Tales of Two Wine Dinners

Hubby and I were fortunate enough to attend two wine dinners in December.

Scallop, lamb chop, and rockfish stated the wine dinner menu. What had I gotten myself into? Tastebuds American Bistro was hosting their only wine dinner of the year and a sparkling one at that. We reserved spots before we saw the menu knowing it would sell out quickly. And then I received the list of courses. I am not a lamb fan and I tolerate fish. Hubby asked if I wanted to cancel. I said no. I had eaten fish at Tastebuds before (at a wine dinner) and raved about it. I just had to worry about the lamb.

We arrived, albeit a bit late. I was sure dinner started at 7 PM. It began at 6 PM. Thank goodness they called us at 6:05 PM. We live so close we were seated and having an amuse bouche cocktail (vodka, sparkling, lemon accompanied by an olive!) by 6:15PM.

Course 1
Charred Sea Scallop, Chimichurri of Watercress and Grapefruit, Cucumber Foam with Secco Brut from Italy

The non-traditional chimichurri was delightful and enhanced the flavor of the scallop.

Course 2
Salad of Artisanal Greens, Southern Fried Golden Beets, Cambozola Cheese, White Balsamic Pear Dressing with Castillo Perelada Rosado Cava Brut from Spain

So we did call the restaurant ahead of time to request no blue cheese of any type. It gives my hubby violent reactions. The dressing was wonderful and the lovely rosy Cava paired very well. The fried golden beets were unusual and I liked the inventive take on the dish.

Course 3
Pecan Crusted Lamb Chop, Butternut Squash-Cherry-Blue-Cheese Cobbler, Swiss Chard Gastrique with Grasparossa d'Castelvetro Lambrusco from Italy

The moment of truth: lamb chop. And my god, it was fantastic. No musky lamby taste at all. I enjoyed every tender morsel. The cobbler (sans blue cheese) I also raved on about. A wonderful savory cobbler that was perfect for the fall going into winter time of year. The gastrique was interesting. If the room had been a bit lighter, one could have really picked up the dark green color and I'm not sure that would have been a good thing. But the sauce looked more brown in the restaurant lighting. And you may be asking about the Lambrusco wine pairing. This was not your Ruinite from an '80's college dorm. It was deep red and dry. A hearty sparkling and the perfect accompaniment to the awesome lamb.

Course 4
Butter Roasted Rockfish, Little Neck Clams, Sweet Corn and Yukon Gold Puree, Warm Lemon-Pancetta Vinaigrette with Argyle Brut from Willamette Valley Oregon

Fish after lamb, you say? A bit unorthodox, but the dish was richer than the lamb given the butter roasting. An excellent assembly of flavors. I loved the rockfish and it was great to have a few little neck clams. The corn and potato puree added to the richness of the dish. The lemon and pancetta gave a counter-balance. With all of these essences the Argyle Brut was an excellent choice of sparkling. Argyle Brut is well made and one of the best, most accessible, nearest-to-real-champagne in the market today. It ably met fish, butter, lemon, and pancetta and enhanced the course. Well done!

Course 5
Goat Cheese Filled Beignet, Rhubarb-Apple Compote and Chocolate Lavender Ganache with Fitz-Ritter Riesling Sekt from Germany

Yummy! I particularly liked the use of sweetened goat cheese for the beignet.

This was the only wine dinner Tastebuds American Bistro had in 2011 and since they are open on Sundays now, it is hard for them to host a dinner of this type. I'm so glad we took the blind menu plunge.

For the other dinner, we knew the menu ahead of time and attended a Holiday Feast in Alsace at Amour Wine Bistro. We had never eaten at Amour. The menu featured sauerkraut and Alsatian wine (all white). Since this was a dinner with optional wine pairings, it was a bit different than what we were used to. Only three courses had wine pairings.

Mise en Bouche - Tarte Flambee - Onion, Bacon, and Cheese on Flatbread

A traditional Alsatian dish. Very tasty. I took the leaves off of the sprig of thyme and sprinkled it on the tarte and it was even better. No wine with this dish.

First Course
Saucisse de Strasbourg sur Choucroute - Strasbourg Sausage on a Bed of Sauerkraut paired with 2010 Fritsch Pinot Blanc

While I'm a bit timid about sauerkraut, this was lovely and mild. The sausage and other pork preparations were delicious. And the Pinot Blanc simply heavenly. The pairing with both the kraut and pork was sheer brilliance! I wished we could have had another glass of this heavenly nectar since the dish was fairly large portion-wise. A great example of traditional Alsatian fare.

