There are several first-rate wine dinners coming up. There’s probably something within this article that will fascinate any lover of fine food and wine.
I have some last minute news about a special wine dinner that my readers deserve to know about. On Feb. 25 at 6:30 p.m., Pio Boffa, the famous winemaker from Italy’s Pio Cesare Winery, will be hosting a dinner featuring his renowned wines at Antonello Ristorante in South Coast Plaza Village. This is his only stop in Orange County and is a surprise visit.
The menu sounds scrumptious, with the wines being stars of their own. Pio’s Cortese di Gavi will begin the evening, followed by his Barbera, Barbaresco, Barolo and finishing the evening with his Moscato dessert wine.
For more details, go to www.antonello.com/antonello/special-events/wine-dinner022508.htm. Antonello: 1611 Sunflower Ave., Santa Ana call (714) 751-7153.
Zov’s Wine Dinner
On Tuesday, Zov’s Bistro in Tustin will feature some unique wines,at least unique for all those chardonnay, pinot noir and merlot drinkers among us,that provide a most interesting partnering with owner and chef Zov Karamardian’s food. The Sweethearts Winemaker Dinner will feature the award-winning wines of Gundlach Bundschu in Sonoma Valley.
The menu starts with pan-roasted sea scallops with wild mushroom and corn ragout and a miso-citrus sauce. The Gundlach Bundschu 2006 Rhinefarm Gewurztraminer will be poured. A salad of baby arugula with Medjoul dates, shaved parmesan and candied walnuts follows as the second course, along with the 2005 Rhinefarm Chardonnay.
A duet of sea and turf share a plate for the next food course: Crispy seared barramundi with tomato herb confit is paired with beef tenderloin with preserved lemon chimichurri sauce and parmesan bread pudding. The winery’s 2004 Mountain Cuvee is the chosen match.
Dessert emerges as chocolate devil’s food cake, dark and milk chocolate mousse, chocolate ganache and a toasted pistachio tuile. Chocolate and cabernet wine have long been considered a fine marriage of flavors. Thus, the 2004 Rhinefarm Cabernet will be the matching wine.
The price: $95 plus tax and 20% tip. Zov’s Bistro: 17440 E. 17th St., Tustin. Call (714) 838-8855 ext. 21 for reservations.
White House Exclusive Wine
One of the world’s most renowned wines is Sassicaia. It’s also very expensive. The best way to taste it and savor it is matched with perfect food at the Exclusive Sassicaia Wine Dinner at Anaheim White House Wednesday at 7 p.m.
This wine, along with others from wine estates owned by Marchesi Incisa della Rocchetta, will be poured. On hand as a special guest and speaker is a member of the family, Piero Incisa della Rocchetta.
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Sassicaia: Anaheim White House dinner features exclusive wine |
We had a bottle of Sassicaia not long ago at a fine restaurant. It set us back $225 but the taste, the complexity, the total definition of the wine made it worth every cent.
For your perusal, here’s the menu and the wine that will be poured with each course. The evening begins with some antipasto and then a serious beginning course of Filetto di Pesce Bianco,pan-roasted Lake Superior whitefish served over langostino mashed potatoes with a delicate white wine sauce. Wine: 2006 Salviano Orvieto Superiore from Umbria. This is one of the della Rocchetta family properties.
Next course is Ravioli di Formaggio, which is ravioli stuffed with a combination of Italian cheeses and draped in a Porcini mushroom sauce. The wine for this course is another of the estate wines: 2004 Tenuta di Salviano Turlo.
Time now for the salad of Sonoma duck breast served with mesclun greens with a raspberry vinaigrette dressing and matched with the 2003 Barrua Agricola Punica wine from Sardinia.
Then comes the 2004 Sassicaia Tenuta San Guido wine, one of the most sought after wines by collectors. Surely the conversation will be serious and the tastes slowly savored as this wine is sipped. Perhaps the explanation of its fame by Piero Incisa della Rocchetta will provide even more colorful memories for the future. The food complement to this illustrious wine is called Piatto Principale Manzo Brasato, revealed as braised boneless short ribs in a cabernet glace with a touch of a horseradish.
The pastry chef here, David Lorenzo, is known for coming up with some fantastic desserts. He’s still working on his surprise ending for you on this special evening.
This food and wine evening is priced
at $150 plus tax and tip. Call (714) 772-1381. Anaheim White House: 887 S. Anaheim Blvd., Anaheim.
Red Carpet Wine Dinner
Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar in Fashion Island is featuring a Premier Wine Dinner of Newman’s Own Wines Co-Starring with the Wines of Francis Ford Coppola on Feb. 26 at 6:30 p.m.
