Tuesday, May 4, 2010

A Wine Connoisseur's Dinner


Mr. A hosted a wine dinner last Friday night in our home. He has been collecting wine for years (think baseball cards!) and is part of a"wine club" which meets every couple of months to have tastings and share the wines from their cellars. They call themselves the BNO wine club, short for "Boys Night Out."

When it came his turn to host, he wanted to make the evening special with a full-on sit down dinner. So he hired our daughter Ashley to cater the event.

THE TABLE SETTING:

My contribution was the tablescape. I know I've featured most of the dishes before, but wanted to use these plates again because of the grape motif.

I varied the color of the glasses, chargers, candles and napkin rings: Red, green and purple.

Holding court is this centerpiece of two dozen garden roses in this ice bucket.

I hate to admit it, but I literally threw this all together at the last minute!

I love how this photo shows how the glasses, roses and candles look like gems on the table.

THE FOOD:

Meanwhile, Chef Ashley is in the kitchen preparing the meal.

First, she set up her "Mis en Place."

This thin slice of Wagu beef will be used for an hor d'oeuvre.

Like this quinelle of Wagu beef tartar on a small toasted crostini.

Shots of sunchoke soup with a drizzle of white truffle oil were passed around.
Also, there was a selection of local artisan cheeses to round out the appetizers.

The first course was a little gem lettuce salad with creamy herb dressing garnished with avocado cubes, slivered almonds, radish, and shaved peppercorn pecorino cheese. Aaron acted as her sous chef.

The second course was a Tagliatelle pasta with morel mushrooms, peas and garnished with pea shoots.


Finally, the main course was rack of lamb on a bed of pearled barley with golden raisins, arugula and goat cheese.

Chocolate cake drizzled with blueberry puree and garnished with strawberries complete the meal.

THE WINES:

Everyone brought wine to share. The tasting becomes quite serious as everyone takes notes and rates the wines. I enjoyed listening to the banter back and forth as they discussed the various qualities of the wines.
This is a "flight" of Chateauneuf de Pape, 1988, 1989, 1994 and 1997.

The newest member is also the oldest member. At 81, Ben has been collecting wine since 1959!
He was very generous to bring this 1957 bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape.

Everyone was amazed that Ben brought this 1847 (that's right) bottle of sherry!
It's hard to believe that something this old could taste so divine!

The "Boys Night Out" wine group enjoying a gourmet meal and world class wines.

It was a fabulous evening!

I'm joining Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday.
On Friday, I'll be linking up to Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday,
and My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday.
Saturday, I'll be joining Laurie at Bargain Hunting with Laurie for Favorite Things Saturday.
Be sure to visit each of these blogs for more tabletop and food inspiration.
Check out a new meme called Centerpiece Wednesdays at The Style Sisters.

Pin It!

61 comments:

Lori E said...

Oh that must have been such a great evening. I can't imagine tasting such an aged wine. Wow. What did they think? Was it good?

Pamela said...

Just fabulous! What an impressive table seating and the food look so amazing. Talent runs in this family!

Angie said...

I'm drooling...

The Decorative Dreamer said...

I'm going to share this with my son who is in culinary school in Charleston. How wonderful of your daughter and you to help for the "BNO". Looks like a sucessful evening, beautiful and delicious!

Kathysue said...

Delores I know nothing about wine but I do know good food and a beautiful table when I see it. Wow oh Wow!! That meal looked incredible. Bravo to your daughter!! Thanks for sharing this was a fun post, Kathysue.
PS I am going to have my porch post up on Thursday, finally.

Jules said...

The table looks sensational, the food delicious. Do we get to share the recipes? Particurly the soup and the chocolate cake? Mouth watering.....

Jackie said...

Magnificent!

Lorna ~ Lace and Ivy Cottage said...

Delores,
What a divine event! The tablescape was perfect for the theme and for not too fussy for a bunch of men! Your daughter is quite a chef, I am very impressed! I enjoy your blog very much and thank you for sharing your beautiful home and family with us!

