The Pinnacle of Southern California Marina Hospitality

by Frank Mangio
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel at Marina Del Rey in Los Angeles, offers a commanding vista of one of the largest, most beautiful marinas in the world.

It is one of the 85 Ritz-Carlton properties in the world.  When I viewed the boats docked in the blue Pacific on a picture-perfect day in L.A. from the Concierge Lounge, I couldn’t help but go back to my first experience with the Ritz Hotel in Paris.  Different view, same awestruck feeling of the pinnacle in hotel living.  “Putting on the Ritz” still sets the tone in song, as it did many years ago in a popular song composed for the original Ritz in Paris.  Later, this hotel was merged with the Carlton in London with the first Ritz-Carlton opening in 1927  in Boston, a model for what was to come.

Ritz-Carlton has twice won the prestigious National Quality Award for hotels, and plans are to expand to 30 more hotels and residential projects, including the Ritz-Carlton Rancho Mirage in the desert, most of which has already been completed and open for guests.

The Ritz-Carlton has conceived a maximum guest service on an upper floor appropriately named the Club Lounge.  Club concierges attend to Club guests from 6:30am to 10pm with superior comfort and services.  This includes breakfast, lunch, hors d’oeuvres and late night treats from tables and chairs with a commanding view of the marina and the ocean. Complimentary Business center and Wi-Fi are available, as well as premium beverages anytime during service hours.  Kudos to management for requesting that no cell phone conversations be made in the lounge.

The center of my interest was the makeover of the waterside restaurant, Cast & Plow, with panoramic views of the marina. The menu underlined “Community Made” with fresh, organic, locally grown and raised ingredients….from seed to your table.  Its 80 indoor/outdoor seats allow for dining and gathering at intimate locations within the restaurant, for full breakfast, lunch and dinner.  I was impressed by the 32-day aged, smoked ribeye steak, shown in the photo with sides that included asiago cheese potato puree, oversize asparagus tops and an herb salsa verde spread over the steak.  Superb!

I must congratulate the Sommelier/Wine Steward Mitchel Ober for his choice of wine for this choice of entrée.  It could not have been better.  It was the 2010 Figgins Estate Red from Walla Walla, Washington.  This is a blend of mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with small portions of Merlot and Petit Verdot  aged in French oak for 20 months.  Chris Figgins also makes wine for the well known Leonetti Wines in the same Walla Walla area.

The Ritz-Carlton Marina Del Rey is paradise found!  Visit www.ritzcarlton.com/marinadelrey for more.

Review: Night at the Mission San Luis Rey

The historic Mission San Luis Rey hosted their 3rd annual Night at the Mission to benefit
the Old Mission Montessori School.  St. Francis of Assisi once said “for it is in giving that we receive.”  Thanks went out to Charlie Plummer, Oceanside resident and newly appointed Regional Sales Manager for Jackson Family of Fine Wines for his organizational  In all, 17 wine, beer and food companies contributed to the pristine venue.

Wine Bytes
Cougar Winery in Temecula is having a Blending Party Sun. June 8 from 6:30-8:30pm.  Be a winemaker for a day and compete in this best blend contest as a 2013 Miscuglio Del Circolo is created. Appetizers served.  $30. per person.  Reduction for club members.  Call 951-491-0825.

It’s Feel Good Friday with Blu Gruv music at Orfila Winery in Escondido, Fri. June 13 from 4 to 6pm. Admission free for the Jazz music, with wine and food an additional cost.  More on this at 760-738-6500 x22.

Morada at the Rancho Santa Fe Inn presents Wine Tastings Thurs. June 19th from 5 to 6:30pm.  Cost is $25. pp for 8+ tastings and includes light appetizers.  RSVP at 858-381-8212.

The Women’s Museum is holding its 7th annual Wine, Cheese and Chocolate Festival, Fri. June 20 from 6 to 9pm at the museum at Liberty Station in Pt. Loma.  Cost is $50. and includes the music of Sue Palmer, the Queen of Boogie Woogie.  Learn more at 619-233-7963.

PSST! Let Yourself Go to the Roaring 20’s

by Frank Mangio

It’s good to be bad at Wine & Dine-Prohibition, a roaring good time to benefit ElderHelp, Saturday April 21 from 7 to 11pm at the Westin Gaslamp Quarter Hotel in downtown San Diego.

Throw caution to the wind and revel in the excitement of live music, gaming, wine and beer tasting and delicious cuisine from a collection of downtown restaurants. A charity auction and raffle drawings will get the juices going. Wineries that will be pouring include: Callaway from Temecula, Woof’n Rose and Hacienda de las Rosas, the award winners from Ramona, Michael David, Cinnabar and many more.

