Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Arman's 16th Birthday at Zaytinya 7/19/2011

For Arman's 16th Birthday, we selected Zaytinya as our culinary destimation as Arman enjoys flavorful foods.


SPREADS GIRIŞLER
Spread Pikilia- choice of three spreads
Tzatziki- Greek yogurt with diced cucumbers, dill
Taramosalata- traditional spread of cured carp roe
Hommus- puree of chickpeas, garlic, tahini


2008 Massaya Lebonese Red Wine-


VEGETABLE MEZZE HORTARIKI
Kolokithokeftedes- zucchini and cheese patties, caper-yogurt sauce

Piyaz- imported warm giant beans, kale, oven-roasted tomato, garlic

Crispy Brussel Afelia- brussel sprouts, coriander seed, barberries, garlic yogurt

Falafel- traditional chickpea fritters, tahini sauce


SEAFOOD MEZZE THALASSINA
Garides Saganaki-sautéed shrimp with tomatoes, green onions, kefalograviera cheese, ouzo


Tuesday, July 12, 2011

IW&FS Board Meeting at Matisse 7/12/2011

The June 2010 IW&FS Board Meeting was held at the Matisse Restaurant in Tentleytown, DC.
The evening started with white wines:
2009 Chasseur Chardonnay- Russian River Valley-The nose is a youthfully coiled mix of Bosc pear, honeysuckle and white peach tied to some rich preserved lemon, vanilla custard and nutmeg. It proves as rich as expected on the palate, with lots of white peach, nutmeggy custard, baked apple and pear flavors which continue through a long, well-stuffed finish. This is a flavor-packed wine that deserves service with full-flavored entrees.

2007 Albarino Valminor- Very interesting Alberino from Spain- Light yellow-gold. Apple and pear aromas are complicated by musky herbal and floral qualities. Fleshy, slightly bitter orchard fruit flavors are dry and focused, picking up lemon pith and thyme notes with air. This has the power to serve with richer dishes and will work better at the table than by itself. Rías Baixas DO (Denominación de Origen), a part of the Galicia autonomous community of Spain, is located along the Atlantic coastline. It produces some of Spain's most acclaimed dry white wines.

2008 Meursault Clos de Mazeray-A touch of wood toast with a fresh nose that is Meursault in character. First nose, aromas of hazelnut and floral, second nose spiced pear. On the palate, extremely rich and full flavors limited complexity with grapefruit filled finish.


We moved from the Bar area to the second floor and the red wine bottles started popping open!

2005 Kosta Browne- Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir- Dark garnet color. First nose with layers and layers of cherries. On the palate, cherry cola and black licorice with some anise on the finish.


2008 Turley California Zinfandel Old Vines-Made from parcels culled out from the single vineyard lots and blended with some tiny parcels that are too small to bottle on their own, the 2008 Zinfandel Old Vines is a fuller effort displaying a deep ruby/plum color along with a big, sweet bouquet of gamy roasted herbs, sweet cherries and berries, plush, heady flavors, and a luscious finish. It should drink well for 3-4 years.

1999 Chateau Leoville Barton, St. Julien Bordeaux- This 1999 Leoville Barton exudes complex bittersweet chocolate aromas, dense dark fruit and cedar. On the palate, ripe integrated spicy tannins and a sturdy structure and power.

2006 Simi Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley, California-A pleasing deep red color with a ruby cast. First nose, enticing aromas of red cherry, second nose, blackberry, licorice, toasty oak, fresh herbs and baking spices. On the palate, this wine offers cherry, blackberry fruit, vanilla, a hint of caramel and a dark, roasted finish.

1998 Corton Bressandes- Grand Cru- The nose offers very attractive, bursting with pure and clean Pinot aromas. On the palate full body, smooth in texture, exotic in flavors, with asymphony of floral, cassis, blackberry, wild raspberry, smoke and spice notes cascading from the start to the intense, focused finish.


Organic Arugula Salad: Duck Confit, Port Soaked Cranberries, Red Onion Dressing

Wild Alaskan Halibut: Organic Quinoa, Dried Cranberries, Toasted Almonds, Citrus Ginger Sauce

Cheese Plate
Double Espresso

Matisse Restaurant
4934 Wisconsin Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20016
Phone: (202) 244-5222,
Fax: (202) 244-1039,
Email: fritzmatisse@aol.com

Monday, July 11, 2011

25th Wedding Anniversary- The Inn at Little Washington, Virginia 7/11/11


For our 25th Wedding Anniversary, the Inn at Little Washington was our destination.
The venue has a historic allure. The dining room is dark with cloth red lamps hanging over each table. The reservation was at 8:15 PM. The dining room was quite busy for a Monday evening dining.

For the occasion, I had brought in our anniversary year Chateau Margaux. After the compliments by the Sommelier on the wine, I requested the wine be decanted 15 minutes prior the appropriate course, in this case, since we selected the 10 course Gastronaut's Menu, it would be course 7.
The Gastronaut’s Menu
The plate settings were quiet classic and beautiful.

Amuse bouch were a plate carrying four ceramic spoons, one with the world smallest potato, one with a tiny crab cake, one with strip of pork in a heavenly sauce and one with a large fish row in sea foam. I tried the crab and the potato and Alinda tried the other two. All were fabulous, especially the pork.

