Stop & Smell the Rose'...

In the midst of all the pain of heartbreak, I'm keeping myself busy with adventures worth sharing.

Let's start with a wine pairing dinner I attended last week!

I almost didn't go, because I'm quite a heartbroken mess.  But honestly it's better for me to be out with friends doing something I love - eating.

My friend Keith is manager over at Ruscello.  They are starting to do these pairing dinners.  I'm told this may be a monthly thing and will range from beer pairings to cocktail pairings to wine pairings.  You know I'm always down for the wine pairings!

The 1st one was last week and at $40 a head, a ridiculously great deal.  It ended up being a great evening with a wonderful girlfriend and watching Keith in his element.

It was outside on their patio (It's a bit breezy, so even on a warm night you may want to bring a sweater).  The set up was darling.

My hot date

Each time the food came out, the chef would come out and talk about what he made, where the ingredients came from and how he went about doing it.  Then the sommelier would come out and talk about the wine we were tasting with our food.  I love this so much.  I love learning about food/wine and listening to people who are passionate about it talk about it!

There was a surprise course before the actual 1st course.  It was a sparkling non alcoholic tomato juice.  Totally interesting flavor!  Very refreshing and the perfect palette cleanser to start the night.  On top was a little mini tostada with a delicious crab mixture.  Yum!

 

1st Course was Apricot Lane Grilled Stonefruit Crostini Buratta, Boar Prosciutto, Arugula, Raspberry Rose' Gastrique, Smoked Olive Oil.  Holy fucking shit you guys.  DELISH!  The Raspberry wasn't too strong and the flavors together were perfection!  It was paird with a Malene Central Coast, CA Rose'.  Crisp, delicious and not too sweet.

2nd Course was Sweet & Spicy Glazed Duck Wing, Ponzu Slaw and a Sweet Soy Drizzle.  This may have been my favorite course.  The meat fell off the bone.  It was so tender and yum.  Again - all the flavors meshed together perfectly!!  It was paired with a Jean Luc Rose' from Provence France.  This had a trippy after taste. More fruity than I'd prefer but still damn good.

The 3rd Course was a Salt Baked Branzino, Sunflower Dill Pesto, Saffron Cauliflower, Cipollini Onions, & Raisins.  My GAWD.  This fish falls into the Sea Bass family.  We started eating before I took a picture because it smelled so damn good.  We were warned to be careful for little bones since this is how it's served, but I had no trouble.  The fish was so tender and again - just fell apart.  The Pesto was amazing and had a bit of a tang to it that was so yum.  I almost licked my plate clean.  This was paired with a Conundrum Rose' from Napa Valley.  This was my favorite Rose'.  Just the right amount of crispness and not sweet at all.  So good!

Dessert was Cardamom Panna Cotta, Rose' Macerated Apricte Lane Grilled Stonefruite and Rose Water.  This was paired with a Strawberry Rose Cocktail that Keith made up.  The Panna Cotta was amazing but I could only eat a bit of it, my tummy would have killed me if I ate the whole thing.  I so wanted to though!  Friggin delicious!  The cocktail was a bit strong so just a sip or two of that, but super good!

After the last course the chef brought out his staff and thanked everyone.  I loved that the Chef and the sommelier would walk around after each course and chat with anyone who wanted to.

The evening was a really great event and I look forward to attending many more! It was the perfect thing to help me through my heartbreak.  Thank you Cristina for being a great girlfriend and ear and thank you to Keith for always making sure my glass was full and for putting together such a delicious evening!  The Ruscello staff was amazing!