"Springtime Wine Dinner" 4/25/22

Just when we think we can't possibly outdo ourselves our loyal clientele proves us wrong!  26 Seats was a concept that we put together to allow Chef Scott and our serving staff to share a more upscale experience for our guests.  Our first wine dinners took a few weeks to sell all of the tickets, and for the past two we've hosted they've surprisingly sold at record times.  "Springtime" sold out in less than an hour, at first we thought it was a glitch in the Event Brite system but lo and behold it was true!  We are so grateful to our clientele for their continued support, we truly could not do this without you!  So here we go, on to the good stuff that Chef Scott put together for this particular wine dinner...  Our wine presenter for the evening was Kim Braddock from Foley Family Wines, Kim and Chef Scott worked together years ago when they were both servers at the infamous Norwood's Restaurant here in town.  So you could just imagine what a special reunion and collaboration this was for the both of them.   Foley Family Wines are famous for their various vineyards located in Napa Valley, Sonoma County, Santa Barbara County & Pacific Northwest and Kim brought all of her knowledge to share with us. 

  Our opening wine was a Brut from California called Banshee  Ten of Cups and was paired with an amusee made up of Cucumbers, Radishes, Lump Crab, drizzled with a Lime/Mint Vinaigrette  and a bit of Lemon Zest to top off.   The next pour was of a Pinot Blanc named Four Graces that was paired with a Crispy Oyster BLT composed of Heirloom Tomatoes, Apple Smoked Bacon, Curly Endive, Fried Oyster atop a circular Brioche toast with Tobiko Caviar.  Down to earth with a dash of fancy!  Ferrari Carano's Pinot Noir followed up with a Grilled Asparagus Salad that shared the plate with Prosciutto, Fire Roasted Peppers, Shaved Parmesan, a Soft Egg and Truffle Vinaigrette.  This duo was an incredible experience of explosive flavors, each sip lead you to a different conclusion to the one you had previously thought you had already pinpointed, each being just as satisfactory as the last.  The third course was a Pan Roasted Halibut with Quinoa, Romano Artichokes, Olives, Wilted Baby Kale, Sundried Tomatoes and a Basil Emulsion.  To support this heavy hitter, Kim paired it with a Red Blend from Roth Estate "Heritage" from Sonoma County it's bold tannins and decadent flavors of dark berries and toasted oak complimented the Halibut exquisitely!  And finally for the finale El Dorado Noir, another potion by Ferrari Carano, was paired with Chef Scott's Strawberry Mascarpone Tart.  The Swiss Meringue with Roasted Strawberries and Strawberry Balsamic Puree was the icing on the evening!  

We saw a lot of new faces this time around and hope to continue to meet many more of you as time goes by.   Be sure to subscribe to our website so that you too can be a part of this monthly soiree!

We hosted a "Taste of Italy" wine dinner on the last Monday of March and we believe it to be one of the most successful yet!  Not only was the room filled with great energy and wonderful people but Chef Scott and Paul Serafimoff crushed it once again with the four course dinner menu and the wine pairing.  Paul took us on a wine tour through Northern Italy and walked us through each scent and profile of both the wine and dish.  Every pairing was exquisite!  Guests got a chance to place orders of wine afterwards at discounted prices and let me tell you they took advantage of the deals!  Let's do a recap of what was being served... The opening wine was a Pieropan Soave Classico made from a blend of 85% Garganega & 15% Trebbiano di Soave from the Veneto Region. Dry with a medium body and leaning towards the acidic side, Soave carried notes of tree fruits (pear , apples), citrus (lemon, grapefruit)  and mid earthy tones (stone honey).  It was enjoyed with a family style charcuterie board of assorted dried meats, cheeses, olives & artichokes and we must not forget to mention the homemade focaccia bread Chef Jeff made to go with it as an amuse bouche. Divine!!  For the first course Chef Scott prepared a Diver Scallop Crudo with fragments of citrus, pickled Anaheim Chiles, Torn Herbs and Olive Oil paired with a white Tuscan Vermentino called SOLOSOLE. The medium bodied wine paired well with it's hints of flowers and yellow fruit.  On to the second course that consisted of an "out of this world" Short Rib Raviolis with parmesan broth, confit vegetables and braised greens and paired with a Chianti Classico by Castello Di Albola from Toscana made of Sangiovese grapes.  Notes of strawberries, oak, vanilla, tobacco & leather filled the glass while the palate exuded a dry, medium, acidic profile.  The third course, was definitely a house favorite of the night all around.  An almost fully bold Nebbiolo by RATTI from Langhe, Piemonte was poured.  Dry, with red fruit notes & earthier notes such as leather, tar, tobacco, vanilla and oak paired nicely with the Porchetta dish accompanied by soft herb polenta, arugula salad, shaved fennel, radish & pork jus.  By this time our guests were so satisfied but we couldn't let them leave without some Ricotta Cheesecake that had Mango puree and Almond Florentine. Allegrini by Palazzo Della Torre, a red from Veneto and made of Corvina grapes. Leather, smoke, black fruits and chocolate lent their notes to the pairing.  What an amazing and unusual pairing but it worked so well!  We're so happy with the outcomes of these events, they take a lot of work to put together, but at the end of it all it's all worth it and we begin to gather ideas for the next one!!  Will you be joining?

