Wine pairings: to do or not to do?
At a high-end restaurant with food that was in the very good to excellent range, the wines in my wine pairing were poor to abysmal in quality yet extremely expensive, about $20 for a (tiny) glass. (This was not in the Bay Area.) I have heard others report similar experiences where one gets the feeling that some places, even with very good food, just pass of poor, cheap wines in their pairings. I was wondering what experiences Bay Area people had in this regard. To be specific, I will be going to Meadowood and Manresa in the near future and was wondering if you would recommend doing wine pairings there or not.
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Manresa Restaurant
320 Village Lane, Los Gatos, CA 95030
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Hi, I've gone to The Restaurant @ Meadowood, once in March and once last Nov/Dec. Both times, we've had the seasonal prix fix (3 course) @ $75 each and the wine pairing with. I think the wine pairing was in the $35-45 range. The first time, wine paring was OK, but not great. In March, the wine pairing was VERY good and the pours seemed much more generous. I seem to recall something about a "new" sommelier ?... He was present in March but am not sure about Dec.
There is also a chef's tasting menu with or without wine paring. But, it just seem like too much food. They also gave you lots of amuse bouche and palate cleaners and little desserts.
You can also go on their web site and look at the menu and get an idea of what they will be offering.
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I like the concept of wine pairings and when well-executed it can be excellent. I would say most times I have been pleased but I was once disappointed at Gary Danko's -- though it is not clear that they went "cheap", it might have been a matter of preferences.
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Gary Danko
800 N Point St, San Francisco, CA 94109›1 Reply-
re: SFDude
Ruth Lafler
May 8, 2010 06:27 PM
Right. There's a difference between a pairing that doesn't work for some reason -- either isn't to your particular taste or was just bad judgment by the person putting together the pairing -- and one that's an attempt to pass off poor, cheap wines.
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As to wether to get wine pairings at a restaurant, it really depends on the sommelier and how well they know the Chef's food. When Paul Einbund was a Coi in SF had did a fantastic job of pairing drinks (not always wine) with Chef Daniel Paterson's food. I've been to other restaurants where the wine pairing is like a train wreck in your mouth (Michelin starred places in SF). So you do take your chances. I've not had the wine pairings at either of the restaurants you are asking about.
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Ruth Lafler
May 8, 2010 06:04 PM
Since you say it wasn't in the Bay Area, can I ask where it was? I think with the level of wine sophistication of patrons in the Bay Area, and especially in the heart of the wine country like Meadowood, it's unlikely a top-tier restaurant would try to "pass off poor, cheap wines in their pairings."
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re: Ruth Lafler
Ruth, it was in San Diego
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/7064...
I'm glad to hear things are better in the Bay Area!
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Robert Lauriston
May 8, 2010 05:42 PM
I was extremely impressed with Manresa's pairings. We had one of each.
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Manresa Restaurant
320 Village Lane, Los Gatos, CA 95030›1 Reply -
Debbie M
May 8, 2010 05:32 PM
When a friend and I went to Manresa in January, I had the "regular" wine pairing and she had the "premium" pairing. In all but one instance, we felt the regular selection was better.
I thoought the regular pairing was definitely worth it, but you might want to think twice about upgrading.
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Manresa Restaurant
320 Village Lane, Los Gatos, CA 95030
