Sodaro Estate Featured in Valley Scene Magazine
Monday, October 20th, 2008Sodaro Estate Winery’s Cabernet Dinner at SIMONLA was featured today in Valley Scene Magazine, an entertainment news publication.
Chef Kerry Simon Hails a Few Cabs from Napa
By Gerry Furth-Sides
Chef Kerry Simon recently hailed a few cabs at his underrated SIMONLA restaurant. They just happened to be a range of rich Sodaro Estate Napa Cabernets in an innovative wine pairing menu. As always, the menu he created for this special event taught a thing or two with high-style in his deceptively simple, modern - and fun - dishes with their underlying complex satisfying flavors.
SIMONLA’s carefully planned alfresco setting sets the stage for a treat, with congenial servers like ours, Amy, who knew the food and spirits well. Only the energy buzz, not the noise, from the Beverly Center traffic outside transfers to the playful, cozy Sofitel patio that feels like the best seat on the Riviera.
Looking for a corollary between wine notes and ingredients is helpful in food and wine pairings. The chef demonstrated it first in a warm California goat cheese tart with figs and small herb salad paired with a luscious Felicity Cabernet Sauvignon 2003, with a red depth of color. The supple structure of this cab was able to handle the strong flavors of the light introductory course. The cab’s dark fruit notes of red cherry compote and plums paralleled the figs while it complemented the herb salad, and the soft, dusty overlay of sandalwood coax ed out the flavors in the goat cheese tart.
A pleasingly “meaty” fish, halibut is a good choice to pair with red wine. The challenge with halibut, however, is that it lacks a distinct flavor of its own and can be bland or, as in this case, act as a beautiful blank slate for the chef. Chef Simon paired a Roasted Pacific Halibut with Corn and Fava Bean Succotash with a Cabernet reduction with a Felicity Cabernet Franc 2004. He first attracted the eye of the beholder with a papery-thin crunchy layer on top. It contrasted with the tender, perfectly cooked moist inside. The fava bean succotash added a summer color and balance to the fish while the cab reduction mirrored the wine pour in the glass.
A shallot wine sauce pulled together the flavors of the bold, traditional meat-with-red wine dish, Grilled Prime Culotte of Beef, here accompanied by fresh French filet Beans and Truffled Potato Cake for an appealing, subtle twist.
“By using a handful of simple sauces and broths, the diner is able to experience food’s natural, intense flavors,” the chef explains. “The dishes themselves end up lighter, fresher.” He adds that a feature of his natural style featuring selections from the best, locally raised produce.
For dessert, a crunchy Chocolate Mousse Cake with Passion fruit and Marinated Raspberries were balanced with a Ramos Pinto Port Quinta de Ervamoira.
Sodaro Estate Winery Assistant Manager, Mark Phelan was on hand to fill in the story about the wines.
