Showing posts with label Small Plates. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Small Plates. Show all posts

A Case of the "Blends" 

Friday, September 17, 2010 -
Blended Wines.  Some people love them and have embraced this increasing trend while others have yet to try.  Tastings decided to expand their varietal series as we took a closer look at blended wines and a pairing of wonderful food.

First course was a white table wine, Pro-mis-Q-ous.  A combination of Gewurtztraminer, Chenin Blank and Chardonnay, the taste was subdued in flavor.  Originally, I could smell a hint of oak flavors, but after taking a bite of food, more intense flavor shine through.  Simple and basic in flavor, the three varieties blended well together to create a partnership.  The name says it all, does it not?

What normally would have been our apertif, we were treated to not only a tasting of wine but also to a pairing of food.  Unrue presented us with a warm pear and scallop salad.  Lemon-poached red pears and Granny Smith apples were on a bed of spicy arugula and then topped with perfectly pan-seared bay scallops.  I loved the use of the bay scallops, as it gave a delicate approach to the dish.  The red pears were not as grainy in texture (I'm not normally a fan of pears...yes, I think they taste like dirt...) but more crisp like the apples.  They soaked in the lemon flavors and were strengthened with the meyer lemon dressing.  The tartness of the lemon was refreshing, but what played well with it was the surprise of the St. Germaine foam on top.  This wonderful liquor made from elderflower gave the whole dish a sweetness that was cut by the salty flavors from a shaving of manchego cheese.  I loved the simplicity of the flavors in this dish - it was fantastic.

Our second course began the reds of the evening with a 2006 Michael~David "Incognito" Rouge.  Lodi Vineyards (located in California) produces this sharp, peppery smelling wine.  I was expecting the bold flavors of a Syrah after giving it a swirl and I was happy to have the subtle dryness delivered (if you remember, some individuals do not like reds like this.)  A fruity flavor of berries (especially blueberries) exploded on the palate and then rounded out with the tannines that I expected.  I had previously had this before (I can't help it, marketing gets me every time!) so I was happy to have another tasting.


Paired with the Incognito was the perfect dish - creole fish and dirty rice.  I had already envisioned sitting in Louisiana sipping the wine, so what a dish to match.  Wonderfully cooked mahi mahi was seasoned with creole spices and left you with a great back taste complimenting the wine perfectly.  The startchy dirty rice was cut with the richness of the fish.  To add another element, a basil remoulade was served on top leaving a basil heavy, creamy textured compliment.  A tinge of berry brought out the spices of the dish as well. A heavier dish, the second course contrasted sharply from the first, but I loved everything about it.  My favorite of the evening.

As I continued drooling over the creole mahi mahi and dirty rice (side note - all I want is dirty rice now...and that was a few days ago,) we were presented with our third tasting.  From Argentina, a 2007 Alta Vista "Atemporal" was smooth and full of flavor from the blends.   Malbec was the lead of the flavor, followed by Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and a varietal I've never experienced - Petit Verdot.  I could taste the richness floral and red fruits from what I would expect out of a Malbec, being "fruit forward" in taste.  It finished silky and smooth in the mouth.

I was excited to see a strong and flavorful dish for the course.  Falafel and Babaganoush - two elements that I adore - were beautifully presented in a colorful dish.  A cumin-scented chickpea fritter was chopped so that it had almost a rice texture to it but with all the taste of a chickpea.  Even hubs who doesn't like chickpeas could have had more fritters.  On top was a roasted Japanese eggplant, which I was extremely excited to try as I had never had theJapanese eggplant before.  Sweeter in taste, it paired well with the creaminess of the roasted tomato cream sauce which was poured over the tasting.  I adored the creamy and heavy taste of the sauce as it added a new texture to the grainy chickpea flavors.  The gentlemen sitting next to me told his date that he could be a vegetarian if all the dishes were like this.  For a minute, I thought he was going to start licking his plate, but alas...

Revelry Vintners out of Columbia Valley, Washington, produced our next tasting, the 2008 Reveler.  Luscious in flavors, this was a reverse-style Bordeaux made with a blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.  It had a medium body with a clean finish and light tannines.  It is a limited series and was a great introduction for the reverse Bordeaux style that I had never tried.

