Southampton: Rhone vines via California
The Plaza Cafe, at 61 Hill St. in Southampton, is a trendy eatery offering a full menu and delicate desserts, such as a pear strudel in a port wine sorbet, a white chocolate cheesecake, or a traditional artisanal cheese course culled from local ingredients. Credit: Photo by Gordon M. Grant
This Friday, the Plaza Café will be hosting a wine dinner designed to de-mystify the great varietals of France’s Rhone Valley…by way of California. Steve Beckmen of Beckmen Vineyards has been working with these grapes—Syrah, Grenache, Marsanne—since he and his brother Tom founded the winery in 1994 in California’s Santa Ynez Valley.
The Plaza Café’s chef-owner Doug Gulija has created a menu to showcase Beckmen’s wines:
Canapes
2009 Estate Sauvignon Blanc
2009 Purisima Mountain Vineyard Grenache Rosé
Grilled white tuna with watercress purée, medley of spring vegetables
2008 Le Bec Blanc
Bacon-wrapped lobster-stuffed monkfish with pea purée, morels, beurre rouge
2008 Cuvée Le Bec
Jurgielewicz duck breast with strawberry-rhubarb compote, foie gras sauce
2006 Purisima Mountain Vineyard Grenache
Herb-crusted rack of lamb with flageolets, thyme scented lamb jus
2008 Estate Syrah
Marinated strawberries with hibiscus-vanilla syrup
The cost of the dinner is $125 per person, excluding tip and tax. Call 631-283-9323 for more details or to make a reservation. The Plaza Café is at 61 Hill St., Southampton.
Photo by Gordon M. Grant
