Thursday, June 20, 2013
George and Linda Smith
When Chef Mitchell Kaldrovich, a native of Argentina, offers his annual Argentine Wine Dinner, the 60 seats sell out quickly with a lot of repeat customers. This year, on the spur of the moment, the Inn by the Sea scheduled an afternoon wine seminar for those who were disappointed when they couldn't get reservations for the dinner. Proceeds from the seminar were donated to Maine Audubon, whose Executive Director Ted Koffman joined us for the event.
Email Your Way to Great Dining Experiences
Get on the email lists of your favorite restaurants. Many now email their customers to offer special events including wine and beer dinners, discounted meals, music and plays.
During the Christmas season, we got an emailed message from the Inn at Brunswick Station about a special dinner theater presentation by Jody McColman of Frank Capra’s “It’s A Wonderful Life.” We signed up immediately. Chef Kevin Cunningham whipped up a delicious dinner featuring some of his (and our) favorites at the inn’s Tavern. From the thick, nicely salted broth in the bean soup, to the crispy parmesan-crusted baked hake (an underutilized Maine fish), to the roasted chicken and braised short ribs (Linda’s favorite), this feast was a real bargain at $40 — and that included the play which was fabulously entertaining.
We learned of the Argentinian Wine Dinner — the subject of this week’s column — via email, too.
Prepare a list of your favorite restaurants and inns now, and ask to be placed on their email lists. You’ll be amazed at the opportunities that will open up for you!
George
When Chef Mitchell Kaldrovich, a native of Argentina, offers his annual Argentine Wine Dinner, the 60 seats sell out quickly with a lot of repeat customers. This year, on the spur of the moment, the Inn by the Sea scheduled an afternoon wine seminar for those who were disappointed when they couldn't get reservations for the dinner. Proceeds from the seminar were donated to Maine Audubon, whose Executive Director Ted Koffman joined us for the event.
Knowing little about wine, other than that we enjoy it, we learned a lot at the seminar. Pablo Piccolo, of Catena Zapata in the mountainous region of Mendoza, entertained us for nearly two hours with wonderful stories, fascinating information about Catena's history, grapes and methods, with an opportunity to taste 13 flights of wine. I will be watching to see if his prediction -- that Bonardo will overtake Malbec in popularity in the next 10 years -- comes true.
Knowing that the Sea Glass Restaurant's Chef Kaldrovich is very creative with Maine ingredients, we couldn't wait to see what he would cook up for this special dinner.
The eating adventure began with an amuse of fresh crab and apple salad on endive -- a heavenly start to the meal. The first course, Italian-inspired baked Serrano ham and blue cheese-stuffed dates provided a wonderful sweet and sour combination, delivered with a Catena Malbec that had a strong hint of strawberries. OK, so now I'm becoming a wine snob!
Pan-roasted scallops were next, with a lobster risotto. I saw a lot of happy faces in the room as we enjoyed this course. I especially liked the finely chopped and crispy haricot verts (green beans), the tasty tarragon emulsion and the perfectly paired Catena Chardonnay.
At any dinner like this, the scallops are usually my favorite. But I have to say the next course of Slow Braised Lamb Shank stole the show. As each course was delivered Chef Kaldrovich, a very personable guy, and Pablo Piccolo explained the food and wine.
When I heard that the lamb was braised for 10 hours, I said to Linda, "There's really something to this slow braising." She replied, "It just means its cooked on low, not on high like you do all the time." I'm learning so much at these dinners!
The lamb was meaty and pulled away easily from the bone, and the accompanying mint chimichurri was both creative and tasty. A young man nearby said, "The lamb shank is unbelievable," and I agreed. My favorite wine of the night, Catena Alta Malbec, was served with this course. And sure enough, it was also the most expensive wine served at the dinner.
We dined for two hours before we had dessert, but we didn't notice the time flying by. The housemade dessert, grilled chocolate and olive oil cake, came with a goat cheese gelato, poached figs, Marcona almonds and fudge sauce. Yes, it was as good as it sounds.
The white linen tablecloths and napkins, candlelight, soft music and superior service all added to the experience. Chef Kaldrovich spent time after dinner talking with people at each table. When we raved about the lamb, he told us it came from New Zealand and was milder than local lamb. The music played on and people lingered, not wanting to end this delightful evening.
(Continued on page 2)
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