Cooking Fresh Halibut with Chef

Saturday night dinner at home with Chef fixing Halibut with fennel and line crema, mushroom couscous and fresh english peas

Always start out with bubbles
Whipping up the fresh cema sauce
My Chef
Fresh Halibut from Town & Country Mkt Mill Creek
Fresh English Peas
Rainbow Micro greens
Searing the Halibut: What? butter AND Olive Oil?
Time for the oven! Chef always uses 425 degrees and convection roast settings on everything
Chef plating it up
Beautiful!!
Paired with a Brian Carter Cellars Oriana!

Valentines Day Dinner Party

Our first dinner party of 2023 and our first since before the pandemic!

Great food, wine and friends!
The Hosts! Sous Chef Julia and Chef Kevin
Valentines Day theme
Service for 10!
The Chef
First bites
Salmon and piccata sauce
Plating up
Roasted beet burrata salad
Dessert! Pineapple Foster
Chocolate covered strawberries with port wine foe a finisher

Love and Rosé are in the air! #2023RoséRoundup

Here are the 2022 vintage WA Rosé Wine Release Approximate Timelines…stay tuned for updates here!

Goose Ridge: RELEASED

Guardian Cellars: RELEASED

Longshadows Vintners: RELEASED

Airfield:

Ancestry Cellars:

Armstrong:

Avennia:

Barrage:

Brian Carter:

Callan Cellars:

Charles Smith/K Vintners

Chateau St Michelle:

Dellile:

Efeste:

Gard:

Gorman Winery:

JBookwalter:

JM Cellars:

Kennedy Shaw:

Kerloo:

Lauren Ashton Cellars:

Love that Red:

Mark Ryan:

Matthews:

Novelty Hill Januik:

Obilesco:

Patterson Cellars:

Pondera:

Prohibition Cellars:

Rocky Pond Winery:

Sightglass Cellars:

Sol Stone:

Sparkman:

Why am I Mr. Pink:

Tinte:

Two Vintners:

Warr-King:

Wit Cellars:

 

 

 

Now Open! Sparkman Cellars at the old Redhook Location!

Enjoying a tasting at Sparkman Cellars! Three tasting menus to chose from. Beautiful, comfortable, safe tent outdoors! Heaters, but dress warm. So many favorites here, the Gaga, Rosé, Sav Blanc, always a special wine on sale here. Food menu meat and chese boards are fantastic! Old Redhook building location in Woodinville reservations and hours: https://sparkmancellars.com/visit/#sparkmancellars#supportlocal#woodinvillewinecountry#tastingfoodwine

What’s New in Woodinville?

We ventured out to Rocky Pond Winery’s new tasting room in the heart of Woodinville’s NEW Downtown District in Woodin Creek Village. The tasting experience was very nice, the glasses all came out at once on a very cool stand. We picked out the charcuterie board to enjoy with our tasting. It was freshly made up by their Chef in the kitchen and we were impressed with the items on there! A beautifully presented collection of cheeses, meats, figs, jams, dates, olives with house made crackers. My favorite wines were the Grenache, Sav blanc and Syrah. It is a great place to taste really good wines and food! Highly recommend a visit here and take a look at the surrounding area, a few other wineries and eateries coming soon!! Reservations highly recommended: https://rockypondwinery.com/our-tasting-rooms/ #tastingfoodwine #rockypondwinery #supportlocal #woodinvillewinecountry

#WoodinvilleStrong

Kevin and I are supporting our local wineries during this quarantine time, while remaining safe and healthy. Did you know that you can order wine online and pick up at the winery safely with no contact? Wineries are taking their business and your health very seriously, they have prepared to provide you a safe sales experience. Thanks to WA state guidelines, wineries are listed as a business that can remain open for sales only, no tastings. Check out the video to see how easy it is!! #WoodinvilleStrong #WoodinvilleWineCountry #TastingFoodWine #SupportLocal

