Record Crowd Attends Fall Fest Wine-pairing Dinner

Like a meal in a French bistro from a century ago, the wine-pairing dinner at Ingredients Cafe celebrated decadence in both abundance and in selection of courses. Called “The Good Things in Life,” this dinner offered diners a chance to eat round after round of delicacies, each course paired with an equally decadent French wine selected by Derek Bangs of Bellboy Corporation.
The night started with what appeared to be a humble dish consisting of roasted garlic Crostini, oyster mushrooms and creamed rutabaga. Then, just before delivering the plates to the table, a distinctive aroma could be detected: each serving had been hit with a generous dose of white truffle oil and a blanket of buttery black truffle slices. The wine poured with this course was a J. Vidal-Fleury Cotes-Du-Rhone Blanc. Usually, one thinks only of red Cotes-Du-Rhone, so this was a unique treat that countered the salty richness of the food with a sweetness akin to good brandy, but without the burn. The wine, however, mirrored the same earthy tones as the truffles in a really wonderful way.	Crostini of roasted garlic, oyster mushrooms, creamed rutabaga, black truffle slivers and white truffle oil
The second course made a lot of foie gras lovers happy. Chefs Ben and Tony chose to offer the foie gras in a simple manner – with only a blush of searing – and a sweet accompaniment of caramel roasted pineapple and saurternes jus. The Pierre Sparr Riesling Reserve served with it amplified the fruit in the dish with its pronounced grape taste while cutting the sweetness with a lively flinty finish. With some foods, we never realize how little we know about their actual taste until we are served it in a pared-down dish. One would expect a lobster bisque to be extremely rich, heavy with cream, but this one was light and simple. The Maine lobster was paired with slow-roasted tomatoes and chervil, which added a delicate licorice flavor. It made the bisque sweet without upstaging the lobster.	Seared foie gras with caramel roasted pineapple and saurternes jus
Derek decided to change the wine menu for this course and serve a George Dubouef Pouilly-Fuissé Chardonnay instead of the listed Bourgogne Rouge. The change proved to be a wise one, as this Chardonnay was robust, yet pure, like the bisque.    A “good things” dinner couldn’t be complete without some good ol’ red meat, in my opinion, and the chefs sure delivered with the grilled strip loin, caramelized shallot, and jumbo asparagus with Perigueux sauce. The sauce was a Medeira and truffle-studded bordelaise that concentrated the rich flavors of the strip loin.	Lobster bisque with Maine lobster, slow-roasted tomatoes and chervil
Derek declared the 2000 Chateau Tournefeuille he poured for the fourth course as the “Vintage of the Century,” explaining many see the year 2000 as the best vintage for Bordeaux ever. Its richness and depth was luxurious. It stood up to the meatiness of the course while adding its own take on the asparagus’s green flavor and the mellow tang of the shallot.   The finale played with sweet and sour. The almond cake, burnt almond cream and vanilla pear relish were sweet and rich while the sour cranberry sorbet was just tart enough.	Grilled strip loin with caramelized shallot, jumbo asparagus and Perigueux sauce
Paired with the cake was a 2002 Pierre Sparr Gewurtzraminer Grand Cru Mambourg, and it went really well. Sometimes, the sweetness of the wine chosen for the dessert course clashes with the sweetness of the food, but not this one. They melded and sparkled, each playing up some heretofore hidden Asian spice tones in both. Join us 4:30 pm, Tuesday, February 26 for our next wine-pairing dinner. Check our website soon for more information.	Almond cake with burnt almond cream, vanilla pear relish and sour cranberry sorbet