Here’s one of those stellar wine evenings that you must consider.
Award-winning Salt Creek Grille restaurant in Dana Point will host a wine dinner on March 15 featuring the 100% varietal, ultra premium, single-vineyard wines from Napa Valley’s acclaimed Nickel & Nickel Winery.
The dinner, which begins at 6:30 p.m., will feature a four-course wine-matching menu by executive chef Scott Floyd. The winery will be represented by Mark Pighini, Western U.S. regional manager for Nickel & Nickel.
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Salt Creek Grille in Dana Point: Napa Valley’s Nickel & Nickel paying a visit |
The price is $89 per person.
Just in case you’re not familiar with Nickel & Nickel, here’s a quick synopsis. This winery was founded in 1997 by the partners of the renowned Far Niente and Dolce wineries,Gil Nickel, Dirk Hampson and Larry Maguire,who later were joined by Erik Nickel, Gil’s nephew.
The first wines were produced in 1997 and the winery itself opened to the public in 2003. The winery’s philosophy is to showcase single-vineyard wines that best express the distinct personality of each vineyard.
Nickel & Nickel’s current releases include Napa Valley chardonnay, merlot and cabernet sauvignon, as well as a Russian River Valley zinfandel from Sonoma.
The winery is based in Oakville, along Highway 29, on 42 acres in the beautifully restored historic John C. Sullenger farmstead. Nickel & Nickel is heading toward producing a stable of signature wines that will fetch at least $75 a bottle at the low end to more than $100 for some. That’s reason enough to get yourself to this dinner.
As for the Far Niente Winery mentioned earlier, it is now in its 26th year and is one breathtakingly gorgeous place. It certainly should be beautiful in the gardening sense because Gil amassed the funds to open Far Niente from his plant nursery business.
We used to joke about him being the kid from Oklahoma and me the kid from Kansas, both of whom ended up living a dream. Far Niente quickly became one of the wine darlings to international wine writers and magazines, thanks to its debut with luxuriously made wines.
Connoisseurs and wine writers continue their love affair with both Far Niente and Dolce and are tagging right along with high praise for the newer Nickel & Nickel.
The menu for this showcase dinner includes a starter of caramelized sea bass with chardonnay grape nage paired with Nickel & Nickel Truchard Vineyard 2002 Chardonnay.
The next course is ostrich medallion with red pepper rosti and foie gras demi-glace, paired with the Sori Bricco Vineyard 2001 Merlot. The entree will be prime flatiron steak with creamy fontina and pancetta polenta, wilted arugula and fresh blackberry sauce with Tench Vineyard 2001 Cabernet.
Since there is a dessert wine in the Nickel family, the finale of Belgian chocolate terrine will be paired with the 2000 Dolce.
Salt Creek Grille is one of Orange County’s fine restaurants, with a very warm and comfortable ambiance, excellent food and a wine list that has earned the Wine Spectator Excellence award for the last five years. It is owned by Tim McCune and Pete Truxaw.
Salt Creek Grille: 32802 Pacific Coast Highway (at the corner of Crown Valley Parkway) in Dana Point. Contact: (949) 661-7799.
A Special Dinner
The restaurant industry is generous in supporting good causes, not the least of which is giving all unused food at the end of each day to centers that serve the needy and homeless.
You hardly can find a local charity event that doesn’t have something culinary as its backbone. Panera, a trio of bakery and cafes in OC, ranks high on the generosity scale, thanks to Ted and Sheri Hoover, the couple behind the tasty eateries.
At a recent charity auction, Ted and Sheri tendered the highest bid for a gourmet dinner, proceeds of which benefited the Irvine Adult Day Health Services. The dinner for 10 was to be cooked by chef Yvon Goetz, formerly of Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel, and now the corporate executive chef for David Wilhelm’s stable of restaurants. As part of the auction, I offered my services as sous chef for the dinner.
Patty and Mark Vidovich offered to host the dinner at their magnificent home in a gated community in Turtle Rock. We soon found that house’s stylish decor owes a lot to Patty, who is an interior decorator.
Mark, a former chief executive, now works as a venture capital investor and entrepreneur.
Well, Patty loves to entertain and has quite a collection of table settings. Making the evening even better, the couple has a very nice wine collection from which they offered to pull fine wines to match the dishes that Yvon prepared.
Did it all turn out to be as fine an evening as the bidders, Yvon and I hoped it would be? Certainly.
