While on Spring Break, My boyfriend Eric, his brother Andy, and Andy's fiance Sara attended two different wine paring dinners while traveling. The first was at Fireside Pies, who is dedicated to serving outstanding artisan pizzas made in wood-fired ovens. They also specialize in homemade, hand-cut pastas and wine.We all ordered their famous pies to pair with a deep and rice wine that the waiter recommended. We ordered two Triple 'Roni pies and one Light n' Crispy. The Triple 'Roni included pepperonis, fresh mozzarella, hand-torn basil, and their famous truffle oil. The Light n' Crispy contained fresh tomato ragu, Paula's mozzarella, marinated tomatoes, good sea salt, and hand torn basil. (My favorite was the Light n' Crispy).
Of course we had already started digging in before I could snap a picture of the pizza pies...
Eric scarfing down his Triple 'Roni
The wine that was paired with this scrumptious meal was a 2007 Castellani Campomaggio Toscana from Tuscany, Italy. This is a superTuscan blend containing 85% Sangiovese accompanied by Cabernet and Merlot. This wine had an overwhelming oak tone with a fairly light body that complimented the pies very nicely. This specific variety was aged in oak for 6 months before bottling that helps give that oaky aftertaste that paired well with the Light n' Crispy Pie.
Sara and I enjoying our Castellani wine.
The second pairing we attended was at Bernardo's at the Hotel Galvez in Galveston, Texas. The Galvez Hotel was built in 1911 honoring Bernardo de Galvez y Madrid. There are many significant aspects about this hotel that are equally hard to overpass, such as the haunting of the ghost bride of room 501, the use by President Roosevelt as a temporary White House, and Bernardo's restaurant. The elegant dining room accompanies the 5 star dining experience wonderfully.
Bernardo's Restaurant
We chose the restaurant classic, the Galvez Pasta. This dish includes penne pasta tossed with a Cajun cream andouille, mushrooms, shrimp and sausage, finished with goat cheese. This was a definite classic Cajun sauce right from the gulf of mexico. This dish was paired with the 2007 Esser Vineyards Merlot. This wine has a deep garnet color and a delicious array of aromatics. There were flavors of cherries, cranberries, cocoa, and toffee. This wine was light in texture but higher in tannins which paired nicely with the punch of Cajun cream sauce covering the penne pasta.
My Delicious Galvez Pasta
If ever visiting the area of Galveston, Tx, even if you are not staying at the Hotel Galvez, Bernardo's is a definite must on the list of restaurants to try. And if ever in Fort Worth, TX, Fireside Pies is a definite win of a restaurant to experience.
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