In the coming weeks, diners will have three interesting choices–at Palermo Viejo, Varanese, and the Bristol Bar& Grille, Jeffersonville, Ind.–for special wine dinners, which have long been one of the best values for dining out in the city.
On Tuesday, Nov. 18, at 6:30 p.m., Palermo Viejo, 1359 Bardstown Rd., will host a 4-course dinner featuring wines of Cristian Allamand and Martine Castoro, Argentinian vintners developing terroir-driven wines, as opposed to the large scale industrial production of much of the Argentinian wine makers. With their two labels, Bodegas Luminis and Allamand, they are now producing only about 18,000 cases a year, and hope to max out at 40,000, about the limit of a micro-brewery, according to Tim Stratman, who along with Aaron Dawkins of Vanguard Wines will be at the dinner to discuss this boutique producer in more detail.
Chef Francisco Elbl’s typically Argentinian meat-intensive dinner will begin with cerdo con repollo, pork tenderloin served with red wine cabbage. The second course will be cordero con ensalada, rack of lamb served with Bibb lettuce salad with balsamic vinaigrette. The main course will be lomito en adobo criollo con pure de color, beef tenderloin in a spicy marinade with a whipped root vegetable puree. The dessert will be flan de chocolate.
The 4-course dinner with wine pairings will be $50. Call (502) 456-6461.
Also on Tuesday, Nov. 18 at 6:30 p.m., Varanese, 2106 Frankfort Ave., will celebrate the fall harvest with a wine dinner featuring chef John Varanese’s annual treat, turducken, along with American wines from near and far.
The 6-course menu will include baked stuffed oyster topped with bacon marmalade, pumpkin risotto, turducken and cocoa and coffee-rubbed bison brisket. The dessert will be sweet potato custard topped with a fig compote and served with triple chocolate ice cream, paired with a local wine, Huber’s port, from Starlight, Ind.
The meal and all wine pairings will be $65. Call (502) 899-9904 or email letsdine@varanese.com.
Dec. 3 at 7 p.m. will be the date of the Bristol Bar & Grille, 700 W. Riverside Dr., Jeffersonville’s dinner highlighting the wines of Furst Vineyards from Alsace, in eastern France. The menu will include dishes typical of the Alsace region, in the highlands bordering Germany, including a starter of charcuterie, followed by flammekueche (a thin crusted onion, bacon and cheese tart) and choucroute garni with sauerkraut. Wine and imports expert Giampaolo Cherubin will discuss flavor profiles of the wines to be paired with Chef Richard Doering’s dishes..
The 5-course dinner and the wine pairings, will be $55. Call (812) 218-1995.
