We were fortunate to be invited to the semi-annual Hawaii Public Radio "thank you" dinner held for generous donors that's held at Mavro in Spring and Winter. Since we're into "the season", the Winter dinner is titled Christmastime in Provence where Chef Mavro was raised. No, I'm not a generous donor by any stretch of the imagination but the K's graciously donate all of the wines served with each course so we were their guests. The reception started with one of Monsieur E's favorite bubblies, J. Lasalle.
Dinner started with the Mille Feuille de Cepes or a napoleon of baked Hamakua Alii mushrooms with a spiced bread served with a watercress salad and essence. Chef Mavro is very entertaining describing his dishes, partly because his Francais accent is so thick but also because of his humor. He explained that the Italians call the mushroom porcini but the "correct" name is the cepe... but since cepes don't grow in Hawaii, he used Hamakua Alii mushrooms... and also explained that the workers "hate" him because he only wants the large mushrooms. The dish was good but a little hard to eat because everything "squished" out due to the firm texture of the mushrooms. This dish was served with a 2010 Domaine de la Cadette Bourgogne.
Though I also uncorked a bottle of 2001 Louis Jadot Corton Pougets Grand Cru to compare old and young red Burgundies with the course.
Next up was the Soupe des Pescheurs or poached onaga in a menpachi based broth almost like a bouillabaisse I personally would NOT have used menpachi just for broth but hey, that's why Mavro gets a 19/20 Gayot rating. This was one of my favorite dishes of the evening and it was paired 2011 Domaine de Triennes Rose.
The I's uncorked a 1995 Corton Charlemagne to pair with both the fish and pork dish.
The 3rd course was a Selle de Porc Aux Endives or a roasted pork tenderloin served with a pork shank rolled in bacon and rinds with a braised Belgium endive. The pork was very good though I would have liked it cooked a little closer to medium rare and shank... well, pork shank is ALWAYS good! This dish was served with a 2009 Uliz Cote de Beaune Bourgogne Protegee though I also sampled it with the Corton Pouget and the Corton Charlemagne (both were great pairings).
The final savory course was Fromage de Feta Poele or pan seared Big Island goat cheese (Chef Mavro said the secret was soaking it in ice water first so it doesn't turn into a melted mess in the frying pan) with a red onion "jam" and brick cracker. The wine pairing was a 2010 Elena Walch Alto Adige Gewurztraminer.
And I also uncorked a 1995 Dom Perignon since I assumed the toasty notes and baked curd flavors would pair nicely with the cheese.
The palate cleanser was a frozen watermelon gellee with mint
Then two desserts were presented, a Melon Verte et Ananas or a honeydew melon froth over a coconut sorbet and the Les Treize Desserts de Noel or a festive tray of mixed chocolates and fruits and this was served with a 2011 Vietti Cascinetta Moscato d'Asti.
Dinner ended with a duo of marshmallow
We previously attended the Springtime in Provence about 18 months ago and dinner once again was superb!
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