Gallery

Step inside The Vault in Maltby

Six wineries and a distiller have a new location in Maltby that was custom built to each of their requirements. J.P. Trodden Whiskey and the wineries: Guardian Cellars, JM Cellars, Two Vintners, Gorman Winery, Covington Cellars and Laterus winery. They … Continue reading

Love The Wine You’re With

Every year, Valentines night dinner is at home, we dine at what we call the “LeBrendt Bistro”.  Kevin is a fantastic cook, its always exciting to watch him cook and enjoy time together. Tonight’s dinner was paired with three Lauren Ashton Wines. With at least 15 of his wines scoring 90+, Kit is one of the top winemakers in Woodinville Wine Country. Kevin carefully chose three Lauren Ashton wines to pair with the three courses he planned and prepared.

ingredients

First Course: Fresh Kusshi Oysters and Lauren Ashton 2012 Cuvée Méline (91 Points, Paul Gregutt, Wine Enthusiast Magazine)

Kevin paired this fantastic white blend of three quarters Sauvignon Blanc and one quarter Sémillon with Kusshi Oysters on the half shell. Kevin prepared a mignonette with the wine, rice vinegar, diced lemon grass, garlic and a fresh lemon juice. The acidity and hints of grapefruit of the Cuvée Méline really brought out the ocean flavor of the fresh oysters. We love the Kusshi oysters, petite with a mild flavor, and purchased fresh from Central Market, our favorite go to place for fresh seafood.

Second Course: Picatta Collasal Prawn and Lauren Ashton 2012 Roussanne (92 Points, Paul Gregutt, Wine Enthusiast Magazine)

Kevin prepared a Collasal Prawn in picatta sauce resting on a bed of fresh angel hair pasta. The Roussanne with its velvety mouth feel cuts through the acidity of the picatta sauce and enhances the fresh flavors of the prawn.

prawncourse2

Third Course: Seared Black Pepper crusted Filet Mignon and Lauren Ashton 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon (New Release!)

This was Kevin’s favorite pairing, because he loves beef and we do not eat it often. Kevin dipped the filet in crushed black pepper and then seared it and served it with a bed of Yukon Gold mashed potatoes. The sauce on the top of the filet, he made using the Cabernet Sauvignon, creating a reduction sauce with dried cherries. Such a classic pairing, and it really brought out the dark pitted fruit flavors and the sweetness of sauce softened the tannins just right. I am sure when the reviews come in, this wine will also become a 90+ wine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“The discovery of a good wine is increasingly better for mankind than the discovery of a new star.” – Leonardo Da Vinci

“There can never be any substitute for your own palate nor any better education than tasting the wine yourself.” – Robert Parker

#2019RoséPartyRoundup

This year, we have collected over 20 of Washington’s best Rosé Wines!

2019 featuring: Airfield, Betz, Chateau Ste. Michelle, Efestē, Goose Ridge, Gorman, JBookwalter, JM Cellars, KVintners, Lauren Ashton, Long Cellars, Mark Ryan, Matthews, NoveltyHill-Januik, Patterson, Pondera Winery, SMAK, Sparkman, Warr-King, Wit, Woodhouse Wine Estates.

Kevin is cooking it up again, this year, street tacos and all of the fixins!

September Dinner Party

Our first of many dinner parties last night.

Our annual Rosé party has gotten too big (70) which didn’t give us much time to talk to our friends at the party this Summer. Kevin and I decided we are switching it and we are going to have dinner parties with groups of 8-12 at a time. Last night was a party of eight. The guest list was a surprise, and it turned out to be a great blend of personalities! The food was amazing, Kevin is such a great cook! Party #1 was a success!

– Heirloom tomato peaches, Burrata cheese and tomato salad with finished with chiffon basil

– Chinese five spice tea infused shrimp sautéed and served over jasmine rice

– Steak Oscar with Dungeness crab, asparagus, bernaise sauce and herb roasted potatoes

– Dessert, a frozen mango custard with raspberries and blueberries