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

The past Friday we once again had the priviledge of attending a delectable wine dinner over at The Tuscany at Freedom Village.  If you missed our post about our previous wine dinner there, you may want to check it out here.

As with all of the Taste Dining & Travel wine dinners, this one was for a cause.  In this case it was the Women's Resource Center of Manatee.  We had the privilege of sitting with a great group of folks, including Neal & Vanessa from Taste Dining & Travel, the executive director of Freemdom Village & his wife (Kevin & Jane) as well as Lisa from the Women's Resource Center who was instrumental in getting WRC connected with Taste Dining & Travel to make this dinner possible.  We once again were blown away by executive chef Luciano Silva's creations as well as the fantastic service from all of the staff.  We were saddened to learn that there is no longer a Sunday brunch at The Tuscany but they do serve lunch during the week that is open to the public.  I urge you to give them a try; you will not be disappointed.

The dinner consisted of a starter course, salad, entree and dessert and each course was paired with a complimenting wine.  I would also like to give Chef Silva a big thanks for making mine cheese free to accomodate my allergy.

1st Course

Sabor d' Quattro Risotto

The Four Finest Combination of Arborino

Porcini with Seared Quail, Roasted Acorn Squash & Sweet Pea, Black Truffle and Hudson Valley Foie Gras, and Reggiano & Maine Lobster.

Each appetizer portion was perfectly cooked and presented in a delighful display of color and contrast.

The wine pairing with this course was the 2008 Ferrari-Carano Fume Blanc from Sonoma County.  Everybody at our table was surprised at how floral this fume blanc was.  It hinted at being somewhat "fat" on the palate as opposed to the normal acidity that you would expect to find.  It worked well with the course, but personally I would have like one with a bit more zip to it.

2nd Course

Organic Baby Mache Field Greens

Accompanied by Red & Yellow root & vine vegetables, camembert and a pomegranate vinaigrette.

A refreshing salad with a nice mix of vegetables to accompany the greens.  The vinaigrette was nicely acidic, which helped to cleanse the palate in preparation for the main course.

The wine served with this course was the 2007 Macon-Villages Cave de Lugny Chardonnay Bourgogne.  An interesting choice, this wine was lighter in style that can be expected from a good Bourgogne but it worked well with all of the ingredients.

3rd Course

Filet Mignon

Center-cut filet mignon seared to perfection and served with a parmesan potato biscuit and garden green asparagus which was finished with a black cherry demi glace.

or

Pancetta Wrapped Chilean Sea Bass

Over Yukon au gratin and a vegetable souffle, finished with black fig beurre blanc

I went with the filet, which was paired with a 2008 Bodega Septima Malbec from Argentina.  Instead of the biscuit, Chef Silva paired mine with a creamy polenta that was finished with red pepper (at least that is what it appeared to be!).  Cooked absolutely perfectly, the meal was a true delight.  While the malbec was tasty in its own right, it really did not seem to mesh well with the dish.  It was a bit more dry and earthy, whereas I prefer a more full-bodied, tannic styled red.  In any event, everybody seemed to like the wine.

Allison stayed with the fish, and said that it was very tasty as well.  It was paired with 2008 Joel Gott Sauvignon Blanc.  If you read this blog very often at all, you know this is one that we love a lot and I was happy to see it being offered.

4th Course

Freedom Village Trio Dolce

Crema of Cheese with fig coulis, Creme de Pot of Chocolate with Chambord and Crystal Vanilla Creme Brulee

I believe that this is the signature dessert dish at The Tuscany as it is what we had for dessert last time.  In any case, it was every bit as good now as it was then.  I made short work of both the chocolate, which was a rich, dark chocolate similar to a very heavy mousse as well as the vanilla creme brulee.  Dessert was paired with Sandeman Tawny Porto which again worked reasonably well and was a good balance to the differing level of sweetness in the dishes.


As always, we had a fantastic evening and are already looking forward to the next event.  If you are in the area and have not tried The Tuscany, I seriously urge you to get out there and partake.  And if you have not attended one of the Progressive or Wine Dinners hosted by Taste Dining & Travel, then you need to check out their website or pick up a copy of the magazine (available throughout Sarasota) and come on out for the next one!

Cheers!