12 Best NOW&FE Wine Dinners:
Restaurant August, Big French Wines
John Besh's flagship restaurant usually sells out its NOW&FE Vintner dinner, but this morning I got a message from them offering spots at the event. The attraction is, beyond the kitchen's usual creativity in cooking locally-farmed foodstuffs, the pairings with major wines from Burgundy and the Rhone Valley. I suspect they may have this dinner in the entire restaurant--another explanation for the availability of tickets.
Two Run Farms Lamb Tartare
Sweet pea chermoula, whipped burrata and spiced lavash
Wine: Val de Mer, Crémant de Bourgogne, Brut Nature Rosé, France, NV
Roasted Covey Rise Beet Pansotti Pasta
Foie gras crème
Wine: Chardonnay, Domaine Charles Audoin, Marsannay-la-Côte Burgundy France, 2011
Green Garlic Crusted Marrow Bone
Warm crawfish salad, blood orange, picholine olives and Lisa’s focaccia
Wine: Pinot Noir, Domaine Charles Audoin, Marsannay, Côtes-de-Nuits Burgundy, France, 2009
Crepinette of Chappapeela Farms Duckling
Popcorn rice boudin, spring onion and grilled fava beans
Wine: Grenache/Mourvèdre/Cinsault/Vaccarèse, Féraud-Brunel Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône Valley, France, 2010
Local Blueberry “Pavlova”
Caramelized coconut, lime and blueberry sorbet
Wine: Gros Manseng & Petite Manseng, Domaine du Clos Uroulat Moelleux, Jurançon-Uroulat, France, 2006
The price of the dinner is $150 inclusive. Reservations are essential at the number below. The date for this year's New Orleans Wine and Food Experience winemaker dinners is Wednesday, May 22. I think this will be among the twelve best of the field of thirty-eight. The others will appear here every day until the big night. Left out: dinners that are already booked up (!), and those that didn't publish their menus on the NOW&FE website.
Restaurant August. CBD: 301 Tchoupitoulas. 504-299-9777. www.rest-august.com.
