|
|
Wine dinners are a luxury that we occasionally indulge in despite the cost, which can be more than you pay for a normal dinner out — $75 per person (exclusive of gratuity) and up. However, in my experience it’s worth every penny.
Besides, wine dinners fall under my “hit by a bus” scenario — you know, the “sure-it’s-great-to-save-but-what-if-I-get-hit-by-a-bus-tomorrow?” theory. Sure I’m rationalizing, but ... well, there I go rationalizing again.
The Dining Companion: I love wine and visiting-chef dinners. It might seem expensive at $75 per person, but to get a meal like these most nights will cost you at least that, if not a lot more, at the places that do these dinners. The best part is that the chef in charge will go to great lengths to present the wines in the best light or just to show that he or she is the best at the craft. The diner benefits by having a great meal with other foodies and getting to try some of the best wines available, and in some cases wines that aren’t available anymore.
We attended the Tom Eddy wine dinner held at the Hanover Chop House last week, which was Wine Week in New Hampshire. Many vintners were in town and there were many wine dinners being held throughout the state. This one intrigued us for two reasons: the executive chef Stuart Cameron, whose food we have sampled before at the Chop House, and the vintner Tom Eddy, who is famous for his great cabernet sauvignons. We were not disappointed in any way.
OG: Well, if TDC thinks these are a bargain, I’m quite sure he’ll be willing to go to many more of these dinners with me, right? But he’s correct. Dinner at the Chop House would have cost just as much, but then we wouldn’t have had a chance to try wine that we probably wouldn’t buy by the bottle, as it retails for about $85. That would be, oh, about $175 if bought in a restaurant.
 (Washington Post photo by Andrea Bruce) |
OG: This is a wonderful way to try a variety of varietals, some you might not otherwise get to taste. And since the food is created to pair with the wine, you end up getting the best tastes from both.
TDC: For this dinner, we had six courses: hors d’oeuvres, first course, second course, entrée, cheese course and the desert petits fours course.
The hors d’oeuvres were served as we waited to be seated. We were served a glass of the 2006 Eddy Family Wines Elodian Sauvignon Blanc, which Tom Eddy describes as his “house wine.” It was a crisp and light white. The hors d’oeuvres consisted of scallops wrapped in house pancetta; mushrooms, Camembert and soppressata paninis; iced oysters on the half shell served with pink peppercorns and virgin olive oil; and spinach, feta and pine nut “cigars.” All were delicious, with my favorite being the scallop.
OG: My favorite was the soppresseta panini with “bread” that was a flaky mix between a croissant and phyllo. And, I liked the Sauvignon Blanc, but I’m more of a red girl, so I was anxious for dinner to get started. When it did, after a nice talk by Eddy who described how he came to have his own vineyard, the first course was served. It consisted of a free-range rack of lamb with oyster mushrooms served with Eddy’s 2005 Monk’s Gate Pinot Noir that was a tiny bit more robust than usual, but very enjoyable.
The lamb was wonderfully rare and tender, just as I like it, without a hint of the gaminess that other cuts tend to have. I’m no wine expert, but I know what I like and what I liked was how the lamb and the wine paired so nicely together.
TDC: As OG stated, the Pinot Noir seemed a bit heavier than other Oregon pinots that we have had, but I enjoyed it.
The next course was warm grilled greens with duck confit, a duck liver mousse and aged sherry. It was tender and just delightful, served with the 2004 Elodian Cabernet Sauvignon, Eddy’s current release. The wine was a nice rich and intense Cabernet that at that time I thought wouldn’t be beaten by any of the other wines being served that night.
OG: The entrée was buttered beef tenderloin with a pot-roasted short rib, winter vegetables and au jus. Not a big short-rib fan, I was won over by the falling-off-the-bone preparation of this one. The tenderloin was rare, tender and delectable. To quote Saturday Night Live’s Mike Meyers as Linda Richman — it was “like budda.” Unbelievably good.
The wine served with the entrée was a 2002 Tom Eddy Cabernet, a higher quality wine than the Elodian, and what a difference. I thought the Elodian was excellent, but the 2002 cab was ambrosia, smooth and sophisticated. I’m saving my pennies so I can buy a bottle — or two.
This was followed by the cheese course, and while Eddy recommended we save some of the Cabernet for this course, my glass, sadly didn’t make it.
TDC: I agree with OG about the 2002 Tom Eddy Cabernet Sauvignon; I loved it and I like a great cab. We sat with two women who had left their husbands behind for the evening — Shawn of Hooksett and Sandra of Weare — and they also agreed that it was their favorite. (BTW, thanks for the great conversation, ladies.)
As OG mentioned, we then went into a cheese course with three great blue-style cheeses, a Gorgonzola dolce, Stilton blue, and my favorite a Baley Hazen from Vermont. My only complaint was that Tom Eddy suggested we save some of the 2002 Cabernet for these wonderful cheeses, which I did, but with a good blue I love a great Port, and that got held for the petit fours course.
As for the Port, Eddy brought a special 2004 Zinfandel Port from his wine library, and I am so glad he did. This one put me over the moon.
OG: It was all wonderful. For me, wine dinners are like a little vacation — without the airport searches and the cost. For a few hours you can just leave everything behind and indulge your senses.
TDC: And wine and visiting-chefs dinners are held all over the state on a regular basis. It’s important to get out and support your local restaurants. If you know of a great dinner coming up, let us know well in advance and we will try to get the word out.
Do you have a favorite restaurant that you'd like to see reviewed? Drop us a line at lifestyles@unionleader.com.