This was our third edition of our wine dinner series.  King Estate provided us with with some wonderful pairings for Chef Scott's menu!  Dave Baricevic , the 

Rep from King Estate, walked our guests through each glass of wine followed by Chef Scott introducing each dish.  The night started with a delicate Amuse-bouche made of Shaved Fennel, Cara Cara Oranges, Shaved Parmesan, Mixed Olive Tapenade, with a Blood Orange Emulsion, a perfect.  Followed by a Rose Pinot Noir paired with a Trilogy of Beets, Roasted, Shaved & Pureed, Whipped Goat Cheese & a Beet Top Pesto. Our second course, a Pan Roasted Black Grouper that sat in a Saffron Broth with Cannellini Beans, Melted Leeks, Roasted Garlic, Braised Greens, & Oven Dried Tomatoes was paired with a beautiful King Estate Chardonnay.  And the  Trio of Duck that consisted of Seared Duck Breast, Duck Confit Spring Roll, Seared Duck Foie Gras, Parsnip Puree, Red Wine Cassis Duck Jus was paired with North Northwest, Cabernet Sauvignon.   Finally Chef's Scott's Meyer Lemon Semi Freddo  was paired with a  King's Estate Brut Cuvee.  Guests were able to order cases of wine through the distributor at a discounted price.  It was such a fun night with lots of new faces and even a few birthday celebrations to add to the event.  We're already looking forward to the next one!!! 

This was the second edition of our wine dinner series for 26 Seats, a limited seating event hosted by City Market Bistro.  Once again we partnered up with Paul Serafimoff of Breakthru Beverage Group, and old pal and work colleague of Chef Scott's from  his earlier days in the industry.  Being that it was the end of summer, Chef Scott designed a menu that paid homage to some of the best ingredients of the summer season.  The Four Course meal kicked off with a beautiful Florida Heirloom Tomato Salad, Watermelon, Basil Gel, & Burrata, the perfect opener to set the palate for what was to follow.  Summer Lobster Agnolotti, Mustard Crusted Lamb Loin, and finished with a Mascarpone Panna Cotta with Roasted Peaches, Candied Almonds, and Brown Butter Crumbles.  Paul took us on a trip to South Africa, Sonoma Valley, & Hungary.  The Royal Takaji, the creamy and crisp fortified pairing with the dessert was an exquisite choice to end the night.  We had many returning guests that once again enjoyed the experience through and through.  Stay connected with us by subscribing to our website if you're interested in receiving notices of our upcoming events!

We hosted our first wine pairing dinner with Paul Serafimoff from Breakthru Beverage Group, here at the restaurant.  The evening was a success!  We decked out our venue for our guests and showed them a different side of what our Chef Scott Krause could do.  He prepared a four course meal (see photos below) and Paul did the pairing for us.  In between courses the Chef  would come out and explain what he prepared and Paul talked the attendees through his choices of wine.  This was our first dinner event, we only put out 26 tickets for sale which was perfect.  It was a communal setting, everyone had plenty of elbow room, and as the evening progressed the guests socialized and enjoyed their experience.  We can't wait to plan our next one!  Follow us on social media for any future details. We're bring the City to New Smyrna Beach!