Chicken Rôti and Chinon

I was at Olivier's Butchery in Potrero a few weeks ago and couldn't resist picking up the prepared chicken rôti in the cooler. Olivier's gets the chicken from Field to Family in Petaluma. The chicken is a Poulet Bleu (Blue Foot) breed, raised free range and fed a vegetarian diet. I roasted the bird in a dutch over and voila! it was the tastiest chicken I've had in a long, long time!



And as luck would have it, I still had the remains of a 2006 Phlippe Alliet Chinon from a weekend tasting. A bright, earthy pure Cabernet Franc. It was perfect with the chicken rôti.

Pop-Up Café Kick-Off with Feuillet Burgundies and Duck Parts

I couldn't think of a more thrilling way to debut Vineyard Gate's Pop-Up Café than pairing François Feuillet's elegant red Burgundies with plates of duck parts!



Roving Bay Area food maven, Hector Figueroa, and his partner, Angie, prepared the perfect dishes to bring out the best in the Burgundies. Starters included a Cauliflower Panna Cotta (inspired by French Laundry) that went down deliciously with the aperitif of Eric Bordelet's Poire sparkling cider.



Hector butchered 5 ducks to pair with 6 Burgundies. Not a bad ratio! These confit of duck legs were served with plump, juicy lentils, whose sweetness balanced well with the salty flavor of the confit. The plate was scarfed down quickly with a pair of Feuillet's charming 2007s, the Vosne-Romanée Barreaux and Nuits-St-Georges Aux Thorey.



A risotto of duck gizzards was cooked on the spot--it was a to-die-for match with François Feuillet's four grands crus poured side-by-side: 2006 Clos de la Roche and 2006, 2004, and 2001 Echézeaux.



Bravo Hector! We can't wait for the next event at the Vineyard Gate Pop-Up Café!