ried to pretend that it wasn’t a blazing 100+ degrees outside and that the Holiday Season was but a stone’s throw away—all the while the Hotel air conditioning was cranking away and…We sampled a few upcoming seasonal cocktails including a festive Mistletoe Mojito accented with cranberry and mistletoe mint, a chocolate-y martini, “S’more the Merrier”, and an aromatic Yule Thyme martini made from thyme and sage-infused vodka.
Next it was downstairs to Trio, where we all sat family-style around a long narrow table. Despite the heat, it was beginning to feel a lot like Christmas… only I had a feeling Chef Todd Duplechan wouldn’t be carving a turkey and serving up Stove Top stuffing. And well, I was right.
The Menu:
Appetizer Choices:
Winter Squash Salad with Pine nut butter, raisins, Farm Goat cheese
(Pairing: Chateau Soucherie, Anjou Blanc, Loire Valley, 2008)
Seafood Soufflé with tarragon and saffron sauce
(Pairing: Albert Grivault, Bourgogne Blanc 2005)
Pork Belly with Cranberry, Napa Cabbage, Mustard
(Pairing: Charles & Charles, Syrah Rosé, Columbia Valley, 2008)
Entrée Choices:
Pheasant with mushroom jus
(Pairing: Sangiovese, ‘Sara’, Tuscany, 2007)
Wild Salmon with crim
ini mushroom and lingonberry
(Pairing: Ch. De Puligny Montrachet, Monthelie, Burgandy, 2005)
Prime Ribeye with horseradish potatoes and red wine sauce
(Pairing: Chappallet, Cabernet Blend, Mountain Cuvée, Napa, 2006)
**All entrées served with Maple Roasted Sweet potatoes and Brussels Sprouts**
Dessert Choices:
Gingerbread Cake with Marzipan, Tangerine gel, dried fruit purée, and vanilla bean whipped cream
(Pairing: Chambers Muscat, Rutherglen, Australia)
Chocolate Peppermint Baked Alaska
(Pairing: M. Chapoutier, Banyuls, France, 2006)
Trio of Sorbet – Mango, Raspberry, Lemon
(Pairing: Saracco, Moscato d’Asti, Italy 2007)
Appetizer:
Though I was tempted to order the pork belly, I chose the wild squash. And I am so glad I did. Roasted in thin slices to a glazy and almost crispy finish, the squash had a nice holiday spice taste with some extra heat from garam masala (a popular Indian spice that packs a punch, but not in the same way a chile pepper might do.) The plate was accented with clouds of fresh farmstead goat cheese and beneath the squash was a peculiar sauce made from toasted pine nuts that is really best described as “pine nut butter.”
I was lucky enough to try the pork belly from a neighbor. The best I can say is wow. If you want to pretend it’s Christmas, this is the thing to try. Beautiful spices including a heavy hit of clove and cranberry. And the crispy-outside-tender on the inside taste of rich and fatty pork belly was enough to make me wish for a visit from jolly Old St. Nick!
Entrée:
Since everyone else around me ordered the salmon, I went with the beef. I foolishly thought that since this was a “tasting” that I’d get a modest 4-6 ounce portion… Big mistake. When the entrees arrived, I was shocked to see a wopping 14 ounce-er arrive at my seat complete with a sprig of rosemary and dollop of horseradish mashed potatoes—which turned out to be a tad on the dry side… But in this case, size doesn’t really matter, as I knew I’d get a doggie bag. The taste was sensational. Very well seasoned, a good bit of marbling, but not too fatty, and cooked just the way I like: nice char on the outside, bloody on the inside. Thank you, Todd Duplechan!
Dessert:
For dessert, I went with the gingerbread cake with sweet morsels of marzipan baked right on top. (It was a holiday meal after all!) This spiced mini cake arrived warm and inviting with the aroma of Christmas morning. Spongy, almost gooey texture, and blissful with a dash of the lovely dried fruit puree.
Special Treat:
Though each of the courses was paired with wine by Trio sommelier, Mark Sayre, we were all bowled over by a special treat. Sayre gave us each a sample of his latest project, a smooth and fruity Syrah from the Va Piano Vineyards, which he and winemaker Justin Wylie developed in Walla Walla, Washington. Yes, I liked the other wines. But this was special. I was thankful I’d saved a bite of steak to enjoy it with. The 2007 release of this wine will be released exclusively at Trio, thank goodness. At about $60 a bottle, it will be a welcomed treat to any hearty meal here.
One little note: Don’t rush out to taste this menu just yet. Remember, this is a Holiday Preview dinner. So take this little teaser, hold it in your memory, and just after Thanksgiving, head down to Trio for an inspired meal. You won’t regret it.
Happy Holidays!
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