When Patsy Wright, events manager to the international beverage giant Pernod Ricard, first dreamed up this night, she knew it had to different. Patsy knew that if she was going to do her job and do it well she had to use a different approach. Trying to tell someone what to eat or drink has always been hard enough. But Patsy was determined to show us how well some of the most unexpected food and drink pairings could complement each other.
With approximately 10 guests seated in one of the elegant dining rooms at the Saltwater Grille, Patsy quickly got our attention. The first course came at us with Patsy circling the table pouring a generous amount of Brancott Sauvignon Blanc in a shooter glass filled with a fresh shucked Blue Point oyster. Bottoms up followed by a quick, “So do you think Oysters and Sauvignon Blanc go well together?” was the next thing I heard. From this point on Patsy had our attention. The crisp citrus flavor of the New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc balanced perfectly with the briny taste of the local, fresh oysters. Baja fish tacos, one of the kitchens staples, was the next spicy seafood dish, that when paired with the same wine, came off complimenting each other wonderfully.
Sticking with the overall theme of the Saltwater Grille, fresh seafood also pairs perfect with the right red wines, Patsy informed us all. Chef Albert’s herb seared rare Ahi Tuna with wasabi and soy seemed to be the perfect dish to pair with the lite fruit forward 2008 Brancott Pinot Noir. It’s not always white with fish and red with meat anymore, we were finding out. The Saltwater Grille has always been known for its fantastic fresh Salmon and tonight was the night we brought it to the next level. Pan seared Atlantic Salmon with a to die for lemon dill cream sauce turned out to be a dish of enormous pleasure, bringing smiles to everyone’s faces, as Patsy poured us a little more of the wonderful Pinot Noir and encouraged us to drink up.
Next we moved on to enjoying the pleasures of Sandeman’s extensive line of fine Portuguese Portos. Now don’t jump ahead to far and assume Patsy was ready for dessert just yet, she still had some savory plans in store. That’s right when you least expect it someone goes and creates a knock out dish of homemade Savory Butternut Squash Ravioli, and pairs it with a 10 year old Tawny Porto, as the crowd roars. What most of us thought was to pair a port with a sweet dessert, but again we all agreed that the young slightly sweet flavor of the Tawny port more than accented the New England flavors of the Squash Ravioli. Sometimes the unexpected turns out to be a real treat.
Try the Founders reserve chilled on ice with an orange slice.
Homemade desserts at the Grille have always been traditionally offered with a variety of Ports, this evening Patsy introduced us to some of our new favorites. Chef Albert’s ever famous warm Bread Pudding, with rum caramel sauce, brought out the taste of the 20 year old Tawny Port better than expected, or could it have been the other way around? Sandeman’s youngest port, The Ruby and also its flagship item, Founders Reserve we’re next up. Both of these paired with the Fresh Orange Cream Cheese Frosted Carrot cake seemed to bring the dinners to their knees. I was convinced it had something to do with the threat of 2 more courses of gourmet desserts still to arrive, while Patsy was sticking to her belief in her Ports. None the sooner we were served the most decadent homemade Black Bottom Pie, and a LBV 2004 Sandeman that created just the right combination of mouth feel and flavors that any gourmand would want with a last meal. It must be over someone said, caus’ the menu doesn’t have any more room and either do I. Never wanting the show to end, as any gourmet kitchen would love to have it, we were surprised by one last creation that brought us all right back to senses. What could be more continental then ending a glorious meal with a bit of local Cheese? I guess it could only be topped by one thing, and just like the perfect host that Patsy was all evening, she circled the room pouring a generous amount of the Ruby Port directly over each person’s portion of warm soft local Stilton cheese. Then Patsy smiled as she watched all of us smear every last bit of Port soaked cheese on the bread crostini as we somehow found room to finish it all. When we did, and only when we were truly finished, we smiled back.
A crostini topped with cheese, fresh fruit, and a bit of port drizzled on top is the perfect Port pairing.
Albe Galotta
Saltwater Grille Blog 