Dinner: “Kansas City (Filet Mignon Night)"

November 11, 2017

Dinner: “Kansas City (Filet Mignon Night)"

Wine Dinner Blog Report: Kansas City

School was getting a bit overwhelming so what better way to recuperate than with a fun weekend away at a friend’s house. It’s not the beach but it was fancy, luxurious and oh so relaxing. My friend Brittany Panko, who also is in this wine course, invited me home with her for a long three-day weekend to Kansas City. Of course, we killed two birds with one stone by enjoying our long weekend and doing some wine homework. OUR FIRST WINE DINNER!

First off, Brittany’s family literally spoiled us. They treated us to the finer wines in life and took our wine dinner above our expectations. We were able to choose wine from their wine cellar all weekend and her stepdad coached us in each of the wines he picked specifically for our dinner and why. It felt like a legit family dinner but with tons of wine and pairings.

Does this table setting and food not look incredible?

Setting the table for dinner with Brittany

Dinner is served! Brittany, myself, her mom, dad, brother and brothers friend

Course #1: Clementine Salad

Our first course was a sweet clementine salad with walnuts and a light dressing. This course was paired with a Sauvignon Blanc. The Sauvignon Blanc was a 2013 Sauvignon from California and cost around $22.99. This wine paired AMAZING with our salad appetizer. Brittany's stepdad explained to us how he chose this white wine because the tannins paired well with the clementines. This wine had a hint of lemon flavor and accompanied the clementines perfectly. The walnuts were a nice mix because it added almost an oaky or wood taste to your palette on top of the citrus. The dressing on the salad was very light and not over powering. Most of the flavors came from the wine and salad mixed. The aroma of the wine was a bit potent but it did not taste like it smelled at all.

Rachis Sauvignon Blanc

Clementine and Walnut Arugala Salad

Course #2: Filet Mignon with Bernaise Sauce

Our second curse consisted of filet mignon with a creamy bernaise sauce. The sides were risotto and mushroom and onions. Might I add that this filet mignon melted like butter in my mouth. Our filet was paired with a 2011 Constant Diamond Mountain Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley California. This wine roughy goes for $129 a bottle. Before indulging, the wine was put into a decanter to allow for oxygen to enter the wine and make our experience more pleasant. There was a lot of sediments in the wine as well which was unusual and not ideal. The wine alone smelled of cherries and tasted extremely dry on the palette with even stronger notes of cherry. By itself, the wine would be too dry for me to drink and enjoy. With the filet mignon and bernaise sauce the wine was less dry. The wine tasted more rich and creamy with the red meat. Personally, I thought I was going to hate it because it still was so dry but I didn't. The silky texture made my meat melt more and my experience 100% more pleasant, especially since I thought my filet couldn't get any better. The wine went very well with the mushroom and onions too because they were doused in a red wine vinegar. The risotto paired with the wine was not my favorite. It did not add anything extra or take anything away, it was like the wine was just there. Overall, the Cabernet Sauvignon was silky, had hints of cherry and strong aromas of fruit and paired with the filet everything was heightened.

Risotto Cooking

Constant Cabernet Sauvignon 2011

Risotto, Filet Mignon with Bernaise Sauce and mushrooms with onions

Course #3: Fudge Brownies

Every persons favorite part of a nice dinner is the ending... the dessert. Brittany's mom made her famous "out of the box" creamy fudge brownies and I finally got to try a true dessert wine. The dessert wine we drank was Citron, from Somerset Ridge vineyard and winery. This wine roughly costs $16.99. Thank goodness I love lemon because this wine was so sweet and tart. We drank this wine in very small glasses. The wine alone was very tart and tasted like you were sucking on a lemon. The wine smelled just like a lemon peel too. Paired with the brownie I was not much of a fan. The brownies alone were very rich and I think adding something tart took away from the chocolate. The dessert wine paired with chocolate was less tart but tasted like a lemon gone bad with a brownie. The dessert wine and brownie alone would be best.

Citron Dessert Wine

Creamy Brownie and Dessert Wine

Overall, my first wine dinner experience was one for the books and I am thankful I can blog about it to remember all of the details. My favorite course was the filet mignon and Cabernet Sauvignon. I think the wine paired the best with the filet and I can finally understand how food can a greatly paired wine can enhance your food experience. Below are some additional photos from our wine dinner and I can't wait for my next one.