Page 15 - Boca Club News - March '20

Boca Club News, Page 15
Dining Out: The Monster That Resides Below This Loch!

By Alan Serinsky of Bocaire. Bar...Ouzo Bay. Hmmmm... two plantains with a handful of shredded leeks just didn’t cut
Hungry Al’s love of food started First Impressions: If I had to describe the ambiance of this the grade.
young. Never satisfied at the restaurant it would be a cross between a New England nautical Hungry D picked the Grilled Atlantic Swordfish as her
family dinner table with his fish house and a Vegas Hotel eatery. Maybe it looked bigger entree and, here again, she was not that excited with her
Mom’s dishes, he started to cook than it was because of the absence of diners. As for the raw bar choice. For me, Swordfish has to be grilled to very medium
his own way through her Betty in the rear of the restaurant it seemed to serve little purpose. temperature or the texture gets slightly too dense and loses
Crocker cookbook. His food With only eight seats the space was mostly occupied with the some flavor. This is actually what occurred here. Thankfully,
journey consisted of working iced raw display and the blackboard menus on the walls. the sautéed Fregola pasta and chick peas were a good back-up.
many restaurants both as server and cook, attending numerous In contrast, the bar area both inside and out was perfectly I, Hungry Al, deviated from these fish mongers and simply
cooking classes, and traveling the world in an effort to expand designed as a commitment to a lively bar scene. The Loch went for the Fried Chicken. Interestingly, this land mover was
his palette of different flavors and cuisines. As a professional Bar also advertises music entertainment nightly, except for the winner for the evening. The air-fried half chicken was moist
writer, Hungry Al will give you his perspective on current food Sundays. and the batter satisfying. In comparison, the side of garlic mash
trends and guide you through your local restaurant choices. Prime Your Taste Buds: Here at Loch they start with a potatoes were minus the garlic and tasted much like “Simply
delivery of a homemade loaf of bread that looks more like a Potatoes” from Publix.
Loch Bar puffed crown served in a Petri dish than a baker’s baguette. From The Dessert Tray: The decision here was easy. The
Mizner Park Unfortunately, none of us cared for this airy and tasteless flour Loch’s menu had stated a Smith Island layer cake. First, there’s
346 Plaza Real creation. no better dessert for Hungry Al than a flour layer cake. Then to
Boca Raton, FL 33432 As for our starters, we limited it to one soup and two salads. advertise that you’re delivering a Smith Island-like cake and
(561) 939-6600 Hungry G decided on the Maryland Crab soup. This version you’re setting the bar very high.
was more slighted to Louisiana than Maryland, with a Gumbo As for Smith Island: This small fishing village with only
Food For Thought: It was a Friday evening, approaching spice and heat. One sip and I was refilling my water glass. 250 residents opened the Smith Island Bakery in 2009 with the
7:00 pm during the height of our season when I entered. It was Hungry D opted for a classic Caesar salad and it fared well. mission to share their cakes with the world. From the original
my first time at the Loch Bar restaurant, and as I crossed the But if you can nail down the dressing it’s hard to mess up a idea of a good gesture to the fishermen’s families saddened
entrance threshold I stopped short in my tracks. Caesar. Romaine, Cheese, a single anchovy, and croutons. by their absence at sea, this little company became the State
There before me was a vastness of empty. With over 150 Can’t expect more! of Maryland official dessert, resulting in thousands of cakes
seats inside and out, 5,000 square feet including a raw bar, it Hungry J and Hungry Al (that’s me) chose the Iceberg daily being shipped to all 50 states.
made me question whether I missed a health warning sign on Royale. The good news was the lettuce was cold, the bacon I inquired with our waitress if this was actually a genuine
the window (no, there wasn’t one). crisp, the onion sweet and the Roquefort dressing tasty. But, Smith Island cake, but was informed it was their version. After
Truthfully, if I wasn’t here on a recommendation or seeking sadly, the included pickled tomato cast a bad taste in this Royal one bite I realized they were right. The cake batter mix seemed
a review I would most likely have done a sharp U-turn and court of approval. to be unbalanced, and the chemistry left the flour with more
found another eating alternative. But I kept to my mission and Straight From The Kitchen: Since the Loch Bar is of a pudding consistency than what I preferred.
the four of us were seated in this fishbowl of uncertainty. primarily a seafood restaurant, it made sense to test their Check Please: As you can tell, Hungry Al and his group
Which brings me to a place of curiosity as to why anyone ability to deliver a quality fish dish. Hungry G went with were not actually flopping their fins in this Loch. So, either we
would venture into this business with the uphill climb to a recommendation from our waitress for the Florida Black came on an “off” night or the Loch Bar is simply bringing in
overcome the Mizner rent demands and the unpredictable Grouper. This fish happens to be one of my favorite variety an empty net. Regardless, it would make sense that with the
diners in our fluid community. Then there is what I call the of swimmers. heat low in the kitchen, this chef or cook would have had time
“ghost factor.” By my own definition, it’s where no restaurant Here the fish was cooked perfectly, but in Hungry G’s on their side to deliver dishes to perfection.
has been able to succeed in one particular location. opinion it was overwhelmed with the accompanying blue crab The only thing I can walk away with from my visit to Loch
This very spot, which is now occupied by Loch Bar, has seen succotash, lima beans, roasted corn and coconut mango sauce. Bar is my urgent necessity to invest in an Air Fryer. Otherwise,
its share of dining venues come and go. For some of us there Most of the time less...is more. I hope this “Loch” doesn’t fall victim to the
are fond memories of GiGis, and for others the disappointment Hungry J selected the Maine Diver Scallops. The scallops same demise as their sister “Bay” on the other
of the short-lived Spin Ultra Lounge. Yet Mizner Park is never were slightly under-cooked to her liking, but her real side of Mizner Park. So, unfortunately, the
a definite guaranteed formula for restaurant triumph. In the disappointment came with the fact that there was not much else Hungry Squad are going to bait this monster
past few years we have said our farewells to Trulucks, Uncle to eat on the plate. In an effort to present an eye-appealing dish, with two golden sea dragons.
Julio, Juniors Deli, Racks, and the sister company of Loch’s the chef left her hungry and unhappy. Four scallops sitting on
Grape Expectations: Here Comes the Judge!

