I had the pleasure of attending the Horseshoe Grille Small Plates Wine Dinner on
At our booth, we were greeted by a basket filled with a variety of crusty rolls, served with a wonderful olive oil punched up with grated cheese and some fresh rosemary, and glasses of cool water with which to cleanse our palate between courses.
Our meal, which lasted about 2 ½ hours, consisted of 6 courses, each paired with a glass of wine from the Horseshoe Grille’s own stock, which meant that if we discovered a new favorite, we’d be able to easily return for a encore! Between courses, a representative of United Liquors introduced us to the next selection. Words were thrown around such as “unfiltered” and “wild yeast,” while I learned that old vines produced smaller grapes. My favorite quotes that night, however, came from the appreciative crowd: “Break out the credit cards!” and “Won’t last that long at my house!”
The first course was the fresh and fruity Caramelized Apple Salad mixed greens, blue cheese crumbles and an apple cider vinaigrette with Estancia Riesling, Monterey County (2008, $7 glass/$26). The Riesling went very well with this course, and tasted quite different when we sipped at it in comparison with the other white wine we later sampled.
The Macadamia Nut Crusted Tuna with baby bok choy & drizzled with wasabi citrus soy was served with Gary Farrell Pinot Noir,
We were warned of hot plates upon the arrival of the Lobster Mac and Cheese Sherry cream sauce and Fontina cheese with Ramey Chardonnay, Russian River (2007, $58). I have a thing for sherry, and the meaty lobster claw pieces were evident among the curly tubes of creamy pasta.
Unfortunately, the Beef Wellington with blue cheese smashed potatoes paired with Sterling Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley (2005, $60) arrived just warm, which meant that the blue cheese hidden within the scoop of mashed potatoes was chunky, and the pastry had begun to get a bit soggy on the bottom. Otherwise, the pastry was well made, and the meat inside tender and well dressed with a mushroom sauce.
Finding room in my tummy for the Braised Lamb Cannelloni with a Malbec demi glace with Ruta 22 Malbec, Patagonia, Argentina (2009, $7/$26) was a bit of a challenge. The cannelloni was a bit thick, but the small pile of cubed vegetables added some nice acid to the tender strands of lamb. This was the first and only plate that I did not clean, after all, as it is well known, there is entirely a different stomach for dessert!
From the sound of the crowd, the Apple Tart with cinnamon gelato with
At $75 (tax & tip included) for 6 courses, the Small Plates Wine Dinner was actually a really good deal. They have these annually during the winter, while throwing other events throughout the year. It was well worth the trip up north!
