Burgundy Dinner with the Chevaliers du Tastevin
R&R Kitchen and Bar, Saratoga Springs, NY, 4/7/2018
The Albany-Capital Region chapter of
La Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin held a dinner at
R&R Kitchen and Bar,
43 Phila Street, Saratoga Springs, NY.
The hosts for this dinner were Larry Snavley and George Weissman.
I sat with Jared & Amanda Shulman and their guest, Chris Riley,
Paul & Erline Provost, and Robert & Rebecca Thomas.
The wines were from the chapter's cellar.
None of the wines were decanted, but they were opened for some time before serving.
See each wine note for details.
Click on any image with a border for a larger view of that image.
The Venue
R&R Kitchen and Bar occupies hallowed
ground at 43 Phila Street in Saratoga Springs.
This was the site of Phila Bistro, which was a superb restaurant for many years.
Based on this dinner, owner Ronnie Farber, executive chef Brian Bowden, and
their team are carrying on that tradition of excellence.
The first floor of the R&R Kitchen and Bar is a long bar and table seating.
Generally, the first floor is more casual dining, while the second floor is for
more formal dining and private events like ours.
Here are some photos of the upstairs room. The first is mine,
the others are from the
Saratoga Convention Bureau.
Before Dinner
-
2015 Jean Baptiste Ponsot Rully Bas de Vauvry -
France, Burgundy, Côte Chalonnaise, Rully
[Opened at 5pm. Tasted at 5:30pm.]
Soft and smooth, but still bright and crisp. Quite tasty. A good choice for hors d'oeuvres.
I wish I had kept my glass for the first course. (91 points)
The lovely Lisa O'Connor Hodes shows off the 2015 Jean Baptiste Ponsot Rully Bas de Vauvry.
There was also a non-vintage Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Reserve Champagne which I did not try.
Dinner
The cute menu cover, the menu, and the list of wines:
First Course
King Crab & East Coast Oyster with Yuzu and Salmon Roe
in Broth of Orange Blossom,
Cucumber, Finger Lime.
This was a beautiful presentation and a delicious way to start
the meal.
I think it would have gone better with the Rully than with the Dauvissat.
The glass bowl threw off the autofocus in my camera. Fortunately,
Amanda Shulman took the close-up on the right with her phone.
-
2009 Dauvissat-Camus Chablis 1er Cru La Forest -
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru
[Removed from fridge and opened at 5:15pm. Poured at 5:45pm. Tasted at 6:10pm.]
Stunningly complex nose of minerals, citrus and tropical fruits, and spices.
Hints of lemon rind, ripe fruit, wet stones. Full and rich in the mouth.
Long, rich, and complex. One of the best Chablis I've had.
Not a great match to the first course (due to the lime), but the perfect match to
the second course (cod). This wine and the cod dish are the kind of food and wine
match one hopes for at every wine dinner. (96 points)
Second Course
Cod with Chanterelles, English Peas, Poached Egg Sous Vide, Chive Hollandaise,
Caviar, Fingerling Chip. This was so delicious and a perfect match to the Dauvissat.
We were forewarned to keep some of the Dauvissat for this course, and I'm quite glad
we were. The Dauvissat with this cod dish was a match made in culinary heaven.
The Pommard below did not clash with this dish, but it didn't enhance it either.
-
2008 Faiveley Pommard 1er Cru Les Rugiens -
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pommard 1er Cru
[Opened at 5pm. Served at 6:30pm.]
Bright cherry-cranberry nose. Spicy red fruit.
Goes reasonably well with the fish (but not like the Dauvissat).
Terrific spiced red fruit. Long and tasty. Many years ahead. (94 points)
Third Course
Veal Loin & Tempura Sweetbread with Soubise, Black Trumpet Mushroom, Pickled Shallot,
Cauliflower and Spinach. This was terrific. I wasn't paying attention and bit into the
sweetbread thinking it was cauliflower. What a taste sensation! Crunchy, rich, and very tasty.
-
2006 La Pousse d'Or Corton-Clos du Roi -
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru
[Opened at 5pm. Served at 7:10pm.]
Bright cherry nose. Tasty and smooth with rich red fruit, but there's a slightly green stemmy
component that I hope it will fade with several more years of aging. (92? points)
Joel Retires
This was a special dinner because it was the last event of Joel Hodes's five year term
as Grand Sénéchal of the Albany chapter.
Three of the previous Grand Sénéchals, George Weissman, Joel Spiro,
and Larry Snavley stand to praise and thank Joel for all his hard work.
Joel says, "What me worry?"
This was a good opportunity for me to take some photos of the other tables.
My table: Jared & Amanda Shulman, Bob & Rebecca Thomas, Paul & Erline Provost, Chris Riley.
We do the La-La song to honor Joel:
Joel gives a moving speech thanking everyone for their support,
especially the previous Grand Sénéchals and his wife Lisa:
Fourth Course
Moulard Duck Breast with Pink Peppercorn, Pickled Strawberry,
Dukkah, Foie Gras Sabayon,
and Barley. This was tasty and interesting. The pink peppercorn crust
on the duck and
the dukkah sprinkled on the slice were both strong and unusual flavors.
-
2008 Domaine François Legros Vougeot 1er Cru Les Cras -
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vougeot 1er Cru
[Opened at 5:30pm. Served at 8pm.]
Black cherry nose. Really extracted and sweet and very ripe. Thick.
Good with the duck, but fairly simple after the last 3 wines. (90 points)
Dessert
Sweet Potato Cake, Sweet Potato Crème Anglaise, Curry Puffed Rice.
A shy guy stops by to chat with Paul & Erline:
Joel asks the staff to come out and take a bow:
Joel gives Executive Chef Brian Bowden a memento of our visit which includes the menu for
the evening. He then looks for a spot on the wall where they might hang it.
Owner Ronnie Farber arrives just in time, but then defers to Brian Bowden
And now we do the La La song:
Conclusion
Another excellent evening of friends, food, and wine. The food at R&R is terrific.
Notes posted from CellarTracker.
All original content © Ken Vastola