A Wine Adventure at The Brix in Sunset Beach: The Good, The Great and the Burnt

The Brix is located along PCH in Sunset Beach California.

We have driven by this place numerous times and we finally decided to stop in a check it out.  We had seen this place on the TV Show "Bar Rescue"and they had given it a nice makeover and a new name.  It was renamed the Pacific Coast Wine Bar for which the interior signage is still displayed.  The bar went back to the old name  The Brix shortly after the show aired.  The owner that was shown on Bar Rescue recently sold the bar as we meet the new owner who was really nice.  He referred to it as "The Meeting Place" (A Third name perhaps?).

The Good

The inside of the bar looks great and they have a cool chalkboard showing what flights they currently offer.

Here is a sample of one of the wines we tried. 

 Carmenet was a decent Chardonnay

The Great

Enjoying a glass of wine in a place that has nice atmosphere and great music!! 

The performer Kurt Hunter played a set that perfectly fit the wine bar setting.  He was excellent.

The Burnt

Even with a new owner The Brix struggled in the food department.

The bar has gone back to the strange Deli menu that in no way matches a Wine Bar. We had already had lunch in Huntington Beach so all we ordered was some Truffle Oil Popcorn with shaved Parmesan.  Truffle oil makes everything better...But no matter how good the Truffle oil is it can't save burnt Jiffy Pop Popcorn.  Is this a warning of things to come???  I mean if you can't even get popcorn right ---what must the other food be like.

 Gordon Ramsay would have had a field day with this place.  They were having a special party on their outside patio and decided to bring some free samples around to the bar patrons.   Probably not the best idea!!!   I guess the popcorn was just the precursor of what was to come.  They started bringing out some severely burnt food. So badly burnt in fact, it was nearly unrecognizable.  We were pretty much laughing as they passed it out to customers watching their reactions. We quickly became giddy with excitement to see what was going to be next?  Your guess is as good as ours as to what this was....some sort of chicken perhaps??

You can see some soogy potatoes amongst the charred remains.   We wondered "I hope the special party wasn't getting burnt food like this".  Someone should have had the common sense to look at the food before handing it out as a "Freebie" to the paying customers.  I couldn't imagine being a server walking around with these blackened lumps of coal and pretending to be proud of the chef's creation.  Perhaps the waitress who wandered around sipping from her giant goblet of wine (bigger than any of the customers) passing out the samples was her way of dealing with the traumatic food offerings. Handing out burnt food samples isn't the best way to get people to order off the menu.  Hopefully the new ownership will get things turned around .  And a new chef can craft a menu that will fit the cool vibe of this wine bar. 

If we see that their menu has changed we may go back and check it out again, since other then the food we felt it had great potential. 

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A Wine Adventure: Off The Vine in San Pedro

This past weekend we checked out a little wine bar in San Pedro that we had picked up a Living Social deal for recently.  It is called "Off The Vine" and is located on 7^th St. in Downtown San Pedro.

It is in a little theater district that reminded us of Retro Row in Long Beach (on a smaller scale).

We went early in the afternoon on Saturday, as you can see from the picture below we were the first ones there!

Our Living Social deal was for a small Meat and Cheese plate (which was simple, yet really good) and a Wine Tasting that included 6 different wines.   

The tasting of the day was a red wine tasting –We aren’t normally big Red wine fans –but all of the wines we tried were good. It included wines from Chile and Portugal and even one from Croatia. We liked the Obsession Red Blend from California the best and got a bottle to take home.   

This Living Social deal was a really good value –but the thing that would bring us back was the Flatbread that we ordered in addition to our deal. The Flatbread was made up of Havarti Cheese with Fig and Arugula and it was fantastic,  in fact I’m craving it now just writing about it.  The server was really nice and told us a little about each wine---(something you don’t always get at busier wine tastings). 

So if you are in the San Pedro area and want a little wine getaway Off The Vine is the place to go.

Here is our version of the Havarti, Fig with Arugula flatbread..

I added a little drizzle of balsamic glaze to ours to give it just a little kick.. I'd say it turned out pretty darn good!! 

Here is their Website:

https://offthevinewines.com/  

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Wine Adventures with the 2 Dollar Wine Connoisseurs: Things almost got Hostile at the Hostile Grape in Las Vegas….or how I almost got screwed out of $18.

As a part of my Birthday and Valentine’s Day we headed to Las Vegas for the weekend in order to see the Eagles at the MGM Grand.  On our list of places to go was The Hostile Grape at the M Resort,  which is located just off the freeway as you enter into Las Vegas.   We had looked it up online and thought that it looked like a really cool wine bar to visit.   We found the Hostile Grape and almost exited before our adventure began because it sounded like there was a stand up comedian inside and we didn’t want to walk in mid act.

