Tonight was my second time attending a Foodie NYC event and the theme this evening was Italy. The event was held in the same loft space as the last one, but Whitney selected a slightly different color scheme this evening, using a light beach/beige tablecloth color to offset the stark whiteness of the room. Pre-dinner hors d’ouerves were paired with a super light, dry and refreshing Falesco Est! Est! Est! According to Whitney’s menu, this wine is 60% trebbiano and the other 40% from grapes I’ve never heard of. I must say, it was pretty darn perfect wine for a cocktail hour. Nice hint of fruit on the palate, mainly pear, but finished totally clean in a way that just made me want to have more and more. The first hors d’ouerves was a crostini laced with truffle honey (exactly what it suggests, honey richly scented with truffle) topped with shavings of Pecorino. So simple yet so brilliant. You could smell the truffle as you took a bite, then you taste the richness of the Romano augmented by that truffle essence and then that little surprise of sweetness from the honey is there to round things out as you enjoy the chew of the crostini. What a fantastic opener. The other hors d’ouerves was just as simple and equally impressive- a single small mussel (just the meat) sitting in a pool of tomato water garnished with a fried mint leaf, served in a chinese soup spoon. Each element retained its own pure and distinct flavor but made perfect sense together; very well conceived and executed.

We were then all seated and dinner began. First up was a “zucchini sformato”, sort of a cheese based custard made from zucchini which Joe laced with arugula juice. It had a nice flavor and semi-rich mouth feel without seeming heavy, probably due to the brightness of the arugula juice. This dish was paired with another terrific white called Campo Al Mare Vermentino di Toscana IGT. A bit bigger than the Falesco, with the awesome floral and fruity bouquet catching my attention from the get go. Great wine, great pairing. By the way, thank god for Whitney’s menu, making it a helluva lot easier to write this entry considering all these difficult wine names!

Next up was Tegamaccio, a stew of cod fish and shrimp with a hunk of bread sitting in the bowl absorbing the tomatoey base. The shrimp were cooked perfectly and the bright tomato flavor was retained throughout the dish. The chunks of cod were delicious too, but the abundance of bones were a bit of an annoyance. This dish was paired with the Falesco Pesano merlot. The bouquet of this wine was so incredible that I couldn’t wait to taste it. It did not disappoint. The forward fruit was quite pronounced (which I love) but was tempered by a hint of spice which added just enough seriousness to the wine to make it seem more substantial than just an easy drinking fun wine. So far we were three for three with the wines!

On to the main meat course which was braised rabbit with porcini gnudi and fried sage. This dish was almost everyone’s vote for stud dish of the evening. The gnudi (ricotta dumplings) were rich and satisfying and even overshadowed the succulent rabbit pieces, but both were brought together into a coherent dish by the amazingly deep flavors of the braising liquid and the porcinis. So damn good. This course was paired with a Pratesi Locorosso sangiovese. This wine also featured a big fruity nose and flavors of black cherry and spice. An outstanding choice for a pairing with the rabbit stew. Bravo! Four for four…

Next up was lamb slices served in a light broth with white beans and roasted carrots. Most everyone else at my table didn’t really seem to love this dish, but I totally dug it. After all the big flavored wines I had been drinking, I really welcomed the clean tasting broth and found it so pleasant and comforting. The white beans, cooked until soft and mush-able, were also a real pleasure to eat. I wasn’t as thrilled with the cut of lamb as the pieces tended to be a little bit chewy and tough with gristle. All in all, a very good dish I thought. It was paired with a Petrognano Pomino Rosso, 60% sangiovese, the rest merlot and cab. A little bit bolder than the previous wine, but a similar flavor profile of dark fruit with a hint of a spicy edge.

We finished the meal with a dessert of polenta cake paired with basil sorbet. The polenta cake which I feared might be dry actually turned out to be quite nice. Like a regular cake only with a slightly more crumbly texture. The sorbet was super pronounced with basil flavor as it was still present in decent sized flecks, quite different than the super-fine version that Chika makes. And last but not least, the dessert was paired with what else but my favorite varietal for dessert wine, a moscato d’asti. This one was from Rinaldi and was sooo delicious. I tasted a hint of melon which I don’t usually pick up in most moscato d’asti’s. This was definitely one of the best I’ve ever tried and I could drink it all night long. What a perfect way to finish the evening!