Tuscan Wine Dinner at Chianina with the Wine Country

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Randy Kemner from The Wine Country in Signal Hill was the wine host of the evening. All Tuscan wines from different areas in Tuscany.   Found the pairings were good with the selected dishes. They did a good job on that area. Chianina was sold out for this dinner. www.chianina.com.

We started out with a Amuse Bouche of marinated tomato in a foie gras creme. One delightful bite.

First course was a Grilled Prawn and Poached Calamari with tomato and olive compote and saffron espuma.  To me this was the best dish we will have tonight.  Everything on the plate was cooked perfectly and the flavors were spot on.  Paired with a 2016 Vernaccia di San Gimignano, La Lestra.. 

Second course served is a Devils Gulch Rabbit Porchetta, corn puree, black truffle vinaigrette and baby vegetables.  The onions, carrots and turnips were so small that it was difficult to get a fork into them, They just kept rolling around as you kept trying to pierce them with the fork. This dish was good but not stellar.  Served with a 2014 Rosso di Montalcino, Uccelliera.  A bit rustic but paired well with the rabbit.

Third course is a Squab Duo.  Braised squab breast with cavatelli. And a  roasted squab leg with cranberry bean and baby chard.  They mixed up the descriptions of the meat on the menu.  The dish with the breast was great.  I had a difficult time cutting the meat on the squab leg. The skin was not that crispy and it just was not a happy experience cutting the meat. At home I would have picked it up and ate it.  I also was not a fan of the beans. I found them a bit too "rustic" The wine was  a 2013 Carmignano, Fattaoria Amba.  A good combination.

Fourth course was a Bistecca Alla Florentina, two slices of different cuts of the Chianina beef, with baby yellow squash, roasted mushrooms and a squash blossom. The beef looked beautiful but again I was disappointed in the Chianina beef. I did not think it had that great of flavor and it was too chewy for me.  I have had several cuts of this beef at the restaurant and it seems to be a crap shoot of what I am going to get. At times it is flavorful and tender and other times it lacks flavor and is a bit chewy. The wine was the best of the evening. A 2013 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Poliziano.

Dessert was a bit disappointing. An almond sponge cake with roasted plums and honey. Very little flavor to the cake. Plums were good. A 2009 Vin Santo del Chianti, Badis a Coltibuono was served with this dish. Not overly sweet.   They did bring out a plate on very mini cookies. They put it in the middle of the table and several of my fellows diners really devoured everything. I did not get to taste one of them. 

I did have two of the honey salted rolls at  the beginning of dinner and that was my downfall. I fill up on them. But they are so good. They make other restaurants dinner rolls look mediocre. I am a sucker for their marscapone butter.  All in all a good dinner but not great. The menu sounded exceptional but it lacked in execution. I have had so many others at Chianina that were over the top that I probably expect that all the time.  This dinner was also at least $35 cheaper than the other wine dinners that I have done here.