Last Wednesday night was the Women for Winesense (NJ Chapter) Wine at America's Table dinner at Semolina Restaurant in Millburn, NJ. When I first arrived at the place I was a bit skeptical as to how this was going to host a wine dinner since from the outside it simply looked like a pizzeria. After passing the pizza oven and kitchen area there was a small dining room in the back that had 2 tables in the center obviously set up for this. But, all around those tables were other diners chatting and eating away. Again, I was skeptical as to how this was going to pan out. After speaking to the chef and hearing him describe some of the dishes we were going to eat I felt a bit better. Then, he told me all those diners were off to the theater so they would be gone before we even started. I liked how he had thought that all out. He was able to get as much business as he could without sacrifice. Excellent! The meal proceeded without a hitch and everyone was delighted with the fantastic flavors, creativity (and portions.) The chef is phenomenal. As far as the wines, they were chosen and brought by Leann Jasinski of Coolvines. You all know how much I like Coolvines and I have to say all the wines were excellent. Here is a summary of each dish and wine:
We started with a bubbly welcome, the NV Pariogot- Richard Cremant Rose' - a beautiful Pinot Noir based sparkling wine from the Burgundy region. Lots of toastiness with a pleasant strawberry fruit nose and creamy taste and finish. I highly recommend this bubbly.
Course #1: Baby Spinach Salad with strawberries, goat cheese, maple toasted walnuts and balsamic reduction
Wine: Riesling-Knipser Riesling Laumersheimer Kabinett Trocken
First, the salad- Fresh, fresh spinach with perfectly ripe strawberries, just the right amount of goat cheese crumble with the most delicious dressing. While the portion seemed large at first it didn't take long to gobble down. Interestingly, I still had some of the Sparkling wine that seemed perfect with this dish. But, then again, my motto is that sparkling wine goes with everything. So on to the Riesling. From near the Pfalz region, this is a family produced wine in a dry style that was crisp and refreshing with nice flavor. The very slight sweetness on the palate was a good combination to the balsamic reduction on the salad. Nice pairing.
Course #2: Seafood Sausage- scallops, shrimp, salmon, truffles with grilled radicchio and endive, roasted tomato sauce
Wine: 2006 Bethel Heights Estate Chardonnay - Oregon
How the chef made the sausages was a question on everyone's minds. My husband thought mine was bigger than his but we didn't want that conversation getting out of hand. The flavors of the seafood, truffles and whatever the chef used to combine them together (I think he said eggwhites) created an amazing taste sensation. Along with the roasted tomato sauce that was simply cooked down freshly roasted tomatoes and grilled veggies this was definitely complemented by and not overshadowed by a very nice Chardonnay. If there was any oak in the wine it was hard to detect since the nice buttery and fruity characteristics came through. Another nice choice.
Course #3: Pollo Gita Sola- Chicken with red onion, black olive, artichokes, tomato and parmesan cheese baked in a crock
or:
Olive Oil Poached salmon with fennel confit and fennel puree
Wines: 2002 Vall del Calas Montsant & 2006 Papa Luna Calatayud - Spain
I can only really speak about the salmon dish here although I did have a taste of the chicken and it was good. Everyone who had that dish was doing a lot of lip smacking at the end. The salmon was a large fillet poached perfectly with fennel all around. I do love fennel so really enjoyed that part. While the Papa Luna wine was the chosen pairing, we were able to have both wines and I am glad I did. The Vall Del Callas is %50 Merlot, 20% Tempranillo, 30% Garnatxa (Grenache.) Intense fruit combined with a nice smoky taste made this wine an instant winner with both dishes. The Papa Luna, Garnacha, Shiraz and Monastrell had a good amount of body but had really nice spicey taste with a soft finish. Another good choice.
Course #4: Deconstructive Dessert Plate
Cugenexico Malagra Moscato d'Asti - Italy
This is where the chef just completely outdid himself and had all of us PLUS the staff PLUS the other diners just looking on in awe! The idea here was to have a dessert that was a plate of the ingredients that make up the flavor profile of the wine. Get that? Well, if not, don't worry you'll understand as I explain. Moscato d'Asti is a popular dessert wine often served as aperitif. Slightly fizzy there is a distinct dried fruit aroma and taste with a smooth and long finish. The dessert plate consisted of : a small bowl of apricot jam, tallegio cheese, figs, unaged manchego, peach sorbet, gorgonzola, strawberry and some toasts. It was a beautiful presentation and helped everyone understand the wine better. Thank you Chef Joe for this unusual yet delightful dessert.
The final comments about the night are simply - Go to this restaurant and try it for yourself. Chef Joseph Catalano is under the radar now but, his food is impeccable and delicious and he deserves to be known. He has the passion, enjoyment, love and talent that makes a wonderful dining experience.
And, to Leann and Coolvines.. another success at pairing some very nice wines that are reasonably priced.
Finally, I have to say a congratulations to my friend, student and WWS member Diane.. as she recently was engaged- I hope you enjoyed the evening as much as I did.
Cheers,
The Wining Woman
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