A Fine Dinner on a Saturday Night

My best laid plans came to fruition, but in a slightly different format. We invited friends from Williamsburg over for dinner. Because they spent the night with us we explored several wine and food options over an extended period of time amidst great conversation.


We began on the deck with a cheese and meat assortment. We had goat cheese wrapped in tarragon.


As well as Zamorano (upper left) and Fiore Sardo (lower left). All of the cheeses came from River City Cellars. We also enjoyed Serrano and a house made Garlic Sausage from the Belmont Butchery.

An assortment of crackers and baguette slices from Sammy’s Bakery rounded out the first course.

To drink we indulged in some Lindauer sparkling from New Zealand purchased from Once Upon a Vine. This bubbly was produced using Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes.

As the mosquitoes began to dive bomb us, we moved into the dining room. The second course was a salad with green leaf lettuce, strawberries, and cashews with a balsamic vinaigrette (equal parts extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar, chopped fresh basil, a smashed garlic clove, salt, and pepper – whisk and let sit for at least thirty minutes).

Choosing a wine with salad can be difficult. We went with the Sophia Rose. This dry rose paired very well with the strawberries, but not as well with the other items. Although it did draw out a lavender candy memory of grandmothers and England from one of our guests. My hubby found the rose in Williamsburg at Farm Fresh.


The main course was baked pasta with sweet Italian sausage (from Belmont Butchery). I started peeling and deseeding the tomatoes early in the morning. Once I had squeezed all of the pulp from these red babies, I added chopped green olives, minced garlic, and capers.


I then sautéed some chopped onion and added it to the mix.

Finally, I added some Merlot (the 2002 J. Garcia was on sale at The Fresh Market).

The mixture cooked on low for most of the day and reduced by about two-thirds. Right at the end I added fresh oregano. In the meantime I boiled rigatoni and seared links of the Italian sausage in olive oil. For the baked pasta I placed the rigatoni in an oven-proof dish, poured the sauce over it and mixed. I then topped it with slices of fresh mozzarella. I put it in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes until the cheese browned slightly. I took the sausages that had been seared and placed the frying pan with the sausages in the oven below the pasta and roasted the sausage for about 30 minutes.

We decided to enjoy this course with two different wines. One was a 2004 Rosso di Montalcino from Total Wine.

The other was a 2003 Chateauneuf du Pape (we purchased this a while ago and have no idea where it came from).

Both were very different, but both were very good. The Italian red had a brighter flavor and paired well with the baked pasta. The French was more complex and was fantastic with the sausage. Neither wine out-rivaled the other for attention. I could easily go back and forth between the two.

For dessert we had apple pie, courtesy of our Williamsburg friends. What a lovely pie – both in beauty and taste. I loved the grape motif crust. And we were in for an experimental treat. The pie crust was made with butter, not shortening and tasted like shortbread. Very yummy! We rounded out the pie with freshly made whipped cream and a few diced strawberries macerated in Cointreau and fresh mint.

We sampled several dessert beverages with the pie. The first was Campbell’s Rutherglen Muscat. The muscat was darker than a lot of muscats and paired well with the shortbread crust, but clashed with the apples. As we discussed the tastes we pulled out a Chateau Reynella Tawny Port for comparison. Interesting, but not quite there. Finally, we brought out Belle de Brillet (pear cognac). This little nectar was perfect with the apples.

What a great evening. I had lots of fun coming up with the menu and the wines. Of course, I enjoyed cooking the dishes. And the food and wine conversation that carried on into the night was heaven on earth for me.

Dogwood: A Bit of Blight?

On Friday we dined at Dogwood Grille and Spirits with another couple. My husband and I had never been, although it had always been a goal. Our friends had not eaten there in quite a while. I, for one, was quite excited. This heart-of-the-Fan restaurant located on Main St. had garnered great reviews in the past and was named Style Weekly’s 2006 Restaurant of the Year. The night was perfect; we were eating with dear friends. What could be better?

