Jason Copenhaver

Whole Foods of Sarasota is having TWO drinking events this month. Cathy and I have gone to a number of these and have always had a good time. They vary a lot in turnout, from the free beer one that turned out to be one distributor with 5 beers to the 30 Pinot Noir tasting that clogged the whole store. This month they are having a Summer Brews & Music Festival Thursday, July 13, 7-9pm. $10 gets you a sampling of over 30 American beers. Half the ticket price is donated to WLSR 96.5 Grassroots Community Radio. Los Rumberos will be playing inside with Road Block performing outside. And then on Thursday, July 20, 5:30-7:30pm $10 will get you a sampling of Top Ten Wine Celebratoin Tasting. Half of this ticket price will be donated to G.WIZ, The Hands-On Science Museum. The wine tasting will also have cheeses and I imagine the beer tasting will have some type of snacks also. I haven’t decided which one I plan on attending, leaning towards the beer, but I’m sure both will be fun. Hope to see you there!

How do you celebrate 4 years of marriage? The traditional gift is silk or flowers (maybe both), the modern is appliances. I don’t know about you but a new blender doesn’t really say “I Love You”. So, Cathy and I went to The Chef’s Table for Dinner With The Chef. It was just a perfect experience for a couples dinner. There were only three couples in the large show kitchen so we got exceptional personal service. The Chef prepared and plated each course for us right there in the kitchen. The first course was a sampling of the crostini and bruschetta from the Martinis and Tapas restaurant, which is an enjoyable place to dine also, served with a glass of Francios Montond Rose Brut. I didn’t get a picture of those, but I have some for the other SIX courses. That’s right, it was a SEVEN course dinner built around some of the Chef’s choice wines. Let the pictures begin!

Red pepper bisque, with Cycles Gladiator Pinot Grigio 2005

Micro greens, buttermilk blue cheese, mangos, and spicy walnuts, Morgan (Monterey) Chardonnay 2004

Portabella and spinach stuffed ravioli with a shredded filo dough crusted sea scallop, Morgan Pinot Noir (Santa Lucia Highlands) 2004

Filo wrapped marinated salmon, Cycles Gladiator Syrah 2004

Rack of lamb, artichoke risotto, Julianed vegetable medley, St. Supery (Napa) Cabernet Sauvignon 2001

Chocolate ganache cake, Toblerone chocolate mousse, berry topped flan with lemon sauce on the side, Francios Montond Blanc de Blanc

All in all the food was great, the pairing of wines with the food was awesome, and the service was perfect. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate a special occasion. I highly recommend this experience for all of you couples out there.