CATALAN SHINES AGAIN
Catalan Food and Wine has firmly cemented itself as one of, if not the finest restaurants in Houston. With the kitchen deftly helmed by Chris Shepherd and the wine program now headed by Matthew Pridgen, the restaurant simply goes from strength to strength. Thursday night D’Amore President Julio Hernández and new sales team member Evan Turner stopped by to enjoy some of Catalan’s “Street Food” Menu while sampling a few of the wines from D’Amore offered at Catalan. The experience was nothing short of a revelation.
First, the wines: Julio and Evan enjoyed Duchman Family Winery 2009 Moscato, 2009 Finca Aforado Albariño and 2006 Vinos de Terruños Priorat “Mas Negre”. The 09 Moscato is a gloriously perfumed off-dry example that is a splendid cross of Alsatian elegance and Texas Orange grove flavor and exuberance. Simply brilliant as an aperitif to begin a night delicious pairings. Quite possibly the best example of it’s kind, The ’09 Finca Aforado Albariño is perfection bottled. A textbook example of how a light bodied wine can have massive layers of complexity and stunning depth of flavor, the wines stunning acidity and minerality was the perfect foil to all the dishes described below. Finally the ’06 Mas Negre. Where to begin? Or end? So many full bodied red wines are clumsy, flat-footed and dull, the Mas Negre is like an All-Pro Linebacker. Packed with power and strength, yet still nimble and precise. If Ray Lewis were a wine, he would be Mas Negre.
Now, the dishes: Polenta with pork meatballs, San Marzano Tomato sauce, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and shaved Black Truffles. Dishes like this are so easy to over think and then underperform while creating them. Chef Shepherd shows his skill here by the boatload. All the ingredients are top notch, no one outshining the others, the creamy texture of the cheese balanced by the tangy tomato sauce, the depth and richness of the meatballs and truffles are lifted by the sharp bite of the Parmigiano. The wines all found a way to pair here, whether the dark tones of the Mas Negre mingling with the pork or the bright acidity of the Aforado counterbalancing the rich polenta. It was a shame to see the last bite go…..
Pain de Mie with Lardo and freshly shaved Umbrian Black Truffles. This is very simple: Go to Catalan. Order this dish. Order the Aforado Albariño. Take a bite. Take a sip. Let the party in your mouth begin.
Finally, house cured Coppa from Ossabaw Island Pig. The Coppa was seasoned with, among other things, cocoa powder. A fantastic companion to the “Mas Negre”. The mingling of the luscious fat, rich meat and hints the cocoa brought out the best in the wine. The firm tannins and acid structure framed the Coppa, while the rich, decadent fruit was made even more delightful by the presence of the cocoa powder. sublime.
In all, it was a great treat to receive such lovely hospitality. Catalan is leading the way here in Houston with the best in food and wine pairing. D’Amore is just happy to be part of the fantastic work they are doing there.
Cheers!
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