Toasts of the Coasts: A Food and Beverage Series Join us for our 5th Annual Toasts of the Coasts Food and Beverage events at the Fish House! This series of wine dinners will feature master sommeliers, vintners and distillers showcasing stellar selections from around the world.
Each event will highlight a selection of three beverages paired with a four-course meal as presented by Chef Billy Ballou of the Fish House. In addition, each guest speaker will have door prizes and giveaways. According to Steve Eskridge, Great Southern Restaurants’ Director of Operations, “This series showcases the best in class, all the while highlighting special products from around the world. These dinners present a wonderful opportunity for an up-close-and-personal beverage education experience with some of the best!”
Thursday, August 25:
Jeff Papa, Rombauer Vineyards, St. Helena, California
The Rombauer family-owned and operated winery, founded in 1980, is located on the northeastern edge of Napa Valley on a secluded, tree-covered knoll overlooking the valley. Visit and taste their chardonnay, cabernet, merlot and zinfandel wines; enjoy the meandering pathway through the garden that highlights a copious variety of flowers, and relax with the magnificent valley view. The Rombauer family has been bringing you the Joy of Wine for over 30 years. The Joy of Wine, their philosophy of wine and food, goes back to Koerner Rombauer’s ancestors from the wine-growing region of Rheingau, Germany, where wine is considered an essential complement to a meal. The Joy of Wine is a direct connection to The Joy of Cooking, written by Koerner’s great aunt, Irma Rombauer. The featured menu is as follows:
First Course:
Seared U-10 scallop with a shaved fennel salad tossed in a buttermilk dressing, finished with a sweet pea and basil puree and grated egg yolk paired with Rombauer Chardonnay, St. Helena, California, 2014
Second Course:
Braised lamb neck with a caramelized leek risotto finished with a grape tomato conserve, blistered grapes and a lamb jus paired with Rombauer Napa Zinfandel, St. Helena, California, 2014
Third Course:
Spicy barbecue-glazed oxtail over smashed baby potatoes with roasted baby carrots and roasted fennel finished with a blackberry gastrique paired with Rombauer Cabernet Sauvignon, St. Helena, California, 2013
To Finish:
Oven-poached figs with ricotta and goat cheese Bavarian cream served with a Florentine-orange cookie
Thursday, September 15:
Felipe Villaveces, Featuring Wines from South of the Equator
Felipe Villaveces began his wine career at Juniper Restaurant in Vail, Colorado. Following his return to Florida, he joined Augustan Wine in Tampa. Villaveces furthered his wine experience as the managing partner of Wine Warehouse in Fort Lauderdale. In this position, he was first introduced to Vineyard Brands and became a great advocate of their products. After seven years in the retail business, he returned to Premier Beverage Company (now the Breakthru Beverage Group) as the Hotel & Catering Executive for Broward & Palm Beach Counties. In January 2015, Villaveces moved to Orlando and gained experience on the supplier side of the business as the Florida Market Manager for Precept Wines. He will bring his extensive knowledge of wines from the South of the Equator and share stories and the process of the featured wines. The menu is as follows:
First Course:
Brown butter-grilled oysters featuring fresh, local oysters chargrilled with brown butter, fresh-cracked pepper, house-smoked sea salt, chopped cilantro, minced country ham, and lime zest paired with Peregrine Sauvignon Blanc, Central Otago, New Zealand, 2015
Second Course:
Groundnut stew with tender chicken gently braised in a broth of tomato, fresh ginger, and house-made roasted peanut butter. Gently simmered with roasted pumpkin, bell pepper, and fresh okra, served with yellow rice and fresh-sliced mango paired with Chamonix Chardonnay, Franschhoek Valley, South Africa, 2014
Third Course:
Corn and black bean empanadas featuring flaky house-made crust hand-stuffed with fresh-roasted corn, black beans, and slow-braised beef. Served with a smooth puree of sweet potato and ripe banana, marinated grilled zucchini, and fire-roasted red pepper aioli paired with MAAL ‘Imposible’ Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina, 2012
To Finish:
Caramelized pineapple with a coconut macaroon crisp and a kumquat zabaglione
Thursday, October 13:
Master Sommelier Andrew McNamara, Napa vs. Sonoma
Back by popular demand, we are pleased to have Master McNamara join us again this year. He will present the history and the differences in the two regions, and what they have meant to the wine industry in the United States. McNamara is the Director of Fine Wine/Master Sommelier for Breakthru Beverage Company, a member of the Charmer-Sunbelt Group. He works to help maintain Breakthru’s “put the customer first” initiative, while broadening the company’s scope through education and training.
