Wine Dinner at Niche Bar and Grill

Niche Bar and Grill on Siegen Lane recently hosted an "Around the World" Wine Dinner.  The seating area had been transformed into a white table cloth dining room and I immediately became excited about the efforts of Ause, the owner, and his staff.  I knew this dinner would be an improvement over the previous wine dinner I attended at Niche, but I didn't know how much better.

The wonderful Lauren Michaud joined me for the evening of food and wine.  Appetizer number one featured what Niche called "Tapas de Brie."  Pretty much a version of bruschetta, the slices of toasted bread were topped with tomato slices and melted Brie then drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette and rosemary.  The dish had great flavors that worked very well together.  For a small plate or an hors d'oeuvres it did the trick.  I didn't quite get the pairing with the Argentina Malbec as the Tapas de Brie seemed more Italian than Argentinean or even Spanish, but, what the heck, its all Latin, right?

Tapas de Brie

Graffingna Malbec

Appetizer two included Oysters Portofino paired with a glass of Bottega Vanaia Pinot Grigio.  The oysters were breaded and covered with a spicy basil red sauce and melted mozzarella cheese.  The wine pairing on this course was right on target.  The oysters themselves were decent, but the sweetness and acidity of the wine that matched the tomato sauce is what really made the dish work.

Oysters Portofino

Bottega Vanaia Pinot Grigio

The first entree course emerged as by far my favorite dish of the day.  A blackened redfish filet sat on top of a deliciously fried eggplant slice.  Both the redfish and eggplant were smothered in Niche's signature spicy crawfish cream sauce.  The Hess Chardonnay matched extremely well with the trio of fish, eggplant and cream sauce.  The textures and flavors of every aspect of this plate struck my taste buds in a harmonious symphony.  This is the best dish that I've had at Niche, which made me really happy!

Redfish Feliciana

Hess Chardonnay

The lamb dish, our fourth course, is the one that I most eagerly anticipated.  The frenched lamb chops were covered in a mustard-mint demi-glace and served with rosemary red potatoes.  In another very appropriate wine pairing, the lamb came served with a glass of French Pinot Noir.  While I really liked the lamb, it didn't quite match the previous redfish plate.  The mustard-mint demi-glace fell short of being a stunning sauce with the lamb.  I enjoyed it, but it didn't quite work perfectly for me.

Lamb Chops

Louis Jadot Pinot Noir

The meal wrapped up with tiramisu and a glass of Port.  I again found it odd to pair an Italian dessert with a Portuguese wine, though they did work fairly well together.  I think a glass of Prosecco or another Italian dessert wine may have been more appropriate.  Still, the dessert tasted pretty good and the I'm a big fan of Port, so I left the dinner very happy!

Tiramisu

Fonseca Porto

Thanks to Niche for continuing to put on these dinners of assorted beverages.  I very much applaud the efforts to bring a dinner like this to a more casual dining atmosphere.  This wine dinner proved to be worth every penny.  I found some of the international pairings a little odd, but in the end they worked well enough to ensure that everyone had good food, good wine, and a great time!  And I think that Redfish Feliciana might be on the menu now or at least run fairly often as a special.  Do yourself a favor and go try that!

Eusebio's House for Barbeque Goodness and Another Saints Victory

I love some good old barbeque, and Eusebio sure knows how to do it right.  Since he is a chef for a living, he doesn't cook at home all that often, but when he does it is certainly worth accepting his invitation!  The other night he grilled some chicken thighs, pork chops, and some good Cajun sausage along with eggplant and squash.  He also whipped up some fresh mashed potatoes and a batch of smoked gouda mac 'n cheese.

Barbeque and Sides from Eusebio's House

Eusebio and I share a passion for chicken thighs.  I feel that they are by far the best part of a chicken.  I'm a fan of all dark meat, but the thigh is usually the most special.  Whether fried, baked, cooked drunk-chicken style, roasted, smoked, grilled, blackened, or other, the thigh meat always stays more tender and far juicier than the rest of the bird.  These thighs were no exception as they came out moist and marvelous.  The pork chop was tender to the bone and coated in a tangy barbeque sauce.