Julio said...

I would have loved to be there for the beautiful table setting, delicious looking cuisine and the fabulous wine and sherry. This my kind of evening. Thanks for sharing Delores.

Burlap Luxe said...

Thank you for visiting my blog, I am in awww!! with your blogs:)
Beautiful site and beautiful home.

A home to love.

Dore

The Antiques Diva™ said...

Just discovered you and I am so adding you to my diva-worthy links! Gorgeous phots, great idea using the ice bucket for flowers, you're living la diva-loca! I love it! I'm your new biggest fan,
Toma

Acanthus and Acorn said...

I am sure the "boys" weren't critiqing the table...but you did a great job making it look so wonderfully masculine!

Your daughter is a caterer...that is so unfair! :)

And, your photos as always are just so spectacular!!!

savvycityfarmer said...

... ah wait ... stop ... hold it ... you have a chef?
just for this evening or ALWAYS???

my darling daughter can pronounce all those lovely wine labels!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, friend ... salud'

Glenda/MidSouth said...

What a pretty table setting, and the food looks wonderful!

Pat@Back Porch Musings said...

Lovely table, delightful meal...wonderful evening.

I love this post, Delores.

Heidi said...

Beautiful Delores! It looks like it was a spectacular event. BTW - The table did not look pulled together at the last minute! The menu sounds fabulous - wow, I'm hungry now - how nice to have a chef in the family. The wines are impressive but all that's kind of lost on me, still I wouldn't have minded a sip or two!!
XO
Heidi - Heart and Home
PS - Where did you eat, in the kitchen with the HELP?!
(also can you help me? - I've updated my site 3 or 4 times since last week but the blog roll gadget thingy isn't getting updated for some reason. I don't know why - do you have any ideas?)

The Charm of Home said...

Oh, I would say this evening was a success! Fabulous!

Allison Shops said...

I'd say you have spoiled those BNO boys! Lovely table, the food looks delicious and the roses are gorgeous! Dropping by from BNOTP.

Allison
Atticmag

Sonia said...

Looks the the BNO was a great success! The wines sound divine as does the menu! How wonderful that your daughter catered the event! What a treat to be a guest at one of your beautiful tables!


Miss Bloomers

Tammy@InStitches said...

That looks like a great evening ! I love that one guy is taking a pic of his food.

Gypsy Purple said...

Oh my!!! This is fabulous!!!

Kim @ Savvy Southern Style said...

Delores, what a gorgeous table for the men to enjoy such a wonderful meal. All that food looks delicious. So nice to have a chef in the family.

Teresa's New Life said...

Here, here! to Chef Ashley & to you for such a lovely table and (EXPENSIVE) meal! Job very well done.

Marigene said...

S.T.U.N.N.I.N.G. table and meal!

coloradogal said...

Be still my heart! Beautiful table, really neat to see the actual guests, and I want some of that pasta--lol!

FLOWERSHOPGURL said...

Hello, Simply beautiful and so delcious looking from the table to all the food. Divine...
Hugz,
Kim

xinex said...

This certainly looks like a meal and tablescape that everyone enjoyed....Christine

Megan Lee said...

Wow- what an incredible dinner! The food looks delicious and your table is beautiful. I especially love the roses in that fab ice bucket!

rojospa said...

Beautiful table...it sure doesn't look like you pulled it together at the last minute! The food looks fabulous! What a talented family! You are my inspiration! Lisa

Lynn said...

This truly looks like a special evening, everything is beautiful!

Rettabug said...

Delores, this whole scene is just soooo *Napa Valley* special. Your plates are luscious with that fruit motif & I really like your honeycomb candles in the various colors that co-ordinate with them beautifully. You truly have an artist's eye for such details.

The roses in the ice bucket made the perfect centerpiece, again with all those luscious colors!