With a bold flavor of the Reveler, what better to be served than lamb meatballs?  I love lamb but never had it in a meatball form, so I was excited to be served the red wine-braised lamb.  Served with a smooth porcini mushroom jus, pepper-roasted figs and maytag purple peruvian potatoes mad this a hearty dish.  I love the combination of the bleu Maytag cheese and thyme - it was a level of berry flavors combining with the earthiness of the smashed potatoes.  A little salty in taste, this was comfort food at its finest: salty but bold with meaty flavors.

 
Onto the dessert course, I was happy to not be given a dessert wine, but a white from Terra Alta, Spain.  I love Spanish wines and this 2007 Clos del Pinell Blanc was sweet but with a uniqueness of flavors.  Lemon amber in color, it had a grapefruit smell and was sweet (in the not overwhelming kind of way) on the tongue.  I could see this being served with a light dessert (as we were so happily served) or a seafood - seemed very versitle for a sweeter white.  Another thing I enjoyed, how simple the Spanish can be - can you get anymore basic with this label?
Mock cheesecake - I had no idea what to expect.  I was given a creamy, mascarpone panna cotta which was "eggy" in the perfect way (and yes, I understand that there are no eggs in panna cotta, but still, the cream, sugar and gelatin basics sometimes yield these flavors to me.)  A buttery, almond sugar cookie "crust" was sitting in a pool of sweet tangelo syrup.  The tangelo, which is a sweet fruit, similar to a tangerine, wasn't over the top sweet and complimented the mellow flavors of the mascarpone and almond.  The beautiful sparkle of the candied citrus and lychee (which is a berry) gave it a cruncy sweetness.  Light but sweet - a perfect ending to another wonderful meal. 

During the meal, I was able to enjoy a NEW addition to Tastings - the beautiful flat screen behind the open kitchen!  I know, a tv. And yes, it is exciting.  This is the perfect way for people who MUST see sports or something on the weekend to potentially have that opportunity.  For this tasting however, we were shown some classic pieces of digital art - a nice touch if I do say so myself.

I unfortunately can't make it to the next two Wednesday wine dinners (sad face) because I'll be heading to Seattle to try amazing food (happy face), but that doesn't mean you can't make it!  On Wednesday evening, they made a BIG announcement - Sun King Brewing is partnering with Tastings for an Oktoberfest Beer Tasting!  Beyond excited, as Sun King has some amazing craft beer (amazing tasting room by the way, you must check them out - they also great events, like HBG4) that will match well with Unrue's culinary masterpieces.  You should sign up for that one now - limited spots are available.  I already have my seat reserved, as well as the other marked evenings below:

September 22 - Regional Series: Napa in Nap Town
September 29 - Truly Progressive (Happy Anniversary to my hubby!)
*October 6 - An Evening with Burgess Cellars
*October 13 - Oktoberfest Beer Tasting with Sun King Brewing

Will I be seeing you at any of these events?

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A Progressive Tasting with Soul 

Friday, September 10, 2010 -
What now seems to be a Wednesday night tradition, I headed downtown to Tastings for what I knew would be another great sampling of food and wine.  This past weekend, I had a teaser of things to come when I sipped what would be the aperitif - a tipsy Arnold Palmer.  When further told chicken and waffles would also be part of this course, I couldn't refuse. Despite hubby not being able to change his plans, I grabbed bestie, MM, and we headed downtown with anticipation.

As promised, we were presented with an aperitif of Tipsy Arnold Palmer. A combination of sweet tea and lemonade, this cocktail was the best introduction for a soul food filled evening.  Like any other AP, the sweetness of the sweet tea was cut with the tartness of the lemonade, leaning towards a perfect balance.  This tipsy AP included vodka, as well as tastes of lavender and mint.  For all of you non vodka drinkers - no worries.  This was so smooth that you had no idea vodka was even present. Perfect sipping beverage on those warm evenings.

