Markham Wine Dinner at Arte Cafe

Thursday, May 9, 2019

Not a big crowd tonight so some reason but those who were in attendance were a lively bunch. Also made the odds better for the door prizes. It will be interesting to see what Dina, the rep from Southern brings for door prizes.

The winemaker from Markham, Kimberlee Nicholls is in the kitchen tonight. Gives Richard a bit of a breather from the kitchen. 

Started out with Margarita Shrimp (very large), orange zest, cilantro, red pepper and a bit of tequila in a cocktail glass. The shrimp were very fresh and tender. The "cocktail" was refreshing but I did not drink the entire thing.  I am not a mixer of alcohols.   A 2016 Markham Sauvignon Blanc was the wine selection. A softer style, not very acidic. A bit of Sauvignon Musque and a tad of Semillon.  I liked this style much better than the Groth from the dinner the night before.

Second course is a Lemon and Spinach Risotto with white fish fillet. Risotto had excellent flavor. Creamy with a hint of lemon.  Not sure what species of fish this was but it was light, tender and moist with a crispy skin. The skin had loads of flavor in it.  Paired with a 2015 Markham Chardonnay. I was not a fan of this wine. Too oaky. I felt that the Sau Blanc went better with the fish. Did not finish the Chard.

Third course is a Braised Pot Roast. Braised in a Markham Merlot wine. Herb crusted cauliflower, yellow squash, zucchini squash, potato, carrot, parsnip and green beans. Very good flavor. At this point I am starting to feel stuffed. After a few bites I have it packed up to go.  Afterall there is dessert coming up next.  Wine selected was a 2016 Markham Merlot. This wine had a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Syrah,  and 1% Cabernet Franc. Very well balanced, big, classic fruit flavors.  I am not a big Merlot fan but I would drink this one again.

Dessert was a chocolate cake with a chiffon cream top. Light and good. They served a 2015 Markham Cellar 1879 Blend with it. This wine is a blend of Merlot, Petite Syrah, Syrah, Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon.  An excellent wine but not sure if I would pick this out for a dessert. It was OK with it but not stellar.

Another good dinner at Arte Cafe. These are the bargains of wine dinners. Good and reasonable in price.  And always door prizes. Tonight Dina had a very odd selection of wines and copies of Wine Spectator Magazine as prizes.  I got a bottle of a Spanish Rosato which will be nice this summer when it warms up. Also got a copy of the magazine but since I subscribe to it I gave it away.   Food was good. Was not sure of a couple of the pairings. Several people had the same take on it that I did.