Well, hello there. It's been a while and I have quite a lot to report since my last real entry. I wish I was one of those people who could just jump ahead, but I'm not. I'm diligent like that. And perhaps slightly compulsive. Who knows. In any case, a little bit before the Christmas time holidays (the 14th of December, to be exact), LW and I made our way to McCrossen's for that month's cheese/wine/food event. The theme of the wines this time around was that they were all sparkling, which was exciting because I love me some sparkling wine/champagne. It's been so long I don't have much to say about it. I think I had tried two out of the four cheeses, so I wasn't as surprised by each pairing or discovering new things in that regard. I enjoyed the sparkling combos. The first course was a Prosecco di Valdobbiadene "Crede" from Italy paired with Humboldt Fog as the cheese and Emerald Cove Oysters with spicy pickled cucumber as the food. You can't go wrong with Humboldt Fog, it's a good cheese.
I loved the look of the oysters, but the spicy cucumber element didn't pop too much and I wasn't overly fond of the Emerald Cove variety. LW thought perhaps they were past their prime, as they had more of a fishy note than a salty one. I agreed that they were a bit on the fish side, but couldn't determine if that was simply how they tasted or not.
The next pairing was Blanquette de Limous "Le Bercau," from Domaine de Martinolles. I remember digging this one, but I can't tell you anything about it. The cheese was Gorgonzola Cremifacato, and new to me. I think I was surprised by it...creamier or smoother than what I usually associate with a Gorgonzola. Or creamier in a different way? I really need to start taking notes.
The food pairing of this section was roasted jumbo sea scallop with orange, tomato and bordier seaweed butter. Of the dishes served that night, I think this was the most successful. Crisp flavors, nice sauce, perfectly tender scallops.
This, I believe, was the Delice de Bourgogne, a French cheese I often choose when trying to impress people with an above average triple-creamy cheese. Though it wasn't a revelation, it was nice to have a mouthful. It was paired with Cava Brut, Avinyo, of which I can tell you nothing.
The food entry here was Delice Risotto with chanterelles and truffles. Creamy and rich, but not altogether mind blowing.
The last cheese was Rush Creek Reserve and was paired with Vino Spumante Brut Rose, another Italian entry. The food was Wild Boar Ragu with handmade gnocchi and nutmeg. I took a few pictures of the dish but it really didn't lend itself to photographs, or at least not the photographs I was capable of taking.
While I wouldn't say this was my favorite wine/cheese/food event, I will say that it was relatively smooth sailing as far as the turnaround time between courses, which can be a little long. I understand why, of course, as Rocco and Lauren -the cheese monger and sommelier respectively- come around to each table to talk about their picks, which is totally cool but sometimes leads to long delays between the time you've gotten the drink/food and they talk about it...or between the time you hear about it and you get the next one. On the whole it seems like they're ironing that out pretty well.
I loved the look of the oysters, but the spicy cucumber element didn't pop too much and I wasn't overly fond of the Emerald Cove variety. LW thought perhaps they were past their prime, as they had more of a fishy note than a salty one. I agreed that they were a bit on the fish side, but couldn't determine if that was simply how they tasted or not.
The next pairing was Blanquette de Limous "Le Bercau," from Domaine de Martinolles. I remember digging this one, but I can't tell you anything about it. The cheese was Gorgonzola Cremifacato, and new to me. I think I was surprised by it...creamier or smoother than what I usually associate with a Gorgonzola. Or creamier in a different way? I really need to start taking notes.
The food pairing of this section was roasted jumbo sea scallop with orange, tomato and bordier seaweed butter. Of the dishes served that night, I think this was the most successful. Crisp flavors, nice sauce, perfectly tender scallops.
This, I believe, was the Delice de Bourgogne, a French cheese I often choose when trying to impress people with an above average triple-creamy cheese. Though it wasn't a revelation, it was nice to have a mouthful. It was paired with Cava Brut, Avinyo, of which I can tell you nothing.
The food entry here was Delice Risotto with chanterelles and truffles. Creamy and rich, but not altogether mind blowing.
The last cheese was Rush Creek Reserve and was paired with Vino Spumante Brut Rose, another Italian entry. The food was Wild Boar Ragu with handmade gnocchi and nutmeg. I took a few pictures of the dish but it really didn't lend itself to photographs, or at least not the photographs I was capable of taking.
While I wouldn't say this was my favorite wine/cheese/food event, I will say that it was relatively smooth sailing as far as the turnaround time between courses, which can be a little long. I understand why, of course, as Rocco and Lauren -the cheese monger and sommelier respectively- come around to each table to talk about their picks, which is totally cool but sometimes leads to long delays between the time you've gotten the drink/food and they talk about it...or between the time you hear about it and you get the next one. On the whole it seems like they're ironing that out pretty well.
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