CombatCritic's TravelValue™: wine

Showing posts with label wine. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 8, 2023

Rota (Cadiz), Spain: 'Utopia' Might Be A Bit Of An Exaggeration

Utopía Tapas y Copas

Avenida de San Fernando 8

11520 Rota Spain

+34 698 97 01 12

Facebook: UtopiaTapas

Prices: €€€€

We had been here before and enjoyed our eclectic array of tapas, but the prices have gone up significantly.

The service was friendly and good this time and the wine, a dark red Rioja - 'LAN D12', was excellent considering the price (€3.40/glass), smooth, robust, and oakey, just the way I like it. It was the best value on the menu.

Not all that hungry, I ordered the BarBQ Ribs Tacos (€6.90/two) and Chicken and Vegetable Gyozas (six for €6.50). The tacos were okay, a bit flavorless, they could have been much better. The gyozas were crispy and tasty, and the sweet chili sauce was a nice addition, but they were rather small and gone in just six bites.

Even though I was not famished, I left feeling unsatiated and a bit disappointed. Having paid almost €24, including tip, it did not seem like a €24 meal even though the wine was an added value. Not bad overall, but not quite a TravelValue in my book.

CombatCritic Gives Utopia 5 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Five Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Continue Mission"

Sunday, November 20, 2022

Tavira, Portugal: Nikita - Not Thai, Not Japanese, Just Great Portuguese Food And Reasonable Prices

Nikita Restaurante

Rua Doutor Parreira 104

Tavira 8800-346 Portugal

+351 926 897 859

Prices: €€€€

I had no idea this restaurant existed before our friends, Tony and Catherine, invited us there this evening. On a tiny one-way street a block west of the river in a mostly residential neighborhood is a hidden gem you will not regret trying.

Spaghetti and Prawns

Very simply decorated, the room is warm, both literally and figuratively, and inviting. The service was excellent given that just one woman, likely the owner, handles the front of house while a gentleman, her husband or a brother most likely, whips up delicious meals in the back.

Tuna

We had a bottle of Dao (€13.50), a robust, deep red and oaky, just the way I like it, between us along with a large bottle of sparkling water.

Goat Cheese

Asparagus

For starters, I had the Mussels (€6.80) in a white wine and cream sauce, my wife got the Baked Goat Cheese (€6.50), and our friends the Asparagus (€6). My fresh, steamed mussels, a healthy portion for the price arrived with little visible sauce, but when I inquired if I had received the right order, the woman happily brought me a small bowl of sauce ... obrigado!

Mussels

My entree was the Grilled Steak (200g - €16.50) with Peppercorn Sauce (€1.50), accompanied by sauteéd veggies and roasted potatoes. The steak was perfectly cooked, tender, and delicious with almost enough peppercorn sauce. The veggies, zucchini, carrots, and onions, were perfectly done and scrummy even though I do not usually like cooked carrots and the potatoes divine.

Peppercorn Steak

My wife ordered the Pork Loin (€14) with potatoes au gratin and sauteéd vegetables, the tender pork topped with a simple, light sauce that was also very good. Our friends had the Spaghetti and Shrimp (€15) and Tuna (€16) respectively, which I did not taste, but they seemed to enjoy very much.

Pork Loin

The bill came to €108, quite a bargain for the bottle of wine, two bottles of water, four starters and four mains, and a definite TravelValue ... OOH-RAH!

CombatCritic Gives Nikita 9 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Nine Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "U.S. Marine Response To A Verbal Greeting Or As An Expression Of Enthusiasm"

Friday, January 15, 2016

CombatCritic's Favorite Recipes: Awesome Air Force Chicken Piccata

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts pounded thin

Salt

Pepper

1 cup all purpose flour

4-5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 tablespoons butter

1 lemon

4 cloves finely chopped garlic

3 tablespoons capers

1/4 cup white wine

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/4 cup finely chopped parsley

Preparation

Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper, dredging in the flour and set aside.

Cut the lemon into slices.

Heat two to three tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in the skillet. Cook the chicken, browning lightly on each side and adding more oil as necessary. Transfer the chicken to a warm plate and cover with aluminum foil.

Add the butter to the skillet to melt, then add the lemon slices until lightly brown. Stir in the garlic for about a minute, adding the capers before deglazing the pan with the wine. Add the chicken stock and parsley.

Return the chicken to the pan and lightly baste with sauce.

Remove the chicken, putting it on a warm platter and using the lemon slices for garnish before adding the remaining sauce.

Serve with warm, crusty bread and mashed potatoes.

Serves 4 People

"Phonetic spelling of the acronym HUA, which stands for 'Heard Understood Acknowledged.' Originally used by the British in the late 1800's in Afghanistan. More recently adopted by the United States Army to indicate an affirmative or a pleased response." - Urban Dictionary

"The Department of Military Science and Leadership, University of Tennessee claim HOOAH 'refers to or means anything except no' ... Regardless of its meaning ... the term is an expression of high morale, confidence, motivation and spirit." - WarChronicle.com

"The U.S. Air Force stole 'HOOAH' from the Army because we were part of the Army until 1947 and rather than waste a bunch of time coming up with something new and unique, we said 'fuck it, let's go with HOOAH' ... thanks Army ... HOOAH! - CombatCritic

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Title: CombatCritic's Awesome Air Force Chicken Piccata Recipe

Key Words: chicken piccata, chicken, piccata, recipe, wine, garlic, capers, sauce, lemon, extra virgin olive oil, extra, virgin, olive, oil, butter, parsley, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, menu, review, Yelp, TripAdvisor

Translation for Civilians:

Monday, January 4, 2016

Is The AgroMafia Diluting Your Extra Virgin Olive Oil?

