Conclusion: Never list "skin" on a menu
Yes, J&K, I am blogging on our wine tasting last night at one of my fave spots in town, Mambu. Predictable, huh?
When does anyone ever get a chance to say they ate skin for dinner, unless they frequent the South Pacific? (side note: a book I'm reading, Paul Theroux's The Happy Isles of Oceania discusses cannibalism. And I thought Spam was a gross-out meat.)
Mambu and Midtown wines co-hosted the tasting of five wines from Oregon's Willamette Valley Vineyards, each paired with an appetizer conjured up by the eclectic minds of Mambu's chefs.
The wines:
2006 Riesling $13.99
A semi-sweet medium bodied Germanic styled wine. Vibrant aromas of peach, pear, citrus and honeysuckle flowers.
2006 Pinot Gris $17.99
Bright, fruity, crisp style. Generous flavors of mineral, melon and spice interwoven with well-balanced acidity.
2004 Dijon Clones Chardonnay $18.99
Clean, ripe fruit and zippy acids. Plenty of crisp apple, Japanese pear and even a smattering of papaya. Fine value.
2006 Whole Cluster Pinot Noir $21.99
Vibrant and explosive aromas of kiwi, blueberries, cherries and strawberries dominate with hints of sweet juice and warm spices.
2005 Pinot Noir $27.99
A pretty nose scented with red fruits, earth and spice, and an elegant structure that lays gently on the palate.
Big ups to the 2006 Pino Gris, which was the first wine we tasted. Best wine that pleased my palate, which is more than I can say for the app served with the wine. Salmon skin on a bed of greens. Skin. As J pointed out, if the word wasn't printed on the menu, no one would have been the wiser. You would have thought the fish was just a little on the crispy side.
Each appetizer included meat, so any attending vegetarians went home with empty tummies.
Notably, the meats were not your average Applebees-type cuts. First course, salmon skin. Second, rare tuna. Third, lamb "lollipop" (my fave). Fourth, Venison (deer) sauerbraten. Fifth, Rabbit.
Nearly all the animals of the forest were all represented. What, Brother Bear wasn't available for the evening?
I enjoyed the wines, with the exception of the last one, Dijon Clones Chardonnay, and I'm normally a Chardonnay kind of girl. It was off, or it could have been that I associated the wine with the 'wabbit. Poor J had to take leave for some air when Bugs Bunny arrived, plated and fully aromatic. I don't blame her. I prefer my hippity-hoppitys on an Easter card.
All in all, I was happy to be out and about, enjoying the evening with some fun ladies.
It's snowing right now and I made a Crock-Pot of beef stew after coming home last night. Throw in some liquid, beef (no skin or wascally wabbit), onion, potato, carrots, mushrooms, and a lil' wine, turn the sucker on, sleep for eight hours and wow, instant meal. I am really looking forward to tucking into that later!
Eat well - no saltines allowed (inside joke!) <3 E
When does anyone ever get a chance to say they ate skin for dinner, unless they frequent the South Pacific? (side note: a book I'm reading, Paul Theroux's The Happy Isles of Oceania discusses cannibalism. And I thought Spam was a gross-out meat.)
Mambu and Midtown wines co-hosted the tasting of five wines from Oregon's Willamette Valley Vineyards, each paired with an appetizer conjured up by the eclectic minds of Mambu's chefs.
The wines:
2006 Riesling $13.99
A semi-sweet medium bodied Germanic styled wine. Vibrant aromas of peach, pear, citrus and honeysuckle flowers.
2006 Pinot Gris $17.99
Bright, fruity, crisp style. Generous flavors of mineral, melon and spice interwoven with well-balanced acidity.
2004 Dijon Clones Chardonnay $18.99
Clean, ripe fruit and zippy acids. Plenty of crisp apple, Japanese pear and even a smattering of papaya. Fine value.
2006 Whole Cluster Pinot Noir $21.99
Vibrant and explosive aromas of kiwi, blueberries, cherries and strawberries dominate with hints of sweet juice and warm spices.
2005 Pinot Noir $27.99
A pretty nose scented with red fruits, earth and spice, and an elegant structure that lays gently on the palate.
Big ups to the 2006 Pino Gris, which was the first wine we tasted. Best wine that pleased my palate, which is more than I can say for the app served with the wine. Salmon skin on a bed of greens. Skin. As J pointed out, if the word wasn't printed on the menu, no one would have been the wiser. You would have thought the fish was just a little on the crispy side.
Each appetizer included meat, so any attending vegetarians went home with empty tummies.
Notably, the meats were not your average Applebees-type cuts. First course, salmon skin. Second, rare tuna. Third, lamb "lollipop" (my fave). Fourth, Venison (deer) sauerbraten. Fifth, Rabbit.
Nearly all the animals of the forest were all represented. What, Brother Bear wasn't available for the evening?
I enjoyed the wines, with the exception of the last one, Dijon Clones Chardonnay, and I'm normally a Chardonnay kind of girl. It was off, or it could have been that I associated the wine with the 'wabbit. Poor J had to take leave for some air when Bugs Bunny arrived, plated and fully aromatic. I don't blame her. I prefer my hippity-hoppitys on an Easter card.
All in all, I was happy to be out and about, enjoying the evening with some fun ladies.
It's snowing right now and I made a Crock-Pot of beef stew after coming home last night. Throw in some liquid, beef (no skin or wascally wabbit), onion, potato, carrots, mushrooms, and a lil' wine, turn the sucker on, sleep for eight hours and wow, instant meal. I am really looking forward to tucking into that later!
Eat well - no saltines allowed (inside joke!) <3 E
I vote for the first one as well. I could handle a bottle or two of that being at my house.
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