Pillsbury Wine Dinner at Cheuvront

Ken Cheuvront has a wonderful wine bar and bistro in downtown Phoenix and he's on the "local" bandwagon, hosting a winemaker dinner featuring a local wine paired with local food! I love that this concept is spreading like wildfire. It feels wonderful to support our neighbors and treat ourselves to a great meal!

Josh was unable to attend due to a previous engagement, however, I invited our good friend Christina to join me and we had so much fun!

As always, Sam is such an entertaining person. We were lucky enough to be seated with him and enjoyed the conversation that covered Arizona wines and film making (and the surprising similarities that they share!).

The restaurant features a beautiful bar, a wine wall and a lovely cheese display with some tasty artisanal cheeses (which we enjoyed after the dinner). Ken started the evening by explaining that he has these wine dinners monthly and was excited to feature local items at this event . . . especially because he is one of the few natives of the area! I have to tell you that the chef did a spectacular job pairing the food with the wines.

We started with a "Lamb Lettuce Wrap". The lamb was cooked perfectly - a very tender medium rare - and served on some beautiful fresh butter leaf lettuce and topped with a cucumber mint lettuce creme fraiche. This was paired with the Pillsbury Rose. In all honesty, when I saw the dish I was a little concerned about the pairing, not thinking it would be light enough for the wine BUT it pleasantly surprised all of us at the table. It was a perfect match . . . the freshness of the lettuce and the cucumber in the sauce played a perfect duet with the wine. I have to tell you that I am disappointed that once the Rose is gone - we won't be seeing it again. It was from a batch of grapes that no longer exist! It will be sorely missed. This truly was my intro into Rose wine and I compare all others to this. I better hit Sam up for some more to save before it's gone!

We were then able to enjoy a glass of the Pillsbury Roan Red, which I'm finding to be a favorite everywhere it's poured. It has a touch of spice that really is accentuated when served with the appropriate food. Once again the chef had a hit! She served a "Spanish Pizza" that was topped with chorizo and a chiptle tomato coulis and finished with smoked Gouda. Sam was apprehensive about the spicy chorizo overtaking the wine but it truly was a great match. The chorizo brought out the flavors of the wine and showcased the depth of the flavor! It seemed to be a hit at every table!

Our third course consisted of a "Southwestern Pork Roast" served with a sweet hominy polenta cake, roasted vegetables and a light cream and green chile sauce. Although we felt the pairing was not as on as the other courses, the food and the wine were great in their own right. The Diva is a bold wine that overtook the milder flavors of the pork. However, the freshness of the pork and the richness of the polenta cake made for a wonderful plate! The quality of the food throughout the entire meal never wavered. This is obviously a chef that cares about the food she serves and knows about quality and freshness.

For dessert we were served a "Caramel Peach Cobbler" paired with Page Springs Cellars "Short and Sweet". This is a "top secret" recipe but in trying to crack the code - we came up with a Malvasia. A very nice light and fruity wine that paired nicely with the fresh peaches and the nice light crust on top! I'm personally not a fruit fan and ate the top of the cobbler, but my friend who loves food (all food!) really enjoyed this dessert. Her favorite part was that the fruit was not TOO sweet - just a nice, light dessert - not heavy and syrupy!

Well, we really hope to enjoy another dinner or event at Cheuvront's! If this is any indication of the quality of food that is served on a regular basis - this really is a DON'T MISS in Phoenix!

(Because I'm not a dessert fan, we decided to wrap things up with a cheese plate and a bottle of Incognito after everyone left. Our server was fabulous and very informed about the cheese. Something we all noted was not common enough in our experiences at other restaurants! All in all - a great experience that I hope you will take the time to enjoy someday for yourself!)

PS - Sam will be hosting another winemaker dinner at Quiessence (at the Farm at South Mountain) on October 8th. Another great restaurant with another great wine!