Cupcake Vineyards

Adam Richardson’s first love is flying, earning his pilot’s license before his driver’s license. Before he became a winemaker, he was a lieutenant aviator in the Royal Australian Navy. He flew helicopter search and rescue missions for 8 years before making a dramatic change in careers, entering the world of the vine.

“You can spend your whole life looking for the bottom of the glass and not get there”.

I had the pleasure of meeting this true flying winemaker for dinner at one of Atlanta’s finest new restaurants, Miller Union. Adam is the head winemaker for Cupcake Vineyards, which is a part of the larger Underdog Wine Merchants organization. We enjoyed 9 different wines, along with great food during all three courses of our meal. FULL DISCLOSURE: The meal and wines were all covered by the winery, so I had to pay for nothing.

First, let’s talk about some of the highlights from our conversation.

Least favorite varieties to work with: Merlot and Pinot Noir. My wife was a bit taken aback by his lack of appreciation for Pinot Noir. We got to talking about it and he did say he loved (to drink) a good Burgundy, but that it could quite frustrating to really find those that really moved you.

Favorite variety to work with: Shiraz. He commented that his answer might seem obvious, being it is a major grape in his homeland, but he said that wasn’t the real reason. He felt Shiraz was a grape you could generally always make a good wine with, but that to make a distinctive, unique wine was a much more challenging task. It was finding that distinct voice which made it his favorite grape to work with.

Favorite wine to drink: Outside of his own wines, it was Barbaresco. His answer took me aback, as it wasn’t something I really expected. He said he was a big fan of German Rieslings as well, but when it came down to it, Barbaresco was his absolute favorite and it yielded my favorite quote of the evening, “You can spend your whole life looking for the bottom of the glass and not get there”. I thought this was a great way to describe the passion for a particular wine and it is one I feel like many Burgundy fans could identify with.

Worst thing he’s ever eaten: Adam is an enthusiastic cook whose favorite cook book is [AMAZON affiliate link] The French Laundry Cookbook. Not exactly lightweight stuff there. The answer to the question was lamprey eels that had been boiled in their own blood. He said it was as disgusting as it sounded. As for an unusual thing he’d eaten that he did enjoy, it was drunken prawns.

Approach to winemaking for Cupcake: In our conversation, I think I’d say Adam is shooting for a broad audience, but without making wines geared only for newbies. He wants to make balanced wines which exhibit typicity for their region and grape. His personal affinity for European wines and understanding of the US market make him well equipped to pull off his aim of creating value wines that wine drinkers of all experiences can enjoy.

Overall, I got the impression that Adam was quite a fan of food and wine, especially when you consider he is responsible for making wines on four continents and continues to add new wines to the portfolio. At this point in time, the Cupcake brand alone has 12 different wines, with more coming this Fall. From a business point of view, the brand is easy to remember and hints towards a more fruit driven style.

Here are quick notes on all the wines we tasted:

2009 Cupcake Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, New Zealand) 12.5% alcohol: As before, this was a very nice balanced approach to the grape, which can often exhibit overwhelming grapefruit and herbaceous character. This wine weaves together grapefruit, pear and sweet lemon flavors that make it suitable for drinking alone or with seafood, be it raw, grilled or sautéed.

2009 Cupcake Vineyards Pinot Grigio (D.O.C. Trentino, Italy) 13% alcohol: So, the wine world used to be pretty crazy for this grape, which I often found to be more akin to lemon water as the mass market producers tend to make it. This was actually pretty good and while I’d not personally run out to buy it, I’d have no issue with recommending this as a solid example of the grape.

2009 Cupcake Vineyards Riesling (Mosel Valley, Germany) 10.5% alcohol: We had a nice chat about German Rieslings and how they are becoming an endangered species in the wine world, as the vineyards are hard to work and many of the younger generation have no desire to work the land. At this price point, you have a nice wine that exhibits stone fruit and citrus, but lacked the punch of slate and overall flavor that I so enjoy from this region’s wines. I think you can do better with other choices.

2009 Cupcake Vineyards Riesling (Columbia Valley, Washington) 13.2% alcohol: Creamier and drier than the German wine, I found this more to my liking. It just required the right food, which we weren’t really having and honestly, we sort of rushed through the two Rieslings and the next wine, as our entrees had arrived and we were eager to get to the whites. I’ve got a sample bottle of this in the fridge and think I may try it with some veggie spring rolls.

