Tuesday, September 12, 2006

a very Happy 1st Anniversary at WILLOW is wonderful

Last night WILLOW (www.willowva.com) Restaurant in Arlington celebrated its first anniversary with a special tasting and wine dinner featuring the wines of Long Vineyards of California. Bob Long was in attendance and graciously visited each table multiple times explaining all the wonderful wines, but it was Chef/Owners Tracy O'Grady (and her husband Brian Wolken) & Kate Jansen who won us all over last night with their magnificent cuisine:

Passed Hor's d'oevres:
Bacon, Goat Cheese & Braised Leek Flatbread
Fried Balls with Fontina & Prosciutto
Tempura Veggies with Spicy Ginger Dipping Sauce
Napa Valley White, Long Vineyards Estate "Patricia" 2004

Seated dinner:
Rhode Island Style Little Neck Clam and Fresh Herb Broth
(same wine)

Butter-Poached Maine Lobster, Fennel Raviolini, Chanterelle Mushrooms & Speck Ham
Chardonnay, Long Estate, Napa 2002

Smoked Duck Breast with barley, Herb Risotto & Oven-dried Tomatoes
Sangiovese, Long Vineyards Sonoma 2004 (Seghesio Vineyard)

Mushroom Crusted Rack of Lamb with Artichoke & Parmesan Cheese
Tart-Foie Gras& Lamb Emulsion
Cabernet Sauvignon, Long Vineyards Estate, Napa 2001
Cabernet Sauvignon, Long Vineyards, Napa 2002

Individual Peach Pie with Macerated Blackberries & Creme Fraiche Ice Cream
(Late Harvest) Riesling, Long Estate, Napa 1997


A trip to WILLOW would not be complete without one of Kate Jansen's flatbreads, so it was fun to start of the evening with this delicious one and the "Patricia" white was a 2/3 Riesling, 1/3 Chardonnay blend that is quite rare in California, but its intense apple flavors and dryness made for a very pleasing match, especially with the excellent broth loaded with little clams and potatoes and a yummy slice of crunchy baked bread to dip in.

As you know I'm not a fennel fan, but the raviolini were mild enough, and the speck ham (if cut up and mixed with them) added a saltiness that made the dish quite tasty. The Long Chardonnay is one of the best around and is really their winning wine aged for 3+ years before release and given new oak which subsides over this long aging (and is so unapparent like many Calif. chards)and makes the wine perfect at release or for years to come. Interestingly, the flavor changes with different foods, as the wine is so smooth and tasty, but with the salty speck, the lobster and each different bite of the raviolini, we could pick out new flavors in the wine as well. That makes this a real star of a course, a wine, a dish and a pairing!

Similarly, the herbiness of the risotto was intense, but when paired with the duck and tomatoes of the next course the mixture was superb and ingenious. The Sangiovese opened up quickly but at 14.5% alcohol still was intense, showing big cherry, strawberry and even rhubarb notes.

The lamb was the star of the meal, simply ONE OF THE BEST EVER. The tart was intense with cheese, truffle and so rich I could only eat one half, but again the two Cabs kept changing as we ate different things. The 2002 was a bit more tannic and perhaps will do better in a year or so, but with the intense tart it really worked well. The older '01 was so smooth and yummy you could drink it all alone and be quite happy, but with the lamb it was a revelation.

The dessert was another Kate Jansen treat, as they so often are that really SHOULD be on the menu. The only problem all night was the sad lilliputian wine glasses used for dessert that did not allow anyone to smell or enjoy the wine, which was served a bit too warm for my tastes. Caramels and Poppyseed Butter cookies were served as we waddled our way home happy to wish a very HAPPY ANNIVERSARY and such a wonderful success to WILLOW.

Smoked Duck Breast with barley, Herb Risotto & Oven-dried Tomatoes
Sangiovese, Long Vineyards Sonoma 2004 (Seghesio Vineyard)

Mushroom Crusted Rack of Lamb with Artichoke & Parmesan Cheese
Tart-Foie Gras& Lamb Emulsion
Cabernet Sauvignon, Long Vineyards Estate, Napa 2001
Cabernet Sauvignon, Long Vineyards, Napa 2002

Individual Peach Pie with Macerated Blackberries & Creme Fraiche Ice Cream
(Late Harvest) Riesling, Long Estate, Napa 1997