Andy and I were fortunate to be invited to the
Rombauer Vineyards Wine Dinner at
Il Fornaio Burlingame. Both the wines and the food were outstanding. Thank you Il Fornaio Burlingame for hosting us!
The meal started with passed hors d'oeuvres. I got the potato crochette and the cerviche, and they were both delicious.
Next was the appetizer trio, which was paired with the Rombauer Vineyards 2017 Sauvignon Blanc. I really enjoyed the fruity and fresh wine, and it paired very well with the delicious seafood appetizers - sea urchin, grilled octupus salad and tuna tartare on a taro root chip. I could have eaten twenty chips with tartare... A real treat!
My favorite pairing of the evening was the eggplant stuffed with lamb which was paired with the 2017 Merlot. The flavors in the wine complemented the eggplant and lamb dish perfectly.
One of the main course choices was swordfish in a spicy broth. The spiciness of the dish paired very nicely with the fruity and buttery 2017 Chardonnay Carneros. I'm usually not a "chardonnay person," but who doesn't love the Rombauer Chardonnay?!!!
The meal ended with a chocolate mousse with raspberries and raspberry sauce. I really liked that the wine accompanying the dessert course wasn't sweet as the berry flavors and tannins of the 2016 Zinfandel went very nicely with the dish.
