oh man! what a dinner last saturday! it would've been 'barf-out' time had i not been performing in concert on sunday. so i was really watching my wine and food intake because there was no way i was gong to be able to play if i felt like my tummy was going to explode!
so the herb farm theme this time was 'iron sommalier!' 2 of the stewards - tyson and lisa, went head to head. they both picked a beverage for each course and for some we didn't know who picked which, and then we got to vote. it was quite amusing to say the least!
i think i'll actually enter the menu/program instead of just listing the food courses. so in the words of someone's family member, 'alez cuisine'!
Welcome to the Iron Sommelier (ok, i was misspelling it, sorry)
Welcome to the Herbfarm and the 1st ever Iron Sommelier Competition and Dinner.
Feel the electricity? Under their black suits and calm demeanor, our sommeliers are on edge. They know their moment of reconing drawd near. It's Final Exam time all over. This time, you are the Professor and the Judge. And it's all for you.
Our Sommeliers, Lisa adn Tyson are at the peak of their careers. Have fun as they go head to head, picking wines to pair with the foods on tonightlate summer menu.
Who will be victorious in teh "Blind Monk ROund"? Will the "Limerick Round" lick 'em? The Great Wheel of Wine waits to be spun - chance doles out ten different beverage categories. If bad luck strikes, "The Evil Clown" will leap to the top of the wheel, offering a maze of riddles and odd wines that few have ever tasted.
One dish tonight demands that both a red and white wine be paired. Another sees them rushing to the cellar for the winning wine that must be both red and rare.
It's all in fun. Keep track on your personal balllot in this menu. THen combine your votes for the Official Ballot for your party.
Remeber, the purpose of hte competition is fun. And we're hoping you will vote based on how well you think the wine goes with the food, not necessarily on which wine you initially like better. That's where teh sommelier's skill is called upon tonight!
course1: The Blind Monk round
Two Chicks, Six Sips
soy -and-sake-marinated black cod with sea urchin foam - (yum!)
lavendar-skewered mussels
corn custard with montana paddlefish caviar (way too small a portion!)
we start with 2 very different wines, not knowing who chose which until later.
a. lisa- GonzalezByass Tio Pepe Fino Sherry
b. tyson- Argyle Oregon Brut 2002 (i knew this was tyson's fav, and figured she picked it)
course2: The Limerick round
Dungeness Crab, Limerick Stye
lemon thyme consumme with dungeness crab agnolotti (oooooooh, drool)
each sommelier has paired a wine to this course and must use a limerick to both introduce the wine and sum up.
a. lisa- 2006 Ross Andrew Meadow, WA
b. tyson- 2007 Love and Squalor Riesling, Eola Hills, OR
course3: Chance! The reat Wheel of Wine Round
Adam, Two Eves!
fig-leaf-wrapped coho salmon with tomato-and-coriander jam, roasted in our wood oven
heirloom tomatoes
the luck of the wheel will determine teh category from which each sommelier must choose:
sake, bubbles, white, cider or perry, euro white, rose, beer, the evil clown, northwest white
(we soo wanted evil clown, but alas, no)
a. lisa- rose: 2007 Olympic Cellars Rose the Riveter, Lemberger Rose, Champoux Vineyard, Columbia Valley, OR
b. tyson- sake: Momokawa Silver Sake, Tanrei Junmai Ginjo Sake, OR
course4: Chance! The Red and the White Round
Chicken? Red or White Fight!
(i never had chicken taste so good in my life!)
stokesberry sustainable farm chicken on emmer (farro) and wild mushrooms (lobster and morels)
sommeliers will pair a red and a white wine to this dish
a. lisa- red: 2006 Herbfarm l'Herbe Sauvage Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, OR
b. tyson- white: 2004 Buty Winery Semillon-Soavignon Blanc, Columbia Valley, WA
course5: The Rare Red Round
Red-Wine-Poached Wagyu Tenderloin (droooooool)
[wagyu tenderloin] on a ninety farms organic veal stew with rosemary
because of their scarcity, the wines will be poured alternately around your table
a. lisa- 1998 Abacela Tempranillo, Estate, OR
b. tyson- 1993 Woodward Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon, Dedication Series
(tyson brought us a glass of 2006 Beauty Designee for this course as well)
-at this point we're to tally our ballots and turn them in
couse6: Optional: The Wine Flight Round
Dueling Housemde Cheese and Charcuterie
small bean salad, pumpkin-spice bread cracker, camember wedge
a. lisa- suggests the Three Muscat Tiers: all australian wines, includes Chambers Rosewood Rare Muscat from 1880
b. tyson- suggests Red ice Wines: less common than white ice wines, created from Syrah and Cabernet Franc
(we opted to get a bottle of bubbly instead)
1990 Bollinger RD - ooo it was good!
course7: Compressed Melon & Shiso Ice
(palatte cleanser)
course8: Dessert: A Somming Up
chocolate-hazelnut doughnut - drool
rose-geranium ice cream with huckleberry sauce
mini parfait: minted lemon verbena gel, white chocolate, and NW raspberry
a selection of coffee and teas
course9: a Selection of Small Treats
carmelized lavender walnuts
smoked tea bavarian
cinnamon-basil dark chocolate petite fours
salt and pepper milk caramels
giner white chocolate wasabi macaroons
a&b. both gals chose: 2006 Bonny Doon Late Harvest Roussanne, Le Vol des Anges (flight of angels)
on teh ballot there's a tally sheet and below that there's a 'resolving voting disputes'
after you've done your own scoring, your party must decide on a common score. if there is a tie or dispute, the rules require you use Rock, Paper, Scissors to settle the matter. (no "hanging chads").
A Brief History of Rock, Paper, Scissors:
The game was known in caveman times simply as "Rock, Rock, Rock". It was banned for centuries due to the fights and frustration it caused. Things got more interesting when the Egyptians descovered papyrus. Scissors was teh invention that finally allowed the game to be played professionally.
for our table, lisa:47, tyson:49
i think of the challenge the best pairing of the night overall went to lisa with her Termpernillo.
the overall score for the night (rounded numbers here)
lisa: 3100
tyson: 3300
it was an absolute blast of a night.
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