Blackstone Works with Wine

Blackstone paired up with Kysela Imports and hosted a wine pairing dinner served by the Bstone's head chef Will Evans. Here is a glimpse at what went down: 

First Course: 

Scallop Ceviche Lettuce Wrap: a mixture of honeydew, cantaloupe, scallop, flavored with mint, jalapeños, lime, apple cider vinegar all nestled in a radicchio leaf. 

This was a great light, fresh starter to the course, something that was very simple yet got the excitement going for the meal. 

Second Course: 

Jerk Chicken Skewers: mini skewers of jerk season chicken with pear, pineapple, tomato, red onion, and topped with cilantro. 

These were amazing. I loved having a few because the flavors were so different depending on which pairing you got. My favorite bite was the pineapple and jerk chicken together tasting the high citrus with the saltiness of the chicken…but I am also a huge sucker for cooked pineapple. 

Third Course: 

Roasted Leg of Lamb: thyme rosemary roasted lamb placed over pearl barley with a lavender mushroom demi glaze over top. 

This lamb was cooked perrrfectly. I could help but keep stealing pieces before the guys starting plating the food, but it was just so delicious! I also am a major fan of barley and then having a MUSHROOM demi glaze on top kinda put the fork in it for me. If I haven't mentioned…I am obsessed with mushrooms lately. 

Fourth Course: (my fav!)

Fire Braised Beef Brisket: a slab of fire braised beef brisket set on top of a sweet potato black currant puree top with a light sauce and sweet potato strings. 

ohemgee y'all, I can't even start. I am the lasttt person to go after a big slab of meat, but this was absolutely unreal. The combination of the fire braised brisket with the sweetness of the sweet potato puree was actually to die for. The brisket once again was cooked perfectly and everything was tender and juicy. I think I could have eaten ten plates of this. 

Fifth Course: 

Grilled pear and apple rhubarb cobbler: A salted caramel drizzle topped with a streusel topped with the grilled pear and apple rhubarb cobbler topped with a biscotti topped with a green apple creme fraiche. 

okay okay... I know I said the last dish was my favorite but I am a sweets girl at heart, so you can't really blame me for this winning my heart. For starters I die for cooked spiced fruit, so if the dessert was simply that in a bowl I would have been satisfied…but it definitely didn't stop there. The salted caramel sauce was rich and thick, the streusel had that perfect crunch to break through all the other textures, obviously the cobbler mixture was to die for, the biscotti gave the dessert that bready texture that we all desire, and the creme fraiche gave a fresh, light aspect to it all. Seriously y'all, this dessert was perfect. 

I had an absolute blast being behind the scenes of this wine pairing dinner. It is fun to be able to talk to Will about these special dinners because it really allows him to express his creativity with food…and we all know I love food! Being all up close and personal with the food and getting to taste all of it as well made for a perfect night! 

Here are some other behind the scene pics of the night: 

the kabobs all lined up ready to go

the crime scene of where I kept stealing the lamb

Chef Will prepping course numero three

my favorite dish was ready for everyone to devour

the yummy biscotti 

Chef Will prepping the dessert! 

The desserts were ready to go

Until next time! 

some home eating

I've been M.I.A. lately, however I think that is inevitable with the ending of my college life that was filled with Daily Iowan work, friend meals, endless job applications, and not so many finals. Now that I finally have a minute or two to fully settle in, I thought I may as well flash back to the delicious eats I've had recently…first stop Dallas.

Now if there is one thing that I love about Dally it HAS to be the eclectic foods that surround the different regions of downtown. I was headed home to surprise Dad for Easter/his bday so Ma and I decided to stop in Victor Tangos , which we had only heard great things about…and they weren't wrong. We went with mini chicken and waffles, ahi tuna nachos, and macaroni and cheese (I mean, I was with Cindi so this was a given). 

Ahi Tuna Nachos: These were recommended by sister, but I am a sucker for anything that has some seared tuna on it so it probably would have happened anyways. These were fried wontons with a thin slice seared of ahi tuna laid upon it. On top of the tuna was a spicy, but a little bit sweet asian sauce drizzle and topped with jalapeños. We devoured these pretty quickly, the ahi tuna was just so fresh and then the kick of the asian sauce and jalapeño with the texture crunch of the wonton…yumm

Mini Chicken and Waffles: This was the game changer for me. The little waffles were a perfect platform, they weren't crispy but at the same time didn't get soggy and with the dressing. The little bites of fried chicken and the gravy on top added salt and so many different textures. However, the syrup was the money maker in this for me. Somehow you got the thickness of the gravy, crispy salty from the chicken, and the doughiness from the waffle…but then you dip it in the syrup for that sweetness. I mean, these were actual little pieces of heaven. I am still craving them. 

Then it was time to hit home..well lake house home. Dad was pumped about his new grill…so we pretty much made the whole dinner on it. 

 

Greek Salad: Sister and I couldn't help but to continually dip into this before it hit the table. I am not a greek dressing type of gal, but a salad full of tomatoes, olives (not green) , cucumbers, onion, and I mean do you see those chunks of feta? yeah…I am game for that any day.

Lamb: I am the first person you will see in a gyro line, but I always used to be afraid of big chunks of lamb. Until now. Dad got this lamb and cubed em up on skewers and plopped them on the grill. It goes without saying but Dave is a master on the grill, so these turned out beautifully. The lamb was so tender and juicy and held in so much flavor…I think I ate half of this bowl. 

My Plate: I didn't get pics of everything but here was the end result…about three times over. Mom made up a greek rice…which I actually ate the whole bowl of. Dad also skewered up some tomatoes and toasted up the pitas on the grill as well. We have endless amounts of great meals at the Bedell house hold, but this one still is a fav in my book. 

Buttermilk pie: THIS PIE IS UNREAL. I mean a doughy crust filled with a concoction of buttermilk, sugar, and eggs…I am not sure you can go wrong, but this is just oh so right. There is no description that does it justice, so I am not going to really try but just think of something sugary and crystallized and just down right deliciously amazing. 

Thats it for the Dirty D, but there have been many delicious eats in Iowa City that I will post up on soon!