Chef Eli and Chef Kevin are superstars. Two totally different styles and my two favorite young ATL Chefs. At the time of the "Riding Dirty" competition, both were starting fresh in roles as executive chefs and had yet to have much local press-- I am ecstatic that these guys will be seen on a national TV and get all the recognition that they deserve!!!!
Eight weeks ago, Rowdy, Smylie, and I got together and decided to get some of Atlanta's top restaurants to compete in a wine pairing challenge. We wanted to have a way for people to see wine and food working together, at its best, and also at a price that wasn't prohibitive (all pairings had to be under $25). It sounded easy, we'd hit 3 restaurants a night, and knock it out in under 3 weeks. Did we ever get that wrong. The time commitment required to put these posts together was intense, and Rowdy and Smylie deserve huge props for the time they put in editing video, photos, and dealing with my insane schedule.
We were blown away by the restaurants who decided to participate in something as crazy sounding as "Riding Dirty". In fact, we had such a large response that we had to turn restaurants away. The effort, creativity, and time put in by the chefs, wine directors, and staff was incredible. Regardless of comfort, every restaurant jumped in front of the camera and told their story. Their stories are better than any wine or food. These are the people who pour their heart in soul into your restaurant experiences.
Taste is personal. Rowdy, Smylie, and I all have three very different palates, which made agreeing on a winner close to impossible. Add in that so many of the pairings were so amazing,the battle for the top spot was ultimately claimed by tiny margins. After four hours of debate, discussion, and a few bottles of wine, we finally agreed on our picks.
So it is with great pleasure that Rowdy, Smylie, and Dirty announce the winners of
"Riding Dirty- The 2008 Atlanta Wine Pairing Challenge"
Best Overall Pairing:Holeman and Finch Lustau East India Sherry and Pork Belly This pairing was phenomenal, creative, well thought out, broke the mold, and showed that Greg Best and the crew at Holeman and Finch do more than great cocktails. Holeman and Finch is the real deal.
Best Traditional Pairing:Dogwood (Dogwood Video) Rutz Maison Grand Cru Chardonnay and Lobster Grits Flavorful, intense, great synergy between the wine and the food. This pairing really popped. Traditional with the lobster and Chardonnay, but this was really really good. The grits practically became buttered popcorn when washed down with the wine.
Best Wine Program:ENO 85+ wines by the glass with an incredible (and awesomely geeky) selection. Doug and Chef Eli have a wonderful thing going on here.
Best Dish:Woodfire Grill Pan Roasted Diver Scallops, braised leeks and fennel, Bouillabaisse sauce, Herb salad. This dish was clean, perfect, and just naturally good. Nothing overdone, nothing in the way- just stop in your tracks good. We all agreed that Woodfire is better than ever with the new ownership and Chef Kevin in the Kitchen
The "Joe Truex Kicks Crazy Ass!" Award:Repast Joe Truex- What can you say about him? If Atlanta has a champion for great wine and food, it has to be Joe. Joe consistently amazes us, and went through hoops, and incredible effort to get his pairing the way he wanted it without cutting corners. Rowdy, Smylie, and Dirty are huge fans! Best Restaurant to Drink Wine: ONE. midtown kitchen I love the concept of the wine program at ONE. 75 wines by the glass, priced in several categories with the option of buying by the taste, glass, or bottomless glass. I love the bottomless glass concept. Not for the sheer quantity, but for the ability to pick and try any wine in that category. There is nothing like this in town. Also, Chef Tom Harvey and John did a killer job putting together a killer pairing.
Best Belly Pairing:La Tavola A rustic Primitivo and Orcchiette with housemade sausage... This is come in from a cold night goodness. Comforting, welcoming, and capturing the essence of La Tavola. Also one of our favorite videos!
Biggest Surprise:VINE VINE is the biggest surprise for a lot of reasons. They closed days after our visit. They put together an incredible and unique pairing (Ginger Creme Brulee and Oregon Pinot Noir). They overcame negative reviews, broke out from old ownership, and really impressed us. I look forward to visiting Chris and Stephens next venture.
Best For Large Groups:VITA A huge room that can fit more people than you can shake a stick at. When we went, they had a party for 90, and there was still plenty of space.
Best Value:Toulouse(Toulouse Video) A comforting meal. A surprising pairing of Shiraz and Salmon. An incredible room. Great ownership. A great neighborhood bistro. George and team have a wonderful spot.
Favorite Wine Pick (Smylie):ARIA 2006 Bodega Colomé Malbec- Velvety, with soft tannins, pronounced fruit, and great balance. This was a killer pick with Aria's incredible short ribs. This wine helped change my mind about Malbec.
