No Need to Trip at SeaLegs - CLOSED

SeaLegs Wine Bar

21022 Beach Blvd. 

Huntington Beach, CA 92648

I'm not going to lie to you. I was not too excited to come to SeaLegs Wine Bar. I'm not really a wine kind of guy. I'd be much more happy with beer or rum. I know it's probably not a shock to anyone that I'm also way more into food than wine, and it's been my experience that when a place focuses so much on wine, the food is usually an afterthought. I can admit when I am wrong though, and boy I was definitely wrong when it came to SeaLegs.

I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. Since SeaLegs opened up just over two years ago they have won praise from people on Yelp, have won a Golden Foodie Award, and been on numerous top ten lists for their wine and food. My fellow OC food bloggers have all really enjoyed their visits here, and it was definitely time for us to see what all the hoopla was about at SeaLegs.

SeaLegs is located in the last shopping center before you hit the water on Beach Boulevard at Atlanta. This shopping center is also home to Mama's on 39,  Las Barcas, and Boardwalk Burgers and Fries. I'll tell you, I could almost spend a year just writing about the restaurants on Beach Boulevard, there are so many to choose from around here. Even with all of these dining choices, SeaLegs had quite a crowd on the recent Wednesday evening we showed up to check out their new Spring/Summer menu offerings.

The first thing I noticed after we were seated was that this was not as stuffy as other wine bars I have visited. This restaurant was loud, which brought life to it. I immediately felt comfortable here. SeaLegs had a kind of Hampton's or Cape Cod feel to it, without the hassle of flying cross country. The focal point of SeaLegs is the beautiful wine case behind the bar. After I got settled in, I became aware that SeaLegs had a ratio of six women to every man, so if you are a single guy, this might be the place for you to find your other half. I already found my other half, so I was definitely focused more on the food that was making it's way out to our table. Let's see if it will be a match made in heaven.

I never order artichokes in restaurants, but that might change after trying this Grilled Heirloom Artichoke ($12). This huge artichoke was served with a wonderful basil aioli. Grilled perfectly, this artichoke was very meaty, and was made even better with a few squirts of the grilled lemon provided. Really a tasty starter, and more than enough for both Katie and I. They paired this with a Chasewater Reisling ($9). Reisling might be my favorite kind of wine. This one was light, with hints of apple in the background. I was pretty happy Katie allowed me to finish off her glass of Reisling.

Coming out the same time as the artichoke, a new edition to the Spring/Summer menu at SeaLegs are these Grilled Turkey Meatballs ($12). When I think of turkey meatballs, I always think they are going to be bland, but that was not the case here. The meatball had a hint of sweetness, which I thought could be from a hint of cinnamon. These meatballs came with a harissa and tzatziki sauce, which kind of gave these a Moroccan tinge to them. The harissa had a nice spice, while the tzatziki sauce cooled things down a bit. The meatball itself was fork tender. Very tasty.

The next course came out lead by Rebel Coast's Reckless Love Cabernet Blend ($21). This cab possessed a rich aroma, but was not too heavy. Full of flavor, this really coated the mouth on the way down, and the bottle even glows in the dark. This fun winery does not take themselves too seriously, and it's definitely worth a visit to their website here: http://rebelcoastwinery.com/. This blended cab was paired with a Farm Fresh Vegetable Flatbread ($14). I'm usually a little leery when it comes to flatbreads with just veggies on them, but I liked this one. This flatbread started with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, and was then topped with heirloom grape tomatoes, asparagus, shredded zucchini, micro arugula, basil, and herb oil. The produce that topped this was very fresh, and the asparagus had a nice crispness to it. The cheeses added a smokiness, which went well with the sweetness from the tomatoes. I'm not turning my back on meat, but this flatbread has taught me that vegetables can be my friends too.

They must have known that I was craving meat, because the Charred Filet Medallions ($16) came out next. These billiard ball sized pieces of filet were topped with a pickled onion and a sweet red wine demi-glaze. The meat was tender, the sauce was sweet, and the pickled onions added some unexpected flavor to this. My favorite item of the night was up next, the Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus ($12). This blew me away. The prosciutto was crisped, the asparagus retained a juiciness, and the inclusion of the roasted tomato and sunflower seeds rounded this out perfectly. Such a simple dish, but one I have thought about regularly since we left SeaLegs.  I must have still been in an asparagus stupor, because I did not snap a picture of the wine that we had this round. It was Boeger Winery's Barbera ($14), which had the sweet aroma of burnt creme brulee running through it, but when consumed it was not as sweet as expected.

I was sad that we were nearing the end of our first SeaLegs experience, but this Pina Colada Cake ($10) helped to soften the blow somewhat. This is new to the menu, but I feel it should stay on for a long time. This cake had pineapple running through the middle of it, sandwiched between two moist layers of cake, and topped with a coconut cream frosting. After eating so much food, I was happy this cake was very light, but still had just the right amount of sweetness to it. It will be hard not to have this cake on my future visits here, but I'm going to have to try their carrot cake soon.

