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Wine Report by Bill Martin
The Grand Tasting at the Boca Bacchanal Winefest & Auction was even better this
year than last-- and that's really saying something. But there was a dearth of
desserts last year and my motto is: if there isn't any chocolate, then it isn't
dessert. And that was happily remedied this year.
Another great plus was that there were a number of high end dishes offered this
time. That's surprising for a by-the-bite food fair, which sometimes – but not
here – offers an abundance of cheaper fare like pasta.
But the Boca Bacchanal's Grand Tasting on March 11th held at the Center for the
Arts at Mizner Park, and presented by the Boca Raton Historical Society was a
real winner. More than 28 of the area's top restaurants, along with 140 wineries
all offered enticing food and wine under an attractive tent with live music at
an incredibly low price.
For $65 ($75 at the door) where else could you get a generous portion of
tenderloin of beef from Ruth's Chris Steakhouse?
ruthschris.com. Or first-rate filet
mignon from Vertical 114, which told me that they also have a wine bar at their
restaurant with 150 varieties of wine available by the glass.
How about lobster? Chops
www.chopslobsterbar.com showed off their Lobster Bar with a creamy pale
orange bisque containing almost enough lobster pieces in it to make a small
lobster salad. And two places were offering shrimp: one some paltry little
babies not worth mentioning.
But that wasn't true at City Oyster,
http://www.bigtimerestaurants.com which served large fresh jumbo shrimp,
several of them piled on your plate, along with raw oysters.
But where they really excelled this year were the desserts (Thank you God.)
Opera Cakes, always my favorite, were marvelous at The Addison, [LINK:
http://www.theaddison.com a restaurant
and catering facility in Boca, which served the little squares of chiffon
sponge, Tia Maria, and chocolate ganache, topped with a gold leaf.
I thought that was about as good as a dessert can get, but certainly close was
Paladino's Italian Market, which had a melt-in-your-mouth cake with alternating
chocolate mouse, cheese cake, fudge and brownies. They also offered a tasty
appetizer of prosciutto and crackers and hummus on bread that they gave out as
samples, explaining that these are on all the tables when people come to the
restaurant.
Max's www.Maxsgrill.com offered a Granny
Smith apple tart, along with something less tasty called Hawaiian tuna poles
(with pineapple, cilantro, scallions, chili) And among desserts, somehow I
missed-- but my husband, Paul Noble
PauRNoble.com did not, and declared it the best-- Crepes from Le Bistro
restaurant in Deerfield Beach, made by Chef Andrew on the spot while his son
poured the fresh chocolate and confectionary sugar on top of it.
There were other dishes that day that were worth noting – and tasting. PF
Chang's PFChangs.com, my favorite Chinese
restaurant for miles around, again offered their signature Lettuce Soong, which
they call lettuce cups, This is quickly cooked chicken mixed with scallions,
water chestnuts, and black mushrooms and served on rice sticks and nestled in
cool lettuce cups. .
Legal Sea Foods, www.legalseafoods.com,
which never disappoints, had wonderful tuna burgers on tasty toasted rolls with
a variety of delicious sauces including a red pepper sauce. Cafe Luna Rosa,
www.caffelunarosa.com another place
that is consistently good, proved it once again this year with their meatballs.
But for me, it was Viva la chocolate. And now on to the wines.
WINE REPORT BY BILL MARTIN
The Boca Bacchanal, like a good wine, ages beautifully. This is my 3rd season
reviewing and it's better than ever. This March the folks in charge decided to
tent the space, which enhanced the event. Upon entering a visible feast of
tables overflowing with wines and food met the eye and stimulated the taste
buds. I hardly knew where to begin?
A quick browse led me to Restaurant Luna Rosa, where they offered free range
antelope with truffle rasberry glaze. I paired this with a L'Aventure Optimis.
This is a winery, which is located in Paso Robles, California, and started by
Stephan Asseco, a Frenchman, The Optima is an interesting blend of Syrah,
Zinfandel, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Savignon and it had the depth and
sufficient acidity to nicely complement the antelope.
Life is good.
As I glanced around with an empty glass I spotted Taittinger, the premier
champagne. A bottle of Tattinger Nocturne beckoned and its bubbles alluringly
floated. Always a joy as an accompaniment or just to indulge this pale gold
liquid. Taittinger never disappoints. Peach and dried apricot flavors come to
the fore with a balance between crisp and mellowness.
Abe & Louie's provided some good beef to be paired with Frog's Leap Zinfandel.
Tobacco and apricot flavors with a nice finish complemented the meat. For a
retail price of about $29 this is a good value.
The festival was abundantly generous with their portions of oysters and shrimp,
so generous that my overflowing plate allowed for 2 wine parings. First was from
the King Estate Winery, a Domaine, Pinot Gris, from Oregon made exclusively from
organically grown grapes. This went well the shrimp which was lightly
infused with a few drops of lemon.
A St. Supery Sauvignon Blanc, Estate Bottled Napa with aromas of grapefruit and
honeysuckle, was wonderfully balanced by the oysters, bringing the ocean to
life, the freshness shining through, both inviting and supple.
Some delicious ceviche from Bin 28 also benefited from the St. Supery.
Now my sweet tooth called. Two desserts were to finish out today's repast. A
crepe followed by a fudge brownie. The crepe accompanied a Centurra Covey Run
Semillion Ice Wine. Sold in a 375ml bottle for approx. $32,this wine makes most
deserts special. The fudge brownie with its particular density and taste needed
something special. That something was supplied by Gigi's Tavern, a Peach Sangria
that washes the fudge brownie down as if it was designed for that task.
The day ended, one of fine food and wine made special by the friendly and
knowledgeable people hosting the event.
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