Friday night with the in-laws: Huneeus wine dinner at the country club

We spent Friday evening with G's parents at the Army Navy Country Club annual wine dinner. It was cute and the old, tired club made a good effort. The menu was decent, but the wine was fantastic.  The showcased vintner was Huneeus. They paired outstanding wines with each course.

The Huneeus family has roots in Chile, but is now established in Napa. At the display table: Veramonte Sauv Blanc (Chile), Illumination Sauv Blanc (Napa), Primus Red Blend, (Chile), Faust Cab (Napa), Quintessa Red Blend (Napa), and Veramonte Rose of Syrah (a port/fortified wine - Chile) 

 

We started with cheese and other little apps, including passed Arctic Char canapé . Had it with the Veramonte Sauv Blanc (which was just okay). 

We sat at table 4.

 

Fabulous hearts of palm, pomello and pink grapefruit salad in tamarind-chive dress. Stunningly delicate and nuanced, paired SO well with the Illumination Sauv Blanc (a fantastic, crisp, yet dense style)

 

Sardinian Asfodello Honey Lacquered Breast of Long Island Duckling in saffron orange sauce over grilled polenta. Yummy flavors, the duck was a bit overdone and tough; I prefer rare to medium rare. It was paired with the Primus Red Blend (Chile). Not bad.

 

Main cours of Hickory Smoked Wisconsin Lamb Chop with mashed potatoes (I think they were from a box!), Chinese eggplant a la Parmesan, corn tuille, and asparagus. This had little flavor and was, again, overcooked. Lamb really should be served more rare. But the effort and plating were nice. Served with Quintessa Red Blend (FANTASTIC!!!) and the Faust Cabernet (which was nice, but I liked the Quintessa better).

 

Yummy white chocolate and ricotta mouse in strawberry soup and Sicilian Pistachios --TOTALLY YUMMY! Served with an okay port/fortified Veramonte, Reserva Rose of Syrah.

Handmade chocolate truffles and shortbread cookies. The truffles were soft and nice.

I think G's parents had a nice time, as did we. We all agreed that the food could have been a bit better, but the effort was notable for this old club. The flavors and presentation were good, just wish the meats were prepared more rare. But great ideas and great wine.

Old School Clambake at the Army-Navy Country Club

A couple Fridays ago, we met G's parents at the Army Navy Country Club for one of their themed dinner nights. It's old school. Not luxurious or swanky. But definitely sweet. It's actually one of the best kept DC secrets. Located in Arlington, near Pentagon City, it has great views of downtown DC and the monuments...

On this night the theme was an island-style clambake. We got cute little "beggars purses" filled with clams, mussels, polish sausage, and vegetables. Though not the best quality stuff, it was fun to eat.

There were funny little details including a fire pit for s'mores and a steel drum band!

The dessert bar was nice. It had all the staples of summer, including watermelon, cookies, brownies, and make-your-own sundaes. Again, very basic.
But the best part was the s'mores that we made by roasting marshmallows over the fire pit. I hart campy. Literally, like camp.

Good view, okay eats. Not too bad. And if you squint a little, you'd almost convince yourself you're on a beach somewhere.

Polo And Pot Roast

We visited with our friends, Travis and Suzi (the ones who hosted a dinner in our honor before the wedding), at Twilight Polo Saturday evening. During the summer, arena polo is played every Saturday in Great Meadow. Travis and Suzi raise polo ponies and are involved in the community. There grandson, Wyatt, plays and is apparently very good given he's only 13.





This particular evening, Suzi made Wyatt's favorite meal, pot roast, for the picnic! She laid out a lovely spread that included pot roast, boiled and buttery potatoes, roasted carrots, and Cesar salad......and her friend from the garden club, brought these garden fresh tomotatoes. They are so qualitatively different from store-bought tomoatoes. Look how red and smooth they are on the inside....

