True Foodie Sound Bites: Bluestone Steak House & Seafood: A Wine Dinner To Remember....

...and all I could say was WOW!

Okay, so my spin off the famous An Affair to Remember line may be a bit cheesy, but I'm still under the spell of the food and wine that was consumed by all of us in attendance. And for the record, all I REALLY could say was WOW!! Special thanks again to Bill and Sharon Tackett for their kind and friendly hospitality.

As I arrived, I was greeted ever so kindly by Bill and Sharon Tackett, owner/operators of the Bluestone Steak House and Seafood. Then I ran into the lovely Renee Profitt, of In House Advertising, marketing/branding guru extraordinaire! It was great seeing some long time friends, Stephanie and Bill Cottam, and making some new acquaintances, Ken and Ty...all lovely people with whom to enjoy the palatable wine and heavenly food that was to come.

They started us off with the appetizers. A plate of Triple Cheese Gougère

and Baby Tartine. In French cuisine, a Gougère is a baked savory choux pastry, made of choux dough (dough used typically for éclairs, French crullers, and beignets) mixed with cheese. The Baby Tartine (a savory French open-faced sandwich) was unique with chilled lamb, the lavendar hummus and roasted cauliflower and tomato/bacon jam...yes TOMATO/BACON JAM! . And can I just say, never doubt a talented chef. In this case, how they put things, simple things like a cheese and fruit and make it taste like a complex, sweet and savory cheese cake is beyond me. That is what the Irish Cheddar and strawberries on a skewer tasted like...especially with the house-made pomegranate honey drizzle. This was paired with Chandon Sparkling Rose. It was light and fabulous!

APPETIZERS
Tripple Cheese Gougere, Irish Cheddar and Strawberry Skewers with house-made pomegranate honey drizzle. Baby Tartine with chilled lamb, roasted cauliflower, lavender hummus, and tomato/bacon jam. Paired with Chandon Sparkling Rose.

Next came the salad course. A watermelon and tomato salad with Yuzu Vinaigrette (An Asian citrus with the flavor of mandarin, Meyer lemon and grapefruit). The Yuzu Asian flavors with the fresh tomato and watermelon made this salad unique as the fresh flavors. This was paired with Chateau Minuty.

SALAD

Watermelon and Tomato Salad, w/Yuzu Vinaigrette, paired with Chateau Minuty.

The Fish was next on the menu. A Tuna Crudo (raw sliced tuna) with Fig Vincotto (a fruit flavored, aged balsamic vinegar) and smoked olive oil. Again, an uncommon flavor profile with the smoked olive oil. While the tuna was raw (raw tuna tastes like steak), that olive oil gave it a smoked taste and blended with that Fig Vincotto, wow. Sweet, smokey and fresh.

FISH
Tuna Crudo with Fig Vincotto and smoked olive oil. Paired with
Chalone Estate Pinot Noir.

Next came the Meat course. Without taking away from all of the other dishes, THIS, was my favorite. It was Orange/Ginger braised short ribs (I love braised proteins), Ginger/Orange Gremolata, parsnip vanilla mashers, roasted baby brussels sprouts and caramelized julienne fennel in sherry vinegar and sage butter. As I'm eating this, I'm also reading the guide menu, noting each flavor with every bite. The Parsnip Vanilla mashers, really? Who would've thought to fuse those flavors? That combined with the fall-off-the-bone braised, savory short ribs. And that caramelized flavor of the julienne fennel. I kept having thoughts of the French eating like this (French-style cooking methods are my favorite). All of this mouth-watering lusciousness was paired appropriately with Numanthia Termes & Newton Unfiltered Cabernet Sauvignon (new favorite).

MEAT

Orange/Ginger Braised Short Ribs, ginger/Orange Gemolata, parsnip vanilla mashers, roasted baby brussels sprouts and caramelized julienne fennel with sherry vinegar and sage butter. Paired with Numanthia Termes & Newton Unviltered Cabernet Sauvignon.

Last but certainly not least. The Dessert or "Sweet Ends" portion of the evening. A Chocolate-Chili cake with tequila-cinnamon chocolate ganache and raspberries. I just love rare unthought of combinations that one would never think to combine. It makes me excited to know that I've not tasted something already but that there are so many combinations I have YET to taste. This cake was a culinary explosion in my mouth. From the first bite, you get CHOCOLATE...then the chili spicy flavor sneaks up then BAM, the tequila-cinnamon chocolate ganache pops then melts in your mouth. This wine dinner exceeded my expectations and I'm pretty sure it excelled in the minds and mouths of everyone there. This was paired with Bailey's Vanilla Cinnamon.

SWEET ENDS
Chocolate-Chili Cake with tequila-cinnamon chocolate ganache and raspberries. Paired with Bailey's Vanilla Cinnamon.

It really was such a wonderful evening, surrounded by exquisite food, wine and people. Special thanks again to owners Bill and Sharon Tackett as well as consulting chef Marc Lane and Executive Chef Jose Garcia. I'd also like to thank the hard working staff at Bluestone Steak House and Seafood. They hustled and worked so very hard to ensure that we all were taken care of, but also so that this entire wine dinner went smooth. And it did.