New Year's Eve Dinner - Part 2

Our dinner at Cuvée in Napa continues. After our Meyer lemon granita intermezzo, we were ready for our third course. I was actually pretty full by this time since I’m not used to eating this much. But we had a long way to go yet. 

Third course:

We both selected the Harris Ranch Strip Loin – prepared  with potatoes three ways, black trumpet mushrooms, mustard greens, grilled leeks and tangy tomato conserva. The three types of potatoes included thinly fried strips, small roasted chunks and a potato/garlic cream. We had gambled that the Grgich Hills Estate zinfandel would pair well with the beef and the bet paid off. The spicy tomato conserva proved to be the perfect component to work with the zinfandel. Tomato conserva is a very concentrated tomato paste and this was very dense and concentrated with an intense spicy flavor.

Dessert:

CHOCOLATE and lots of it - a trio of chocolate treats. My favorite was the hot chocolate with a small lemon-filled donut. The chocolate was so rich and thick it almost qualified as pudding, but was still drinkable. I saved this one for the finale. There was also a flourless chocolate torte topped with strawberries in pinot noir sauce and whipped cream, as well as a mocha pot du crème. It was all wonderful.

Our reservation was early, and we hoped to have a quiet, relaxing dinner and avoid any crowds. We dined at a leisurely pace and were sitting in front of a roaring fire in the cozy hotel lobby by 10pm. After all that food and wine we didn't last to see the new year arrive.