Somebody Grab Me a Napkin – My Mouth is Watering!

Any time Chip Hanlon invites me to a party – or more accurately, I invite myself – I know I am going to be wined and dined. This guy has an uncanny ability to surround himself with all the right people, the best restaurants and the finest of wines. So, a couple of weeks ago he sends me an email and tells me he and his beautiful wife, Orna, are going to have a little dinner party and my wife and I are invited. First of all, I don’t believe in colliding the worlds. For you Seinfeld fans you know what I’m talking about. Now, at this point I am thinking Hanlon can’t cook. I then call EEJS and he tells me the party is at Room 40. I like to think as the Lifestyle Whisperer I know the best restaurants around but I hadn’t heard of Room 40? He then proceeded to introduce me to Steve Fortunato, who by the way is GF’s new lifestyle contributor. I quickly learned that Room 40 has no walls and is located anywhere you throw your party. This weekend it was at Hanlon’s house and 60 something people were coming. So much for being special!

Room 40 teams up with boutique wineries that are spectacular and on this night it was Villa Creek. If you are a Paso Robles fan then you have no doubt heard of Cris Cherry and this winery. I met Cris and must say I was surprised that he is a little rock n’ roll. Normally, the wine guys are a tad stuffy. I appreciate that. Of course, he made fun of my velvet jacket all night but as long as the wine is flowing - who cares! Each of the wines served was truly fantastic. Even my favorite wine critic Joey “Wine Cube” Maga chimed in and agreed that these wines shouldn’t be consumed with a crazy straw. Villa Creek is truly a gem for us Californians.

So let’s check out the menu and wine pairings for this party:

Assorted Hors D’oeuvres/2007 Villa Creek White, Grenache Blanc, Viogner, Roussane

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup/ Fried Sage/ Nutmeg Crème Fraiche/2005 Garnacha, Denner Vineyard Grenache

Smoked Idaho Trout/ Hen of the Woods Mushrooms/ Pee Wee Potato/ Mache/ Thyme Buerre Blanc/2006 Vulture’s Post Mourvedre, Syrah, Grenachev Colorado Lamb/ Applewood Smoked Bacon/ “Creamed Corn”/ Black Radish Salad/”Rhone” Reduction/2004 Mas de Maha, Tempranillo, Grenache, Mourvedre

Braised Pork Belly/ Braised Red Cabbage/ Sweet Potato Mousseline/ Braising Jus/2005 High Road, James Berry Vineyard, Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre

Apple and Pomegranate Tart Tartin/ Calvados Gelato/ Warm Berry Stew

The food was phenomenal. My favorite dishes included the soup and the Lamb. It was shocking how well Room 40 handled the food. Each dish had the perfect temperature and the staff was run like a well oiled machine. They literally came into Hanlon’s home and turned it into a 5 Star restaurant. I have a feeling Steve would not tolerate anything less than perfection and it was perfect.

I agree with Hanlon’s post this past week that the 2005 Garnacha was rocking. I actually loved this wine and the Vulture’s post. The Garnacha is a 100% Grenache from the Denner vineyard. This was Hanlon’s description of the Garnacha: “Grenache is what I call the pinot of the Rhone varietals, typically lighter than the better-known Syrah but still quite fruit-forward-- a great representation of the best California has to offer and perhaps my favorite grape.” What the heck does this mean? Fruit forward? I was a big fan of this bad boy.

First of all, any wine named Vulture’s Post has to be good. If you are into blends like my boy Bruce Zaro, then this wine will take care of business. It is a blend of 80% Mourvedre, 15% Syrah and 5% Grenache. I must admit I was not familiar with Mourvedre. So I did a little research. Mourvèdre, is a variety of red wine grape grown around the world. In Portugal and the New World it is known as Mataró, while in some parts of France it is known as Estrangle-Chien ("dog strangler"). In Spain it is known as Monastrell. It produces tannic wines that can be high in alcohol, and is most successful in Rhone-style blends. It has a particular affinity for Grenache, softening it and giving it structure. Its taste varies greatly according to area, but often has a wild, gamey or earthy flavor, with soft red fruit flavors. I just gave you everything you need to know!

Again, here is Hanlon’s description: “This offering was just absolutely delicious--tasting of deep purple fruits with great finesse, amazing.” EEJS- keep Hanlon off the Lifestyle page. I can’t take it anymore!

In addition to the food and wine, we got to mingle with some interesting people. For one, I was stoked to meet Curt Pringle – the Mayor of Anaheim. I am not sure if he enjoyed my relentless questions as to how he could have let the Anaheim Angeles be renamed to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim or whatever they are now called. He was a class act and I actually did enjoy talking to him. Some others stood out like Brent Rose who is the famed Huntington Beach bulldog attorney, and of course Joey "Wine Cube" Maga was also in attendance.

Finally, I must say one of the most interesting conversations I had this night had nothing to do with food or wine. It had to do with Facebook.com. A group of concerned women, who will remain nameless, taught me how to “de-friend” if you are a member of the sight. It could possibly have saved my life!