Favorite Wine Pick (Rowdy):Canoe 2006 Bergstom Dr Bergstrom Riesling. Finally a West Coast Riesling that packs in the petroleum, and minerals of German Riesling. A touch of residual sugar, tropical fruits, beautiful palate, and great balance. A surprising wine, and a great pick.
Favorite Wine Pick (Dirty):TOP FLR (TOP FLR video 2) 2007 Cote de Gascogne Gros Manseng. Crisp, peppery, light, rocky, and acidic- Though simple, this is a delicious wine, perfect for pairing, and a great value. Beyond that- an obscure varietal that showed that Adam is a man on a mission for great wine, value, and overall experience.
Most Inspirational Pairing:International Society of Africans in Wine and Vino Libro Who else has a story and a cause like ISAW's? Picking a wine with the purpose of improving the conditions for native South Africans in the SA wine trade (and having it be wonderful too). This was heart and soul, and the wine world is fortunate to have people like Stephen Satterfield.
Congratulations to all the winners! We look forward to doing this again in 2009!
Wine: Quivira Sauvignon Blanc Fig Tree (USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley)
Food: Nantucket Bay Scallops with Kabocha Squash, and Local Greens
Our tasting at ENO was the final stop on the Riding Dirty Atlanta Wine Pairing Challenge tour. Though last, they were actually the first restaurant to sign up, and sent us out on a real high note.
The Quivira Sauvignon Blanc Fig Tree is a cool wine. It is refreshing, restrained, organic, biodynamic, and balanced. Add that Quivira(check out Dr Xeno's Post) is Atlanta owned, and I can't help but like it even more. Now the dish... Screamingly good. Tender, tiny, naturally sweet Nantucket Bay Scallops, with a delicate pan sauce, and a few essential bitter greens... Man... Duuude... (insert your favorite expletive)... Chef Eli's dish was nuts and highlighted super-premium, seasonal ingredients. The wine and the dish together, rocked. Sweet meets tart, soft meets steel, pure versus sinister... A lot of thought went into this one and it worked.
Along with a great pairing, one thing I really like about ENO is their wine list. They have a ridiculous amount of wines by the glass, and offer all of them by either the 2oz taste or 6oz pour. I love the taste approach. The nerd in me usually wants to experiment with multiple wines and this makes it cost effective, fun, and keeps me from having to drop the hammer.
With the team of Chef Eli and Doug, ENO has never been better.
(Doug and Eli watching Dirty drop the hammer regardless of 2oz pours) (all photos courtesy of Broderick Smylie)
Our trip to Canoe was incredible. We were fortunate to have been able to spend a great deal of time with Chef Carvel Grant Gould, and Wine Director Matt Bradford. These are two people with passion, conscience, and pure love for what they do. It shows.
I make no excuses. I am a pushover for good Riesling, but I find very few from the West Coast that really turn me loose. Most seem to lack the petrol, minerals, and acidity of their German counterparts. This was my first experience with the Bergstrom Riesling- I was not disappointed. It was a delightful wine.
The quail dish was stuffed with duck sausage and was a killer plate to share. The acidity of Riesling really sliced through the richness of this dish- And the peanuts, cherries, and endive really seemed to balance out the sweet and sour aspects of the wine. There is a lot going on here, but like a complex wine, this pairing had you eagerly going back to try it again and again. It worked well on a lot of levels, and helped show that great Riesling isn't just for spicy foods.
As mentioned, our trip to Canoe was a great experience. Chef Carvel and Matt are amazing people with such passion for what they do. Their enthusiasm is contagious.
The International Society of Africans in Wine (ISAW) is a non-profit organization focused on developing skills,and supporting social projects for disadvantaged groups in the South African wine industry. When starting the Riding Dirty wine pairing challenge, we wanted to make sure we could include ISAW in some capacity. ISAW's founder, Stephen Satterfield, teamed up with Vino Libro to create a pairing using one his featured wines.
If you are like most wine drinkers, you may have never had, or even heard of the Bukettraube grape. It came across a little like Chenin Blanc, mixed with Muscat, and Riesling- Floral, citrus, and melon with a touch of residual sugar and balanced acidity. A nice new wine find for me.
Vino Libro's Moroccan Chicken is spicy without heat, packs in lots of flavor, with nothing overdone. It is a great plate of wine friendly food. (Along with the Bukettraube, a lot of wines would easily compliment this dish). Being a heavily spiced dish (cinnamon, paprika, ginger), the fruit and residual sugar from the wine played really well with plate. Flavors became brighter and more distinct, and the acids balanced the fruit and extended the length of the flavors.