Our first course was a delightful and classic Southern dish of shrimp and grits.  Of course, this wasn't your ordinary shrimp and grits - and that's the great thing about grits - you can do so much to add flavor.  Grits are essentially ground hominy (corn) that has the consistency of porridge, or even polenta.  So what made these special?  Cheese of course!  Mascarpone was added and gave it a creamy texture that made it incredibly smooth.  The shrimp were extremely fresh with the taste of lemon and subtle heat of red pepper  (though with my love for red pepper, I could have a bit more heat.)  Another twist was the topping of fried green tomatoes (straight from the Unrue's garden!) that gave it a perfect crunch factor.  Drizzled with olive oil, I could have had a whole bowl.

To compliment this dish, we were served a 2009 Shaya 'Old Vines' Verdejo.  This was a drier white wine that had a creamy texture, which really played well on the palate with the creaminess of the grits.  It was fruity and complimented the citrus of the lemon with the shrimp.  A classic white from Spain, I enjoyed sipping on this as I nibbled through the course.

Chicken and waffles - salty and sweet.  Such a perfect combination, and you the second course was prepped, the group I was with drooled over the smells of the buttermilk-fried chicken wings.  Unrue walked us through the history of how individuals ate this in the morning to keep them satisfied during the day - I couldn't imagine how people didn't stuff themselves so full that they couldn't work throughout the day.  The savory waffles were whipped up with the basics, but also included sweet potatoes, chives and parsley.  A sweet but buttery pomegranate hickory syrup topped this waffle.  This syrup was the highlight for many of the patrons, especially those who love sweets!  And of course, to top this all off, a perfectly crisped wing with subtle tastes of sage was ready to be eaten.  Delish for sure.

To stand up to the chicken and waffles, we were served a robust 2008 Patz & Hall Pinot Noir, hailing from the Sonoma Coast of California.  It was intense, full of complex flavors and balanced tannins so that even white wine drinkers could enjoy.  This leaned towards a spicy taste when alternating with the food, giving the combination that much more depth.  I really enjoyed this wine and would have easily had another glass.

Third course was speck-wrapped pork loin on top of spicy collard and mustard greens.  Speck is smoked prosciutto, providing a smoky layer around the tender pork loin.  It was lightly seasoned and well on its own, but got a little lost with the dijon-blackbery BBQ sauce that was served with it.  Though the sweet flavor was intense, it paired well with the spicy chipotle flavors of the greens.  In addition, we were also served mac & cheese, one of my favorite dishes.  It had the texture and taste of a great homemade mac and cheese, creamy and delicious on it's own.  I believe the noodles were ditalini noodles (the small circle pasta,) which was perfect for the portion we were given.  Once again, the sweetness of the BBQ made some of the great flavors not as intense, so I was happy to have devoured most of it prior to eating the pork. But really, pork and mac & cheese?  Great combo for sure!

A spicy shiraz from Shingleback was paired with this pork.  It matched well, standing up to the fruity tastes of the BBQ sauce because of its own blackberry taste with a spicy kick that only a shiraz can deliver.  Though I enjoyed the intense palate of the dry wine, two of my friends, AU and MM, commented how it felt like a "dry forest fire" was in their mouth.  Even the label seemed to nod in their direction with a fire breathing reptile.  I guess you can't covert all white wine drinkers can you?

Final course was a banana bread pudding - and MM couldn't get enough of it.  This creamy, warm bread pudding was perfect in texture and taste.  It smelled so sweet and had a hint of whiskey.  Topped with pecans toasted with brown sugar, a perfect crunch was given to the dish.  On top, a vanilla creme anglaise (which is a pourable custard, usually made out of sugar, egg yolks, milk and vanilla) provided a creamy topping of perfection.

The world of dessert wines has been an interesting one with my time at Tastings.  I normally scoff at them, but Brian (the wine guy of course) has presented many that I have enjoyed.  However, this port, Warres 'Otima' 10 year Tawny Porto from Portugal, was plain overwhelming for me.  The potent alcohol taste was something I couldn't get past.  But I know that any dessert wine lover would have been in heaven, as I do appreciate the time it takes to produce a product like that!

Another great evening with friends, I left with a full belly.  Can't wait for next Wednesday as we celebrate blended wines.  Did you make reservations yet?  For only $20, I don't know why you haven't!

