Runs with knives!
This evening was the first-Saturday Wine Dinner at the Iron Horse Inn. Wendy & I joined a bunch of friends at the table for a great meal. Our party was 13 people strong! We love taking new people to the Iron Horse — all we have to…
I’ve worked at Jean-Robert at Pigall’s a few times this year, and noticed that I failed to blog those visits. Back on Saturday, February 3rd, I worked at the restaurant and cut the daylights out of my left middle finger (see this picture for a…
Tonight’s wine dinner was very nice — Wendy & I joined Cindy, Mo, Angel, and Greg for a very nice meal at the Iron Horse Inn. Chris & Devin did a nice job of explaining the wines.
First Course
Deconstructed Spicy Crab Sushi
Clean State Riesling
I really liked the Riesling. The first taste was almost overpoweringly sweet, but the second (and subsequent) tastes were much more balanced. It went very nicely with the crab sushi, which was “deconstructed” — the components of the dish — nori, spices, crab, and a sauce — were spread out on the plate.
Second Course
Grilled Salmon, Creamy Rosemary Polenta, Tomato Gravy
Bootleg Chianti
The saLmon (hi Mo!) and the polenta went well together, the gravy and the polenta were okay together, but the combination of all three components was less than the sum of its parts. The wine (which was good) was paired with the gravy and tasted pretty good, but the overall dish and wine wasn’t one of my favorite pairings.
Third Course
Pork Tenderloin, Truffled Wild Mushroom Blue Cheese Compote
Bootleg Southern Red
I didn’t care for the blue cheese component to the mushroom compote, but I was shouted down by my tablemates, who liked it. The pork was well-prepared, moist, tender, and flavorful. The pairing with the wine — which is a blend of 25% Primitivio, 25% Negroamaro, 25% Montepulciano, 25% Uva di Troia — was very nice.
Fourth Course
Vanilla Bruleed Rack Of Lamb, Toasted Couscous, Grape Tomatoes, Baby Spinach
Root One Cabernet Sauvignon
Before & during this course, we sampled a duck breast dish that we enjoyed at a previous wine dinner and has now been added to the dinner menu at the Iron Horse. Man, that’s a good dish! The rack of lamb was a nice compliment to the duck, and was an excellent course in its own right. I really like couscous and could eat a large bowl of it, and it went nicely with the lamb, which was crusted with a bit of vanilla sugar. The Cab was a nice wine and paired well.
Dessert
Chocolate Flourless Torte, Espresso Anglaise, Blackberry Compote
Unico (Gran Reserve) Cabernet Sauvignon
As loyal readers of this site know, I am not a huge fan of chocolate desserts, but this torte was very nice. The anglaise was very good, and the compote was a necessary ‘high note’ of sweetness.
After dinner, Angel, Wendy, Greg, and I sat around and talked (and drank — thanks for the Moscato d’Asti, Angel!) for a couple hours. It was a nice visit to end a nice meal!
This evening, a group of us met for our monthly Happy Mouth outing. It was Tracy’s month to pick, and she selected VINYL in downtown Cincinnati. The supper club had dined at the physical space previously when it was The Diner, also Tracy’s pick. After the less-than-stellar…
This evening, the members of the Happy Mouth Supper Club met at Jay’s selection — the Brown Dog Cafe in Blue Ash (a suburb of Cincinnati). I’d previously worked at an event with Chef Shawn McCoy but had not had the chance to eat at the…
 
One Night, Twelve Kitchens
April 29, 6-9 pm
Midwest Culinary Institute at Cincinnati State CollegeÂ
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Top regional chefs showcase the eleven state-of-the-art kitchens at Midwest Culinary Institute to benefit the Cincinnati State College Foundation culinary scholarships.
I have participated in this event for the last few years and was very happy to work it again this year. I was assigned to Chef Neace, representing the Summit Room, the restaurant at Cincinnati State. The event was very well attended — I would estimate more than 400 guests.
We prepared a smoked duck breast salad with cherry caponate quinoia, microgreen salad with peach vinagrette, and a drizzle of poppyseed yogurt dressing alongside. We sliced the duck breast thin and put it in a ring mold (okay, PVC pipes), pressed in a bit of the quinoia, then topped with the dressed microgreens. It was a very nice looking dish and our guests enjoyed it very much. We ‘sold out’ fairly early, so I was able to get cleaned up and walk around to see what was going on at the other tables.
Tonight’s HAPPY MOUTH outing was orchestrated by Chuck, and he selected Chez Nora in Covington Kentucky as our destination. Dinner was at a long table in their back room (though a few members had enjoyed a cocktail on the restaurant’s rooftop bar before dinner). I…