Thursday, February 17, 2011

Inside Legal Sea Foods' Wine Cellar


I was lucky enough on Tuesday to be the only food blogger invited to the Boisset Family Estates Dinner in the wine cellars of Legal Seafoods at their Park Street location. I had never been there before, although their classic wine dinners are held monthly. Everything was very well-planned and executed and featured the wines of the Boisset family of estates, which span a lot of territory, from Russian River Valley to Burgundy and the Loire Valley. Our host was none other than Jean-Charles Boisset, of the famous wine family, who flew in from France to host the event.




Smoked Salmon Napoleon was our first taste of the night.


The Lobster Fritter with Lemon Aioli hors d'Ouevres was excellent.


Hors d'Oeuvres were paired with a Louis Bouillot Cremant de Bourgogne Rose, Burgundy, NV.


The colorful and entertaining Jean-Charles Boisset spoke about each wine and the unique terroir of each vineyard in the family's varied portfolio.


First course was a Smoked Rainbow Trout Rillette with Mixed Green Salad, Orange Segments and Citrus Vinaigrette. This was paired with an Italian wine, an excellent Beni di Batasiolo, Piedmont, 2009. This was my favorite course.


Second Course was Roasted East Coast Halibut with Wilted Swiss Chard and Salsa Veracruzana. This was delicious and the salsa peppered just right for the dish. This was paired with two wines: Bouchard Aine Pouilly-Fuisse, Burgundy, 2007 and Raymond Chardonnay Reserve, Napa Valley, 2008. The latter wine was unoaked and both were very good, yet quite different, almost hard to believe they both come from the same grape.


Third Course was Wood Grilled North Atlantic Salmon with Truffled Parsnips Puree and Roasted Chantarelle Mushrooms.


The salmon dish was paired with a DeLoach "Block 1950" Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast 2009. Perfectly balanced, this was a great pairing, probably my favorite.


Dessert was Crispy Crepe with McIntosh Apples, Maple Glaze and Cinnamon Ice Cream. This was served with Neige "Premiere" Apple Ice Wine out of Canada. Apple Ice wine was originally developed in 1994 in Quebec, at this winery. I had never experienced it before. It has a very robust sweet, unmistakable apple flavor. I liked the wine but maybe would have paired it with a cheese course so I am looking forward to trying that at home.


After dinner, Jean-Charles led the group in a traditional Bourguignon celebratory cheer.

Legal Seafoods Park Square
26 Park Plaza
Boston, MA 02116
Telephone: 617.426.4444

3 comments:

  1. What a fabulous event! It was great seeing you and also found out we have a friend in common - Cheryl Chin?

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  2. My wife and I are wine enthusiasts who plan many of our vacations around wine producing regions. We try to attend wine dinners as often as we can. This event was one of the most memorable things we've ever done in the United States, and will remain a fond memory. It really was all of these: delicious, informative, and entertaining. And oh yeah the wine was great!

    Marc Soucy

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  3. My wife and I are wine enthusiasts, who plan many of our vacations around wine producing regions. We attend wine dinners and tastings as often as we can, and we have hosted a few ourselves.
    This event was really special, and is probably the most memorable thing of this type we've experienced in a very long time. I personally sat right next to Jean Charles Boisset, and across from Sandy Block and his charming wife Joan.
    The food was wonderful, generous, and satisfying. The company was excellent. The event was delicious, informative, and entertaining.Oh and the wine was great too!

    Marc Soucy

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