Chef’s Table at Tripoli Country Club
February 24th, 2010Recently I was treated to a fabulous Che’fs Table Dinner at Tripoli Country Club. Chef David Magnasco prepared an elevan course dinner that was layered with amazing flavors and paired with delicious wines and champagne. Chef holds a Masters Degree in Northern Italian Cuisine & Culture. Before accepting the coveted position as Executive Chef at Tripoli Country Club, he opened both The Abbey Resort’s restaurant Porto and the Twisted Fork. He furthered his culinary expertise in the kitchen of Sanford D’Amato’s Coquette Café.
At Tripoli Country Club, every meal is masterfully prepared using organic and regional ingredients hand-selected (or grown) by Executive Chef David Magnasco and his talented culinary brigade. The Chef maintains a vegetable and herb garden on the Club grounds during the summer months and preserves the harvest for use throughout the year.
Although you won’t enjoy looking and reading about the menu nearly as much as I enjoyed tasting it, below is a list of the courses along with photographs that I look at the Chef’s Table.
Course One
Golden Egg of truffle custard, crème fraîche, lavender & gold leaf - Schramsberg Champagne
Course Two
Smoked Salmon Calla lily with chives, rye toast, horseradish cream, fennel pollen & wild dill – Cartlidge & Brown Sauvion Blanc
Course 3
Miso Glazed Black Cod with Daikon slaw, wasabi peanuts & sole hallo – Gekkeikan Sake
Course Four
Smoked Pork Shoulder in root vegetable consommé & brunoise mirepoix – Luis Chardonnay
Course Five (Half way there!)
Pumpkin Ravioli in browned sage butter with pine nuts, pumpkin seeds & amoretti crunch – Bonterra Viognier
Course Six
Cardoons topped with cotechino, fonduta & sun choke chips – Giacosa Arneis
Course Seven
Gewurztraminer sorbet
Course Eight
Duck Salad with Arugula, blue cheese, spiced hazelnuts, dried blueberries, freeze dried corn, chard & pomegranate-champagne vinaigrette – Belle Glos Clark & Telephone Pinot Noir
Course Nine
Fire Roasted N.Y Strip with roasted fingerling potatoes, heirloom squash, Flemish cabbage and veal demi glace – Ledge wood Cabernet Sauvignon
Course Ten
Apple & Cranberry Crisp with mint foam, cinnamon gelato, zabaione & candied ginger – Robert Hall Orange Muscat
Course Eleven (Just in case we weren’t full already!)
Piccola Pasticceria – Assorted mini Italian cookies
Bel lavoro, Chef David!
In 2005, I had the honor of working with the Berg family planning their daughter’s wedding. Jennifer and Dusty Henningfeld were married on August 5, 2005. Greg Berg is a Managing Director at Wachovia Securities Financial Network and the President of Tripoli Country Club. Louise Berg is an owner of Life Productions, Inc., a video production firm that specializes in professionally produced videos for businesses, individuals and organizations. I’m blessed to have such a wonderful family first as clients and now as friends!
Let Them Drink Wine!
February 3rd, 2010
Wine Tasting Celebration - Overall Tent View
Hosting a wine tasting for friends is a great way to learn about wine and to experiment with new or unusual varietals. For this significant birthday celebration, I transformed the backyard into a romantic setting that resembled the countryside of Napa Valley.
We used custom printed place mats that included designated spots for the stemware – listing each variety of wine that was included in the flight. Clusters of pillar candles covered the tops of vintage wine barrels and guests were given delicious favors of gourmet chocolate that was selected to pair nicely with wine. These favors, Cocoa Vinoso, are new from the San Fransisco Chocolate Company and are designed to pair with full bodied red wines.
Custom Wine Flight Place Mat
Wine Barrel
Cocoa Vinoso Guest Favors
As a surprise for guests during dinner, we hired a professional opera singer from the Florentine Opera Company to perform. Everyone knows that I love to incorporate surprise entertainment into my parties!
Basic Wine Tasting Supplies
- Plain bread or crackers: Something light that will help “cleanse the palate”
- Wine glasses: At least one per guest
- Pitcher of water: For cleaning out the glasses between each tasting
- Dump bucket: For discarding wine before next pouring or spitting out
- Tasting cards and pencils: For describing and recording each wine tasted
- Paper bags: To cover the labels for blind tastings
Event Partners: Florist: Belle Fiori; Stationery: Paper Envy; Equipment Rentals: Canopies; Linen Rental: BBJ Linen; Props: Props Unlimited; Lighting: Majic Enterprises
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