Dinner Party

Mike, Nicole, Sarah and I have been to a restaurant in Williamsburg called Chef's Kitchen a couple of times and had a great time. Each time you go it is an interactive live cooking show and dinner where you walk away with a recipe booklet of what you had that night. I have learned some interesting techniques, from chopping, to not stirring as much as I would like, but what has been really nice is the extension of our recipe book. After being there for dinner, the wives decided to go to a cooking class and guys went to a wine paring class. So with some new recipes and a little wine paring knowledge we decided to put our talents to work with a dinner party.

We invited a number of our classmates out to Mike and Nicole's house for a dinner party (menu below). It was the first time I had tried to pair wine with an entire meal...this was actually harder than I expected...I think we were pretty successful and when in doubt everyone just found a wine that they liked, which is important.

MENU
Appetizers on the Patio: Sparkling White Wine/Champagne or Muscadet
Oysters on the Half Shell
Grilled Vegetables

Starter: Chardonnay
Asparagus and Artichoke Salad

Main Course: Pinot Noir, Bardolino, or Brunello
Pork Loin with Risotto and Green Beans

Desert: Black Muscat or a Zin
Apple Pie & Ice Cream