Amuse Bouche - Grumbeerekiechle - Potato Pancake with Apple Compote

The apple compote was lovely. The potato pancake was a bit bland after the wonderful flavors of the first course. No wine with the amuse bouche.

Second Course
Coq au Riesling with Spaetzle - Chicken slowly cooked in dry white wine paired with 2009 Heimberger Riesling

This dish was bland which surprised me. We had been looking forward to this dish and had been the deciding factor in attending. The wine was a decent pairing, but overall we were not wowed.

Third Course
Munster en Croute - Munster Cheese in Puff Pastry

The pastry was flaky and the cheese strong. A great little course packed with flavor. Unfortunately, no wine was served with this course and the cheese was crying out (at the end, screaming) for some wine. I would loved to have seen which Alsatian wine could stand up to the cheese. An opportunity lost.

Fourth Course
Kougelhopf Glace au Kirsch, Beignets aux Pommes - Raspberry Ice Cream Confection with Apple Beignet paired with Cremant d'Alsace

Hubby ate the raspberry, since I am not a fan and he was happy to have a double helping. I liked the apple beignet and also enjoyed the sparkling wine for dessert.

This dinner had some highs and lows. Being a fan of wine and food pairings, I had expected a wine pairing with all of the dishes. They were large enough to warrant it. I was mightily impressed with the first course - the best part of the evening. Hubby and I will need to go to Amour for a regular dinner sometime soon to compare experiences.

A shout out to both establishments for being nominated for the 1st Annual Elby Awards! Amour Wine Bistro was nominated for Best Wine Program and Tastebuds American Bistro Chef Ryan Baldwin was nominated for Rising Culinary Star.

Interesting Week

Random food and drink related blips from this week:

Blip 1:
For my birthday, hubby gave me roses (this is a BIG deal since he never gives me flowers) and took me out to Lehja, the new Indian restaurant in Shortpump. Where he takes me on my birthday is always a surprise and since we headed out to the far west, I could not have imagined what he was thinking. It turned to be a great choice. The interior is modern chic with clean lines, bright colors, and nice textures.

We ordered Snake Charmers at the bar (Patron Silver, ginger, and lime). I loved the ginger bits (or the snake bites), but the lime was more of a margarita mix and killed the taste of the tequila.

For food and wine, we moved into the dining room and ordered a Torbreck Woodcutter's Shiraz to drink. Lehja offers a wide variety of wine, both red and white. The hard part is figuring out what pairs well. The Torbreck was a winner with our food. Appetizers were shrimp for him and paneer for me and an order of garlic naan. Big jumbo shrimp with pineapple-basil chutney. The paneer was chunks of soft cheese in a hot sauce with peppers and onions (this appetizer could have satisfied for a main dish). For the main course I ordered Chicken Tikka Masala and hubby had a lamb dish with a mango pomegranate sauce. All good and there ae other menus items that must be tried upon our return.

Blip 2:

I had to run an errand south of the river and stopped by three of my favorite places. Vino Market was conducting a wine tasting and I had this wonderful chenin blanc from South Africa called Essay - very citrusy and clean tasting. And then I let Dave show me all of the great stuff on sale, including a Blue Eyed Boy Shiraz from Molly Dooker. Then, on to The Wine Cellar. John had gone home by the time I made it to the store, but I picked up a Snowqualmie Merlot from Washington State to try. Finally, I picked up ribs, hushpuppies, and onion rings from Q Barbeque to eat at home. The onion rings did not travel well, but the other stuff did. Love the puppies! And the ribs were smoked and meaty and the meat was easily separated from the bone.

Blip 3:

I pan-seared a white/black pepper NY strip and served it with dragon's tongue beans with sauteed onions and garlic/turnip/potato mash. Yummy. We opened a 2003 Domaine du Caillou Chateauneuf-du-Pape to go along with the meal.

Armenian Food Festival

While we were somewhat disappointed with Oktoberfest last weekend, we experienced Hye Burger love at the Armenian Food Festival at St. James Armenian Church. This festival has run for over 50 years.

Almost all of the menu tempted us, but seeing the Hye Burgers grilling in the back of the tent cemented our choice.

Hye Burgers are a mixture of ground lamb and sirloin with onion, herbs, and spices - hand-formed and grilled. They are topped with sauteed onions and peppers and served with pita bread. We ordered the combo with pilaf and lupia (Armenian-style green beans with tomato sauce).

The burgers were enormous and juicy. The herbs and spices added delicious flavor. And, by jove, I was eating lamb and singing its praises (I am generally not a lamb girl).

