Eats! Club™ Event Report: Vine & Dine

On Wednesday, June 29, 2011 dozens of foodies and friends attended the Vine & Dine: A Celebration of the Sea event hosted by Coqui Catering and New York Butcher Shoppe.  PeeDeeFoodie.com™, through our complimentary social dining group known as Eats! Club™, assisted with event promotion for what turned out to be an wonderfully casual and exciting dining experience.  Here’s our event report.

That evening we arrived a bit early, as we are prone to do, but were nevertheless met enthusiastically by Chef Adam Silverman with a handshake and a smile.  Adam had been working for hours, alongside Chef Chris Carpenter and the entire team for that evening.  No doubt there was a unique experience in store for us.

We seated ourselves at a table, but I decided to circulate around the room.  I greeted a couple who had also arrived a bit early and then made my way over to view the wines selected for our meal.  Each wine, nearly all French, had been selected specifically for its characteristics and how they would complement each dish that would emerge from the kitchen of Tropical Rain in scheduled succession.  Each wine would be sampled in two ounce pours, with each wine available for purchase later that evening at special event pricing.

Before the meal began, a gentleman and his daughter joined us at our table, we greeted each other and then began a conversation that would be one of the most memorable I can recall.  I’ll hold the details for another post someday in the future.  Suffice it to say that you can meet some of the most interesting and accomplished people when you attend events such as Vine & Dine.

The first course of six soon arrived.  Grilled Watermelon and Brined Shrimp with Jalapeño Jelly paired with Champagne Pierre Moncuit Cuvée Hugues de Coulmet Brut Blanc de Blancs NV, the watermelon base was a fresh, cool jolt accentuated by the brined shrimp.  The rush was a bit like enjoying that first bite of ice cold watermelon on a summer day; its flavor amplified by a dash of salt.  The unexpected and memorable feature was the jalapeno jelly’s heat that concluded each bite.  What a wonderful idea to go alongside the mineral-laced flavors of this Chardonnay-based Champagne which itself is well-suited to seafood.

Our second course was the appetizer, Cilantro-Butter Poached Grouper in Peach Water with Chilled Grilled Asparagus Net.  It was paired with a 2009 Domaine de la Janasse Rose Vin de Pays de la Principaute d’Orange, a rosé from the Rhone region and is said to be one of the best vintages from Domaine de la Janeasse this century. It’s composition is 30% Syrah, 30% Cabernet, 25% Grenache, and 15% Cinsault.  The grouper was caught the day before and poached perfectly.  The asparagus, not always a common favorite, was tender and not overbearing.  The surprise feature is this dish was the peach water which added a flowery, light sense to the fish.

Third came the salad course, Lobster Claw Salad with Arugula, Candied Pecans and Lemon-Mint Vinaigrette.  This dish was paired with a 2009 Claude Branger “Les Fils de Gras Mouton” Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur Lie from the Loire Valley; a Melon de Bourgogne variety.  The lobster had been caught per special order in Maine less than 48 hours earlier, then flown to Florence for this evening.  The wine held a tart, clean flavor which paired well with the lemon-mint vinaigrette.  The candied pecans were wonderful, hidden little gems.  Overall, the color was vibrant and the flavors lived up to the appearance.

Course number four was the intermezzo . Used throughout Europe, the intermezzo is a special course to cleanse the palate in between major courses.  They are usually small, light and refreshing and ours was no exception, but with a twist.  For us, a unique Shellfish & Sherry Sorbet was presented to each of us in a tall shot glass.  The back-story here is that  the freezer being used for this dish was not functioning to expectation, so the sorbet would not freeze thoroughly.  The result can best be described as an ice-cold, liquid flavor explosion.  Chef Silverman noted to us later that while he searched the internet for a similar recipe to that which he created for us, none was to be found.  That led him to the conclusion that his concept was either a new, brilliant concept or something that had been tried before, but had failed to meet expectations.  We believe it was the former and something that has to be tasted to believe.  My first response was to ask, “Can I have another?”  I’ve never been a sherry fan, but coupled with these ingredients I could be convinced otherwise.

Palate cleansed and re-activated, we were ready for our entreé, Red Snapper Pan-Seared and Grilled Lobster Tail served on Creamy Chipotle Polenta with Tomato-Saffron Sauce.  Paired wines included a 2008 Le Rocher des Violettes Montlouis-sur-Loire Demi-Sec and a 2009 Domaine Bachelet-Monnot Maranges Premier Cru La Fussière.  The first wine derived from Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley and the second a Pinot Noire from Burgundy.  The Red Snapper, like the grouper earlier in the meal, had been caught and delivered only hours from the sea; the lobster less than two days from the docks.  Each assumed the flavors added to them such as the smokiness of the chipotle and richness of tomato-saffron sauce.  After many wonderful courses and rising expectations as we worked through the menu, the entreé did not disappoint.

Our dessert course, simple and elegant, was Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream with Caramel Drizzle.  The closing wine was from the United States, a sweet, award-winning 2006 Eola Hills Late Harvest Gewurztraminer (Vin d’Epice) from Willamette Valley in Oregon.

The meal ended in what seemed like minutes, not hours.  We know that many people had to work very hard leveraging their unique creativity and years of developed skills for us to enjoy the meal as much as we did.  Our compliments and appreciation for a fabulous evening go to Coqui Catering, New York Butcher Shoppe and the entire team, including our wine experts, Justin & Justin.  Because of them, Vine & Dine was an unmitigated success and no doubt the first of many similar events to come.

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Tags: Coqui Catering, Meet-Ups, New York Butcher Shoppe, Wine Dinner

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