There is something especially satisfying about enjoying a meal with a complete wine-paired menu, one that is carefully selected to complement the textures and flavors of the food.
The chef or sommelier has a specific feeling or experience which they hope to evoke as you take each bite and savor each sip.
Spuntino Wine Bar & Italian Tapas in Garden City recently hosted a Daou Wine Dinner with a five-course menu, completely curated by Paul Leader, sous chef at Spuntino, along with the sommelier at Daou Vineyards atop Daou Mountain in Paso Robles, CA.
The deliberately curated menu featured foie gras (duck liver) along with grilled peaches and crostini paired with Daou Rosé 2021 with aromas of peach, hibiscus, hyacinth, and hints of honeysuckle, orange blossom, crushed rose petals and pineapple.
For the second course, Leader offered seafood ragout served over squid ink campanelle pasta and a tasting of Daou’s 2020 Chardonnay, a white wine with notes of white blossom, yellow apple, lemon peel and stone fruit.
Seared monkfish with white bean ragout was served next along with Daou’s Sauvignon Blanc 2020. This wine was a fruity blend with notes of gooseberry, lemongrass, pineapple, kiwi, grapefruit and hints of lime zest, quince and acacia flower.
Next up, braised veal cheek with gorgonzola polenta alongside a glass of Daou’s 2020 Red Blend which captured the aromas of blueberries, cherries, plums and strawberries while offering undercurrents of lavender.
For the finalé, the chef presented a perfectly crafted specialty cheese plate with orange compote. He selected Daou’s Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 to bring out the flavors of ripe cherries, black plums and currants with undertones of blackberry jam and crushed wet gravel.
Service options include dine-in, curbside pickup and delivery in addition to its party room for group dining and events. Brunch specials are available on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. And don’t forget to check out Happy Hour specials on weeknights from 3 to 6 p.m. and again from 10 p.m. to close.
Spuntino Wine Bar & Italian Tapas is located in The Gallery at Westbury Plaza (1002 Old Country Rd. in Garden City. Hours of operation are Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., on Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to midnight and on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. There is ample shopping plaza parking, both on street level and in the sublevel parking garage.
Visit www.spuntinowinebar.com or call 516-228-5400. Reservations are highly recommended, especially during peak dining hours on Fridays and Saturdays. To learn more about Spuntino’s upcoming wine dinners, sign up for the Grapevine newsletter on the restaurant’s website.
