Farm to Fork Wine Dinner Series: Supper Club Fine Catering Presents Todd Taylor Wines–The Digest

Last Thursday evening turned out to be pretty uncomfortable (weather-wise) at the start of the Todd Taylor Wine Dinner at Vierra Farms, but soon enough The Supper Club Fine Catering refreshed guests with a slightly chilled Tempranillo (2012 “Holland Landing” to be exact) and a trio of appetizers: Delta Crawfish Corn Dogs with Lemon Tarragon Dijon Aioli, Bruschetta with Local Fresh Tomato Tartar, Basil, and Olive Fig Tapenade, and the Supper Club’s classic Baby Red Potato Skins with Caramelized Shallot Mascarpone and House Wild Boar Pancetta.

We sat down to one of the biggest menus I have ever seen for the $75.00 per person asking price. Look below and you’ll see what I mean:

We were seated family style at two long beautifully decorated wooden picnic tables to enjoy the first course of the meal called: “There’s a Fungus Among Us”: Wild Mushroom Latte in Demitasse with White Truffle Crema Shacking up together with Grown Up Grilled Cheese with Smoked Portobello, Gruyere, Oven Dried Tomato, and Arugula Pesto

The soup and sandwich course was paired with Todd Taylor Pinot Noir Reserve “Corotto Vineyard” 2012

Some of the guests around me were very excited about the mushroom latte, because they had enjoyed it many times before at Matteo’s (the brick and mortar restaurant owned by Supper Club Catering). The “soup” was indeed everything they described, earthy and creamy, and looked just like a small cup of cappuccino. I gave the bread on my sandwich to Andy, but not before I scraped the goodness inside. Pesto is one of the most incredible things!

Next up was the first family style course: Duck Duck Goose #5: Potato Gnocchi, Shredded Grimaud Duck Confit, House Made Duck Prosciutto, Goose Pancetta, Roasted Vierra Farms Squash, Poblanos, Toasted Pumpkin Seeds and Light Sage Cream Sauce, paired with Todd Taylor Zinfandel “Clockspring Vineyard” 2012.

So, being gluten-free (95-98% of the time), I never miss pasta at all, except for gnocchi. So, I took a little delight was incredibly happy 😉 to cheat on my diet with this dish. It had a myriad of textures and flavors and the soft little pillows of pasta were the star of the show!

Following the gnocchi course, we were served the second family style course:
“3 Little Piggies went to the Farm”: Crispy Pork Belly, Smoked Tenderloin and Braised Shoulder paired with Todd Taylor Primitivo “Blue House” 2012.

Above is the Colossal Runner Bean, Tomato, Fennel and grilled Fig Salad served on the side of the pork dish. This was easily my favorite dish of the night. It had all my favorite ingredients: pork, fennel, pork, fig, pork… 😉 You get the idea. I am pretty sure I could just live on pork alone, and I am pretty sure I am not alone in that sentiment!

Following the pork trifecta was the third family style course:
“Not your Momma’s Steak and Potatoes”: Grilled Lucky Dog Skirt Steak basted with Secret Recipe House Butter, served with White Truffle Asiago Russet Frites, and Garlicky Green Beans. The third course was paired with Todd Taylor Cabernet Sauvignon Clone 337 “Hagen Heights” 2012.

The fries came on a separate platter, so I apologize for not capturing them. They were the tiny matchstick kind and had a distinct truffle flavor. I really enjoyed the steak, which was sliced thin and slathered in the aforementioned “house butter”. I knew people were probably watching, so I didn’t take a second helping…although I would have really liked one! 😉

And the surprisingly savory finale:
“Waiter My Cheesecake is Stinky”: Stilton Cheesecake with Rosemary Walnut Crust and Local Stone Fruit Ginger Chutney (paired with) Todd Taylor Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Clone 8 “Alphawolf Ranch” 2010.

So I was fully prepared to just give my entire dessert to Andy after having a few bites (like I normally do at the food/wine pairing dinners we attend, but I liked this “dessert” so much, that I ate over half of it! It was not a traditional dessert or pairing for that matter. The crust and the filling of the cheesecake were quite savory and the chutney was the only thing on the plate that yielded any sweetness. And that’s why I liked the final course so much!

Finally, I asked a server to help me line up the bottles so you could see a shot of everything we were served that evening. I think the Pinot Noir was my favorite! 🙂

I want to send a thank you to  the staff at The Supper Club Fine Catering for having Andy and I as guests for your inagural Farm-to-Fork Wine dinner! Chef Matt is so creative with the food pairings and everything down to naming the dishes on the menus. It was fun to meet diehard fans of The Supper Club and Matteo’s and we hope to be back again soon. 🙂
If you are interested, there are other Farm-to-Fork dinners by the Supper Club Fine Catering coming soon:
10-23-14 Farm to Fork Dinner Featuring Sean Minor Wine Dinner at the Crocker Art Museum
11-20-14 Farm to Fork Dinner Featuring Pruett Vineyards at the Crocker Art Museum
12-18-14 Farm to Fork Dinner (Winery TBD) at the Crocker Art Museum

About Todd Taylor Wines:
Todd Taylor produces single vineyard designated red wines. Napa Valley Cabernet Savingnon, Cabernet Franc, and Pinot Noir. Amador County Zinfindel and Primitivo. Clarksburg Tempranillo. Aged in New Cooperage. Available for tasting Saturday and Sunday 12-5. You can find them online here, on Facebook here, and on twitter here.

For more information on the wine dinner, click here.
You can find Supper Club Fine Catering on Facebook here.