Chinese Wine Dinner = a whole lotta fun!

If you caught my Monday post, you know that I spent the evening with a friend at a Chinese wine dinner at Su Chang’s in Peabody, MA. Pretty much everyone I told about the dinner was curious, and I have to admit I was too! My friend’s friend booked the tickets, and she has been to the wine dinners here before and couldn’t say enough great things. She was right!

Unfortunately I didn’t know what to expect, so I left my camera at home. I really wish I brought it! Su Chang’s is decorated with lots of white, creating a beautiful, open and clean looking space. The wine dinner was held upstairs, and it was full! We were definitely the youngest people there by about 30 years, but we had so much fun with our tablemates! Below I have included my recap of the event with each course.

Reception

Murphy-Goode Fume Blanc
Chinese Hors d’oeuvres

We arrived and were immediately handed glasses of Murphy-Good Fume Blanc which I found out was made with a Sauv Blanc grape. It was the perfect way to start the evening, crisp, cool, and paired well with the marinated shrimp and scallion pancakes served. Bowls of sweet and spicy nuts were also on each table, which we nibbled on while catching up and making new friends.

First Course
Catena Chardonnay
BBQ Ribs with black bean sauce
Chicken with Pine Nuts
Mango Won Ton
Chef’s special Wings

This was a night for no holds barred eating, so I tried just about everything. Chicken with pine nuts was presented to us beautifully in crisp lettuce cups. I love eating these things! The mango won ton were won tons filled with meat (pork I think?) and smothered in a fresh mango sauce. While I normally do not eat pork, I had one of the won tons with a heaping spoonful of mango. Salty + sweet = yum! I also had a couple of the chef’s wings which were excellent, especially dipped in spicy Chinese mustard. I love that stuff!

Second Course
Kendall-Jackson Grand Reserve Chardonnay
Lobster “Lo Mein”
Clams with Yellow Bean Sauce
Summer Flavor Chicken
Whole Fish “Chef’s Choice”
White Rice

Normally I am not a chardonnay fan, but this Kendall-Jackson Grand Reserve was impressive. It had a slight oaky flavor, but the crisp and fruity finish more than made up for that. This course would have been fun to photograph, with its heaping plate of lobster in the shell on top of noodles and a crispy whole fish. Not healthy, but oh so good! The older gentlemen at the table enjoyed making the fish head talk 🙂 The lobster lo mein was by far my favorite of the evening. The lobster was cooked perfectly and paired well with noodles; I have never had that combo before!The fish was fried whole and topped with a sweet and sour type sauce. It was so good!

Third Course
The Crusher Petite Syrah
Peking Duck
Presentation Rack of Lamb
Baby Bok Choy
Lotus Leaf Wrapped Rice

My friend Jill, who invited me to the event, said that it was not for picky eaters, and to prove that I am not picky, I had my first duck ever. It was served in a martini glass in a tortilla type shell, so I wrapped it up like everyone else did and took a few bites. The flavor was really strong and was accented with a cinnamon-y sauce. I was not a fan, especially when the server talked about where the duck came from the day before. I like ducks. I also like and have never eaten lambs which is why I definitely skipped that dish. Everyone who tried it loved it though. This course was dominated by the bok choy and rice for me. The bok choy was cooked perfectly in ginger and garlic, and the rice wrapped in a a lotus leaf had an earthy flavor to it, like nothing I have tried before.

Dessert
Hook and Latter Gewurztraminer
Fresh Seasonal Fruit
Chinese cookies

The Hook and Ladder Gewurztraminer was definitely my favorite wine of the evening. As my palate grows up, super sweet wines don’t appeal to me as much anymore, and this was a nice crisp wine that was actually more perfect for dessert than most traditional dessert wines. Along with the wine I had a couple of small almond cookies and super fresh, ripe watermelon, pineapple, and melon.

Su Chang’s hosts two wine dinners a year, always with a different theme. We talked to Su herself, and she told us about their Greek nights, their Marco Polo night, Italian night, and Scottish night, which was a Scotch dinner. We already told our tablemates that we would be back to sit with them again. . . and while some of the regular guests are snowbirds who will be in Ft. Lauderdale the next time we attend, I can guarantee that the entertainment will be just as good as the food 😉

P.S. The Food Buzz blogger award nominations are open. Don’t forget to visit their site to nominate your favorites!

http://www.foodbuzz.com/blogs/1408216-nominations-for-the-2009-food-blog-awards-are-open–