I’ll begin with the water. The regular, generic tap water was infused with mint. And while I advocate anything that will perk up city water, no one alerted us to the water’s altered statebefore pouring. I liked the wine list. It contained a variety of choices and the price points were not exorbitant. The higher end selections were decent for a restaurant. Our table selected the Hahn Estates Cabernet Sauvignon. Slightly spicy and jammy. It turned out to be an interesting choice since the table ordered either seafood, fish, or Creole for entrees. But up next, the appetizers: Venison Carapaccio, Tuna² (Tuna Carapaccio and Tuna Tartare), and Barbequed Duck Wontons. The Venison won the most raves of the night. The tuna was decent, but the Saki shooter, which accompanied the dish, had an alcohol burn that overpowered the dish. The wontons, again, were decent, but the Asian-influenced slaw was tastier and preferred. Entrees consisted of Crab cakes with a tartar sauce, roasted potatoes, and green beans (the special of the evening); Tuna steak; and Quail stuffed with Andouille sausage atop dirty rice. My husband wanted me to stress that, at least for him, tartar sauce has no business anywhere near a crab cake. Thus, even though lump crabmeat filled the cake, his opinion was “The tartar sauce sucked.” And even though the special boasted roasted potatoes, the received potatoes seemed to be of the boiled variety. One of our friends ordered the Tuna steak. He loved the sides (and mea culpa I can not remember what the sides were), but thought the tuna had just come along for the ride. The Andouille overshadowed the delicateness of the quail; however, the dirty rice had a nice, spicy flavor, and had an abundance of crawfish. With both the crab and the tuna, we discovered something amazing – the wine (a spicy Cabernet) acquired a pronounced vanilla taste. Very interesting. We skipped dessert and had truffles and cookies along with Sambucca, Belle de Brillet, and quiet conversation at our friends’ house.

For me, Dogwood Grille and Spirits had no “wow” factor. And at these prices, “wow” must be present. All of the items on the menu appealed to the imagination – interesting and unusually juxtaposed ingredients – unfortunately, the food did not realize its potential on this visit. At least the place is non-smoking. I salute them for providing a breathable atmosphere.

Anniversary Trip - Part Quatre: Montreal

We followed the road along the St. Laurent River to get to Montreal. We passed tiny communities and a lot of farmland. For lunch we went to a hamburger stand called Casse-Croute of Neuville. These burger joints dotted the winding road, but this one was perched along the bank of the river with picnic tables for one to enjoy the view. We ordered Hamburger Fromage and Frites (2 personnes). The burgers came with a toasted bun and the fries were thick-sliced and heavenly.

Montreal is a bigger city than Quebec and looks much more like a city even though part of Montreal is also called the Old City.


We stayed at Acceuil Chez Francois B & B located across from La Fontaine Park. This area is populated with row houses and reminded me of the Fan District in Richmond. The one big difference is that the stairs to the second floor of these townhouses were located outside. Francois was a great host, very laid back, and a great cook. We had scrumptious and filling breakfasts every day. Francois was also a wealth of information about the city, how to navigate the bus and Metro, and where to eat.

Let's start with places for lunch:

In Vieux Montreal at Place Jaques Cartier, a variety of French-style cafes line each side of the cobblestone square. Touristy, yet also quaint. Each cafe had tables inside and out. The weather was grand and we chose La Maree because it was on the shady side of the square and it had a bright blue awning. We were seated in a prime people-watching spot. For wine we selected Chateau de Roquetaillade-La-Grange from Graves. One of the few Bordeaux wines we had all trip. And going against the red wine grain and against my usual personal preferences I ordered trout. It arrived slightly smoked accompanied by an orange cream sauce. So good! Hubby had the hangar steak and was quite satisfied. Around Place Jaques Cartier there are many art galleries and a little enclosed shopping area called Bon Marche. It is the building with the silver dome...


