Posted May 12th, 2009 by Meg
Pleasantly Tart with active cultures
It is my latest find at Trader Joe’s. Well, it’s not really my latest find. I’ve been eating this for a few weeks now, but have been unable to post about it because I am so overcome with excitement and happiness about it that I forget to take a picture. Finally, after finishing my nightly bowl I remembered to take a picture of the aesthetically pleasing container. It’s tart. More tart than Pinkberry. It also has active cultures too (something Pinkberry doesn’t have). You can tell this when you bite into it because it tastes so similar to yogurt. However, it is almost custard like in texture. Not what I initially expected, but delicious.
Posted October 10th, 2008 by Meg
Last week my roommate and I went to Library Alehouse in Venice. We have both been there before, so our continual return only shows that we enjoy it. They have an excellent beer selection and good food to go with it. They also have a Happy Hour that we always seem to forget when we say “Hey, let’s go get a drink” at 2pm 4pm. Before my roommate arrived, I killed time by trying the Shipyard Blueberry Wheat Ale. It was refreshing, sweet (more on the cider spectrum than I thought it would be), but tart! I can’t find any links for this type of Shipyard, but believe me it’s real (I called to confirm).
When we were seated in the back patio, I ordered a basic flight of beer. I asked for the wide variety of “light to dark.” I wish I had been more specific because everything that was brought to the table I had tasted before (a total life lesson). Although they were good beers, it wasn’t very exciting. My flight was composed of (from right to left on the photo): Allagash (Belgian Style White from Portland, Maine), Lost Coast Apricot Wheat (Eureka, CA), Franziskaner Hefeweizen (Munich, Germany), Stone Pale Ale (San Marcos, CA), Lost Coast Downtown Brown Ale (Eureka, CA).
For dinner I chose the Alehouse Fish and Chips (made with cod and beer batter) because I have been craving them forever. They fish was amazing and soft and the friedness made it chewy and wonderful. The curly fries were quite a treat because I rarely ever see them or order them.
Although the parking is metered on Main Street and it seems like it is always busy… you get moments like this. You can see the moon!
Library Alehouse
2911 Main St
Santa Monica, CA 90405
(310) 314-4855
Posted October 4th, 2008 by Meg
Stopped by Red Mango last week to see if it was in anyway like Blue Mango. Turns out the answer is No, it’s not like Blue Mango at all. Instead, it is exactly like Pinkberry. Red Mango has two flavors: Plain Tart and Green Tea. They have the standard toppings of fruits and cereals. I chose the Twist of Tart and Green Tea with mochi. It tasted so similar to Pinkberry that I would probably have to try them side by side to distinguish the real differences. I think that Red Mango might be less tart as Pinkberry, though. Red Mango claims that their yogurt is fat-free, gluten-free, and certified Kosher. If there were one closer to me (there are only 10 total located in Southern California), I would place it in the yogurt rotation more often to add “variety.” If you need your yogurt fix and enjoy the taste of Pinkberry, then there is a high chance that you will also like Red Mango.
Red Mango
3101 Main St.
Santa Monica, CA 90405
Phone: 310 664 9600
Hours: noon-11pm
Other Locations
Posted August 8th, 2008 by Meg
Friday night my roommate and I opened a bottle of 2006 King Shag Sauvignon Blanc. Yes, it is a bottle of wine that can be found at Trader Joe’s for under ten dollars. That is the way we roll here in our Brentwood abode…
I am only recently learning to love white wines, so everything is new and exciting for me. I have learned quite a few interesting facts about sauvignon blancs: Made from green-grapes originating from Bordeaux and the Loire Valley regions of France. The grape gets its name from the French word sauvage (”wild”) and blanc (”white”) due to its early origins as an indigenous grape in South West France. During the 18th century, the vine was paired with a Cabernet Franc and gave birth a good friend of mine: Ca bernet Sauvignon. California is the leading producer in North America. When it came to California, it acquired the marketing name change to Fumé Blanc under the initiative of Robert Mondavi in effort to avoid prejudices held at that time against sauvignon blanc (grassy flavor, aggressive aroma). It is usually consumed young, as it does not particularly benefit from aging (inappropriate joke goes here). It can sometimes be recognized by its typical smell that reminds one of cat’s urine (which would not stop me anyway, and doesn’t stop most people apparently.)
King Shag is named after a rare bird species endemic to New Zealand, which really is not a coincidence because the wine is made in the subregion, Marlborough, in the South Island of New Zealand. I am willing to bet money that the image on the bottle is of the King Shag himself.
My opinion: Smooth, tart, tannic, and a citrus sweet finish. I taste lime and grapefruit.
I don’t love it, but it’s still good. I would be willing to drink it again and maybe even purchase more at some point in time.
Because we weren’t drunk enough..
My roommate and I opened another bottle of wine. It was also from Trader Joe’s for under ten dollars. King Shag was our last bottle of white wine, so red was our only option. We decided on the Riserva 2004 Epicuro Italian Red Wine.
Although you can’t really see the label in the picture, it says: Salice Salentino Denominazione Di Origine Controllata Red Wine. Salice Salentino is the name of the wine, but it is also named after the town it is produced in, the Apulia region of Italy. Apulia is in the heel of the Italian boot. (”Denominazione di origine controllata” translates to English as “appellation of origin” which is referring to Salice Salentino.) The grapes used in this bottle are 80% Negroamaro and 20% Malvasia Nera. The negroamaro grapes dominate the vineyards in Salice Salentino. I find the name, negroamaro, very interesting because they are used to describe the characteristics of the grape, but depending on the language used, you can come up with different translations. Negro translates to black, but amaro adds some confusion. Amaro in Italian translates to ‘bitter,’ but it has been suggested that the name derives from Greek word “manu” which also translates to black. Not that this is important at all, I just think it’s kind of cool. There is also an Italian rock band named after the grapes too, Negroamaro.
My opinion: medium bodied, spicy, berry taste, and a warm finish that hugged my heart.
My roommate picked up more specific tastes such as gameyness, smokiness, and in particular lingonberries, which is not a berry I am familiar with so I couldn’t truly accept. But, now that I know of these little cranberry-looking berries, I will try to become more familiar with them. Overall, I enjoyed it and would not be hesitant drink it again.
