First Course
Wine - Cotes du Rhone Rose (France)
Cotes du Rhone, Rhone, France - This delightful and crisp Rose offers fresh flavors of strawberry and cherry. Made primarily from Grenache, this dry and clean rose is nicely balanced with a refreshingly long finish.
Beer - Shooting Creek Buffalo Brown (Virginia)
Shooting Creek Farm Brewery, brewed at Blue Mountain Brewery in Floyd, Virginia. Whet your whistle with our brown ale and you'll never look back. Bold and hoppy, our version of an American classic features the coffee-like flavors of darkly roasted malts with the bitter cocoa of somewhat lighter kilned malts. Hoppe with our own citrusy hops, of course.
Baby kale, apple cider bacon, pickled red onions, parmesan cheese with with black currant balsamic reduction
The nose of the rose was very faint and lightly fruity. After tasting it, I could taste some strawberry and a very light citrus flavor.
The buffalo brown beer definitely had a large chocolate taste to it and was only slightly bitter.
The salad on its own was bitter with savory and acidic notes from the onions and bacon, with a very slight sweet finish from the dressing. When trying the salad with the wine, the sweetness of the balsamic dressing was emphasized by the sweetness of the rose. When trying the salad with the beer, I was very surprised at how much the bitterness of the kale itself was softened by the brown ale.
Second Course
Wine - Dr. Loosen Sweet Riesling (Germany)
A succulent white, filled with plush red peach, cherry and white currant flavors that are supported by zesty acidity. Long and creamy on the finish, offering plenty of spicy overtones.
Beer - Foggy Ridge Handmade Cider (Virginia)
Simple is often best-think of a just caught whole fish brushed with fruity olive oil and grilled on a bed of fresh herbs. Or pasta topped with fresh tomatoes, basil, and a syrupy balsamic vinegar. Simple is also best with cider. Foggy Ridge Cider begins in the orchard with apples carefully selected for their unique flavors and grown for taste, not appearance. In our cidermaking, we aim to put this fruit in the bottle with minimal manipulation. Our latest hard cider is Foggy Ridge Handmade, bottled in baby champagne bottles and for sale only at restaurants and retailers. This crisp cider made from Newtown Pippin apples has beautiful soft tannins and a delicate apple flavor with light pear notes.
Lobster bisque with roasted root vegetables and fresh thyme
The riesling had almost no smell to it. After tasting it, it was extremely sweet and fruity and the most notable flavor was of pear and it had a creamy aftertaste.
The cider was very light, crisp, and sweet. When I was trying to discern what kind of apples it was made from, my first thought was of green apples.
The lobster bisque was very rich and absolutely delicious. Tasting it with the wine accented the root vegetables in it and made it taste almost earthy. When trying it with the cider, the cider tasted much more sour. I would say it was an excellent pairing because the lightness of the wine and cider helped cut the richness of the bisque and made it much more palatable.
Third Course
Wine - Frontier Red (California)
Santa Barbara County Vineyards in Ventura County. 100% Barrel aged in a combination of French and American Oak. Loads of dark cherry, plum, vanilla, and mocha notes are accentuated by toast, cedar, and boysenberry in this easy to drink wine. Flavors of cherry, blueberry, chocolate, and vanilla are flanked by cranberry, and toasty oak undertones. With a rich mouth feel and long lasting finish this resinous wine is the perfect compliment to any BBQ dish.
Beer - Parkway Bridge Builder Blonde (Virginia)
Brewed by Parkway Brewing. Belgian Ale from Salem, Virginia. An easy drinking Belgian-style ale, our Bridge Builder Blonde has a wheat flavored backbone from the malt, tempered with hints of clove, banana and pear. The name is an homage to the many immigrants who constructed the unique arched stone bridges all along the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Maple and pepper cured salmon with citrus herb cream cheese baked in puff pastry
The red wine was very complex with too much going on for me to able to clearly identify anything from smelling it. After tasting it, it was earthy, peppery, and surprisingly soft for a red.
The blonde beer was a delight. It was extremely buttery and nutty to taste with lightly toasted oats in the nose.
The salmon was very salty and the puff pastry and cream cheese made it very savory as well. It made the red taste much sweeter and the saltiness of the fish was drastically reduced when paired with the red. The fish itself tasted sweeter when tasted with the blonde beer. With both wine and beer, I was able to distinctly taste apples, although I'm not sure where the flavor came from.
Thoughts
Overall, the dinner was extremely enjoyable and I definitely plan on going back. I would highly recommend a visit to the Palisades restaurant to anyone who wants to enjoy a quality meal in a sophisticated yet cozy environment.
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