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Health & Fitness

Patch Blog: 'Napa Valley' San Marino Style

The "Four G's" of summer living in San Marino: Good Food, Good Wine, Good Company and Good Deeds!

Good things come in pairs: aces, shoes, gloves, even chopsticks.

Pairing wine with great food is like a marriage. Food and wine's give and take is very much like that in a marriage. The flavors need to accent each other in just the right way. Not too bitter, not too sweet. Not too strong, but not lacking in body.  This marriage, according to my dear friend Angela Fu--the hostess for the wine tasting party that took place at San Marino's very own --is something that stands as more than just the fusion of different tastes both in the culinary world and the social world, but as an opportunity for friends to come together and enjoy good food, good wine, and good company.

The wine tasting event was more than just a collaboration of different components of the culinary world but a fusion of different cultures. As per the request of the hostess, Jasmine Cafe's culinary staff decided that such an undertaking needed creativity; especially given that the bold and full-bodied flavors that define wine needed dishes that offered just the right amount of balance. To find that perfect balance, Jasmine Cafe enlisted the help of Executive Chef Jason DuNah, a master of a wide range of culinary styles whose experience is only paralleled by his vision for unique dishes. Hailing from the Bay Area, Chef DuNah (who was once the executive chef of the , Disney/ABC Prospect Studies, and Guckenheimer, Inc. just to name a few) task is to create the perfect menu.

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Each dish on the menu was matched to a specific flavor of wine in order to maximize on the interplay between the different flavors. The eight wines that Angela selected [one "trophy" pour - The 1982 Haut Batailley, Pauillac (2nd growth Bordeaux) France], paired with their respective dishes, are as follows:

1.          Louis Perdrier Rose, France - Grilled artichoke and asparagus with lemon oregano aioli

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2.          2008 Masi, Masianco, Italy - Grilled bruschetta with bordello cheese, roasted fig and honey

 

3.          2005 Grecante (Grechettl) Arnaldo-Capra, Italy - Crab-stuffed endive

 

4.          2005 Scott Paul, Pinot Noir, Oregon - BBQ hoisin duck in a blue corn crepe

 

5.          2009 Abstract/Orin Swift Cellars, Napa (red) - Mustard chicken with a summer bean slaw

 

6.          1999 Jarvis Cabernet, Napa - Pulled pork mini sliders with caramelized  red onion and fried plantains

 

7.          82 Haut Batailley, Pauillac (2nd growth Bordeaux) France - Roasted spiced filet served with potato cakes and micro greens in a demi reduction

 

8.          2003 Boncaillou Cuvee Muscat, France - Caramelized pineapple panna cotta served with fresh strawberries and balsamic fig reduction

 

It was not a surprise that given the remarkable cast responsible for making the evening of wine tasting and food possible, the evening was nothing short of an amazing dance that was sure to leave the taste buds of everyone there with aftertastes that will be remembered for years to come. Certainly, few would have thought that a Chinese restuarant could offer a cuisine that pairs so well with wine, but Jasmine Cafe and Executive Chef DuNah certainly lay such doubts to rest.

To top off an already amazing evening, Angela also donated some wines from her private collection for auction. The proceeds of her generosity yielded over $11,000, all of which was to be donated to the Methodist Hospital Foundation.

Truly any event in San Marino wouldn't be complete without the continued philanthropic tradition that defines our community. May the tradition of "Napa Valley, San Marino Style" continue as a place for us to share food, wine and friendship.

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