Prisoner Wine Dinner at Arte Cafe

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Dinner tonight was sold out. Big crowd in spite of the bad weather. Start time was 6:30 but we did not get a first pour of wine until about 6:40 - staff is running around ragged.

Started out with a Spinach salad with sliced almonds, goat cheese, Dijon vinaigrette and Tempura Shrimp. I did devour this salad.  The dressing is what really made it.  Paired with a 2016 The Snitch chardonnay. $35.  Decent wine, bit oaky but not too much. It also had bit of Roussanne in the blend. Gave it a silky mouthfeel. Tasted like ripe pears. 

First course is a Blackened Sea Bass with mushroom risotto. Fish was cooked perfectly. The risotto needed a bit more time cooking. Just a tad.  A 2017 Saldo,  A Zinfandel, $35,  with some Petite Syrah and Syrah in it. Very dark in color and lots of dark fruit flavors. Bit of spice. Soft finish. I did not expect it to pair well with the Sea Bass but surprisingly it did. 

Up next is a Roasted Cornish Game Hen (half) glazed with warm apple and pear jam.  A bread stuffing and wild rice in the hen. Again the rice was a bit al dente. Good flavors. Served with a 2016 Cuttings,  Napa, Cabernet Sauvignon.  $55. Dark cherry, a bit of cocoa, coffee.

Third course is Prime New York medallions in a peppercorn sauce with mashed potatoes.  Excellent flavors, tender, cooked perfectly.  Paired with a 2017 Eternally Silenced,  Pinot Noir. $50. Grapes were sourced from 5 areas in California. Very good wine. dark fruits, good structure.

Dessert is a Black Forest Cake with a cherry sauce.  Good but not outstanding. I found the cake itself was very light.. I prefer denser cakes.  A 2017 The Prisoner, $49, (red blend) was the paired wine. I do like this wine. A blend of Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Syrah, Syrah and Charbono.  Dark cherries, chocolate, fig.  

Be interesting to see if Richard throws in another wine dinner during the holidays.