Abi... 'What's For Lunch?'

Posted 12/13/2006 at 03:02 PM by Dirk

We enjoy work.  Actually, we love making wine but sometimes work is more fun than other times.  (Its NOT fun when the grapes are almost ripe, and it starts to rain.)  Obviously there are plenty of things we do that are not directly related to grape growing and winemaking.  (Everyone in business, except Laura, (our CFO who professes to have a small but persistent problem with addition,) would rather have a root canal than do budgets.)

Then there is TASTING.

Sure, we taste wine all the time. (Always spit, and never swallow on the job.)  We have to make lots of winemaking decisions from tasting but last week the tasting was different!  We got to taste new creations by our chef, Abi Martinez.  We were his willing guinea pigs at a small lunch in his Far Niente kitchen. If small can be defined as seven courses paired with about ten wines!  Hey- It beats the hell out of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Abi is on a mission to start defining what courses pair best with wines from Far Niente, Nickel & Nickel as well as Dolce. Assuming that he doesn't completely overwhelm us with cholesterol (we are hoping that the red wine is a suitable antidote and that the French Paradox is alive and well in Oakville), we can look forward to tasting many new dishes over the next few months. 

Of the seven courses we sampled, two were so good it stopped all conversation at the table.  Thats not easy when there are several of us that like to get the last word...no matter what...if you get what I mean....Right?

A food writer would define the Dover Sole Almondine on a bed of cauliflower purée as simply 'sublime'. I thought it was fantastic and am proud that I haven't found a reason to use 'sublime' in conversation. The pieces of sole were braided! (I can't even braid my daughter's hair. When I have to do her hair...it's ponytail time.) The fish melted on the palate and the flavors harmonized with the various chardonnays.  Remember, when there are that many wines on a small table, the primary goal is to not set off a domino effect that takes out every glass in sight.

The other dish that we can't wait to see at a winery event is called Pain Perdue. If your French is brilliant, you know that means Lost Bread. That is not 'lost' as in needing to ask for directions and yes, while real men still don't eat quiche, some do stop and ask for directions! Pain Perdue is the French way of saying 'French Bread' without being redundant all over again.  (Someone finally let me in on the secret, the bread was lost because it was stale.)  Chef Abi, turned French bread into a coconut and marmalade crusted extravaganza that coated the palate. The dance that the Dolce and the dessert performed, as the flavors twisted and turned, was nothing short of magical.

The hard part about tasting these dishes is not in being discriminating or even offering constructive criticism (which can be hard when the chef has a supply of well sharpened knives), the hard part is....going back to work! I was ready for someone to say the right thing; "Have a Pain Perdue, and take the rest of the day off."

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