Be sure to tell Chef Ashley what a wonderful job she did...very professional from start to finish. I'm impressed with her "Mis en Place" line up & her Tagliatelle pasta dish looked spectacular!

I'm glad you were able to capture such great photos of the event, from start to finish. Such nice memories!

~ ~ Ahrisha ~ ~ said...

Oh my gosh! Beautiful table and food. I love to cook but I'm not a chef how wonderful for you to have one in the family. Did you get a sip of that lovely old sherry? Tell tell how was it?
Oh yes and your plates are amazing.
~ ~Ahrisha~ ~

Elizabeth and Gary said...

Such A fabulous evening the guys had! I hope you were able to share in the wine tasting too. Dinner looks divine and so beautifully presented.
It's so nice when family can help make such a memorable evening happen..
I have not been able to post for a few weeks, I have been packing and preparing to move. I'm also preparing my current home to rent out. Our new home has a nice size great room of close to 700 sq ft. I have so many ideas how to decorate it, it's the biggest room I have ever had to style. First things first I am having the "new" rugs removed and replaced with a wood flooring.I am going to donate the new carpet. I love the color"Hilton Head Cream" you used for your front room. I will be going to Benjamin Moore this weekend and will check the color out. Thanks for the tip...
Have a wonderful day and good luck with your new listing, it's a very charming home and I love the kitchen....
Elizabeth~Home is Where the Heart is~

Scribbler said...

You are one lucky lady to have such a talented daughter! The evening must have been a resounding success. BTW, I looked back a few posts to catch up, and I love what you did with the house you staged to sell. Hope it was also a big success.

Scribbler
http://scribbler-unfocused.typepad.com/

Anita Diaz said...

Oh my goodness, how fabulous is this!!! I'm am drooling over the food AND the table! Love those roses, and the different colored candles! What a wonderful, elegant evening. You create the most beautiful and unique tables and I just cant get enough! I keep coming back to the Friendly Village one and the "still life" table hoping the ideas will sink in, lol. Beautiful:-)

Alaina said...

What a beautiful room, I love the wallpaper. Your tablescape is gorgeous, the rose colors and everything is just so elegant and vibrant. Too bad men only.

ashlina {the decorista} said...

hi there. i am your newest fan + follower. i have been enjoying your images SO much. wow. so much beauty everywhere!!!!

Tracie~MyPetiteMaison said...

Oh Dolores,
Every photo is beautiful. Love your table, I think some of the best ones are set up spur of the moment. How wonderful to have a daughter that's a chef. Every dish looks delicious, but the shots of sunchoke soup w/white truffle oil really called to me and those beautiful wines & their glorious labels as well. Clearly, an evening for the senses.

On another note, hope to see you at the HBG farmer's mkt some day soon!

Tracy F. said...

What a party! My husband would have loved it! (And, so would I!)

Mary said...

Delores, that was definitely a very special evening - I know each guest must have been impressed.
Your table was spectacular and Ashley's menu really amazing. I too would love to know how the sherry tasted!

Now I know what to to with my Italian silver ice bucket - yours looked gorgeous filled with roses. Thanks for sharing BNO with us Delores....anything in mind for some lucky gals?

The Tablescaper said...

Oh my goodness, that looks like an amazing meal. w
Would your (or the chef) share some of those recipes??? They look fabulous!!!

- The Tablescaper

Martha said...

Looks like a great evening! There is nothing like good food and good wine. The table setting was lovely and the food looks divine!

Sweet Bee Cottage said...

Wow! What an evening to remember! Wish I could have helped clean up the leftovers..... LOL

Little Emma English Home said...

OH MY GOD!!! Your husband is my hero, I want to be a boy andbe invited as well!!! CHATEAUNEUF DU PAPE???? Mytic!! I have been to Chateauneuf to purchase wine....and the first time I drunk that I almost fell on the table. Very strong but delicious, my favourite wine ever.... Gorgeous table, I'm really without words...

