Right on the heels of Burgers & Bordeaux we launched our first cultural event at Ginsberg+Chan.  Assaad Razzouk, Kavita Faiella, & Freddy Balfour led a talk and  tasting about life, art, and wine of the Middle East.

Assaad spoke of the artist’s he represents in his Middle Eastern gallery in Singapore, Sana, and Kavita follow up with her experiences with Serge Hochar or Chateau Musar while we sipped on a 2003.  Musar, and I think all Lebanese wines, tend to have the taste of evergreen in them.  There’s ripe fruit, the classic damson and plums, and grippy tannins that you would expect from a Bordeaux blend, but always this pine-y note.  I’m into it.

We also tasted wines from the Sade family: a white and red each from Chateau Marysus in Lebanon and Domaine de Bargylas in Syria- the only winery in Syria.  The speakers were tremendously interesting and the wines surprisingly balanced and tasty.  The quality surprised me.

We finished the evening at Neighborhood for an assortment of incredibly delicious French small plates, including steak tartare and a pheasant ragu that will both have me coming back soon.  If you haven’t been it’s worth checking out.  They have a decent by the glass list that’s heavy on natural wines.

I would be remiss not to write about the most incredible thing I have eaten this year (probably).  Look at that above- Pavlova a la Polly and her boyfriend Nick.  Pavlova with creme fresh, figs, honey, and pistachios.  Get better.

She also made this spectacular Thai papaya salad above and minced meat lettuce wraps.

And since it was all wine people there was no shortage of wine.

This little diddy was opened at work a few weeks back. Lots of tannins given its age with enticing notes of leather, tea, mushroom (marsala chicken!), and some vanilla on the back palate.

I get a text from my mom who was skiing in Alaska asking if I had ever heard of “Dominus” because that’s what the hotel had waiting for her in her room.  2006.   Somehow I never get invited on these trips…