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A Tasting of Australia 

Friday, August 20, 2010 -
Tastings is easily becoming a Wednesday tradition for the hubs and I.  As you may have read, I can't say enough about how great the food, wine, company and staff are at this establishment. 

This Wednesday was no different when it came to great food and fantastic wine pairings.  We were invited to kick back and relax as we were whisked away on a tasteful journey to Australia.

We began with a sparkling red by NV Engine Room.  To say I was surprised by my first sparkling red would be an understatement.  Light on the palate as a sparkling, but with berry tones of a red, it got better with each sip.  Perfect sparkling to enjoy as we prepared for an evening of great food.

As we sipped on the aperitif, we were also poured a tasting of Torbreck's Woodcutter's Semillon.  This white had the creaminess of a chardonnay, alluding to a nutty flavor of almonds.  At the same time, the palate was covered with subtle exotic fruit flavors.  Brian's extensive wine knowledge shined through as he explained why it would work well with Chef Steven's Fish & Chips. 

My favorite of the evening - Turbot sashimi over a kiwi-lychee relish.  The citrus flavors burst in your mouth as the grapefruit aioli complimented the white fish and relish.  The "chips" were crisped lemon potatoes, giving the perfect amount of crunch and saltiness to the dish.  I loved the citrus flavors as they highlighted the fish.  And to hubs surprise, no "fishiness" was present - just delish.

Two Hand's shiraz, Angel's Share, led to an interesting learning experience of shiraz vs. syrah.  This educational moment from Tastings led to the understanding of regions and how they impact the names.  The conversation continued as we enjoyed the bold shiraz.  All of the rich flavors of licorice, coffee and pepper jumped out as they lingered on the tongue.  I love the flavors of shiraz, and it always makes me crave a meaty dish.  Steven came through with his version of a meat pie.

Barbecued chicken and braised fennel were served in a flaky pastry crust, served on top off a plum and quince chutney.  The earthy plum flavors complimented the hearty barbecue sauce of the dish.  My favorite was how the queso blanco on top cut the richness of the barbecue with its own smooth flavors.

After our great shiraz conversation, I was excited to be presented with Mr. Black's Concoction for our third course.  Another from Barossa, the deep red shiraz delivered on all the fantastic flavors.  It had a great intensity of being full and spicy, leaving me wanting more.  And the marketing! I absolutely loved the bottle and could see how when perusing the store shelves, I would easily pick this up. With a shiraz like this, another rich flavor like lamb was just what my taste buds craved.

The lamb was so flavorful and tender on it's own, but the red currant and shiraz reduction took it to a whole new level.  The sweet chili couscous was perfect as the buttery taste mixed with the sweet but spicy flavors.  The lamb and couscous were perfect as they melted together in your mouth.  I was extremely thankful for the extra portions on this dish!

For our finale, we were poured a tasting of Yalumba's Botrytis Viognier, part of their Hand-Picked series.  This 2008 vintage was sweet and flavorful as expected. Unfortunately, I did not try it by itself, as I had already dove into the dessert - lamingtons.  Creamy and rich pound cake, I could eat it alone.  But after it having soaked in the flavors of both Grand Marnier and Dumante, I may never have it solo again.  And then drizzled with a white chocolate ganache?  Incredible.  Both macademia nuts and cashews were chopped up and sprinkled on top of these pound cake popsicles before presented on a smear of mango preserves.  Heaven.  All the rich flavors were cut so perfectly with the Viognier, it was a sweet paradise and an amazing note to end on.

Trust me, you won't want to miss out on these upcoming events:

  • Winemaker Series: Charles Smith (Sept. 1)
  • Truly Progressive (Sept. 8)
  • Varietal Series: The Blends (Sept. 15)
  • Regional Series: Napa in Nap Town (Sept. 22)
  • Truly Progressive (Sept. 29)

Chef Steven will also be at DigINdiana (twitter: @digIndiana), so if you want to try some of his great creations, purchase your ticket for DigINdiana today.  This event will showcase local foods and restaurants with tastings, demonstrations and live music.  You don't want to miss it - August 29th at White River State Park.  Purchase your tickets on the website - I'll see you there (or you can follow me day of on twitter - @angieahrens.)

