Vineland Estates Early Dinner

Sunday August 31

Our Dean, Rosemary, who knows good wine and food, pointed us toward Vineland Estates, a former Mennonite farmstead that has been renovated to provide the full Napa experience - tasting room with expensive glassware, carriage house all set for weddings and private parties, honeymoon cottage, and best of all, the restaurant looking out over the St. Urban Vineyard toward Lake Ontario. The deck is cleverly built around a shady tree, and overlooking it are glassed-in areas where you can get that same spectacular view but remain cool and comfortable. As we were well-dressed for an early dinner, we chose the interior, and sent immediately for a bottle of their 2007 Cabernet Franc, which was upfront and fruity without being too gay about it, if you know what I mean.

We started with the Monforte cheese plate, two kinds of soft herb-crusted sheep cheeses and one solid wine-washed goat cheese, served with apple jelly, sprouts, and various berries. All were excellent, as was the rich olive oil served with balsamic vinegar and sliced peasant bread.

For one main, we chose the double-cro quail, which looked like two tiny birds on a skewer, but turned out to be two deboned breasts and four little drumsticks, rolled in some delicious spice mixture. It came on an "ancient grain" salad, mainly wild rice and (I think) quinoa, a bit crunchy but beautifully seasoned, and was strewn with fresh vegetables - flageolets both green and wax, broad beans, yellow peppers, zucchini, and a blackberry or two.

The other main was Arden's haunch of venison ("poor dappled fools," according to the Duke), a luscious chunk of meat seasoned with dukka spices, on similar vegetables but with a raspberry and roasted shallot potato "tarte tatin" instead of the grain salad.

All that was good, but the dessert was inspired. It was a peach and tarragon torte, in fact an eggy tarragon friande tower supporting a half-peach glazed with peach jelly, plumped with fresh ricotta, and flanked by raspberry coulis, a cube of sugared quince, mint leaves, and a nasturtium. Holt got that glazed look that said he was thinking of a way to recreate this recipe; or maybe it was just the cabernet franc. Anyway, we will certainly be back to Vineland Estates restaurant.