Sunday Nights at Silver Lake Wine

Apparently, someone did not explain to this "gentleman" that the grapes had already been crushed.

Last night I attended a tasting at Silver Lake Wine. Every Sunday they offer a tasting of four wines (plus a welcome aperitif of sparkling wine to stir up the appetite while waiting for the tasting to commence) skillfully paired with complementing hors d'oeuvres for a mere $20. Here is the format: they pass out glasses (half full) of the first wine, then shop owner and wine expert George Cossette gives a brief description and tutorial, then you rush the table for the accompanying hors d' oeuvres, sip and chit chat for several minutes, then repeat 3 more times. It is the perfect combination of education and socializing. We tasted 2 whites and 2 reds from the Loire Valley, including one bio-dynamic wine. My good friend and chef DJ Olsen of Lou prepared the food out of the store's "kitchen." Certainly the best food ever to come out of toaster ovens and hot plates. Here are some highlights: smoked trout salad, duck ham crostini, and polenta cakes topped with braised beef shortribs, gremolata and creme fraiche.






I would have taken seconds of everything, but we had a Sunday night supper waiting for us at Lucques.