I said that we should push on and so we ventured inside.   It ended up being a musician that looked like a Johnny Depp impersonator that they had found wandering the streets of Vegas.   He was actually decent playing a wide range of songs that included an odd version of Like a Virgin on the guitar.   We overheard a couple of guys talking on the way in about how it was the assisted living wine bar, since the crowd was  much older.    We sat down at an open table and waited….and waited until finally deciding that maybe they don’t come to your table here.  It was the kind of wine bar that had the self serve machines that we had enjoyed using previously at the Splash Wine bar in San Diego and the Las Vegas Hilton.  

  

                

We purchased a $50 wine card –that also had a onetime $5 card activation fee  (if you come back again you just bring the same card).

We ordered a cheese plate which wasn’t on the menu that night (since they were having a special Valentine’s Day menu featuring food from the Steak House Anthony’s).   The cheese plate was actually pretty good especially the hardened goat cheese with honey comb.    

We began to wander around to sample the over 100 wines available in search of a good Chardonnay.  We didn’t really find one that we liked.  The tastings were overpriced  compared got compared to similar wine bars that use the  same type of machines.

My favorite wine was a sweet Moscato called Sip and a Cabernet from  Faust winery that we both enjoyed.

About $32 into our card it stopped working.  I had to go up to the bar and let them know that is was giving me an error message and that I should have about $18 left on it.   The bartender told me that has never happened before and that I had used up the card.  He was able to pull up on the screen and tell me what the last wine I had sampled was and continued to argue with me that the cards had never malfunctioned before and that I had used the card up.    I continued to argue my point.   At this point I was basically being called a liar by the bartender .  He asked if I would like to talk to the manager. 

  " Sure" I said  and then suggested-"If your machine can tell you which drinks we have tried it should be able to tell how much we have used".    He added up the amounts and then finally admitted that we should still have $18.25 left on our card.  The manager came over and told him that they had been having problems with cards today.    The manager then fixed the card adding the amount left back onto the card.    I didn't get an apology for basically being called a liar about the issues with the card.... which was really annoying. 

We thought that maybe that is where the bar got its name the Hostile Grape from,  since they argue with the customers.  We joked that maybe it should be called the Angry Grape.    Our original plan was to get another glass of wine once the card was used up,  but after this incident we decided to just finish off the card and head to our hotel.    Unfortunately this wasn't as easy a task.   The card died again at about $9.00 mark and we had to wait a good 10 minutes for the manager to finish gabbing with a set of customers.    Upon bringing the problem to his attention again --we were given a new card....which we used up and then left.   No apologies,   no I'm sorry for your inconvenience twice,  nothing.   The $5 activation fee was a waste---since I don't think we will be returning due to the bad customer service  from this place that we had really high hopes for.   Let's hope that our next wine adventure goes better.......

Stay tuned for some of our 2013 adventures that we are slowly getting around to writing about.

Wine Adventures with the 2 Dollar Wine Connoisseurs: Return to Rio with mixed results

Revisiting the Rio Wine Cellar with mixed results.

       In one of our first wine adventures about 4 ½ years ago we visited the really swanky Wine Cellar at the Rio in Las Vegas.  It was one of our first wine tasting adventures together and we loved it.  The Wine Cellar is a gorgeous wine bar located downstairs in the Rio hotel and casino.  You walk down a staircase into what looks like a traditional wine cellar.  The look and feel of the place is really cool.  There is seating throughout the meandering pathways amongst the crates and rows of wine.  The very first time we came here as wine novices (not that we aren’t still novices) we totally loved the place.  So we decided it was about time to revisit it (now that we have a wine blog)

        Upon our return in February of 2013….

we weren’t as impressed with it as the first time around.

The style and decor of the bar is spot on (If money wasn’t an option I would probably build something that looks just like it in my basement if I had one). Unfortunately the mood of the place didn’t match the abience.  In a stylish wine bar one expects to have music that matches the environment that helps set the mood. The location of the Wine Cellar at the Rio doesn’t lend to this being a possibility.  It is located right below the Rio Sky stage show, which features really bad loud versions of Britney Spears and Will I AM tunes blaring at a ridiculous volume and overtaking any sense of relaxing atmosphere that could have existed in the Wine bar area.   They should have sound proofed the area or found some other way of closing it off from the mind numbingly bad dance beats that bombard the ear drums.  Even when the show isn’t going on the soundtrack lingers and permeates the area---wiping away any music that is playing within the wine bar itself. 

The other issue we encountered on this return trip was the lack of wine knowledge from the bartender we had.  We ordered a flight of wine and he didn’t seem to know what he was serving us.   “Here is one that I think is French"  he said.    It was a let down this time.  The Wine we had was fine it is just the experience that was lacking.   We both agree that the issues are something that could easily be fixed. Finding a way to remedy or somehow sound proof your wine experience from the full blown dance party going on above seems easy enough,  all the while preserving the elegance of the total wine experience.  At the very least we think this place could really benefit if the they were to hire bartenders/waiters/waitresses who were actual wine friendly connoisseurs themesleves.  

 On that note we are heading back to Vegas this February and we will be stopping at the "Hostile Grape" at the "M" Resort. We have heard great things about this place so stay tuned and  look out for a blog about this really soon.

