pudding before, which is why I didn't want to try it.  I wanted to try something new.  But remember how I said the twice fried chicken was the best thing I ever put in my mouth?  Well, that was before I tried The Queen Vic's Sticky Toffee Pudding.

Three of the best things I've ever put in my mouth in one night!  This restaurant is a hit and I'm so going back!  Great job, Ryan!

Next Dinner Club picks will be made by Lauren.

New Recipe: Bulgogi Korean BBQ Tacos

I made Bulgogi Korean BBQ Tacos today.  It was tasty!

Ingredients:
Korean BBQ marinade
3 chicken breasts
Corn Tortillas
2 garlic cloves
1 avocado
scallions
cilantro
Spicy Bulgogi sauce
Pinch of Salt
Pinch of pepper
Splash of lime juice


Step 1)
Tenderize the chicken by perforating the breasts with a fork.

Step 2)
Place the chicken breasts in a bowl with the marinade and let them soak for at least 1 hour.  Several hours or overnight is even better.

Step 3)
Chop the 2 cloves of garlic and place in the marinade when you are ready to cook the chicken.

Step 4)
Cook the chicken breasts in the marinade on medium-low to medium heat with the lid on.  Once the chicken is cooked through, pull them out and cut them up.  Leave the chicken breasts out.

Step 5)
Let the marinade simmer on medium to medium-high heat to thicken.

Step 6)
While the marinade is simmering, start chopping the scallions & cilantro.  Cut the avocado in half and slice the avocados (both halves) length-wise while still in the skin.  Use a spoon to dig the avocado slices out of the skin.  Pinch some salt, pepper, and splash some lime juice onto the avocados.

Step 7)
Once the marinade is nice and thick, turn off the heat, and place the chicken back into the marinade.  Make sure to toss the chicken so that the marinade coats it.

Step 8)
Briefly warm up the corn tortillas in a pan on low-medium heat.

Step 9)
Place the chicken, avocados, cilantro, & scallions on the tortillas (in that order).  Then put the desired amount of Spicy Bulgogi sauce on top of each taco.

Step 10)
Enjoy!

New Recipe: Coconut Sticky Rice & Mango

This is a Thai dessert.  I had it at a Thai restaurant in Kemah, Texas called Mer Lion and wanted to recreate it at home.

Ingredients:
Serves 6-8

2 cups Japanese sweet rice (regular white rice will not work)
2 1/8 cups of water
1 can of unsweetened Thai coconut milk
4 Tablespoons sugar
4 pinches of salt
optional pinch of Saffron

Step 1)
Combine the rice and water in a glass bowl and soak for 1 hour.

Step 2)
After the rice and water have soaked for at least an hour, put a plate on top of the bowl and microwave on high heat for 7 minutes.  Mix the rice and make sure it's nice and soft.  Let the rice sit with the plate on top while you work on Step 3.

See the plate on top?

The is rice cooked perfectly

Step 3)
Simmer the coconut milk, sugar, & salt on medium heat until it thickens up a bit.  Make sure you stir the coconut milk often so that it doesn't curdle.  This is where I added the saffron.  You can see little pieces of it in this picture.

The recipe didn't call for saffron but I've always wanted to try saffron in a recipe and I figured it would work in a recipe like this.  I can't say that it tasted any different with the saffron than without it.  I'm not sure what saffron tastes like.  I just know it's rare and expensive.  This tiny little jar cost $17.49.

Saffron is so rare and expensive because each flower's stigmas need to be collected by hand and there are only a few stigmas per flower.



Step 4)
Get a nice, ripe mango.  Mangos should be a little soft to the touch but not too much.  This mango is perfectly ripe.  Start slicing the mango while the coconut milk is simmering.  But make sure to keep stirring the coconut milk about every minute or so.

Step 5)

The coconut milk should have thickened up some after simmering.  Pour it onto the sweet rice and mix it in.

Step 6)
Scoop a half cup of coconut sticky rice onto a plate and place the sliced mangos on top.

Rice Epicurean Cooking School

 I found out about the Rice Epicurean Cooking School from Houston Restaurant Weeks.  This particular cooking class ("Dinner Party") coincided with our son's daycare having a Parent's Night Out so that is why we chose it.  Normally, we don't eat beef or pork but we made an exception in this case for the sake of a fun night out with friends & to learn something new.  Thanks go to Matt, Lauren, Kelly, & Laura for making memories with us.  :)

Our executive chef was Chef Chip Hight. (Pictured below on left)  He is the former executive chef at *17.  He now owns a cigar company called Hight Cigar and even created his own brand of cigar.  He said he teaches cooking classes at Rice Epicurean Markets in August just to help out for Houston Restaurant Weeks.  I spoke to him briefly and asked him where he was trained and he said HTC (honestly not sure what that stands for, though).  He also said he worked in the first Michelin-starred restaurant in Europe.  He said he is about to be named Executive Chef in a Houston restaurant in about a week.  I asked him which restaurant and he said he couldn't tell me but it would be big news in the press.  I can't wait to find out.

The menu

Having trouble figuring out how to open my apron. (I wasn't the only one, thankfully)

I finally got my apron on

Our first task was to make the ceasar's salad.

After we ate the salad, our next task was to make the Mushroom Duxelle.  It was to be the filling in the Beef Wellington between the steak and the pastry. 

The butane gas for our burner was empty.  Chef Chip replaced it for us.

Chopping the mushrooms and thyme

Stirring the mushrooms

A little bit of private tutorials

Food brings people together.  
The mood was cheery throughout the entire classroom.

Next, we needed to roll out the pastry dough and spread on the Mushroom Duxelle.

The final product: Beef Wellington

Dinner is served

Now, it's time to make dessert; Chocolate Lava Cake.

You pour in a bottom layer of cake mix.  Then drop in a chocolate ganache ball.  And finally pour in the rest of the cake mix. 

Laura & I goofing around with the demonstration mirror

Melted chocolate ganache in the middle.

Graduation photo
Left to right (front row): me (Lea), Kelly, Lauren, & Laura
Left to right (back row): my hubby (Erik) & Lauren's hubby (Matt)

I definitely want to try this again.  It was a ton of fun & a great bonding experience.  Classes are $35 per person (cheaper than a Pinot's Palette night & includes dinner).