I left SeaLegs a little bitter that I had not been here until now. All that wasted time not coming here, because I thought they would be too focused on their wine to care about the food. Chef Alexander Dale has convinced me that I was wrong about my assumptions. Everything we had on this night was top notch. We are really looking forward to coming back again real soon to try some of their other menu items, like their Bleu Sliders, Lump Crab Cakes, and their Truffle Mac and Cheese. I wouldn't call these small plates, but they are not full sized entrees either. The dishes here promote sharing with your tablemates. I can definitely see both Katie and I coming here and ordering three plates to share between us, and if one of them is the prosciutto wrapped asparagus, then she will only have the choice of the other two plates. I really loved that asparagus.

We would really like to thank everyone at SeaLegs for the wonderful hospitality that we experienced on this night. The staff made sure that all of our needs were met, and that we enjoyed everything. Our waiter, Jeff was very knowledgeable about the entire menu, as well as all the wines. We also need to acknowledge our hostess for the evening, the very personable Lauren Henry. Even with it being a busy night here at SeaLegs, she took the time to check on us often, and answer all of our silly questions. She not only did this with us, but we saw her do this all over the restaurant with all of the customers. Lastly, we need to express our gratitude to the great Janet Pacheco for setting up this tasting of the Spring/Summer menu. Thanks for everything Janet.

If you would like to experience SeaLegs for yourself, find out more about them here: http://www.sealegswinebar.com/.

A Night of Surprises at the Batasiolo Wine Dinner at Canaletto - CLOSED

Canaletto

545 Newport Center Dr.

Newport Beach, CA 92660

Almost everyone who knows me knows I am not much of a wine drinker. I profess to know next to nothing about wines. I know that red wines go with meat and whites go with fish and poultry, but that is about the extent of my knowledge. After attending the Batasiolo Wine Dinner at Canaletto, my wine appreciation has grown immensely just in this one night.

The great people at Canaletto invited us to their monthly wine dinner this past week. I was a little intimidated walking into this event. Not only is Canaletto one of the most excellent restaurants at Fashion Island, but I was also walking into a wine dinner with people I did not know and people who I assumed had way more wine intelligence than me. In other words, I half expected to make a fool out of myself.

Nothing could have been further from the truth. We arrived right on time for the 6:30pm wine dinner. For those of you who do not know Canaletto, they are located between Neiman Marcus and Whole Foods Market. When we walked in, the bar was predictably busy. Canaletto is well-known for having one of the best happy hours at Fashion Island. They offer pizzas, appetizers, artisan cocktails, and wine for $5 while serving up $3 draft beers. Great prices for a restaurant where you pass by Lamborghini's and Ferrari's at their front door.

The Batasiolo Wine Dinner was being held in the restaurant's private room. We were immediately welcomed by the staff and made to feel at home. I was relieved there was no stuffiness in the room. In fact, these people were enjoyable, not like I had anticipated at all. About thirty of us were at the two tables for this wine dinner. Our wine expert for the evening was the very nice Stefano Poggi. He told us about all the wines we were about to drink and gave a novice like me a bit of history about Italian wines. For this, I will be forever grateful. I was also thankful for the food coming out, so let's look at what we consumed on this wonderful evening.

The antipastini course would be first. These tray-passed appetizers included Assorted Crostini, Tomatoes Stuffed with Crab Meat Salad, Mini Assorted Pizzas, and Cerignola Green Olives. You will not see olive in these pictures because I am not a big fan of that fruit. The other appetizers were delicious, though, with the best tomato stuffed with crab. I am no fan of raw tomatoes, but I could not keep myself from having about five. The crab salad was very fresh and kept my texture issues with tomatoes to a minimum. The mini pizzas had a nice chewy crust, with just enough cheese and prosciutto to keep this pizza on the lighter side without sacrificing taste. It was a lovely start to the meal and excited us for what was to come.

Here is a quick shot of the bread placed on the table. Looking at these pictures, I can almost smell this bread again. It was very well made and came out warm, and again, I had a hard time sharing it with my table mates. This bread was made even better by adding olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It was very addicting.

Talk about starting with a bang. This was my favorite dish of the night, the Vitello Tonnato Con Capperi Fritti. This was roasted veal served cold with fresh herbs and a fantastic house-made tuna and caper sauce. The tuna was from Italy, which was great with this dish. I am not much for mixing seafood and beef, but this worked perfectly. The veal was fork tender, the celery on top added some nice crunch, and the smooth tuna sauce reminded me of my tuna sandwiches when I was younger. The entire plate came together very nicely. The Gavi Batasiolo 2011 paired with this course was very light and crisp. I was supposed to taste light citrus with this wine, but it did not come through for me. My wine palette is still evolving. I was sorry to see this course leave the table.

