Sicilian/Southern Italian Dinner

[Innkeeper]

Sicilian/Southern Italian Menu:

Conversazione:
Assorted Olives, White Bean & Sage Brushetta, Onion Flat Bread
Wine: 200 Sartarelli, Verdicchio, dei Castelli di Jesi, Classico (Marche)

Antipasti:
Calamari Salad, Sopprasata, Fresh Pecorino, Roasted Peppers
Wine: 1999 Cataldi Madonna, Ceresulo d'Abruzzo, "Pie delle Vigne" (Abruzzo)

Pasta:
Tagliatelle con Cozzee e Vongole
Pasta with mussels & clams in a saffron tomato sauce
Wine: 2000 Planeta, La Segreta Rosso (Sicilia)

Pesce:
Branzini Arrostita con alloro, mimone, e capperi
Sea Bass roasted with bay, lemon, & capers on a bed of Swiss Chard
Wine: 1999 Planeta, Santa Ceclia (Sicilia)

Carne:
Farsumauro
Stuffed (forcemeat) beef braised in red wine (and tomatoes), served with roasted potatoes
Wine: 1998 Ceuso Di Melkia, Ceuso Vigna Cutera (Sicilia)

Dolci:
Sweet Ricotta Pie
Wine: 1999 Colosi, Malvasia Delle Lipari (Sicilia)

This was served last night (11/28/01) at Jonathan's Restaurant in Blue Hill, Maine. Tariff was $45 per person plus tax and gratuity. We took our pastor with us and coughed up $171.45 total for the three of us. Absolutely fantastic.

The Verdicchio was lovely. All fruit and acid with no oak what-so-ever. Worked great as a an apertif.

The Ceresuolo d'Abruzzo could have been the best wine of the evening. It is billed as a "retro rose'." It is darker that a lot of pinot I've had. 100% Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, and wonderful.

The La Segreta Rosso was suprisingly approachable. It is a blend 40% Nero d'Avola, 40% Merlot and 20% Cabernet. As I understand it, it is grown in lower altitudes , is maloed but not oaked. Makes for a remarkably light wine that went fine with the pasta.

The Santo Cecilia is 100% Nero d'Avola, was still wound a little tightly, and as I understand it, very tightly allocated.

The Ceuso Vigna Custera is another blend 60% Nero d'Avola, 25% Cabernet, and 15% Merlot. It comes from high climbs, and is a much bigger wine than the La Segreta Rosso. It had a good dose of oak in it, and it matched very well with the rich beef dish.

The Malvasia Delle Lipari is a delightful white dessert wine. Unbelievable aromas emmanting from it. One could conjure up almost anything one could imagine just sniffing it.

[Thomas]

Sounds like a dinner worth a flight to Maine in winter--and I told you that low acid reds are better than high acid ones with tomatoes, re, the La Segreta Rosso...

[hotwine]

Mercy, IK! We couldn't buy a dinner like that around here at double the price!

Is Blue Hill near an airport served by Southwest Airlines.....?

[Innkeeper]

Manchester, NH is about 4.5 hours from Blue Hill.

Not a lot of tomatoes in that pasta Foodie.

[Botafogo]

IK, did you take those wines (some of which you have bought from us in the past, yes?) or did the restaurant actually have them??? If they did, I am VERY impressed.....


Roberto

PS: I have twice given that Cerasuolo as my "dessert island wine" in interviews with magazines.

[Innkeeper]

Didn't bring any wine; all were found on premises. They were imported by Vias Imports, Ltd., New York, NY. They were distributed here in Maine by an outfit called Colonial Distributers. Reps from both were at the dinner.

[winedope]

IK- Too bad I haven't found anything like this in Little Rhody. Maybe I haven't looked in the right place yet. Or, RI needs to import some restauranteurs like this down here ! It's always nice to hear that someone took such pleasure in a meal. WD

[This message has been edited by winedope (edited 11-29-2001).]