It was held at Proprietor’s Reserve Wine Bar (http://proprietorsreserve.com/) in the Normal Heights area of San Diego. Fuzzy had been there for dinner before, but was looking forward to the pairings we were going to have. It was set up with a specific winery, Cinnabar Winery (http://cinnabarwine.com/) located in the Santa Cruz mountains in northern California.
We had arrived early, so they weren’t set up quite yet, so we popped next door to Rosie O’Grady’s bar for a beer while we waited. By the time they were ready to open, there was a small crowd outside Proprietor’s (emphasis on small – they can only seat 20 people at a time there). We had assigned seats even! But everything was set up for us.
Our first three courses were on a plate at our seat, along with a rundown of what wines would be paired with each course for the day. The President from the winery, Suzanne Frontz, made the presentation and description for each wine, while Erin from Priopritor’s (who had created and cooked each course) explained the pairing more.
For our first course, we had a white blend wine, Mercury Rising Blanc, paired with honey roasted turkey and gruyere cheese a pretzel bread crostini, topped with a cranberry herb aioli. Erin called it “Thanksgiving on a cracker” – a rather apt description. It paired very well with the fruity, citrusy white blend. I could have eaten several more.
Round two was black pepper hot smoked salmon on a basil lead with crème fraiche, paired with Cinnabar’s Santa Lucia Highland Pinot Noir. Again, an excellent pairing. The pepper from the smoked salmon complemented the Pinot, while the creaminess from the crème fraiche pulled it all together and smoothed it out.
For course three, the Paso Robles Clautiere Vineyard Mourvedre was paired with a slider made of 50/50 ground pork and lamb, with caramelized red onion, arugula, herbed goat cheese and a bacon jam. The Mourvedre was smooth and melded very nicely with the meaty pork/lamb. It would be excellent with a steak!
These three courses were on one plate, and you would have thought it wasn’t much to eat, but it actually was all just the right size, plus we had three more courses to get through.
On round four, they had paired the Mercury Rising Red Blend with a couscous salad, including spinach, roasted eggplant, tomato, kalamata, scallions and a “meat rose” made out of bresaola (a cured Italian beef – not unlike corned beef). The salad was refreshing and held up nicely to the silky red blend.
The Paso Robles Merlot was the treat for the pairing on round five. It was paired up with a pork shoulder that was roasted with herbs and sage, and served up with a risotto with pancetta and romano cheese. The roast was incredibly tender and flavorful – the sage was evident, but not at all over-powering. It complemented the pork very well, and worked terrificly with the Merlot. I’m not a huge merlot fan, but I did enjoy this one and how well it worked with the dish.
For our final round, we were served up a Coffee & Black Pepper Tri-tip with roasted summer vegetable quinoa. The pairing was a Lewis Vineyard Petite Verdot. I love petite verdots and this one was luscious and velvety, yet bold enough to work well with the tri-tip. The nutty, peppery quinoa was a nice compliment as well. (Unfortunately, it was the one dish I forgot to snap a photo of).
For my first official dining experience with a full meal with pairings, it was an excellent introduction. We definitely did not leave hungry, but were a tad tipsy from all the wine tasting. Also, you should note, that generally speaking, when you do a wine pairing meal, you don’t receive a FULL glass of wine – you’d be schnockered by the third or fourth course! They usually pour about an ounce (give or take). Fuzzy and I will go back to try another pairing meal, and even just a meal with a good glass of wine. Of course, I didn’t make it out of there without buying four bottles of wine for myself!
Today, we had a Segway tour scheduled through Another Side of San Diego [http://anothersideofsandiegotours.com/] (yet another Groupon). All three of us – Thom, Fuzzy and I, had to get up early to be downtown at 9am (on a Sunday no less!), but was actually a good thing given the heatwave all over southern California the past few weeks.
This tour took us through Balboa Park – one of the largest urban public use parks in North America. It was the site of the World’s Fair in 1915-1916 in honor of the opening of the Panama Canal, and again in 1935-1936. Growing up in San Diego, Balboa Park was a given spot for recreation and to go to museum’s as a kid, and young adult. Even today, I always enjoy when I visit the park, so it was nice to see it and get a perspective from a knowledgeable guide, while enjoying a Segway ride. The only bad part – if you would call it that – was we wound up having to deal with a 10K run, but it wasn’t awful, just a little crowded at times.
I could go on and on about everything, but I’d rather just share some of the photos. But we did have an enjoyable trip, and I our guide Eddie was fantastic. He told Fuzzy and I he also gives food tours in downtown, so we’re going to sign up for one probably in October.
Anyway, here are some of the photos I snapped this afternoon. The weather was perfect, by the way.
No comments:
Post a Comment