Gambero Rosso Vini d'Italia "Tre Bicchieri" Dinner at a Mano

[justagirl]

Last night's wine dinner at a Mano was wonderful. Flying Bayou, Bam Bam and I had a great time. Here's the menu:

Lemonfish crudo, citrus, fennel, olive oil cured olives
Castello della Sala Cervaro della Sala, Umbria

Cured duck breast with blackberry mostarda
Michele Chiarlo La Court Barbera d'Asti

Porcini mushroom sformato with pancetta and parmesan frico
Castello di Fonterutoli Chianti Classico, Toscano

Fresh pasta with lamb ragu
Feudo Maccari Saia Nero d'Avola, Sicilia

Red wine braised wild boar with polenta
Antinori Guado al Tasso, Tuscany

Bittersweet chocolate budino, hazelnuts, olive oil, sea salt
Sella & Mosca Villa Marina Cabernet, Sardegna

The courses were all fantastic. The lemonfish was a sashimi style and excellent. The cured duck breast was their duck prosciutto that I always rave about with a great berry/mustard condiment. Sounds strange maybe but it was increadable.
The porcini mushroom sformato was absolutely oustanding. Best dish of the night.
Josh had extra porcini mushrooms and added them to the polenta with the wild boar. What a treat.

Dessert was decent but probably the weakest course of the meal. But by then we happy and having such a great time it didn't matter. The wines were so great we bought a bunch of bottles after the dinner.

Swirl Wine Market put on the wine dinner and Josh and his staff executed everything perfectly. It was a very fun evening.

[bam bam]

I was a huge fan of the porcini mushroom dish. It was like a mousse, probably the best way to describe it. How long until Josh Smith wins Chef of the Year? I am thinking it should be 2010 but we all know how behind the times New Orleans Magazine is, so the smart money is on 2015.

The wines were outstanding. Although, I wasn't a huge fan of the first or last wine. The first wine, definitely needed food and it worked well with the lemon fish but I didn't find it drinkable on its own which is what I look for in a white. The last wine retails for $73 but there was no way I would ever pay that for a Sicilian wine. And this one didn't live up to the hefty price tag regardless.

[flyinbayou]

It was a wonderful dinner and must agree with JAG and Bam about the favorites of the night. The porcini dish stole the show. Most of the wines were limited imports (some extremely limited) and very good and Chef Josh did a nice job with the pairings.
The company was nice also.