The festival also offered Armenian wine and we chose a bottle of Khoran - semi-sweet red wine.

A little sweet, very fruity, and a touch of effervescence. It reminded us of Lambrusco, but paired well with our awesome burgers.

Armenian music added to the festive occasion as well as traditional songs from the Greater Richmond Children's Choir.

River City Supper Club #10

The Club took a break in December and reconvened last Saturday at Cous Cous. Amazingly, none of us had ventured to this restaurant and one us works just two doors from the establishment. We arrived at 6 PM. Actually, most of us found the place by 6 PM and then spent several minutes nabbing a parking spot. My hubby and I decided to park on Monument and walk down. We learned later that the lot next to CousCous is avaiable in the evening. This information is not listed in their web site so I'm not sure if it is a formal arrangement or tacit agreement. While 6PM seemed a tad early for dinner and diners were sparse upon our arrival, the place quickly filled and before we left every table in the room and every chair at the bar had been filled.

The interior of Cous Cous welcomed us into a dark, candle-lit, gauzy, bohemian space. I felt comfortable and cozy. A couple of our Supper Club members sported varying opinions:

From R-Prime: The atmosphere was loud and dark – much like a nightclub which immediately did not bode well. This atmosphere was furthered as our waitress began to lose clothing through the evening….had I not been with guests this would have been enough for me to leave prior to ordering (the atmosphere that is, not the waitress).

From K: Taking into account the location of the restaurant (in the heart of VCU), I thought the decor and noise level of Cous Cous was to be commended. I found that it was not as crowded and noisy as some VCU/fan restaurants can be.

Now on to the wine. Cous Cous offered a variety that my husband and I found appealing and most were $30 and under. Each couple in the Club ordered a different red wine. It took a while for our waitress to understand that we each wanted three separate glasses so we could compare. Once she got on the band wagon, she beautifully accomodated us with different glass styles. Only B managed to mix the reds, but that was only once.

Our wine choices included (pardon the pictures, the place was really dark):

Martin Codax Ergo Rioja

Trapiche Broquel Malbec

L de Lyeth Merlot

All were immensely quaffable. The one earning top accolades was the merlot. Neither my husband nor I were too surprised that the merlot took the top honors, Lyeth has been a consistent producer from California and we have enjoyed many of their wines (we are very partial to the meritages). But for our dining companions, the discovery of a yummy merlot was unique.

From K: I can honestly report that I was surprised how much I enjoyed the Merlot, as my luck with them has been intermittent at best. I attribute this fine selection to the masterful knowledge of my dining companions, as I rarely pursue Merlots myself. I also found the Malbec most interesting and would like to compare it to a couple of other Malbecs in a tasting.

From R-Prime: Oh, but speaking of the wine--in my opinion, for price and finish, the winning wine of the evening was actually the Lyeth Merlot! Admittedly I have been trained to be a snob to merlots both by friends and Hollywood. But this Merlot’s spicy finish was surprising and complex – hints of cherry, white pepper both delicately placed under an inviting herbal bouquet. In fact the Merlot in itself was much like my evening at Cous Cous, expectations started low and finished with one delightful surprise after the other.

I think our wine experience emphasizes the fact that not all merlots are bad. In fact, I will even admit that not all chardonnays are bad (but I do tend to be more of a snob when it comes to this white grape). Thus, when any of you go out to a wine shop or grocery store, etc. and a tasting is offered, unless you absolutely know the stuff is crap (i.e. you have tasted it before and either spit or poured the liquid out), give it a try. You may well find a gem.

Enough of the soapbox. On with the food.

The Cous Cous menu presented a variety of small plates. The one question all of us had was how big or small were these plates? If they were too small all six of us would not be able to share. We decided to each order our own things as a couple.

For B and G

• Harira Soup - Traditional family style home cooked soup w/ braised lamb and wild rice
• Lamb Tagine with Mediterranean Cous Cous w/ spinach, onions, garlic topped w/ feta and kalamata olives
• Chicken B'stilla - Moroccan pot pie w/ chicken and eggs mixed w/ almonds, onions, apricots, and mixed vegetables w/ a sweet spicy finish
• Almond Baklava
• Chocolate Bread Pudding with a Bourbon Glaze

Comments from G:

The soup was very tasty. It was a little on the oily side, but the flavors were great.

The Lamb Tagine was something I expected. It had a really good flavor profile, it was not overpowered by spices and you could actually taste the lamb. The lamb itself was very tender not gamy, it did not have a pungent smell or taste due to age and gender of the animal (usually female lambs that are older than 12 months tend to have that unique gamy flavor and smell) . The Mediterranean Cous Cous was bland, however when it was eaten with the lamb it was not disappointing.


