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The Banyan House Wine Pairing
THIS MONTH, RESIDENTS AND VISITORS ARE IN FOR A TREAT AS THE INAUGURAL WELLEN PARK WINE FESTIVAL MAKES ITS DOWNTOWN DEBUT.
Guests at this ticketed event will be able to sip samples of wine while enjoying small bites of food from featured Wellen Park restaurants. But you don’t need to wait for a festival to discover how the right wine can elevate your dining experience. A wine pairing is the practice of selecting a wine that complements a specific dish. The goal is to enhance the meal by combining the aromas, flavors and textures of the wine with the food in a complementary manner. A wine with citrus notes might pair well with seafood, while a sweet wine may balance the heat of a spicy dish. Many restaurants that have made the effort to curate a good wine list are happy to recommend the right wine to accompany your chosen meal.
THE BANYAN HOUSE | RACK OF LAMB + CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Nothing says autumn like a hearty, flavorful and comforting meal, and Banyan House is bringing in that fall-feeling with their Colorado rack of lamb entree. The meal actually features lamb in multiple presentations. First there is the rack of lamb, which is brought in fresh several times a week and hand-cut at the restaurant, then prepared on a woodfired grill. That is accompanied by a Moroccan kefta skewer composed of ground lamb, harissa paste and panko. The skewer then rests on a bed of tzatziki; a traditional yogurt and cucumber-based Greek sauce. “Harissa has a really spicy taste to it, which is a nice contrast to the cool and refreshing tzatziki sauce,” says Stacy Jones, general manager of Banyan House. “It gives the dish a great balance.” The lamb may be the star of the dish, but it’s bolstered by an impressive supporting cast of sauteed brussel sprouts, harissa-spiced baby carrots and colorful confit marble potatoes that are crisp and salty on the outside but tender inside. As a final touch, the meal is served with a fresh mint jus. Cabernet sauvignons are generally a great pairing with lamb, as the bold tannins and fruit flavors of the wine complement the richness of the meat. Jones recommends the Austin Hope Cabernet Sauvignon from Paso Robles as the ideal pairing for the Colorado Rack of Lamb. The wine is aged in French oak and has a smoky undercurrent that plays well with the rack of lamb, which was grilled using cherry wood. This wine also has notes of cherry fruit, clove, nutmeg and vanilla bean, which contrast against the spicier elements of the meal. The Banyan House Restaurant, 19725 Wellen Park Boulevard, Venice, 941-584-5300, banyanhouserestaurant.com.
