Category Archives: Dessert

Sunstone Winery Wedding: The Food

When I started planning my wedding last year, one of my biggest priorities was to have delicious food.  I wanted a meal that would be memorable and one that our guests would remember.  Thanks to my amazing wedding planner and the culinary talents of Trattoria Grappolo, Sunstone Winery and Solvang Bakery, we got that meal and then some.

All of these pictures in this post are from my amazingly talented wedding photographer Dana Grant, and pretty much make me hungry every time I look at them.  The Englishman and I tasted everything that was served before our big day, and I couldn’t be more pleased with the end result.

For our cocktail hour, we had three different Sunstone Wines: Rose, Grenache Blanc and Merlot along with an assortment of beers for guests to sip while they enjoyed some passed appetizers.

Sunstone Winery Wedding WinesFor our passed appetizers, we decided on some bacon wrapped shrimp, bruschetta toasts, melon wrapped in prosciutto and house made potato chips with burrata and guava.

Sunstone Winery Wedding AppetizersIn short, it was AMAZING.  All of it.

Sunstone Winery BruschettaI couldn’t get enough of the house made potato chips either as evidenced when the Englishman and I paid a visit to chef Leonardo for a snack.

Sunstone Winery Food WeddingPretty soon it was time for the champagne toasts and to dig into dinner.

Sunstone Winery ChampagneFor dinner, we started our meal with freshly baked bread and olive oil (one of the best combos ever in my opinion).

Sunstone Winery Wedding BreadThe salad course included a classic Caprese and a Caesar salad.

Sunstone Winery Caprese SaladFor our entrée, we decided on a rustic roast chicken with vegetables and a penne amatriciana.

Sunstone Winery PenneEverything was served family style so guests could enjoy as much as they wanted (I loved having dinner this way!)

Roast ChickenThen it was time for our delicious cake!  If you read my post on Solvang Bakery, then you’ll know that they made sure the cake was free of any allergens and made from scratch.

Solvang Bakery Wedding CakeNot only was our cake gorgeous, but it was GOOD.  Best cake I’ve ever had hands down.

Wedding Cake EatingWe ended up going with two different flavors – chocolate with lemon buttercream and carrot with lemon buttercream.  We have the top tier in our freezer but somehow I don’t think it will last until next year.

Sunstone Winery GelatoIn addition to cake there was gelato, which I never got to try (still broken up about it), but it was a big hit among our guests, especially since it came with little sugar cones.

Wedding Sunstone GelatoAnd that was our wedding food.  Huge thanks again to Dana Grant Photography and her amazing pictures!  If you are ever in the Santa Ynez area be sure to pop into Sunstone Winery for a glass of rose, Solvang Bakery for some baked goodies, and Trattoria Grappolo for an amazing meal.  I’m already planning my return trip up there to eat all of it again.

Koa’s Seaside Grill

When people first heard that the Englishman and I were going to Maui, one of the first things that many of them told us was “you have to get the macadamia nut pancakes at Gazebo in Napili.”  Of course, the average wait for Gazebo at any given time is one hour, so when I found out that the owners of Gazebo opened a restaurant in Lahaina called Koa’s Seaside Grill that served the same famous pancakes, I was sold.

The Englishman and I loved Koa’s Seaside Grill so much that we actually went twice: once for the famous pancakes and once for a delicious dinner that I’m still dreaming about.  The restaurant is located on Front Street in Lahaina and literally sits along the waterfront which makes for some beautiful Maui sunsets while you eat your dinner.

Since we had dinner at Koa’s Seaside Grill I’ll start there first.  We were both looking for some delicious, authentic Hawaiian cuisine and Koa’s definitely fit the bill.  We started our meal with a bottle of wine and a lovely arugula, tomato and burrata salad.

Koa's Seaside Grill BurrataThe salad was a nice light starter to the meal.  Every time I have burrata cheese I am reminded that I need to have more of it at home.

We also got some sweet potato fries and regular fries to share, because sweet potato!  And the fact that fries are delicious.

Koa's Seaside Grill FriesFor my main dish, I got the Kalua Pork and Cabbage which was out of this world.

Koa's Seaside Grill Kalua PorkI’m a huge fan of slow cooker pork, but this Kalua pork took it to the next level.  The meat was so juicy and tender and had the right amount of salt and literally melted in your mouth.  The cabbage paired beautifully with the pork and I practically licked the plate clean.  My dish also came with rice and green beans, but the true star of the evening was the Kalua pork.

Koa's Seaside Grill Korean Short RibsThe Englishman got Korean Short Ribs with Beer Battered Shrimp and had nothing but rave reviews for his dish as well.  He also got an order of mashed potatoes on the side and enjoyed every last bite.

I will say it’s been quite some time since I’ve had a meal that was THAT good, and Koa’s Seaside Grill gets nothing but gold stars in my book.  Like I said, I’m still dreaming about that pork.

While Koa’s dinner was amazing, their breakfast (and macadamia nut pancakes) was also top-notch.  After spending a morning at crossfit and then stand up paddle boarding, the Englishman and I were eager to return to Koa’s Seaside Grill for a delicious breakfast.

Koa's Seaside Grill Macadamia Nut PancakesThe Englishman decided to go for the macadamia nut pancakes (which he so generously shared with me) along with a side of eggs and bacon.