And don't forget to reserve your spot at one of the upcoming Tastings event - you won't want to miss out on another great night from Steven & Brian!

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Tastings: A Progressive Dinners 

Sunday, August 15, 2010 -
One of my favorite places in Indy, Tastings: A Wine Experience, has continued to amaze me with each visit.  Located in the Conrad, I have been recommending this downtown hot spot to anyone that I can.  Why you may ask?  The relaxed but sophisticated environment lends to the perfect atmosphere to enjoy wine and divine food.  And that is why I can firmly say that if you have $20, you need to spend a Wednesday evening at Tastings.

This past Wednesday, hubs (T) and I joined our friends for another memorable wine dinner (missed out on our last dinner - read about it here.)  This week's theme - truly progressive dinner, vegetarian style.  T and I arrived early to have a few wine tastings before the dinner began (once again, love how you can try anything without purchasing a whole glass if you don't want to!) and instantly our stomach's began to growl as we watched the 6:00 seating wrap up. When you make your reservation (yes, I say when because I expect you to, you don't want to miss this!) you can either reserve space at 6:00 or 8:00.  Our friends then arrived, and we grabbed our seat (there are no bad seats in this arrangement!)

We began our evening with the aperitif - a white gazpacho mary.  I'm not normally a fan of bloody mary's (it's the pepper, don't ask) but this gazpacho was nothing like your normal mary.  Made from grapes, apples, horseradish and cream to name a few, it was full of so many tastes!  Heavy but light - creamy but fruity - tart but spicy - the spectrum was all over the place.  You take a sip and think, "Interesting," and then you continue to sip some more.  The many flavors had you guessing "What is that?"  Who would have ever thought - gazpacho in glass, without the bread and beans!
The first course came quickly, and I was anxious to dig into the tomatoes and french green bean salad.  The green beans were tossed in a whipped vinaigrette, which gave it a sweet element.  I was curious to how this worked, and the chef, Steven, was more than happy to take a minute to really explain the process of flavoring the whipped cream with a simple vinaigrette.  Another thing I love - you've got questions, they always have the time to answer.  Included in the salad was frisee and the heirloom tomato tartare, drizzled with chive oil.  My favorite part of this dish was the tomato tartare - I loved the sweetness of the tomatoes with the chive oil.  I could have grabbed some homemade tortialla chips and had a free for all with the tartare.  All the flavors complimented each other so well -  perfect first course on a hot evening.
The wine pairing was a rose - Le Domaniers Cotes De Provence Rose, 2008 - to be more exact.  After enjoying the fruity first sip, I found myself shocked.  I normally stay away from roses, but I found myself returning for another sip almost immediately.  Maybe it was the combination of the whipped vinagrette, but I found myself drawn to the light spice balanced with the taste of peaches.  It was, once again, perfect for the hot evening.
The second course, made with all local ingredients, featured an Indiana sweet corn tamale, braised kale, goat cheese and a tomato cream sauce that I could have ate all evening.  This is a sneak preview of Steven's dish for DigINdiana, which is a festival of local Indiana foods.  Am I happy to have seen and tasted this dish!  I don't know if I'll ever have a tamale with perfect texture as this, paired so well with roasted peppers and the sweet tomato cream sauce.  Everything about this dish was amazing - I wanted a full plate immediately.  I thought hubs (well, me too) were going to lick the plate it was so divine.  Mark your calendars, cause you too can try this luscious dish at DigIndiana (if you can't make it, follow me on twitter to get updates throughout the event!)
A delicious pairing, we were offered the Italian Barone di Valforte Montepulciano.  Walking us through the areas of Italy, this Italian wine from Montepulciano was the perfect compliment to the tamale dish.  Full of flavor, soft tannins and an intense fruit flavor.  Not overpowering in anyway, I could have sipped it all night.
Third course was for mushroom lovers, thus it was for me.  Balsamic-roasted portobello with shitake mushrooms were set upon a creamy base of risotto and yams.  The farro risotto was melt in your mouth creamy, textured with chanterelle mushrooms.  Complimented with the sweetness of the yam puree, it was a dream come true.  There is possibility no way that you would have missed the meat.  These full flavors could easily stand alone, but together, it was a full bite of fall.  I would easily demand this dish to be put on the menu for a fall menu (hint hint Tastings!)
The wine to compliment the mushroom dish was the best of the evening.  A deep red from Spain, Juan Gil Monastrell stood up to the flavors of the dish. The fruit flavor balanced with oak undertones and lasted long on your palate with a smooth finish.  It was amazing - you had to keep alternating sip with bite to get the full experience.
Final course of the evening, I felt as though chef Steven was speaking directly to me because of my cheese love.  I adore a great cheese platter, appetizer or dessert, and in this final course, I was not disappointed.  Three different types of goat cheese atop three different kinds of jam on some wonderful breads were the perfect ending to this meal.  You had your traditional goat, melt in your mouth creaminess with the texture of a brie rind atop a berry compote.  In the middle, a sharper goat with a texture similar to a cheddar paired with a combination of berry jam (maybe some blueberries, blackberries and raspberries.)  And finally, a creamy goat which you could spread so easily over the apricot jam.  Heaven - the perfect way to showcase a truly underappreciated cheese by many, each one stood on it's own while complementing the whole plate.
Do you see how beautiful this combination is?  I loved it so much that on Saturday's farmer's market (Carmel's Farmer's Market is fantastic - I recommend!) I bought some Scholar's Inn bread and local vanilla and fig jam from Circle City Sweets in preparation for some goat cheese...really, the combo is so phenomenal due to the simplicity of the fantastic flavors.
To pair, we were offered an ice wine from Canada.  I learned that most ice wines are produced from Canada, and this Jackson-Triggs Vidal did not disappoint.  Normally, ice wines are too sweet for my taste (as they are for many others.)  However, it matched so well with the cheese, I couldn't help but sip it between each bite.  The taste of the frozen grapes was complimented by the undertones of apricot, leaving a silky finish on your tongue.  It worked perfectly to cleanse your mouth of the creamy goat cheese, but not in a way that masked the flavors.  This had to be the first ice wine that I enjoyed, and the packaging wasn't too shabby either!
Once again, another successful and delicious evening at Tastings.  Every bite gets getter with each visit, and I was so in love with this meal, I already signed up for next Wednesday's dinner event (Wines of Australia.)  I know the overall focus of Tastings is wine, but really, the small plates that are offered with the wines for these dinners can't be beat in the city.

