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	d’Arenberg Wine Dinner Hosted by Parker House & Harvest Vintage Imports - April 26th, 2010
	When I received the invite to this dinner I was excited being a huge fan of the d’Arenberg wine portfolio. Visiting the winery in Australia during a trip last year was a highlight and this dinner included a guest from the UK, Claire Scott, Regional Brand Ambassador for the wines (that’s her job, seriously!). Claire flew over volcano ash from the UK to attend a series of events in Canada and immediately struck everyone as a very good wine soldier who knows this winery inside and out. These wines almost always represent excellent value for artisanal products and are well made under the direction of Chester Osborn. Their flagship Dead Arm Shiraz is a wine I began collecting almost 10 years ago but several of their products have become favorite value picks for me. White or red, you’ll be hard pressed to find a runt among the litter when it comes to d’Arenberg wines. My excitement eventually wore off and upon reading the invite further concern overtook my enthusiasm. Parker House was going to attempt an “Australian” themed dinner…which did not bode well...for a variety of reasons. First, and most importantly…what the hell would the new chef of Parker House (Joel Cumberland has replaced Andrew Keen) know about cuisine down under? Second…I have been to very few balanced wine dinners. Either the food is completely outshined by the wines or the chef’s ego gets in the way and dishes are intended to be the highlight rather than a partner to the wines. It’s a tug-o-war that simply fails time and again. Given that chef Cumberland was new and possibly wanted to make a statement….I figured a train wreck was a distinct possibility. Fortunately…I was wrong! When the big day arrived two things became clear immediately upon my review of the menu…Joel had done his homework on the food and GM/Sommelier Adam Snelling had worked very hard with the kitchen to ensure harmony with the wines. There was a bit of ego with this menu but it was focused towards the pairings and not hubris, which one might expect from a new chef looking to impress. 1st Course – Dungeness Crab Napoleon (Green Apple, Tarragon, Phylo). Paired with 2008 Hermit Crab Viognier Marsanne. One of my top 10 value whites, this was a gorgeous pairing. Tarragon and crab are a perfect combo; the green apple complimented the ingredients and the wine wonderfully. Not overdone, these ingredients spoke loudly. 2nd Course – Shrimp Bisque (Spice Grilled Prawn, Candied Lime). Paired with 2008 Dry Dam Riesling. Riesling cuts through silky smooth bisque like a plastic surgeon sculpting a new set of…cheeks. The candied lime was a great flavor enhancer for my palate. 3rd Course – Lamb Tenderloin (Sweet Potato Pavé, Charred Leeks, Brown Butter). Paired with 2006 Custodian Grenache. Is there an Aussie red that does NOT pair well with lamb? Perfectly cooked lamb and the Pavé was gorgeous. 4th Course – Kangaroo Vol au Vent (Pear Parsnip Purée, Pixie Dust). Paired with 2007 Wild Pixie Shiraz Rousanne. I’ll grant you that Roo may be a bit hokie from the Canadian perspective but it’s popular in Australia. The purée was a miss for my palate, (too dominant).Given that this was the debut of Wild Pixie in Canada something special was called for, enter pixie dust! Made from dried blackberries put through a coffee grinder this demonstrated great creativity on the part of Chef Cumberland. 5th Course – Cheese Plate. Paired with 2005 Ironstone Pressings (70% Grenache, 25% Shiraz, 5% Mourvedre). The mild blue cheese was served with a lovely honey, toasted walnuts and fig compote. The Ironstone lives in the shadow of Dead Arm but showed very well in this pairing. The bonus pour of 2006 Dead Arm allowed for immediate comparison. The Harvest Vintage duo (Kelly and Chris) really are good-people! 6th Course – Passion Fruit Pavlova. Paired with 2008 Noble Wrinkled Riesling. There isn't a more Australian dessert than Pavlova (named for a ballerina) and the passion fruit meshed wonderfully with the wine. If you haven’t tried any Aussie dessert wines you’re missing out! Excellent value when compared with sauternes. After 6 courses and 7 wines…we were all done. I can’t say enough about the presentation of each dish and how well the flavors complimented the wines. It’s a shame more of Calgary did not get to experience this evening (limited seating of course) but here’s hoping that Joel Cumberland turns out to be more than a one evening wonder because if he does Parker House could reach new heights. As for the wines…I’d lost touch a bit with d’Arenberg as a brand since my trip last year (hard to top Dead Arm on the winery verandah) but the evening reminded me why I fell in love with their line of products and why I need to remind myself more frequently of the quality that exists here. Thanks to all who made this event happen, it was a stunner. http://ureviewcalgary.com/

