Pared wine dinner May

Thanks to my friend Beth, I was able to attend the first Pared wine dinner with Chef Liz and Shannon Behnen at Work & Lesiure.

Sommelier Shannon Behnen and Chef Liz

I am a big fan of the both of them as I used to regularly attend Chef Liz's "Tenacious Eats" dinners where she pairs a multi-course dinner with a movie! Then I also have been attending many of Shannon's wine classes at Vom Fass in Maplewood and occasionally at Randall's on the Hill as well.

Since this was the first, Chef Liz went all out and had SIX courses with wine and cocktails! OMG did we get our money's worth! Also, the theme for the evening was female winemakers (with one distillery) and I look forward to drinking more of their wines and gin!

Wine lineup with one gin

The first course was very sweet with cane sugar and macerated strawberries, which I'm allergic to, so I mostly devoured the Cremoso cheese on the side. Paired with a Tapiz Malbec Rose.

Cane Sugar and Macerated Strawberries with a whipped cheese on top

The second course was a cured yellowtail with romaine lettuce, white Shiro miso cream, and toasted pine nuts. Loved the yellowtail!! Paired with a Thistle & Weed Chenin Blanc.

Cured Yellowtail with Romaine Lettuce

The third course was a rabbit schnitzel with a quail egg on top, and spaetzle on the side. Paired with a Furd Pinot Gris. This was a huge course so I knew I needed to save the second piece of schnitzel for another day.

Rabbit Schnitzel with Quail Egg and Spaetzle

Around this time, a huge bread platter arrived and they were all heavenly soft. I tried to stay away since there was already so much food, but this came in handy to clean up sauces.

Bread platter

The fourth course was a Golden pomodoro with toasted fennel, fresh basil, penne noodles, and a crisped guanciale and parmesan on top. Paired with a Tregole Chianti.

I was already so full at this point, but two more courses to go!

Golden Penne Arrabiata

The fifth course was a smoked beef filet with citrus creamed spinach and pickled cherry tomatoes. What a sauce! Definitely wanted to lick the plate! Paired with a Turley Zinfandel.

Smoked Beef Filet

The sixth and final course, for dessert, was a sweet Ube angel food cake with strawberries and whipped cream. Paired with a Koval Gin cocktail, that could have been a dessert course all to itself. One of the best cocktails I have ever had. I wish I knew the name of it...it was just beautiful.

Ube Angel Food Cake

Let me know if you need help signing up for the next one!!

Resources:

Work & Leisure = https://workandleisurestl.com/