Thanks for your visit I'm a follower now as well, can't miss any of these superb posts... ;)

Hugs Zaira

The Blackwood Cottage said...

Unbelievably beautiful home, photos and blog! Very well done. Have a great weekend!
Machelle

MrsJenB said...

I'm in awe of your daughter's obvious talents! Not to mention YOURS - for being thrown together, that tablescape looks wonderful!

Thanks for sharing @ Foodie Friday!

BonjourRomance said...

What a fabulous dinner for the boys. Your daughter prepared a deliciosu meal! Love the roses displayed in the silver ice bucket. I'll be following along and will be back soon!
Bon week-end,
Mimi

Kristin @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia said...

Oh my goodness, I think I'm drooling all over my keyboard at the food and the setting, gorgeous!!!! Thank you so much for stopping by my blog I'm so glad to meet you! I'm your newest follower, really enjoying all of your pictures, you are very talented.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Kristin

Bargain Decorating with Laurie said...

Delores, that gorgeous ice bucket filled with roses took my breath! Gorgeous tablescape, and oh my goodness, that food! What a talented family this is! I bet the Boys Night Out Wine Tasters thought they'd gone to heaven! Thanks for linking to Favorite Things. laurie

Victoria said...

Oh my goodness, everything looks delicious! The table looks lovely. It looks like it was a wonderful evening:)

Teresa @ Grammy Girlfriend said...

What a beautiful blog and the pictures are breath taking....Stopping by to say Happy Mother's Day...
Have a few hours to blog hop and nothing makes me happier.
I have a GREAT GIVEAWAY that I will be drawing for on Sunday night.

http://teresa-grammygirlfriend.blogspot.com/

FC88 said...

First time visiting here and I couldn't wait to go through your previous posts! What a lovely house you have and the food you shown made my mouth watering. Will visit here often, Great job!

Niki said...

I was absolutely drooling over this post...so much so, that I had to share it with "not so bloggity" husband, who then drooled, as well. Everything looks great...and we are thinking when we are in your area (wherever that is) we want in on this gig. :) Thanks for sharing...your daughter looks "oh so" talented...and your tablescape was so pretty...even my husband noticed it's beauty. :)

susan said...

I hope the "boys" appreciated this! This would cost a gazillion dollars if you ate in a restaurant-plus no way could a restaurant compete withthe table and atmosphere! Your color scheme and china are perfect. I love the mixing! Hope you have a happy Mother's Day! ps-very lovely talented daughter--I know you must be proud!

Greet Lefèvre said...

Very, very, very beautiful! The table setting, the flowers, the candles!! And the food looks delicious!!!
Must have been a wonderful evening!!!
xx
Greet

Greet Lefèvre said...

Hi Dolores,
I am back again! I want you to tell that I am so glad I found your beautiful blog! I so enjoyed scrolling down into it and I fell in love with your vacation house! GORGEOUS!!!
xx
Greet
PS Thank you for your comment on my blog!

Donna @ The House on the Corner said...

What beautiful surroundings! So elegant and artistic, and to have your own chef in the family!!! Amazing!

Miss Merry said...

Absulutely amazing. Your table setting is outstanding, the plates a perfect fit. Your daughter's food is amazing. I have been drooling over every menu item. Wow. And how lucky your husband and his friends are to have you host such a wonderful event. How nice they have each other to share their wine passion. Thank you so much for this inspiring evening with us!

Beth said...

Awesome tablescape, fabulous meal and your photography is beautiful!

The Style Sisters said...

Gosh that is one gorgeous centerpiece, table and dinner! The photos are spectacular. Thank you for linking up to Centerpiece Wednesdays and sharing your ideas. Very inspiring.

Entertaining Women said...

So many men are always in a hurry. I have a feeling that the BNO lingered at the table for a long and lovely evening. Are the majolica plates Sadek? They were a wonderful blend with the transferware. I appreciate the red, green, and amethyst goblets...indeed they look like jewels. Thank you for sharing your beautiful design.

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