By Ed Wolfarth, who recently moved AFWC Medals. We tasted three flights of wines. First were taste, typicity and finish. “Typicity” refers to whether the
to South Florida after retiring with four Chardonnays, then four Pinot Noirs and, finally, four wine was representative of the grape and the region it came
his wife, Vicki, as Professor of Sports Zinfandels. There were approximately 25 of us “grape nuts” from. Of course, more points are awarded for aroma and
Sciences & Physical Education at with five to a table. There were sommeliers, restaurant taste. In order to receive a Gold Medal from the entire panel
both Queens College and Hofstra owners, chefs, wine writers, bloggers, journalists and a a wine needed to average above 18 points, and so on down
University. He is a nationally ranked wine maker. I would also add there were as many women the scale. After each judge rated separately, the tables of
senior tennis player and long- time as men. In wine jargon there is such a thing as “feminine five discussed and averaged out scores. Then, all five tables’
USPTA Elite Teaching Professional. wines and taste buds.” scores were tallied and discussed in order to award medals.
Ed has written many educational and During the first flight of Chards, the first wine, I sniffed The second flight of wines was four Pinot Noirs. To my
tennis articles in the past. Over the past few years, Ed has and tasted and exclaimed to my tasting partner seated next to taste buds, and David’s, three of the four were definitely
turned his hobby of wine collecting into a way of continuing me, “Sonoma!” He concurred and added, “Probably Russian from the Russian River region in Sonoma. California
his passion for writing and has written on the subject for River and probably 2016 vintage.” Winemakers can do that! Pinots tend to be darker in color, have a bit more oak and
publications. As a self-proclaimed “wine snob,” he has I was impressed. Sonoma Chardonnays are referred to as alcohol and, in my mind, try to be something they’re not!
collaborated on many wine lists for private clubs and a “cold climate” chards and, unlike Napa Chardonnays, less Why would a Pinot want to be a Syrah or Cabernet? One
few restaurants. Ed can be reached at wolfarthe@msn.com. oaked and a bit more balanced. On the third Chardonnay, of the Pinots we, all at our table, identified as coming from
Recently, early January, I was asked to be on the panel David the winemaker referred to the wine as “faux Napa!” Oregon. Oregon Pinot Noirs tend to be more Burgundian.
at the annual AFWC event in Miami. The American Fine Fake Napa simply meant, in our jargon, it was trying to They are lighter, more floral, and less tannic or biting than
Wine Competition is a prestigious organization of wine and be a big oaky Chard but didn’t quite pull it off. I thought California Pinots. More to my “old world” taste.
spirits professionals who are often asked to rate or judge it might have been from Santa Barbara. David concurred. It’s amazing the diversity of taste buds and opinions,
wines. A Gold or Silver Medal on a producer’s label is a In fact, it was from Yountville in Napa. Can’t get them all although I shouldn’t be surprised. During the final flight of
great marketing tool and attests to the quality of the wine. right. wines, one of the Zinfandels I sniffed had an aroma of “dirty
Producers---from California and the Pacific Northwest Each of the four Chardonnays was scored on a 20-point socks!” Yup, it was foul. I turned to my tasting partner, the
mostly---submit their wines for scrutiny and, hopefully, scale. Points were awarded for clarity, color, nose or aromas, winemaker and experienced taster, and he concurred. We
couldn’t get past the nose, but the taste was actually quite
pleasant. Our scores reflected the unpleasant aroma but
another judge thought it was “funky” and scored it higher.
The head judge, after much deliberation, awarded it a Silver
Medal. Go figure!
Between smelling, sipping and tasting, and much
deliberation, most of the panel agreed on many of the wines.
This experience further manifested the belief that “beauty
is still in the eyes of the beholder.” Each individual taster
brings to the table certain predilections, individual palettes
and opinions as to what a wine smells and tastes like. On a
basic level, did you like it? And on a higher level, is it well
made and representative of the varietal and region.
As previously discussed, since it is impossible to taste
wines before we imbibe, we need to trust the taste of others.
Publications such as the Wine Spectator, online apps like
Vivino, or wine critics like Robert Parker, are often our
source of what to drink. I still recommend, however, tasting
on your own. Who better knows what you like?