by Frank Cohen
I enjoy few things more than attending a well-conceived wine dinner at one of my favorite restaurants. Most often, such dinners are held on slower nights of the week so they don’t disrupt a restaurant’s regular business. Prices can range from as little as $50 to $200 or more, depending on the restaurant and the featured foods and wines. Some restaurateurs look to profit from such events, while others are happy to break even if such an event brings them some positive attention. Some restaurateurs emphasize regular menu items, while others take a wine dinner as an opportunity to show off unseen facets of their restaurant.
Most wine dinners feature a particular winery, or wines from a particular country or region, but some are without any apparent theme. These can be very nice as well, since the chef’s imagination is unfettered. And few restaurateurs have more vivid imaginations than Billy Grant of Bricco and the eponymous Grants in West Hartford.
It’s probably more common for a chef to prepare a menu and then submit it to a wine professional, who then matches an appropriate wine to each course. With a veteran chef possessing great instincts, it can happen the other way around. One of my favorite chefs for tasting a lineup of wines and then creating dishes to go with them was John Trudeau of Octagon in the Mystic Marriott, who sadly left Octagon for Hotel Viking in Newport, Rhode Island. Now let me add to that elite list Billy Grant, seen below introducing one of his up-and-coming young chefs, Jonathan Hudack.
Selecting the wines was Michael Murphy of Brescome Barton, Inc., and no, he did not pen the mournful ’70s equine ballad “Wildfire.” Murphy chose to go with an all-West Coast lineup. Guests mingled while sipping a Moët et Chandon, Domaine Chandon Rosé, California. Rosés are gaining greatly in popularity, and this one was lovely and quite dry. It was still the wine on hand when we sat down to dinner and were unexpectedly treated to an amuse bouche of yellowfin tuna sashimi capped with a smidge of orange that almost seemed to be floating on soy bubbles, one of the freshest, airiest treats you could imagine.
We were poured glasses of a 2007 The Crusher Viognier, California that had more depth than most Viogniers I had tried. The wine had a mouthfeel reminiscent of a Chardonnay, but finished with a little citrus. It accompanied our first course, which showcased a perfectly pan-seared sea scallop over a truffled potato raviolo and melted leeks in a creamy but light lobster sauce—just a glorious combination.
Presaging our second course was a 2007 Bearboat Riesling, Russian River, California. The Riesling was dry enough so that it tasted more like how I would have expected the Viognier to taste. I’m pretty good at blind identification of wine varietals, but because of the unusual style with which both whites were made, I might have been fooled. With the Riesling, the hints of peach and honeysuckle it gave off might have saved me. Those who have a thirst for knowledge as well as wine would enjoy the little factoids one picks up at a wine dinner. For instance, Bearboat’s “two bears in a boat” logo was chosen because both the national animal of Russia and the state animal of California is the bear. With the answers to trivia questions like that, you too could be a Slumdog Millionaire.
Paired with the Riesling was an heirloom beet salad, with slices of roasted beet, a big pat of Beltrane Farms goat cheese, tiny rounds of green apple and Marcona almonds—all arranged as pretty as a still life.
Our first red wine was a 2005 Buena Vista Pinot Noir, Carneros, California. Buena Vista has apparently dropped its line of entry level wines (which I always found pretty decent) and this higher level wine was simply stunning. It was offered with roast Long Island duck, a succulent fat-edged slice positioned over Savoy cabbage. Rounding out the dish were big diagonally-scored pieces of king oyster mushroom and a bacon-onion jus.
The final wine of the evening was a 2005 Columbia Crest Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Washington, which initially seemed a poor follow up to the Pinot Noir but opened up beautifully after a few minutes in the goblet. Served with the wine was a beef two-ways: roasted prime sirloin and short ribs braised in red wine. The plate was rounded out with intensely-flavored roasted carrots and salsify and with an incredibly silky celery root purée that was cooked sous vide. For those unfamiliar with the term, “sous vide” means under vacuum and refers to food cooked in a vacuum jar or pouch.
A cheese course featured shared platters loaded with local artisan cheeses, more Marconi almonds, house jams and native honey.
The finale was a white-and-dark-chocolate mousse served with a touch of fleur de sel over a pistachio anglaise. Adding a little salt to a sweet treat is an old Oriental trick that has finally started to catch on with more Western chefs.
Sometimes it may be the wine theme that gets you to come out to such an event. However, at a restaurant of Grants’ caliber, the captivating food you can expect is obviously a major motivating factor.
Grant is not only an individual who gives generously of his time and money to worthy causes, but he is also a great communicator and savvy marketer. His Sugo newsletter is one of the more interesting ones that I have seen a restaurateur publish. You can sign up to receive Sugo by going to BillyGrant.com.