Behind the Bar at Sullivan's Steakhouse

Sullivan's Steakhouse hosted their "Behind the Bar" event for some of Houston's wine and food media last Thursday evening. The new Lucky $7 Happy Hour Drink and Food menus were featured. Even though I am primarily a wine drinker, I tasted two of the featured martinis: The Knockout and the Cosmopolitan. I did this with some trepidation because I really do not enjoy sweet, fruity drinks (unless I am on a beach) but I knew some of my readers would be interested in the quality of the Happy Hour Martini selections.

The Knockout Martini is Sullivan's new signature martini made with Svedka Clementine Vodka that has been infused with fresh Hawaiian pineapple with an orange twist. I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected I would as the pineapple was not the overpowering sweet flavor that I had anticipated, instead the aroma and flavor of fresh clementines prevailed. Next, I tasted the Cosmopolitan. I was pleased to see that it was a pale pink blush color rather than fruit punch red which is always a bad sign. Again, it did not disappoint, no odd candied character, just light citrus flavors with Smirnoff Vodka. The other happy hour martini was the CEO which is Finlandia Vodka with blue cheese stuffed olives, I did not try that one as I assumed it was pretty self explanatory. I thought the new Happy Hour Martini Menu was what it should be in that restaurant. There is also a longer Martini menu that is available at their regular prices.

The main thing that I was there to taste was the new private label 2008 Sullivan's Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon which is actually a blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. This wine was created as a collaboration between vintners Robert Foley and Steve Mathiason to pair with the steakhouse's menu. It has a classic Napa Valley character with its pronounced aromas of ripe black fruit with some pencil box and vanilla notes; a nice fruit forward young Cabernet priced at $13 a glass or $55 a bottle.

I also tasted most of the Lucky $7 Happy Hour food menu as well as a few of the other bar menu selections. I really enjoyed the new private label wine with the Blue Cheese Chips, Wild Mushroom Arugula Flatbread, Sliced Strip Steak with fries and the Filet Mignon Tips which were served over horseradish mashed potatoes inside of a jumbo tempura battered onion ring with peppercorn sauce. I am sure it would also pair well with the beef sliders which I did not taste.

Other menu items that I tasted and would recommend were the Black-eyed Pea Hummus, the Smoked Salmon, the Tuna Tacos and the Lamb Sliders. I enjoyed the first three items more with my martinis than with the wine. I thought that, while the lamb sliders were fantastic, they would be better paired with a glass of something a bit earthier rather than the new Cabernet. I finished up my tasting with the chocolate mousse which was worth every calorie.

Overall, I think Sullivan's new Happy Hour offerings are a great deal. Whether mixing some of the food specials with a bottle of wine of your choice or staying completely on the menus with the featured drink specials, you won't go wrong and you will definitely leave feeling happy.

Lust Zinfandel 2007

My husband loves this wine so he purchased quite a few bottles at a recent Michael~David dinner that we had attended. Last night, I decided to open a bottle to serve with dinner. I was making a roasted southwestern pork tenderloin, sweet potato fries (w/ chipolte ketchup) and a salad consisting of baby lettuce (fresh from my garden) with strawberries, red bell peppers, red onions and walnuts tossed with a white balsamic-raspberry vinaigrette. This turned out to be a great pairing. It is a bold wine that really stood up to the strong chipolte seasoning while complementing the fruit flavors. I opened the bottle a 1/2 hour before I served it as I have found this wine to be more enjoyable when I do so. The Lust Zinfandel by Michael~David 2007 was a dark purple color with a ruby rim. It has intense aromas of very ripe mixed berries and baking spices-both allspice and ginger with hints of cedar. It has flavors of creme de cassis, milk chocolate and also more of the baking

Nocera - A Native Grape from Sicily

Nocera is a native grape from Sicily. It comes from the Messina province which is located in the northeast. Nocera is a quality red wine grape that is most known as a blender in the red wines of the Faro DOC. I had the opportunity to taste some pure versions (which according to Wine Searcher are rare) this week at a trade tasting held at Roma Restaurant in Houston. Wine production in the region dates back to the 14th Century BC, however, phylloxera decimated the vineyard area in 1881 leaving it at a fraction of its original size. The area boasts a Mediterranean climate with sunny days and coastal breezes, moderate rainfall, and mild winters, all ideal for grape growing. The Nocera grape is a bluish/black color and has a thick skin which allows for the production of structured wines with prominent tannins which are balanced by good acidity. High alcohol is common. Red wines produced from the grapes are an intense ruby color with purple highlights and aromas and flavors of dark fruits a

The Salta Tour 2012

Vine Connections and Pioneer Wine Company hosted a seminar and tasting event for Houston's wine trade and media at Backstreet Cafe yesterday. All but two of the wines were from the Salta Province of Argentina. Salta is the most northern wine region in Argentina lying close to the Bolivian border. The climate is very extreme due to the high altitude. Plantings start at 5,000 feet above sea level and climb to 9,000 feet, making these vineyards the highest in the world. The intense sunlight the area receives helps to create grapes with more anthocyanins, these are the color pigments which result in softer tannins, lower astringency and more intense flavor. The wines produced are extremely pure, concentrated and terroir specific. Torrontes Riojano which is considered the best of the three Torrontes clones is the most widely planted grape with plantings of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Tannat increasing. The seminar started with a tasting of four Torrontes wines, three from diff

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