|
WINE PRESS
ESSEX COUNTY WINE SOCIETY
April 7, 2006
Dear Fellow Wine Society Members and Fellow Wine
Lovers:
Our Spring Dinner will take place on Sunday April 30,
2006 at Table 8 in Montclair.
Table 8 is owned and operated by 32 year old, Demetri
Malki. Many of us know Demetri from his prior restaurant in Montclair, named
not surprisingly, Demetri’s. The name of his new restaurant, which opened
in August 2005, comes from his desire to set aside the 8 person table in the
front of the restaurant, for his family and loyal friends, as a thank you
for their support.
The restaurant has been referred to by NorthJersey.com
as a bona fide hot spot. The New York Times (December 4, 2005) describes it
as thoroughly up to the minute, indicating that the décor is beguiling with
an air of stylishness and comfort.
Demetri hired 28 year old Michael Clampffer as chef.
Michael has already been the chef at Dish in Passaic and Stage House Inn in
Scotch Plains. Both restaurants received high acclaim during his tenure.
Michael cooks Mediterranean influenced American style.
The December 4, 2005 New York Times rates the
restaurant as VERY GOOD.
The Star Ledger of October 7, 2005 said:
“With its fashionable atmosphere and intriguing
food, Table 8 is already a contender in Montclair’s competitive restaurant
scene.”
Many members have already been to the restaurant and we
together and separately have been there close to half a dozen times and have
enjoyed each meal prepared by Michael.
The four course dinner will be highlighted by a main
course of Rack of Lamb with melted goat cheese but if someone prefers a fish
entrée, we can arrange for that if you contact one of
us.
We will also have an opportunity to taste several of
Table 8’s well known dishes including the Celery Root Ravioli and the
Roasted Black Sea Bass.
We have chosen wines from our cellar and elsewhere to
match the food and there will be several very special wines.
Breaking from our French tradition, we have chosen a
100% Chardonnay New Zealand (!!!) sparkler to accompany the Hors
d’oeuvres. The wine, No 1, Family Cuvee No 1, won a trophy in London as the
best sparkling wine at the International Wine & Spirits competition and a
gold medal in Japan at the International Wine Challenge.
Our white wine will be the excellent 2003 Colin-Deleger
Chassagne Montrachet les Vergers. As noted in the Wine Advocate #158 (April
2005), Pierre Rovani suggests that the wine “displays excellent amplitude,
depth of fruit and length. Its pear and apple-dominated flavor profile
lingers in its suave, supple finish.”
Our Bordeaux choice this year from our cellar is the
1995 La Lagune. Michael Broadbent in “Vintage Wine” states that he found
this wine sweetish, soft and very agreeable when he last tasted it in 1999.
We will also be drinking, with our main course, a 1991 Ridge Monte Bello
which Parker rated 92 in Wine Advocate #95 (October 1994). He states that
this Cabernet Sauvignon exhibits a classic austerity found in Bordeaux with
a reserved but highly complex bouquet. He goes on to say that it is a rich
wine with considerable intensity and recommends the wine be drunk between
2004 and 2024.
Our dessert wine, which should well complement the
desert that Michael will prepare will be the 1988 Guiraud Sauternes. The
“Wine Spectator” describes it as elegant and well made… nutmeg, clove and
thyme flavors play against honey, melon and oak-scented vanilla notes.
If you wish to sit with particular members at the
dinner, please indicate the names on the attached response form and we will
do our best to accommodate you. Please respond by Friday April 21, 2006.
If you need directions to the restaurant please call
the restaurant or check their website at Table8nj.com. Parking is available
on Bloomfield Avenue or directly across the street from the restaurant in a
municipal lot.
We look forward to seeing all of you on April 30.
Details of the Spring Dinner are as
follows:
Date: Sunday, April 30, 2006
Reception: 5:00 p.m.
Dinner: 6:00 p.m.
Attire: Smart casual
Location: Table 8
Address: 615 Bloomfield Avenue
Montclair NJ 07042
Telephone: 1-973-746 2233
Cost: $95 members
$110.00 non-members &
guests
In vino veritas and a votre sante,
Bob &
Howard
|