Argentine Wine Dinner

Friday, April 24, 2009

I met friends at Delius for dinner tonight. I was surprised to see Kevin Butler from the Henry Wine Group as our "fearless leader". Kevin has moved up the ladder with the company and is stuck in an office for the most part now days. He had a new rep with him. Peter Stolpman had resigned from the company to pursue helping his father run their winery.

I had not seen Kevin since the Catalon dinner at a small restaurant in Newport Beach a few years back. Kevin is the absolute "wine geek". Extremely knowledgeable. Great guy.

There was an unusually small group attending this dinner. I surmised because it was a "generic" wine dinner but that turned out to be a real plus for those attending.

First course was "Ahi Tartare with Fried Plantains, Avocado & Pickled Red Cabbage". Very interesting and good combination. This was served with a Santa Julia Brut Rose, Mendoza, Argentina. Great sparkling wine. I ordered a few bottles of this for my cellar.

Second course was a "Corn Chowder with Pancetta & Chive Cream". Excellent soup. I thought the pairing was very good. Dave the owner at Delius thought the soup was little to sweet for the wine. I disagree. The wine served was a 2008 Santa Julia Torrontes, Mendoza, Argentina.

Third course was "Pan Roasted Duck with Sweet Potato Gnocchi, Baby Brussels Sprouts and Pan Jus. The Gnocchi was different and good. I will say this was the first time I have been disappointed in my duck (which I have had numerous times) Maybe I just got a end piece because everyone was raving about how good it was. I found my skin was very difficult to cut and the meat was just this side of dry. This is very unusual for Delius. I did find out later that since the number of diners for this dinner was small that the Chef de Cuisine did all the cooking. Louise did not cook anything for this dinner. The wine paired with this dish was a 2006 Zuccardi Bonarda, Mendoza, Argentina.

Fourth Course was a "Smoked-Paprika Grilled Hanger Steak with Herb Polenta, Butter Poached Pearl Onion and Chimichurri Sauce. This was served with a 2006 Zuccardi Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina. Excellent dish and excellent wine. A very good pairing. The Chimichurri sauce was outstanding.

Dessert was a Hazelnut Sponge Cake with Fresh Berries ands Lavender Honey Ice Cream. These were individual cakes (small) and ice cream was hand made. It was a perfect size and pairing with the 2007 Santa Julia Tardio, Mendoza, Argentina.

Another very good meal at Delius in spite of the duck mishap. At $85 it was $30 more that the dinner at DaVinci's but worth every bit of it.