Near one of the commercial/business districts we had lunch at Rosalie located on rue de la Montagne. More upscale; men in suits; waitresses in short, low cut dresses with 4 inch black heels; outside dining; men in suits having extended alcoholic lunches. We decided this might be the high end "Hooters" of Montreal. I told my husband to enjoy the view while he could. In any case it was amusing to watch the other diners, especially the group of men ordering bottle after bottle of wine and asking for an extra glass so the waitress could also partake in the merriment. Once again the weather did not dissapoint and we ate outside. My husband decided to try the Rickard's Red Beer. He thoroughly enjoyed the Canadian brew and is trying to find it here in the States. I opted for a half bottle of Cotes du Rhone, which paired well with the Onglet (hangar steak accompanied with sauteed green beans and au gratin potatoes). My other half had the Rigatoni. After the meal we had plenty of time to enjoy the rest of our wine and beer, and the street scenes and the other views. And we contemplated dessert. And then we saw the list of after-dinner drinks. And we saw it - Belle de Brillet. We discovered Belle de Brillet at a wine shop in Washington, DC. The amber nectar comes in a pear shaped bottle and is indeed pear cognac. It is about 30% alcohol and has a slight sweetness, thus, it's not as harsh as an eau de vie or a typical cognac. For us, it's perfect after a meal and can be sipped alone or imbibed with a light dessert. We had never seen it listed in a restaurant until Rosalie. Of course, we ordered it and lingered a while longer in the sunshine.

We also had lunch at the Casse-Croute in the Botanical Gardens located near the 1976 Olympic Stadium. We had the typical burgers and the (once again) great fries. What was great was the view from our picnic table and then the subsequent garden scenes...


A place for afternoon refreshment:

The Botanical Gardens were quite extensive. When we returned to our B&B that afternnoon we decided to seek out a place to relax and quench our thirsts. We happened upon Studzio. A small little cafe on rue St-Denis with little cafe tables located out front. We were atrracted to this particular place because every occupied cafe table had a pitcher of sangria sitting on it. Red wine, fresh fruit juice, and slices of oranges and lemons. Very refreshing. And while at Studzio we also discovered something peculiar about Montreal. If you have something alcoholic to drink, you have to also order something to eat (even if it's only a dollar's worth). Studzio happened to have a light tapas menu and we ordered a tapanade trio with bread.

Let's talk dinner:

There are a slew of great places to eat in many areas of Montreal. We concentrated on one area a few blocks from where we were staying - the intersection of Duluth and St. Denis. The reason: Apportez Votre Vin (Bring Your Wine). This area of the city and only this area contained a myriad of establishments that allowed you to bring in your own wine with NO corkage fee! Amazing! And, of course, right on this corner there is a SAQ (Societe des alcools du Quebec): the Province-run wine and liquor store. Every night the wine shop was packed and the check-out line was long because everyone bought wine to take to dinner. And even though the taxes on the wine were significant, buying wine retail is still much, much cheaper than buying in a restaurant. We ate French our first night at La Prunelle. Fabulous duck confit. All of the large windows open up, so, even as we sat inside, it felt like we were at an outdoor cafe. The next night we had Italian at L'Academie. A hopping three-story place. We ate on the 2nd floor and were, thankfully, seated by the window which put us out of the mainstream of the hustle and bustle. Across the street was a hair salon that was just closing up. We were able to observe the staff relaxing with friends in the client chairs. The fried calamari was run of the mill but the veal parmagiana and the veal with roasted red peppers were excellent.

On our last night we headed out of our culinary comfort zone and tried Khyber Pass - an Afghan place. After securing our bottle of wine from the SAQ, we headed for the Pass. We tentatively peeked in and the place seemed almost abandoned. Did we make the right decision? But, we wanted something different and forged ahead. As it turned out no one was eating inside. Everyone was on the terrasse, the outdoor patio in the back. And we happened to get the last available table. Good for us! For starters we were presented with a soft flat bread and three different sauces: green coriander, white yogurt, and red pepper (not hot). I liked to mix the green and the white together. The Table d'Hote included soup, appetizer, main course, dessert, and coffee. The soup was noodles with beef in an herb infused cloudy broth. I have no idea what the herbs were, but what a great tasting soup! So different, yet, so good. The appetizer was herbed gound beef fried pastries - it looked like a flaky empanada. Once again, good, but, a little on the heavy side. The main course was grilled chicken kababs served with three different preparations of basmati rice - cardamon (green), garlic (white), and cumin (brownish red). The cardamon rice was the best. The chicken was moist and tender. Dessert was a white custard or pudding. Very sweet with ground cardamon on top. A different take on dessert for us and not something we would seek out on our own. I'd have to say the soup was the best and most surprising dish. And I would recommend this place for folks who would like an out of the ordinary culinary adventure.