I was not impressed by the Chicken B'stilla. It did not do much for me. Instead of complementing, sweet and savory flavors were rather fighting against each other.


Almond Baklava was OK nothing special.


Chocolate Bread Pudding was certainly something that I would be reluctant to order in a Moroccan Restaurant. Since it is one of B's favorite deserts, she could not resist ordering it. To me it was little on the bitter side (too much cooking chocolate was used) and it needed more alcohol.

B did not get back to me with any comments but she really liked the soup,especially on a cold evening, and she raved about the Chicken B'stilla. (I tried a piece of the chicken dish, but did not care for it. My hubby would not even consider it since it contained apricots.)

For R-Prime and K:

• Fried calamari w/ tangy remoulade
• Chicken Tagine with Mediterranean Cous Cous w/ spinach, onions, garlic topped w/ feta and kalamata olives
• Lamb Shank - Slow roasted shank served over brussel sprouts & potatoes and lamb demi glaze
• Chicken B'stilla - Moroccan pot pie w/ chicken and eggs mixed w/ almonds, onions, apricots, and mixed vegetables w/ a sweet spicy finish

Comments from R-Prime:

The Lamb Shank, while older than I like, was tender and delicately oiled. As the description read – indeed it fell off the bone. The potatoes and Brussels sprouts were slightly over cooked but still brought a nice satisfying stick-to-your-ribs quality to this dish. As I cleared my plate, I found myself digging for the marrow and even made several failed attempted to break the bone in an attempt to enjoy this portion of the meal a little longer…


Despite my enjoyment of the lamb, the Chicken B’Stilla that I shared with K (at the recommendation of B) was the hit of the evening for me. The flakey pastry crust was appealingly light and the chicken was well complimented by the chutney-esque flavors of the filling’s spices, apricots and mixed veggies. The dish had a slow, spicy burn that built as we progressed through the dish. It made the dry fruitiness of the Trapiche Malbec and the Codax Tempranillo even more delightful.

Comments from K:

R-Prime and I shared the fried calamari with remoulade sauce. The calamari was tender and lightly battered and thoroughly enjoyable. I would have preferred a wedge of lemon to squeeze over and the remoulade was lackluster and screamed of being yet another use for 1000 island dressing. I ordered the chicken tagine with mediterranean couscous. The chicken was extremely tender and left me wanting more. The mediterranean couscous was only average--not enough acid, vegetables, or seasoning to enable this blank canvas of a starch to make a statement.


R-Prime and I also shared the chicken b'stilla. I thought this was the highlight of the meal--balancing bits of savory chicken, sweet apricots, and the texture of nuts with a spicy hotness that presented progressively through the mouth and building in intensity that never overshadowed the main ingredients or became uncomfortable. The sriracha sauce used as a decorative garnish was a pretty but unnecessary companion as this dish was complex enough to stand on its own.

Hubby and Me

• Manchego Fritters - Manchego (spanish cheese) w/a mango coulis
• Chicken Tagine with Mediterranean Cous Cous w/ spinach, onions, garlic topped w/ feta and kalamata olives
• Chicken Kebab with Moroccan Cous Cous w/ chopped vegetables seasoned w/ moroccan spices
• Chocolate Bread Pudding with a Bourbon Glaze
• Chocolate Hazelnut Torte

Our comments:

The fritters tasted more like fried bread than cheese. A bit disappointing. The chicken tagine made up for it. Tender, stewed chicken with vegetables. And more than enough for a meal. Unfortunately the Mediterranean cous cous did not deliver on its promised flavor of feta and olives. With this combination the flavor should have been intense. It was lackluster and also room temperature. The same for the chicken kebab. Boring taste, but the Moraccan cous cous provided another highlight of the evening. This is the starch to get here. A ton of flavor with a vinegary/lemony undertone.

My spouse appreciated the rich chocolate  flourless torte, although the crust was made with almonds and pecans. He could not distinguish any hazelnuts. I agreed with G regarding the bread pudding. The chocolate overwhelmed this dessert. It would have been okay if the glaze had contained the promised bourbon flavor.

At the end of the evening we were quite full and satisfied. While some of the food could have been better, we discovered a few stellar dishes. Although Cous Cous advertizes small plates, most of the items we ordered were large enough for a meal, especially the tagines. For folks on a budget or ones seeking places for a cheap date, this is a good place. In fact, Mondays are Date Nights with a $40 dinner for two special.