2009 Cupcake Vineyards Chardonnay (Central Coast, California) 14% alcohol: Well made, with a nice balance to the oak and fruit flavors. The oak shows some character in the buttery vanilla nose, but the palate exhibits some nice tropical fruit flavors and I felt this was well made, though I don’t know if the world needs another $10 Chardonnay. This strikes a nice balance between the classic butter bomb Cali-style and the surging popularity of un-oaked wines. California Chardonnay fans will enjoy.

2007 Cupcake Vineyards Merlot (Central Coast, California) 13.9% alcohol: Juicy, but lacking any real character and was just sort of there. My least favorite wine of the night.

2009 Cupcake Vineyards Malbec (Mendoza, Argentina) 13.5% alcohol: Starts off with a great smoky leather aroma that lays over the black fruits, which make their presence known once you get this lovely drop in your mouth. I liked the sort of restraint this wine shows, as I’ve been finding so many Malbecs of late to be over ripened fruit bombs that are one trick ponies. This went really well with my NY strip, which was cooked to a perfect rare. (Thank you Miller Union!). This was my favorite wine of the night and something I’d buy.

Overall, the Cupcake brand is off to a fairly good start. They have an easy to remember name, no critters or low-brow marketing, an appealing price point and cover most of the major grapes. I had my favorites, as any wine drinker will, but it wasn’t like I found any of the wines undrinkable. Those I didn’t care for (Merlot and German Riesling) weren’t bad, I’ve just had better for the money.

A big thanks to Adam for taking the time to meet with me and my wife, we really enjoyed it.

Cheers!

Buttered popcorn ice cream and caramel corn

Look to your left.

That was my favorite bite of the evening.

I had seconds. Right away. I would have had thirds, but I still had enough wits about me to know that would have been rude.

Today will be brief, as I’m just going to review a few of my favorite dishes served at the Tour de Champagne here in Atlanta.

What you are looking at comes courtesy of Canoe, an icon in Atlanta fine dining. The dessert is buttered popcorn ice cream served with caramel corn. It was wicked.

I repeat, W-I-C-K-E-D good.

I’ll go back to the beginning and start with the savory dishes. Our first bite was some foie gras sushi with mango, which was begin served by Geisha House. It was good, but I tasted more mango than anything else. Maybe my memory is incorrect and it was something else. I didn’t get seconds. Their tuna tartare was tasty and I totally forgot to go back, not because it was bad, there were just other things we enjoyed more.

I think the dual offerings from Sambuca were next, which included a wild mushroom ragu served over bread and a tasty cold crab salad. Both were really good, but the ragu was the winner for me. It would have done well with the 1999 Piper-Heidsieck Rare being served upstairs.

Super Lump Crab Fritters from Nava

Next came the second best savory dish of the evening. It was Nava’s super lump crab fritters with goat cheese, preserved lemon and jalapeño over a sweet chile mango sauce. It was much lighter than you’d expect, with an initial hit of sweet crab, then the creamy tang of the goat cheese, all finishing with the sweet heat of the sauce. It was spectacular and while I didn’t try it, I think this would have done really well with either demi-sec Champagne being served. Piper-Heidsieck and Moët et Chandon each were offering their sweeter style Champagnes.

Next was the piroshki from Nikolai’s Roof, which I’ve no recollection of what was in it. Sue me. It was really good, but much more favored by my wife than myself. It was a good choice to go with the heavier Champagnes like Veuve or even the Rare, as you needed a bit bigger wine to take on this hearty dish.

There were a few others stops we made downstairs (where most of the food was), but it was the final stop that really took the show. Bluepointe had a scallop dish that was out of this world good. First off, I really prefer scallops to be seared, as opposed to fried. I think frying them masks that which makes them taste good in the first place.

scallops and creamed corn...Y U M...

Second, the dish was plated with a delectably sweet creamed corn. There is actually a BBQ joint (you know the kind…meat served on butcher block paper…they give you white bread as a “side”…the picnic tables are all communal…and to boot, it is a gas station) in Texas that serves the best creamed corn on the planet, but this was real close. Real close. I don’t know what topped the sweet bi-valve, but the entire bite was really good. Kudos to Bluepointe.

From there, we went upstairs and found many more sweets. It was a good plan and was a smart way to force people up and down, though it seemed like most folks settled upstairs, as the downstairs seating was almost always empty.

While Canoe’s dish blew away the competition, there were plenty of other tasty delights to satisfy any sweet tooth. One was a sweet shot comprised of strawberries, Champagne, creme fraiche (I think) and sweet micro-basil. It was good and I look forward to seeing what Chef Keira Moritz of Pacci Risorante has in store for the Atlanta Food Rave in August.

