DECEMBER 2022
Event Report:
Fall Harvest! at Dolce
Upcoming Events
What’s New I was on my annual pheasant hunt in South Dakota, and so couldn’t attend the Fall Harvest! event at Dolce. No big deal, except to the event host, who then must take their own photos and then write up the event report. This was her first event since Michelle Hyder joined the Council Bluffs Board. Her event report describes an event that I was sorry to miss. Dolce always does an excellent job, and Chef Anthony Kueper is quite creative in his recipes. The wines likewise sounded like they were matched to perfection with the cuisine. The event was close to selling out, with 31 people attending. Read Michelle’s report within. Please respond yea or nay to an event invitation. Michelle had to make phone calls as sign up was sluggish this time. It is very helpful to the event producer to know who IS NOT coming. Not replying doesn’t mean you are not coming to the event producer, who then thinks that maybe a phone call is needed just to confirm whether a no reply is also a no-can-come or a Yes-I can-come-I-just-forgot. Also, if you know you are coming, don’t delay in signing up. The event producer has gone through a lot of preparation to bring the invitation out. Be kind. Don’t leave them on pins and needles wondering if they can come close to the event minimum. In your email, a PDF will be sent along with the issuu.com link. The advantage of issuu.com is that you can see both right and left pages, like a paper magazine. Our PDF only lets you view one page at a time. You can also access the Branch Recipe file by clicking: https://issuu.com/omahapublications/docs/iwfs_cb_council_bluffs_recipes. If I had a dollar for every girl that found me unattractive, they would eventually find me attractive. The Cynical Philosopher
Event Report: Fall Harvest! at Dolce Written by Michelle Hyder, Photos by Michelle & Hasan Hyder For our October event, we celebrated all things Autumn with a Fall Harvest theme at Dolce Restaurant. Although the weather was unseasonably warm that day, we nevertheless enjoyed ourselves with a wonderful meal, fantastic wines, and lively conversations! James Beard nominated Chef Anthony Kueper created a seasonal 5-course menu that had been specially tailored to our wines. The first course was Scallop with Vanilla Butter, Fennel Bulb, Beets and Orange that was paired with a William Fevre Champs Royaux Chablis 2019. The dish was delicious and plated beautifully. The Chablis was perfect for the course and was a crowd favorite, both with food and without, and even won the white wine of the night. The second course was Butternut Squash Ravioli with Cippolini, Apple, and Sage Brown Butter paired with a Gran Moraine Chardonnay 2018 from Yamhill-Carlton, Willamette Valley. The Oregon Chardonnay complimented the butternut squash quite well but when the compared to the crisp Chablis, it came in second place in the white wines. The Fall Harvest theme continued with the third course which was Braised Lamb with Fava Bean, Thyme, and Parsnip. It was the perfect pairing for our Rhône wines. We compared and contrasted a Northern Rhône (the Domaine de Thalabert Paul Jaboulet Aîné Crozes-Hermitage 2010) and a Southern Rhone (the Domaine des Escaravilles “La Ponce” Rasteau 2015). Both these wines were from the CB cellar, and they drank beautifully. The group was equally split with the wine preference, proving that Rhône wines are all fantastic! We continued our side-by-side comparisons with the fourth, and main, course. Chef Anthony served a Duck Confit with Carrot Risotto and Pickled Grape. This course was paired with a Pritchard Hill Cabernet and a Grand Cru Bordeaux, both from the 2015 vintage. The Chappellet Signature Cab was from the CB cellar, and the Château Giscours was from the Hyders’ personal cellar. The wines were phenomenal, as was the food, with the majority of the group preferring the Chappellet without food and the Bordeaux with food. The dessert course was a decadent Bread Pudding with Raisin Compote, Almond Ice Cream, and Caramel. A truly unique dessert wine was chosen from the CB cellar: the Alvear Solera 1927 Pedro Ximenez. This Sherry was a delicious and unique pairing that perfectly capped off the night. Kudos to Chef Anthony and his team for a wonderful menu that captured the abundant Fall harvest!
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HOSTING AN EVENT?
Let us know when, where and a little bit about what’s going on! We would love to include YOUR event on the calendar! Email details to: iwfs.councilbluffs@yahoo.com