I liked this pairing a lot. There was nothing wild, or over the top about it, but just a tasty dish, a fun glass of wine, and all for a great cause. The Seven Sisters Bukettraube is also available at Vino Libro's retail shop (connected to the restaurant).
ISAW is great organization. For more info, please check out the video below.
It is tough to say anything about this crew that people don't already know. They are known for their amazing staff / ownership, vibe, killer food, the ATL's best cocktails, burger, Atlanta Magazine's Restaurant of the Year, etc... But how many of you know them for wine?
When a place is this good, it does everything well. So it was no shock that Greg Best would put together an amazing wine pairing. Just none of us knew in advance what it would be. To say we were not disappointed is an understatement... This was insane.
FIRST- SHERRY, SHERRY, SHERRY, SHERRY! Finally, someone goes for Sherry! Though I am not an expert on Sherry, in our trend of small plates, tapas, and snacks, few wines are as versatile as Sherry, and few work as well with big flavors- olives, nuts, vinegars, etc... When Greg brought out the wine, I said to myself- "This guy gets it!" , When Chef Adam brought out the pork belly-- thick cut, looking almost looking like hamachi sashimi, I said "We're totally screwed." I think I walked back in to chez Dirty after 2 AM that night... It was that good.
The video describes the pairing more than my feeble fingers. But for those more apt to read- This Sherry is thick, nutty, fairly sweet, complex and though not as over the top as a full blown Pedro Ximenez, it is something that few sane people would reach for without a wedge of blue-veined cheese. Then the pork belly- cooked perfectly. A little crisp on the edge, tender and flavorful, but still tasting like pig. This dish is something else. The Sherry adds a caramel-like flavor and almost transforms this dish into something like bacon in your mouth (and who wouldn't like that?)- The acid from the chow chow, and the bitterness from the greens matched perfectly. This is an unexpected pairing, that just rocks.
Huge props and thanks to Greg, Andy, Regan, and Chef Adam. Forget the Hawks, Braves, Falcons, or Thrashers, H+F is the best team in town.
As a side note- While waiting for our tasting, we met up with some folks from Quality Wine, and wine importer Jon David Headrick. JD's wine selections from the Loire have been some of my favorite wines this year- pure, natural, often organic and or biodynamic. His wines show that there is a world beyond heavy, over-extracted fruit. (also his Domaine Vacheron Sancerre Rouge was poured for Repast's Riding Dirty Entry).
Along with a killer portfolio of wines- he's got quite a sense of humour too...
2007 Barrel 27 Wine Company High On The Hog White Wine (Viognier, Roussanne, Marsanne blend).
Food:
3 From the Garden (Swiss Chard Gratinee, Glazed Turnips w/ Golden Raisins, Parsnip Flan w/ Black Truffle Butter)
At ONE. midtown kitchen we were welcomed by GM, John McDaniels, Chef Tom Harvey, and Host- Bob Bost. This was a fun team, and it was evident that not only did they put time into their entry, but that they enjoyed putting it together and presenting something that might be a little on edge.
The dish, "3 from the Garden", is a trio of seasonal vegetable dishes. A dish like this is an even bigger challenge because they have to find one wine that pairs with each of the three elements on the plate.
The key to this pairing- bitter meets fruit. Greens, root vegetables, and a touch of sweet from the flan and raisins. The "High on the Hog" wine- full bodied, enormous, stone fruits, pineapple, a hint of residual sugar, acidic, and at 15+ % alcohol, it was a warming, winter white.
On a whole, this wine worked with all of the dishes (even the Swiss Chard, which can be tough to pair)- but the one that knocked it out of the park- the Parsnip Flan! With this wine, it was almost sublime. Creamy, sweet, earthy, funky, musky- met by a swig of stoney peach and apricot.
Ahh yeah- Good times right here!
I hadn't been to ONE. midtown kitchen for awhile. I forgot how cool their wine program is. They have about 75 wines by the glass, and all of these wines are available by the 1/2 glass, the glass, or BOTTOMLESS!!!!! Though bottomless can mean all you want to drink of that wine, their bottomless program is better when you want to try a bunch of different wines, and create your own flights with your meal. On top of the quantity, they really have some cool selections, and are priced to be consumed.
Lastly, they have a section on the wine list where they list the last bottles of a particular wine- Pricing on these is usually crazy good- When we were there, their last bottle of NV Krug was listed for about $150 (about the same as retail). Calling all playahs!
Thanks to John, Tom and Bob! This was a very fun stop along the Riding Dirty tour!
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