Address: 14910 Pines Blvd, Pembroke Pines, FL 33027
I will never not look forward to Mondays again. My dude Chef Jason Arroyo has done it again; now while I do enjoy wine here and there, I LOVED every last drop that was paired with the fantastic dishes that were made from SCRATCH this evening.
And of course before a WINE pairing dinner, I had to enjoy a beer from Abita Brewing and the beer I had was the Strawgator which is a fusion of the Strawberry Harvest Lager & the Andygator; think a strawberry doppelbock.
And even before the event we got to go backstage to see the artist at work! Of course the artist being Chef Arroyo! And below is a picture of him prepping the octopus bolognese which was amazing!
For this event we had four courses and dessert and here is what we were presented on this magnificent night:
Firs course was a scallop and ricotta fritter with house fermented garlic honey which was paired with Pinot Grigio Ruffino (Italy). The honey (locally sourced) was fermented with garlic and habanero peppers that left a kick which was ignited after sipping the wine & the pair of the scallop fritter was soft with a light crunch.
Second course was a charred winter squash with Sunfresh Farms (local produce) winter greens, crispy oyster mushroom petals and “garum” dressing which was paired with a Diora La Petite Grace Pinot Noir (California). For this one you definitely had to get a bit of everything on your fork and take one HUGE bite. The greens were super fresh and the charred winter squash was magnificent and add the crispy oyster mushrooms with the garum (which is like a fermented fish sauce) rounded out the whole experience with this course.
Third course was an octopus bolognese with squid ink spaghetti, sweet onion pangrattato and rosemary bonito aioli which was paired with Luigi Bosca (D.O.C.) Malbec (Argentina). Which were the pictures in the beginning of the post and the featured picture as well. If it was acceptable, I would have licked my plate. The crunchyness and the tomato sauce and the rosemary aioli danced around my tastebuds, but had a crunch from the sweet onion pangrattato!
Fourth course was cumin roasted lamb lollipop with carrot tahina and grilled bok choy paired with Murrietta’s Well The Spurt Red Blend (California). Guys, words cannot describe how amazing this dish was and how tender that lamb was! I could have literally cut that lamb off the shank with my finger; it melted off the bone. And the bok choy was a grilled to perfection which gave you a nice crunchy/smooth texture and dipped with the carrot tahina made me wish I had three or four more plates.
And the evening was finished off with a miso pear turnover with burnt cinnamon whipped cream and micro basil paired with Cafe de Paris Sparkling Pear Wine (France). Honestly, I’m a little upset that there wasn’t more whip cream. The bread was flaky and tore apart so easily and the pear turnover was SO juicy with the filling having both about a half of a pear and warm jam and the coolness and sweetness of the whip cream rounded it all out!
Again, I’m not the biggest wine drinker, I will partake here and there, but the flavors that burst out of the food that were paired with the wine was beautiful; might just want to make me become a legit sommelier.
Don’t miss out on the next one for sure! I’M TELLING YOU NOT TO MISS THIS. It’s going to be the collaboration OF ALL COLLABORATIONS with Chef Arroyo & Chef Ramirez & Chef Amy (the latter two from The Westchester) and they will be pairing their foods with Lincoln’s Beard Beers!!! I can’t tell you how excited I am for that.
Till the next time my friends, cheers!
Website: Russos Italian Kitchen
Facebook: Russos Italian Kitchen
Instagram: @russos_pines / @contradition
Twitter: @russos_pines
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