After the event was over, we walked over to the St. Regis for the after party. They were serving two different cognacs by the shot, but we chose not to partake since we aren’t cognac folks and didn’t want to experiment with $75/oz to get our feet wet. We were introduced to Ian, the hotel’s wine director, who would later share some delightful still wines with us. He came over to where we were sitting to check up on us and when asked what our favorite wines were, my wife replied Pinot Noir. He disappeared and several minutes later, appeared with 3 glasses of wine. He served it blind and neither of us were able to guess its origins. It turned out to be the 2006 K Vintners The Boy Grenache from Washington state. It was still a bit tight, but had a wonderful spiced black cherry and plum flavor, with a strong mineral finish. After that, he brought out some 2008 Orin Swift The Prisoner, which was the sort of hedonistic fruit bomb that was perfect for wrapping up a great evening. Thanks Ian.

Cheers!

Farm Burger

In case you hadn’t heard, there is a new burger joint in Decatur. When it comes to our passion for ground beef between bread, Americans are insatiable. Despite movies like Super Size Me and Food, Inc., the big boys of the fast food industry continue to grow their sales, profits and our collective cholesterol counts.

Recently, you’ve probably noticed a Five Guys somewhere in your neighborhood. Dotting locations across the map, both ITP and OTP, this burger specialist delivers a great value and some of the darn tastiest french fries this side of the Atlantic. They make a great alternative to the drive through purveyors of saturated fat and sodium.

What Farm Burger offers is grass-fed beef, which is how cows were meant to be fed. Studies show that this version of tasty cow bits is lower in overall fat, saturated fat and has higher levels of those oft-promoted for heart health omega-3 fatty acids. Does that make it a healthy option to eat on a regular basis? Compared to grain fed beef, sure. Where you will suffer, if it matters, is with the array of flavor enriching, fat laden toppings.

What and where

The sign speaks to the fact they use locally sourced grass fed beef, along with as many locally sourced toppings and sides as possible. They are after all, the sister (why do restaurants never have brothers?) restaurant to Farm 255 in Athens, GA. Beyond the burgers, there is a veggie option (with no explanation as to its content or sourcing), several sides (including Southern selections of boiled peanuts, pickled eggs and fried chicken livers) and the above mentioned assortment of side splitting toppings. No sign of the press release mentioned burgers* made from chicken, turkey, pork or local seafood. Hopefully we will see those as things move along. Keep in mind, they only opened on April 21st.

We arrived on Sunday just before noon and after 20 minutes, it was our turn to place the order. Oh yes, the seating is fend your yourself convivial and semi-communal. There are 3 picnic sized tables suitable for six, though it appeared they were a bit underutilized. I’ve seen this concept work in my native land of Texas and road side BBQ joints, but they are usually bigger. There were also seats at the counter, a bar seating arrangement right of the entrance and a few more tables for two, several of which were combined (by patrons or the establishment I know not) for larger parties. We scored a table outside about 5 minutes before ordering.

I’ll only speak to my burger, with the note everyone in our party was delighted. Granted, children are easier to please than adults. I decided to go simple, though I did make the mistake of having blue cheese. The error didn’t lie within the cheese itself, but rather in evaluating a burger, I feel like I should have ordered something a bit more restrained.

My other selections were vine-ripened tomatoes, house made pickles and iceberg lettuce. The lettuce was fresh and crispy, though I would prefer to have romaine. The tomato was tasty, the soft pickle slices reminiscent of my cousin’s bread and butter chips, a mix of sweet and tangy. I wonder if something was wrong, as John Kess referred to his (ordered as a side) as “sharp and vinegary”. The sesame seed bun was fresh and soft, with a slight toast that I personally would have preferred a tad crunchier. Next time I’ll specify. I also added a mild dosing of yellow mustard, available table side where the ketchup also resides.

I pulled off two bites of the burger to sample on their own and I found the medium cooked default option to be plenty juicy. So much so that I had a rather soggy bun about halfway through consumption. It was simply seasoned (as it should be) with salt and pepper, cooked with the hallmark flat top crust. Size was just right, somewhere around 1/3 lb and just the right portion. Overall, it was a good burger. I wouldn’t go so far as to call it great, but I had no complaints and plan to return for a special burger I’ve conceived in my gluttonous imagination.

