Taste Dining & Travel - Wine Dinner @ The Tuscany at Freedom Village

Often times you can find outstanding food in the most unlikely places, and this wine dinner is proof positive of this fact.  Consider that often the best Chinese food is a hole-in-the-wall place in a strip mall or that a great burger can be had in a greasy spoon or... well, you get the picture.  Now, it turns out that you can have exquisite American and Italian at a retirement community.  Yep, that's right - a retirement community!

Last night we ventured forth to the latest wine dinner sponsored by Taste Dining & Travel magazine which was held at The Tuscany at Freedom Village.  The dinner was planned and executed by Director of Food services Luciano Silva and a fantastic staff.  In addition, Allison and I had the pleasure of sitting with the Tampa based representative for Trinchero Family Wines, whose wines were featured, and the representative from Southern Wine & Spirits who is the distributor for the wines.

The meal was 3 courses plus dessert.  Each course was paired with a wine from the Trinchero portfolio, and we both thought that the pairings were spot on.

First course

Sea Scallop with Asian maple glaze and a cold water Prawn wrapped in potato shreds 

2007 Montevina Terre D'Or Pinot Grigio

The scallop was exquisitely prepared.  Seared lightly on the outside and melt-in-your-mouth sweet on the inside.  The glaze was very light but highlighted the scallop perfectly.  I would have preferred a bit more of a sear on the outside, but when cooking scallops (and especially for the 40-50 people at this dinner) I understand how difficult it can be to not overcook them.  The prawn was also perfectly cooked.  The potato shreds were an interesting touch, but the contrast was a touch over the top for me personally.

The wine was a very light, almost silvery, color which is a result of it being 100% free run Pinot Grigio.  Free run means that the juice is not extracted from pressing the grapes so you will not get the coloration of the skin.  This is also blended with a touch of chardonnay, less than 10%, to give it some color.  It was crisp, but not highly acidic like some Pinot Grigio can be, with notes of citrus and baked apples.

Second Course

A bouquet of organic greens served with sun-dried blackberries, baby spring vegetables, hand-crafted Chevre cheese and a Truffle vinaigrette

2007 Joel Gott Sauvignon Blanc

A very nice salad course, with a unique presentation and great contrast of flavors.  The truffle vinaigrette was fantastic.  I only wish I had asked for extra.

The Sauvignon Blanc was light and very refreshing with green apple and citrus notes.  A bit higher in acidity, it offered a great balance to the overall dish.

Third Course

Prime Filet Mignon with parmesan risotto, morrels and broccolini finished with a port wine reduction

2006 Joel Gott 815 Cabernet Sauvignon

or

Seared Chilean Sea Bass with chive beurre blanc, little neck clams with herb gnocchi and asparagus tips

2007 Napa Cellars Pinot Noir

We decided to split the difference - I had the filet while Allison went with the sea bass.  The filet was perfect - medium rare as ordered.  The port wine reduction was very good but the broccolini might have been a touch overcooked (again, not hard to do especially with the number of dishes coming up all at once).  I did not try the fish, but Allison said it too was fantastic.

One of the advantages of sitting with the wine representatives was the opportunity to sample both wines, although I suspect that anyone could have asked to try both and gotten away with it.  We are going to just pretend that it was the company we kept that got us both :-)

The Cabernet was incredible.  There were notes of cassis, black cherry, leather and a touch of smoke.  It was a lighter style Cabernet, which was not overly tannic but ready to drink now.

The Pinot Noir was equally impressive, with cherry fruit and a bit of an earthiness that was somewhat reminiscent of Burgundy.

Dolce Trio

Crema of Cheese with Fig Coulis, Melted Pot de Chocolat with Chambord and Crystal Vanilla Creme Brulee

Menage a Trios Red

This was a delightful end to a fantastic meal.  My favorite was definitely the creme brulee, although the chocolate was pretty tasty as well.

We've had the Menage Au Trios before and it has always been a bit too fruit forward and sweet for our palates.  It hasn't changed.  A touch of residual sugar gives this a definite sweetness, while the fruit is very dominant and over the top.  It you want a sweeter styled red wine, this is your ticket.  However, it did work well with the dessert.

The wines did not list retail pricing on the tasting sheet, but I did ask and came up with some approximations: Pinot Grigio ~ $18, Sauvignon Blanc ~ $13, Cabernet ~ $18 and Pinot Noir ~ $28.  These were all approximations so you may see them for more or for less.  The really good news for those of us at the dinner was the special pricing - $10 a bottle for all except the Pinot Noir, which was $15.  We came home with 3 bottles each of the Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet and Pinot Noir.  Wow!

Again, you never know where you may find a fantastic meal.  I was talking to Neal Finelli, publisher of Taste Dining & Travel, and he was telling me that a lot of regulars passed on this event because of the location (retirement community).  I've always believed that nothing ventured is nothing gained.  The Tuscany was a fantastic dining experience.  Open to the public for lunch, and they are also planning on a Sunday brunch beginning later in the fall.  If you are in the area, I would very highly recommend giving it a try!

Cheers!