March 30, 2007

The last "wine" dinner at Delius tonight. They plan on having their grand opening at the new address on June 1, 2007. I am so looking forward to their new establishment and venue.

The theme of tonight's dinner was "Folio Fine Wine Partners by Michael Mondavi

An "amuse bouche" was served. A crostini with cheese and roasted beets.

Appetizer - Steamed Mussels with a pecan/pesto sauce - 2005 Oberon Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc

Soup - Butternut Squash with Toasted Walnuts - 2003 Spellbound California Chardonnay

First Course - Crispy Skinned Duck Breast with an Apricot/Dried Cherry Sauce - 2005 Hangtime Edna Valley Pinot Noir

Main Course - Provencal Herb Marinated Filet Mignon with Creamy Polenta - 2002 Oberon Napa, Cabernbet Sauvignon

Dessert - Palova with Strawberrys and Honey Sauce

I had not tasted any of these wines before. They were all pleasant wines. The Sau Blanc paired very well with the mussels. The Chardonnay was a little oaky, but the sweetness of the butternut squash in the soup cut the oak quite nicely. The Pinot Noir was nice, a little light weight for my personal taste, but paired well with the duck. The Cabernet was nice. But having just come off a high end Cab tasting the night before, it was hard to get excited about this wine. It was a light Cab and was a good food wine.

The sauce on the mussells was unusual and very good. It made you want to take a piece of the Shallot bread and sop it up.

As always the soup and the duck were great. Louise is such a master when it comes to soup, duck and lamb.

I am always happy when I attend one of the dinners at Delius. The quality of the food is always the best. It's too bad more of the restaurants around don't bring their standards up. I would rather pay a few dollars more for really good food and a relaxing atmosphere. It doesn't do anything for me to spend $50 to $55 dollars on a dinner and be either disappointed in the quality or have just plain bad food. I would rather spend $10 to $15 more and have an enjoyable experience.

Some people complain about the small size of the portions, but I am a big eater and I have never left Delius hungry. (which is more than I can say for a couple of other "high end" local establishments ). They always come around offering additional servings of the main course for those who have "huge" appetites.