McNamara was a member of the sommelier team at the Breakers in Palm Beach, Florida. While at the Breakers, Andrew passed the Master Sommelier Exam in 2007, where he became the 10th person to win the Krug Cup – awarded to the individual who passes the Master Sommelier Exam on the first attempt with the highest score; there are now just 13 other individuals who hold that accolade. At the Breakers, McNamara oversaw the beverage operations of L’Escalier, a winner of the AAA Five Diamond award and the Wine Spectator Grand Award since its inception in 1981. He was named one of the “Best New Sommeliers of 2008” by Wine and Spirits. He has recently served on the Board of Directors of the Court of Master Sommeliers and the Guild of Sommeliers. In 2015, McNamara was elected Chairman of the Board for the Court of Master Sommeliers and will serve in that position until the end of 2017. The menu for this evening is as follows:
First Course Featuring Napa Valley White:
Upside Frutti di Mare featuring a chilled salad of gently poached Gulf shrimp, local blue crab, tender calamari, sea scallops, and fresh Prince Edward Island mussels. Marinated with shaved celery and fennel, Tomato Joe’s tomatoes, and sweet bell peppers in a dressing of fresh lemon, garlic, chili pepper, and Shoreline extra virgin olive oil, and served with house-made crusty bread paired with Hess Collection Chardonnay, Napa Valley, California, 2014
Second Course Featuring Sonoma County White:
Terrine of Smoked Grouper featuring a creamy molded salad of house-smoked fresh, local grouper and sweet bell peppers with house-made mayonnaise, fresh-cracked pepper, house-made Worcestershire sauce, and dry sherry. Served with garlicky New Orleans French bread croutons paired with Stonestreet Estate Chardonnay, Sonoma County, California, 2013
Third Course Featuring Napa Valley Red:
Cassoulet featuring a rustic slow-cooked casserole of duck confit, Toulouse sausage, and smoked ham hock with tomato and creamy white beans paired with Hess Collection Mount Veeder 19 Block Cuvée, Napa Valley, 2012
Fourth Course Featuring Sonoma County Red:
Blackberry Sirloin featuring a seared, rosemary-marinated Certified Angus Beef top sirloin steak paired with pan-roasted fingerling potatoes and baby vegetables, finished with caramelized shallots and blackberry compote paired with Arrowood Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma County, 2012
To Finish:
Apple cake with quince butter and cognac cream
Thursday, November 17
Allan Roth, Glenfiddich Ambassador
An academic by training and a whisky lover by destiny, Allan found his true calling in the studying, teaching, and tasting of whisky. Before joining William Grant & Sons to look after Glenfiddich on the East Coast, Allan was an instructor at a variety New York City’s preeminent food and whisky destinations, including The Astor Center, Maysville and The Flatiron Room. Allan also previously worked at the NoMad Restaurant in Manhattan and ran the beverage program at the pioneering whisky bar and restaurant Char No. 4. Allan lives in Brooklyn but enjoys fine drams of Glenfiddich everywhere.
In 1887 William Grant fulfilled a lifelong ambition and started building his own distillery with the help of his nine children and a single stonemason. He named it Glenfiddich, Gaelic for Valley of the Deer. After a year of hard labor, the first drop of spirit fell from their copper stills on Christmas Day 1887. It is with this humble beginning that Glenfidditch has carried on the tradition to this day of award-winning single malt whiskies.
With Ralph’s Glenfidditch single malt picks serving as the inspiration, Chef Billy Ballou has created a four-course dinner. The full menu is as follows:
To Start:
Candied house bacon with a Granny Smith apple/fennel slaw paired with Glenfiddich 14-year Bourbon Barrel Reserve
Second Course:
Salmon en croute with baby chervil and crème fraiche paired with Glenfiddich 15-year Solera Reserve
Third Course:
Rolled rib eye cap with celery root puree and sweet peas and butterscotch carrots paired with Glenfiddich 18-year Small Batch
To Finish:
Vanilla bean-poached pear with salted caramel mousse and dark chocolate almond tuile paired with
Glenfiddich 21-year Gran Reserva
Seating for all events is limited; reservations required. Each event will begin promptly at 5:30 and will take place at the Fish House. The cost for each event is $65 per person plus tax and gratuity and will include four beverages and four courses. For reservations, please call the Fish House events line, (850) 433-9450.