Hats off to these gentlemen for a phenomenal evening - looking forward to next week and the many more Wednesday's to come!

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Zing's Vegetarian Wine Dinner 

Thursday, August 5, 2010 -
Hubby and I had the pleasure of attending Zing's Vegetarian Wine Dinner earlier this week.  I had won two tickets to the event via twitter (you can follow too - @zingrestaurant) and it was a pleasant surprise to the hubs as he is celebrating birthday week.

I have been to Zing before for an Alzheimer’s event in support of QUASH (what is QUASH – read more here), so I knew the layout of the restaurant and was expecting some great small plates.  We arrived 10 minutes early and were able to grab a booth on the main floor (upstairs has more seating with a full bar – this is normally where I see most people go) where the event was taking place.  We did start the event a little late as we were waiting for others to join us, but this wasn’t a problem due to my company (yes, corny, love the hubs.)

J, co-owner’s of Zing, greeted us with a brief introduction of how the evening would play out.  Due to it being ridiculously hot outside (ugh, hello heat index of 110 degrees!), he let us know that we would have a really informal evening with basic descriptions of each course.  We then began with the first course - chilled watermelon soup with mint gelee.


The soup really seemed more like watermelon juice – I expected a puree of watermelon and other elements to make it more of a soup course than a juice course.  And mint gelee (really, it’s jelly) was dropped in, throwing off the consistency of the dish even more to me.  I ended up swallowing a glob of jelly, mint leaves and what I believe was a jalapeno slice at once.  It didn’t work for me or the hubs, he even said “Mmm, try again."  The dish was paired with Trivento Torrontes, a Chilean wine with a bit of a citrus bite.  It was definitely grape oriented, and because of the citrus, very light and refreshing.  It tasted better to me after a few sips, but I don’t know if the pairing was right with the soup for my taste buds.  Unfortunately, this was not the best dish for me of the evening, so I am sad to say it didn’t start well.  But I was pleasantly pleased with the next course – Haricot Vert, Baby Yukon Potatoes and Micro Greens. 


