February 8, 2013 Dinner – Greek Roasted Chicken and Champagne Tasting at Greenhouse Bistro and Bakery

February 8, 2013 Dinner – Greek Roasted Chicken and Champagne Tasting at Greenhouse Bistro and Bakery

The Bistro at Suzette’s Center for Ageless Living is now offering wine and beer tastings every other Friday evening and this evening’s tasting was champagne, so when Suzette invited me to the tasting I readily agreed, especially since I was able to go a little early for a facial treatment at the Garden Gate Day Spa at 4:00 p.m. and because I had not yet tried the Bistro’s new quarterly special menu of Greek dishes

At 5:15 p.m. after my treatment, I walked over to the Bistro with Suzette and was greeted by the staff and an open bucket draped with napkins and filled with ice and four bottles of champagne, a French Champagne Henriot Souverain Brut from Reims, France, a New Mexico Gruet Brut and  a Gruet Rosé, and an Oregon Argyle Brut.

Here are some tasting notes from the makers:

Founded in Reims in 1808, Champagne Henriot has remained a family-owned Champagne house for over 200 years. The grapes contained in the Brut Souverain come from some of the very best areas in Champagne, a selection of Premiers Crus and Grands Crus vineyards.

This blend of 50% Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs and 50% Pinot Noir from Montagne de Reims is aged in the quiet darkness of Champagne Henriot's Gallo-Roman crayeres. These dramatic cellars, unique to the Champagne region, are carved out of chalk 60 feet underground and provide optimal aging conditions. Upon release, the Brut Souverain has been aged to perfection. Its rich, elegant style is lovely as an aperitif or as an accompaniment to variety of dishes from hors d’oeuvres straight through to a fruit-based dessert.

2009 Argyle Brut

59% Oregon Pinot Noir, 41% Oregon Chardonnay, Sparkling Wine

Knudsen Vineyards, Lone Star Vineyard

Willamette Valley AVA, Willamette Valley, Oregon

2009 Argyle Brut Tasting Notes

This Oregon sparkling wine truly brings zest to life! The nose of lemon curd, raw honey, and almond biscotti harkens to the uplifting and refreshing palate to follow. With a fine mousse that buoys one up and flavors of Comice pear, custard, and marzipan that dance across your tongue, one cannot resist a grin as the effervescence slowly fades to a clean, minerally, citrus-toned finish. With the second sip, you’re guaranteed to be in an elevated state. Brut makes you better!

Gruet Brut

The Brut offers a crisp, and full-bodied sparkling wine, which has developed rich complexity and fine mousse. The allure of toasty finish from twenty-four months on tirage, is a complement to the sophisticated apple and citrus flavor. Winemaker's Note: Brilliant with ultra fine bubbles. A wonderful fine bouquet dominated by green apple and grapefruit flavors. A truly classic house style!

Gruet Brut $14.99

Gruet Rose

This nearly garnet Rose, like all our non-vintage sparkling wines, is aged 24 months en tirage. It has a lovely, bright floral bouquet with hints of strawberry, raspberry, and cherry. On the palate, it is rich and fruity in a dry, Brut style. The flavor of berries continues on the palate, revealing more strawberry, raspberry, cherry. This sparkler is lots of fun and very festive, but production is limited to 5000 cases per year, so don’t miss out!

Gruet Rose $16.99

Suzette and I sat down and started tasting wine.  Soon Kat brought out a small plate filled with homemade pita bread wedges and a small cup of tzatziki (a Greek yogurt and olive oil and garlic sauce).

All the champagnes were delicious in slightly different ways; from the slightly buttery malalactic chardonnay tasting Gruet Brut to the fruity pink pinot noir cast of the Gruet Rosé to the light zippy Argyle to the elegantly refined Henriot Souverain with its intense plumes of tiny bubbles and absence of taste.

While we were sipping the champagnes, Ann Sesler, the Executive Chef came by the table to say hello.  Ann told me how much she liked the preparation of the Greek Chicken, marinating it in olive oil, garlic and oregano, which tempted me.  Soon the waitress, Kat, came by and asked us if we wanted to order and we said, “Yes.”  Suzette ordered the a Greek special menu dish, “Pastitsio” (Pastitsio (Greek: παστίτσιο, pastítsio; [paˈstitsio]), sometimes spelled pastichio, is a Greek and Mediterranean baked pasta dish including ground beef and béchamel sauce in its best-known form. Pastitsio is a version of the Italian dish pasticcio di pasta. Wikipedia) and I ordered the Greek roasted Chicken. Suzette’s plate contained a bowl with a square of baked pasta filled with ground lamb and beef and that had been smothered with Béchamel sauce and a small Greek salad and a dolma.  I received the prix fixe dinner with a quarter of roasted chicken served on a plate with a small Greek salad including slices of red onion, kalamata live cucumbers and feta cheese and a pile of home cut fried potatoes and a small cup of aioli (garlic flavored mayonnaise) and a dolma.  I guess everyone loves dipping hot fried potatoes into aioli with its creamy garlicy flavor as much as I do.

After dinner Kat asked if we wanted dessert and I said I wanted to try the special dessert made for the Greek menu, Galatacourikio , which is a Greek dessert made by alternating layers of custard between layers of phyllo dough and a drizzle of  a syrup. The Bistro’s prep of the dish included candied orange slices in the syrup, which added a candied and orange flavor to the syrup and dish. I loved it.

Then I looked at the menu and saw one other item on the Greek menu I had failed to try, Avgolemono Soup, so I ordered a small bowl of it.  It was creamy and lemony with lots of rice and chunks of chicken.  One of the best I have ever tasted because the lemon flavor was fully integrated into the creamy texture of the soup.  I was amazed and pleased with how well the Bistro did Greek Cuisine.  It is further proof that good chefs, such as those at the Bistro, can cook anything well.

Bon Appétit