I now see what all the hype was about.  These pancakes are goooooood.  They are light and fluffy and topped with chopped macadamias and whipped cream.  They will definitely leave you stuffed!

Koa's Seaside Grill OmeletteI also got a giant omelet that I was barely able to make a dent in.  It was stuffed with avocado, cheese, tomatoes and mushrooms and was delicious.

If you ever find yourself in the Lahaina area, do yourself a favor and go to Koa’s Seaside Grill.  I rarely ever visit the same place twice when I travel and Koa’s was so good that I knew I wanted to eat there again.

Now who can tell me how to recreate Kalua pork at home?

Vitaly at the Camp

One of the best things about living in Costa Mesa is the wide variety of restaurants to eat at.  I had been wanting to check out Vitaly at the Camp for a long , and the Englishman and I finally managed to pop in there for dinner.

Vitaly at the CampVitaly is a cute Italian cafe tucked away in the back of the Camp and serves Italian flatbread sandwiches (Piadinas), homemade pasta and other Italian specialties.  In my opinion no Italian meal is complete without a glass of wine, so I ordered a glass of pinot grigio with my meal.

Vitaly at the camp WineThe Englishman and I ordered a caprese salad to share and I loved how it came out with just tomatoes and mozzarella, with the balsamic vinegar on the side, so the salad wasn’t overdressed.

Vitaly at the camp caprese saladIt’s still a little early for tomato season, but the ones we had in the caprese salad were nice and crisp and were perfect with the creamy mozzarella.  I can’t wait until summer when I can have all the tomatoes all the time.

The Englishman got the Montetiffi Cassone which is essentially a Piadina sandwich that’s served with warm ingredients rather than cold.

Vitaly PiadinaHis cassone had housemade sausage, cabbage, balsamic reduction and parmesan.  We both agreed it was quite delicious and could’ve maybe used a tiny bit more cheese.

I went with something a little different and got the Straccetti, which was Filet Mignon strips over roasted potatoes, tomatoes and arugula.

Vitaly at the camp steak and potatoesThis dish was quite simple but so, so good.  The filet was seasoned perfectly, and any time there are oven roasted potatoes on the menu, chances are I’ll order it.  I think this will definitely become my regular meal at Vitaly.

Of course, no trip to the cafe was complete without some gelato.  Vitaly has a wide range of homemade gelato that comes in a waffle cone, cup, or even a gelato “sandwich.”

Vitaly Gelato FlavorsI sampled a variety of flavors but the one that won my heart was the mascarpone which came with a delightful cherry on top.

Vitaly at the camp gelatoI can already see that Vitaly’s gelato is going to be a summer staple for me.  Most ice cream shops in town use artificial ingredients like corn syrup, but everything at Vitaly is made fresh which I love.

If you live in the OC area and haven’t been to Vitaly at the Camp yet, I definitely recommend checking the cafe out.  In addition to lunch and dinner they also serve breakfast, which I plan to check out next!

Wedding Cake Tasting at The Solvang Bakery

I haven’t posted much about wedding planning on the blog, but with less than 2 months to go until the wedding, most of my days/nights/weekends have been devoted to getting ready for the big day.  This past weekend I did a quick whirlwind trip up north to finalize some of the details, which included wedding cake tasting at The Solvang Bakery.

Wedding Cake Tasting Solvang Bakery SliceNot going to lie, the cake tasting was one of the things I was looking forward to most when I began planning our wedding.  I love cake (who doesn’t?) and I feel your wedding cake choice is a fun way for people to see who you are as a couple based on your taste preferences.

The one thing I was a bit nervous about when it came to the wedding cake tasting at The Solvang Bakery was my food allergies.  I emailed the owner Melissa and explained that I couldn’t have anything with corn, soy or walnuts.  She was incredibly nice, and when they brought out the cake for us to taste, she labeled everything and listed out all the ingredients which was fabulous.

Wedding Cake Tasting IngredientsNot only were all the cakes at Solvang Bakery delicious, they brought us very generous slices as well.  I’ve never seen so much cake and frosting in my life.  Fortunately I had the Englishman and my parents to help me wade through all the cake, and we even managed to give a few pieces to people who were visiting the bakery as well.

Wedding Cake Tasting SliceThe overall process was a blast.  We got to taste a variety of different cakes and were given little cups of frosting in case we wanted to mix and match some flavors.  One of my favorite frosting flavors was a coconut one made with sunflower seed butter.  I’ll definitely try to recreate that one at home.

Wedding Cake Tasting FrostingThe flavors we tasted included chocolate, peanut butter chocolate, carrot (made with pecans!), vanilla, lemon and almond.  While I don’t want to reveal what we decided on quite yet, I will say I’m quite pleased with our final cake and the fact that we have a couple of different flavors on different tiers so I think everyone will end up with something they like.

Wedding Cake Tasting FlavorsIf you are ever in the Santa Ynez Valley be sure to visit The Solvang Bakery.  They make a variety of Danish pastries in addition to cakes and other confections.  Plus, everyone who works there is incredibly nice and their desserts are GOOD.

Now that the wedding cake is ordered, I just need to decide overall presentation of the cake.  Any recommendations?