Cookin' with Karl
Rustic Hills wine dinner
My wife and I had the pleasure of attending a wine dinner at Rustic Hills Country Club’s Fireside Restaurant last week. Rustic Hills has been open to the public for a while now, and they host these special wine dinners at least once a quarter and sometimes more often.
I find all of these “special event” dinners – whether it is a wine dinner, a beer dinner, a scotch dinner or a wild game dinner – very satisfying. It is nice to let someone else, the restaurant owner or the chef, pick all the courses and beverage pairings. It allows the chef to showcase their talents and gives their customers the opportunity to enjoy courses and drinks they may not typically try. Culinary exploration at its finest! Many other restaurants have these special event dinners from time to time and I recommend trying them. Typically, you need to make a reservation so they can properly prepare.
I was delighted when we showed up to see the event was set up in a large room with one long table, Italian banquet style. This arrangement invites diners to sit next to, and across from, folks they may have just met for the first time. Wonderful conversations and some new friendships came from this arrangement. Even better, it made it very easy for the entire group to hear about the Black Stallion and Noble Vines wines we were drinking as well as hear about each of the four courses as they were served. Ashley Korecky, Rustic Hills Country Club’s food and beverage manager, did a wonderful job describing the dishes chosen and prepared by Chef Kristen Sheats.
The evening began with a loosely gathered reception, where we enjoyed cheeses and bruschetta with a Noble Vines Rose. I am not typically a rose drinker and neither is my wife, yet we both found this wine to be very good and quite refreshing. We brought home a bottle of this and will enjoy it on a beautiful fall day soon. Next, we all chose a seat at the banquet table anticipating the first course and first pairing. The menu and pairings were well prepared and perfectly matched. Chef Kristen certainly showed her outside-the-box thinking and creativity.
First course was autumn squash bisque with roasted chestnut and cashew cream. This was paired with black stallion Sauvignon Blanc. The bisque was beautifully presented and tasted like fall. We loved it. I will not likely become a Sauvignon Blanc drinker, but the wine was nice as well.
Second course was a ricotta and potato gnocchi with creamy crab and Parmesan pan sauce. This was paired with Black Stallion Chardonnay. Nice dish and great wine. This chardonnay was perfect and we brought home a bottle of this as well. That is one of the great things about a wine dinner. If you like a bottle after having a glass, you can by one, or a case, while you are there. Always nice to know what you are buying.
Third course was braised pork with fennel, black walnut pesto, served over creamy polenta. This was my favorite dish of the evening. The pork was prepared and presented in a way I have not seen before and it was perfectly done. The polenta was delicious. But to me, the star of this dish was Chef Kristen’s use of crushed black walnuts. I asked her about this after the meal and she says they were locally harvested from her backyard. How awesome is that?
I love when a chef takes the extra time and steps to set a dish apart from the everyday. When you dine out, this is what you are looking for. As a person who has personally picked up loads of black walnuts from a yard of a friend, and has tried to harvest the meat of the nuts, I can attest to just how much work this is. The fact that Chef Kristen did this, and created a black walnut pesto that was very tasty, earns her a round of applause. This course was paired with Black Stallion Pinot Noir. Good wine if you are a Pinot Noir drinker.
The final course, dessert, was chocolate and espresso tres leches paired with Black Stallion Cabernet Sauvignon. The cab was great (brought home a bottle of that, too) and the dessert was worth the calories. It was light, airy and rich – chocolate done right.
Thanks, Rustic Hills, for a great night out! More info can be found at www.RusticHills.com or call 330-725-4281.
I find all of these “special event” dinners – whether it is a wine dinner, a beer dinner, a scotch dinner or a wild game dinner – very satisfying. It is nice to let someone else, the restaurant owner or the chef, pick all the courses and beverage pairings. It allows the chef to showcase their talents and gives their customers the opportunity to enjoy courses and drinks they may not typically try. Culinary exploration at its finest! Many other restaurants have these special event dinners from time to time and I recommend trying them. Typically, you need to make a reservation so they can properly prepare.
I was delighted when we showed up to see the event was set up in a large room with one long table, Italian banquet style. This arrangement invites diners to sit next to, and across from, folks they may have just met for the first time. Wonderful conversations and some new friendships came from this arrangement. Even better, it made it very easy for the entire group to hear about the Black Stallion and Noble Vines wines we were drinking as well as hear about each of the four courses as they were served. Ashley Korecky, Rustic Hills Country Club’s food and beverage manager, did a wonderful job describing the dishes chosen and prepared by Chef Kristen Sheats.
The evening began with a loosely gathered reception, where we enjoyed cheeses and bruschetta with a Noble Vines Rose. I am not typically a rose drinker and neither is my wife, yet we both found this wine to be very good and quite refreshing. We brought home a bottle of this and will enjoy it on a beautiful fall day soon. Next, we all chose a seat at the banquet table anticipating the first course and first pairing. The menu and pairings were well prepared and perfectly matched. Chef Kristen certainly showed her outside-the-box thinking and creativity.
First course was autumn squash bisque with roasted chestnut and cashew cream. This was paired with black stallion Sauvignon Blanc. The bisque was beautifully presented and tasted like fall. We loved it. I will not likely become a Sauvignon Blanc drinker, but the wine was nice as well.
Second course was a ricotta and potato gnocchi with creamy crab and Parmesan pan sauce. This was paired with Black Stallion Chardonnay. Nice dish and great wine. This chardonnay was perfect and we brought home a bottle of this as well. That is one of the great things about a wine dinner. If you like a bottle after having a glass, you can by one, or a case, while you are there. Always nice to know what you are buying.
Third course was braised pork with fennel, black walnut pesto, served over creamy polenta. This was my favorite dish of the evening. The pork was prepared and presented in a way I have not seen before and it was perfectly done. The polenta was delicious. But to me, the star of this dish was Chef Kristen’s use of crushed black walnuts. I asked her about this after the meal and she says they were locally harvested from her backyard. How awesome is that?
I love when a chef takes the extra time and steps to set a dish apart from the everyday. When you dine out, this is what you are looking for. As a person who has personally picked up loads of black walnuts from a yard of a friend, and has tried to harvest the meat of the nuts, I can attest to just how much work this is. The fact that Chef Kristen did this, and created a black walnut pesto that was very tasty, earns her a round of applause. This course was paired with Black Stallion Pinot Noir. Good wine if you are a Pinot Noir drinker.
The final course, dessert, was chocolate and espresso tres leches paired with Black Stallion Cabernet Sauvignon. The cab was great (brought home a bottle of that, too) and the dessert was worth the calories. It was light, airy and rich – chocolate done right.
Thanks, Rustic Hills, for a great night out! More info can be found at www.RusticHills.com or call 330-725-4281.