New Years at The Old Vine Cafe Costa Mesa

I had heard great things about The Old Vine Cafe.
2937 Bristol St. Suite A-102 Costa Mesa, CA 92626 (The Camp)

Ok mainly I had heard how amazing their burrata (locally sourced) is. We even attempted to procure said burrata (at 10PM) after a dissappointing dinner(more on that later) at the tapas restaurant, Boqueria.

The Old Vine was having two seatings for New Years, one at 5:30 and the other at 8:30. D and I are DEFinitely not early dinner people. I HATE Thanksgivings that start at like 1 PM. I eat, stuff myself, then I am hungry again and raid the fridge and feel like a heifer(cow). Hence the reason I chose the 8:30 seating. There were two prix fixe menus to choose from: The Original and the Vegetarian. Not wanting to miss out on any of the dishes and D being fine with either as long as she had burrata we ordered both of them. Here comes the amazing thing:

Each course of the 4 came with a paired glass of wine. 8 total courses 8 glasses of wine. D and I being who we are asked if we could order a glass BEFORE dinner since we were early. Our waiter, Mario, (every time I hear that name I can't get Nintendo's Mario voice out of my head) looked at us as if we were crazy and told D that if she could walk out upright after dinner he would buy our wine. Us, being the "professionals" ordered. She had the Cristalino Cava (super dry, a one note wonder, we stock a 4$ bottle that's better) Me? I was intrigued by the Chikurin "Hou Hou" Sparkling Sake (D's comment? Tastes like a soda) I'll try anything once. Even this slightly embarrassing looking bottle to the right here. Japanese schoolgirl anyone?

Now, my glass could only be as full as the bottle over to the right but D's glass? Cava in a white wine glass HALF FULL (6 oz at least) This would become a theme with Mario. Who is an AWEsome waiter and not just because of the pours and his name. He knew his wine, he loved to talk about it, and he took the time to explain each course and why each wine was chosen for the food. D and I are certified by WSET in wine so we annoy our friends when we go out but wine is a passion of ours.

First Course:

Original:  Sautéed Sea Scallop on a nest of Crispy Fried Yucca finished with Tarragon Chardonnay Sauce.

Paired with a 2006 Frogmore Creek Chardonnay, Tasmania

Food: Scallops were perfectly cooked, I cut them with a butter knife like it WAS butter and I had a HOT knife. D even tried it and she HATES scallops. We both loved the Tarragon sauce it was genuis. Briny, smooth, touch of tarragon annise but not too much.

Wine: Awful. I knew this coming in because we sell this wine at the wine bar I work at. Come on, Chardonnay? Tasmania? Can anyone say STEWED FRUIT. Think of eating hot pineapple. MMMmmm Tasty... I finished my japanese schoolgirl soda which paired much nicer with this.

Vegetarian: Baby Spinach with Dried Fruit, Pine Nuts, Fresh Goat Cheese & Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette.

Paired with a 2008 Wild Rock Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough New Zealand

Food: I enjoyed the figs, D liked the spinach and dressing. I even got her to try the goat cheese which was not overtly gamy(she hates goat). She compared it to a heavier sheep cheese. The salad was good but not groundbreaking. What do you want? It's a salad

Wine: D and I love our Sauvignon Blanc. ESPECIALLY New Zealand. There is something about that grassy, herbacious, who am I kidding it smells like CAT PEE and it tastes so good! This is the only instance where I will say I like cats. Wine drinkers love cat pee but hate wet dog. This wine didn't have as much acid up front as most SB's do but nevertheless I was not allowed to have more than a sip. D REALLY likes SB. Although it would have paired better with MY dish.

Second Course:

Original: Handmade Fettuccini Pomodoro garnished with Aged Pecorino Romano Cheese.

Paired with a 2005 Tre Serre Barbera, Piedmonte Italy

Food: The noodles were perfectly cooked al dente and toothsome. Sometimes handmade noodles can be mushy and these weren't. If you talk to someone FROM Italy they will tell you that handmade does not equal good. Most pasta is cooked from dried noodles there because it's a better more consistent product. The noodles were a bit eggy for D. The sauce was wonderful and the pecorino added the salt it lacked. I ate it all and I am NOT a carb person. D was amazed.

Wine: The barbera we are used to is a big, powerful, meaty wine. I wasn't sure how it was going to pair with this rather light pasta dish. D and I were pleasantly surprised by the lightness of it. The taste was full but it didn't overpower the dish. Mario explained that this is characteristic of the Piedmonte region.

Vegetarian: Mozarella Buratta, Panko Crusted Eggplant, Grape Tomatoes & Basil Pesto.

Paired with a N.V. Caposaldo Brut Prosecco, Italy

Food: It finally came! There should have been a light from heaven shining down and angels singing hallelujah. Let's put it this way, I got one bite...one small bite...one. It was that good. D asked Mario if the chef would make her a tasting of burrata three ways when we come back. Mario thought the chef would love it so I think we will be making another reservation soon

Wine: Mario kept the big pours coming. D actually commented and Mario told her he could take it back if she wanted. D was still savoring her SB but managed to let Mario keep the pours coming.

The prosecco was pretty standard. Dry, minerally. I only had a sip or two.

Third Course:

Original: Filet Mignon & Crispy Fried Onions with Bleu Des Basque Demi Cream Sauce.

Paired with a 2008 Maipe Cabernet Sauvignon, Argentina

Food: The filet was a perfect even pink all the way through. The sauce(which D was unsure of because of the blue cheese) was amazing. I wanted more of it and more of the crispy onions. Great dish!

Wine: This was my favorite wine of the night. I could have just smelled it all night which was weird because I don't live Cab's in general. Leathery, tobacco, deep rich aroma, with a hint of dark chocolate on the end. paired perfectly with the filet.

Vegetarian:Pan Fried Polenta with Pomodoro Cream Sauce with Aged Pecorino Romano Cheese.

Paired with a 2006 Valle Reale Vigne Nuove Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, Italy

Food: This was the one that D was unsure of on her menu but she really enjoyed it. Nice cheese flavor that wasn't overpowered by the sauce and the polenta was well cooked. She is even going to let me try and recreate it at home. The great polenta debate at our house has ended. I hav had some in the cupboard for a while and until now it has gone unused.

Wine: Didn't try this one but D seemed to like it.

Final Course:

Original:

Grandma's Cheesecake, Wild Berry Puree

Paired with a NV Ferreira Ruby Port

Food: If it looks naked that's because D doesn't eat fruit so we asked for it without the berries. It was really good. D raved about the crust and teased me that it had TONS of butter. The health nut in me rebelled, and lost.

Wine: Pretty standard port. Not very deep in flavor or aroma. Very light body. Not one of my favorites.

Vegetarian:

Mini Pecan Pie Tartlets garnished with Vanilla Fleur De Sel Butterscotch Sauce & Whipped Cream.

Paired with 2003 Famiglia Bianchi Late Harvest Semillon, Argentina

Food:  I didn't get a picture of this one but it was good. I don't like pecan pie which was perfect for this dessert because there was very little pecan flavor. It could have almost been called Mini "insert good tasting filling here" Pie Tartlets. The fleur de sel really highlighted the sauce and made the flavors pop. It was a perfect ending.

Wine: I only had a sip of it but D said it was good.

Overall: D and I agreed that this was one of, if not the best meals we have ever had in total. The service, the ambiance, the company, the food, and wine all added up to a memorable experience. We definitely will be coming back for burrata three ways!

Oh and Mario bought us our first two wines.

Like I said, "Professionals."