GRAPE EXPECTATIONS
Wine dinners with special pairings abound; five this month
If you’ve embarked on a new diet plan or have resolved to observe the winefree month of “Drynuary” (Dry January), you may want to look away. The wining and dining season is nowhere near over.
It’s as if local restaurants have res olved to tempt us back into holiday mode. You’ll find proof of temptation in the following five local wine dinners.
So, cheers!?
Corks + Forks’ Spanish Wine Dinner
Local catering duo Melanie Robertson-Ober and her chef-husband Michael “Chef- fee” Ober of Corks + Forks are serving a four-course, pop-up dinner paired with boutique wines from Spain. When: 7 p.m. today
On the menu: gambas al ajillo (garlic shrimp), a classic Spanish tortilla (omelet), pork tenderloin in truffled tomato béchamel and, for dessert, cream cheese-ricotta flan. Dishes will be matched with wines ranging from albariño to a Rioja crianza to a Rioja reserve to a rich, sweet sherry from Spain’s Montilla-Moriles region.
Price: $69, plus tax and tip Where: Serenity Garden, 316 Vallette Way, West Palm Beach; 561-339-2444
The Regional’s Silver Oak Wine Dinner
The Regional Kitchen and Public House in West Palm Beach is presenting a special dinner paired with Silver Oak wines from Napa and Alexander valleys. Silver Oak wine- maker Nate Weis will host the evening.
When: 6 p.m. today
On the menu: The fourcourse dinner created by Regional executive chef and partner Lindsay Autry kicks off with butler-passed hors d’oeuvres, followed by a first course of pan roasted black bass. Second course is the chef ’s Trofie Pasta with housemade sausage and Venus clams, followed by grilled spnialis of beef. The grand finale: a sweet-salty combo of Jasper Hill Clothbound Cheddar served with winter fruit. Wine pairings include Twomey Cellars Rus- sian River pinot noir, Twomey Cellars Napa Valley merlot, Silver Oak Winery Alexander Valley cabernet and Silver Oak’s Napa cab.
Price: $175, plus 7 percent tax and 20 percent gratuity
Where: The Regional Kitchen, 651 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach; 561- 557-6460
Harvest Cabernet Dinner Harvest Seasonal Grill & Wine Bar, a Pennsylvaniabased restaurant chain with a location in Delray Beach, is hosting a Cabernet Wine Dinner, a five-course meal paired with wines.
When: 6:30 p.m. Jan. 18 On the menu: espressorubbed wagyu carpaccio, pork be lly confit with a torched vanilla-caramel crust, salt-and-malt-vinegar black bass with eggplant chips and dry-rubbed lamb loin churrasco with smashed Peruvian potatoes. Each course paired with cabernet wines from Mendoza, Napa, Paso Robles and other wine regions. For dessert, a selection of chocolates made by a local chocolatier. Price: $75, p lustaxandtip Where: Harvest Seasonal Grill & Wine Bar, 1841 S. Federal Highway, No. 402, Delray Beach; 561-266-3239
Truluck’s Duckh ornDi nner
Truluck’s Seafood, Steak and Crab House in Boca Raton is hosting a four-course wine dinner, pouring wines from Duckhorn Vineyards of Napa Valley.
When: 7 p.m. Jan. 26
On the menu: seafood aguachili, heirloom tomato salad with buttermilk dressing, fileta up oivr ewithaugr atin potatoes and chocolate malt cake with berry sauce. Pairings include Duckhorn sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, cabernet and merlot.
Price: $150, includes tax and tip
Where: Truluck’s, 351 W. Plaza Real (Mizner Park), Boca Raton; 561-391-0755