Eggplant and squash are two of my favorite vegetables to flame broil and serve piping hot with some grilled meats.  They were fantastic again on this night, which I never doubted.  Eusebio's mashed potatoes were loaded with sour cream, chives, and garlic.  The fluffy texture perfectly complimented the seasoned chicken and pork.  Finally, the smoked gouda macaroni and cheese rounded out my double-plated feast.  They were a creamy mixture of elbow noodles and delicious cheese.  Pretty hard to go wrong with that!

Banana Pudding from Matherne's Supermarket

Like any good meal, this one ended with something sweet.  Matherne's banana pudding hit the spot, satisfying our sweet teeth with creamy, smooth, rich deliciousness.  I could eat that stuff every day!

Wine and Appetizers at Enoteca Marcello

The Baton Rouge restaurant scene has come alive in recent years with an influx of original Louisiana establishments including some places that are unique to the Red Stick alone.  One such restaurant that got its start in Lafayette and has recently moved into the Baton Rouge market is Enoteca Marcello Wine Bar and Cafe in the Southdowns shopping center.  I recently visited Marcello's with my friend Stephanie to check out the bar and order a couple of appetizers.

One of My Several Glasses of Sangiovese

The wine list is not excessively extensive but it certainly seems to be good.  They had a mix of California wines to go with quite a few European varietals.  Stephanie found a Barbera from Italy that she absolutely loved.  I drank both glasses of Sangiovese that they had on their list and each one was sensational.  Ever since we sang "Sangiovese" as a song in Napa I've had a thirst for the black Italian grape which I try to quench every chance I get. 

Wild Mushrooms and Cheese on Focaccia at Enoteca Marcello

We were able to call Mike out of the kitchen and talk to him about some of the delectable food options at Marcello's.  He sent a couple appetizers our way that were absolutely sensational.  First we enjoyed an off menu wild mushroom and cheese mixture on roasted focaccia bread.  The bread itself was fresh and toasted to a nice crispy outside while retaining its soft and moist nature on the inside.  Multiple wild mushrooms and fine cheese with a rich mushroom sauce were generously spread over the focaccia.  This dish was incredibly flavorful and wonderful on the palate.  The many different tastes and textures combined to make a tremendous appetizer that Stephanie and I scarfed down with great glee.

Melanzane Fritti: Fried Eggplant Medallions with Marinara Sauce

The second appetizer that Mike sent out to our table was one from the menu.  It contained very thinly sliced eggplant that was lightly battered and fried then topped with marinara sauce.  The Melanzane Fritti was a delicious rendition of an eggplant dish that was fried just long enough to give it a crispy exterior while leaving the inner part of the wheel with a soft and delicate texture.  Marinara sauce was a perfect compliment, and the dish was certainly worth a try, especially for eggplant lovers!

Chef's Special Wild Mushroom Risotto

Finally, amongst more glasses of vino, we ordered a side of the chef's daily risotto.  Wild mushrooms seemed to the be the theme of the night as the risotto special also featured the feasting fungi.  While I imagine risotto is not very popular in south Louisiana because of all the other rice dishes that we create such as jambalaya, rice and gravy, red beans and rice, gumbo with rice, crawfish etoufee over rice, etc., it was really good to sample a dish that I had heard so much about and seen so often on all the nationally televised cooking shows.  The short grained rice was well seasoned and nearly creamy in texture while still retaining the properties of each individual grain.  Risotto is an interesting dish that can be cooked with limitless flavors so I'll be looking forward to trying more in the future.

I left Enoteca Marcello feeling very satisfied with the wine, the food, and the company.  I want to thank Mike for bringing out a couple of fantastic appetizers for Stephanie and I to dine on.  I'll definitely be back again to try some more cuisine and consume more fantastic wines.  I highly recommend a visit to Marcello's to anybody.  Take a seat in the bar area and enjoy the atmosphere, some great food, and few glasses of wine.  You can thank me later.