brunosdream

1111

First course was
roasted tomato and artichoke soup
very flavorful w/ a nice light broth.

Second course was seared duck breast
and three cheese
ravioli w/ prosciuto, arugula, tomatoes
and sage butter sauce – Scrumptious!!

Third course was a choice of oven roasted black bass over
garlic olive oil crostini and roasted red pepper basil sauce, or red wine
marinated and braised quail w/ stewed white beans and rosemary-pancetta
broth – I went for the roasted bass
which was edged w/ pancetta… absolutely fantastic!
Dawn chose the braised
quail. I was considering this initially but didn’t want to fuss w/ all those
little bones! Dawn let me sample her quail and it was beautifully braised – I
love the flavor of poultry that’s been braised in red wine!!

Duane went for the a la carte menu so I’ll let him describe
his meal.

The Duane, of course had to be different.
My starter was the
grilled sea scallops
w/ chive polenta cakes
& vanilla rum sauce

Followed by the   
12oz Char-crust dry rubbed
rib-eye w/gorgonzolla butter
& tillamook cheddar-chive gratin

For wine we started off w/ a bottle that I brought from
home.

Artazu Artazuri Garnacha Narvarra 2003
a 100% tank-fermented old vine Grenache made by Artadi’s brilliant
winemaker, Juan Carlos Lopez de la Calle. An elegant, deep
ruby/purple-tinged Tinto, it boasts sweet, crunchy raspberry and cherry
fruit, medium body, a luscious texture, and a heady finish. This is
knock-out stuff to drink over the next 1-2 years.

Liz, server extraordinaire
tasting the vino

Rick, our friendly bartender, commented, “It’s like our
gigondas, it has a dusty dry finish”. He always comes up w/ great descriptions
of wine!

For dessert I went for crème custard napoleon w/ caramelized
bananas & chocolate shavings. Our server, Liz, described it as “banana
cream pie on steroids” and it definitely was!! I had to ask Liz twice what she
called this dessert so Duane and Dawn diagnosed me w/ CRS (i.e., Can’t Remember
Shit syndrome) and suggested I start taking ginkgo biloba regularly. I’m proud
to say that it only took me an hour after I got home to remember all of this!
Sorry Duane and Dawn, I’ll pass on the ginkgo for now, unless you can come up
w/ a dessert version that goes good w/ calvados!!
warm chocolate bread pudding
w/ marshmallows & pecan streusel
served w caramel ice cream 

Main Text-Bruno        Photographs-Duane

Domaine de la Pertuisane

Vin de Pays des Cotes Catalanes 2003

France

Founded by two young British winemakers w/ a shared passion
for quality wine.

Domaine de la Pertuisane was created w/ the intention of
producing “real” wine from the traditional Catalan varieties of Grenache (80%)
and Carignan (20%). With very old vines on schistous soil, which produce
extremely low yields (12hl/ha), wines of great concentration and finesse are
produced. These wines undergo wild yeast fermentation and are aged for twelve
months in new oak barriques.

Available at The Wine Merchant –

St. Louis, MO

This month Duane recommends…

        2004 Finca Luzon, Luzon, Jumilla


   The outstanding 2004 Luzon is a blend of 65% Monastrell (Mourvedre) and
35% Syrah. It is a full-throttle, exuberant, dense ruby/purple-colored
effort with loads of creme de cassis, licorice, truffle, and acacia
flower characteristics. This exotic, deep, broad, intense red should be
drunk over the next 3-4 years, although it may last longer. One of the
oldest estates in Jumilla, Finca Luzon was founded by the Gil family in
1916. It has been a consistent source of high class values for a number
of years, and the health conscious should be happy to know this is completely certified  organic
agriculture…
                   " 90 points:Robert Parker"

The three events that I had the pleasure of
attending have been amazing…
Look for a review on Wednesday
“D”

1111 Mississippi, the review…

  A gathering of “Foodies” (genuine food lovers) always means a good time but add a great place and it becomes a true event… Tonight’s gathering includes Radio guy extraordinaire Dave, Stay at home “Sex Kitten” and aspiring writer Kris, Writer and recently published Poet Sandra Jean,  “The Mayor” and Me, your humble narrator.

   While sampling our appetizers, Dave commented “at 1111 it’s all about the food”…  In that one remark he captured Chef Ivy Magruders culinary philosophy: An uncomplicated menu with the freshest ingredients paired with a stunning wine list.

  Though the menu maybe uncomplicated, the exquisite flavors infused in each plate represent  gastronomic ecstasy for the  impassioned epicurean…

“D”

 

Grilled Sea Scallops w/ chive polenta cakes& vanilla rum sauce

Sauteed chanterelle mushrooms w/ puff pastry tower
The chaterelles in the cream sauce were tasty and the puff pastry tower was light and flaky.

