I attended the Mountain Table Dinner featuring William Hill Estate Winery last Friday, Feb. 5 with a good friend. We arrived, and braved the cold air on our venture to the gondola, complete with soft blankets and flashlights to guide our way up the mountain.
Once we settled at Zephyr Lodge, we enjoyed our first course, a Mango Honeydew Endive Salad with Habanero Butter, and Phyllo, paired with an unbelievable Sauvignon Blanc. My friend’s plate had a nicely seared scallop atop her salad. Okay, okay, I have a confession to make… I had the vegetarian meal. Sans scallop.
Sometimes the featured vegetarian meal can feel a little incomplete, an afterthought, if you will. But after speaking with chef Chad Shrewsbury, he assured me that I was not making his job more difficult, and that they had planned a vegetarian menu that would complement the wines just the same as the duck confit and braised veal cheek would.
To my excitement, he didn’t disappoint. Each course, and each wine were made for each other. My favorite dish was the main course, Tomato Braised Tofu, Sweet Potato Pave, Chantelles, Pan Jus, paired with William Hill’s Pinot Noir Central Coast 2014. Decadence in a dish is sometimes hard to come by for vegetarians. Without meat, you sometimes miss (and long for) that rich umami flavor that coats your tongue, fills you up, but still leaves you wanting more. The rich flavor in the tomato, and the well-cooked tofu were both savory and filling.
As I was enjoying the vegetarian meal, I heard raves all around me about how tender the meat was, how the Charred Wagyu New York Strip with Brandied Bone Marrow Sauce, Rocotta, and Garlic Cannelloni needed to be savored slowly bite by bite because it was that delicious.
All in all, you can see the passionate chefs at Northstar relish the creavity that comes with compiling a new menu, especially when it’s focus is around the subtle flavors of wine.
For details on the Mountain Table Dinner series, visit the website. The next dinner will be Feb. 19 and will feature wines from Francis Ford Coppola Winery. Also coming up, a Beer Pairing Dinner later in the season.
