Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption
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gil
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question for chefs/sommeliers/restaurateursand anyone else with an interest
When selecting a wine list to partner (cheffy) dishes on a menu, what are you looking for ?
A good combination / a contrast / or what ?
I've been asked to meet the chef at one of the region's 'cheffier' restaurants with a view to them serving my wines. Will probably do a tasting, hopefully with food.
Any hints / tips ?
What are a chef / a sommelier likely to be most interested in ?
Presumably you would want a provenance, a description and tasting notes.
Owt else ?
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sean
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'Complementing' is the big word in food and wine matching, and hence sales to restaurants. I'd try to suggest some foods that each wine would partner well. Try to avoid using the word acidity, even though wine needs it to be balanced. ('Having the structure to cut through rich dishes' is a handy way round that one.  )
Can you get a copy of their menu in advance?
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Greenfoot
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Having known a few wine 'experts' in my time I truly believe it is a case of talking the talk (about your product not wine in general) so to speak. As Sean says, no need to talk about acidity and such, just be confident in your products and make confident and sensible suggestions that would complement meals........there is an awful lot of bullshxt talked about wine - we all have differing tastes and different taste buds that make wines taste very different.
Good luck.
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Rosemary Judy
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and even in cheffy places, people order what they like, or by price, rather than it matching the food..... 
When waitressing, I did a wine exam so I could better recommend wine to food, and almost no one took my advice...........
I enjoyed the tasting a lot, mind !
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RichardW
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Ditto get a copy of the current menu & ask when its going to be changed & what will be on it (not that they will tell you).
Justme
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Treacodactyl
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Ask what your existing customers have drunk their wine with?
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Kinnopio
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I've had over 20 hours of lectures from a nationally recognised wine board (there name escapes me) and although there are some basic rules it is totally true that there is a heck of a lot of blagging when it comes to wine. One of our lecturers writes the column for one of the broadsheets and he admitted that for the first two years of his new job he knew nothing about wine and just lied his way through it.
I would say the main rule really is that you need to balance how hefty your wine is with the type of food you are eating, so for example a light fish dish shouldn't be accompanied by a blockbuster red like a shiraz, however it is a myth that fish should only be accompanied by white wines!
A few other rules:
Fatty foods soften tannins (hence cheese with red wines)
Sweet wines should always be sweeter than the dish you are serving with them
Salt and sweet is a good combination (eg stilton and port, roquefort and sauternes).
Also think about selling it as a cooking ingredient - chefs are always looking for new flavours, something that will catch the eye of the customer .
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Stacey
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Got no advice gil, just wanted to say how exciting! Well done 
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gil
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I'm well chuffed.
Bumped into the chef and the owner of the restaurant quite by chance last night at a regional food policy meeting. Tasting arranged for tomorrow afternoon
They are intending to change the menu soon, but for now :
Dinner menu
Starters
Fillet of Red Mullet, black rice, wild leek and truffle essence, sauce vierge
Terrine of ham hock, parsnip silk bon-bon of Foie gras
Veloute of white onion, beignet of purple sprouting broccoli
Hand dived Skye scallops, remoulade of celeriac and pear, Atsina and Limon
Mains
Mr Little’s pig and pumpkin : Tail, belly and fillet smooth pumpkin and Parmesan
Fillet of local beef carignan braised shallots Pomme parisiene, parsley and pepper leaf
Fred Ballards Texel lamb, cannon and sweetbreads purple carrots
confit garlic, spinach and eucalyptus foam
Sea bass spring onion2 ways badji and risotto, coconut broth
desserts
Rhubarb compote, custard tart, ginger and vanilla
Slate of French and British cheeses, celery bread & pinhead oatcakes, our embellishments
Hot and cold chocolate, hazelnut infusion
Lemon x3, lychee
Lunch Menu
Starters
Parsnip Veloute, cep, cumin oil
Fillet of Red Mullet, black rice, wild garlic and truffle, sauce vierge
Blue cheese and balsamic panacotta, mizuna, croutons
Mains
Breast of corn – fed chicken, smoked bacon foam, ecrasse potatoes
Sea bass, shrimp risotto, rockette and myrtle foam
Garlic gnocchi braised onion, peas, tomato petals and spinich
Desserts
Lemon merinque, jelly, mandarin sorbet
Baked apple and grape, brown butter ice cream
Chocolate fondant , milk chocolate hazelnut ice
Quite a few terms in there I don't understand
What are ecrasse, foam, sauce vierge, for a start ?
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judith
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écraser is to crush, so I'm assuming écrasé potatoes (should only have one s) are smashed potatoes, i.e. a lumpy rather than a smooth mash.
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Rosemary Judy
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ooohhhh nice menu, but a bit cheffy......
sauce vierge - green sauce - could be anything green ! but is often with herbs, and is used as a garnish. Dispensed out of a squeezy bottle, with a thin nozzle on it, herbs and oil maybe ?
foam - this is very show off cheffy, and is just a garnish. Not actually sure what it is made of, but it looks fab on a dish. Looks like very well beaten egg white, but prob isn't, cos of the risks of uncooked egg
no idea what ecrasse potoes are...
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gil
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| Rosemary Judy wrote: | | ooohhhh nice menu, but a bit cheffy....... |
Probably why he's been nominated this year for one of the Scottish Chef of the Year awards. He's got some kind of Michelin Highly Commended thing too, apparently.
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Stacey
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| judith wrote: | | écraser is to crush, so I'm assuming écrasé potatoes (should only have one s) are smashed potatoes, i.e. a lumpy rather than a smooth mash. |
That's what I'm calling my mash from now on 
When my ex left me, one of the insults he threw at me on the way out the door was 'And you make lumpy mash!'
Still makes me giggle
Best of luck Gil 
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Kinnopio
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At there most basic foams are made using gelatin and a syphon (containing an N20 gas cannister) along with a liquid/puree to make a super light froth. There are various variations on the theme and lots of things can be done with them. They can be both savoury or sweet.
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Behemoth
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I made a shepherds pie with a good slosh of the damson and that worked really well.
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BahamaMama
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| Behemoth wrote: | | I made a shepherds pie with a good slosh of the damson and that worked really well. |
In the pie or in you? 
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gil
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I had a meeting/tasting with the chef and the owner today, which seemed to go well. Both very into foraging / wild food; owner's a grape wine expert, so not quite sure what he made of the wines, but the chef was enthusiastic.
I've given them prices, they would like to run wild food themed evenings as well as putting the wines on their list and using them in dishes. Also possibility of supplying forage, possibly preserves too; good contacts with other chefs/restaurants. Offer of (garden) forage from owner.
Seemed a most productive meeting. Dunno how many bottles they would want. They have a fairly large wine cellar as it is.
Watch this space, I guess
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Snowball
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How exiting for you. Well done and best of luck. I hope it opens even more doors for you.
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Jamanda
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Sounds encouraging. I hope it goes well.
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bingo
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Nice menu.
Your best bet is to speak to the sommelier at the joint as he will know more about what wines marry with what foods.
Chefs have a good idea but nowhere near as much as the sommelier.
Good luck.
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boisdevie1
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Nice to hear things are going well. Good luck.
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gil
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Thank you all for the good wishes.
@ Bingo - the owner probably sees to the sommelier side of the business, given his interest and knowledge. The restaurant is quite small (forgot to count, but prolly 30 covers max).
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ros
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good luck
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wildfoodie
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how did it go, Gil?
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