In May, Lucia's Kitchen in Cape Neddick, Maine, collaborated with THE CLOWN in York for the first of what hopes to be series of Wine Dinners presented by the two. The menu and pairings from the evening follow. The cuisine, the wines, the pairings, were bright, sexy, smokey, the wines played well on the Latin notes of the dishes. I selected wines to showcase Lucia's Spanish and Mexican-influenced dishes, and the wines themselves. All were delicious. The applauded pairings of the evening? The Antaño Rioja Crianza, the nose alone burst from the bottle upon popping the cork 30 minutes before pouring, paired with a chorizo stew, and the Tabali Late Harvest Muscat from Chile matched with a just-out-of-the-oven baked crostata of fresh strawberries with a vanilla crème Anglaise. Look for another Wine Dinner with Lucia's and THE CLOWN this Fall.
THE MENU
ROASTED ASPARAGUS, ROMAINE, AVOCADO, TOMATOES, QUESO FRESCO,
AVOCADO DRESSING
MONTINORE ESTATE, BOREALIS "THE NORTHERN WHITES" 2009, OREGON
CHARCOAL GRILLED BONELESS CHICKEN THIGHS IN GARLIC-SAFFRON SAUCE
OVER PARSELY RICE
MAS DE BRESSADES CUVÉE TRADITION ROSÉ 2010, FRANCE
WHITE BEAN, SPANISH AND MEXICAN CHORIZO AND KALE STEW
WITH CRUSTY BREAD
ANTAÑO RIOJA CRIANZA 2007, SPAIN
SPANISH BBQ BABY BACK RIBS WITH SWEET RED PEPPER SAUCE
INKBERRY SHIRAZ/CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2009, AUSTRALIA
CROSTATA OF FRESH STRAWBERRIES, VANILLA CRÈME ANGLAISE
VINA TABALI LATE HARVEST MUSCAT 2009, CHILE
