wine me, dine me

Geez. I actually MISSED my Blogiversary. wine me, dine me has been around since January 3 of this year, with my first review of Sung Korean Bistro. Since then, I’ve had over 40,000 hits, reviewed more than 120 restaurants, posted a few recipes, gained a bunch of new friends (as well as a few pounds) and even more passion for Cincinnati.

I couldn’t have done it without you guys… so thank you for making 2008 an awesome year for wine me, dine me.  Here’s to 2009– which I hope will be even better!

So, of the restaurants we went to in San Antonio, I was sort of disappointed by 2 out of 3 of them.  This was the big winner, courtesy of UrbanSpoon.

Citrus is housed inside an incredibly chic hotel (Hotel Valencia) on the Riverwalk.  It’s not as obvious as some of the other cafes– you have to look for it.  We actually came to it from behind– from the streets above.  When you walk in, you can see a whole case of glass oranges (Citrus? Valencia? Get it? Yeah.) autographed by famous people who’ve eaten at the restaurant– mostly sports stars, but the entire American Idol team was represented (and Paula Abdul’s made no sense, of course), which (a quick Google search revealed) was due to SA hosting an Idol search.  Huh.  Who knew?

The restaurant was incredibly dark– I’m surprised the pictures I got are as good as they turned out to be– but in a very romantic way.  There were a couple of snuggling couples on banquettes nearby, and the tone of the restaurant was very seductive and secretive.  I loved the mood set by the lighting and furniture– modern, yet cozy.

(For some great photos, check out their website.  There’s a better picture of the crab cake and duck I had, too.)

They had a prix fixe menu, at $55 for 3 courses and $68 for four.  We chose the three course menu.  The menu is a bit strange– the choices on the prix fixe menu are the same as on the regular menu, so the prices are listed.  You can do a 3- or 4- course meal for less (or more) than the prix fixe price depending on which choices you make.  It was a bit strange to have the prix fixe not be separate from the regular menu.

For our first course, Terry got the crab cake and I got the kampachi.  The crab cake was full of crab, with very little filler (which made for one of the lightest tasting crabcakes I’ve eaten) with a crunchy accent of pumpkin seeds and creamy avocado, which you can’t see underneath the topper of microgreens.  Chef Balfour really likes his microgreens.

I got the kampachi– topped with seaweed salad (my favorite) and sitting in a pool of soy-ginger reduction, it was a perfect light beginning to a meal.

As an entree, I got the duck breast with sweet potato-sausage hash and a bourbon jus.  I loved the inclusion of the sausage– smoked sausage, a Texas staple– into the hash.  This restaurant is going for high end, but staying close to its San Antonio roots, which I respect.  The duck was cooked correctly and the bourbon jus added just a bit of rich woodiness to the dish that I really liked.

Terry’s dish was standout– roast pork, fried okra with a jalapeno hush puppy, and glazed braised pork belly.  Again, Texas representing with both jalapeno hush puppies (not nearly as spicy as it could have been, which is ok by me) and fried okra (which was very good, not slimy at all.  I’d eat fried okra like that any time!) as well as excellent pork roast and pork belly.   The glaze on the pork belly (a spicy molasses glaze, similar to a barbecue sauce, but not smoky or overwhelming) was the perfect accompaniment to the crackly fat and silky meat.  Yum.

Two desserts– a chocolate gateau that tasted, essentially, like Nigella Lawson’s chocopots, with some homemade chocolate ice cream and a cinnamon croissant bread pudding with bourbon glaze and homemade cinnamon ice cream.  The ice cream was the best part of both of these desserts– smooth and delicious.  I am always impressed by house made ice cream– it almost always tastes better, and chefs get so creative with it.  The chocolate was very good, dark, rich chocolate and the cinnamon was spicy and rich.  Just perfect.

If you head to San Antonio and want a fancy dinner, bypass the tourist traps and go to Citrus.  It’s an intimate meal, a good price, great surroundings, and inventive food that knows its roots.

Such a cute name, isn’t it? Tom and Carla started a blog that reflects the beer culture of Cincinnati. Hoperatives focuses on Cincinnati and the region, and its rich history of beer. Sounds like fun!  I’m personally on a beer kick (hanging out in Munich will do a girl) so I’ll definitely be reading.

I’m really not so good with new year’s resolutions.  They never work out.  

But, I’m hoping to do a couple of things this year:

1. Cook more, and add more recipes to the blog.  I started off the new year right last night by making some chicken, vegetables and salad.  Boring, but tasty!

2. Work through the list you guys came up with during my contest last year (!) for suggestions on new places to eat.  Or revisiting old restaurants.  Maybe Scotti’s this weekend?

3. Maybe, maybe actually get to the gym. I’m a member.  I ought to, you know, use the membership.

I think those are all vaguely food/blog related.  Any of you folks have a food related New Year’s resolution?

Wow, the last post of 2008.  What a year– I started the blog in January and have eaten my way around Cincinnati, DC, New York, San Antonio, Paris and Munich.  I’ve made more new friends than I can count, had opportunities to meet tons of new people both personally and professionally, tried tons of new foods, and generally had fun.  After the new year, I’ll be starting a new job where I’ll get to do even more with social media and technology in my everyday work.  All in all, a pretty good year.

