Clos Pepe & Delius

Thursday, July 19, 2012

After two years of talking with both Wes Hagen at Clos Pepe and Dave Solzman at Delius they finally got together and set a date for dinner. Had to get Bennet Traub from Wine Country involved and he worked his magic.

This was a last minute happening. Less than 2 weeks from yes this is the date to here we are. Dinner was sold out shortly after hitting the emails and Facebook accounts of Wine Country and Clos Pepe. Delius never got it posted to their website as there were no seats left.

Wes was kind enough to bring my wines down with him that I had on order. Turned out to be a really good thing as they did not have the Homage to Chablis Chardonnay with them (where is it  ? ) they raided my wines and took 6 bottles of the Homage for dinner.

Louise was not cooking tonight so the Sous Chef Pat who planned the menu was our head chef tonight and he did a wonderful job with the flavors of the food but his plating took a step backwards.

First Course: Pan Seared Diver Scallop, Citrus Salad, Blood Orange Sphere - served with 2009 Clos Pepe Homage to Chablis Chardonnay. Excellent pairing.

Second Course: Glazed Pork Jowl, Carrot Puree, Baby Carrots, Confit Pearl Onions - a 2010 Clos Pepe Barrell Fermented Chardonnay was paired with this dish. The pork was like butter. It had been Sous Vide for two days. My only complaint was that the carrots were not cooked evenly, One was correct and one was almost raw.

Third Course: Oxtail Ravioli, Carmelized Sweetbreads, Arugula.Frisee Salad - The ravioli was to die for. I felt that it needed a slight sauce of some type because he pasta itself was a little dry. But the meat was so rich it would be hard to match something with it.  The sweetbreads were good but slightly overcooked. The plating was terrible. No color at all. The wine was perfect   -  a 2009 Clos Pepe Estate Pinot Noir.

Fourth Course: Crispy Skin Duck Breast, Sweet Potato Gnocchi, Arugula Salad. Duck was good The Gnocchi great but we just had Arugula salad with the last course. The 2009 Axis Mundi Sleepy Hollow Syrah was poured and it was an very good pairing.

Dessert was small rounds of Panna Cotta with a fruit sauce. Very light and refreshing.  But not memorable. They could have done a lot better.

Wes Hagen had roasted some coffee beans that morning and had the kitchen make coffee for everyone. He insisted that it was to be served clean - no sugar or cream, It was very good, strong and robust.

After coffee Wes had the bar send in three glasses of a Tequila that he found out that Delius poured. One for him, one for Bennett and one for me. I will say it was the best silver (white)  tequila I have had.

Since Wes was down to be a judge at the Long Beach Grand Cru we are already making plans for another dinner next year when the judging starts. He gave Delius Restaurant a very high compliment when he said he thought the food ranked right up there with Michael Mina's. Would love to another dinner with Clos Pepe and Delius before July of 2013. Will have to start thinking about this. And hopefully the plating improves.