Sushi and a Winery = the perfect Saturday

Hey folks! Sorry I’ve been MIA the past couple of days. I’ve been swamped with work but I’m back! I literally think all I did this weekend was eat but lets recap Saturday. It’s worth highlighting, especially if you’re from the area.

I had to work in the morning but as soon as I got off, a friend and I set out for a mini road trip to Michigan City, IN. We went shopping for a few hours at the outlet mall until it was time for dinner. Stephanie is my sushi and wine loving twin. Seriously. We have so much in common!

We made a pit stop before dinner at Shady Creek Winery. Told ya! twin.

This place was adorable. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a winery before. I’ve been to a few wine tastings but nothing like this.

It was decorated all pretty for Christmas with little wine ornaments and stocking stuffers throughout. I should have taken more pictures of the inside but I’m still getting used to the whole I take pictures of every single thing I do blogging aspect.

We were immediately greeted for our tasting with a list of kinds.

You’re given the opportunity to try four different wines.

I picked:

Beach Glass – a dry white wine blend of Chardonnel, Pinot Grigio, and Seyval Blanc grapes makes for a crisp, delicious wine with hints of citrus and fruit. Not my fave if you can tell by my lines through it.

Riesling – heady aromas of floral and musk that lead to fruity flavors with a fresh finish. Delish!

Rip Tide – a big red wine blend that has herbaceous aromas combined with a complexity of flavors of red berries. Meh, it was ok.

Red Horizon – a delightfully smooth semi sweet red wine blend. It has a deep ruby red color and aromas that come from fruits of cherry and blackberry. Serve slightly chilled. My favorite!

I used to be head-over-heels in love with white wines or blush wines (white zin) but the older I get, the more I want a full-bodied red. It takes you longer to drink and makes you really enjoy the flavors of the wine. Steph and I sat down and drank a glass before leaving. We actually both ended up buying one.

It was too good to pass up!

After our samples, we were starving. Thanks to a recommendation by someone at the winery, we only had to drive about 10 minutes to a new sushi restaurant called Little Tokyo.

I wish I would have written down the ingredients in the rolls we had but I was hoping they had a website I could look at. No such luck. Ah well, next time.

We had four of their specialty rolls and one plain jane. First up – the butterfly roll.

All I remember about this was that it had mango in it. Our server suggested eating it plain, without wasabi, because it was a sweeter roll. It actually ended up being our favorite one.

Salmon roll.

I like this one because it almost acts as a “cleanser” compared to the crazy ingredients in the other ones.

Lava roll.

How cool is that?! Again, this was one of their specialty rolls that I don’t remember all the ingredients. The top, however, is torched salmon.

The last two were – mexican roll and happy roll.

Mexican – salmon, tuna, avocado, masago, spicy mago, cilantro and jalapenos. I was actually really nervous to try this one but it ended up being pretty tasty! I thought for sure my mouth would be on fire from the jalapenos, but it was a very subtle spice.

Happy – king crab, avocado, and caviar inside with spicy salmon on top. This was our least favorite roll. The flavor was good but the texture threw both of us for a loop. It was WAY too creamy.

And no sushi can be complete without plum wine, right?

If you’re anywhere near Michigan City, IN, I highly suggest you try both of these businesses. I love supporting hometown places. We need more of them in the world.

Question of the day: What’s your favorite sushi and/or wine?