The event also promises costumed entertainers like mobsters, flappers, dancers and speakeasy characters. There is a constant dance floor of music from the 20’s.

Take a trip back to the Roaring 20’s with flapper girls, mobsters non-stop dancing and food and wine at the Wine & Dine-Prohibition Benefit, on Saturday April 21th at the Downtown San Diego Westin Hotel.

Executive Director of ElderHelp Leane Marchese said that “Wine and Dine is a great opportunity for San Diegans to try cuisine from San Diego’s finest restaurants and sample premium wines and spirits for all over California, plus entertainment, all for a great cause.” ElderHelp was founded in 1973 as a community-based volunteer organization in the inner city for needy seniors and their families. It helps seniors remain independent and live with dignity in their own homes.

Tickets are $150. in advance and $200. at the door. Advance purchase is available on line at www.winedinesd.com. For more information call 619-284-9281. Special ticket packages are also available.

The Latest Dirt on Wine

Congrats to Temecula’s Robert Renzoni on the winery’s 4th birthday. A 2 day celebration is planned for Saturday and Sunday April 14 and 15, with live music both days. The winery is now producing Italian Brunello! Learn more at 951-302-8466.

Ted Plemons of Cass Vineyard and Winery in Paso Robles loves a party and doesn’t miss a chance to promote his Grenache, Mourvedre, Syrah and Rockin One Rhone Blend. He’s a leader of the pack of “Rhone Rangers,” wineries that are dedicated to the French Rhone style of wines. Count me in as one big fan of that grape style. Cass was a big player at both the recent Paso Robles Road Show in Newport Breach, and the Family Winemakers of California show at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. That one listed near 200 small production California wines.

Taste Of Wine columnist Frank Mangio sipped the latest release Rhone Valley Mouvedre from Ted Plemons, winemaker at Cass Winery in Paso Robles.

What impressed me was that most of the wineries came with their winemakers. A big thank you to Fast Forward Event Productions for a marketing job well done.

Banfi Vintners, worldwide winery owners founded by the Mariani Family of Castello Banfi in Italy’s Montalcino , have just purchased venerable Sonoma winery Kenwood Vineyard, subject to due diligence with a closing scheduled for June. This will be the first winery for Banfi in California. They have recently bought wineries in Oregon and Washington. Kenwood produces over 500,000 cases.

Kudos to Napa Valley’s historic Grgich Hills and its iconic Cabernet Sauvignon as it was the wine of choice at a hosted dinner in Los Angeles for the next President of China, Xi Jingping recently. The 2008 release was 21 months in French Oak and has a slight blend of 5% Petit Verdot, 3% Merlot and 3% Cab Franc. ($60.).

I spoke to the legendary Mike Grgich a week or so ago in Palm Desert (the Napa Valley hero of Judgment of Paris in 1976) and he is struggling to recover from two fractured vertebra in his back. As always he was full of energy and will be ready soon to help with the 2012 crop of naturally farmed grapes on his 366 acres. He was born in 1923, and has spent 54 years in the wine business.

Wine Bytes

San Diego Wine Company is doing a California Reds Tasting Sat. Apr. 14 from 11 to 4:30pm. Just $10. Call 858-586-WINE for selections.

3rd Corner Encinitas has a Dragonette Cellars Wine Dinner Tues. Apr. 17 starting at 6:30pm. Cost is $65. 5 wines matched with a 4 course dinner. RSVP at 760-942-2104.

Europa Village in Temecula Wine Country has the 2nd in a series of Old World Wine Dinners, this time Wed. and Thurs. Apr. 18 and 19 at 6:30pm. Enjoy “La Vie Parisienne,” the food, wine and music of Paris in a 5 course paired event. $84. pp. Call 951-216-3380 for tickets.

The Marine Room in La Jolla presents a dinner with the top artists in the area, Thurs. Apr. 19 from 6 to 11pm. This dinner gala will showcase original oil paintings by leading artists. $200. ea. Call 800-599-7111.

Dallman Fine Chocolates with its new store at Flower Hill Mall in Del Mar is creating the Dallman Chocolate Boutique with a series of special attractions including “Chocolate, Wine and Cheese,” an experience of the joy of these three pleasures. Start time is 6:30pm on Thurs. Apr. 19. Cost is $45. RSVP asap at 858-720-1933.

A Chef’s Table dinner is planned at the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel on Thurs. Apr. 19 from 7 to 9pm. Dine with Executive Chef Andres Jimenez and his 4 course tasting menu sit down dinner with wine pairings. $169 pp.