I’ve got a Peaceful Easy Feeling about this Wine Adventure.

I’ve got a Peaceful Easy Feeling about this Wine Adventure.

We headed down to the South Coast Winery on a mission back in September 2013. A mission to see Song writer  Jack Tempchin (who wrote several Eagles songs as well as some of Glen Frey’s solo work)  He was there to sign bottles of South Coast's Peaceful Easy Feeling Cabernet.  Being huge Eagles fans and wine fans this trip was a no brainer.  Plus it gave us an excuse to head back to Temecula to visit the South Coast Winery and several other area wineries.

Our first stop was at the Callaway Winery, where we stopped for lunch at their restaurant The Meritage.  We both had a great meal with a view of their vineyard, enjoying a bottle of Callaway Reserve Chardonnay. 

  Definitely a restaurant worth visiting in Temecula .  We wanted to stop by later for a dessert,  since they had on the menu an apple cobbler with brie----maybe that is an excuse to return again soon.

Up next we briefly stopped at the Europa Village to just check it out before stopping at Maurice Carrie winery for some wine tasting.   We tried several good wines including Cody’s Crush which was a pleasant red wine blend that didn’t have the aftertaste or bite that many reds do.   We also liked the white wine blend called Heather’s Mist  which we got a bottle of to bring home with us. We originally wanted to eat here at a place called the Plantation house (which is no more),  because of some legendary baked brie bread that our friends raved about. The restaurant may be gone but the bread was still there.  Unforuntately we were still stuffed from lunch so we can't comment on it other than to tell you it seems to be a pretty popular menu item, and it did look delicious!! 

Up next we made our way to the South Coast Winery

 At the South Coast Winery we met with Jack Tempchin  and got our bottles of Peaceful Easy Feeling Wine signed while snapping a quick photo with the music legend.  

 Then we hung around for some wine tasting while enjoying Jack do an acoustic version of the song his namesake bottle of wine is named after.   This was a pleasant surprise as was a taste of the wine itself.

 One last note: Brad's favorite wine from the days tasting was a dessert wine called "Daybreak" it tasted a lot like melted caramel so needless to say it was a must have for our wine collection.

         Kim's favorite of the day was the South Coast GVR a white wine blend

Tune back in soon as look back at another Wine Adventure from 2013

Wine Adventures with the 2 Dollar Wine Connoisseurs: Wine with Wyland

We planned a little one night trip to Laguna Beach in January to kick off the new year.  We stayed at one of the places we had wanted to stay at for awhile Laguna Casa Del Camino, a cute little hotel with a rooftop bar and the world's smallest rooms.  I'm talking so small that you better be careful sitting on the toilet because you may hit your head on the sink small.  And the rooftop bar with the ocean view----Well I'm sure you could see the ocean if you could get past the 500 people that were standing room only lined up shoulder to shoulder in order to see it.....but I'm getting ahead of myself......First there was wine tasting.

When getting ready to head down to Laguna for the day I was looking online for what we could do while down there.  We stopped for lunch at a beach side restaurant called The Deck which had a great view of the beach and ocean and was playing some great music put you in the beach vacation kind of mood.  The food wasn't bad either. After breakfast we headed inland just a bit to the Laguna Ranch Winery for a little wine tasting.   It was a last minute trip idea  so when we got there we found ourselves for the  second time in a row being the only people in the place without a +Groupon!! Oh well ... 

 They had a wide variety of some good wines for tasting. 5 free tastes with the purchase of any bottle of wine.  We knew wanted to get a couple of bottles anyway featuring some of the cool Wyland themed artwork.

We tasted some good  wines ---the Wyland Chardonnay 2011 and the Laguna Ranch Pinot Grigo 2010  which had a hint of lemon were our 2 favorites.  We also really enjoyed the 07' Wyland Sonoma Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.  While there we found out that they actually had a 2nd location right near PCH where we were staying so we decided to go and check that one out as well. 

Lucky for us that turned out to be a memorable decision.    

Talk about perfect timing!!!   About 3 minutes after we walked into the second location a guy with fish tattoos and a Hawaiian shirt wandered in and asked if anyone had been buying the Wyland wine. Next thing you know he jumped behind the counter and started signing bottles of wine.  Yep it was the +Artist Wyland  himself!! He just happened to be in town for a charity event and stopped by the winery to say Hi. He was very nice conversing with everyone as he signed a few of his most popular bottles of wine. 

So we had to get a couple more bottles of course and more wine tasting as well.   It was quite a lucky bit of timing since he now lives in Hawaii and just happened to stop by.  Wine Tasting with Wyland....who would have thought that when the day started.

So we tasted more wine and talked with some cool people and took home a few more wines for our collection

  Here is the website for the Laugna Ranch Winery.....

Stop by for a visit next time you are in the Laguna Area

+http://www.lagunacanyonwinery.com/

Until next time Cheers from Kim & Brad 

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