First of all, when Yvon saw the largesse of Patty’s kitchen and its fine equipment selection, he said it would suffice as a restaurant kitchen.
When the evening arrived, Mitch Gillam, sous chef for David Wilhlem’s Chat Noir restaurant, also wandered into the house and ultimately the kitchen.
We owe a great thank you to David for providing the food products and for sending Mitch along so that Yvon would have personal time in the dining room to talk to the guests. It also meant that I did not sous chef, but rather spent the whole time at the table, along with my husband Patrick.
The Vidovichs’ wines were superb and plentiful, from fine champagnes through whites and reds from California and France. Patty set a gorgeous table sparkling with crystal, silver, candlelight and double bouquets of very colorful flowers she’d arranged herself that day.
Patty had various sets of gold-rimmed dishes stacked on the kitchen counter. Each course of the dinner from caviar to fresh fruit “soup” at the end of the meal found its way onto a particular piece of china that perfectly showed off Yvon and Mitch’s food.
After the main course Patty offered coffee and fine chocolates. We gathered in her living room and sank into the cushy furnishings for more good conversation and relaxation.
Patty’s business is called Interior Design Solutions. To reach the woman who can envision an environment for you or revitalize your home or business interiors, call (949) 856-1947.
Meanwhile, you must try Ted and Sheri’s Panera restaurants if you haven’t yet.
Panera is a concept of bakery and cafe under one roof.
They make many kinds of breads from fresh grain ingredients every day. They also make superb pastries. The Danishes are dandy, but the muffins and the brownies are nirvana, as are their substantial cookies.
Mostly we go for the sandwiches and salads when we want a good, casual meal. The dishes are far from ordinary. There are a few fresh soups every day and I urge you to have one of them in a hollowed out bread “bowl.” Perfecto.
Panera’s local spots include the Bluffs Center in Newport Beach, the Crossroads Center in Irvine and the Village Center in Tustin. They are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and all hours in between.
David Wilhelm of course, offers French and American food at French 75 in Laguna, Rouge in Fashion Island, Chat Noir in Costa Mesa and Savannah Steak and Chop House in Laguna Niguel.
I also want to thank Ted and Sheri for helping us raise funds for a great cause; Patty and Mark for sharing their home, their wines and their hospitality; and to David, Yvon and Mitch for making a memorable dinner possible.
Epicurean Extravaganza
More wine-focused fun comes to me by way of the gorgeous Montage Resort & Spa in Laguna Beach.
The luxury resort is offering several packages, with one that really rang my doorbell. The Montage’s Epicurean Adventure is a three-night, custom-tailored culinary and wine extravaganza. It’s offered year-round.
Guests spend four days with a noted California winemaker, including a private wine tasting with the winemaker and Montage’s wine director, Christopher Coon.
There’s a private yacht tour to Catalina Island, complete with lunch and wine tastings. Then, there’s a private flight to Napa Valley for a behind-the-scenes view of a few of California’s most prestigious wineries and a special wine country luncheon.
The last evening, guests indulge in a farewell dinner, prepared by chef James Boyce in Studio, the resort’s signature restaurant. Price for this package starts at, um, $25,000 per couple.
A trio of other packages offered by the Montage also speak of good living. One of them is the Surrender Retreat, which includes two hours of fitness and two hours of spa treatments daily during a four-day stay.
The retreat also includes meditation sessions, beach walks, journal writing and healthy gourmet meals, the latter overseen by highly acclaimed chef James Boyce.
Rates begin at $4,790, or $3,890 per person for a couple.
Another package is called the Art of Romance. This getaway includes two nights in an oceanfront bungalow, an arrival gift, daily breakfast for two, relaxation at Spa Montage and two exquisite nights of dining.
The first night features a candlelight dinner in the privacy of the bungalow, followed by a rose petal soak. The next day, there are massages in Spa Montage’s couple’s suite. In the evening, chef John Cuevas prepares a romantic dinner in The Loft restaurant, overlooking the ocean,as a personal aside here, I just recently tried several of the new seasonal menu items with some friends and his food is really impressive. Total cost of this package is $5,400 per couple.
The Beach Bed and Breakfast getaway offers a beach front villa for the night, a welcome gift and breakfast in bed for two. It can be further customized, if desired. The package starts at $1,190.
So if you’re in need of some mental quietness, a beautifully romantic sojourn or a divine one-of-a-kind gourmet food and wine adventure, check out Montage.
Montage: 30801 S. Coast Highway, Laguna Beach, phone (949) 715-6000.
