I attended a wine tasting at Vino highlighting the phenomenal 2007 vintage in California - I may do an article on the vintage so I'll save that for later. After the tasting, our table of 8 remained at Vino for dinner. Vino also offered their Saturday Night Supper which was a 3 course of Grilled Calamari, Tuscan Braised Short Ribs and dessert. I originally intended on selecting this 3 course since I also brought a magnum of 2002 Blankiet Merlot and thought it would pair well with the short ribs. However the Vino trio of Chuck, Cheryle and Chef Keith just returned from Northern CA and Chef Keith obviously was inspired by the trip - enough so that he created 5 different special dishes for the evening. Therefore we decided to order every special and had it served family style for our table.
We started with Fresh Mozzarella stuffed with Mascarpone on Basil Pesto and Tomato Concasse. Almost like burrata with mascarpone in place of ricotta and nicely balanced by the herbal pesto and fresh tomatoes. Great also with a glass of Cuvee Dom Picard from Collard-Picard Blanc de Blanc Grand Cru.
Next up was Arugula Salad with Roasted Beets, Toasted Almonds and Goat Cheese
Followed by Gnocchi with Roasted Mushrooms and Haricot Vert
Followed by Penne with Pork Sausage Marinara
Followed by Cassoulet
Followed by Fresh Pappardelle with Big Island Smoked Pork and Organic Egg
Followed by Truffled Mac-N-Cheese with Mushrooms
Ending with the Apple Tarte on Caramel Sauce
Dinners like this recharge the batteries for the following work week... Gochisosama!
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