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Visiting Our Vineyards
DECEMBER 2020
Savor Spain in the Heart of the Temecula Valley Wine Country By Susan Montgomery Let’s go to Spain! Are you eager to start traveling again? I know I am. However, even though we are limited in our travel options right now, we can still savor the tastes, aromas, and traditions of Spain right here in Temecula by visiting Bolero Cellars — the newest addition to Europa Village’s expanding multi-winery resort. We did just that a few weeks ago. During two visits, we enjoyed breakfast, lunch and dinner at Bolero Restaurante and spent the night in a luxurious casita. David Townsend, Bolero’s Food and Beverage Director, says that the Bolero menu represents something new and interesting as a dining experience in the Temecula wine region. He points out that Chef Luis Sandoval, Bolero’s Chef de Cuisine who developed the Bolero menu, looked for dishes that represented both humble foods from rural regions to artistic representations of modern gastronomy and combined them to make sure each dish has a purpose. The result is an enticing array of authentic dishes to share and enjoy. Bolero’s culinary team is first-rate. David Townsend spent 20 years running two much-celebrated restaurants at The Rancho Bernardo Inn and the La Valencia Hotel in La Jolla. He then spent another 20 years representing prestigious wine import portfolios. Executive Chef Hany Ali, who was raised in a coastal resort city in Egypt, has worked at highly regarded hotels and restaurants in the U.S. where he developed a reverence for farm-fresh produce, as reflected in the dishes he prepares at
Many delectable Tapas on the menu.
Bolero. Frequently, the vegetables and herbs in the dishes he serves were harvested the same day from Bolero’s garden. Our first visit to Bolero Restaurante was for lunch on a lovely summer day. We sat on the patio and ordered a bottle of nicely chilled Spanish wine. (Bolero serves Europa’s estate-produced wines as well as some special wines directly from Spain.) For appetizers, we ordered Smoked Salmon with Crispy Cone. The salmon topped a delicious mixture Begger’s Purse Crepe, a creative breakfast appetizer. of Manchego cream and chives. One person in our party of four had enjoyed this traditional tapa in Spain and she said it was just as tasty as the Spanish version she recalled. Other dishes our group enjoyed included a creative Leeks and Asparagus Salad with tomato vinaigrette; a Jumbo Lump Crab Salad served with baby green beans and raspberry vinaigrette; a heavenly Chilled Lobster Salad (the lobster was perfectly tender and obviously very fresh); Seared Jumbo Sea Scallops in a flavorful Romesco Sauce; and the tantalizing El Matador Burger made with beef and chorizo, topped with crispy shallots and parsley aioli. Our lunch was so delicious that we had to go back. Our next visit included an extraordinary dinner and a luxurious overnight stay in one of Bolero’s charming, private casitas. This time we were with a group of five and several of us splurged on icy, perfectly prepared martinis while others enjoyed traditional Spanish Sangria to launch our dining experience. It is nice to have the option of mixed cocktails and microbrews, but we also ordered an excellent bold and subtly spicy Bolero 2015 Tempranillo to accompany our dinner.
Bolero Winery
