The meal so nice, they served it twice! What was supposed to be a one-time specialty dinner during NOWFE at The Vintage was revived for an encore at Legacy Kitchen's Craft Tavern two months later.
Murphy Goode Winery provided a rockin' lineup of their best wines that sang so beautifully with the expertly-crafted multi-course meal. Though David Ready Jr., winemaker and Grateful Dead superfan, was not in attendance this time to explain the numerous rock 'n' roll references in the menu, I knew the story from the June edition. What I didn't catch the first time around is that the Murphy Goode Winery was started over a game of Liar's Dice, and that is the namesake of the Zinfandel that was to be paired with my favorite dish on this menu and possibly this year.
The meal started with Jerry's Acid and Rockin' Burrata. The former dish was an interesting bite of scallop kinilaw and Siberian caviar in a coconut milk and Thai chili sauce atop a taro chip paired with Murphy Goode's Sauvignon Blanc (recently highly rated by Wine Spectator). I can't resist a good burrata, and this rockin' one was a more Arabic take on a typical Italian dish, with pomegranate seeds and mint instead of basil. This was paired with the jammy, fruity Pinot Noir that complemented the heirloom tomato bits that added acidity.
The twin entrees held so much flavor that I took some home for the second time just to be able to experience it again (and again). The Truckin' Dan Dan Noodles are named for the time when the Grateful Dead were arrested at their hotel on Bourbon Street after opening The Warehouse, and it should absolutely be a regular menu item here. It's simply incredible. Spicy Szechuan ground pork in a rich peanut sauce upon a big helping of noodles were paired with The Liars Dice Zinfandel, a varietal that could hold its own against the aggressive heat of the noodles without countering the flavor. The Maple Bourbon Pork Belly was a milder, yet highly flavorful dish that was more like breakfast with sweet, tender pork belly and a little quail egg on top. The pork is prepared over three days and smoked in-house to achieve a perfect melty tenderness. Previously, the pork belly was paired with the Red Blend. This time, the Merlot stepped in for moment in the spotlight, and the richness of the wine deepened the flavor of the quite sticky sweet dish.
Two Whipping Post Sweet Beignets sat side-by-side, beckoning us to choose between the beignet topped with apple quince or the one topped with salted creme brulee. There was no winner as both were equally lovely paired with the Rosé that had sweet, fruity notes and left us with a beautiful lingering palate. The creme brulee did have a surprising hard crunch that the chef was hoping for. He even commented that he could hear the loud crunching as people bit into it, and the hard sugar splintered into a gold crack.
If this Murphy Goode Winery meal makes a third appearance at any OnePack Hospitality Group brands, I will be there. I will go for the excellent wine, the musical stories, and those Truckin' Dan Dan Noodles that no one else can make. While this meal has left the building, Legacy Kitchen is proud to offer great deals on a two-course lunch and three-course dinner for COOLinary.