Black Truffle Dusted Popcorn-
What a grand idea, the popcorn was served in a paper bucket bearing the name of the venue, then black truffle was grated on each box; the aroma was outstanding. I wish I could keep the truffle for the rest of the meal and grate a little bit over every course!
We ordered a glass of Blanc de Blancs Ruinart Champagne for the first 2-3 courses. The color was almost a light rose with very elegant bubbles,very well balanced on the palate with a long finish.


Chilled Local Peach Soup- The cold peach soup was refreshing and flavorful which strikes a good balance with the cigar caviar.

Our Caviar “Caterpillar” of Avocado and Peekytoe Crab- The presentation of this dish was very ingenious and clever. The crab meat was sweet and worked nicely with the ripe Avocado and the caviar. The champagne worked well with this dish as well.
Blanc de Blancs Runart Champagne, NV

Chilled Maine Lobster with Braised Celery Hearts and Citrus Vinaigrette- Yet another beautiful presentation, the micro greens, though "micro", packed a lot of flavors. The lobster was prepared just right and the combination of all flavors did not fight one another and were harmonious. Off course, the Champagne pulled it all together.
Blanc de Blancs Runart Champagne, NV

A Miniature Filet of Black Cod Sauté with Lemon Vodka Sauce and Lilliputian Shrimp Dumplings- Though small portion, the Cod was seared to perfection and again the micro greens with the heirloom vegetables packed with flavors. We ordered the white Burgundy per the recommendation of the Somellier with the next couple of courses. The wine was crisp with fruit nose and mineral palate that went well with this dish.

Ballot Millot, Meursault 1er Cru, Genevrières, Burgundy, France (2002)

Seared Sea Scallop with Leek Purée and Caramelized Endive- Beautiful presentation, but not one of my favorite courses.
Ballot Millot, Meursault 1er Cru, Genevrières, Burgundy, France (2002)

Potato Wrapped Tuna Wellington with Caponata Ravioli and Sauce Béarnaise Lopez de Heredia- Fabulos presentation of this course, the Tuna was prepared as if some one counted the seconds and made sure that the Tuna was not even one second overcooked! The ravioli was to die for; I just wanted to have 4 more!
We tried the 1986 Chateau Margaux with this course and it was phenomenal in terms of elegance of the wine and a perfect marriage with the sauce, the tuna and the crisp potato.

Chateau Margaux 1986-
When this wine was poured, the color did not resemble a 25 year old wine, the color was clear intense red with no sign of brown ring around the wine. The nose had red fruits and china ink notes, on the palate, this wine was silky and divine with a long long long finish!

Braised Veal Cheek with Risotto Milanese and Gremolata- Talk about tender meat that packed intense flavors and oh boy did this course go well with the Margaux!

Chateau Margaux 1986


Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Rhubarb Sorbet- When we saw the sorbet, we were both disappointed because we are not sorbet lovers, but as soon as we tried the sorbet, we were both happily surprised as it was smooth in texture, creamy and silky and not overly sweet.

A Chocolate Ménage à Trois-
A Miniature Black Forest Mousse Bombe, Chocolate Crème Brûlée
and Bitter Sweet Chocolate Soufflé- Beautifully presented with a banner carrying words "Happy Anniversary", a very nice touch to the end of this experience.

Taylor TawnyPort 10-year old

An exceptionally fine old tawny blend, aged for 10 years in oak casks. Elegant and smooth, delicate wood notes and rich mellow fruit.
We then retired in the Patio for a cigar and espresso.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Prelude to our 25th Wedding Anniversary

Prelude to our 25th Wedding Anniversary-Dinner with the boys and Alinda at the house. Alinda prepared a two course dinner.


The menu was Duck breasts with fingerling potatoes and snow peas.

The Duck was seared to perfection and sliced thin for tenderness.

The wine was 2003 Sondraia-The Sondraia 2003 is a red wine, made by Poggio al Tesoro. Its origin is Bolgheri in Tuscany, Italy. It is made from the Cabernet Franc grape. It is produced from the 2003 harvest.
Bolgheri wine region
Tuscany's enchanting area of Bolgheri is situated south of Livorno on the Ligurian coast in Central Italy. Its winemaking zone is made up of sloping coastal vineyards found at the foot of the hills between the town of Bolgheri, after which this DOC is named and the southern part of Castagneto. Located in close proximity to the Tyrrhenian Sea, it has been described as ‘the golden oasis of the Maremma’.

In the 1960s the Tuscan wine industry was in need of a ‘shake-up’ and it was Bolgheri that became one of the avante-garde areas to help bring this region back to life. One of the ways this area proved its worth was by introducing a new trend of non-DOC wines, an innovative style of wine named the ‘Super Tuscan’. In this ‘revolution‘, its hero wine was Sassicaia (a Bordeaux-style red created from French vines whose cuttings originally came from the Chateau Lafite-Rothschild estate in Bordeaux), that rocked the world and became the wine of legends. Not only did it bring Bolgheri into the limelight, but Tuscany too. Sassacaia was also the first ever and only Italian wine to be honored with its own single estate classification, thus in 1994, Bolgheri and Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC were born.


Dessert-Dark Chocolate Mouse Cake-

Coffee and Cigar.