There are many interesting characters in the polo community. The woman who brought those tomatoes has a farm with her husband. They supply hay to many of the horse people (apparently really good hay) as well as produce to many local chefs. Even the referees have interesting stories. Here is PJ Leaky-Chan(?), one of the refs. Involved with the horse community, he moved to the Virginia countryside almost two decades ago from Jamaica. His family owns the famous Pickapeppa hot sauce company. ...and of course, Suzi had a bottle on hand for the pot roast. It has a mild, sweet, tangy flavor. According to their website, Pickapeppa is created using a unique blend of tomatoes, onions, sugar, cane vinegar, mangoes, raisins, tamarinds, peppers and spices and aged in oak barrels for up to a year.

Also on hand was some wine. They set up a smart little bar. G and I brought over some rose Cremant (a French sparkling) and the locally grown, Linden Avenius Sauvignon blanc (good old standby - we have cases of this stuff).

A lovely night. Great for families with kids. Even good for a date. Check out Twilight Polo for more information.

Upcoming Tastings: Raw Silk Indian Restaurant

Buffet Thali

Where: Raw Silk Indian Restaurant & Lounge, 719 King Street, Alexandria , VA 22314, 703-706-5701

When: Monday, July 27, 7 PM

What: 4-courses of Indian fare paired with Chilean & South African wines.

- CASABLANCA NIMBUS SAUVIGNON BLANC (CHILE) served with Lentil Soup & Raita

- CALCU ( CHILE ) - Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere & Cabernet Franc blend served with Papri Chaat & Chicken Wings

- ROBERTSON PINOTAGE PHANTOM RIDGE ( SOUTH AFRICA ) served with choice of Chicken Tikka Masala or Lamb Korma, with Basmati Rice, Lentil Daal & Tandoori Naan

- ROBERTSON ALMOND GROVE RIESLING ( SOUTH AFRICA ) served with Mango Kulfi or Rice Pudding.

- Tea & Coffee.

"Raw Silk opened their doors quietly on January 11th and have just completed (this week) the last stage of interior design in the dining room. Raw Silk offers Northern Indian fare moderately priced and an extensive wine, beer and cocktail list. The name is representative of the core industry in India , one that is lively and vibrant. The lounge is inviting and cozy, similar to the modern lounges proprietors Jasmine and Tarun Chopra enjoy in New Delhi , India . They host private events in the “ South Beach ” like lounge, up to 35 people. While the menu is based on traditional northern Indian fare and cooking techniques, Jasmine adds modern touches to the menu such as street foods of India and signature martini drinks named "Seven Nights at Raw Silk" and Tango Lassi.


The intricate menu covers and silk panels were individually created by Tarun’s mother, Shashi Chopra.


Jasmine & Tarun Chopra were born and raised in New Delhi and met online in a chat room. They lived 10 minutes from each other - it was simply destiny. They were two of the early users of the Internet in India - very slow, dial up found at Internet cafes. They came to the United States in 2001 when Tarun got a job working for Whirlpool. Jasmine has a Master’s in Computers and Tarun is a MBA and Chartered Accountant (CPA equivalent). The Chopra’s have had a dream to open a restaurant since they first arrived in the US and now it is a reality.

Jasmine, Executive Chef, creates the food they grew up with. All dishes are inspired by Chaiji (Jasmine’s grandmother). “She would make Rogan Josh and Kheema Matter to perfection. She was very deft in working with the clay oven and marveled at making Tandoori Kheema Naan with a tinge of Dahnia (coriander seeds). Baoji (Jasmine’s Grandfather) as well as the rest of my family would take great pride in her cooking skills and would continually invite friends over to enliven their taste buds.” said Jasmine Chopra.

In addition to their regular lunch menu, Raw Silk serves a modern “buffet” called Buffet Thali – samples of items brought to the table and served on to your dish, as opposed to walking up to a buffet. Refills are free. ($10.95 for non-vegetarian, $9.95 for vegetarian during the week, and a more extensive Buffet Thali is available on weekends for $12.95). "