Loire Valley Wines at Delius

Friday, March 25, 2011 Full house tonight at Delius , www.DeliusRestaurant.com, , for tonight's wine themed dinner. Sat at the table with George Pavlov the wine rep. First time meeting him. First Course: Duo of Oysters, one with raw citrus granite, black pepper vinaigrette and a baked oyster with horseradish, parmesan, garlic, micro arugula. Both were excellent. Served with a 2009 Clos de La Chapelle, Muscadet, Sevre et Maine. Very good pairing Second Course: Pork Belly Sous Vide, citrus glaze, cantaloupe spears, Upland cress. Wine was a 2008 Vincent Raimbault, Vouvray. Good food , but I personally like the glazed pork belly on the regular appetizer menu better. Again was a good pairing. I particularly liked this Vouvray, Third Course: Baby Arugula, toasted walnuts, blue cheese, balsamic reduction. Two wines were served with this. I was told because of the blue cheese. Wines were 2008 Joel Delaunay Touraine (Sauvignon Blanc) and a 2006 Xavier Frissant, Renaissance, Touraine Amboise (Malbec, Cab Franc & Sauvignon Blanc) Food was good, Wines were good. I could have done without this entire course. Other people loved it. I just do not happen to be a fan of greens with wine. Fourth Course: Pan roasted duck breast, pancetta & lentil stew, mini slices of brussel sprouts, micro mirepoix. Paired with a 2009 Pascal Bellier, Cheverny (Pinot Noir & Gamay) As always duck cooked to perfection. This was a top notch dish along with a very good wine. Dessert: Raisin spice cake with walnut gelato, mascarpone gelato and carrot syrup. OK when I first saw this on the menu I am wondering how this is going to taste. Sounded a bit off to me especially the carrot syrup. The syrup was on the outside of the plate. and had a very good flavor. Carrots are naturally sweet and I doubt if too much is any sugar was added to this syrup. The cake had wonderful flavor but to me the two gelatos were the absolute best. None of the wines were expensive but all paired well with the food. This makes for a very delightful dining experience. My favorites of the night were the oysters and the gelatos. I could have eaten a couple of dozen oysters and a pint of each gelato and been a very happy person. The two wines I enjoyed the most were the Vouvray and the Cheverny.