For sides, we had the pork and beans, fries and onion rings. The onion rings were beer battered and very crunchy, with a perfectly firm and sweet onion lying within. I wonder if they will feature Vidalias come the time they are in season? Fries were hand cut, fried in peanut oil (tasted that way to me) and a bit on the floppier side than I prefer, but that didn’t stop us from finishing them off with extreme vigor. The pork-n-beans were not to my liking and I left more than half of them behind. It was the only real disappointment of the day. For drinks, it was sweet tea all around and it was fairly mediocre. I prefer a strong brew with moderate sweetness and this lacked in both departments.

Overall, I’d give our first trip a solid B+. As for value, well quality costs and I didn’t mind the extra expense. I’d say most folks burgers will probably run closer to $8 than the $6 base, as almost everyone orders at least cheese and they have a fine selection of cheeses. No molecule-away-from-plastic processed food products here.

Cheers, happy Monday and please folks, stay safe on the roads today. Better late than never.

Here are some other reviews I was able to find:

• The Food Abides
• Foodie Buddha
• Asian Cajuns
• Decatur Wine and Food Dude
• Creative Loafing
• AJC’s John Kess
• Urban Spoon
• Yelp

* Apparently, burgers are now made from anything, sort of like martinis. Pet peeve, but if it comes between two slices of bread and isn’t ground cow, it is a sandwich. If it isn’t gin (or I’ll give you plain vodka) with vermouth and olives, it ain’t a martini. It is a cocktail without a name.

Birdman / Big House White / Big House Red / The Lineup

About a week ago, I was fortunate enough to have been invited to dinner [FULL DISCLOSURE: Dinner and wine were provided for by the winery, so I spent nothing.] with the wine maker in charge of Big House, Georgetta Dane. Georgetta has an interesting story, one which embodies the American dream of making for a better life.

She was born in Romania and came to this country 11 years ago via a lottery where her husband was selected to receive a U.S. visa. They didn’t speak the language, but took the chance, packed up and moved to America. I don’t know the exact history of her career, but she did mention she was at Kendall-Jackson before getting the opportunity to take over the reigns of Big House.

One thing I found really fascinating was her comparison of winemaker to perfume maker. As someone who was a smell-ophile before getting into wine, I was curious for her to expound on this statement. She said with the number of varieties in the Big House brands, she had many notes to work with. She said she worked like a perfumer, establishing a base note with heavier grapes like Tannat and Petite Sirah, then added the heart notes with many of the traditional Italian grapes, finishing with bright and aromatic grapes for the top notes. I wonder if there are any other wine makers with a similar philosophy?

Big House is the label that was once owned by Randall Grahm, who sold it in 2006 to focus on more vin de terroir, a departure from the strategy of building brands and making wine like a negociant (one who purchases grapes or finished wine, then sells it…there is a lot of this, especially in the more value priced categories). Randall is an icon of the industry and if you want to get a great sense of who he is and what he is currently up to, check out these vids of him on Gary V’s show WLTV.

What is unique, besides the names and concept of the brand, is the number of varietals used in making the blended wines, Big House White and Red. [NOTE: There was a pink, but due to sluggish sales, it looks like there won't be one any more. That would be a shame as it is one of the best values in domestic rosé.] Big House Red contains 13 different grapes, the white has 4 and last year’s pink had 8.

Before I get into the wines, a quick word about our restaurant, Abbatoir. We started with the cheese sampler and two of the “Food in a Jar” selections. Our selections were the potted chicken liver with foie gras and duck rillettes. Both were nice ways to start the meal, though I’d probably switch to something lighter or skip the appetizers next time, as this is some heavy duty food. Our cheese plate was a small sampling of four, with the bleu des basques being my favorite. My second was the one that came with the honey comb, though I don’t remember which it was. You could always ask them for that one, as each cheese comes with an appropriate accoutrement. For dinner, I had the local pork sampler, which included a full sized chop, a healthy portion of tenderloin and a nice square of belly. It was decadent and a very healthy portion, easily something two could share, though you may want extra belly since that stuff is hard to share. The finish was an assortment of desserts, with the standout for me being the maple bacon beignets. Sweet, salty and smoky make for a great combination and I’d recommend stopping by just to try these. They are that good.

So, onto the wines. I didn’t take real detailed notes, so these are going to be short and sweet.

2009 Big House White – estimated retail $9.99: A blend of 56% Malvasia Bianca, 22% Muscat Canelli, 18% Viognier and 4% Rousanne, this wine is patterned after whites from the Friuli region of Italy. It was crisp and clean, with nice fruit flavors that were largely melon in tone. I found this version inferior to the amazing 2008, but still a good bottle of wine to have with summer fare like salads or fish.

