Wild about Wild at the James Beard House
Well after months of holding a James Beard Foundation membership and never using it, I finally found a dinner at the James Beard House that screamed out my name. The menu appealed to both the herbalist and the foodie in me, so I made a reservation and attended it; "Wild about Wild" with Chef Robert Weland of Poste Brasserie in Washington DC.
Having never visited the James Beard House, I drove around the West
Upon my arrival, a server immediately greeted me with a tray of wild king salmon tartare cones; which another server followed up with spoons of hamachi with ruby red grapefruit and toothpicks of wild leeks wrapped in wild boar soppressata; and yet another with a large morel stuffed with fois gras – all before I made it through the door. I hardly checked in before yet another server brought me a pacific oyster topped with American caviar. So, I indulged in at least one of each, if not two or three of the salmon cones and at least two oysters, and made my way to the bar for a glass of the 2002 j vintage brut,
My friend SungIn took the train from Hoboken and ran late, so she met me as we sat down to our table – a table we shared with two lovely couples, the first from Manhattan and the second (an employee of the chef's restaurant) from Washington DC.
Thus, our wild tasting menu began:
- Spring tonic wild nettle soup with sheep's milk agnolotti
- This soup had fresh and smooth flavors that encapsulated the essence of spring and balanced the acidity of the greens with the starchiness of the pasta in a delicate and palate-pleasing way.
- 2005 Hiedler Gruner Veltliner "loess,"
- A grassy, vegetal white, who's edges smoothed out when paired with the soup.
- Salad of wild things, Brad's fresh spring batch of goat cheese, lavender vinaigrette
- I don't know who Brad is, but his fresh goat cheese is outstanding! This cheese had a lemony paste with herbaceous notes and played perfectly against the rough texture of the wild greens.
- 2005 Seresin Sauvignon Blanc,
Zeeland - Normally, I find New Zeeland sauvignon blanc to be too fruit-forward, but this wine— which the vintner blended with semillon and barreled in steel— more closely resembled a white Bordeaux (w/o the oak). It had good acidity, mineralogy and a floral note that just turned this white into a phenomenal wine.
- Pan-seared shad roe, braised dandelion greens and
Berkshire bacon- A truly outstanding dish, the shad roe paired well with the delicious dandelion greens. The
Berkshire bacon fell apart on the fork and melted in my mouth.
- A truly outstanding dish, the shad roe paired well with the delicious dandelion greens. The
- 2003 Robert Stemmier Estate Pinot Noir,
- By far, this is the best wine we tasted all night. In fact, it might be the best Pinot Noir I have had in almost a year. I consumed a soft, supple, delicate wine with enough structure to balance a wide-range of delicate flavors and aromas.
- Olive oil poached wild Alaskan salmon with Anson Mills white polenta, morels, fiddlehead ferns, wild asparagus and angel hair
- The salmon flaked perfectly and held a delicate taste that played perfectly off the polenta. The fiddlehead ferns carried a nuttiness to the palette that complemented the morels and the angel hair.
- 2004 Domaine Bouchard Pere et Fills "Beaune de Chateau," 1er cru
- Classically mineral and floral white
Burgundy.
- Classically mineral and floral white
- Lemon balm granite
- Based in champagne, the granite included lemon balm leaf and wild berries
- By this point, I could hardly eat another bite. We were all so full! Yes, te lamb chops were superb and the Sheppard's Pie decadent and delicious yet comforting and comfortable.
- 2001 Remelluri,
- The Remelluri was an exceptional Rioja. However, after drinking the Pinot Noir, nothing else compared.
- Rhubarb float, buttermilk sorbet
- I really liked the balance of tartness and creaminess
- Fraises des bois and golden raspberry napoleon with wild thyme and pink peppercorns
- Our table raved about this desert! The Napoleon featured a rich, creamy, decadent Sabayon filling that contrasted the tart raspberries beautifully.
- 2006 marenco brachetto d'acqui,
" "- What a wonderful desert wine! Much like frambois, I could drink this wine all night.
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At the close of our meal, they served us a small plate of what appeared to be petit fours. However, upon further inspection, we realized they were tiny yellow cherry tomatoes dipped in white chocolate!
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