This dish was great – refreshing to taste with a tarragon vinaigrette.  It was vinegar heavy, but not in an overpowering way.  It may have been a tarragon vinegar mixed with olive oil and chopped shallots and (more) fresh tarragon.  It was a pleasant dish – something I would definitely order off a standard menu.  The haricot vert (pretty much a green bean) was crisp and those little baby yukon’s were cooked and cooled perfectly.  The winner of this dish – the vinaigrette - we both thoroughly enjoyed it!


To add to the vinegar love, the pairing was done so very well.  The chardonnay was the French Drouhin Macon – Villages.  With a creamy undertone, it provided a smooth finish the vinaigrette – fantastic.


I love beets, so I was excited for the third dish – Salt Roasted Summer Beets over Parsnip Puree.  J explained how the beets were slow roasted with salt, and the flavor they produced was great.  As hubs said, it left my tongue “beet red” and my tummy pleasant.  I really loved the parsnip puree with its “full and meaty” taste, yet complimented with some sweet back taste that I couldn’t pinpoint.  It may have been the balsamic that was drizzled in combination with olive oil, I don’t know, but it was divine.  A great substitute to your standard potatoes, I love it when veggies are pureed for my enjoyment. 


The wine – Acrobat Pinot Noir, lightly chilled from Oregon – was a fantastic match.  The spicy/pepper taste with undertones of cherry (maybe?) was perfect for the earthy flavors of the dish.  A spicy red with earthy food to match?  Can't go wrong – delish!

Cheese – I love it.  Probably one of the best things in the world (and this is not because I’m from Wisconsin.)  This is why I was anticipating the final dish – Char-grilled Portabella Mushroom with Crispy Baby Artichokes and Goat Cheese Mousse.  The artichokes were a surprise – fried and seasoned with salt and pepper.  I haven’t eaten artichokes like that, so they were fun to pick up and pop in the mouth like you would with a french fry.  The mushroom was uber juicy, maybe because of a marinate in olive oil before it was thrown on the grill, I’m not sure.  But the mousse was so incredibly light, but at the same time heavy with the wonderful goat cheese taste.  I was able to smother my whole cap with it.  The big item that stood out to me with this meal was the taste of lemon – I don’t know if thyme was used for the cap, or if there was a citrus touch to the mousse, but I tasted a lot of it.  At times, it was even a little overwhelming, but still a good dish.


We had two wines to enjoy the meal with: a red (Artazuri Garnacha from Spain) and a white (Pacific Rim Dry Riesling from Washington.)  J encouraged us to begin with the red and then move to the white – both adding their own complexities to the dish.  I have to say, I’m not normally a huge fan of Rieslings, but alas, this one was wonderful.  I even went back for multiple glasses after dinner as J and the Zing staff left out bottles for us to stick around and enjoy.



I wasn’t overly excited for dessert – Coconut Cream Pie – because I’m just not a huge coconut fan.  However, this cute (yup, cute) little tart that hubs and I shared was the perfect ending to the vegetarian meal.  There weren’t chunks of coconut (which I liked) so either they pureed it like no other or they used coconut milk to make the cream.  Topped with fresh whip cream (and lots of it!), my favorite was the sugar cooking tasting crust.  It was thick, like a cream pie crust should be (personal opinion of course) and I couldn’t get enough of it.  Thank you to hubs for letting me have the crusty side while he had the more cream side.   Wine served was a Prosecco from Italy, and to me, it was good with the dish, but not so good by itself.  But as I was gobbling up my crusty pie, I also drank down the prosecco so it definitely wasn’t a problem to me!


A successful evening, all those around seemed to really enjoy the food, drinks and atmosphere of Zing.  There was a table of women having a girl’s night out, a family, some older couples as well as younger, so the crowd was all over the place bringing a comfortable atmosphere to the evening.  Zing is having more of the events, so if you ever want an evening out at a new restaurant, check it out.  They will be doing the vegetarian pairings once a month, and no, you won’t miss the meat!


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