2009 Big House Birdman Pinot Grigio – estimated retail $14.99: A blend of 82% Pinot Grigio, 8% Malvasia, 3% Muscat Canelli, 2% Vigonier and 5% other, I found this was the better of the two whites. I found it to have a bit more balance and fruit than the Big House White, with a smoother and longer finish. I’m not sure if it is worth the $5 more, but if you find it for $12 or so, it would be a nice selection instead of the usual plonk I find coming out of Italy in this price range.

2008 Big House Red – estimated retail $9.99: A blend of…hold on to your hats…26% Syrah, 13% Petite Sirah, 9% Grenache, 9% Montepulciano, 7% Mourvedre, 6% Sangiovese, 6% Aglianico, 6% Tannat, 5% Nero d’Avola, 4% Sagrentino, 3% Touriga, 3% Barbera and 3% Petite Verdot. I forgot to ask and now I wonder, how many different blends does Georgetta try before she comes up with her final answer. I was pleasantly surprised by this bottle, as I’ve NEVER been a fan in the past. Granted, I think I’ve only had it three times and one time of each vintage, but it has always struck me as a disjointed effort with no cohesive direction. I’m not saying this is great, but for me, it was an improvement. You could really smell the Italian varieties in the nose, but the palate was a bit more spicy and fruity than I remember. Good wine to have with burgers or BBQ.

2007 Big House The Lineup GSM – estimated retail $14.99: 43.8% Grenache, 41.4% Syrah and 14.8% Mourvedre, a lightweight tribute to the wines of the southern Rhone. I found this to be a bit light and lacking in all categories, but I also note that this probably should have been consumed first in the reds. Not recommended.

Cardinal Zin / Prodigal Son / The Slammer

2007 Big House The Slammer Syrah – estimated retail $14.99: 100% Syrah, this was also a tad lighter than one might expect given the varietal. I think I was the one least enamored with this one. Just not my cup of tea.

2006 Big House The Prodigal Son – estimated retail $14.99: 100% Petite sirah, this was my favorite wine of the evening. Full of dark fruit, chocolate and spice, this wine begs for bloody red meat fresh off the grill. While still not quite as good a value as the Bogle Petite Sirah, this makes a nice alternative to other BBQ wines and for the money, shouldn’t disappoint anyone.

2007 Cardinal Zin – estimated retail $19.99: Honestly, I only tried a little bit of this and found it to be okay, but I think you can do better for the money with other choices. Nothing bad about the wine, it just didn’t stand out like the Prodigal Son. Not recommended.

So, there are my recollections, thoughts, remembrances. Overall, I think the whites are both solid, the Big House Red has improved and the Petite sirah is the big winner amongst the “upper cell block” (aka pricier wines with names) series. As always, let your palate guide you to where you want to go and take everything me and every other wine reviewer (professional, amateur and semi-pro) say with a big old lick of salt, as your mileage will vary.

Cheers,
Kevin

Woodfire Grill

My second visit to Woodfire Grill was for a wine dinner featuring wines from Robert Sinskey, a winery I was not real familiar with before this day. I was peripherally knowledgeable of them, knowing their reputation for Pinot Noir more than anything else.

The winery has been farming organically since 1991 and have also incorporated the practices of bio-dynamics. To learn more, watch this video on their website, it explains the concept much better than my words. This philosophy produces what I call slow wines. These are the wines you should appreciate with food, not on their own like some cheap vodka-tini drink (I hate those -tini modifications…shows no imagination whatsoever and disrespects the original drink…but I digress).

For $109 per person (all inclusive of tax and tip), we were treated to one amuse bouche, four courses and five wines, which was one more than promised. There were 37 of us total, all seated in the very back of the restaurant across several tables. Our table included a chef and his wife, who suggested we all rate the courses on a 1 to 5 scale. The below will cover each course, with comments on the food, the wine and the pairing.

Before I get to that, I have to make a quick comment on the 2006 Van Duzer Estate Pinot Noir Willamette Valley that my wife enjoyed. First off, it was $9.50 a glass. Last time I remember seeing this wine, it was about $28, so this price by the glass was pretty decent. I’m guessing some sort of closeout deal to move out old stock, but what a deal. Plenty of dark cherry fruit and well placed spice notes make this a good choice to have on its own or with food.

