Erath Wines at Arte Cafe

Wednesday, June 5, 2019

My "hot" date got sick on me so I managed to get a seat at another table by being a bit "needy".  I arrived first and the staff was in a very controlled crisis. Seems there was a party of seven people that Arte Cafe had no record of a reservation. So staff was scrambling to get a table big enough for them. They took our table of five and converted it to a seven then took a table of 4 and converted to for our five. Their square tables have semi-rounds on the sides that fold down if not needed. It's hidden by the tablecloth.  After five minutes or so everything calmed down. 

We started out with Florentine Oysters with spinach and hollandaise.   These oysters are cooked in the shell with the spinach and sauce on top.  Nice,  plump  and very good.  Wine is a 2015 Erath Pinot Gris. $14.  Not a big fan of Pinot Gris (Grigio). But I did consume two glasses.

Second course is Dungeness Crab on top of fresh pear "sticks" and Brussels sprout leaves.  Pears were fresh and tangy. A good foil for the crab. I liked this dish a lot.  A 2014 Erath Willakia Vineyard Chardonnay, $34 was the selection. I could only get a hint of oak on the nose but the taste was very off putting to me. Did not finish the glass.

A 2016 Erath Estate Pinot Noir, #34, was poured.  Did not like the herbaceous, stemy taste on the back palate but after it sat in the glass for awhile that softened Decent wine but not my style of Pinot. Others at the table really liked it. A Cedar planked  Sockeye Salmon was the next dish. Covered with fresh creamed corn  Corn was cut off the cob and blanched. Very fresh. Salmon was a bit dry. Unusual for Richard to dry a piece of fish. Wasn't overly dry but not much moisture on the inside. 

Fourth course is a Double Cut Lamb Chop with a goat cheese Bechamel sauce, mashed potatoes and a grilled cauliflower "steak". Meat was tender and cooked perfectly. I really liked the sauce. Interesting flavor. Only issue was everything on the plate was "white". Lamb was covered with the white sauce, white mashed potatoes and white cauliflower served on a white plate.  Even a white Endive leaf for decoration. The dish screamed for color. We eat with our eyes also. Paired with a 2015 Erath Price Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir. This wine suited my palate more than the wine before. Dark fruits and a hint of cherry. 

Dessert is a fresh mixed berry cobbler with freshly whipped cream. A tad sweet but very good flavors.

A good dinner for the price. $49. With tax and tip it was $100 less  than the dinner at Chianina on Monday. Maybe not the level of sophistication as Chianina but more than acceptable for the price. And we got rolls with dinner. I don't particularly like the rolls at Arte and do not eat them very often  but at least we get a basket of them.

Everything is relative to the price. Service, food, wine etc., For high dollars I expect a lot more. At Arte I get my monies worth.