Italian products, from wine and olive oil to Mozzarella di Bufala, Parmigiano Reggiano and Prosciutto, are well known, desirable, and expensive, so when we purchase a well-known Italian brand name we should get what we pay for ... right? Well that may not in-fact be the case.

According to a CBS 60 Minutes story on what is called the "AgroMafia", 50% of extra virgin olive oil on Italian market shelves and 70% - 80% on American store shelves are substandard, sometimes dangerous products black-marketed under well known brand names by the mafia and/or camorra. The problem is not confined to just olive oil, but wine, cheeses, tomatoes, ham and many other Italian products are also being exploited.

View More: 60 Minutes News|Live News|More News Videos

For those with seed or nut allergies, be extremely careful when purchasing Italian products, particularly olive oil, because cheaper seed or nut oils (e.g. sunflower oil) are often used to dilute or replace the extra virgin olive oil. For information on how you can avoid buying and overpaying for substandard products from Italy, watch this 60 Minutes Overtime video:

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Title: Is The AgroMafia Diluting Your Extra Virgin Olive Oil?

Key Words: Agromafia, agro, mafia, Italy, Italian, olive oil, extra, virgin, extra virgin olive oil, wine, parmigiano, prosciutto, CBS, 60 Minutes, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, story, black, market, Yelp, TripAdvisor

Translation for Civilians:

Thursday, November 26, 2015

Wichita, KS: By Georges, This Wichita Bistro Is La Bombe!

Georges French Bistro
4618 East Central Ave, Suite 50
Wichita, KS 67208
Phone: (316) 831-1325
Website: georgesfrenchbistro.com
Prices: $$$$

When we arrived, the young hostess ignored us for a few minutes until she finished bussing a table. She finally asked if we had a reservation and I told her that I had been emailing back and forth with the owner who had confirmed our 6:30 reservation even though we were a bit early. There was no reservation listed, but she said "no problem" and asked if we wanted a high-top. I told her we did not, so she proceeded to take us to a table for four.

The place is not huge, having 20 or so tables and high-tops, but was full on a Wednesday night and just a couple weeks after opening, so they must be doing something right.

We ordered a bottle of "The Dark" ($29), a deep, red wine, but our server could not tell me the varieties of grapes included. She guessed "Cabernet Sauvignon?" and "Pinot Noir?", but it would have been nice to know if it was 100% Cabernet or a Cabernet/Syrah blend. I prefer Syrahs first, then Cabernets, so blends are fine, but this one ended up being a very good choice. The color was a deep red and the flavor robust with fruity and peppery overtones. The wine menu is limited and glasses start at $8, bottles at $27, so it would be nice to have a "value option" at $6 per glass or under $24 per bottle for those on a budget.

The food was wonderful and very reasonably priced. We shared the Parisien Cheese Dip ($9), a blend of warm ricotta cheese, olive oil, spices, olives, and halved cherry tomatoes served with six small slices of toasted baguette. The dip was very tasty, but the bread quickly disappeared, so I asked the server if we could possibly get some more, un-toasted. I then noticed there were no bread baskets on any of the tables, quite odd for a French restaurant where bread is normally the first thing they bring out. We waited patiently for our bread and after ten minutes or so our server returned, looked at our dip, and asked if we wanted some more bread. I told her that we never received the bread we originally asked for, so she went in the back and returned five minutes later with two small pieces.

My wife had the Crêpe Diane ($9), a crispy, square shaped crêpe with smoked ham and Gruyére cheese inside and topped with an over-medium egg on top, accompanied by a bit of salad on the plate. It was savory and delicious as well as being a very good value.

I ordered the Steak Frites, about six ounces of grilled sirloin topped with L'Entrocôte de Paris sauce and accompanied by frites (French fries). The steak was perfectly cooked and tender, the sauce tasty, but not overbearing, and the fries hand-cut, crispy, and hot.

Georges, the owner, stopped by twice during our meal to introduce himself and ask about our meal. He is a very nice and obviously talented man in his 30s whose two lovely young children arrived during one of his stops. I told him that our meal was very good and the prices fair, but that the bread situation was a bit of a concern. French cuisine is known for its sauces and those sauces, escargots in particular, require bread to mop up the leftover sauce. He told me that he does not want to serve bread unless he bakes it himself, an admirable intention, but there has to be a bakery in Wichita where he can get decent baquettes until he acquires the capability. I know the local Dillon's supermarkets have decent baguettes and even they would do over no bread at all. I am sure he will figure it out because he seems intent on creating a positive customer experience.

My wife and I were discussing sharing a Crème Brûlée and just a few minutes after Georges' final visit ... voilà ... a complimentary Crème Brûlée ($6) arrived! It was not necessary as we were very pleased with our meal and the service, but a nice touch nonetheless. It was delicious - thank you Georges!

At $65 ($78 including tip) for a shared appetizer, two entrees, and a bottle of wine, Georges French Bistro is an excellent value. The food was outstanding, the environment comfortable, and the service quite good. A bit more attention to detail by the staff (reservation problem, inability to explain grape content in the wine, extra bread for dip), a good basket of bread on each table, and a larger wine list with a couple value options will make this a FIVE STAR (10 Bomb) restaurant very soon. Next time we are in Wichita, Georges will be our first choice for dinner.

CombatCritic Gives Georges French Bistro 8 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

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TripAdvisor - "Top Contributor"

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Georges French Bistro

Title: By Georges, This Wichita Bistro Is La Bombe!

Key Words: Georges French Bistro, Georges, French, bistro, wine, escargots, cheese, Wichita, Kansas, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, TripAdvisor

Translation: "WTFO!" - What the F@%$ ... Over! (In a good way)

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