March | 2016 | St. John Catering

This post was supposed to go up yesterday but, technology. So instead we’ve got a Good Friday post! Enjoy the course by course recap of the Wine Dinner menu below.

The evening kicked off with passed appetizers and sparkling wine – in keeping with the “Old World vs. New World” theme, guests sampled Champagne Pol Roger Brut Reserve, NV and Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs, Napa, North Coast, 2013. The appetizer offerings included Beef Plantain Tostone Cups, Sweet Potato Quinoa Cakes with Crab, and cheese boards with dried & fresh fruit, mustards, spreads, nuts, & pickled vegetables.

The first course was a Local Tuna Nicoise Carpaccio with cured egg yolk, fried caper, roasted olives, lemon emulsion, duck fat potato, & a tomato “tartare” of red beets, avocado, pumpkin, micro greens, scallion & tuna oil. Wine pairings for the course: Sancerre Blanc, Eric Montintin 2012 (Loire Valley, 100% Sauvignon Blanc) and Cliff Lede Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley 2014.

With the second course, technique was front and center: Bacon Caprese, Smoked Tomato & Proscuitto Cups were composed of mozzarella and ricotta burrata, tomato, basil, & apple smoke contained by shaved Serrano ham, served on a slate plate with house bacon lardon, pesto, grilled crostini & tomato powder. Wine Pairings: Domaine D’Arton – Hautes D’Arton Cotes de Gascogne 2013 (Colombard/Sauvignon Blanc blend) and Sterling Sauvignon Blanc, Napa, North Coast 2013.

Following a pineapple & celery intermezzo, the third course was a fish course – Ginger Fish in Rice Papillote with curried peas & carrots and coconut scallop crudo. The Wahoo was wrapped in rice paper parcels with ginger & zucchini scales, and the scallop crudo was accompanied by coconut milk, ginger juice, avocado puree and paddlefish caviar. Wine Pairings: Domaine Jean-Pierre Eleven Chablis 2012 (100% Chardonnay) and Cuvaison Chardonnay, Napa Valley, Carneros, 2012.

The penultimate course featured a Petit Filet with Oxtail Ragout, wild thyme, crispy corn agnolotti, corn puree, micro greens, & preserved lemon. Wine Pairings: Cahors Chateau de Cedre 2012 (Malbec, Merlot, Tannat blend), and Archival-Ferrer Malbec, Argentina 2013.

Saving the best for last is the real deal – we wrapped up the evening with a dessert course of Foie Gras Creme Brulee & Berries, with spiced tulle crackers, almond brittle, seared foie gras, port redux, & our own Windy Level mint! Wine Pairings: Monbazilliac – Domaine de L’Ancienne Cure 2010 (Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc/Muscadelle blend) and Ice Wine Reisling, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, 2013.

From beginning to end, the evening was full of good company, laughter, and delicious food and wine. We celebrated a birthday with some guests from the States, got creative with our tasting notes on the wine selections, and even managed to get a pretty excellent group shot! We look forward to our next Full Moon Wine Dinner on April 22nd – hope you’ll join us!

St John Catering has grown up a lot since 2003. We continue to cultivate new skills and explore new techniques, trends, and opportunities, the ultimate goal always being the best catering experience possible for our guests. For most of the last 13 years, that’s meant bring the experience TO the guests – in villa fine dining, family style and gourmet drop off, wedding & event catering, private jets, charter boats – you name it, we’ve catered it.

This year we’ve got an entirely new set of experiences to offer at our new home base, Windy Level, on St John. For those of you who’ve been familiar with our fair island over the years, you may know Windy Level. The space has a long tradition in the local community and has grown through various iterations over the years. We’re excited to begin this new part of our journey in a space that caters to family and community fun.

Our first event will be this month’s Old World vs. New World Full Moon Wine Dinner* on March 22. Guests will enjoy five courses, each paired with an Old and New World wine, in addition to pre-dinner treats and beverages and an Intermezzo course.

We look forward to hosting monthly full moon dinners as well as pig roasts, birthday parties, wedding receptions, community events, and so much more. Whatever your event idea, we encourage you to consider Windy Level as we continue to built St John memories for years to come. Stay tuned to see more photos of the space and our upcoming events!