New Year's Eve this year was slated to be a simple stay-at-home affair. Boo had to work until 8pm and we figured he'd barely have enough energy for dinner - much less last until midnight for any celebratory treats. When the idea of joining up with Scott and Stephanie Jaeger and The Pear Tree surfaced, we decided to go for it. Why not get pampered by the gang at our favourite restaurant? Turned out that Elzee, Shelback and Chewbacca thought it was a damned fine idea as well - plus Elzee hoped that her cousin, Swiss Miss, could join in. Luckily Scott and Stephanie were able to stretch our reservation for two into six and the night was set.
The ladies came over for a cocktail as we waited for Boo to get home from work and I figured we might as well kick off the evening in the same manner as it would likely end - with bubbles.
I must have been unconsciously saving this bottle for a special occasion because I wouldn't normally have a bottle of Prosecco lying around for a couple of years but I picked up this "rarity" (at least in our market) a couple of years back at the Vancouver International Wine Festival. Bisol was one of the participating wineries in 2012 and their Crede (named after the marine sandstone subsoil found in the nearby countryside) made the cut for bottles that I needed to slip into the "cellar" without Boo noticing.
Vintage Champagne doesn't often make it into my drinking glass but I'd been given this bottle as a gift and, again, I figured there are only so many special occasions on our calendar, so why not pop the cork with great friends during a gourmet dinner. Boo and I like to take advantage of BYO options when they're available but I figure we should only pull out some of the big guns if we're going to do so. I think vintage Champagne counts. I was aware of the Pol Roger name and brand but I don't recall ever having had a bottle before.
We toasted the evening with the classic biscuit-y wine with our first two courses for the evening: Roasted Celeriac Foam Soup and Cured Rainbow Trout.
We'd matched the Belle Glos Pinot with our next course of Duck Confit with Baby Pea Risotto. I've got a few favourite dishes - that I can never get enough of - coming out of Scott's kitchen and this combination is right up with the best of them. Every bite was sublime and the Pinot, while rich and expansive by local standards, was a marvellous accompaniment.
Scott could have delivered three servings of this dish and I'd have left wanting more. Here's hoping that the dish doesn't remain a one-off special for New Year's Eve.
Keeping up with our theme of top notch wines, we brought out the Kirwan - one of the fourteen wineries categorized as Troisième Crus or Third Growth in the historic Bordeaux Classification of 1855. With only five First Growth and fourteen Second Growth wineries "ahead" of them, I think it's fair to consider the Kirwan to be a little more than a standard Tuesday night wine. Pairing it with Roasted Ribeye, Braised Short Rib and Caramelized Scallops didn't hurt either.
Turned out that the restaurant served up a rather nice alternative to Champagne. Domaine Chandon is the California branch of iconic French producer Moët et Chandon and it's certainly fit the bill as a good value bubble to toast the new year.
Some Valrhona Chocolate infused with Earl Grey Tea wasn't the shabbiest of ways to kick in a new year either.
Somehow Boo's and my simple New Year's Eve at home had morphed into a wonderful evening of great friends, laughs and tasty bites. One heckuva fine way to finish off one year and to start another. I can only hope that the rest of 2014 is full of similar good times.
And I need to resolve to get me some more of that duck confit and pea risotto!
Cheers!
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