58972 Thu Mar 11 11:57:42 -0800 2004 2 2 Los Angeles Area 0 309779 I was fortunate enough to be invited as a guest to a private function that was held at Josie this past Monday night... this group had reserved the entire restaurant, and it was a black tie affair for a gentlemen's group of food and wine aficionados... quite the evening... needless to say, my wife was a bit envious. I was very happy to see that even when cooking for a large group in a banquet type setting, Josie and the staff performs EXTREMELY well, and the execution and timing could not have been better. To start we had some hors de oeuvres that were fantastic... a crab fritter, a date stuffed with foie gras and wrapped in bacon, smoke cuttlefish, pate du foie gras, venison on a crepe with a cherry or cranberry on top... there were another 2 or 3 that slip my mind right now... sorry about that, I wasn't taking notes. The dinner was a four course meal... Scallops w/Sauteed Spinach, Sweet & Sour Red Onions in a Meyer Lemon Cream sauce Lacquered Woodland Farm Duck Leg with Sweet Potato Puree and Winter Frisee Salad Grilled New Zealand Rack of Lamb with Marmalade Onion Tart, Grilled Radicchio and Red Wine Sauce Calvados Crepes filled with Glazed Apples and Finished with Warm Caramel Sauce and Vanilla Bean ice cream. The set wines/liquor for the night were... in order of service (both Bordeaux were served with the lamb) 2002 Jean Foillard Morgon Cote Du Py 2001 Patricia Green Yamhill County Sauvignon Blanc 1997 Merry Edwards Pinot Noir, Russian River 1981 Chateau Mission Haut Brion 1985 Chateau Mission Haut Brion Jues Beaupre Cognac XO Great evening. Excellent company with a great group of guys. Perfect service. Fantastic food... I think the duck course was definitely the hit of the night. The wine pairings were very well done. Most importantly, Josie, Frank, Jill and the rest of the folks at Josie were superb... I mean, dealing with 60+ SERIOUS food and wine NUTS in tuxedos can be a bit overwhelming for any establishment, but Josie and company pulled it off with serious aplomb. Thu Mar 11 11:57:42 -0800 2004 0 woo! 1 309783 Wow, sounds fantastic, what about the wine though, any notes? Thu Mar 11 12:22:23 -0800 2004 309779 0 ErikaK 2 309808 Wines were great. The Morgon was a good starter, glad to see that instead of Champagne at these events. Worked especially well with the venison. The Sauv Blanc was a perfect pairing with the Scallop, and it's acidity held up nicely against the Meyer Lemon Cream sauce. I loved the Pinot pairing with the duck. Really an excellent bottle with just enough earth to bring out some depth in the duck. Nice contrast on the sweet potato puree as well. I felt that the '85 Mission Haut Brion was the superior of the two, but as with all things there was some dissenting opinion. Perhaps the bottle my '81 was poured from was a bit off or aged differently? But I thought it was either in a dumb phase or on the downward slope due to the lack of finish. Others felt it was showing well. In any case both were great examples of Mission Haut Brion, which can be every bit (some say better) as good than it's more well known neighbor across the street. The Cognac was nice complement to the Calvados Crepes, adding the right touch of smoky caramel flavor. Thu Mar 11 16:05:03 -0800 2004 309783 0 woo!