Castelli's Palm Desert

Still in Palm Desert -- actually, I'm back and reminiscing.  We visited Castelli's Italian Restaurant in Palm Desert, CA.  This is a fantastic restaurant.  The service is personable, the wine list is extensive, and the food is wonderful.

Since we had been overextending with appetizers, we went for the entrees early.  I wish I'd tried one, but when you are eating out all the time, you don't want to ruin the meal with too much.  I had the Godfather's Dinner: PRANZO DEL PADRINO.  Described as "The Best of 3 Worlds! Tenderloin Beef Spiedini, Shrimp Scampi and Vitello alla Piccatina."  Hey, this really was the best of the three.  This way I could try a selection of their Italian fare.  It was a great choice.  The meal comes with a pasta dish.  The basic pasta offered was with a marina sauce.  I chose the Fettuccine Alfredo.  It's supposed to be their signature pasta. 

The Fettuccine Alfredo was stupendous.  I'm a fan of white sauce (Northern Italian cuisine) and this was excellent.  The pasta was homemade and the sauce tasted very rich and buttery--perfect.  The focus of the restaurant was more Southern Italian, but I was pleased with the choices and the meal.

The presentation of the meal was excellent.  The three meats were placed artfully on the plate.  The scampi was like a lobster and very good.  The veal was slightly over spiced, but authentic.  The tenderloin was cooked properly and a great cut.  I took the leftovers back for lunch and a very pleasant lunch it was.  I can't remember what everyone else ate, but I was very pleased with my meal.

We ordered a bottle of their house Italian Chianti--it was a great choice.  We also had the after dinner Cappuccino Roma.  It was pleasant, but I liked the dinner best.

I was also pleased with the service.  You can't go wrong at Castelli's--I want to go again.

Birthday Cigar

I didn't eat anywhere of real note on my trip, so I don't have any new restaurants to report.  I do have a cigar update.  I received an ATF Garcia and Garcia Limited Edition My Father cigar for my birthday.  I smoked it while drinking cappuccino and Remi Marten XO Cognac.

I prepared the cigar with a 3/8 inch punch and lit it slowly with a wooden match. The cigar was very robust.  It was a rich cigar with a very even burn.  It tasted of strong coffee and cocoa and was a powerful cigar.  It was a perfect dessert cigar.  I can't recommend it to the mellow smoke crowd, but for those who like a strong cigar, it was perfect.  It was a long lasting smoke, but did not taint the pallet so much that it stayed with me for hours.

The cappuccino and Cognac went perfectly with it.  My thanks to the gift bearers who provided me a great cigar.

Remember, if you want to try Cognac, always drink it from a brandy snifter.  This is true of brandy and any similar liqueur.  You will not be pleased, or you will be more pleased by the drink if you have it in the proper glass.  This is also true for many liqueurs.  A splash in a tall glass does not bring out the essential aromas of the drink.     

Partagas Number 10, Cappuccino, and Single Malt Scotch

Here is an update for all the cigar lovers out there.  I'm updating my writing blogs and enjoying a Partagas number 10 cigar, a cappuccino, and a single malt scotch.  I wish I could tell you the single malt scotch, but I can't remember it off hand and I couldn't spell it if I could.  It is a double cask madiera ad 12 years old--that doesn't bracket it much, but it is wonderful with the cigar and the cappuccino.

The cigar is my favorite.  The Partagas is a 7.5 inch by 49 ring cigar.  Is is a handmade mild double corona made in the Dominican Republic with a Cameroon wrapper and a Mexican binder.  The cigar has a wonderful flavor and fragrance.  You can smoke it to the very nub.  The flavor is balanced and the same throughout.  It doesn't stay with you for days like some cigars.

The cappuccino is my making from a Gaggia machine.  I learned to make cappuccino in Italy.  I like it with a touch of sugar and nothing else.

My dog, named Chino--after cappuccino is guarding me from the squirrels and birds.  Since it feels like it is freezing outside, I'm glad he has a furry coat.  I'm not outside, by the way, he just likes the outside--he doesn't like cigars.

Saturday Cigars - 5 November 2011

I had a wonderful cigar on Saturday.  My friend came over.  I served cappuccino and salads (Avatini).  An Avatini is a dry shaken gin or vodka martini with avocado and olives for garnishment.  The avocado is bland and creamy, the olives are a little astringent and strong, the martini is alcohol and sweet.  The flavors together are very nice.  The cappuccino was normal.  I learned to make it in Italy.  I have Gaggia machine.  The trick is to properly froth the milk--that is a real skill.  The other point is good pressure based espresso.  A Gaggia cappuccino maker is the one I recommend.  I've used many different types, but this makes the best consistent cappuccino and is well automated (it grinds the beans for each cup).  I make cappuccino in mugs and put in 1.5 shots of espresso for each.

The preliminaries were complete with the cappuccino and Avatinis.  They were the setting for the cigars.  The cigars were Diamond Crown Churchills--a very large cigar.  I got them in a humidor package at the September Fuentes event.  The Fuentes event is a cigar charity event put on by the Cigar Chateau locally.  The Fuentes Family Charity is the beneficiary of the event.  I have gone to every Fuentes Event since they started.  The second largest (as I understand it) is in Wichita, Kansas.  The event has been at Flint Hills for the last few years.  An auction is one of the main parts of the event, but cigars, great drink, and good food are all supplied.  I'll write about it when it comes up next September. 

At this event, I won the auction of a beautiful red enameled table top humidor (I didn't need one, I have two floor standing humidors with automatic humidity controls in them).  I wanted the contents of the humidor.  It had over 20 great cigars in pairs, a large box of Coco Dolche chocolates, a scissors cigar cutter, a cigar lighter, and a bunch of gift certificates to local restaurants.  It was a great deal.  The Diamond Crown Churchills came in the humidor.

I usually smoke Partagas number 10s, but I like to try something new and the Diamond Crowns are a great cigar.  They smoked very well.  I like to punch a cigar, and I have an extra large punch (about 3/8 inch).  That was the right size for this cigar.  I use wooden matches to light my cigars.  I lite it until I get a red glow and then take the first triple puff.  My Diamond Crown started a little uneven, but quickly corrected itself.  I didn't have to light it again once it started.  It matched the cauppachino well and the Avatini nicely.  The cigar was a long smoke, so I ran out of drink before the cigar was done.  It lasted about 2.5 hours.

The taste was gentle spice with a typical Cohiba aroma.  That is a warm leather and silk.  It wasn't really similar to a Partagas.  The cigar burned nicely and only got a little stronger at the end.  Otherwise it was very consistent in burn and flavor.

My wife didn't like the aroma it left in my mouth.  She usually can handle the Partagas, but she thought the after smell of the Diamond Crown was strong.  It didn't particularly leave a strong flavor and dissipated in an evening.

Overall rating was that I liked it and it was a great cigar for conversation.