(photo credit: 2941 Restaurant)
2941 Restaurant had its 5th annual Cassoulet Feast Wine Dinner this past Sunday and I had the opportunity to attend along with friends Kyle, Laetitia, Cecile, and Jess.
Chef Bertrand Chemel prepared a Catalan style cassoulet with lamb and saffron. Sommelier Jonathan Schuyler provided wine pairings from Chain Bridge Wine Cellars.
The evening started with a cava reception.
Our first course, jamon Mangalica and warm asparagus with olive oil. Paired with conceito, Contraste, Doura, Portugal (2012). I’ve had the opportunity to work with Mangalitsa in the past. It really shines in charcuterie.
Our main was the Spanish cassoulet, a simple presentation with a Spanish twist on the classic dish. It consisted of roasted lamb loin, lamb confit, homemade chorizo, morcilla, and saffron alubias. Two wine pairings were featured: Domaine Crox, Tradition, Monervois, France (2000), and Dom, Saint Etienne, les Molieres, Cote du rhone, Rhone, France (2000).
Dessert was a duo that consisted of Torta de Aceite, with olive oil ice cream and olive oil confit, and cinnamon & chocolate cremeux with almond and blood orange. Pastry Chef Caitlin Dysart’s torta de aceite was a miniature version of the classic Torta de Aceite from Sevilla (the brand Ines Rosales is available at some Whole Foods Markets). The olive oil ice cream was smooth and creamy, a perfect contrast to the crisp torta. I’m a fan of olive oil in desserts, so it’s no surprise that this was my favorite.
Sommelier Jonathan Schuyler served us a pour of this amazing Pedro Jiménez jerez with dessert. Go buy a bottle now! It’s that good. It was intense, sweet, complex, and a revelation to all of us. A perfect ending to our evening.
Yes, this is how much wine we had at table 6. Also, after a full dinner, we still polished off the bowl of caramel popcorn that was brought after dessert.
2941 Restaurant has a Spice Dinner coming up on Sunday, March 23, eight courses for $68. Don’t miss it!
Disclosure: Dinner was complimentary. I was not required to write a post. All opinions are my own.
One Vanilla Bean 