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Dinner with Spain and Portugal at El Meson |
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Sunday, 18 June 2006
Reported by Jay Hunt
The cool second floor of El Meson was a pleasant relief on a hot, muggy Father’s Day evening as Martin Carrière welcomed us with a refreshing White Port Spritzer made from Quinta do Noval Fine White Port. El Meson chef Tony and owner José Alves had put together a tantalizing Iberian menu and Martin had chosen six interesting wines to go along with it.
The first dish to arrive, a selection of Spanish appetizers dubbed Tapica Flamenca, consisted of a cod cake fritter, cherry tomato stuffed with salmon and a green, herb-flavored sauce called mojo verde, an egg of chicken, pork and veal foie gras, a slice of mango with a vegetable chip. A surprise was a shooter of cognac capped with a whipped melon and mint froth. The crisp acidity of the Agro de Bazan ‘Granbazan’ Albarino. It had a bit of flint on the nose, lemon and mineral on the palate and a greenish sour/bitter aftertaste. Its acidity was a nice balance for the oiliness of the cod and foie gras. The Albarino continued to complement the Casuelita Iberica soup of shrimp, scallop, monkfish, and clam swimming in a saffron anis broth.
The entrée, Cordeiro Embrulhado, consisted of roast lamb tenderloin wrapped with Chouriço sausage that had been thinly sliced lengthwise to resemble strips of bacon. Two red Spanish wines were offered with it. The 1998 Marques de Caceres Rioja Reserva consisting of 85% Tempranillo with added Garnacha Tinta and Graciano. Its earthy, spicy, vanilla nose came through on the palate with meaty, red/black fruit, and some tobacco. The 100% Tempranillo 2001 Dinastia Vivanco Crianza was a bit closed to start but had lots of strawberry fruit, some nice well-integrated oak flavours. Both wines complemented
the lamb well, but the smokiness and finer tannins of the older Marques de Caceres smoothed out the accompanying roasted red pepper and almond sauce particularly well.
Next came a plate of aged cheese from the Azores with walnuts and slices of apple. It was served with a 2001 Quinta de Pancas Reserva from the Estremadura region of Portugal. It was a full bodied blend of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Touriga Nacional, and Aragonez (Tempranillo). I found its complex earthy tar and spiciness a bit overpowering with the cheese and would have liked to try it with the main course.
 For me, the highlight of the evening (as always) was the dessert, Licor 43 Mousse with English Cream and Chocolate Coulis: a delicate mousse flavoured with Licor 43, a pleasant vanilla flavoured Spanish liqueur that contains over forty-three herb and fruit elements. The mousse was presented on a puddle of English Cream with NCSG spelled out in chocolate coulis. It was matched nicely with the delightful apricot and honey flavours of the Portuguese J.P. Vinhos Moscatel de Setubal, at $11.95 one of the best value dessert wines available in Vintages.
This was the first time the Guild had returned to El Meson for a dinner in several years and I hope we’ll return again soon.
Note from the Newsletter Editor on the vegetarian option at El Meson: The few (okay, three to be exact) vegetarians enjoyed a variation on the different courses. The appetizers included a very tasty potato croquette, a slice of vegetable terrine, and marinated mushrooms. We skipped the seafood soup for three artichoke hearts in a bay-infused brothe! Yum! And our main course was an amazing strudel filled with eggplant, zucchini, chickpeas, red peppers, and celery (at least!) on a bed of asparagus with the roasted red pepper and almond sauce. It was absolutely fabulous. I think it went extremely well with the Dinastia Vivanco Crianza, while one of the other vegetarians enjoyed it with the Marqués de Caceres Reserva. |
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 10 August 2006 )
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The National Capital Sommelier Guild strongly supports moderate and responsible consumption of wine and spirits. Guild dinner events allow a designated driver to attend at a reduced price. The designated driver will not be served alcohol. Guild tasting events provide and encourage the use of spit buckets.