Wine Dinner - BlackSalt - Washington, D.C.

The first weekend in April, I ventured home (Arlington, VA) to visit my mom for the weekend. We decided to do dinner and to choose our own wine pairings. BlackSalt Fish Market and Restaurant is located in Washington, DC in the Palisades neighborhood. They specialize in seafood dishes.

"BlackSalt Fish Market & Restaurant, Washington’s premier seafood restaurant, is wholly committed to the sustainability of fish and shellfish stocks worldwide. We constantly strive to source our products from companies and individuals who are like minded. Through conscientious consumption and education we can all work to protect the invaluable resources that are provided to us by the sea."

My mom and I at BlackSalt

1. Tempura Fried Tilapia with pickled vegetables, sweet chili vinaigrette, and sesame-tamari. I paired this dish with a Coopers Creek Riesling from Malbourough, NZ [2008]. My mom paired it with a Cuvee Jean-Louis Brut from France [NV].

Tempura Fried Tilapia

Coopers Creek Riesling 
"Gold Medal, Air NZ Awards. "A lovely youthful wine displaying green apple, lemon/lime, floral and subtle chalky characters on the nose. It's finely textured on the palate with crisp acidity and a beautifully flowing mouthfeel. The wine shows classic elegant Riesling structure and a lengthy finish."

My Review: The crisp acidity of this Riesling made for a perfect pairing with the lightly breaded tempura tiliapia appetizer. It cleased the palate leaving me feeling completely ready for the next bite. I really enjoyed this Riesling because it was the perfect amount of sweetness for an appetizer and didn't over power the taste of the fish. 














  

Cuvee Jean-Louis Brut 
"Fine, abundant bubbles define the Cuvée Jean-Louis Brut; its bubbles are smaller than any of our other sparkling wines. Bright and fruity on the nose, this wine exudes aromas typical of Chenin Blanc – apples, apricots and a hint of honey. The palate holds an explosion of fine bubbles followed by a smooth, fruity finish."

My Review: As we've established in class, champagne goes with everything. It cleansed the palate well, just as the Riesling did. However, the dryness of this particular champagne went perfectly with the Asian flare that the dish had.
















2. Steamed Blue Shell Mussels - Malata Style [smoked greens, chilies, and squash]. We paired this dish with the Elk Cove Pinot Gris from the Willamette Valley [2008].

Malata Steamed Blue Shell Mussels

Elk Cove Pinot Gris 
"Very light butter yellow color; green apple, applesauce, nectarine nose; ripe green apple, nectarine, lime palate; medium finish."

 Our Review: Again, having a cleansing white wine paired with a seafood dish is ideal. This citrus-y, apple-y wine was a perfect pair for the mussels which were bursting with flavor. Each mussel got better and better and the Pinot Gris helped wash it down. We loved it!

















3. Pacific Butterfish with Maine lobster and mango gastrique. We paired this with a Christian Lauverjat Sauvignon Blanc from Sancerre, France [2011].

Pacific Butterfish

  

Christian Lauverjat Sauvignon Blanc
"Lauverjat Sancerre Moulin Vrillères is a blend of different parcels of Sauvignon. It expresses clearly its aromas of white flowers and citrus fruits, and lingers long on the palate. The dominant fresh mouth does not betray its terroir. One can open it as an aperitif and finish it with fresh or mature goat’s cheese."

Our Review: I love a great Sauvignon Blanc. Since this was a small plate, it was almost considered an appetizer. This wine paired perfectly with the fish. The butterfish has an extremely buttery taste and is very flaky. The wine helped break down the butter flavor which, in comparison, a Chardonnay wouldn't be able to do because the flavor profile would be so similar. It help bring out the mango flavor as well. I enjoyed it quite a bit!








4. Dark Chocolate Cherry Bread Pudding with vanilla bean ice cream. We paired this dessert with two different dessert wines, a Chateau Villefranche Sauternes [2009] and a Disznoko Tokaji Aszu 5 Puttonyos [2000].

Dark Chocolate Cherry Bread Pudding

Chateau Villefranche Sauternes
*couldn't find a critic review online*

My Review: I am typically not a huge fan of dessert wines because I think that they sometimes overpower the sugar profile in the dessert. However, this wine paired nicely with the bread pudding because it had notes of vanilla which complimented the creaminess of the dessert. I liked it, but I don't ever think I need a wine with dessert; whereas usually, it's awesome to have a glass with dinner.














Disznoko Tokaji Aszu 5 Puttonyos
"Light medium orange color; rich caramel, coffee, orange syrup nose; orange syrup, tangerine, tangy lemon syrup, mineral palate; long finish."
 

My Review: This wine was incredibly sweet and definitely much too sweet for my palate. It was too powerful for the bread pudding and I was not able to even finish my glass. I think that syrup is the perfect way to describe this wine because it was so thick. I was able to pick up the mineral flavors at the end of each sip.