Wild Boar Ravioli w/ a tomato vodka cream sauce
The wild boar ravioli were so delicious there weren’t enough to go around!

The 1st wine tonight was Wits End-The Procrastinator an Australian blend of

 95% Cabernet Franc/5% Shiraz. It was a great wine to start out the evening

Grilled Double Pork Chop stuffed with bacon-dijon mustard cream over blue corn polenta
The stuffed pork chop was juicy and had a nice bacony filling. A pig lover’s dream!

Seared Ono w/ tomatillo salsa over golden barley 
Of all the main courses we ate, my favorite was the ono (also known as wahoo). It had a beautifully crispy crust yet was still moist (gotta ask Ivy how he did it!). This may replace tuna as my favorite fish!

Grilled Salmon w/ roasted fingerling potatoes,swiss chard & artichoke tapenade

Braised Rabbit w/ Tuscan red wine reduction & aged goat cheese polenta
The braised rabbit had a great wine sauce, the goat cheese in the  polenta gave it an additional creamy texture.

Midnight Cellars Estate Zinfandel 2002,Paso Robles
which was, you guessed it... ZINFULLY DELICIOUS!!

crème custard napoleon w/ carameled
bananas & chocolate shavings

warm chocolate bread pudding w/ marshmallows & pecan streusel served w caramel ice cream
Again the chocolate bread pudding was the winner in the dessert category. It had nice crispy edges and awesome flavors that exploded in your mouth!

Calvados/ Aged Apple Brandy

  Everything was beautifully presented and the evening was exceptional...

 the perfect combo of great friends, food and service all wrapped up in a

 cozy, warm and inviting atmosphere, topped off w/ a perfect grape juice buzz!!   

Tasting notes                 Food Photography                                                                      "The Mayor"                         "D"  

 

The Aroma Wheel
  Ann Noble, a professor at U.C. Davis, created this great tool to help people improve their ability to recognize different aromas that are present in wines. So many people get lost by the lingo that wine geeks use in their descriptions of wines. I think these descriptors might also freak people out a bit because it’s tough to identify these aromas. With a little training though you too can become a wine geek, or at least keep up w/ the pretentious types you may encounter at your local wine shops when they do a tasting!! The aroma wheel goes from general smells in the center then expands outward to more specific smells.  To do your tasting you’ll need a base wine that has very little taste and smell. A box of Almadin wine works well and isn’t expensive, or if you can’t find that use some other neutral jug wine. If you’re experimenting w/ identifying aromas in red wines use a red for your base, or white if you’re going for white wine aromas. Pour about 2 ounces of the wine in each glass you’re using. Then, for example, drop into each separate glass some clove, leather, tobacco, berries (fresh, frozen, or jam), pineapple, grass, citrus, honey, straw, tar, pepper or whatever you’d like to train your nose to identify. Be as creative as you want to be! Cover the glasses w/ something
for a few minutes to let the aromas strengthen, then have at it and
have fun! Smell your base wine to compare and contrast w/ your experimental concoctions. Remember don’t taste, just sniff, or you may get a mouthful of something that could trigger that gag response!!

  To buy a colored and laminated version of Ann Noble’s aroma wheel go to: http://www.winearomawheel.com/

Just do me one favor… Don’t turn into one of those pretentious wine snobs or I’ll have to slap you senseless if I ever see you at a wine tasting!
: )

“The Mayor”

   Every month we’re going to feature new wines in every price range and at least one per month will make the budget conscious smile.

  Our resident Budget Wine Guru,  Michelle will uncover a low priced but fabulous gem…

This Month

Michelle recommends

Solaris Special Reserve 2001

Cabernet Savignon.

    A handcrafted wine that drinks like an expensive Napa Cab.This yummy adventure brings warmth with black cherry, vanilla and
blackberry elements. You might even detect a slight note of cranberry. So, buy now…  Let it breath and serve with the "Mayor’s  Herbed Rack of Lamb.       

Beautiful

Food is as big a part of these parties as the wine,  M&B took it to a new level…

The menu of the night was

– Mayor McTuna’s famous Pizzas on the Grill

– Lemony Smoked Trout Salad in Radicchio

-Mongolian Spiced Beef Kebabs with Chile Jam

-Endive with Blue Cheese and Pecans

-Creamy Hummus and Eggplant Caviar

-Southwest Cream cheese Crowns with Salsa

-Pumpkin Pound cake with Rum Buttercream – Assorted cheese/ fruit/veggies

“D”                                                          Pictures by Geek Dave