The pasta course was up next, and we were given two pasta dishes to try. The Ravioli Con Salsiccia E Verze Brasate was a mellow ravioli filled with sausage, savoy cabbage, caramelized onions, and ricotta cheese. The light butter sauce used here was excellent, and this was one of the lightest sausage ravioli I have ever had. The Risotto Alle Rape Rosse E Caprino Fresco looked like a raw hamburger but became a favorite of Katie. This red beet risotto came with Parmigiano and goat cheese crumbles. I am by no means a risotto connoisseur, but this was one of the best-made ones that I have had. It was cooked perfectly, the beet flavor just poked through enough to interest the taste buds, and the cheeses brought everything home. The serving size would be too much for me, but I had no problem polishing this off. The wine for this course was the Batasiolo Sorvana 2010. This wine comes from a single vineyard in Barolo, Italy. It was very smooth and paired nicely with the ravioli.

Katie and I strategically picked the opposite of the two choices during the main course. She went with the Pesce Bianco Avvolto Nel Prosciutto Con Salsa Di Tartufi. Yeah, my Italian is good when I type these words; saying them is tricky. This white sea bass was wrapped in prosciutto with black truffles. I should have chosen this main course because it was delicious. First off, the serving size of this was phenomenal. A massive piece of flaky and light bass, with the prosciutto's flavor hanging around. Very well cooked. This was served with some green beans and a delicious potato cake. The potato cake was like a gigantic scalloped potato. The wine pairing with this fish dish was predictably a white wine. The Batasiolo Gavi di Gavi Granee 2009 was much like our first wine of the evening, but this time, I did get the slight citrus taste. This was Katie's favorite wine of the night.

If you have noticed, I have talked about the food here first before mentioning the wine. It's not unusual since I am more partial to food than wine, but this Batasiolo Barolo Cerequio 2006 was very special. First of all, it is scarce. Stefano told us that there are only ten cases in the US. The grapes used to make this wine are only grown on one hill. This wine was very smooth, had a great fragrance, and is just coming into its prime right now. Stefano told us that this wine will continue to improve with time, as the peak drinking years for this wine are from now till 2028. I may have some for my 56th birthday. This wine came with Costicine Di Manzo Brasate Al Barolo E Pastinache. I should have taken Italian in high school. This boneless short rib was braised with Barolo wine and parsnips and served with the exact potato cake Katie got with her entree. As usual with beef short ribs, these were fork tender. You could almost see the meat falling apart when I lifted my fork to them. I liked that the sauce was subdued with this dish, so the short rib's meatiness could be the show's star. A very hearty meal.

Dessert was our final act, and man, we were full by this point. I still did finish this Torta Di Chocolato E Nocciole Con Gelato Alla Vaniglia. I must be learning some Italian because I did not have difficulty translating this one. This warm chocolate and hazelnut cake was joined by a vanilla gelato. The cake was moist enough but made an excellent combination when mixed with the gelato. This was like Nutella in cake form with the hazelnut and the chocolate. Excellent dessert. I might have found my favorite kind of wine, dessert wines. They are a little sweeter and go down really smooth. With this dessert, we had two different varieties of Moscato. The Batasiolo Moscato d'Asti 2011 and the Batasiolo Moscato Rose. Both of these were fruity and sweet without crossing the overly syrupy line.

To say that the Batasiolo Wine Dinner exceeded my expectations would be an understatement. Not only was it not pretentious and snobby, but it was a lot of fun. We met many great people, and the food and drink were well done. We will also be back for their monthly wine dinners and regular meals here. Looking at Canaletto's regular menu, I noticed that the Veal Scaloppine and the Chicken Cannelloni caught my eye. I am also intrigued by the passport dinners that Canaletto and their sister restaurant, Il Fornaio, offer. For two weeks every month, they feature items from a different region of Italy. Three-course meals for $29.99, plus you get a gift. If you get your passport stamped six times, you are then entered into a drawing for a trip for two to Italy to experience fine Italian cooking firsthand. Even if you do not win the trip to Italy, you can definitely experience great Italian cooking at Canaletto in Newport Beach. You do not even need the hassle of going through the security lines at the airport to eat here.

We would like to thank all of the servers, bussers, kitchen staff, and the management at Canaletto for making our experience so great. We must also thank everyone at our table for making this a fantastic event. You made this an enjoyable night that Katie and I will not soon forget. Thanks also to Stefano Poggi, Export Manager for Batasiolo, for explaining his great wines to novice wine drinkers like me. Lastly, we thank Lindsey Gaines, the Event Coordinator at Canaletto, for the invite and for putting on such a great night of food, wine, and new friends. Thanks for everything, Lindsey; we look forward to seeing you and everyone at Canaletto again soon.

To find out more information about Canaletto, click here: https://www.ilfornaio.com/canalettonewportbeach