This wine dinner will have the glitz and glamour of a Hollywood premiere, so guests are encouraged to “dress to impress.” The excitement will begin outside the restaurant when the guests are welcomed on a red carpeted walkway. The hit film “The Color of Money” will play as a backdrop while guests challenge their Hollywood IQ with Newman and Coppola movie trivia questions.
Executive chef Russell Skall has created a fantastic sounding menu for the occasion. It’s clever that the menu courses are listed as scenarios that go hand-in-hand with the making of a film.
The preview course: Sicilian bruschetta topped with olive oil, Roma tomatoes, fresh herbs and spicy tuna tartare on focaccia crackers. The wine is Coppola’s 2004 Sofia Blanc de Blanc.
Opening scene course: Seared Arctic char nestled on a fennel and citrus salad with Newman’s Own 2006 Chardonnay. Then it’s the build-up course: glazed duck breast marinated in Newman’s Own Teriyaki sauce, fanned over a crispy polenta cake with roasted grapes. Matching wine is Newman’s Own, 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon.
Resolution main course: filet “Corleone” with porcini mushrooms, served on a bed of sweet onion risotto. Wine: Francis Ford Coppola Diamond Collection 2005 Claret California Black Label. The finale is the credits course: hazelnut marjolaine (served at the 2007 Academy Awards dinner) made with layers of hazelnut meringue, dark chocolate ganache and hazelnut buttercream. The last wine is Delaforce 1986 Colheita Tawny Port.
Fleming’s has a distinct edge in customer friendly wine matching by way of it’s acclaimed wine connoisseur, National Director of Wine Marian Jansen op de Haar. She was at the forefront of having 100 wines by the glass available to diners at all times (with an updated list every year), which can be ordered as full pours or a trio of tasters to further the experience of matching various wines with food or just tasting them for edification.
Marian says, “When I discovered that Paul Newman was about to introduce two new premium wines through his company, Newman’s Own, I jumped at the opportunity to sample them. After tasting them, we couldn’t be more thrilled that Mr. Newman chose to premiere his wines at Fleming’s.”
The official release of Newman’s Own Wines won’t be until March in major markets and then fall for smaller ones. The two selections making their debut at this Fleming’s Premiere Wine Dinner are the California Chardonnay and the Cabernet Sauvignon.
Newman’s Own wines are exemplary of the excellent quality and taste of wines for which Fleming’s is renowned. Newman worked closely with Rebel Wine Co., a collaboration of Three Thieves and Trinchero Family Estates, to create the wines. Both are made from hand-selected grapes from some of California’s premier coastal vineyards.
These two debut Newman’s Own wines are said to be versatile food wines, with low oak on the chardonnay and smooth, moderate tannins on the cabernet.
Like all Newman’s Own products, all profits and royalties go to educational and charitable purchases. Paul Newman and the Newman’s Own Foundation have given more than $200 million to thousands of charities worldwide since 1982.
It does sound like a memorable evening and I am sure it will be a sellout. Price is $95 per person, plus tax and tip. Make reservations by calling (949) 720-9633. Fleming’s is at 455 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach.
The Counter Invades Irvine
There’s always a new way to make a hamburger. Recently arrived is The Counter in Irvine where you make the decision on what and how much joins the generous heap of meat on the bun. It’s only a few weeks old and is already drawing a good burger crowd, and it looks like it soon may have the lines out the door like its sister location in Santa Monica.
The Counter satisfies the quest to find a modern version of a classic burger joint. It’s all here: industrial decor, current music, shakes, cold beer, wines, cocktails and unlimited burger options. There’s even a full bar with plenty of TVs to catch a game or popular program at lunch or dinner.
They like giving us plenty of choices: beef, turkey, chicken or veggie in different portion sizes with cheeses, toppings, sauces, honey wheat or regular white hamburger buns. You can even get your burger served on an English muffin. Just pick and choose from the array of interesting ingredients. They tell us that there are 312,120 possible combinations for the burger. But with only one page of various categories of ingredients, it’s not that overwhelming.
Complement your custom-made burger with French fries, crispy fried onion strings, sweet potato fries, chili, mixed baby green salad and more. I can’t give you a price since it depends on what’s added to the basic burger, but it all begins with the fundamentals at prices that are burger competitive.
Just in case you’re already experiencing mental anguish reading about making choices from so many fantastic sounding suggestions, the menu does list a few multinational burgers all described for you. No thinking required. Just decide if you’re fascinated with perhaps a taco burger, a burger in a bowl or something of the old classic school. One of the more exotic items suggested (current burger of the month) is the curried black shrimp sesame burger and I’ll vouch for that one being something of great taste, while it also shows that one can go pretty far afield in defining what your burger notions might be.
The Counter serves hip burgers for all ages from 11 a.m. until late evening. It is in the Woodbury Town Center at Irvine Boulevard and Sand Canyon Avenue in Irvine. Call (949) 336-7272.