	"In my fantasies, its always fall in New England."
	In my fantasies, its always fall in New England. Also, New England in my fantasies is comprised entirely of charming small towns with charming small-town festivals, like The Festival of Living Art, and are full of charming small-town eccentrics who who have night terrors and sleepwalk in the nude. But New England food doesn't mean a lot to me. I know that Maine has lobsters. I like lobster. Who doesn't? There's a lot of Lobster on Parkerhouse Grill and Wine Bar's menu: a lobster and pumpkin soup with maple crème fraiche; lobster turnovers with puff pastry and coriander lime aioli in the appetizers; and in the mains, an Atlantic Lobster Américaine with tomato, leek, brandy, and buttered potatoes, and a lobster mac and cheese baked with three cheeses and spinach. The rest of the menu is similarly seafood-heavy: in appetizers, a Manhattan Clam Chowder (since its Manhattan, it's not chowda) with thyme infused virgin olive oil; hot crab dip with roasted garlic, parmesan, and lemon crackers; steamed mussels with Guinness, garlic, fresh herb, and cream; house-cured Atlantic salmon 'gravlax' with sweet chili sauce; a trio of fresh-shucked Rockefeller Oysters with spicy Cajun fritters; and a prawn cocktail with black tiger prawns, carrot slaw, and orange infused cocktail sauce. For entrees, there is the Monkfish "Chowda," prosciutto wrapped, red peppers, potato, and herb cream; roasted salmon with a porcini mushroom crust, shellfish consommé, and root vegetables; a crab boil with fish, prawns, scallops, artichokes, chorizo, potato, and tomato broth; and steamed Dungeness crab with drawn butter and vegetable risotto. Seafood cannelloni comes with a rosé brandy sauce and gruyere cheese. For those who don't eat only seafood, there is a decent meat selection: grilled spring chicken with chili glaze, grilled asparagus, and fettuccine Alfredo; braised lamb shank wih aromatic red wine braise and saffron risotto; and a sugar backed ham with lentil casserole, spiced apple sauce, and Madeira jus. For vegetarians, there's, well, spaghetti. Named for the Parker House Hotel in Boston, the Parkerhouse Grill and Wine Bar is located in the historic Lougheed Building, which recently underwent a renovation. The executive chef is Andrew Keen, who also supervises the kitchen over at The Tribune. Martiniboys.com - April 29,2010

	Culinary classics celebrate the past at ParkerHouse
	The Calgary Herald November 2, 2008 Andrew Keen likes living in the past. The early part of the 1900s, to be specific. Preferably amid the classic kitchens of the American eastern seaboard. Andrew Keen likes living in the past. The early part of the 1900s, to be specific. Preferably amid the classic kitchens of the American eastern seaboard. It was a time when traditional French culinary technique was hybridized with international preparations and ingredients to create a new American cuisine. Fannie Farmer's Boston Cooking School Cookbook, initially published in 1896, lays out the basics for much of this cuisine -- Salisbury steak, succotash, American Chop Suey, clam chowder, even chili con carne. Nowadays, many of the dishes that sprang out of this period are considered culinary classics. (Well, maybe not the chop suey.) And Keen, the executive chef of the new ParkerHouse at 131 6th Ave. S.W. (403-237-9585), has created a menu filled with them for the restaurant. This follows the success of the "forgotten food" menu that he developed for The Tribune. Keen says there's no point in going out to a restaurant for something you could cook as easily at home. He wants his customers to taste the time and effort he and his staff put into the food. As he says, "Classics are classics for a reason." So, you'll find hot crab dip, sugar-baked ham with baked beans, house-cured gravlax and Boston cream pie on the menu. These are classics that take time. When was the last time we saw a baked ham on a restaurant menu, especially one made from a ham cured in-house? Or a plate of pork and beans? Or a sloppy joe sandwich for lunch? That's a sloppy joe made with a beef ragout, crisp onions and roasted red peppers, sided with your choice of soup, fries, Caesar salad or greens, for $13.18? Keen has also dispensed with what he sees as needless and costly garnishes. What you see is what you get. And what we see is a surprisingly reasonably priced menu. Pastry chef Melissa Borg's dessert menu follows suit with pecan tart, Boston cream pie and individual angel food cakes topped with fresh berries and Chantilly cream. Each dessert is $7.63. And, of course, ParkerHouse rolls are served. ParkerHouse is part of CA Restaurant Enterprises, the folks who brought us The Tribune and the three Murrieta's. They took the lease on the renewed Lougheed Building space and dropped $3.8 million into it. That bought them tall Tiger Mahogany walls, Brazilian cherry wood floors, art-decoish Italian tiles and four hand-blown glass chandeliers from GH Studios in Strathmore. Add in about 220 leather chairs spread over two levels, plus a 50-seat private room, and the result is a large and beautiful room. The look was developed by Frank Kaspar of Abugov-Kaspar in conjunction with Ron Salverda and his team at CA Restaurants. The room parallels 6th Avenue, allowing natural light throughout and a view of passing traffic. That view has been partly shuttered, creating a feeling of privacy while maintaining a sense of the urban environment outside. In some ways, it looks like it has been there since the Lougheed Building opened in 1912, but aside from a small amount of floor tile at the entrance, it's all new. And as fresh as the idea of baked ham and pork and beans and angel food cake on a restaurant menu. ParkerHouse is open daily from 11 a.m. until late.

Last Updated: Tuesday, October 05, 2010