Amuse bouche: Pimento cheese prefiterole

• Spicy and creamy, but mine squished out and got on me. I would have preferred a flatbread with the cheese. (B)

Seared scallop

First course: Seared scallop, ras el hanout, creamed lentils, walnut apricot jus with 2008 Abraxas Vin de Terroir

• My scallop was perfectly cooked through, but I would have preferred just a bit more crust. One guest said their scallop wasn’t done all the way through, but he didn’t send it back. The creamed lentils complimented the soft texture and sweet flavor, adding a welcome earth note to the seafood. Overall, I liked the dish. (B+)
• The wine is a blend of Pinot gris, Gewurztraminer, Riesling and Pinot Blanc. The two Pinots were most dominant to me, with plenty of clean, white and green fruit flavors, pear being the strongest taste. A fine wine for summer time and it went well with the dish, helping to cut the creamed lentils. (B+)
• Pairing: (A) – A case of where the two actually elevated one another.

Coca-Cola glazed pork loin

Second course: Coca-cola glazed smoked pork loin, truffled beets, spiced cranberries, tarragon puree with two wines, the 2004 Vandal Vineyard Pinot Noir and 2007 Pinot Noir.

• I loved the pork loin, though I will say I didn’t find a lot of the Coca-cola flavor. A couple of guests found the texture a bit firmer than they liked, to which I commented it reminded me of a thick slab of canadian bacon, which I like. The truffled beets and spiced cranberries made great accompaniments, but the tarragon through things off for me, adding a rather un-welcome note of licorice to the dish. (A)
• The 2004 Vandal Vinyeard Pinot Noir was very open and fruit forward, with wonderful baking spice notes. It was very fragrant and easy to drink, just like a library wine should. The heat of the vintage definitely showed and I’d recommend drinking these now and over the next year. (B)
• 2007 Los Carneros Pinot Noir: Tight as a drum, this really showed much better with the food. The bright red fruit flavors seemed to come out of the dark when you’d take a sip after eating the pork. This will benefit from aging and for those who drink it now, make sure to air it out for a bit. (B now, with B+ to A for potential)
• Pairing: I liked the Vandal better with the food. I’d say both were an A in terms of pairing up well with the dish.

Wood grilled quail

Third course: Wood grilled quail, currant-garlic glaze, roasted farro, mint, sweet potato paired with 2006 Merlot.

• Most folks found this really delicious, even those who commented they typically don’t like quail. I think I even heard the comment that quail were like chickens that never grew up. I think their portion size make them well suited for multi-course menus like this one. The quail was well cooked, but my favorite part was the bed of roasted farro and sweet potato the little birds nested upon. It was just the right balance of sweet and savory, with a variety of textures to please me. (B+)
• 2006 Merlot: Plums and spice, so nice. A medium-full body, this wine had some guts to it and wasn’t over ripened or oaked. I’d say this is a more classic style of Merlot, but still very California. (B+)
• Pairing: (C) I thought the wine was a bit overwhelming for the food. I could have seen this as a second course served with a nice Rose or another Pinot Noir.

Wood grilled painted hills beef strip loin

Main course: Wood grilled painted hills beef strip loin, roasted mushroom ragout, red wine glace, carmelized onion grits, pork fat croutons paired with 2005 POV (Point of View).

• First off, the flavors of this dish were my favorite of the night, but we had one big problem. The temperature was much too cool. Even our plates were cool. The chef at the table gave this a 3 on our 1 to 5 scale. I know it is difficult to serve 37 people the same dish at the same time, but if you can’t accommodate that many people, then keep the size smaller. Again, I don’t know what happened, but it happened to everyone at our table. Outside of that, everything else about the dish was awesome. The beef was well seasoned and perfectly tender. The mushrooms and grits added great layers of flavor, but without overwhelming the tender strip. I tried one of the pork fat croutons by itself, but it was too small to really get a lot of flavor out of. They added a nice crunch and make me think adding them to grits is a great idea. As served, (B-) due to temperature. Otherwise, an (A+).
• 2005 POV: A blend of 45% Merlot, with the remainder equally split between Cabernet brothers, Sauvignon and Franc. The most Bordeaux like, but with the signature fruit of California. Nice earth and dark red fruit notes made this my favorite wine of the evening, though that could have as much to do with the pairing as the wine itself.
• Pairing: A solid A.

Overall, the evening was quite enjoyable. We had very nice company and vibrant discussions, including one about the appeal of sugar sweetened Coca-Cola vs. HFCS, as one of our tablemates worked for the Latin American division of Coca-Cola. For those interested, read this article on the cult of Mexican Coca-Cola.

Have a great weekend.