Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Wine & Wish Impressions...



This Gourmet Food & Wine Event was this past Saturday evening and it was a pretty spectacular event as you can imagine. It was held from 5-7:30pm in a sprawling Space on Treasure Island, in which the walls were swathed in dark velvet which showcased the Stars of the Event - the Wine & the Food.
Although it was raining heavily that night, neither rain nor sleet nor snow would have kept me away, and let me tell you it was worth every minute...
I have to admit that I was a bit starry-eyed upon entering... It was almost like a red carpet event for Food. Quite dramatic actually, and people were dressed to impress, some in semi-formal attire even...
Over 70 participating Wineries & Chefs / Restaurants presenting a Taste of what they have to offer... And all for a great cause. The Make A Wish Foundation.
It's a win-win situation. You simply can't go wrong.
I really must urge you to attend when this event comes back around next year if you have never been. I know I definitely will...



Here are the Raptor Highlights...

The Food:


These 3 Restaurants prepared the Tastiest & Most Memorable Morsels of Food which had me wanting to go to each of these Restaurants to try more...


SPQR had my favorite Dish of All...
A Savory Mouthwatering Pork Soffrito atop a Deliciously Creamy Polenta.
*sigh*
SO good...
I have to try SPQR soon.


The Wine:


Holdredge Wines was one of my faves. The knowledgeable husband and wife team of John & Carri Holdredge were there and one could tell that they were really into their Wine. With good reason, I might add... They said that they tended to stick to making their Favorite Wines, such as Pinot Noir, Syrahs & Zins, which just happen to be my Faves as of late as well, and I thought their Wine to be Delicious. I was even invited up to their Winery in Healdsburg for a Private tasting, or I can just come to their Tasting Room on the weekend. My favorite was the Mazie Rose Pinot Noir, which I was able to remember thanks to Carri for writing down on the back of her card. I also want to mention that they had a great 2006 Late Harvest Pinot Gris, a Dessert Wine called Grace's Cuvee, named for their daughter Gracie.

Other Favorite Wines offered were Nicholson Ranch and Enzo Wines which we may try to go to one or more of these when we do our French Laundry weekend this month.


Some Honorable Mentions...





Limon had their Signature Ceviche in these pretty little shot glasses, which although a cute idea, it suffered in logistics and a was a bit difficult to eat. Good Ceviche nonetheless...

The Marin French Cheese Company had a great Table offering many of their Award-Winning Artisan-crafted French Cheeses. A great place to stop by as you are sauntering around wine glass in hand. I love the Gold Award wining Rouge et Noir Triple Crème Brie. And they had little recipe cards for Dishes that you can prepare with their Cheeses...

Farallon was simply offering up Freshly Shucked Oysters with either a Mignonette or Tartar Accompaniment.
Could you imagine non-stop shucking for 2 1/2 hours? They still did it with a smile...

Millenium had these Papadums topped with a savory topping whoes Flavors just burst in your mouth...

I even wrapped the evening up with one of
Kara's Cupcakes Cute Mini Cupcakes- I liked the Sweet Vanilla, but I heard that the other offerings of Ghirardelli Chocolate, Coconut & Passion Fruit were just as good...

There were a wealth of Foods offered, too many to mention here...
I guess you will just have to go next year to see for yourselves.


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