A Beautiful Night!

Tonight was my first Société Mondial du Vin event. Master Sommelier Michael McNeill sat directly across from me during the dinner, which focused on the cuisine of Northern Italy and featured pairings with a dozen wines from the same region. We talked a lot, and I learned quite a bit.

This was my first exposure to others in the Société Mondial du Vin, and they are a great group of very accomplished and pleasant folks. I'm really looking forward to meeting the rest of them as I attend more events.

Michael McNeill is impressive, to say the least. He's approachable and very happy to help you understand more about wine, and he's great reassuring you to just relax, enjoy, and the knowledge will come as you're exposed to more and varied wines.

How true. Each flight of wines enabled me to contrast and compare like I've never been able to before. Comparing a young wine and a more aged wine made from the same grape in approximately the same region enabled me to better identify fruit and tannin development, and it gives me an idea of how to better judge other wines in future.

Stephen Gross, our Bailli, announced some of the new events we should look forward to in the coming year, which promises even more activity than years past. This is really going to be fun. And it's about time; I'm 46, and I've only been on two vacations in my life so far.

But the biggest star of the evening was Michael Tuohy, the chef of Woodfire Grill. You've heard me talk about him before, but tonight was a true privilege.

The meal started with an amuse bouche of cured lardo, sliced so thin you could literally read through it, on a slice of grilled artisan bread slathered with black truffle paste.

This was followed by a first course of artisan cured meats. There was a terrine of cheek and trotter en gelee, cured pork loin, pancetta, and the finest chorizo I have ever tasted. These were accompanied by a truffle sauce and a fig paste that contrasted perfectly.

The second course, a porcini risotto with parmigiano-reggiano, was so perfect that the place went mostly silent with people staring lovingly at their plates while savoring the dish. I have never had a risotto like this. Literally perfect in every way.

The main course was a braised spotted pork shoulder in gremolata on a bed of creamy polenta. I was surprised how Chef Tuohy was able to make such lean pork tender and succulent, and so beautifully fragrant.

The final course was a cheese plate with accompaniments of lavender honey, quince syrup, and pralined pecans.

And everything was paired with many beautiful wines that I won't soon forget.

All I could think the entire time was, What an incredible privilege this is. I am eating and drinking the finest food and drink the world has to offer, and everyone in the room is truly happy. It can't get much better than this.

Michael Tuohy is a national treasure, and if it were up to me, he would be officially recognized as such and given tax-free status for the rest of his life. Whenever I experience something of excellence like this, and I try to imagine the thousands of hours of blood, sweat, and tears he put in at the lower rungs perfecting his craft, the personal and financial risks he has taken to get where he is now, and how hard he works to continue to deliver perfection in food every day.

Compared to that, my sincerest "Thank you" just doesn't suffice.

Bravo, maestro. Bravo.