We all know wines are better when paired with the right dish. The blends of sweet, salty, spicy, or sour flavors can play in your mouth in combination with the tart sweet or luscious body of the wine. But few demonstrate this as deliciously convincingly as Partake by K-J. They have so many interesting dishes on the menu that you must go back and try the ones you were too stuffed to attempt on your first visit. Each one had an amazing combination of flavors just right for each wine paired with it. Also, each one was uniquely different yet uniquely delicious. Finally, the whole filling meal cost me 38 bucks, including wine…lots of wine.
An initial beat in this rhythm of treats started with a blind tasting, which was a really fun way to begin a meal. The amuse bouche had the most succulent and tangy, salty, and rich blend of flavors in a single bite. Then, their slightly sweet Riesling was a crisp refreshing blend with the slightly spicy caramelized carrots, Guajillo Chile, Coconut and Pepita Brittle dish that came next. The sweetness of the carrots enhanced the slight curry and pepper flavors, which brought you back to the delicious body of the stone fruit in the Riesling. Pairings like this not only tantalize fascinated foodies, they surprise and amaze wine geeks. Somehow this chef got me more excited to eat my vegetables than my mother ever did. Sorry, mom but carrots are just cooler with curry!
Next, the wine braised turnips dates, Parmesan with hazelnuts packed the smoky earthy crunch that the delicious Pinot Noir enhanced. It’s great blend of cherry, minerality, and a bit of earth made this Pinot fun to drink on its own as well.
The fave finale was a pork bun made out of Syrah grape skins (yes, gluten free) with rich salty hoisin sauce and pickled cucumber to make your mouth water and clear your palate. Anything with vinegar makes your mouth water; that’s what all acids do. It went with a smoky styled Syrah that had a tiny bit of jam, making the sticky chewy buns with tender pulled pork the best ever tasted.
If you are gluten free or not, your tummy will love you for eating this stuff! The staff makes you feel welcome and is very helpful with suggestions and inspiration. At the end of the meal, they make you feel like you’re a kid again at your neighbor’s birthday party when they send you home with a goody bag. I think this was a nutty brittle made out of the milled flour from grape skins. I don’t remember. But I remember it was delicious.
Partake by K-J also gets kudos for being a sustainable responsible winery, making additional products out of their vineyard byproducts. They not only make verjus, a tart grape juice made out of the half ripened grapes that you can replace with vinegar or lime juice in any recipe to enliven the flavors. But they also make gluten free flour by drying the grape skins and milling them into Riesling flour or dark red Syrah flour. Partake by K-J also sells these flours in the store with recipes for gluten free cookies, cakes, and other healthy dishes. Why eat wheat flour when there are flours with antioxidants and polyphenols with even better colors and textures!? That is geek talk for drink your words. They even make a Cabernet ketchup for their French fries! Definitely need to go back and try those!
You are having fun eh, Carolyn? Well crafted words are an art form worthy of high praise.