I wish you, my readers, a fruitful, successful and happy new year, filled with lots of love, laughter, and most of all– good food!

Thank you all for being a part of one of the best years I’ve had so far.

Foodbuzz sent me some free samples. I love free samples. Who doesn’t? They partnered with Cowgirl Chocolates and sent some my way.

The whole concept is the Western cowgirl– a little spicy, a little sweet, and really very endearing.  The packaging is great– signature red, with a teensy little cowboy boot decorating the package.  Aw.

They managed to pack one of each flavor in this teeny box– I was surprised!

1/4 pound of chocolate in that box.

The chocolates were half spicy, half not-spicy (”Mild Mannered”), and one piece of habanero caramel as a bonus.  The chocolate itself is very good, with a nice, rich flavor.  The mild flavors (milk, double dark, orange and raspberry lemon) were good and well flavored, but not anything unique or special.  The spicy ones?  Excellent and very unique.  I suppose that there’s nothing new about mixing chocolate and spice (mole, anyone?)  but it’s rare to find it in a truffle.  My favorite was the raspberry dark chocolate, which had just a hint of pepper, not overwhelming at all.   My least favorite was the habanero caramel– the caramel itself was great, but it was just a bit too spicy for me.  I, however, am a wimp, so if you like spicy and sweet, I think you’d love Cowgirl Chocolates.

I’d say order a box for valentine’s day– which is coming up, right?  Stick with the spicy and you have a unique gift for a chocolate lover who isn’t satisfied with plain old Godiva.

Looks like I missed some news. Kona Bistro closed. I won’t particularly miss it, but I’m always sad to see a local restaurant close. With the economy as it is, will anything replace it anytime soon?

Thank you Michelle for the tip.

So the Losers, as often as we chat, never get to hang out.  We decided, after having so much fun at our Cincy Chic photo shoot, that we needed to get together again, and soon.  Somehow, we found both a date and a locatin that would work for all seven of us: Sunday the 22nd, Chez Nora, brunch.

You’ve probably noticed that I don’t often post about restaurants in Kentucky.  There’s one big reason: smoke.  I’m a fan of the non smoking restaurant experience.  Downside of Ohio?  No alcohol on Sundays before 1 PM.  That severely limits one’s brunch choices if you want a bloody Mary or a mimosa, which we did.

We spent a good amount of time sitting and chatting, nursing said mimosas and bloody Marys.  Those who got the bloodys said they were good– I’m not a fan of savory beverages.  Michelle and I got mimosas, made with splits of Korbel.  The nice thing about mimosas is that you can use cheap sparklers– you can’t taste it with the OJ.

We finally placed our orders– most of us got croque madame, which is a croque monsieur (grilled ham and cheese with bechamel) with an egg on top.  This version came with two, which made it look even more madam-y (by the time we got our entrees, we were pretty tipsy, what can I say? Yeah, that’s my thumb in the picture.  Oy.). Kate said she loved the sauce and that they used good bread, which is pretty important.  I might try that dish next time.

I had to be different, and I got one of the brunch specials, an omelet with smoked salmon, red onions, capers and cream cheese, sort of an omelet version of Terrys’ favorite winter breakfast.  It was great, this perfectly round and slightly puffy omelet filled with a well seasoned blend of ingredients.  The home fries, which were my choice of side, were crispy and well-seasoned.
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As far as the smoke, it wasn’t too bad, once you walked through the bar area.  I think I’d take Terry there some Sunday– he loves bloody marys.  I really need to get in there soon for dinner as well– I’ve only eaten there once for dinner, years ago, and liked it.

Where’s your favorite place in town for brunch?

1. I read both French and german far better than I speak them.

2. However, my French is getting better. Still, my American accent makes the French reply in English anyway.

3. Patisseries and boulangeries are the best places on the planet. Seriously.

4. Skip French steak. Eat extra frites instead.

5. Mayonnaise is better than ketchup with said frites.

6. Cheap french vin rouge en pichet is so much better than cheap American wine.

7. Any society which subsidizes lunch for its workers (a good, healthy lunch) is ok by me.

8. That said, I think there were more Quickburger and McDonald’s than last time. I’m not convinced that’s a good thing. And yes, it is indeed a Royale with cheese.

9. Don’t accept samples of fromages or saucisson from market vendors. They are invariably good, but you can’t take them into the States. And if you don’t buy, you will feel guilty, and end up throwing away your treasure.

10. The best breakfast is a croissant beurre. The best lunch is a sandwich of jamon (ham) et beurre. Common denominator? Beurre. How French women stay slim is beyond me. Oh, right. Smoking. No thanks.

One of Terry’s favorite breakfasts in the winter is bagels with smoked salmon, capers, red onion and cream cheese. He’s big into Christmas decorations, so he always serves it on a cute Santa plate.
Bagels are always Everything bagels from Brueggers (which, aside from Marx, are the closest in texture to a NY bagel you can get around here, in my opinion).  Salmon is always smoked (you should try Just Cured’s, if you haven’t.  It’s great.).  Throw in some red onion and capers, so be sure you eat this with someone who won’t mind your onion breath.

It’s a very traditional New York-style breakfast.