22 Jul 2009, Posted by admin in L'Epicurien, 0 Comments
mix and match: wine is not the only option
Epicures have become enamored with wine pairings. Venerated, wine critic Robert Parker believes that “the revolution in the wine quality has coincided with an extraordinary revolution [in] the restaurants of the world,” which in turn has driven the wine pairing obsession witnessed over the past decade. Thirty years ago, there were few, top tier restaurants. Today, there are dozens of high caliber chefs in almost every large city. “Food and wine pairing has finally hit the tipping point, in that it is now expected at fine-dining restaurants, and increasingly at any self-respecting restaurant,” says Karen Page, author of What To Drink With What You Eat.
In an effort to capitalize off of these gains, a movement has emerged to redefine and highlight the versatility of other alcoholic beverages and spirits. This movement is one that has enabled certain forward thinking restaurants to stand out from the pack in a time when many are struggling to differentiate themselves in order to compete for increasingly discriminating clientele. These cutting edge restaurants are pairing beer, brandy, rum, tequila, and saké with their menus—to novel results.
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